Statement from President Joe Biden on the Enactment of Ugandas Anti-Homosexuality Act STATEMENTS AND RELEASES The enactment of Ugandas Anti-Homosexuality Act is a tragic violation of universal human rightsone that is not worthy of the Ugandan people, and one that jeopardizes the prospects of critical economic growth for the entire country. I join with people around the worldincluding many in Ugandain calling for its immediate repeal. No one should have to live in constant fear for their life or being subjected to violence and discrimination. It is wrong. Since the Anti-Homosexuality Act was introduced, reports of violence and discrimination targeting Ugandans who are or are perceived to be LGBTQI+ are on the rise. Innocent Ugandans now fear going to hospitals, clinics, or other establishments to receive life-saving medical care lest they be targeted by hateful reprisals. Some have been evicted from their homes or fired from their jobs. And the prospect of graver threatsincluding lengthy prison sentences, violence, abusethreatens any number of Ugandans who want nothing more than to live their lives in safety and freedom. This shameful Act is the latest development in an alarming trend of human rights abuses and corruption in Uganda. The dangers posed by this democratic backsliding are a threat to everyone residing in Uganda, including U.S. government personnel, the staff of our implementing partners, tourists, members of the business community, and others. As such, I have directed my National Security Council to evaluate the implications of this law on all aspects of U.S. engagement with Uganda, including our ability to safely deliver services under the U.S. Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and other forms of assistance and investments. My Administration will also incorporate the impacts of the law into our review of Ugandas eligibility for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). And we are considering additional steps, including the application of sanctions and restriction of entry into the United States against anyone involved in serious human rights abuses or corruption. The United States shares a deep and committed partnership with the people of Uganda. For more than 60 years, we have worked together to help millions of Ugandans live healthier, more productive lives. Our programs have boosted economic growth and agricultural productivity, increased investments in Ugandan businesses, and strengthened our trade cooperation. In total, the U.S. Government invests nearly $1 billion annually in Ugandas people, business, institutions, and military to advance our common agenda. The scale of our commitments speaks to the value we place on this partnershipand our faith in the people of Uganda to build for themselves a better future. It is my sincere hope that we can continue to build on this progress, together, and strengthen protections for the human rights of people everywhere. ### 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 Brazilian doctor recently lost his job after allegedly prescribing chocolate ice cream and video games to a 9-year-old with a sore throat and flu-like symptoms. On May 18th, Priscila da Silva Ramos, a 37-year-old mother from Osasco, in Greater Sao Paulo, took her 9-year-old child for a checkup at a state-owned clinic, after he started feeling sick and started vomiting. She claims that the doctor there was very unprofessional, asking her if she had looked at her childs throat, but not bothering to do it himself. Instead of actually examining the minor, the unnamed doctor allegedly started writing a prescription for drugs like amoxicillin, ibuprofen, dipyrone, prednisolone, and N-acetylcysteine, as well as ice cream and daily sessions of gaming. He started writing the prescription without examining my son, without looking at his throat, without examining his chest, without anything, the outraged mother said. Then he asked my son if he liked ice cream, he said yes. He asked if chocolate or strawberry, my son replied chocolate. But I never imagined that he wrote ice cream on the prescription. But he did prescribe the ice cream and daily sessions of the mobile video game Free Fire. Ramos told Brazilian journalists that she didnt notice the ice cream and video game sessions on the prescription until the next day, when the boys aunt looked at the prescription and was surprised by the last two lines at the bottom. The two sisters decided to post the unusual prescription on Facebook, where it quickly went viral. Social media reactions to the doctors prescription were mixed, with some agreeing that they had been unprofessional, and others arguing that he had only added the ice cream and gaming on the prescription as a joke. Lawyer Henderson Furst, president of the Bioethics Commission of the Brazilian Bar Association, Sao Paulo section, said that some doctors do things like this to humanize the relationship with their patients. Some doctors who have a practice of humanizing the relationship by making prescriptions that contain some things out of the ordinary, but which represent an act of humanization in that relationship, Furst said. Ive seen a prescription, for example, where the doctor said take care, youre special, hug more. Unfortunately for the doctor, the controversy surrounding his prescription was enough to cost him his job within the Brazilian public health network. According to the City Hall of Osasco, the physician had been dismissed from its service provider framework. As for the childs mother, she hopes that this case will improve medical care in the city. Source: Oddity Central 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 . . . . NDCs Politics Of Double Standards & Emotional Blackmail Pushing Quayson To The Pit In July 2012, Ghanaians woke up to the shocking news that Mr. Adamu Dramani Sakande, NPP MP for Bawku Central, had been convicted and sentenced to jail for two years for falsely declaring under oath he had renounced his UK Citizenship. The decision was celebrated by the NDC as unprecedented and a triumph of the rule of law Today, the same NDC, whose Attorney General prosecuted Adamu Sakande, is waging an emotional campaign in Assin North because the same courts have applied the law to remove Gyakye Quayson as MP. For the record, Mr. Quayson had the opportunity to make his case at the High Court through to the Supreme Court, and not for once did he convince any of the judges he was deserving of staying in parliament. His criminal trial is underway, and he still has every opportunity to defend himself. The leadership of the NDC, as usual, has failed to take responsibility for their incompetence in undertaking requisite due diligence before the 2020 elections;and rather, has diverted blame to the Court that applied the law in equal measure in 2012 and 2023. In the end, Mr. Quayson would be the only one to personally suffer criminal sanctions despite the NDCs leadership and its legal team being responsible for the tardy handling of the legal issues. Our laws, like our justice system, are non-discriminatory and blind to parties or persons. Let the NDC blame their leaders for their indolence and spare residents of Assin North and the emotional blackmail. RIP Hon. Adamu Dramani Sakande.... BE WISE, Hon Gyakye Quayson. Source: By Nana B/NPP National Organiser* 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 Minister of Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has refuted a media report claiming he spent his birthday flying a private jet to Monaco, purportedly to say at the expense of the Ghanaian taxpayer. A Daily Guide publication captioned Napo Celebrates Birthday in Monaco made such claim but according to a statement issued by the Minister's Spokesperson, Kofi Abrefa Afena, this report is aimed to besmirch the character of Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh. Setting the record straight, the statement read that "on the 23rd of May, 2023 which marked the 55th birthday of Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, he was in Ghana and attended a meeting of the Economic Management Team (EMT). On the same day, 23rd May, Dr. Prempeh also attended a Board meeting of the governing Board of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC)". It added that the day after the Minister's birthday, he was "in his house in the morning, at his instance, where he recorded an appreciation message to his well-wishers for the love shown him on his birthday. He spent the rest of the day of the 24th in his office, where he carried out his routine official duties". "Dr. Prempeh after seeking the necessary approval from the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President, travelled abroad on KLM to Athens for a brief holiday. There is incontrovertible evidence in this regard. The above sequence of events is verifiable", the statement further clarified. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh is therefore urging the general public to disregard what he termed as "total fabrication and affront". "It is important to state that, the Energy Minister is fully aware of the maneuverings of his detractors, especially in the coming days, but remains focused in actualizing the vision of His Excellency the President for the energy sector." Read full statement below: Napo Was In Ghana On His Birthday; Ignore Malicious Daily Guide Publication My attention has been drawn to a clearly, malicious Newspaper Publication in todays edition of the Daily Guide Newspaper with the caption Napo Celebrates Birthday in Monaco. Among other unintelligent postulations, the publication alleges that the Energy Minister and Member of Parliament for Manhyia South flew a certain phantomized private Jet to celebrate his birthday. The publication which has unfortunately been given front-page prominence, in furtherance of a calculated scheme, is clearly a sordid attempt at besmirching the character of the Minister and to paint him as ostentatious in the eyes of right-thinking Ghanaians. I wish to respond to this total fabrication as follows: 1. On the 23rd of May, 2023 which marked the 55th birthday of Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, he was in Ghana and attended a meeting of the Economic Management Team (EMT). 2. On the same day, 23rd May, Dr. Prempeh also attended a Board meeting of the governing Board of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC). 3. On 24th May, the day after, Dr. Prempehs birthday, I was in his house in the morning, at his instance, where he recorded an appreciation message to his well-wishers for the love shown him on his birthday. 4. He spent the rest of the day of the 24th in his office, where he carried out his routine official duties. 5. Dr. Prempeh after seeking the necessary approval from the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President, travelled abroad on KLM to Athens for a brief holiday. There is incontrovertible evidence in this regard. 6. The above sequence of events is verifiable. 7. Anybody who knows Dr. Prempeh very well will corroborate the fact that, he does not attach hype and razzmatazz to his birthdays, except, on those days, as an avid Christian, to be alone in sobriety and to thank the almighty God for his grace and mercies. What happened this year was no different. The attempt by some cowardly elements who feel threatened by the very personality of Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, manifest in his fidelity to propriety and avowed principle, to uphold the supreme interest of the Republic of Ghana, who seek to court hatred and disaffection for him, has failed woefully. It is only sad that the Daily Guide will resort to this crude route of journalism. It is important to state that, the Energy Minister is fully aware of the maneuverings of his detractors, especially in the coming days, but remains focused in actualizing the vision of His Excellency the President for the energy sector. The general public is kindly asked to completely disregard this publication, which is a total affront to the concept of believability quotient in journalism. *END* SIGNED KOFI ABREFA AFENA SPOKESPERSON FOR DR. MATTHEW OPOKU PREMPEH (MP) ENERGY MINISTER 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 National Organizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP), Henry Nana Boakye has cautioned former Member of Parliament for Assin North constituency, James Gyekye Quayson to take a cue from the former Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, the late Mr. Adamu Dramani Sakande and stay away from the Assin North By-election. According to him, he should not be swayed by his party into thinking that he was going to win the Assin North seat again. In July 2012, Ghanaians woke up to the shocking news that Mr. Adamu Dramani Sakande, NPP MP for Bawku Central, had been convicted and sentenced to jail for two years for falsely declaring under oath he had renounced his UK Citizenship. The decision was celebrated by the NDC as unprecedented and a triumph of the rule of law. "Today, the same NDC, whose Attorney General prosecuted Adamu Sakande, is waging an emotional campaign in Assin North because the court have applied the law to remove Gyakye Quayson as MP," he said. He further added that Mr. Quayson had the opportunity to make his case at the High Court through the Supreme Court, and not for once did he convince any of the judges he was deserving of staying in parliament. His criminal trial is underway, and he still has every opportunity to defend himself. Watch Video Below 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 Embattled former NDC Member of Parliament for Assin North Constituency, James Gyakye Quayson has declared his intention to contest the parliamentary seat again on Tuesday, June 27, 2023 as set by the Electoral Commission. The Electoral Commission (EC) has set Tuesday, June 27, 2023, as the date for a by-election in the Assin North constituency following the removal of the former Member of Parliament, James Gyakye Quayson by a Supreme Court ruling. It may be recalled that the Supreme Court directed Parliament to expunge his name from its records; declaring his election as null and void. As a result, the Assin North seat was declared vacant by Parliament on Tuesday, May 30. "I am waiting to read the full judgment of the Supreme Court, whenever it is made available, but there is no doubt that the decision, as announced on 17th May, 2023, flies in the face of many previously decided cases. We wait to see whether the words of the various Justices which I have quoted will be respected by the panel. "Having made that point, let me make it clear to everyone that the most important thing to me right now is to contest and win the bye-election which is the result of what the Supreme Court announced on 17th May, 2023. I am determined to continue serving the good people of the Assin North with all my heart, soul, body and all the resources I can muster for the benefit of my constituents. I have been deeply touched by the amazing support and encouragement from you in the constituency after the Supreme Court decision on 17th May, 2023. I was particularly moved by your show of love and support through the vigil organized by the youth at Assin Bereku on Sunday 28th May, 2023. The massive attendance showed the depth of the support and encouragement I am receiving. I was really touched," he said in a statement. Read his full statement 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 NPP National Youth Organizer, Abdul Salam Mustapha has expressed optimism over the impending Assin North by-election. The Electoral Commission has set the date for the by-election which is as a result of the disqualification of the Member of Parliament for the Assin North constituency, James Gyakye Quayson, by the Supreme Court from holding himself as a Parliamentarian. "In accordance with Article 112 (5) of the Constitution, as amended, the Electoral Commission will hold a By-Election in the Assin North constituency on Tuesday, the 27th of June, 2023", a statement by the Commission read. Accordingly, the Commission will receive Nominations from prospective Candidates for the Election of a Member of Parliament for the said Constituency. The Nominations will be received at the Assin North District Office of the Commission from Monday, the 12th of June, 2023 to Wednesday, the 14th of June, 2023 between the hours of 9:00 am 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm on each day, parts of the statement further read. The filing fee for the election is GH10,000 per candidate. Abdul Salam Mustapha, speaking on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" panel discussion programme, emphasized that the New Patriotic Party will win the Assin North parliamentary seat. He strongly believe the seat rightly belongs to the governing party. "We will win the seat because Assin North is NPP seat...We are going to see and conquer and bring the seat back home," he told host Nana Yaw Kesseh. 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 National Youth Organizer of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Abdul Salam Mustapha has refuted claims that the party shared cups of rice during the Kumawu by-election that saw their candidate win. NPP Parliamentary candidate, Ernest Yaw Anim won the by-election held at Kumawu in the Ashanti Region following the demise of the Member of Parliament for the constituency. However, during the elections, videos popped up showing some delegates receiving cups of rice supposedly to vote for the candidate. The rice, according to seasoned Journalist, Kwesi Pratt was 'tu gyimii' - to wit rice which with small quantity it becomes plenty when cooked. Reacting to the speculations, Abdul Salam Mustapha stressed on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show that the party never shared rice as it was widely spread. He explained that the incident that has been associated with the NPP was an individual's personal pledge to the delegates. According to him, a certain NPP activist decided to share rice to the delegates to continue his mother's legacy, detailing that the mother was a staunch member of the New Patriotic Party and whenever she was contesting elections, she would distribute items to the electorates. "So, as party, we never had any direct involvement in sharing rice and this one I say on authority and for the records. It was never in our line of activities to share rice," the NPP Youth Organizer told host Nana Yaw Kesseh. 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 " " A memorial was erected at the Robb Elementary School on May 26, 2022, following the mass shooting there, in Uvalde, Texas. Nineteen students and 2 adults were killed, with the gunman fatally shot by law enforcement. Brandon Bell/Getty Images On the morning of May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas, an 18-year-old gunman named Salvador Ramos shot his grandmother in the face, and then sent a text message to a 15-year-old girl in Germany whom he'd met on the internet. "Ima go shoot up a elementary school rn," he reportedly wrote. Then Ramos took his grandmother's truck and drove to nearby Robb Elementary School. After crashing the truck into a railing nearby, he continued on foot to the school and walked inside, carrying a semi-automatic military-style rifle that he'd recently purchased, and began shooting. By the time the slaughter had stopped, 19 children and two teachers were dead. So was the teenage gunman, who had been shot to death by a tactical team [sources: Hernandez et al.; Bogel-Burroughs; Levinson et al.]. For a nation that has seen a string of mass shootings over the past two decades, it was yet another collective trauma. What was even more shocking to some was the ease with which Ramos, a teenager whose behavior reportedly had grown increasingly troubling and violent, had been able to legally obtain weapons The day after Ramos turned 18, he went into a local store and purchased a semi-automatic rifle, and in the several days that followed, he purchased 1,657 rounds of ammunition and a second semi-automatic rifle [sources: Klemko, Foster-Frau and Boburg; O'Kane]. Advertisement And once again, as they have so many times in the past, gun control advocates called for stricter laws to prevent such tragedies. "We have to act," President Joe Biden, a longtime advocate of gun control, said in a TV address on the evening after the Uvalde mass shooting [source: Whitehouse.gov]. Tragic events spark fear and outrage, drive up gun sales and, conversely, inspire calls for expanded (or better-enforced) gun control. This has been the pattern for the past half-century, since Congress passed the Gun Control Act of 1968 following the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The Brady Act, which requires background checks by licensed dealers (but does not apply to gun shows), arose from the 1981 assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan [sources: ATF; Hennessey and Mascaro]. The act is named for James Brady, Reagan's press secretary who also was injured in the attempt and went on to become a gun control advocate. The possibility of legal reform remains unclear, and the composition and effectiveness of such laws remains hotly debated. One proposed gun law reform involves banning assault weapons such as the popular AR-15, the semi-automatic rifle used in numerous mass shootings, including the 2012 attack on Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, which took the lives of 20 young children and six teachers, and the slaughter of 59 people by a gunman who fired on a concert from a hotel room window in Las Vegas in October 2017 [source: Blankstein et al., Calabrese and Siemaszko]. Such a ban was passed by Congress in 1994 and stayed in place for a decade, before it was allowed to lapse in 2004. Attempts to revive the measure have failed, though some Republicans are now saying they are open to banning AR-15s in light of the Uvalde school shootings. After the 1994 law was passed, public support for gun control receded. In 1991, a Gallup poll found that 78 percent of Americans favored stricter regulation of the sale of guns, but by 2011, the year before Sandy Hook, just 44 percent of Americans supported tougher laws. Since then, support for tougher regulation has risen and fallen, perhaps driven by repeated instances of mass killings, and settled at 52 percent in 2021 [source: Gallup]. Other pollsters have seen similar fluctuation. A poll conducted by Quinnipiac University in the wake of the Parkland mass school shooting found strong support for various gun control measures. Sixty-seven percent of Americans favored revival of the assault weapons ban, and 97 percent favored universal background checks on gun purchasers. (Currently, people can avoid such screening if they buy from private owners or at gun shows.) An April 2021 Q poll, however, found that support for an assault weapons ban had declined to 52 percent, and support for universal background checks had dropped to 89 percent [sources: Quinnipiac, Cook, Quinnipiac]. In the U.S., the gun control debate comprises strongly held views about constitutional law, the rights of the individual, the role of the state and the best way to keep society safe. But it also encompasses an important practical question: Do countries with stricter gun laws experience less crime or fewer homicides? The answer is anything but simple. Hong Kong: Views sought on UN report The Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Bureau is inviting the public to share their views on a section about the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for inclusion in China's fourth report to the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council. The council has been conducting its fourth Universal Periodic Review on the human rights situation of UN member states since last year. The fourth review on China will be held between January and February of 2024 and the Central People's Government will submit a report to the UN for the review. The Hong Kong SAR Government has prepared an outline of the Hong Kong section of the report. Copies of it can be obtained from the district offices of the Home Affairs Enquiry Centres. People who wish to express their views can write to the Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Bureau (Team 5), 12/F, East Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar. Views can also be emailed to upr_consultation@cmab.gov.hk or faxed to 2840 0657. The submission deadline is June 21. The bureau stressed that it will carefully consider the comments and suggestions received in drafting the report. This story has been published on: 2023-06-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Thriving courier business mirrors China's development vitality 09:07, June 01, 2023 By Han Xin ( People's Daily The courier industry, which integrates online and offline businesses and serves every household, is an important sector that smooths production and consumption, as well as a reflection of a country's economic development. According to statistics released by the State Post Bureau, China's courier industry saw its delivery volume exceed 40 billion parcels this year as of May 4. The 40-billion mark was reached 128 days earlier than in 2019 and 24 days earlier than in 2022. Photo shows an unmanned logistics vehicle in an agricultural product trade center in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan province. (People's Daily Online/Luo Guoyang) The achievement reached in only four months indicates the strong resilience of the industry's development and mirrors the vitality and energy of China. This year, the sector took 39 days to handle 10 billion parcels and 28 days to reach the second 10-billion mark. A total of 30 billion parcels had been collected and delivered across the country in about three months, and the number hit 40 billion a month later. The steady rise in the delivery volume demonstrates the ceaseless efforts of the Chinese courier industry to grasp new opportunities. Express delivery enterprises have constantly developed new technologies and expanded their businesses, fostering new growth points while facilitating economic microcirculation. Many of them have upgraded their overnight shipping services to same-day delivery, and launched intelligent courier vehicles that are able to not only deliver but also collect parcels. They have also joined hands with multiple parties to serve cross-border e-commerce, constantly improving the cross-border express network. Employees of a postal center in Fuyang, east China's Anhui province, sort express parcels along an intelligent conveyor belt. (People's Daily Online/Wang Biao) A series of new measures boast a smoother express service network, high-quality services and an upgraded capacity. The industry has maintained a sound momentum for operation. The monthly growth in delivery volume manifests China's consumption turnaround. The courier industry helps improve market circulation and contributes to the gradual release of online consumer demand. In the first quarter of this year, the online retail sales of physical goods nationwide increased by 7.3 percent year-on-year, and its share in total retail sales of consumer goods also went up by 1 percentage point. During the May Day holiday this year, nearly 1.5 billion parcels were collected and delivered across China, with a daily average increasing 1.2 times from that in 2019. It proved that the fundamentals sustaining the continuous recovery of the Chinese consumer market remain unchanged. Chinese consumption is still expanding and seeing structural optimization. The monthly growth in parcel volume manifests a new trend of integration and development among Chinese industries. The constant development of the express network is attributed to the thriving courier business in rural areas and the close collaboration between the courier sector and manufacturing enterprises. Couriers of SF Express are ready to deliver parcels in Qianxi, southwest China's Guizhou province. (People's Daily Online/Fan Hui) Thanks to the efforts made by courier companies to explore lower-tier markets, more and more industrial products are sold to rural regions, and the logistics channel for agricultural products has been significantly widened. Today, over 100 million parcels are being collected and delivered in rural areas on a daily basis, stimulating the vitality of rural consumption. By extending courier services to the production end, the courier sector and manufacturing industries have further integrated with each other. Courier companies set up service stations directly in manufacturing factories, integrate warehousing and distribution, and offer regional supply chain services. The integration helps manufacturers lower costs and improve efficiency, and expands new market space for courier companies. Today, China has built a gigantic express network that comes with over 410,000 service stations that provide 700 million services on a daily basis. Over 4 million couriers are running on the streets across the country every day. Relevant policies are implemented to promote consumption and smooth circulation, and consumer confidence is continuously increasing. The courier industry will play a bigger role in serving production, promoting consumption and ensuring the smooth flow of economic activities, and constantly promote high-quality economic development. (Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun) Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) and the Elizabeth City State University Foundation, Incorporated will honor six regional, state and national leaders at its Founders Day Scholarship Gala XVI on Saturday, March 11, 2023. The event will be held in person at the K.E. White Graduate Center on the campus of ECSU. Tickets are $150 per person. The gala follows the 132nd Founders Day Convocation, which will be held on Friday, March 10, 2023, in the Mickey L. Burnim Fine Arts Center, beginning at 10 a.m. The 2023 honorees are ECSU trailblazers and supporters, including alumni leaders, former university administrators, a current university professor and a former North Carolina state senator. ECSU Founders Day Galas XIII, XVI and XV raised a combined total of $396,068.42 for scholarships. The 2023 honorees are: Eyualem Abebe, Ph.D., is a lifelong educator, mentor and academic administrator with more than 30 years of academic service at four higher education institutions on three continents. A globally recognized nematologist who has earned numerous awards, he has a passion for student mentorship, especially serving those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. He is intentional in securing grants from state and national funding agencies and has been awarded grants totaling more than $4 million; a fourth of the funding has been for mentoring students through research initiatives. To expand academic opportunities by enhancing retention and graduation, Abebe has been committed to the implementation of effective academic interventions at ECSU. He joined ECSU in 2006 and has served in various capacities. Currently, Abebe is the Marshall A. Rausch Endowed Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Natural Sciences. Ulysses D. Bell, J.D., 65, began his career as chairman of the commercial training division at Nkumbi International College in Kabwe, Zambia. He has held numerous leadership roles throughout his career, including southern regional director for the National Rural Center. He was appointed as a member of the White House Rural Task Force during President Jimmy Carters administration. Bell has held senior level positions at several Historically Black Colleges and Universities, including North Carolina Central University, Bennett College, Stillman College and vice chancellor for Development at ECSU. Bell is co-founder and current Board Chair of the River City CDC in Elizabeth City and served on the Board of Trustees at Lenoir Rhyne College. Since 2009, Bell has led The Bell Group, Inc., a fundraising and marketing firm. Saundra Sellars Copeland, Ph.D., 71, is a lifelong educator, having served in education for 48 years. She is a retired associate professor and former coordinator for the Master of School Administration Program in the Department of Education, Psychology and Health at Elizabeth City State University. She retired in August 2019, after serving at the university since August 2002. Sellars Copeland was the 2012-2013 first runner-up recipient of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors Teacher of the Year Award for ECSU. In addition to her work as a teacher, Sellars Copeland has worked extensively to support children and families in the community and has been honored by organizations including the NAACP, Portsmouth Pan-Hellenic Council, among others. She has established two scholarship funds. Sellars Copeland was elected as the ECSU National Alumni Association Ms. Alumni for 2021-2023. Ms. Virginia Lawrence Houston began her 50-year career in public school education in Ft. Myers, Fla. Over five decades, she worked in Florida, Alabama, Indiana, Georgia and North Carolina. In North Carolina, she served for 25 as an educator and nine years on the Board of Education. Lawrence Houston began teaching in the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public School District (ECPPS) at Sheep Harney Elementary. In 1994, she was appointed to the position of Instructional Specialist. She has been honored for her work and was selected ECPPS Math Education Teacher of the Year and Regional Teacher for North Carolina. Lawrence Houston is active in a number of civic and community organizations in Elizabeth City, Pasquotank County and northeastern North Carolina. Mr. Tony E. Lassiter, 86, was employed with the NC Department of Corrections as a Correctional Officer and Certified General Instructor. Later, he served as a facilitator for the Family Resource Center South Atlantic and a Dropout Prevention Program Coordinator at Mary E. Phillips High School. In the ECSU National Alumni Association, Lassiter served as second vice president for four years and the southeast region director. In the Raleigh Durham Wake Alumni Chapter, Lassiter served several roles, including president, vice president and student recruitment chair. He established the 1891 Club to raise funds for scholarships and student assistance in 2002. In 2004, he originated ECSUs slogan, Viking Pride, Viking Pride, Viking Pride. Former N.C. Senator Bob Steinberg served the North Carolina General Assembly for three terms in the North Carolina House of Representatives and one and a half terms in the North Carolina Senate, representing District 1 from 2014-2022. While in office during the 2021-2022 term, he was chair of the Appropriations on General Government and Information Technology Committee and Senate State and Local Committee. His appointments included the Senate Appropriations on Justice and Public Safety Committee, Commerce and Insurance Committee, Senate Judiciary Committee, Pensions and Retirement and Aging Committee and Agriculture, Energy, and Environment Committee, among others. Steinberg sponsored more than 20 bills and advocated for prison reform. He was a business executive for many years before serving in state government. Currently, he works as a lobbyist. Media Note: Photos of all 2023 honorees are available here. " " Protesters kneel in front of New York City police during a march to honor George Floyd near Union Square on May 31, 2020, in New York City. Violent nationwide protests broke out after video emerged of Floyd's death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. John Moore/Getty Images The emergence of a shocking cell phone video depicting the death of 46-year-old George Floyd on May 25, 2020, during his arrest by Minneapolis police officers, set off a wave of disgust and anger that sent major cities in the U.S. and abroad into convulsions of protest and violence. Barely three weeks before that, on May 5, 2020, another cell phone video went instantly viral, this one depicting the shooting death of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery as he jogged through a neighborhood near Brunswick, Georgia. It caused a huge public outcry and quickly was followed by the arrest of two local men who were charged with murder and aggravated assault. Advertisement The Arbery video also changed the life of William "Roddie" Bryan, the neighborhood man who recorded the fatal confrontation from his pickup truck, and soon faced public scrutiny and accusations that he was more than an innocent onlooker. Bryan took a polygraph test in order to show that he didn't participate in the fatal shooting, and went into hiding with his fiancee after being targeted by protesters, CNN reported. Nevertheless, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested Bryan on May 21, 2020, on charges of felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment in connection with Arbery's murder, according to a GBI press release. Bryan's attorney maintained his innocence, according to The Brunswick News. The George Floyd video, the Ahmaud Arbery video and so many more before those, have rocked the world and underscored how incredibly complicated things can quickly become when someone records a video of an act that may turn out to be a crime. Videos shot by bystanders can become important pieces of evidence in court cases, to the extent that law enforcement authorities sometimes now call for members of the public to come forward with them, as they did in the case of a shootout between police and truck hijackers in Florida in 2019, according to NBC Miami. Recordings also can become crucial sources of information in police shootings such as the 2015 killing of Walter Scott, an unarmed man in South Carolina, which was recorded by a passerby walking to work. In a day and age in which shooting video is so easy that people often impulsively pull out their phones whenever there's any kind of excitement, it's entirely possible for someone to capture footage of a crime and not even realize its significance until he or she gets home and watches it, attorney Eric J. Trabin explains. He's an Almonte Springs, Florida-based criminal defense and family law practitioner, and a former assistant state attorney in Florida. "No one knows if it's going to be a high-profile case when the incident is happening, that you are going to be sucked into the vortex," he says. Nevertheless, shooting a video of a possible crime can complicate your life in a hurry. Instantly, you may morph into a news source and continually face a constant barrage of questions from reporters. Police and prosecutors may see you as a key witness in an investigation and trial. You may even come under public scrutiny about your motives and the extent of your involvement in the incident, or find yourself the target of protests and even threats. Here are five things you should know before hitting the record icon on your phone screen. 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 chemical industry took a page out of the tobacco playbook when they discovered and suppressed their knowledge of health harms caused by exposure to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), according to an analysis of previously secret industry documents by UC San Francisco (UCSF) researchers. A new paper published May 31, 2023, in Annals of Global Health, examines documents from DuPont and 3M, the largest manufacturers of PFAS. The paper analyzes the tactics the industry used to delay public awareness of PFAS toxicity, and in turn, delay regulations governing their use. PFAS are widely used chemicals in clothing, household goods, and food products, and are highly resistant to breaking down, giving them the name "forever chemicals." They are now ubiquitous in people and the environment. "These documents reveal clear evidence that the chemical industry knew about the dangers of PFAS and failed to let the public, regulators, and even their own employees know the risks," said Tracey J. Woodruff, Ph.D., professor and director of the UCSF Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment (PRHE), a former senior scientist and policy advisor at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and senior author of the paper. This is the first time these PFAS industry documents have been analyzed by scientists using methods designed to expose tobacco industry tactics. Adverse effects had been known for decades The secret industry documents were discovered in a lawsuit filed by attorney Robert Bilott, who was the first to successfully sue DuPont for PFAS contamination and whose story was featured in the film, "Dark Waters." Bilott gave the documents, which span 45 years from 1961 to 2006, to producers of the documentary, "The Devil We Know," who donated them to the UCSF Chemical Industry Documents Library. "Having access to these documents allows us to see what the manufacturers knew and when, but also how polluting industries keep critical public health information private," said first author Nadia Gaber, MD, Ph.D., who led the research as a PRHE fellow and is now an emergency medicine resident. "This research is important to inform policy and move us towards a precautionary rather than reactionary principle of chemical regulation." Little was publicly known about the toxicity of PFAS for the first 50 years of their use, the authors stated in the paper, "The Devil They Knew: Chemical Documents Analysis of Industry Influence on PFAS Science," despite the fact that "industry had multiple studies showing adverse health effects at least 21 years before they were reported in public findings." The paper states, "DuPont had evidence of PFAS toxicity from internal animal and occupational studies that they did not publish in the scientific literature and failed to report their findings to EPA as required under TSCA. These documents were all marked as 'confidential,' and in some cases, industry executives are explicit that they 'wanted this memo destroyed.'" Suppressing information to protect a product The paper documents a timeline of what industry knew versus public knowledge, and analyzes strategies the chemical industry used to suppress information or protect their harmful products. Examples include: As early as 1961, according to a company report, Teflon's Chief of Toxicology discovered that Teflon materials had "the ability to increase the size of the liver of rats at low doses," and advised that the chemicals "be handled 'with extreme care' and that 'contact with the skin should be strictly avoided.'" According to a 1970 internal memo, DuPont-funded Haskell Laboratory found C8 (one of thousands of PFAS) to be "highly toxic when inhaled and moderately toxic when ingested." And in a 1979 private report for DuPont, Haskell labs found that dogs who were exposed to a single dose of PFOA "died two days after ingestion." In 1980, DuPont and 3M learned that two of eight pregnant employees who had worked in C8 manufacturing gave birth to children with birth defects. The company did not publish the discovery or tell employees about it, and the following year an internal memo stated, "We know of no evidence of birth defects caused by C-8 at DuPont." Despite these and more examples, DuPont reassured its employees in 1980 that C8 "has a lower toxicity, like table salt." Referring to reports of PFAS groundwater contamination near one of DuPont's manufacturing plants, a 1991 press release claimed, "C-8 has no known toxic or ill health effects in humans at concentration levels detected." As media attention to PFAS contamination increased following lawsuits in 1998 and 2002, DuPont emailed the EPA asking, "We need EPA to quickly (like first thing tomorrow) say the following: That consumer products sold under the Teflon brand are safe and to date there are no human health effects known to be caused by PFOA." In 2004, the EPA fined DuPont for not disclosing their findings on PFOA. The $16.45 million settlement was the largest civil penalty obtained under U.S. environmental statutes at the time. But it was still just a small fraction of DuPont's $1 billion annual revenues from PFOA and C8 in 2005. "As many countries pursue legal and legislative action to curb PFAS production, we hope they are aided by the timeline of evidence presented in this paper," said Woodruff. "This timeline reveals serious failures in the way the U.S. currently regulates harmful chemicals." More information: The Devil They Knew: Chemical Documents Analysis of Industry Influence on PFAS Science, Annals of Global Health(2023). DOI: 10.5334/aogh.4013. annalsofglobalhealth.org/artic es/10.5334/aogh.4013 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: Mike Brennan, Director of the National Hurricane Center, speaks during a news conference, Wednesday, May 31, 2023, in Miami. Brennan and FEMA Director Deanne Criswell discussed preparedness for hurricane season, which begins June 1. Credit: AP Photo/Marta Lavandier It's time for residents along the southeastern U.S. coastlines to make sure their storm plans are in place as the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season gets underway on Thursday. Forecasters are predicting a "near-normal" season, but Mike Brennan, the new director at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, stressed during a Wednesday news conference that there's really nothing normal when it comes to hurricanes. "A normal season might sound good in comparison to some of the hurricane seasons in the past few years," he said. "But there's nothing good about a near-normal hurricane season in terms of activity." WILL THE 2023 ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON BE BUSY? Uncertainty is the key word, Brennan said. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted in late May a 40% chance of 2023 being a near-normal hurricane season, a 30% chance of an above-average season, which has more storms than usual, and a 30% chance of a below-normal season, which has fewer. "So we're expecting a busy season with 12 to 17 named storms," Brennan said, adding that five to nine of those storms could become hurricanes, with one to four growing into major hurricanes. "It only takes one storm affecting your area to make it a busy season for you," he said. WHAT'S NEW THIS SEASON? This year, the hurricane center is rolling out a new storm surge model that Brennan said "helps push real-time storm surge prediction out to 72 hours in advance of the storm" in hopes of getting life-saving information to emergency managers regarding evacuation orders. In addition, tropical weather outlooks have been extended from five days out to seven days, providing "an additional heads up" for residents to make decisions about whether to evacuate in advance of a storm, Brennan said. The names for the 2023 Atlantic Hurricane season are displayed at the National Hurricane Center, Wednesday, May 31, 2023, in Miami, Fla. The hurricane season starts June 1. Credit: AP Photo/Marta Lavandier WHAT IS EL NINO? HOW WILL IT AFFECT THE 2023 SEASON? El Nino is a natural temporary warming of the Pacific Ocean that occurs every few years, changing weather patterns worldwide. Generally, the Atlantic is quieter and has fewer storms during El Nino years. That's because the warmer waters of El Nino make warmer air over the Pacific reach higher into the atmosphere and affect wind shear that could head off storms. Brennan noted there are other factors that add to the uncertainty of the effects of El Nino, such as very warm sea surface temperatures, weaker low-level easterly flows and a more active African monsoon season. "So these forces are going to kind of fight it out over the course of this hurricane season," Brennan said. "We don't know how his season's going to play out." WHAT IS THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY'S ROLE? FEMA Director Deanne Criswell said her agency is working to protect residents in hurricane zones by getting them the "critical information that they need" and making it easier for people to apply for help. She said the summer doesn't just bring the start of hurricane season, but it's also the beginning of wildfire season. "So we are in the summer season of severe weather events, but I think as many of you know, it's not just a summer season of severe weather anymore," she said, noting weather-related events take place throughout the year. WHY DO HURRICANES HAVE NAMES? WHEN ARE THEY RETIRED? Hurricanes are named primarily to eliminate confusion if there are two or more storm systems occurring at the same time. The United States began using female names for storms in 1953 and began alternating male and female names in 1978. FEMA Director Deanne Criswell speaks during a news conference, Wednesday, May 31, 2023, in Miami. Criswell and Mike Brennan, Director of the National Hurricane Center, discussed preparedness for hurricane season, which begins June 1. Credit: AP Photo/Marta Lavandier There is a rotating list of Atlantic hurricane season names every six years. The list can then be repeated, with names being eliminated if they are retired from the rotation, according to the National Hurricane Center's website. The 2023 hurricane names are: Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Don, Emily, Franklin, Gert, Harold, Idalia, Jose, Katia, Lee, Margot, Nigel, Ophelia, Philippe, Rina, Sean, Tammy, Vince and Whitney. Hurricane names are routinely retired if a storm was so deadly or caused so much destruction that using the name again would be inappropriate. It's not up to the National Hurricane Center to retire a name, however. That practice is left to an international committee of the World Meteorological Organization, which selects another name to replace the retired one. The most recent names to be retired include Ian, which struck southwest Florida as a Category 5 hurricane in September 2022 with ferocious winds and storm surge as high as 15 feet (4 meters). Ian killed more than 156 people in the U.S., the vast majority in Florida, according to a comprehensive National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report on the hurricane. Other retired names include Katrina, Harvey, Charley, Wilma, Matthew, Michael and Irma. WHAT HAVE BEEN SOME OF THE WORST HURRICANES TO HIT THE UNITED STATES? In August 1992, powerful Hurricane Andrew struck south of Miami, crossing Florida and making a second landfall in Louisiana. For years, it was the costliest and most damaging hurricane to ever hit the U.S. coastline, resulting in around 65 reported deaths and causing more than $27.3 billion in damages at the time. The Category 5 storm destroyed more than 65,000 houses. Hurricane Katrina, which struck Louisiana as a Category 3 storm in August 2005, still ranks as one of the most devastating hurricanes to hit the United States. Katrina caused about 1,400 deaths and produced catastrophic damage along the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Harvey struck Louisiana before slamming into Houston as a Category 4 storm in 2017, causing severe flooding. Harvey killed more than 80 people, including 50 in the Houston area. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Katrina and Harvey are listed as the two costliest U.S. hurricanes on record with total costs over $160 billion and $125 billion, respectively. ___ Correction note: This story was first published May 31, 2023. It was updated June 1, 2023 to correct that Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana as a Category 3 storm. 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: Antillean manatees near Caye Caulker Island, Belize. Credit: T. Yiftach The endangered Antillean manatee faces a growing threat from boat strikes in Belize, according to a new study that raises concerns about the survival of what had been considered a relatively healthy population. Belize hosts a population of around 1,000 manatees. With the growth of tourism in recent decades, however, Belize has seen a substantial increase in boat traffic, making boat strikes an increasingly important cause of manatee deaths and injuries. The new study, published June 1 in Endangered Species Research, used 25 years of data on manatee strandings (dead or injured animals), six aerial surveys of the manatee population, and two decades of boat registration data to quantify the impacts of increasing boat traffic on the manatee population. First author Celeshia Guy Galves, now at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute in Belize, led the study as a graduate student in the Coastal Science and Policy Program at UC Santa Cruz. "This work has been shared with policymakers in Belize and will contribute directly to conservation planning, including protecting key areas for manatees such as the Belize River Mouth and the Placencia Lagoon," Galves said. Galves found that with more and more boats in the water, the number of manatee strandings caused by boat strikes has increased over time, from 1 to 4 per year in the late 1990s and early 2000s to 10 to 17 per year by the late 2010s. Strandings were more frequent in areas of high boat traffic, high human population density, and mangrove habitats. "We knew that boat strikes were happening, but this study provides strong quantitative evidence of boat strikes as an increasing source of mortality for manatees in Belize, and it shows the areas where the risk is greatest," said co-author Marm Kilpatrick, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz. "These findings provide a basis for conservation measures that can be implemented to reduce the risk." Conservation efforts should focus on reducing the number of boats and their speed within zones of high manatee use, the authors said. High priorities for conservation interventions include creating more protected areas with restrictions on boat traffic, including areas designated for non-motorized boating or restricted access, as well as speed restrictions in shallow seagrass habitats. Like the Florida manatee, the Antillean manatee is a subspecies of the West Indian manatee. In addition to boat strikes, threats to the Antillean manatee population include habitat degradation and loss, poaching, pollution, and entanglement in fishing gear. Celeshia Galves and her husband, co-author Jamal Galves, both work on manatee conservation at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute in Belize, and Jamal Galvez is a 2023 graduate of the UCSC Coastal Science and Policy Program. Other co-authors include Nicole Auil Gomez at the Wildlife Conservation Society in Belize; Don Croll, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UCSC; and Kelly Zilliacus, a research specialist in Croll's Conservation Action Lab at UCSC. More information: CG Galves et al, Increasing mortality of endangered Antillean manatees Trichechus manatus manatus due to watercraft collisions in Belize, Endangered Species Research (2023). DOI: 10.3354/esr01247 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 1948, work got underway in the Florida Everglades on a public works project hailed as the nation's largest, aimed at reigning in once and for all the mighty river of grass that once spanned much of the peninsula. The effort would take decades to complete and involve some of the most complex water management infrastructure in the world, including some 2,200 miles of canals, 2,100 miles of levees and berms, 84 pump stations and 778 water control structures. The framework would alter the Everglades forever and transform the state: Today it provides flood control and supports the drinking water supply for some 9 million people in central and south Florida. Meanwhile the natural river of grass has been reduced to a remnant of its former self. By the 1990s, however, a reckoning was at hand. Residents were awakening to a litany of environmental concerns, most notably that draining the Everglades had left Florida with a dwindling drinking water supply for the state's booming population. The federal and state governments embarked on a restudy of the original public works project, which would lead to a mammoth $21 billion restoration plan for the Everglades that remains among the most ambitious in human history, involving some 68 projects that will take many decades to complete. Now, climate change is forcing another rethinking: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and South Florida Water Management District are poised to begin a new restudy of the Everglades' historic water management infrastructure aimed at adapting the framework to deal with rising seas, violent storms and a continuing influx of people. The restudy could mean some alterations to the Everglades restoration plan, said Tim Gysan, resiliency senior project manager in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Jacksonville District. Back in the 1990s, he notes, climate change wasn't really something people talked about. "We're seeing sea level rise creep up," Gysan said. "We're seeing more intense storms. The population increase is massive over the last two to three decades, and more people continue to move here because it's such a great place to live. But those people moving in, they have to live somewhere. They work somewhere, and that means land use changes." Florida has experienced a series of hurricanes and storms in recent months that have drenched the peninsula with unprecedented rains and flooding, raising concerns about whether the infrastructure is up to intensifying climate change impacts like hotter temperatures, rising seas and more damaging hurricanes. Last September, Hurricane Ian flattened swaths of southwest Florida and left widespread flooding across the state's interior, causing nearly $113 billion in damage and 156 deaths. The hurricane ranks as the third-costliest in U.S. history, after Katrina in 2005 and Harvey in 2017, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. One preliminary study concluded that climate change increased Ian's rainfall rates by more than 10 percent, according to researchers at Stony Brook University and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Hurricane Nicole followed only a few weeks later, further inundating areas Ian had spared. In April, a storm system dropped up to two feet of rain on Fort Lauderdale. The flooding forced the closure of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and disrupted operations at Port Everglades. Florida ordinarily receives some 50 inches of rain annually. "Events like that just underscore the need to look at resiliency," said Steve Davis, chief scientist at the Everglades Foundation. "What that Fort Lauderdale event speaks to is how pressing the need is." Taking advantage of a 'pivot point' in restoration Last November, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine reiterated that climate change needs more attention in its latest federally mandated review of progress on Everglades restoration. The scientists said the government agencies had made little progress when it came to incorporating future precipitation and temperature scenarios in planning their projects and that new, climate-based approaches were urgently needed. "Inadequate consideration of water availability under future conditions and potential variations in the rate of sea-level rise could cause a project to move forward that is not viable under future climate change," the scientists wrote. The scientists noted that Everglades restoration had reached a "pivot point," with recent record funding pushing several projects toward completion and a few more about to begin. Already the parched river of grass is responding to the work, with healthier water flows and shifts in vegetation throughout the central and western watershed. A years-long effort to revise the rules for managing Lake Okeechobee, Florida's largest lake and the liquid heart of the Everglades, is nearly finished. Meanwhile work began in February on perhaps the most contentious and crucial project aimed at restoring the river of grass and its historic flow south: a monumental reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee. At more than 10,000 acres and 23 feet deep, the $3.9 billion reservoir is projected to be complete by 2030. Everglades restoration involves an array of landscape-scale projects like the reservoir that are jointly designed to revive the river of grass's historic attributes within the context of today's explosive growth and development, with a focus on water quality, storage and flow. The watershed begins in central Florida with the headwaters of the Kissimmee River and includes Lake Okeechobee, sawgrass marshes to the south and Florida Bay, at the peninsula's southernmost tip. The restudy in the 1990s that led to the massive restoration effort came during a tumultuous time in Florida politics, from a high-stakes 1996 campaign to hold powerful sugar growers responsible for their role in the Everglades' degradation to the contentious state vote recount in the 2000 presidential race between George W. Bush and Al Gore. Gore, then vice president, saw opportunity in the critical swing state and had made Everglades restoration a priority for the Clinton administration. As the U.S. Supreme Court mulled the hanging chads on Florida ballots before halting the recount and handing a victory to Bush, then-President Bill Clinton signed Everglades restoration into law. Congress authorized the new restudy last December as part of the latest Water Resources Development Act. Experts will focus on factors that Everglades restoration has not addressed, especially climate change and flood risk management along the coasts and inland. The effort is expected to get underway in 2024 or 2025 and take six to 10 years to complete. Gysan said the restudy would probably lead to more construction projects in the Everglades to enlarge the capacity of its water infrastructure. "So do we need bigger capacity structures? Do we need to improve the canals so they can have more water flowing through them?" he said. "Do we need more storage to hold that water so we're not just releasing it out to tide and can move it for more beneficial purposes?" A flood risk study focused on southeast Florida, where climate change impacts are most apparent, is already underway. Eve Samples, executive director of the group Friends of the Everglades, said that after weather events like Hurricane Ian, there is naturally a temptation to invest in more infrastructure. But Floridians can't pump their way out of climate change, Samples said. She argues that planners should adopt a broader outlook and recognize that over time some areas will become uninhabitable. "There is going to be a lot of pressure to do things that way, to put in more infrastructure, more pumps, more sea walls, because there is a lot of money to be made on building that infrastructure," she said. "We've got to make sure it's in balance with the natural ecosystem." 2023 Miami Herald 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: In the spotlight of the U.S. deep-sea submersible ALVIN, a small reddish-brown vent massif can be seen on the seafloor of the Guaymas Basin. This formation is surrounded by abundant hydrothermally heated oil-rich sediments covered by white and orange bacterial mats. The core from which the Candidatus Alkanophaga archaea ultimately originated was collected by the team of the manned deep-sea submersible. Credit: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution The seafloor is home to around one-third of all the microorganisms on the Earth and is inhabited even at a depth of several kilometers. Only when it becomes too hot does the abundance of microorganisms appear to decline. But how, and from what, do microorganisms in the deep seafloor live? How do their metabolic cycles work and how do the individual members of these buried communities interact? Researchers at MARUMCenter for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen and at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology at Bremen have now been able to demonstrate in laboratory cultures how small, liquid components of crude oil are broken down through a new mechanism by a group of microorganisms called archaea. Their results have now been published in the professional journal Nature Microbiology. Microbial communities are especially active near hydrothermal seeps like those in the Guaymas Basin in the Gulf of California. The team of researchers has been working on understanding these communities for many years. Organic material deposited in the Guaymas Basin is cooked by heat sources from within the Earth, which breaks it down into crude oil and natural gas. Their components provide the primary source of energy for microorganisms in an otherwise hostile environment. In their latest study, the researchers have demonstrated that archaea use a previously unknown mechanism to degrade liquid petroleum alkanes at high temperatures without the presence of oxygen. Alkanes are highly stable compounds of carbon and hydrogen. They are natural components of natural gas and crude oil. The latter is refined by humans into fuels like gasoline and kerosene. Environmental catastrophes occur repeatedly due to accidents during the extraction of crude oil. A prime example was the accident on the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform, which caused severe environmental damage in the Gulf of Mexico due to the toxic effects of crude oil compounds like liquid alkanes. In the presence of oxygen, microorganisms can rapidly break down many components of crude oil, among others alkanes. Without the reactive oxygen, however, degradation is considerably more difficult. Organisms that can perform this task have not been extensively researched. In recent years, however, evidence has been found that archaea are able to employ a surprising mechanism to do this. It is based on newly discovered variants of the key enzyme of methanogenesis and anaerobic methane degradation, methyl-coenzyme M reductase (MCR). The genes that encode these enzymes have been found in many environmental samples. However, laboratory cultures of the microbes that could illustrate the function of these enzymes were still lacking. This is where the laboratory study of Hanna Zehnle and her colleagues becomes significant. The microbial community was cultivated in a variety of liquid alkanes, here a hexane culture. An oil layer can be observed on the surface. Credit: Hanna Zehnle The team used sediments from the 2000-meter-deep Guaymas Basin in the Gulf of California. The special geological conditions that exist here include high temperatures, liquid crude-oil components, and an anaerobic environment at shallow sediment depths, all of which are normally only found in deep-lying oil reservoirs which are difficult for scientists to access. In the Bremen laboratories the researchers prepared cultures with liquid alkanes and allowed them to grow anaerobically, i.e., without oxygen, at high temperatures (70 degrees Celsius). "After a time," explains first author Hanna Zehnle, "sulfide forms in the cultures. This provides evidence that they are active." The composition of the cultures is studied using DNA and RNA samples. "With this method we can find out what organisms are living in this system and which metabolic pathways they are using," says Zehnle. These include the chemical reactions in which substances are metabolized. They found archaea of the genus Candidatus Alkanophaga in the cultures. These archaea use variants of the MCR for breaking down the alkanes. The researchers verified this by transcriptome data, measurement of the enzyme products, and by demonstrating inactivity of the cultures when the enzyme was inhibited. But the organisms are not able to degrade the crude oil alone. Respiration, in the form of sulfate reduction in this case (because no oxygen is present), is carried out by bacteria of the genus Thermodesulfobacterium, which form dense consortia with the archaea. Methanogenesis is one of the oldest known metabolic processes and is a part of the global carbon cycle. The laboratory study by Hanna Zehnle and her colleagues shows that the enzymes involved in this process can also utilize liquid (and thus toxic) hydrocarbons which highlights the relevance of this pathway for the global carbon cycle. "Thanks to their newly discovered capabilities, Alkanophaga and their relatives are targeting hydrocarbons in oil reservoirs. The remaining oil becomes more and more solid and therefore tends to remain in the seafloor," explains corresponding author Gunter Wegener. "We still have not been able to investigate any deep oil reservoirs, but the archaea are certainly annoying the oil industry with their activity. But they also make an important contribution to the fact that natural oil seeps are rare." More information: Candidatus Alkanophaga archaea from Guaymas Basin hydrothermal vent sediment oxidize petroleum alkanes. Nature Microbiology, 2023. DOI: 10.1038/s41564-023-01400-3 Journal information: Nature Microbiology 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: Influence of ENSO on tropical land watercarbon coupling. a, Year-to-year variations of spatial coherence of tropical WS anomaly and ENSO. All years are classified into three subsets according to the level of spatial coherence: low level (0th to 33.3th percentile); medium level (33.3th to 66.6th percentile); and high level (66.6th to 100th percentile). Year is considered Eastern Pacific (EP) ENSO when the largest DJF SST anomaly over the region of 2 S2 N, 110 E90 W lies in the Eastern Pacific (east of 150 W) and Nino3 index exceeds 1 s.d. Year is considered Central Pacific (CP) ENSO when the corresponding largest DJF SST anomaly lies in the Central Pacific (west of 150 W) and Nino4 index exceeds 1 s.d. Volcano years are excluded from analyses. Gray vertical dashed lines connect the symbols of high spatial coherence and ENSO. b, Fraction of years with high spatial coherence within the first 30-yr period (19601989) and within the recent 30-yr period (19892018). Neutral years are identified as years not in the EP ENSO or CP ENSO state. c, Dependence of R WS,CGR and R WS,CGR|T on the spatial coherence of WS anomaly. **P < 0.05 (significant correlation). Credit: Nature (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06056-x Plants take in CO 2 to grow. They extract it from the atmosphere and use it to build organic compounds by means of photosynthesis and water. Terrestrial ecosystems have absorbed an average of about 32 percent of CO 2 emissions caused by human activity over the last six decades. Whether and to what extent terrestrial vegetation can continue to function as a carbon sink in a changing climate is a key question in climate science and is of vital political relevance. The Earth's climate system features numerous feedback loops. These are processes triggered by global warming that have a feedback effect on climate change and either amplify or diminish it. Such carbon system feedback loops are difficult to measure and model, and represent a major factor of uncertainty in climate projections. "It is therefore difficult to quantify exactly how terrestrial carbon sinks will respond to additional human-induced climate change," says Sonia Seneviratne, Professor for Land-Climate Dynamics at ETH Zurich. Until now, the available literature suggested that terrestrial carbon sinks might only be clearly affected by a high to very high rise in global warming, i.e. above 2 to 4 degrees Celsius. Now, a team of researchers led by Seneviratne has found evidence that terrestrial ecosystems may be less resilient to climate change than previously thought. "We have found that tropical carbon sinks are becoming increasingly vulnerable to water scarcity," says Laibao Liu, a postdoctoral researcher in Seneviratne's group and first author of the study, which the researchers have published in the journal Nature. Feedback loop between carbon and climate The results suggest that droughts have had a growing impact on the carbon cycle in the tropics over the last 60 years, with vegetation absorbing increasingly less CO 2 during drought eventsan effect that most climate models cannot capture. Nevertheless, the observed change seems to be based on a known feedback loop: under hot and dry conditions, plants stop absorbing CO 2 to avoid water loss. In addition, there can also be an increase in plant mortality and fire events, which leads to the additional release of CO 2 into the biosphere. If such conditions were to occur more often, it could lead to a reduction in the terrestrial CO 2 sink, and thus to a further increase in global warming. Already back in 2018, Seneviratne's team demonstrated on a global scale how stressed ecosystems absorb less carbon during severe droughtsnamely, how the CO 2 concentration in the atmosphere increases significantly in dry years. In fact, the growth rate of atmospheric CO 2 varies from year to year in line with terrestrial water availability. The greatest challenge was to find out where droughts were occurring worldwide. Sophisticated satellite observation of Earth's water reservoirs have since enabled this to be determined more precisely. Droughts correlate with the carbon cycle In this study, the researchers wanted to find out whether there was a change in the correlation between water availability and CO 2 growth rate over time. "Since annual fluctuations in CO 2 growth rates are clearly dominated by carbon fluxes between land and atmosphere in the tropics, we were able to investigate this global question using tropical climate data from the last sixty years," Liu explains. In particular, the researchers were able to demonstrate that the coupling between tropical water availability and CO 2 growth rates intensified in the 30-year period between 1989 and 2018 when compared to the period from 1960 to 1989. In other words, tropical wateror more precisely its scarcityhas become an increasingly limiting factor shaping the annually fluctuating carbon cycle and its feedback loops. Hindsight is not a forecast The findings do give Seneviratne cause for concern, as they highlight a process that could intensify global warming. She now wants to find out what has caused the increasingly severe tropical droughts and higher sensitivity of tropical ecosystems, and why climate models are not capturing these features. One possible explanation could be changes in the spatial characteristics of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), as the researchers write in their study. But it is too early to come up with definite answers. Seneviratne also urges caution against jumping to conclusions. "Our study looked at historical datanot directly at projections. The results provide no forecasts," the climate researcher stresses. Nevertheless, any increase in the effect of droughts on the carbon cycle would not bode well. "We expect many regions with extensive vegetation, especially the Amazon in the tropics, to be more affected by droughts as temperatures rise," Seneviratne adds. The fact that climate models fail to reflect the increased role of water limitation could mean that plant carbon uptake and the resilience of vegetation to droughts have been overestimated. "This would affect the assessment of climate targets and measures and make it necessary for us to recalculate the global carbon budget for the remaining emissions," Liu adds. The climate models must first of all be able to adequately take into account the consequences of droughts on the carbon cycle, however. "Only then can we make more accurate projections for future carbon sinks on land," Sonia Seneviratne says. More information: Laibao Liu et al, Increasingly negative tropical waterinterannual CO 2 growth rate coupling, Nature (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06056-x Journal information: Nature 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 UK's growing mismatch between the fish we catch and the fish we want to eat has clear implications for our future food security, according to new research. Led by the University of Essex and the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), the study, published in Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, for the first time offers a comprehensive, long-term analysis of how major policy changes in the past 120 years have influenced patterns in UK seafood production, trade and consumption. It shows that even if we changed our fish-eating habits away from choosing flaky white fish such as cod and haddockthat are largely imported from other countriesto the species more common to our own waters, like herring and mackerel, UK seafood production would still be unable to meet domestic demand or the Government's healthy eating recommendations. Luke Harrison, who led the study while at Essex's School of Life Sciences, explained, "Our research highlighted that policy changes in the mid-1970s, particularly the introduction of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) and the UK joining the European Union, drove a growing mismatch between the seafood produced in the UK and what we ate domestically." "Exacerbated by stock declines caused by fishing, climate change and habitat loss, this growing disconnect far out-scales any previous mismatches between availability and consumptionincluding those seen during both world warsand we have seen an increasing reliance on seafood imports and a decrease in domestic landings." Fish is now one of the most traded food products in the world and there has been a rapid increase in the UK's seafood imports, which were relatively low before the 1970s. The UK currently imports most of the fish it eats and exports most of the fish it produces from fisheries and aquaculture. The UK's love of large, flaky fish began in the early 1900s when the UK had a thriving distant-water fishery. However, today these species are landed in low quantities in UK waters, while cheap, nutritious, bony species, particularly mackerel and herring, are landed in high quantities but primarily exported to the Netherlands and France. "The increasing popularity of tuna, shrimps and prawns highlights how UK consumers have largely not changed their eating habits to reflect changes in local seafood availability over the years," added Cefas co-author Dr. Georg Engelhard. " Since the forming of EEZs and the UK joining the EU in the mid-1970s, UK domestic landings declined rapidly from 869 thousand tons in 1975 to 349 thousand tons in 2020. The UK public currently eats 31% less seafood than is recommended by government guidelines, and even if local species were more popular, all domestic fisheries and aquaculture production would still be 73% below recommended levels without the inclusion of imports. Senior author Dr. Anna Sturrock, from Essex's School of Life Sciences, added, "In the face of climate change, global overfishing and potentially restrictive trade barriers, it is important that we promote locally sourced seafood and provide clearer guidance on non-seafood alternatives. Ultimately this will help meet national food security demands as well as health and environmental targets." More information: Luke Harrison et al, Widening mismatch between UK seafood production and consumer demand: a 120 year perspective, Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries (2023). DOI: 10.1007/s11160-023-09776-5 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: Researchers have called for "legal consequences" for companies that did not follow the law in providing health data to EU regulators. Several major agrochemical companies did not disclose to European Union authorities studies assessing the toxic effects of pesticide ingredients on brain development, research said on Thursday. The nine studies, which looked at how different nine pesticide chemical compounds affected the developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) in rats, were however shared with regulators in the United States, the Sweden-based researchers said. The two companies behind the majority of the studies, German chemicals giant Bayer and Swiss agriculture firm Syngenta, said they complied with all regulatory requirements. The researchers said their study, published in the journal Environmental Health, was the first that sought to quantify the seemingly "recurring phenomenon" of companies not disclosing DNT studies to EU authorities. "It is outrageous and unbelievable that a good fraction of these studies do not make it to the authorities as required by law," study co-author Axel Mie of Stockholm University told AFP. The researchers looked at the DNT studies on pesticide chemical compounds submitted to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in recent decades. Out of 35 studies conducted between 1993 and 2015 submitted to the EPA, nine were not shared with EU authorities, they found. The studies were conducted on pregnant rats, testing whether the offspring of those exposed to the compounds suffered developmental problems. Decreased weight gain, delayed sexual maturation and deteriorating motor activity were among the side effects reported in adult offspring in the studies. Of the nine pesticide compounds, four have now been taken off the EU market, while another four are currently under review, Mie said. "There must be legal consequences and serious ones for the companies if they do not follow the law," he said. Bayer and Syngenta, which each sponsored three of the studies, rejected the conclusions of the research. Bayer said in a statement sent to AFP that it has "always submitted the necessary studies that were required by the EU regulations at the time," adding that the process had changed over the years. Syngenta said in a statement that it had "complied with all EU and Swiss data requests," adding that the studies in question were produced to meet US regulatory guidelines. 'Protecting brains of our children' A spokesperson for the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) said stronger legislation in this area came into force in 2021, which requires companies to share "all safety studies" about their products. Study co-author Christina Ruden urged EU authorities to cross-check data with the EPA and other regulators, calling this change "low-hanging fruit". But she added that "the absolutely most important action is to remove the responsibility of testing chemicals from the producers, and put that responsibility back on authorities." While the studies on rats are not directly applicable to humans, the aim of DNT research is to protect people against chemicals which could affect their attention span, concentration, coordination, learning, memory and IQ, Mie said. "This is about protecting the brains of our children," Ruden added. More information: Axel Mie et al, Non-disclosure of developmental neurotoxicity studies obstructs the safety assessment of pesticides in the European Union, Environmental Health (2023). DOI: 10.1186/s12940-023-00994-9 Journal information: Environmental Health 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: Phytopathogenic bacterial cytidine base editor system. a A four-module system to make gene specific cytidine base editor. Expression cassettes of guide RNA (gRNA), SacB, and chimeric gene of dead Cas9 (dCas9), cytidine deaminase (CDA1) and DNA uracil glycosylase inhibitor (UGI) each are flanked by the Gateway recombination motifs (attR and attL). b Schematic map of single construct expressing dead Cas9 deaminase, guide RNA expression cassette and GFP. Pro, promoter derived from Xanthomonas. dCas9, a nuclease dead Cas9; CDA1 P. marinus cytidine deaminase, UGI uracil DNA glycosylase inhibitor, gRNA guide RNAs, SacB the counter-selectable marker for plasmid curing after editing and GFP driven by E. coli glT promoter. The plasmid contains the spectinomycin-resistant (SpeR) gene, the pSa origin and RepA, high-copy number origin of ColE1. Credit: Communications Biology (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04451-8 As global food insecurity climbed to a perilous high in 2022, scientists ramped up their efforts to perfect best practices for protecting the yields of major crops that are essential in combating this issue. And, while rice makes up a small portion of Missouri's annual harvest, italong with corn and soybeansare key staples that help address food insecurity not only in the United States, but across the world. In a recent study that examined how diseases function in rice crops, University of Missouri researchers might have found critical answers. In this study, Bing Yang, a plant biology professor in the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center used genome editing as a tool to identify problematic pathogens present in certain bacteria that lead to prolific infections in rice crops. His research helps scientists understand how these pathogens function and, thus, can determine how to guard against widespread infections that destroy yields. This research provides insight into the host-pathogen relationship, allowing scientists to better genetically engineer plants to survive crop diseases. "Based on the advances in scientific understanding made during this study, we are now able to develop strategies to engineer host-resistance against the bacteria," Yang said. "That's how we can support plant resistance in general." First, the research team discovered a way to "knock out" genes. When specific genes are knocked out of the bacteria, it allows scientists to better understand the functions of those specific genes. Researchers then tested for infectious propertiessomething that has historically been a labor-intensive process. "This research allows us to better understand which bacteria hold pathogenic qualities and how those qualities correspond to infections in certain species of plants," Yang said. "Ultimately, these advances in gene editing help us modify the genome of crops, in this case rice, in ways that build resistance that protect them from diseases." Using a revolutionary gene-editing technique called CRISPRa method where scientists edit genes by cutting DNA and then letting it repair naturallyYang and his team edited a sample of bacteria with the goal of determining exactly which genes had pathogenic qualities that would infect proteins in the genome of the rice crop. Notably, Yang's method revolutionizes a process known as homologous recombination, which has been known to be ineffective and time-consuming. "My long-term research goal is a better understanding of the biology of diseases and plant biology and the process of using advanced technology to engineer disease resistance," Yang said. "I also want to engineer the product so it's more nutritious and of a higher quantity while increasing a season's yield and reducing the yield loss." As a scholar of plant pathology for more than 15 years, Yang said that bacteria, including those with symbiotic (beneficial) and pathogenic qualities, are essential in maintaining life and the health of our ecosystems. "Efficient CRISPR-Cas9 based cytosine base editors for phytopathogenic bacteria," was published in Communications Biology. More information: Chenhao Li et al, Efficient CRISPR-Cas9 based cytosine base editors for phytopathogenic bacteria, Communications Biology (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04451-8 Journal information: Communications Biology The program will promote opportunities for internships and fellowship with major airlines in the industry. Through a partnership with the MARCH Foundation, the universitys goal is to create a pipeline of opportunity for workforce readiness and preparedness amongst students. ECSU offers the only four-year Aviation Science degree program in North Carolina. Were excited to support Elizabeth City State as they prepare the next generation of pilots and leaders in the aviation industry, said Eric Leufroy, a MARCH Foundation board member. We know how expensive education is today, and we want to help students succeed and pursue their dreams. Investing in the future aviation workforce is key. The gift helps to prepare a more inclusive talent pool of pilots, and to inspire the next generation of aviation professionals, Leufroy said. Only 2.2% of airline pilots are Black, according to Zippia. Data also shows the average pilot is a 45-year-old white male, with a bachelors degree, earning about $102,560. In addition to pilot training, ECSU offers concentrations in avionics, aviation management, flight education, air traffic control and unmanned aircraft systems (e.g., drones). ECSU Chancellor Dr. Karrie G. Dixon noted ECSU received the generous gift from the MARCH Foundation on its 7th Annual Day of Giving, April 28. This $75,000 gift will be used to support our students and the states only four-year aviation science degree program now and, in the future, she said. Philanthropic donations like this one make a tremendous impact, according to Gary Brown, Ph.D., vice chancellor for University Advancement and Student Affairs. As ECSU thrives as a leader in aviation science education for the citizens of North Carolina and beyond, the generous gift from the MARCH Foundation will prepare more scholars to serve as skilled pilots, educators, air traffic controllers and more. Partners like the MARCH Foundation dramatically enhance ECSUs ability to attract and retain talent that fuels the aviation industry, Brown said. MARCH, which stands for Mutual Alliance Restoring Community Hope, was launched to support the education of African American youth. Kenneth B. Jarvis, a longtime community business and civic leader, founded the group more than 25 years ago. MARCH Foundations board members all African American, executive men who retired from UPS initially funded the organization with their personal funds. The foundation distributed more than $2 million in grants and scholarships, impacting more than 2,000 students to date. ECSUs Aviation Science program boasts five areas of specialization: Flight Education; Aviation Management; Avionics; Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and Professional Aeronautics. Enrollment in the program totals more than 180 students, with a nearly 60 % minority student population. Moreover, ECSU is one of only 42 institutions worldwide to offer an aviation degree program accredited by the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AAB International). For more information on the MARCH Foundation, visit https://marchfoundation.org. 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: Dissimilarity of brain GRN architecture between soldiers and foragers is greater in high-aggression honeybee colonies. Credit: Nature Ecology & Evolution (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02090-0 Collective behaviors are present across many different animal groups: schools of fish swimming in a swirling pattern together, large flocks of birds migrating through the night, groups of bees coordinating their behavior to defend their hive. These behaviors are commonly seen in social insects where as many as thousands of individuals work together, often with distinct roles. In honey bees, the role a bee plays in the colony changes as they age. Younger bees perform duties inside the hive, such as nursing and wax building, while older bees transition to roles outside of the hive, either foraging for food (foragers) or defending the colony (soldiers). What determines whether older bees become foragers or soldiers is unknown, but a new study published in Nature Ecology and Evolution explores the genetic mechanisms underlying the collective behavior of colony defense, and how these mechanisms relate to the colony's overall aggression. "Honey bees do not have a size-based division of labor, like you might see in termites or ants," said Ian Traniello, former graduate student at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, now an associate research scholar at Princeton University and first author on the study. "If you ask anyone off the street to guess which ant is a soldier versus a forager, they probably will guess it right 100% of the time, because the soldiers are huge. Honey bees instead have an age-based division of labor, where older bees tend to be foragers or soldiers, both of which are dangerous and potentially lethal roles." A genome-wide association study conducted previously on a sub-species of honey bee in Puerto Rico that had evolved to be less aggressive in recent years, revealed strong associations between variation in the sequence of some genes and the level of overall colony aggression. Researchers called these "colony aggression genes." In the current study, researchers compared the expression and regulation of genes in the brains of soldiers and foragers, and across colonies that varied in aggressiveness. Researchers measured colony aggressiveness by counting the number of stings on suede patches placed outside the hives after a disturbance. They identified soldiers as the bees that attacked the patches and foragers as the bees that returned to the hive with pollen. The researchers then used single-cell transcriptomics and gene regulatory network analysis to compare the brains of forager and soldier bees, from low and high aggression colonies. The researchers found that, although there were thousands of genes in the brain that differed in their expression between soldiers and foragers, none of them were part of the colony aggression gene list. However, when they created models of brain gene regulatory networks, which control when and where specific genes are expressed, the researchers found that the structure of these networks differed between soldiers and foragersand the differences were bigger when the soldiers and foragers came from a more aggressive colony. "What we think is happening is that the regulation of genes associated with collective behavior affects the mechanisms that underlie division of labor," Traniello explained. "So, colonies can become more or less aggressive by influencing the aggression level of the individuals within that colony. Basically, a forager may be more or less likely to transition to a soldier-like state if the environment calls for it." The findings highlight the importance of gene regulation to our understanding of the relationship between genes and behavior. "While a few studies have found potential heritable differences between soldiers and foragers, this study demonstrates that older honey bees may have the potential to take on either role," said Gene Robinson (GNDP), IGB Director and author on the paper. "In colonies that are more aggressive, likely due to increased danger in the environment, older bees may just be more predisposed to become soldiers to help defend the colony." Plans for future directions include developing functional tests to explore the role of the gene networks identified in the study, and to identify spatially where they are being expressed in the brain. Traniello says that he looks forward to exploring these new questions. "We have extraordinary technologies to probe genes and behavior at an unprecedented scale, both with single-cell and, now, spatial transcriptomics," Traniello said. "These give us new means for understanding old questions, like the relationship from individual to collective, or the relationship between genotype to phenotype. It's exciting to be able to take these tools and apply them in naturalistic contexts, and I hope this work inspires others to do the same." More information: Ian M. Traniello et al, Single-cell dissection of aggression in honeybee colonies, Nature Ecology & Evolution (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02090-0 Journal information: Nature Ecology & Evolution 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 LSU researchers and their international collaborators studied six baboon species via samples from 19 sites across the continent of Africa. The results show surprising amounts of genetic admixture, both in ancient times and more recently, which begs the question: What even is a species? Credit: Science, with drawings of male baboons by Stephen Nash Baboons (Papio) are found across the continent of Africa, from the west to the east and all the way south. They have doglike noses, impressive teeth and thick fur that ranges widely in color between the six species, which are olive, yellow, chacma, Kinda, Guinea and hamadryas. Their habitats vary from savannas and bushlands to tropical forests and mountains. Chacma baboons, the largest at up to 100 pounds, are even found in the Kalahari Desert, while the neighboring Kinda baboons, the smallest at around 30 pounds, stay near water. Most live in large troops with dozens or hundreds of members. While most baboons are polygynandrous, with males and females mating with multiple partners, hamadryas baboons, also called sacred baboons, live exclusively in units of one male and multiple females. In a paper published today in the journal Science, titled "Genome-wide Coancestry Reveals Details of Ancient and Recent Male-driven Reticulation in Baboons," researchers show surprising amounts of genetic admixture between baboon species, something that also likely occurred in early humans. Mark Batzer, Boyd Professor and the Dr. Mary Lou Applewhite Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences at LSU; Jessica Storer, Ph.D., Batzer's former student at LSU and now research scientist; and LSU research associate Jerilyn Walker all contributed to the research. Together, they analyzed the mobile or "transposable" genetic elements in samples from 225 baboon individuals from 19 geographical sites. "Everybody believes their genome is perfectly stable, and that's exactly wrong," Batzer said. "Well over half of the genome is fluid in nature and moves around in and between individuals, and between generations and populations. This mobile part of the genome, or mobilome, provides important clues as to how different species are related to one another, how they differ and when two individuals share a common ancestor." Whole-genomic sequencing has revolutionized the amount and detail of genetic diversity now available to researchers to study. While the LSU researchers previously had looked at a few hundred mobile elements or "jumping genes," primarily of the Alu and L1 types, they were now able to analyze over 200,000 elements computationally, confirming and expanding on previous studies. The broader research consortium includes more than 30 collaborators around the globe and was led by Jeffrey Rogers, associate professor of molecular and human genetics at Baylor College of Medicine. "There are questions that were science fiction when I started in the field that are now perfectly approachable," Batzer said. "We're also brought back to this fundamental question, 'What even is a species?' When I was a young scientist, it meant reproductive isolation; no exchange of genes back and forth, and individuals from different species would form infertile hybrids. Well, that whole concept has evolved, and what we now see are free exchanges of genes back and forth, both in ancient times and more recently. In other words, there hasn't been a linear trajectory of genetically isolated species that change through time." Mobile, transposable elements cause a subset of all genetic mutations known as structural genetic variants, one of the most important types of mutation in the genome. As such, mobile elements are responsible for some genetic diversity, but not all differences. Their activity, or rate of movement, is also variable between species, including at different times. While baboons currently are on "fast forward," orangutans, for example, are almost on pause. Humans are somewhere in between. "You can say mobile elements like Alu and L1 are involved in a genetic arms race or competition within the genome," Batzer said. "The mobile elements attempt to expand in number, while the genome exerts control over that expansion, so the elements don't 'overrun' the genome and cause so much havoc it risks killing the host. Some mobile elements are distant relatives of viruses, so some of the control systems are the same ones that control the spread of viruses." Apparent similarities, such as between two individuals of the same species, can disguise surprising amounts of genetic diversity, as one baboon can have almost as much in commongenetically speakingwith a baboon from a different species. The researchers were also able to show, for the very first time in non-human primates, how the yellow baboons in western Tanzania received genetic input from three distinct lineagesyellow, olive and Kinda. "This was the first time we've seen three different species contribute to the genesis of one, and done it in detail," Batzer said. "These high-resolution data sets allow us to draw much more accurate and detailed conclusions from the observations we make." Baboons and humans share about 91 percent of identical DNA. While humans have relatively small amounts of variation from each other, baboons are genetically more diverse. Bigger mobile elements called LINE elements, such as L1, carry around enzymatic machinery that helps them and the smaller Alu elements mobilize and drive change in mammals (L1) and primates (Alu). Mobile and transposable elements are in themselves diverse and effectively "monkey around" the genomes of all primates, including humans, as well as other species. The processes by which they impact the genome are called insertional mutagenesis, transduction and recombination. Tracking the insertions, which is Batzer's specialty, offers two advantages in establishing shared or separate ancestry. First, the presence of a mobile element at a particular location in the genome represents identity by descent; the probability of an exact match without shared ancestry is near negligible. Second, it's possible to trace insertions back to the point where they first appeared, thus establishing the ancestral genetic character state and unambiguously rooting species relationships. "We now believe mobile elements are one of the single biggest driving forces impacting genomes, and not just among primates, but across many mammals and many non-mammalian systems as well," Batzer said. Next, the LSU research team will investigate the mobilization and genomic impact of a recently identified transposable element in South American primates. More information: Erik F. Srensen et al, Genome-wide coancestry reveals details of ancient and recent male-driven reticulation in baboons, Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.abn8153 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: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Misinformation and echo chambers are often used to explain polarization and political divides between people. New research, however, finds there is another factor we should worry about, namely our online consumption of quality news, or exactly the lack of it. Most people do not read misinformation or inhabit echo chambers or radical rabbit holes. As this project finds, they do consume an alarming low amount of quality news. Finding ways to expose people more to trustworthy and reliable news sources could help with better informed citizens and tackling polarization. Communication researcher Magdalena Wojcieszak is about to finish her 5-years research project EXPO. To understand increasing populism and polarization, and how these can be combatted, the original aim of this project was to study when and where people encounter diverse news and political viewpoints and the effects of these encounters. "We know that polarization, populism, and misinformation are on the rise. Many hoped that exposing citizens to more diverse and dissimilar views would make them more tolerant and open to different perspectives, and less polarized and hostile toward the other political side." During the multi-method analysis, Wojcieszak and her team however came to another alarming finding. Data on online behavior from over 7,000 people With her team, Wojcieszak collected data on online behavior from over 7000 people in the Netherlands, Poland, and the United States. They used a special open-source tool to track people's browsing history and paired these online behavioral traces with over-time surveys that the same participants completed. "Every three months we asked them to answer questions on their attitudes, opinions, behaviors, knowledge level, misinformation, polarization, and more. We then used innovative computational social science methodologies to trace and classify exactly what people consumed online over a 9-month period and the effects of this consumption." People hardly consume news or politics online The most striking finding turned out to be that people hardly consume news or politics online. "Across the three countries and during nine months of online browsing, online news consumption accounted for only 3.4% of all URLs visited by the participants. And we did account for people's news visits on social media platforms," Wojcieszak explains the results. "Exposure to hard news or political topics in those news visits was even less than 1%. Most people do not go to news websites for political information. They go for sports, weather, or cooking recipes." These numbers of 3,4% and 1% are much lower than those we can find in some other reports on online news consumption, like the annual Reuters Digital News report. "An important difference is that the Reuters report relies on self-reports on news exposure," explains Wojcieszak this difference. "From many years of research, we know that such self-reports are not accurate. Social desirabilitypeople thinking they should read news every dayand recall biasespeople thinking they consumed news when they did not- make people overestimate their news consumption. A German study for example showed that participants thought they read the news, when they actually only scrolled passed it in their Facebook timeline." No effect of diverse views Back to the original question and the effect of exposure to opposing viewpoints, Wojcieszak and her team did not find any effects. "We looked explicitly at exposure to partisan news from one's own side, exposure to centrist news and exposure to news from the other side of the political spectrum. We found that people's attitudes did not become more extreme over-time and people did not become more hostile towards their political opponents, nor the opposite." In addition, in an innovative experiment in the US, the team paid strong partisans to visit dissimilar partisan sources. "For example, if you were an American democrat, we gave you money to visit very right leaning sources, such as Breitbart or The Blaze, for a certain period. And if you were a republican, we paid to visit very left leaning sources, such as Mother Jones or Democracy Now," explains Wojcieszak. "We did not find any backfire effects. People did not become more polarized, but they also did not become less polarized." Increasing exposure to quality news could have an effect Increasing exposure to quality news could influence people's attitudes for the long term believes Wojcieszak. "We should not only worry about things like misinformation and echo chambers but also look at the majority of people who do not consume any news or political information. We should study how we can engage these often-disengaged citizens in the political process by exposing them more to quality and verified news and thereby including their more moderate voices in the political arena." To expose people to more quality and diverse news, Wojcieszak sees a role for scholars and their focus of study, but also for journalists and policy makers. "Research has found that people might be more engaged with news when they can read more stories of consensus, and less of conflict and political divide. And maybe there are ways to encourage social media platforms to promote or amplify quality news in their recommendations and systems." 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: Linear responses of wealth inequality to a climate risk shock (without the control variable). A Temperature growth shock on wealth inequality, B Temperature growth volatility shock on wealth inequality. Credit: Environmental Science and Pollution Research (2023). DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-27342-1 Poorer households in the UK are more vulnerable to climate change because temperature shocks are associated with deepening wealth inequality, according to new research published today in the journal Environmental Science and Pollution Research. Researchers from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and institutions in South Africa and Germany examined wealth inequality data against climate date from the period 2006-2018 to ascertain the impact of both temperature changes and climate shocks, such as extreme heat, on wealth inequality in the UK. The study used wealth inequality data from the Office of National Statistics, while monthly temperature data was collected from the Met Office, using year-on-year temperature growth and its volatility shocks as measures of climate risk. The study found that both temperature growth and extreme temperature events have positive and statistically significant effects on all measures of wealth inequality in the longer term. This was particularly pronounced when comparing the 10% wealthiest households with the 10% poorest. It also found that climate risk shocks harm the poorest the most relative to the richest households, exacerbating long-term wealth inequality. Researchers believe this could be because of several factors, including the impact on health of poorer people due to increased air pollution and the effect on food supply chains. The study also found that show that, upon the impact of climate shocks, wealth inequality increases significantly between the 20% and 10% wealthiest households compared to the households of median wealth, while also reducing the inequality between the average household and the poorest. Lead author Dr. Xin Sheng, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Business and Law at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said, "Even within higher-income countries, poorer people can also be more vulnerable to the impact of climate change. For example, the UK recorded the highest number of heatwave deaths in 2020, and also has among the highest level of income inequality in relation to other developed countries in Europe." "The findings highlight the disproportionate increased burden of climate change on households that are already experiencing poverty, particularly households in high-climate risk areas. For example, climate change can pose a serious health threat through food insecurity and increased toxic air pollution. Extreme weather can affect crop production, which can push up food and fuel costs." "As such, measures to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change need to be tailored so as not to overburden the poor." More information: Xin Sheng et al, Climate shocks and wealth inequality in the UK: evidence from monthly data, Environmental Science and Pollution Research (2023). DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-27342-1 Journal information: Environmental Science and Pollution Research 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: Size of sampled agri-SMEs. Credit: CABI Agriculture and Bioscience (2023). DOI: 10.1186/s43170-023-00157-3 The smallest agri-SMEs in Africa owner-managed by women bore the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research led by a team of CABI scientists and published in the journal CABI Agriculture & Bioscience. The researchers studied data from 119 agricultural small- and medium-sized enterprises (agri-SMEs)ranging in size from sole proprietorships with one employee to those employing up to 100 peopleacross six different value chains in Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Value chains that formed part of the survey includedin order of aforementioned countriesrice, oil palm and cocoa, groundnuts, maize, cocoa and rice, rice and sunflower and maize. Scientists from CABI's regional center for Africa in Nairobi, Kenya, and its center for West Africa in Accra, Ghana, found that while all agri-SMEs were negatively affected by COVID-19-associated restrictions, the size of the firm and gender of the owner-managers resulted in different impacts. The smallest agri-SMEs, mainly owner-managed by women, were more likely to experience disruptions in marketing their goods and maintaining their labor supply. Larger agri-SMEs, however, made changes to their business operations to comply with government guidelines during the pandemic and made investments to manage their labor supplytherefore, sustaining their business operations. In terms of changes in business operations by agri-SMEs due to COVID-19 restrictions, 72% were affected by changes to market access and nearly 70% by health and safety changes. This included the wearing of face masks and hand washing. Labor supply changes affected 40% while 22% were impacted by financing and just over 10% made changes to how they package their products. Furthermore, modeling results show that financing prior to the pandemic, engaging in primary agricultural production and being further from urban centers, significantly influenced the likelihood of a firm incurring business losses. Dr. Mariam Kadzamira, Senior Researcher, Agribusiness at CABI and lead author of the research, said, "Our findings necessitate engendered multi-faceted agri-SME support packages that are tailored for smaller-sized agri-SMEs. "Any such support package should include support for agri-SMEs to develop sustainable marketing strategies and help them secure flexible financing that considers payment deferrals and debt moratorium during bona fide market shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic." The study highlights that while sub-Saharan Africa has the highest female entrepreneurship rate globally, these women-led enterprises are more likely to be smaller, informal, and less profitable, with less growth potential than those operated by men. A key recommendation from the research is that public and private sector entities facilitating entrepreneurship development should establish multi-faceted support packages that will cushion agri-SMEs in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to "bounce back." Dr. Victor Clottey, co-author and Regional Representative, West Africa at CABI, said, "Support should be tailored for smaller-sized agri-SMEs as they are more vulnerable to shocks arising in the market." "In addition, there is a need for innovative gendered support packages, as most enterprise owner-managed by women are likely to be smaller and hence more vulnerable." "Any support package put in place should have a work package to support SMEs with developing sustainable marketing strategies and securing flexible financing that considers payment deferrals and debt moratorium for agri-SMEs in the event of a bona fide economic and/or market shock." The scientists add that smaller-sized SMEs should be supported not only with financing but also with the capacity to diversify their business operations and income streams to enhance their resilience in the event of market and economic shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic. More information: Mariam A. T. J. Kadzamira et al, African agri-entrepreneurship in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, CABI Agriculture and Bioscience (2023). DOI: 10.1186/s43170-023-00157-3 Provided by CABI 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: Conceptual model illustrating the coevolution of the phosphorus cycle and DOM oxidation during the SE (see text for detailed description of the panels). Credit: Nature (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06077-6 A new study may have found a missing link that helps explain the Earth's unique oxygen-rich atmosphereand the evolution of animal life on the planet. The findings in the paper "Uncovering the Ediacaran phosphorus cycle," led by a Forrest Research Foundation Fellow from The University of Western Australia and published today in Nature, could solve the mystery of why oxygen levels remained too low for animals to breathe for 90 percent of Earth's history. The first major evolutionary event of animal life occurred during an event dubbed the Shuram Excursionbetween 570 and 550 million years agowhich is believed to represent a massive release of carbon dioxide and oxygen into the atmosphere and oceans as a result of increasing ocean phosphorus levels. To test the theory, researchers used a newly developed tool to track the abundance of phosphorus in the oceans hundreds of millions of years ago, recorded in six locations in Australia, China, Mexico and the US. The data and Earth chemistry model revealed increasing ocean phosphorus levels could not have explained the rise of oxygen. The effect was only replicated by the model when large quantities of sulfate rock were weathered, releasing sulfate into the oceans to produce vast amounts of oxygen. Lead author and Forrest Fellow Dr. Matthew Dodd, from the UWA School of Earth Sciences, said the results suggested sulfate, rather than phosphorus, was the main control in the oxygenation of the planet during the first major evolution of complex life. "Our findings may explain the prolonged low levels of oxygen throughout Earth's history and consequently the late evolution of animal life on Earth," Dr. Dodd said. "Importantly, we observe that ocean phosphorus was predominantly low when oxygen levels were low throughout the Shuram Excursion. This phenomenon would have locked the early oceans and atmosphere into an oxygen devoid state." Data from the study also holds implications about the possibility of intelligent life on other planets. "These results suggest other potentially habitable planets may support complex intelligent life, only if provided with long enough incubation times," Dr. Dodd said. "This could imply planets around stars larger than the sun may not develop complex intelligent life due to the relatively short lifetime of large stars." More information: Matthew S. Dodd et al, Uncovering the Ediacaran phosphorus cycle, Nature (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06077-6 Journal information: Nature 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: Production of 229mTh isomers through (a) resonant excitation or (b) excitation via the second nuclear excited state. The second scenario requires a large Lorentz factor of the ion bunch, which could be achieved at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Credit: Physical Review Research (2023). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevResearch.5.023134 The thorium isotope with the mass number 229 (229Th) is highly exciting in many respectsfor fundamental physics as well as for future applications, for example in the sense of a nuclear clock. An international German-Chinese-American research team with the participation of Prof. Dr. Dmitry Budker's group at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz has now proposed a completely new approach to study 229Th in detail. The researchers want to use thorium ions that have only three electrons left in their shell out of 90 present in a neutral atom. Such a system offers many advantages, the researchers report in the current issue of the journal Physical Review Research, most notably that the first nuclear transition can be excited with conventional lasers in the visible wavelength range. This, however, requires the ions to be circulating in a relativistic storage ring. A test laboratory for new physics What is special about thorium-229 is that its atomic nucleus, with the metastable isomeric state thorium-229m has by far the lowest excited energy level of all the approximately 3,800 atomic nuclei currently known. It is therefore the only nuclear transition that can potentially be interrogated with laserseven without using storage rings. The extremely precise measurement of this transition and the two nuclear states opens up promising and diverse perspectives. To this end, the researchers led by Dmitry Budker are now proposing a new approachboth in terms of the "object of study" and the experimental setting: they are using highly charged ions, or HCIs for short, specifically those in which there are only three electrons left in the electron shell. In such highly charged thorium ions, the interplay between the electron and the nucleus opens some new transitions that can be used to "populate" the nuclear isomeric state efficiently. The idea is to accelerate these thorium ions to almost the speed of light in a particle accelerator. In this way, they develop a leverage effect, so to speak, in order to excite them as effectively as possible with a conventional laser and thus be able to study them very precisely. Most importantly, multiple excited states can be addressed and used to "populate" the isomeric state that is actually of interest. Most previous studies of thorium-229m have dealt with non-relativistic atoms or ions in low charge states, which places high demands on the light source required for excitationbecause an extremely short-wavelength laser in the deep ultraviolet range is needed. "The fact that we can use a laser in the visibleconventionalwavelength range instead makes spectroscopic studies easier," explains Dmitry Budker. "That this is possible at all is related to the fact that the thorium ions are accelerated to almost the speed of light. Due to relativistic effects, they perceive a laser beam directed at them from the front as a beam with a much shorter wavelength: for them, conventional laser light appears like a UV laser," adds first author Junlan Jin, currently a Ph.D. student at Princeton University, who previously worked very closely and successfully with Dmitry Budker's group as part of a remote internship. In the current publication, the authors describe the various steps required to realize their method: They start with the generation of an accelerated beam of highly charged thorium ions, with possible accelerator rings being at the FAIR facility under construction at GSI in Darmstadt, Germany, or the planned Gamma Factory at CERNthe authors of the current thorium publication are also involved in the conceptual proposals for the realization of such a "super light source." They then discuss in detail various scenarios for obtaining the most complete possible excitation of thorium nuclei, before focusing on the detection of the excited states produced and the transferability to similar systems. The research team's conclusion: According to their estimate, the energy of the isomeric state can be measured with a precision better than 10-4 or even down to below 10-6, which is orders of magnitude improvement of the present value. This would pave the way for further improvements in determining the energy of the isomeric state and help answer fundamental physics questions using the thorium system. "The development of a nuclear clock is not so much the focus of our proposal, because for its realization our new method brings various technological challenges," adds Dmitry Budker. "For us, however, thorium is a very large 'playground' for addressing fundamental physics questions, a test lab for new physics, so to speak. For example, we want to answer the question of whether certain fundamental constants of nature are perhaps not so constant, but drift or oscillate with time or with location. In addition, one can imagine tests of fundamental symmetries and searches for particles or fields that go beyond the Standard Model." More information: Junlan Jin et al, Excitation and probing of low-energy nuclear states at high-energy storage rings, Physical Review Research (2023). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevResearch.5.023134 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: Mother and juvenile golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana). Credit: Paul Garber Asian colobines, also known as leaf-eating monkeys, have been on the planet for about 10 million years. Their ancestors crossed land bridges, dispersed across continents, survived the expansion and contraction of ice sheets and learned to live in tropical, temperate and colder climes. A new study reported in the journal Science finds parallels between Asian colobines' social, environmental and genetic evolution, revealing for the first time that colobines living in colder regions experienced genetic changes and alterations to their ancient social structure that likely enhanced their ability to survive. "Virtually all primates are social and live in social groups," said study co-author Paul A. Garber, a professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an expert on primate biology, evolution and conservation. "But the groups differ in size and cohesiveness. There are those that live in units of two or three individuals and others living in communities of up to 1,000 individuals." Asian colobines have evolved a variety of social structures. However, genomic studies suggest that the harem unit of organization, which consists of one male with two or more females and their offspring, was the ancestral norm for Asian colobines, Garber said. The males are intolerant of other males and will fight to protect their territories. In some species, females remain in their natal group. In others, both males and females leave to join or form a new harem. Over time, more complex societies formed. Among a group of Asian colobines known as "odd-nosed monkeys," for example, two genera "still form harems, but they're not territorial," Garber said. "This means their group territories can overlap and there are times they may come together to forage, rest and travel." One branch of these odd-nosed monkeys, the "snub-nosed monkeys" form what is referred to as a multilevel or modular society in which several harems remain together year-round and form a large and cohesive breeding band. The largest such society the team recorded included about 400 individuals. In the case of the golden snub-nosed monkeys, breeding between individuals belonging to different harems was common, occurring about 50% of the time. The researchers wanted to examine how the interplay of environment, genes and behaviors like territoriality and cooperation allowed Asian colobines to survive in such varied habitats. "The team used extremely diverse data sets, many of which we generated ourselves," Garber said. "These include ecological and paleogeological data, the fossil record, and behavioral and genomic data." By overlaying social structure and habitat data, the team found that Asian colobine groups that inhabit colder areasmany of them at high elevationsalso tend to form larger and more complex societies made up of harems that coordinate their daily activities and often cooperate with one another. The changes in social structure over time corresponded with genetic changes, the researchers found. The most socially complex multilevel societies also evolved changes in genes regulating cold-related energy metabolism and neurohormones that are known to play a critical role in social bonding. Several factors contributed to the colobines' social evolution into larger, more cooperative societies, Garber said. An adult male black and white snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti). Credit: Paul Garber "Because these primates are long-lived and individuals may remain in the same band for periods of years and even decades, you have the opportunity for high levels of reciprocal cooperation," he said. Habitat also played a role, he said. Smaller groups in tropical areas can afford to be territorial because food is more predictable, and they can sustain themselves in a fairly restricted area. However, life at higher altitudes is more challenging. Black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys in some parts of China, for example, live at elevations up to about 13,500 feet. "These are low-oxygen environments," Garber said. "The coldest temperatures at night drop below zero. For a primate, that's cold." Historically, predators of snub-nosed monkeys were large mammals like snow leopards, tigers and bears. Predation risk was likely lowered by the cooperative efforts of males from multiple harems, Garber said. In addition, plant resources consumed by snub-nosed monkeys are more spread out, making their extremely large territorieswhich can extend up to 6-8 square miles (15-20 square kilometers)harder to defend by small groups. In addition to changes in genes that code for lipid metabolism and adaptations associated with cold stress, colobines living at high elevations also saw genetic changes that bolstered hormonessuch as oxytocin and dopaminethat are known to play a role in maternal behavior and social relationships. "The snub-nosed monkeys seem to have a longer mother-infant bond, which probably increased infant survival in cold environments," Garber said. "Oxytocin is an important neurohormone in all social bonding. We think it promoted social affiliation, cohesion and cooperation among adults as well." Each of these adaptive changes appears to have bolstered affiliation between harems, allowing Asian colobines to form larger multilevel societies when local conditions made it necessary for them to cooperate to survive, the researchers report. Corresponding authors of the study are Xiao-Guang Qi, of Northwest University, Xi'an, China; Cyril C. Grueter, of the University of Western Australia, Perth; Dongdong Wu, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China; and Baoguo Li, of Northwest University, China. More information: Xiao-Guang Qi et al, Adaptations to a cold climate promoted social evolution in Asian colobine primates, Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.abl8621. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abl8621 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: Photograph showing experimental set-up including 1: Wind Machine, 2: Flow Straightener, 3: Array of Bidirectional Probes, 4: Shed, 5: Off-Target Heat Flux Rig, and 6: Target Structure. Credit: NIST (2023). DOI: 10.6028/NIST.TN.2253 It may seem obvious that a flammable structure placed next to a house poses a fire hazard, especially if it's in a wildfire-prone community. What has been less clear, though, is how far away these items, such as sheds, need to be located to significantly limit fire spread to homes. New research led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has begun to provide important answers. A team of fire safety experts at NIST, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and other organizations has conducted a series of rigorous experiments to gauge the ability of flaming sheds to ignite residential-type structures. Based on their data, the authors of a new report determined that, under certain conditions, wooden and steel storage sheds up to 64 square feet (5.9 square meters) in size should be at least 10 or 15 feet (3 or 4.5 meters) away from homes depending on their size. In most cases, the spacing for sheds of these sizes is unregulated, even in wildfire zones, but the new data could form a basis for improved guidance and regulations. The findings also hint at the importance of conducting similar studies for the placement of other potential fire hazards, including adjacent homes, parked vehicles and more. "We tested on flat ground and with new, fire-hardened residential structures, so these distances are absolute minimums," said NIST fire protection engineer Alex Maranghides, lead author of the report. "Homes that are on slopeswhich can intensify wildfire spreador that are of older construction may need more of a buffer." Several NIST wildfire investigations have shown that sheds play a key role in facilitating the progression of flames throughout communities in the wildland-urban interface (WUI). Science-based guidance on where to place sheds has been scant, partially due to a lack of data. With the threat of wildfires growing in recent years, NIST and CAL FIRE devised a plan to find answers. The researchers conducted several tests inside NIST's large fire test facility prior to the new study to understand the fire hazard presented by storage sheds. Using the results, they narrowed down the myriad possible tests that could be conducted under realistic conditions outdoors to a few they deemed most valuable for determining safe distances. Across 13 experiments on the NIST Gaithersburg, Maryland, campus, the authors of the new report ignited varying amounts of wood within sheds of differing size, material and distance from a target structure. The researchers used a wind machine to tilt flames from burning sheds in the direction of targets built to represent an exterior wall of a residence. Most targets were made with fire-resistant elements, including an outer layer of cement boards, to meet the requirements of the California building code for the WUI. One test used a target that was not hardened to resist flames. Real-life fire experiments are providing new insights into the complex question of how far apart two structures, such as a house and a shed, should be in order to limit the risk of fire spreading from one to the other. The experiments conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, in collaboration with CAL FIRE, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, examine how fires spread from sheds of different sizes and with a range of fuels to identify critical separation distances. This information will be used to develop better building codes and preventive measures to mitigate the impact of wildfires. Credit: National Institute of Standards and Technology While a handful of tests resulted in unscathed targets, most caused some level of damage, which ranged from deformed window frames and screens to fractured glass and cracked cement siding. The unhardened target structure fared the worst out of the bunch, its wooden exterior wall and eaves becoming quickly engulfed in flames. Apart from hardening, the authors saw that the structure separation distance, as expected, was a highly influential factor. Two key numbers emerged during the tests: 10 and 15 feet (3 and 4.5 meters). These were the striking distancespresented in customary units in the report because they are most familiar to consumersof flames from sheds less and greater than 26 square feet (2.4 square meters) in size, respectively. Beyond these distances, targets were spared, however, sheds larger than 64 square feet (5.9 square meters) were not tested and may exhibit a further reach. The authors note in the report that these separation distances apply in all directions, to avoid a situation in which a shed is placed far enough from one home, but too close to a house on a neighboring lot. This awareness of the fire hazard that properties pose to one another echoes a key tenet of NIST's WUI Hazard Mitigation Methodologya science-based guide for community wildfire protection. "Fire doesn't distinguish between properties. To prevent a fire from running rampant through a community, you need to consider the spacing of fuels at the community level, not just individual properties," Maranghides said. While the separation distances are applicable to the scenarios covered in the tests, many other conditions could intensify the impact of shed flames. In those casesif a home is not hardened for fires or if it is uphill from the shed, for examplethe separation distance would need to be greater. Although fire-hardening is critical, the report suggests it is not a silver bullet for reducing the fire hazard of sheds. Sizing down, relocating and even removing sheds altogether are all potential solutions that should be considered, Maranghides said. The report represents a major step toward improved, science-based guidance for the spacing of structures for WUI zones, which will be particularly useful for dense communities where space is limited and flammable objects need to be managed with care. The authors plan to determine additional separation distances for a variety of combustible items in the future. In particular, the results of the new study highlight the importance of investigating the fire hazard posed by homes located near other homes within the same or on separate properties, which in some WUI zones are currently permitted to be as close together as 6 feet (1.8 meters). "We are already pushing the separation distance out to 15 feet for sheds that are far smaller than single family homes. This begs the question of how much larger the safe separation distance will be between homes," Maranghides said. More information: Alexander Maranghides, NIST Outdoor Structure Separation Experiments (NOSSE) with Wind, NIST (2023). DOI: 10.6028/NIST.TN.2253 By Alpha Abu The Provisional Nomination Process of Presidential Candidates and Running Mates for 13 Political Parties has ended at the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL) headquarters in Freetown with the election body approving all 13 aspirants and their running mates. The final day of the nomination exercise yesterday saw the only female Presidential candidate in this years polls Madam Iye Kakay of the Alliance Democratic Party (ADP) given provisional approval by ECSL. Her running mate is Ambrose Franklyn Kobi. To bring the curtains down on a process that began on Monday 1st May 2023, veteran politician Francis Charles Margai of the Peoples Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC) will again lead his party to the polls as presidential nominee for the 4th time in a row. His running mate is Tony Bob Hindolo Songa. Margai told journalists it will be his last attempt at Sierra Leones top political office as he will be 78 in August this year. Chief Electoral Commissioner Mohamed K. Konneh in summing up the whole process said it was good to note that all 13 political parties were satisfied with the nomination process. He said the commission is resolute in its commitment to conduct free and fair elections, whose results will be accepted by all, and that people will be able to return to their day-to-day activities. He used the opportunity to explain a situation wherein the citation done for the main opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) had to be corrected following the detection of an error after the partys nomination. He said theyve asked the APC to collect the proper citation but instead, people have taken to social media accusing the commission of biases. Konneh asserted that no amount of misinformation or disinformation will deter them as an electoral institution from doing what is right. The commission began the process last Monday with the main opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate Dr. Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara, followed by incumbent President Julius Maada Bio of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP). Dr.Kamara and President Bio were accompanied by their respective Running Mates Chernor Maju Bah and Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh. The Revolutionary United Front Party (RUFP) presidential candidate is Dr. Abdulai D. Saccoh, and will contest the elections with running mate Alice K. Pyne. The United National Peoples Party (UNPP) will be led by Dr. Saa Henry Kabuta, and Gabriel Samuka as his Vice. Peoples Liberation Party (PLP) will go to the polls with Nabieu Musa Kamara vying for the presidency and Saidu A.K. Mannah his running mate. Citizens Democratic Party (CDP) is led by Mohamed Jonjo, with Madam Kaday Johnson his running mate. Republic National Independent Party (ReNIP) will be represented in the presidential race by Beresford Victor Williams with Madam Kadija Bangura his vice presidential nominee. Dr. Jonathan Sandy (aka JPJ) is the Presidential Candidate for the National Unity and Reconciliation Party (NURP) and Reverend Komba Mbawa is the vice presidential nominee. The other nominees are Prince Coker flag bearer for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with running mate Ibrahim Jalloh, Mohamed Sowa- Turay and Olivette Walker of the United Democratic Movement (UDM) as respective presidential and running mate candidates, and Mohamed Chernoh Bah (presidential candidate) and Mariatu Saudatu Turay (running mate) for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Apart from Madam Kakay who is going for the presidency, four other women are running mates- the highest number to run for such office since multi-party democracy returned to Sierra Leone in 1996. The 13 parties are to contest the 24th June 2023 elections. Copyright 2023 Politico (10/05/23) Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) will expand opportunities for aviation science students thanks to a new partnership with PSA Airlines and a $30,000 gift from the company. PSA Airlines executives visited ECSUs Aviation Science program on March 2, 2023, and held presentations on career pathway opportunities. ECSU will be an affiliate university as part of the airlines Cadet Program. PSA Airlines gift of $30,000 will offer scholarships, fund student licensing and testing fees and host events for ECSUs aviation students. It is our honor to welcome Elizabeth City State University as one of our first of several partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities Hispanic Serving Institutions, said PSA Airlines Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Steve Jarrett. At PSA, our commitment to Diversity and Inclusion helps us to create an environment that cares for our team members. We are confident that creating a pathway for students from underrepresented communities can help them to achieve their dream of a career in aviation. PSA Airlines Captain and ECSU alumnus Jonathan Boltz, who serves as Chair of PSAs Inclusion Council, also shared his enthusiasm for the program and its benefits for aspiring aviation students. This partnership is the start of a great opportunity for students to join a team where they can bring their passion to life. Dr. Karrie G. Dixon, ECSU Chancellor, said, ECSU is grateful to PSA Airlines for creating a new opportunity that gives our aviation science students the ability to gain experience from a leading regional carrier. The generous gift of $30,000 will be used to grow the universitys aviation program and prepare ECSU students to be the next generation of pilots. PSA Airlines is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines that provides more than 800 daily regional flights throughout the midwest and eastern United States to nearly 100 destinations as part of the worldwide American Airlines travel network. Headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, PSA Airlines operates an all-jet fleet consisting of exclusively Bombardier regional jet aircraft. Media Note: A link to photos is available: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/azr7v9t1qe9kvpkiwl93e/h?dl=0&rlkey=jfh165or7e34qz91oqis55ech New York State Department of Environmental Conservation forest rangers responded to two local rescues in recent weeks, the agency said. On May 25, in Granville, Washington County officials requested forest ranger assistance with the search for an 85-year-old with dementia who walked away from her home. Her husband had last seen her at 9 p.m. the previous day. A ranger tracked the subjects foot path through leaf litter and found her laying in the woods off an ATV trail at 12:01 p.m. The subject was disoriented and cold, but uninjured. The next day, in the town of Horicon, while on patrol to Pharaoh Lake, a ranger found a 14-year-old from Maryland with a leg injury. The teenager was hiking ahead of his mother. The ranger compression-wrapped the ankle and got crutches to assist the hiker out of the woods. She reunited the subject with his mother and helped them to their vehicle. ALBANY A Sacramento man was sentenced to more than 7 years in prison for his role in a drug trafficking organization that distributed crystal methamphetamine in Saratoga County in 2020. Roderick Meskell, had previously pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court. He admitted that from June 2020 through October 2020, he worked with others, including co-conspirators Ali Hassan Ahmed III and Jordan D. Lopez, to transport and distribute Mexican cartel-sourced crystal methamphetamine from Sacramento to redistributors in Saratoga County. In total, the organization trafficked approximately 5 kilograms of methamphetamine, according to a news release. Meskell received a sentence of 87 months in prison. U.S. District Judge Glenn Suddaby also ordered Meskell to serve a 5-year term of supervised release following his release from prison. Lopez previously pled guilty in connection with the conspiracy and was sentenced to 78 months in prison. Ahmed III has also pled guilty in connection with the conspiracy, and faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison, a term of supervised release between 5 years and life, and a maximum fine of $10 million. The FBI and the Saratoga County Sheriffs Office investigated this case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet OHanlon. Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) was recognized as a new Purple Heart University for its longstanding commitment to members of the U.S. Armed Services community in a ceremony held on campus April 12. The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 6060, Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 639 and North Carolina Patriot Guard Northeast District honored ECSU with the elite Purple Heart University designation. Event participants included Rear Admiral Shannon L. Gilreath, Commander, 5th Coast Guard District from the U.S. Coast Guard; Trey Lewis, Northeast Regional Representative, Office of U.S. Senator Thom Tillis; N.C. State Representative Bill Ward, 5th District; Daniel Serik, VFW Post 6060; Lenny Lazzara, Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 639; and Roy Hankinson of the North Carolina Patriot Guard Northeast District. As an institution founded on excellence, we are proud of our nation and we celebrate the brave men and women, who have served and continue to serve, and protect our freedom, said Dr. Karrie G. Dixon, chancellor of ECSU. Patriotism is a value that we cherish at Elizabeth City State University. On this day, ECSU becomes the second institution within the University of North Carolina System to receive the Military Order of the Purple Heart designation as a Purple Heart University. Serik stated, The nation that forgets its defenders, soon will forget itself. Just as love heals the differences within our own families, so, too, can patriotism heal the differences within our nation. Lewis, from the office of Senator Tillis, presented a U.S. flag that was flown over the U.S. Capitol in honor of ECSUs recognition as a Purple Heart University, to the Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 639. Ward presented a Certificate of Acknowledgement and North Carolina state flag to the North Carolina Patriot Guard Northeast District. The recognition honors ECSUs commitment to the entire military communitystudents, faculty, staff and visitors, as well as veterans and their families. The university ranks no. 4 on the 2022 Best Colleges for Veterans- Regional Colleges South listing by U.S. News & World Report. ECSU consistently ranks as a Top Veteran-Friendly School by U.S. Veterans Magazine. The mission of the Military Order of the Purple Heart is to foster an environment of goodwill and camaraderie among combat wounded veterans, promote patriotism, support necessary legislative initiatives and provide service to all veterans and their families. Media Note: Photos from the ceremony are available here. GLENS FALLS The Warren County Sheriffs Office arrested a Chestertown woman Wednesday on multiple drug possession felony charges. The sheriffs office said that at approximately 5:23 p.m., deputies assigned to a Buckle Up New York, Click It or Ticket saturation patrol conducted a traffic stop on Oakland Avenue in the city of Glens Falls for various traffic violations. During one traffic stop, deputies discovered evidence of criminal activity and therefore conducted a search of the vehicle and occupants. As a result of the search, Maria L. Dulisse, 25, was found to be in possession of a significant quantity of methamphetamine and cocaine. Officials charged Dulisse with second-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Other drugs were discovered and will be sent to the New York State Police Forensic Laboratory for further testing, so additional charges may be forthcoming, the sheriffs office said. The day before the sheriffs office arrest, Dulisse had been charged with misdemeanor seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance along with two other people during a traffic stop by the Glens Falls Police Department. The two other individuals are also facing a misdemeanor drug possession charge and released to appear in Glens Falls court at a later date. Dulisse was held on the felony charges and was scheduled to be arraigned Friday. QUEENSBURY A 70-year-old Queensbury sex offender was arrested on Thursday for allegedly failing to notify authorities of his account on a dating website. In April, the Warren County Sheriffs Office Criminal Investigations Unit received a report from New York State Parole regarding Barry Grubert not registering an account with Grindr. Grubert was charged with a felony count of failure to register as a sex offender. He was arraigned in Warren County Centralized Arraignment Court and sent without bail to Warren County Jail because of multiple prior felony convictions. Grubert was sentenced in Washington County Court in January 2020 to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to attempted second-degree criminal sex act. He was one of seven men arrested in a sting in which they responded to an online classified advertisement to meet a person for sex. The men traveled to Hudson Falls to meet who they thought would be a girl under the age of 15 and were arrested by police. Grubert was released in April 2021, according to the state inmate database. LAKE LUZERNE The Rockwell Falls Library board has found themselves under intense scrutiny recently, stemming from a once-proposed, now-canceled drag queen story hour that was supposed to take place in April. The event drew the ire of many community members several of whom admitted to never really having paid much attention or even setting foot in the library in the past. And that newfound attention has caused residents to take a much closer look at how the library functions as a publicly funded entity. Resident Colin Hagadorn, who at an April meeting said hes never been to the community library until that night, returned to the boards May meeting and referenced an article in the Hadley-Luzerne Central School District budget newsletter. The publication explained the reasoning behind the librarys trustee elections taking place on the same ballot, despite the library being a completely separate entity. In June 2019, voters approved the Hadley Luzerne Public Librarys request to change its charter from a municipal library funded only by the towns of Hadley and Lake Luzerne to a school district library that would expand the tax base to the same geographical area as the Hadley-Luzerne Central School District. The vote was 241 votes for and 199 against, according to the newsletter, which went on to explain that school district public libraries operate independently from policies and practices set by the school district, but that they are corporate entities chartered by the state Board of Regents and registered by the state commissioner of education. New Rockwell Falls Library board members debate drag queen event LAKE LUZERNE The Rockwell Falls Library Board of Trustees met Thursday night to discuss the ongoing hot topic of whether or not the facility Why wasnt the $190,000 were giving you guys yearly on this (newsletter), Hagadorn asked the library board at its May meeting. Sara Dallas, director of the Southern Adirondack Library System, who was acting parliamentarian for the meeting explained to Hagadorn that since the library budget was not up for vote, it was not included in the newsletter. That response was not satisfactory for Hagadorn, however. Every time I come here, this is what happens, he said. Somebodys not here, somebody cant answer it properly. And it dont do nothing but give you guys a black eye. Im sorry to say it and Im not trying to be rude. But thats the way it comes across. Hagadorn, who said hed also attended a recent school board meeting looking for an explanation but wasnt satisfied there either, was met with approving head nods and audible sounds of approval. What the article did not specify, and what was not made clear by the board at the time, is that the tax money paid to the library although collected using the same geographical boundaries as the Hadley-Luzerne School District is completely separate from the tax money paid to the school and therefore is not voted on by the taxpayers each year. This confusion led to some concern among school district officials. There were people who thought they were gonna come to the voting booth and punish the library by voting down the school budget, said Hadley-Luzerne Central School District Clerk Mary Visscher. We really spent a lot of time trying to get out into the community and trying to talk to people so that they would understand that voting down our school budget was not gonna change the money that the library was getting, because that was voted on by the taxpayers in 2019. Later in the May 18 meeting, new library trustee Josh Jacquard brought up the relationship between the library and the school district, which he said was strained due to the proposed drag story hour. Book bans enter discussion for Lake Luzerne library LAKE LUZERNE In a tumultuous first regular meeting since a planned and now-canceled drag queen story hour was announced in April, the Rockwe The situation at the library, it caused a lot of distrust in this library, he said. There is a serious, serious issue that were gonna have to tackle. Jacquard said that the distrust felt by the community has spread to the school district because of it being a school district library. He suggested to the board that holding library board elections independently from school district election could go a long way to help that relationship. We can hold our own votes here at the library, he said. And the school board has communicated that they would like that to happen. The question of whether the library ballot measures should be piggyback on school board ballots has come up prior to the recent agitation. Visscher said shed discussed moving library elections onto library grounds with the librarys director Courtney Keir last year as well, which was Visschers first year as clerk. It wasnt that we didnt want to do it, Visscher said. It was just, I felt like the library could get some exposure from people in the community that dont generally go to the library, if they had to go there to vote. However, the uproar caused by the proposed drag queen story hour so close to Election Day added turbulence to this years election. With so many community members outraged at the library and demanding answers, Visscher said it was difficult for some voters to reconcile what was on the ballot, what was not on the ballot, and why. Part of my conversation with (the library) was also about that part of this whole thing, how confusing it is for people to see school library stuff on our ballot, she said. They just dont understand often times so that can be very detrimental to us as a district. Without any formal action taken, the library board acquiesced and stated that they would plan to hold separate elections in the future. BASS RIVER TOWNSHIP A fast-moving forest fire that started Wednesday afternoon is likely to burn through about 6,000 acres of Bass River State Forest before it is fully out, state fire officials said. Smoke from the fire could be seen in portions of Atlantic and Cumberland counties. The fire was exhibiting extreme fire behavior, so that plays into us not being able to get our equipment in to safely direct-attack the fire, John Earlin, incident commander in the emergency response, said Thursday during a news conference held about a mile from the flames. On Friday morning, the fire and fog caused the closure of the Garden State Parkway from Exit 38 to Exit 63 in both directions. The stretch of roadway was reopened before 10 a.m. once conditions improved. Due to the heavy smoke conditions with a wildfire, the Garden State Parkway Southbound Ramps are closed. Traffic has been diverted to Route 72 East. Please expect heavy delays on Route 72 and avoid the area if possible. Thank you for your patience. pic.twitter.com/heGCrDFqDO Stafford Police NJ (@StaffordPolice) June 2, 2023 Earlin said the intense heat and compacted areas of forest limited emergency response to setting a barrier around the fire. Dry weather is expected to impact the region and could fuel the fire for days, leaving roads closed and the immediate area on high alert, state fire officials said. By the time its extinguished, the fire could cover 6,000 acres. The fire reached 5,000 acres and was about 80% contained as of Friday afternoon. No structures were considered in its path. The fire was first seen off Allen Road about 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, Fire Warden Greg McLaughlin said. It started in a wildfire-prone area of the forest. Campground damaged by fire expected to reopen later this week UPPER TOWNSHIP A campground devastated by a large fire that torched close to two dozen cam Allen and Oswego roads were both closed. Stage Road was closed between North Maple Avenue and Route 679, and Route 679 was closed between Route 563 and Leektown Road. Firefighters were on scene within about 20 minutes of the first reports, McLaughlin said. On Thursday afternoon, crews were seeking to establish a perimeter around the fire to curtail the flames. We want to get our arms around it as much as possible, McLaughlin said. Once we have our arms around the fire, then we can start to talk about how confident are we, in terms of that, holding the fire within this space. As we get more confident that the fire is going to remain in that space, then we start to look at containment. Nearby, six structures and about 40 people at the Timberline Campground were threatened, spurring evacuation orders. The campground was still told to remain on Thursday afternoon, officials said. Little Egg Harbor Townships Bob Kociban was at his campsite at Timberline when the fire erupted. About 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, authorities began shouting over loudspeakers to evacuate. Me and a few other people were standing there and were like, This is pretty damn close, Kociban, 56, said of when he captured images of the fire as it began to be seen over the trees. Summery stretch to break records, keep NJ in high risk for wildfire spread Record warmth, both for high and low temperatures, threaten to go down Thursday. The peak of the inland heat will be here and new data tells me that the shore's warmest day could be Thursday as well. Not far from Kocibans camper was a home shared by Linda Michel and Art OBrien, who were both ordered out of their residence about two hours later. We heard some sirens, and then we went out and looked, and we could see a little plume of smoke, said OBrien, 64, of New Gretna. It was real close to where we were at. Neither OBrien nor Michel had before been evacuated from their home for an emergency, he said. It was a little nerve-wracking, not knowing what was really happening, and how devastating a fire can be, as you see with some of the fires on TV. Theyre taking a lot of peoples homes out, and quickly, OBrien said. State firefighters prepare for wildfire season by treating sensitive woodlands in the offseason through prescribed burns, a process in which fire is intentionally set in a controlled manner to remove elements, such as dry leaves, that could prolong fire. The area off Allen Road where Wednesdays fire was had not been treated by prescribed burns, but a spot southwest of it was, McLaughlin said. The flames Thursday were being guided by a path of dense woods and ground fuel, eventually leading to areas previously left vacant of dry leaves and grass through a prescribed burn. Atlantic County officials warned residents of potential air quality issues related to the fire. Structure blaze leads to forest fire in Egg Harbor Township EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP A detached garage that was on fire led to a nearby forest catching afl Multiple fires may impact the air quality for Atlantic County residents for an unknown period of time, though there are no current alerts, according to a statement from Linda Gilmore, public information officer for the county. Atlantic County public health officials remind residents to take precautions as wildfire smoke can pose a threat to those with heart and lung conditions, pregnant women, older adults, children, and outdoor workers. Egg Harbor Township schools sent an email to parents Thursday saying they were keeping students inside due to reports of poor air quality as a result of the fire. The stench of charred forestry met America Garcia at her home not far from Oakcrest High School in Mays Landing, followed by the sight of haze. I see a whole bunch of smoke everywhere, and Im like, This has to be a wildfire, said Garcia, 36. The effects became more apparent to her when she dropped her children off at the George Hess Educational Complex nearby, seeing adults outside who wore masks to hide their noses from the smell. I hoped the school wouldnt let the kids outside for recess, Garcia said. PLEASE BE ADVISED: Soon we will no longer integrate with Facebook for story comments. The commenting option is not going away, however, readers will need to register for a FREE site account to continue sharing their thoughts and feedback on stories. If you already have an account (i.e. current subscribers, posting in obituary guestbooks, for submitting community events), you may use that login, otherwise, you will be prompted to create a new account. A Northfield man will serve five years in prison on charges that he sold cocaine to an undercover police officer, was found with a gun used in a shooting and lit someone on fire, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said Thursday. Deshoin Rowell, 22, of Northfield, was sentenced Wednesday by Judge Nancy L. Ridgway on three separate indictments charging him with aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a handgun and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. Rowell was arrested in July 2019 after he distributed cocaine to an undercover police operative on North Main Street in Pleasantville, the Prosecutor's Office said in a news release. He received three years for that offense. On Dec. 30, 2019, Pleasantville police responded to a gunshot alert near West Wright Street and Chestnut Avenue. Four rounds were fired by Rowells codefendant, Devon Williams, who previously pleaded guilty for his involvement in the crime, the Prosecutor's Office said. A .45 caliber Glock 30 semi-automatic handgun was located in Rowells bedroom that is believed to have been used in the shooting. Rowell was sentenced to five years on that charge. Lastly, on July 4, 2021, at a bonfire at Rowells residence, he deliberately poured flammable liquid onto the clothing of his victim, causing him to catch on fire, the Proseuctor's Office said. The victim was hospitalized and suffered first-, second- and third-degree burns to his hands, arms, stomach and inner thigh, resulting in a lengthy recovery process. Rowell was sentenced to five years on that charge. The sentences are to be served concurrently. EGG HARBOR CITY New Jersey American Water has completed acquisition of the city's water and wastewater systems for $21.8 million, the utility said Thursday. The sale of the systems, which serve about 3,000 customers combined, follows the approval of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs and New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, and is the first in the state to be completed through the Water Infrastructure Protection Act. The 2015 law permits the sale or lease of municipally owned water or wastewater systems without a public referendum if emergent conditions such as high contaminant levels or the need for repairs exist. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection certified the citys request to pursue the sale in April 2019. City Council voted to sell the utility in March 2021. Officials and the DEP had agreed that the municipality did not have the minimum of $14 million needed to upgrade the aging systems. This agreement provides tremendous benefits for our residents. The sale of our citys water and wastewater systems to New Jersey American Water will provide nearly $22 million to help the city pay off existing debt while leaving additional money to assist in other areas of the citys budget," Mayor Lisa Jiampetti said in a statement. "Additionally, the company is committed to investing $14 million into much-needed system improvements. All told, this means better infrastructure, stable water rates and millions in funds for the city, none of which would be possible without the sale of the systems." South Jersey's inland lakes not immune to price hikes While thousands favor the region in summer for its seaside views, plenty find cedar water-fi Under the agreement, New Jersey American Water will invest $14 million in the first 10 years to upgrade the citys water and wastewater systems, including $9 million in the first five years, while keeping rates stable for customers, New Jersey American Water said in a news release. Some of these projects include construction of an emergency interconnection with the New Jersey American Water regional system, water and sewer main replacements, valve and hydrant replacements and wastewater pump station improvements. We are ready to provide the residents of Egg Harbor City with reliable water and wastewater services, as we do for over 190 municipalities across the state, said Mark McDonough, president of New Jersey American Water. Our plan includes rebuilding and modernizing the towns water and wastewater infrastructure for continued quality and increased reliability while stabilizing rates and providing excellent customer service." Additionally, New Jersey American Water has hired three of the citys water and wastewater employees, McDonough said. Customers will begin receiving information from New Jersey American Water within the next week about the transition, the utility said. A dedicated webpage has also been created at newjerseyamwater.com/eggharborcity for more information. OCEAN CITY After a Memorial Day weekend marred by vandalism, assaults, a confiscated firearm and several incidents of teens who drank themselves into unconsciousness, Mayor Jay Gillian has signed orders aimed at limiting gatherings of teens on the beach and Boardwalk. All city beaches will be closed at 8 p.m. Carrying backpacks will not be permitted after 8 p.m. on the beach and Boardwalk. Boardwalk bathrooms will be closed at 10 p.m. The curfew for juveniles will move from 1 a.m. to 11 p.m. City Council has an emergency meeting set for 1 p.m. Thursday on the third floor of City Hall, 861 Asbury Ave., to discuss the changes. Gillian and Police Chief Jay Prettyman are set to discuss the plans publicly after the meeting. We want parents, grandparents and families to know that were all in this together, and we will be holding people accountable, Gillian said Tuesday. I also want to send a message to our governor and legislators that the laws they forced on all municipalities are a threat to public safety, and they deprive families of the opportunity to enjoy the Jersey Shore. Gillian said the changes will send a message to teens and their parents that the beach, Boardwalk and other public areas will no longer be open to mass gatherings that include alcohol consumption and other infractions of the law. The gatherings have been a headache for police and Boardwalk merchants for the past two years. At times, hundreds of juveniles have gathered on the beach path just off the Boardwalk, while several communities reported similar problems after pandemic restrictions on gatherings lifted. Police responded to 999 incidents during the Memorial Day weekend, an increase compared to the holiday weekend last year. The new beach curfew will apply to people of all ages, as will the evening backpack ban. The new rules will be part of a citywide plan that will include police staffing, more announcements on the Boardwalk and a public awareness campaign. OCEAN CITY Its still light at 8 p.m. this time of year, but the public will be required to be off the beach under a raft of strict new rules introduced in the beach resort. The city also plans an earlier curfew for those under 18, closing public bathrooms at 10 p.m. and banning backpacks from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., coming after a weekend of large crowds of teenagers on the Boardwalk late at night. Merchants and officials described their behavior as extremely disruptive, with underage drinking, shoplifting, fights, assaults and property damage reported. At a special City Council meeting convened Thursday to address the issue, Mayor Jay Gillian said he was most disturbed by eight young people who apparently drank themselves unconscious on the Boardwalk over the weekend and were transported by city EMS to a hospital. Other serious incidents included assaults on the attendants in the Boardwalk bathrooms, which Gillian said included spitting on the employees. Some quit that night, officials said, and afterward the young people trashed the bathrooms. In some instances, teens were found with knives, and one had a replica handgun that police initially thought was the real thing. At a later news conference held in front of the Music Pier on the Boardwalk, police Chief Jay Prettyman blamed underage consumption of alcohol for most of the problems, as well as state laws limiting what police can do when a juvenile has alcohol. He cited a component of the state laws legalizing cannabis, which states that someone under 18 cannot consent to a search for marijuana or alcohol. Those who are caught get warnings. Before, police could issues summonses or even criminal charges if the offense was serious enough, he said. The biggest concern for many teens was the possibility of losing their driving license, Prettyman said. The teens know they are not required to give officers their names, he said, and officers face the potential of charges if they exceed the law. Ocean City Council sets emergency meeting to address rowdy teens OCEAN CITY After a Memorial Day weekend marred by vandalism, assaults, a confiscated firea Weve essentially legalized the underage consumption of alcohol, Prettyman said. Some of the changes will take immediate effect, under the mayors authority. Council unanimously introduced two ordinances, one to change the curfew, the other limiting backpacks and other bags, to be voted on at another special meeting at 1 p.m. June 15. Council President Pete Madden said the emergency meeting was held to get the ordinance in place before Fathers Day weekend, which he said is expected to be the next exceptionally busy weekend in the city. Several residents commented at the meeting, with some concerned about the impact of the early bathroom closures or the backpack ban. One Boardwalk business owner said people who need to relieve themselves will do so, and he would rather they go to the bathroom instead of the side of his building. Others said parents carry diaper bags that would also be kept off the Boardwalk under the change, which would pertain to all bags more than 8 inches by 6 inches by 8 inches on or around the Boardwalk. Gillian said police would be reasonable, saying were not going to be the Gestapo, but later in the meeting, city attorney Dottie McCrosson said the police discretion would not be based on profiling based on who was carrying the backpack. Leonard Desiderio, the director of the Cape May County Board of Commissioners as well as the mayor of Sea Isle City, said at the later news conference that the issue is not limited to Ocean City but has impacted communities throughout the coast. Memorial Day weekend signals strong summer ahead for shore businesses Jersey Shore businesses anticipate a productive, profitable summer based on what they saw ov He said Sea Isle has enacted similar measures. We dont want to arrest any kids. We dont want anyone to have a record, Desiderio said. We want them to have a good time. But when police cannot do more than issue a warning in many instances, it creates serious problems. State Sen. Michael Testa, R-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, said he and the districts Assembly representatives have tried to make change. He said Ocean Citys actions will send a message: Not here. Not this summer. We are not going to allow chaos. Were not going to allow anarchy, Testa said. As Gillian described the issue, the city needs to take action for the safety of the teenagers as much as for the protection of the rest of the community and for the Boardwalk businesses. Prettyman said things have been getting worse each Memorial Day weekend for the past three years, and this one was the worst he has seen, with between 3,000 and 5,000 juveniles crowding the Boardwalk and causing problems. Over the past two summers, his approach has been to allow the teens to gather on the beach, where they were off the Boardwalk and officers could keep an eye on them. Jersey Shore towns prepare to keep order in summer Nearly all Jersey Shore visitors and residents enjoy the summer and wouldnt think of doing We knew where they were going to be. We gave them a place where they could assemble and they could be kids, Prettyman said. We didnt want to be here today closing the beaches at 8 oclock. We did it out of necessity because its a public safety hazard. Gillian said several times he did not want to demonize the young people, and said everyone has a share of the blame for the problem. But Prettyman did indicate that parents could make a big difference. I talk to parents constantly. Im getting tired of talking to parents telling me its their kids rite of passage, Im getting tired of listening to parents telling me that they rented that house knowing it was prom weekend and they didnt think the kids were going to get in trouble. Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) will host the Virginia Symphony Orchestra (VSO) (https://virginiasymphony.org/) on Saturday, March 4, 2023, at 7:30 p.m., as part of the Community Connections Performance and Lecture Series. The free event will take place in the Mickey L. Burnim Fine Arts Centers Floyd L. Robinson Auditorium on ECSUs campus. The Virginia Symphony Orchestra is southeastern Virginias most celebrated musical, educational and entrepreneurial arts organization. The VSO has received national attention for its mission of serving a home area of 1.7 million across the diverse communities of southeastern Virginia. Through appearances at the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall and commitment to adventurous programming, the VSO and its musicians have been highlighted in the media including The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Public Radio and BBC Worldwide News. As the largest performing arts organization in southeastern Virginia, the VSO and VSO Chorus present more than 150 concerts and events annually for more than 100,000 residents and visitors. As part of the performance, an original work by Christopher Palestrant, Ph.D., ECSU professor of Music Composition and Theory and internationally recognized composer, will be performed. He joined ECSUs faculty since 2001. Palestrants work, Rondo n Roll, is the third movement of his Soda Shop Suite. Palestrant wrote the score at the request of the Virginia Symphonys assistant principal cellist, Rebecca Gilmore and their principal double bass, Christopher White. It features the two musicians as soloists with the VSO. Palestrant notes that it is "a joyous piece, mixing popular musical styles like rock and roll with traditional forms of the 18th century. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required to attend. Sign up today: https://bit.ly/3JCO2d6. It will also be livestreamed on ECSUs YouTube channel. ATLANTIC CITY I went to work, and should have stayed home, said Dorris Aultman, 76, of Atlantic City, speaking of the day in 2012 when Superstorm Sandy hit. Aultman, 66 at the time and still working at the casinos, was living alone in a one-story, ranch-style home on New York Avenue. I got back here. It didnt come into the house (yet), Aultman recalled. I threw some stuff into a big plastic bag, a credit card and a few clothes and walked into that water, which was very dangerous. She was able to get off her front porch easily, navigating the two small steps from her front door to the ground. The challenge began after that, when she stepped into the fast-moving floodwaters. The current was so powerful, I could hardly balance myself, Aultman said. The entire section of the city was underwater, everywhere north of Arctic Avenue on New York Avenue, with a record tide of more than 8 feet above an average low tide. Sandy was an historic event, but in Atlantic City and the neighboring counties on the Shore the threat of high water from storms is growing. And seniors such as Aultman are increasingly at risk. Sea level rise affects almost every facet of life here, from the economy to culture and the physical landscape. To better understand how the sea will reshape our communities, The Press of Atlantic City and Climate Central teamed up to examine these challenges. In South Jersey, senior citizens live in areas subject to flooding at above-average numbers, including the most frail elders, 85 years or older, who can be difficult to evacuate and can face health setbacks when they do. A problem now, a bigger one in the future Roughly 11,000 people in Cape May, Atlantic and Ocean counties 85 years or older would experience some flooding if a storm the magnitude of another Sandy were to strike, according to a Climate Central analysis. Of those, an estimated 1,853 people at or above 85 years old currently live in areas that would be have at least 3.5 inches of water on the ground, according to the 2020 U.S. Census. That includes much of Brigantine, Atlantic City, Ventnor City, Margate City, Ocean City and Long Beach Township. And with rising seas and more intense hurricanes trends largely driven by climate change that flooding scenario is becoming ever more likely. As Aultman fought through the surging waters a decade ago, instinct took hold, she said. She followed a fence, heading to the Old Soldiers Memorial Building. However, water got into that building. So, the National Guard arrived and evacuated her and others to Pleasantville High School, where she stayed for four days. That four-block walk from her home to safety is a journey she will never forget. It was a situation I dont want to have another time, Aultman said. Unfortunately, scientists predict that storm-driven coastal flooding will recur, and become more frequent, in these New Jersey counties heavily populated by vulnerable seniors. A 2019 report by the Rutgers Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel called it virtually certain that future sea level rise will cause greater overall storm flood events. Climate change is contributing to more powerful hurricanes and higher sea levels. On the Jersey shore, it rose 17.6 inches from 1911 to 2019, according to the Rutgers report. Of that, roughly 45% was man-made and 55% naturally occurring, but the man-made component is accelerating. If human carbon emissions continue on a business-as-usual path, flooding now considered disastrous will become routine, said Reza Marsooli, assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken. With water levels higher, even less severe storms will cause more flooding on the shore. Marsooli projects that a New Jersey coastal flood with a 1% chance of occurring today will gradually increase to a 100% chance of occurring every year by the end of the century. The biggest reason, his research team found, is because of the rising seas. For the New Jersey area, climate changes impacts on sea level rise will have the greatest impact on how hurricanes impact the region in the future, Marsooli said. So it means that for our region, sea level rise is really a bigger problem in the future, Marsooli said. In Atlantic City, Bill LaBarre, 79, a lifelong resident who lives with his wife on North Newtown Place, said the first floor of their house is nine steps above street level. During Sandy, the first floor was fine. However, he had 3 feet of water in the basement, losing the freezer, washer and dryer. They were lucky. Their son, Chuck LaBarre, who is Margates current Emergency Management Coordinator on Absecon Island, was able to help them collect their belongings and evacuate to the sons Downbeach house for 10 days. However, the comfort and assistance of family is not always available. Its not that theyre not intelligent enough to leave, Mike Cahill, chief of the Ventnor City Fire Department, said of the elderly. Half the time they dont have a place to go because they dont have anybody left. The analysis by Climate Central identified 10 census tracts, relatively permanent small subdivisions of a county, of the South Jersey shore with the highest concentration of residents 85 years or older, where elders aging in place would more than likely require evacuation by emergency services or third parties during a significant flood event. Ocean City between 18th and 32nd streets had the highest number, with 17.7% of the population 85 or older. Ventnor City between Suffolk and Jackson avenues is the third highest, with an estimated 11.6%. During Sandy, the Ventnor City Fire Department made multiple rescues, including seniors, in town. Wed get calls that my aunt is somewhere. ... When are you getting them? Cahill recalled. I said, When are you coming? But at a certain point, it became even too dangerous for the fire department, he said. Move somebody, lose somebody Even seniors who might otherwise be safe at home in a flood face dangers if theyre relying on medical devices that need electricity, so they must be rescued, according to researchers at the University of Iowa. That research also found that 12% of those over 80 lacked mobility to evacuate on their own and 13% would be unable to hear sirens or commands from emergency personnel. Michael Greenberg, an expert in environmental health and risk analysis at Rutgers University, studied the impact of Sandy on seniors. Tragically, he said, nine seniors died just from falling down stairs because they didnt have a working flashlight when the power went out. People become more frail, and that manifests itself typically after the age of 75, Greenberg said. So the kinds of things you could do during a hurricane are hard to do even when you have time to prep. And that has to do with the fact that your muscles are not as strong, your heart is not as strong, all sorts of things that come with age that seem to suddenly sneak up on us and we just cant do what we thought we could do. The Ventnor Fire Department rescued seniors and put them in military vehicles for transport to an auditorium, Cahill said. In one instance, an elderly woman living in a home elevated 4 feet above curb level had 6 inches of water in her home when rescuers arrived, Cahill said. Because pressure from the waters outside had wedged the door shut, rescuers had to instruct the woman to go upstairs so they could blow the door open. We do the best we can because theyre taxpayers and members of the community, Cahill said. But even a successful rescue can be stressful. Dr. David Dosa, a gerontologist and associate professor of medicine at Brown University who conducted studies on Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana during 2005 and Hurricane Ida in Florida during 2021, found the evacuation of nursing homes led to far more deaths in the months after the storms than the number of people who had died while the disaster was ongoing. The common refrain was, Every time we move somebody, we lose somebody, Dosa said. For every solution, a cost Once Sandy passed, the next challenge for many at the shore, including the elderly, was what to do with the new reality that their homes werent high enough to combat the storm surge a problem that will only worsen in the decades to come. Sandy damaged or destroyed 364,000 housing units, and 22,000 of those were rendered uninhabitable, according to information released at the time by Governor Chris Christies office. The increased threat has prompted the Federal Emergency Management Agency to require some homes to be elevated far above ground level. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is proposing that homes in tidal areas be set 5 feet above the FEMA level for a 100-year storm under a new Inundation Risk Zone to prevent against extreme flooding. For seniors, that means more steps to climb and more money to protect their homes. Seniors adding a flight or more of stairs to the front door can become isolated at home, as the climb becomes a barrier to casual trips, said Anamaria Bukvic, a researcher at Virginia Tech, who studied the problem in Cape May County. Aultman had her Atlantic City home, which is in a flood zone, raised. FEMA approved up to $140,000 to raise her home. Four steps take her up to a landing, where she can rest if need be. Another three steps take her up to her porch. She says she believes shes safe there but cant be too sure. Fury Feraco, 90, has his house atop a 10-foot high dune on Bay Drive in Lower Township, right along the Delaware Bay. However, getting to the beach from his house is not so simple due to ongoing erosion. Now, the bottom of his steps hover 3 feet above the beach. When the tide rises on a calm sunny day, the waters rise nearly as high as they once did during an average storm. A storm with the intensity of Sandy would cause considerable damage, he said. While hes asked the state and township about beach replenishment, he was advised instead to invest in a bulkhead. Unfortunately, 200 feet of bulkhead is above my paygrade, said Feraco, who bought property 57 years ago, when it was on a dirt path. Insurance wont cover the cost. So, to step onto the beach on his beachfront property, he cut a path through a bamboo forest to his neighbors house. The neighbors allow him to use their stairs to get onto the beach. Preparation is critical Despite the challenges for town officials, many refer back to the states Register Ready program as an effort to identify seniors who will need special assistance. Billed as the first step in emergency preparedness for individuals who may need assistance in a disaster, its a voluntary, confidential registry that can be accessed at registerready.nj.gov. The Register Ready program was started in Atlantic County, said Vince Jones, the countys director of emergency management. We have that address so if there was an emergency call, we know we need four to five firefighters to take (that person) out, Jones said. Jones said the office of emergency management contacts people on the list beforehand and asks, Do you need a place to go, or do you need us to help them get out of here? During the blizzard of 2022, on Jan. 29, town emergency managers asked for the list to check on seniors living year-round in their communities. The biggest thing for seniors is, if they cant register themselves, to reach the police department, said Robert Burnaford, chief of police for Harvey Cedars. Always have medication information updates and points of contact listed. Let them know if theyre on oxygen. Burnaford was lauded as a hero for rescues during Sandy, as an off-duty police officer, along with then-mayor Johnathan Oldman. They rescued three families just as the eye of the storm passed through the area, when the ocean breached the dunes. Harvey Cedars lies in a census tract, which it shares with Long Beach Township north of Ship Bottom and Barnegat Light, with an estimated 6.5% of its residents are 85 years or older, according to the 2020 data. A part of the Register Ready asks if they are wheelchair bound or have physical limitations, to let them know. A lot of them have elevators, Burnaford said. As sea levels continue to rise, and as storms intensify, seniors emergency plans will be used more and more often. It is a risk of living near the shore. But for some seniors, it is a risk they are willing to take. Greenberg said that after Sandy, he found many seniors whose homes were damaged declared they would stay and rebuild. He recalled them saying, Im an old person. I love the place. I want to live here. Im gonna die here. Ill will whatever the propertys worth to my children and they can do whatever they want with it. Alanna Elder, of ClimateCentral, contributed data to this story. The 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season official kicks off on June 1 and the 21 storm names are in from the World Meteorological Organization. The names encompass almost every letter of the alphabet, leaving out Q, U, X, Y and Z. This year's primary list of names is largely borrowed from 2017's. The storm names rotate every six year, a feature that began in 1979. However, storms that were particularly destructive and deadly may be retired if the World Meteorological Organization, an agency of the United Nations, votes to do so. In the case of this cycle, Harvey, Irma, Maria and Nate were retired from the 2017 list. In it's place for 2023 are Harold, Idalia, Margot and Nate. The World Meteorological Organization also names storms for other parts of the world as well. The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) issued a notice, addressing concerns about the circulation of fake information on social media about the recruitment of driver, conductor and workshop department staff. The transport body clarify the situation and warns citizens not to believe on any unauthorized sources for recruitment-related news. PMPML made it clear that there is no plan for any such recruitment through the Transport Corporation. The recruitment process of the Transport Corporation is carried out only by publishing the information in the daily newspaper. PMPML urges citizens to be cautious and not to believe on any such news that is being circulated through social media and also not to fall prey to any kind of lure. The transport body in a public notice, made it clear that they have not announced any provisions related to recruitment. Davenport aldermen have been mostly satisfied with the citys response to The Davenport apartment building collapse, though some have concerns about communication and learning how the building was allowed to deteriorate to the extent it did. No updates from the city were provided to the public Wednesday on the apartment building that partially collapsed Sunday. Five people are still unaccounted for, including two men whose families fear they are in the rubble. According to a Wednesday evening news release, the city anticipates holding a news conference at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 1, in the Davenport Police Department Community Room. The city also posted hundreds of documents to its website Wednesday, detailing inspections, complaints and other matters related to the property. Alderman Robby Ortiz, 4th Ward, said hed been happy with the citys response so far, including providing those affected by the collapse with up-to-date information, though several tenants have said no one from the city has contacted them. Ortiz said hed fielded questions from those at the scene and residents of his ward about what happened and the safety of those who lived there. I'm happy and I've been updated regularly to what's going on, and so far I'm satisfied with the answers that I'm getting, Ortiz said. At-Large Alderman JJ Condon agreed, saying that while he wishes the city could provide accurate updates as lightning quick as the public wants, its just not possible in this situation. With loved ones of missing people hanging on every word city officials say in hopes of good news, its necessary that any information be confirmed before it is released. I think everyone did their absolute best to make sure that they put out information quick and were fully transparent but also made sure that they didn't make any missteps along the way, Condon said. Third Ward Alderman Marion Meginnis said she would not make any statements because of the fluid and unresolved nature of the situation but was doing what she could to help people. The collapsed building is in her ward. Council members Rick Dunn, Kyle Gripp, Tim Kelly and Derek Cornette couldn't be reached Wednesday for comment. Council member Judith Lee, who represents Ward 8, has been following the collapse and its aftermath remotely, as she has been out of town and hasnt been in communication with city staff. As someone whos been watching from the outside but has intimate knowledge of city government processes, Lee said, she has many questions about how the city has handled its dissemination of facts to the public, concerns that are shared by the public from what shes seen. She mentioned the lack of details on Quanishia White-Berrys rescue and on-site amputation and announcements of imminent demolition that were later walked back as instances in which city officials did not provide all the necessary information. As previously reported in the Quad-City Times/Dispatch-Argus, city officials on Monday said demolition was likely to begin Tuesday but later backtracked on a specific timeline. There was not clear and compassionate communication of facts, Lee said. She also expressed surprise about the lack of communication from City Administrator Corri Spiegel, who Lee said hasnt been a public face during this time. Alderman Ben Jobgen, 6th Ward, said the city overall had had a good response to the disaster but communication could have been better at times. Misunderstandings in situations like these can easily happen, but the city never has faced something like it, so officials are doing the best they can, he said. Ortiz has encouraged members of the public to be patient and wait for all the answers to their questions that will eventually come about in the instance of the city announcing demolitions would begin soon, he said, a lot of prep work needs to happen before the building can come down to protect surrounding structures and residents. Looking ahead, council members hope to figure out reasons behind the collapse and how the building reached the condition it did. Ortiz said he didn't want to speculate on what exactly needs to change in order to prevent another disaster like it without expert determination of causation, but he knows something needs to be done whether its in the citys inspection policies or other areas. Jobgen said the city had a pretty rigorous rental inspection process, so its important that they analyzed those practices down the road and see where they could tighten them to prevent another incident. We've still got some older properties downtown in which people reside, and if we don't learn from any mistakes that were made, we're potentially going to repeat them, and that's not the way we like to operate, Jobgen said. So I'm sure that any gaps in the system will get cleaned up over time. The topic of inspection records was another subject Lee had questions about, but she declined to speak further on the subject as she hasnt been on-scene or in communication with city staff since being out of town, she said. Council member Maria Dickmann, who represents Ward 2, said she was reserving judgment on the city's response for now. Like other council members, she is turning her attention toward those affected by the collapse during these early days, post-collapse. Lee plans to connect with the Red Cross this week to see how she can help those displaced. Shes concerned with how former tenants of the building will apply for aid, housing and other needs without important documentation, such as birth certificates and social security cards. "I think everybody's kind of trying to stay focused on helping first and then figuring out what happened second," Dickmann said. Building collapse day 3 In real time Don't miss the chance to enjoy fun music while helping to raise money for NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Greater Mississippi Valley. The latest Life is Beautiful concert will be held Saturday at the Raccoon Motel, 315 E. 2nd St., Davenport. Doors open at 2:30 p.m., with music beginning at 3:30 p.m. Local comedian Tori House will host the event with improv group Bubble Pig starting things off. The concert will feature performances from six bands: Rezinator, Ted Ed Fred, Centaur Noir, Aubs, Plunkett and Mo Carter. The concert also will celebrate the streaming release of William Martin's music, which is available on Spotify, Apple Music and most streaming services. Admission is a free-will donation. There also will be one-of-a-kind NAMI Narwhal T-shirt designed by local artist Carolyn Krueger available for purchase online. On a date The Black Box Theatre in downtown Moline will open the musical "Hello Dolly" this weekend with performances running from June 1 to 10. This 1964 musical follows the story of Dolly Gallagher Levi, a strong-willed matchmaker, as she travels to Yonkers, New York, to find a match for the well-known, unmarried half-a-millionaire, Horace Vandergelder. The show is one of the most enduring musical theater hits, with four Broadway revivals and international success. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. on June 1, 2, 8, 9 and 10; and 2 p.m. on June 3 and 4. Tickets are $10 and available at theblackboxtheatre.com. With the family The Downtown Bettendorf Organization will host Be Downtown, a free outdoor event, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday at the 15th Street Landing in Bettendorf. The family-friendly event will feature live music, food trucks, multiple bags tournaments with cash prizes, childrens activities and more. Patrons are encouraged to bring a lawn chair. Beginning at noon, live music will be provided in two-hour sets throughout the day by area bands including Doug Brundies, Threat Level Midnight, Panic River Band and Diplomats of Solid Sound. Late-night live music will continue at Harley Corin's, Purgatory's Pub and Riverside Grille. Verde, a contemporary Mexican restaurant located at The Bridges, will offer food and an outdoor bar for alcohol and other beverage sales. Food trucks will also serve food from noon to 6 p.m. The K&K Family Fun Zone will host bounce houses, bubble stations and a hands-on science station by Absolute Science. Additional event details can be found at downtownbettendorf.org. Dine and drink On Thursday, beginning at 6 p.m., Ruthie's Steakhouse and Seafood at Rhythm City Casino Resort in Davenport will host a wine-tasting event. Napa vs California Wine Class will be curated by Tony Morales and will feature four flights as well as four bites. The event will be held on the first floor of the resort in the Rhythm Room. $50 per person plus tax and gratuity. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/2012647995765047. Just for fun Calling all 5K enthusiasts, those who enjoy friendly competition or anyone who likes a leisurely walk in the park, come don a favorite superhero costume and join in as GiGi's Playhouse Quad Cities hosts GiGiFIT Acceptance Challenge for Down Syndrome on June 3 at Veterans Memorial Park in Bettendorf. Designed for the entire family, this annual event has something for people of all ages and abilities. Featuring a timed 5K competitive run, a 1-mile inspirational walk and a kids dash. This year's theme is Captain America, and there will be prizes for best costume for participants that come dressed as a favorite superhero. The entry fees are $25 adults, $10 children younger than 13 years/individuals with Down syndrome. Online registration closes June 1 with onsite registrations available on the day of the event. Runners can participate in person or virtually. Visit www.AcceptanceChallenge.org to learn more or www.gigisplayhouse/quadcites/superhero-run-walk to register for the local event. About three months before the partial collapse of a downtown Davenport apartment building and again just two days before a masonry company owner said he predicted it was coming. City officials say at least five people are unaccounted for after the partial collapse Sunday evening at 324 Main St. Families of two men fear they remain under the rubble of the fallen west side of the six-story building. No new updates came from the city Wednesday on rescue operations or a potential timeline for demolishing the building, which remains standing after city officials said Monday that "demolition is expected to commence" on Tuesday. However, the city released hundreds of pages of documents Wednesday close to 6 p.m. detailing structural engineering reports, notices of violations, orders to vacate some apartments and resident complaints over the past three years. Ryan Shaffer, co-owner of R. A. Masonry, was working nearby at 112 W. 3rd St., the former Antonellas Pizza, in February. While on the job, he said, he was approached by Andrew Wold, the owner of the building where the collapse occurred. Shaffer said Wold asked him to supply a quote for work on the nearby apartment building. When he did, he said, the bid was rejected because it was too high. He wanted to cut the cost by cutting out the shoring and supporting of the building," Shaffer said. Shoring is done to prop up a building when the structure is deemed unsafe, Shaffer explained. The bid for that work alone came in at about $50,000. I said, If we dont do it this way exactly, Im not putting my guys in there. Somebody is going to die, he said. According to Shaffer, Wold then shopped around for someone who would do the work for an acceptable price. City records reflect this. On Feb. 22, the city of Davenport issued a permit for, structural masonry repairs to west elevation as specified in engineer's report. According to the permit, the job came at a cost of nearly $40,000. The contractor listed is Bi-State Masonry. City inspection records show a final inspection was done on March 1 by Trishna Pradhan, the chief building official for Davenport. The building passed inspection, and the work was being completed in line with the structural engineer's report. The exterior finish of the building needed to match the historic fabric of the rest of the building. Pradhan wrote that the contractor was aware and the owner was being informed. In the next sentence, it was noted Bi-State was off the job as of March 1 because the owner did not agree to their change order for installing brick outside. Pradhan continued, saying repair work was on hold but shoring was in place and, site is secure. Owner has not submitted new timeline for work to commence. Work then appears to have resumed, and it passed three more city inspections on April 12, April 21, and May 1. In the last one, the inspector noted repair work has been completed per Engineers Report. Brickwork done in the days before collapse A separate permit for brickwork was filed on Wednesday, May 24. City records indicate the job consisted of replacing 100 feet of brick on the exterior of the building, per city code. The permit says the work came at a cost of $3,000. The contractor on the job is listed as owner. Shaffer said, in his opinion, the work described would account for only one-third of what needed to be done. Saturday, one day before the collapse, he drove by and saw a pile of bricks on the ground. (Wold) was calling us and asking for I-beams and stuff to support it. I looked at it and was like, Theres no saving it at this point, he said. Friday, two days before the building collapsed, Shaffer said he went to the apartment building and told workers, Get away. Youre going to die. Sunday, at 3:30 p.m., less than two hours before it collapsed, he warned workers at the site of 324 Main St. that they needed to leave. We were here working all day," he said, referring to his work at the former Antonella's location. "Literally, we were just waiting for the building to drop." The city inspected the partially completed brickwork being done in the days before the collapse. That work also included internal concrete masonry with rebar and grout. Notes in the city inspection records pledged that the owner-hired engineer and city inspector would stop over periodically to see progress. Social media users this week questioned why the status of that final inspection on the citys website changed. On Monday, as viewed through an internet archived site, the citys site listed the May 25 inspection as passed. Now, that same inspection status is failed. City officials attributed this to a system glitch that the city is working to correct. The site shows any inspection marked as Incomplete with a fail/error message Chief Strategy Officer Sarah Ott wrote in an email and included screenshots of the internal systems. This is not a failed inspection but an incomplete inspection since no re-inspection could be completed, she wrote. Select Structural Engineering, of Bettendorf, was hired by Wold to advise on work being done on the building in the past year. City officials said the engineering firm had determined that the building was structurally sound for tenants to stay in while the exterior work was being done. When a reporter reached the business through a publicly listed phone number, a man who declined to give his name said they are aware of what happened and are still trying to determine the details of the situation. He declined to answer any questions. However, among the documents posted by the city Wednesday is an inspection report by Select Structural, performed May 23, which reads, "On the west face of the building, there are several large patches of clay brick facade, which are separating from the substrate. These large patches appear ready to fall imminently, which may create a safety hazard to cars or passersby." The report said two window openings appeared to be bricked over several years ago, and the clay-brick facade was "bulging outward." The contractor should secure it to "keep the entire face of the building from falling away when the bottom area(s) come loose," the report said. To the north, the report said a wall "appears to be (losing) some stability." An interior steel furring and drywall "bulge as if a large downward force is acting upon them." Adding a steel column to support it would alleviate that force, the report recommended. City issues citation to building owner On Tuesday, the city cited Wold, accusing him of failing to maintain the building at 324 Main St. in a safe, sanitary and structurally sound condition, according to Scott County court records. Records show that if convicted, the fine for a first violation of the city code is $300 plus $95 for court fees. The city also asked the court for an order barring Wold from further violations of the municipal code. A hearing, at which Wold can answer the charges, has been set for June 9. Earlier this year, the city of Davenport declared the property a nuisance, because it violated city code by leaving dumpsters overflowing at the property between 2022 and 2023. Wold did not contest the 19 violations, and he was ordered to pay the city $4,500 plus court costs in March. In a statement on Wednesday, Wold and two property managers wrote, "Our thoughts and prayers are with our tenants and families during this difficult time." They thanked first responders, and said they were "working closely with American Red Cross and other agencies to assist the displaced tenants affected by this event." History of the building The building dates back to the early 1900s, when it opened as the Hotel Davenport in 1907 with 150 rooms. At the time, it was heralded by a reporter for the Daily Times as one of the finest hoteleries west of Chicago and a beacon for progress in the downtown. The Davenport was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The architects that designed the building, Temple and Burrows, also designed other buildings in the downtown, including the Hotel Blackhawk in 1915, the former Union Trust and Savings Bank (now called the Union Arcade Building) and the federal building at 4th and Brady streets. In the mid-1980s, when the brick-over-steel-and-concrete structures use as a hotel had diminished and the building had faded, it was rehabbed by a Des Plaines, Ill.-developer who undertook a $5.5 million project to turn it into apartments called The Davenport. The original 150 hotel rooms became 78 rental units and opened in 1987, according to Quad-City Times archives. Since then, the building changed hands several times. Most recently, Wold, through his company Davenport Hotel, LLC, bought the property for $4.193 million in June 2021, according to county records. What other buildings does Wold own? Wold has significant investments in Davenport real estate, including more apartment buildings downtown. Listed in a web of limited liability corporations, many with only a single property, Wold's address and information can be traced to ownership of at least three buildings downtown, public records show, and dozens of houses and business buildings across the city. Among those downtown are: The Roosevelt, 307 W 6th St., a 32-unit apartment building Wold bought for $1.16 million in 2020. The four-story building was built in 1907. For a long time, the building housed the Salvation Army until 2018, when the organization sold to Foundry Apartments, LLC, in 2018. The Dorothea, 311 W. 3rd St., a 24-unit apartment building, which a company registered to Wolds address bought in 2022 for close to $1 million. That building also houses a law office on the ground floor. 217 Brady St., a three-story building doing business as M Lounge and apartments that dates back to the late 1880s. Downtown Davenport Partnership Executive Director Kyle Carter said with several other properties owned by Wold downtown, he hoped an investigation would get to the bottom of what happened at 324 Main St. to ensure nothing like it happened again. He said the partnership would work to help relocate the three businesses at 324 Main St. and help the businesses surrounding the property that were forced to close by the buildings collapse. Well do our part, and our board will have to discuss how we might go about doing that, Carter said Tuesday. The city has the larger burden, dealing with the infrastructure issues and the residents, but ultimately it's just disappointing to see that a building got to this point. My heart goes out to the people that are in there that theres potentially people that lost their lives. It should never have come to that. We have a lot of excellent property ownership who would put in millions of dollars to make sure that things like this dont happen. Who else is involved? The Davenport Building is owned by the Davenport Hotel, LLC. The LLC is registered to Wold, who bought the building in 2021. Wold is also the owner of Andrew Wold Investments LLC, according to the Iowa Secretary of States Office. The registered agent on that property is Robert H. Gallagher. His son, Robert S. Gallagher is the mayor of Bettendorf. The pair work together at their firm, Gallagher, Millage & Gallagher, PLC. In Iowa, a registered agent is any individual or entity who is designated to receive legal documents on behalf of the business. An owner or employee of the company can be the registered agent as long as that person lives in Iowa, is at least 18 years old and has an office in the state. What did the apartments cost? Listings for the building still are available on Zillow. Apartment 608, described as a 600-square-foot studio, was being advertised for $800 a month. The listing said the space was newly renovated with brand new stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and hardwood style flooring. The lease was for one year and pet friendly with a one-time free and preapproval from management. Parking was offered off-street for an additional $50 a month. Unit 503, a 650-square-foot one-bedroom, was offered for $850 a month. That listing said the owner would pay for water, heat, sewer and trash. The family of a man killed in a 2022 vehicle collision on the Interstate 74 bridge walkway has expanded its lawsuit to include the city of Moline and Rock Island businesses as defendants. The May 22, 2022, collision seriously injured Charles Bowen, 23, and killed Anthony Castaneda, 18, and Ethan Gonzalez, 21. The vehicle entered the pedestrian pathway on the Bettendorf side and struck the three men about 200 yards from the Moline entrance to the walkway. In August, Castanedas family filed a lawsuit in Rock Island County against Chhabria Harris, 47, East Moline, the woman accused of driving the vehicle that struck the three men. The family alleged Harris negligence led to Castanedas death. The suit was expanded on May 10 to name the new defendants, court records state. Bowen, the man who survived the collision, has also been named as a new plaintiff. The plaintiffs seek damages in excess of $50,000. The new allegations: Moline That suit accuses the city of Moline of negligence concerning the design of the bridge, court records state. Moline, the suit alleges, had several responsibilities related to the bridge walkway, including ensuring it was properly designed and built. The city also had a responsibility to prevent motor vehicle traffic from using the walkway. Moline failed in that duty in one or more ways, potentially including failing to install adequate barriers and warnings to prevent motor vehicle traffic on the walkway, the complaint said. The city had not filed a response to the allegations against it as of Wednesday. The allegations: Rock Island businesses Also named as defendants in the updated suit are 2nd Avenue Investment Group Inc., doing business as the Urban Reserve; N.M.W.L. Enterprises Inc., doing business as Ms. Brimanis Hair & Beauty Supply; and Nicole Watson-Lam, who is identified as the president of both, court records state. They are collectively accused of serving Harris alcohol on May 21 and 22, 2022, at the Urban Reserve in Rock Island, until she became intoxicated, court records state. They then allowed her to leave while intoxicated. Harris allegedly was then involved in the collision on the bridge. Lam owns the property at 1711 2nd Ave. and Ms. Brimanis is located on the same parcel, which includes 1709 2nd Ave., court records state. Lam and the related defendants had not filed an answer to the allegations against them as of Wednesday, according to court records. The allegations: Harris The suits allegations against Harris state she had a responsibility to safely and properly operate her vehicle. The suit accuses Harris of potentially committing one or more acts of negligence, including failing to keep a proper lookout and failing to reduce speed to avoid hitting Castaneda and Bowen. Harris, through her counsel, has already filed an answer to the Castaneda initial familys complaint. In it, she acknowledges she made contact with an object or animal while driving on May 22, 2022. Harris filing then argues she has insufficient information to admit or deny she hit Castaneda, and she demanded strict proof of the allegation. She admitted a duty to safely operate her vehicle under the law but denied violating that legal duty, according to her filing, and denied committing any of the potential errors for which she is accused in the suit. As of Wednesday, Harris had not yet filed an answer to the updated complaint, which includes Bowens allegations against her. Harris also faces a criminal case filed against her by the Rock Island County States Attorneys Office. The criminal case, which includes charges of reckless homicide and driving under the influence of alcohol, is pending. Other litigation The Rock Island County suit is one of several resulting from the fatal collision. Gonzalezs family filed the suit in the U.S. District for the Central District of Illinois, arguing the city of Bettendorf and WHKS & Co. Inc., a design and engineering firm, were negligent and caused Gonzalezs death. The two entities participated in and/or controlled the design, construction, maintenance and other elements of the bridge path construction and management, according to the suit, and both owed a duty of care to pedestrians who used it. The filing lists a number of ways in which each defendant could have failed in meeting its responsibility, saying the parties committed one or more errors. Those accusations include a failure to provide adequate barriers and warnings in the design that would prevent vehicle traffic from entering the path, the suit states. Gonzalezs family seeks damages in excess of $75,000, records state. Bowen also seeks damages in excess of $75,000 from WHKS and Bettendorf, according to federal court documents. His suit, filed in the Illinois Central District, makes similar allegations against the two parties. As of Wednesday, the defendants had not filed a response to the allegations against them in these two suits. Castanedas family has also filed a federal wrongful death suit in the Illinois Central District, according to previous reporting. Bettendorf is listed as the defendant, and the family seeks damages of more than $75,000. Further details about that lawsuit and several countersuits that arose from it are available with the online version of this article on the newspapers websites, qctimes.com and qconline.com. All of these suits were pending as of Wednesday. From our archives: Aerials of Moline Annually, March commemorates the contributions, study and celebration of women and their impact on society and role in American History. At Elizabeth City State University (ECSU), the importance and acknowledgment of women who played critical roles in the institution date back to the universitys founding in 1891 and continues to this day under the leadership of Dr. Karrie G. Dixon, ECSUs 12th Chief Executive Officer and 7th Chancellor. Beginning in the 1960s under the administration of Dr. Walter Nathaniel Ridley, ECSU started the tradition of recognizing the graduating senior with the highest academic honors with the distinction of Bearer of the Mace. The rule of awarding a graduating senior this elite honor continues to this day and is part of ECSUs Commencement Exercises. Until 1972, however, when the U.S. Congress enacted Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, the honor was reserved for male students only, even if female students earned high honors, were recognized as valedictorians and graduated with a higher GPA than their male counterparts. The passage of Title IX changed the criteria and qualifications and exclusions based on sex, outlining that no person could be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination on the basis of sex under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. The universitys archive has noted that females would have earned and been awarded Bearer of the Mace if the then-policy was inclusive of both female and male students. While the exact number and identified names of these ECSU graduates are not determined, ECSU paid tribute to these unsung trailblazers during its 175th Commencement exercises in December 2022. The university celebrates their historic accomplishments. Today, recipients of the Bearer of the Mace and Bearer of the Shield, an award given to the student who entered ECSU as a transfer student and has the highest cumulative GPA in the graduating class, lead each Commencement procession. The mace was designed by retired ECSU art professor Alexis R. Joyner in 1996 and consists of three dynamic centers of significant components. The focal point is a replica of a Vikings head, cast in bronze, with brass rays extending from the center depicting knowledge, enlightenment, wisdom and democracy; a bronze seal of the University adorns the reverse side. The maces wooden staff contains black walnut, a wood selected for its durability and dark, rich color. It is topped with a hand-turned polished brass finial and footed with a base replicating the ancient, time-defying pyramids. While the specific qualifications have changed slightly over the past 63 years, the Bearer of the Mace distinction is presented to the student who entered ECSU as a first-time freshman and has the highest cumulative GPA in the graduating class for the prospective commencement exercise. Since 1972, numerous women graduates have received this high honor. When attorney Jeffrey Goodman saw pictures of The Davenport's partial collapse, the images sparked memories of a deadly building collapse in Florida. Goodman was one of the lead attorneys for the victims of the 2021 Surfside Condominium collapse in Surfside, Florida. The Davenport building partially collapsed Sunday, leaving five people unaccounted for and at least 53 people without homes. The six-story building was constructed in 1905. Goodman on Wednesday told The Quad-City Times, " ... responsibly owned, properly managed and maintained structures no matter their size or age do not suddenly and violently collapse." The city is investigating the possible causes of the collapse and is working toward the building's demolition because of safety concerns. Goodman declined to speculate on what may have caused the structural failure of The Davenport. "A primary culprit can be masonry," he said. "Most often, we are looking at a lack of preventative maintenance. Not fixing ongoing problems with plumbing is an example. "Water can erode things over time, especially in area where there is freezing, thawing, and refreezing. Water can freeze and expand and create structural damage." Plumbing was an issue in Davenport. In 2022, nearly 20 permits were filed for various fixes at the apartment building the majority of them being plumbing/electrical. A number of tenants said the building had plumbing problems. Jacklyn Gillespie said when she visited her father-in-law, Fred Voorhis, earlier this year, the bathroom of his third-floor apartment "was flooded and stayed that way for several days." Gillespie also reported that Voorhis' apartment did not have heat for much of December 2022. On the day the building collapsed, Jennifer Smith, co-owner of 4th Street Nutrition, said they had problems with the property, including no heat, the bathrooms caved in and " ... in the hallway, there has been water leaking into our business. Sometimes the hot water won't work." She said 14 apartments in the building were condemned in January. After public safety and rescue efforts are complete and tenants are relocated, Goodman said, it will be the job of the city and investigators to learn what happened. As an attorney who specializes in structural-collapse cases, he expects tenants will bring civil litigation. That effort will help piece together what caused the collapse at The Davenport, he said. "Lawsuits provide one of the best ways to find out what happened," he said. "Depositions will allow attorneys to ask questions of the landlords, the building's maintenance and management, anyone who worked on the building and the engineers who are investigating the collapse." Goodman said lawsuits also helped protect other tenants. "In every case where I've represented people in collapses, part of every victim's concern was that it doesn't happen again," he said. "Lawsuits are a way to hold people accountable." There were 98 deaths in the Surfside collapse and litigation ultimately settled the claims for $1.2 billion, making it the largest recovery following a structural collapse in American history. Goodman said criminal charges were filed in the Surfside case. "I don't know if criminal trials will be filed in Davenport, he said. "In my experience, when there are injuries or death in a collapse there is usually a criminal investigation that runs parallel the broader investigation." Quanishia White-Berry was trapped in The Davenport's collapse and had to have a leg amputated. At least two people are unaccounted since Sunday's collapse. In a city news release Monday night, city officials said the building remains in imminent danger of collapse with the condition of the site continuing to worsen. It is the opinion of the structural engineer that the debris pile is currently contributing to the stability of the building and that removal could jeopardize or accelerate the inevitable collapse of the building, the news release said. "Building officials are working with Valley Construction on a plan to safely dismantle and demolish the remaining structure. Those plans led to protests by hundreds of people on Tuesday, demanding the city first continue to work on recovery of people and pets. All pets them were recovered from the apartment building. Justice Jacobs stood on a stool for 20 minutes before the cameras rolled. The partial collapse of The Davenport is big news, especially after the city's announcement to start demolition Tuesday was met with hundreds of loud and angry protesters. The intersection of 4th and Harrison streets was quiet Wednesday morning. The media an assortment of cameramen, well-dressed on-air personalities and tired-looking producers outnumbered the citizens who kept a now-silent vigil over the building. Jacobs was waiting to do her "fourth or fifth" interview. The stand-up Wednesday morning was with News Nation's Midwest crew out of Chicago. The 28-year-old Jacobs is one at least 53 people who lived in the six-story apartment building at 324 Main St. known as The Davenport. She paid $950 a month for a one-bedroom apartment she shared with Zenon, her Black Lab mix. She said she didn't make herself so available just to see herself on the nightly news. "I'm lucky, in a way. I lived. I wasn't in the building at the time," Jacobs said. "My apartment wasn't in the collapse, but I've lost everything. I have my health, my dog was rescued, I have a place to stay for now and I have a voice. "I decided to use my voice and try to speak for all the tenants who lost everything, for the people who lived here and might not have a place to go. We have to speak out." Finding an apartment is especially hard for Jacobs, who carries the stigma of a felony conviction for forgery. "It was years ago," she said. "I served my time, and I've changed my life. I have my own business. It's hard to find a place to live when you have a felony. Really hard." Jacobs moved into The Davenport in March. She had to beg and plead and cry to make her case. A visit with her grandmother finally convinced management to give her a chance. That chance was not cheap. She paid $950 in rent, another $1,000 for a security deposit, and another $300 in pet fees so Zenon could live with her. From the start, Jacobs said, "Something was not right about the building." "It was trashy," she said. "I mean there was trash in the halls. It was a mess. My car was broken into. "I finally find a place to take me, I'm paying $950 a month, and it wasn't worth it. And then this happens." Jacobs said she had just paid June's rent. "I texted the landlord, and I've heard nothing back," she said. "I don't think anyone has heard a thing from anyone who had anything to do with that building. Nothing." Jacobs said before Sunday she "never thought anything like this could happen." "I'm doing OK most of the time," she said. "And then it can be something simple, like I need a Q-Tip, and then I'm just overwhelmed and I get upset. It's hard to understand that now I have nothing. "And then I think about the people who didn't make it out. The people who are in there. It's just really hard, and you really don't know how to feel." Author Christopher Vondracek will discuss his adventures traveling through the Midwest and his newest book, Dancing with Welk: Music, Memory, and Prairie Troubadour, at 5 p.m. Friday in the Community Room at Rapid City Public Library. Vondracek, a former Rapid City Journal reporter, is now an agriculture reporter for the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. Dancing with Welk is his second book. He is also the author of Rattlesnake Summer, a book of poetry that pays tribute to each of South Dakotas 66 counties. During his presentation on Friday, Vondracek will read from Dancing with Welk and Rattlesnake Summer. Copies of "Dancing with Welk" will be available to purchase. In 2007, Vondracek took off from Vermillion with his band Brickhouse Boys in a van to play tour dates across the upper Midwest. In his knapsack, he brought along a copy of champagne music maker Lawrence Welks 1971 autobiography, Wunnerful, Wunnerful. The Brickhouse Boys, an indie-rock ensemble based in Vermillion, tried to become famous from the middle of nowhere. More than 50 years earlier, Lawrence Welk, a young accordionist and bandleader from Strasburg, North Dakota, had managed to do just that. Dancing with Welk follows Vondracek, the pianist and songwriter for the Brickhouse Boys, as he recounts his attempts to follow in the footsteps of Welk. Along the way, Vondracek struggles to keep his band together, delves into his family history, and questions what it means to be a musician. Dancing with Welk: Music, Memory, and Prairie Troubadour was published in 2022 by South Dakota Historical Society Press. The book blends memoir, travelogue and cultural history to create a nuanced and often hilarious ode to the landscapes and musical traditions of the Northern Great Plains. A portrait of a young person navigating both personal and professional crossroads while traversing a vividly rendered landscape, the book chronicles Vondraceks efforts to mine inspiration from Welks autobiography while puzzling over the prairie troubadours unlikely journey to stardom. Welks brand of champagne music garnered him legions of dedicated fans and a long-running television series. Dancing with Welk combines Vondraceks fluid prose and storytelling ability while offering new insights into Welks life and career. Vondraceks narrative takes readers on a one-of-a-kind tour through the region, with stops at dive bars, historic sites and the Worlds Only Corn Palace. Music lovers, fans of regional literature and Welk enthusiasts alike are sure to enjoy Dancing with Welk. South Dakotas bicycle tour RASDak (Ride Across South Dakota) is celebrating its 10th year tour by giving bicyclists from 23 states and Canada the opportunity to pedal Full Circle June 4 through June 9. The circular route will take riders on a loop through the Black Hills. The six-day tour starts in Spearfish on June 4 and ends in Spearfish on June 9. The riders will make overnight stops in Newcastle, Wyoming, on June 4, in Hot Springs on June 5, in Custer on June 6, in Rapid City on June 7, and in Sturgis on June 8. Go to RASDak.com for daily route maps, registration information and more. South Dakota is a land of infinite variety, from rolling prairies to the Black Hills, and RASDak believes the best way to experience South Dakota landscapes is by bicycle. While RASDak is in Rapid City, the group will present The Club for Boys with a Huckwagon bike trailer for use in transporting bikes for the boys. The trailer was purchased with proceeds from registrations for the 2023 RASDak tour. The trailer will be presented to The Club for Boys at 4:45 p.m. June 7. The RASDak riders will camp overnight at The Club for Boys, then will be served a freewill breakfast at 5:30 a.m. June 8 before departing for Sturgis at 6 a.m. RASDak is a bicycle tour entirely run by volunteers. All proceeds raised by RASDak benefit local community needs. In addition to the Huckwagon Bike trailer, RASDak is donating a Saris Bike Service Station to the city of Sturgis. The bike station will be at Harley Davidson Rally Point. RASDak also has donated four $750 scholarships to outstanding graduating seniors in its host towns of Spearfish, Newcastle, Hot Springs and Custer. RASDak also contributes to local economies. More than 300 riders and support crew will camp at schools and community centers in host towns. Food and snack stops are provided by local South Dakota groups as fundraisers for the communities, and by local restaurants, grocery stores and C-Stores. Generational incarceration, the "expensive revolving door" of the jail and workforce shortages are a few things behind Pennington County Sheriff Brian Mueller's plan to implement an education and job skills training program in the Pennington County Jail something most jails don't offer. "I just feel as a community we could do some things better to help (inmates) develop a solid foundation for their own future and invest in their own future and hopefully change that trajectory," Mueller said, noting he's seen up to three generations make their way through the jail during the nearly three decades he's worked for the county. IGNITE (Individual Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education) began in Genesee County, Michigan. Sheriff Christopher R. Swanson started the program, and now the National Sheriffs' Association helps other jails replicate it. Genesee county offers various education, including GED classes. There are also job certification and post-incarceration work opportunities and assistance all things not traditionally offered in jails, which are primarily pretrial holding facilities. According to the National Sheriffs' Association, 90% of jail inmates in the country end up back in their communities. Mueller estimated the Pennington County Jail is close to that number, maybe slightly below because it houses federal inmates as well. "Jail beds are probably one of the most expensive options to deal with issues in the community," Mueller said. A night in the jail costs about $95, and the daily average population is 595 inmates. The average stay is just over 22 days, a number Mueller said includes people who spend a few hours or days in this jail. The program will primarily benefit those who find themselves in the jail for longer than the average, Mueller said. What exactly it will look like is still developing, but Mueller plans to formalize the work some inmates are already doing in the jail that could translate to jobs on the outside such as cleaning, maintenance, and work in the jail laundry and kitchen. "This is the early stage," Mueller said on Tuesday. "My hope is to have more conversations with our community and the business community to assess what their needs are for the job market currently and what partnerships they're willing to develop with us." Some of those potential community partners include Western Dakota Tech, Elevate Rapid City and Rapid City Area Schools, which Mueller said "may be able to fund a full-time teacher." The goal is for the new classes and certifications to give people a chance to get jobs outside the jail, as well and reduce and prevent further costs to taxpayers. Mueller will reroute an open correctional officer position at the jail to hire a program coordinator, he said, but he doesn't anticipate "having a lot of hard costs wrapped up in this because a lot of it's developed through community partnerships." If all goes well, Pennington County will be the first in South Dakota to implement IGNITE. So far, it's offered in counties in Minnesota, North Dakota, North Carolina and Virginia. Mueller said he hopes inmates knowing law enforcement and the community is willing to partner with and invest in them will be "enough that the light bulb will turn on." Mueller first publicly teased IGNITE although not by name in March, a few months after he took office. He told the Journal in an interview he wanted to provide more resources like education and job training to "a captive audience." The sheriff first heard about the program last year, shortly after he was elected. He ran into Paul Laney, a friend of his and former sheriff of Cass County, North Dakota, at the National Sheriffs' Association conference in 2022. "Paul (who was working part time for the National Sheriffs' Association) made a couple of phone calls and got us on the list of potential launch sites for this year," Mueller said. The research process for IGNITE included a few trips. Mueller, the Pennington County Jail Commander Rob Yantis, and Chief Deputy Mark Hughes attended a training day in Cass County, which was launching the program. Staff visited Flint, Michigan as well to see the program there, which has been successful in a few areas, including lowering assaults in the jail according to reporting by the Davison Index. The official kickoff for the program is at 10 a.m. on Wednesday at the Public Safety Building in Rapid City. The sheriff's office has invited various community groups to the event, and representatives from the Genesee County Sheriff's Office and the National Sheriffs' Association will be in attendance. It is open to the public. A murder trial began Wednesday in Pennington County Court for a 28-year-old Rapid City man accused of shooting and killing his girlfriend in the early morning hours of New Years Day 2020. Dion Bordeaux is charged with first-degree murder for the death of 22-year-old Jeanette Jumping Eagle, a Rapid City mother of three children, who was found dead in a room at the Microtel Inn and Suites in north Rapid City. She was shot once above her right eyebrow. Bordeaux was charged eight months after Jumping Eagle's death. Initially police were unsure if her death was a homicide or a suicide, the Journal previously reported. "Miss Jumping Eagle did not take her own life. Dion Bordeaux ended her life," Deputy Pennington County State's Attorney Adam Shiffermiller said during opening statements. The gun in Jumping Eagle's hand had the safety on, and there was no evidence the gun had been pressed to her skin, he told the jury. According to a law enforcement report describing the scene, the 9mm Ruger had five bullets in the magazine and one in the chamber. The magazine on that model holds seven rounds, indicating one shot was fired, the report said. Shiffermiller also described Bordeaux as "a violent individual when he's drinking." Angela Colbath, one of Bordeaux's defense attorneys, said her client's blood alcohol content was at .069, below the legal limit. Both the state and the defense agreed there were three important people in the hotel room when Jumping Eagle died: Bordeaux, his younger brother Giovanni Bordeaux, and Jumping Eagle. Giovanni Bordeaux testified Wednesday he went to the hotel room and drank with his brother and his brother's girlfriend. The couple was bickering, he testified, and he thought they were on the verge of breaking up. He called a coworker to come pick him up because the interaction was "awkward." He said his brother had asked to go with him because he also wanted to leave. Giovanni was in the hotel bathroom when he heard a gunshot, he said, but he neither saw the gun nor saw who shot Jumping Eagle. He testified he knew Jumping Eagle carried a gun with her, something Bordeaux also told police. After hearing the gunshot, Giovanni said he went outside the bedroom and allegedly saw his brother near Jumping Eagle, but his back was turned to him so he couldn't see what was happening. He heard Bordeaux allegedly say "babe" over and over again, Giovanni testified. He didn't hear Jumping Eagle say anything. Giovanni cried on the stand when Angela Colbath, one of his brother's defense attorneys, asked him if he was feeling panicked and shocked by what happened. He answered yes, adding that he was confused. Both he and his brother allegedly left the hotel room, according to statements by Bordeaux and Giovanni as well as video footage from the hotel referenced in police reports. The state originally charged Giovanni with allegedly helping his brother evade prosecution, but the charge was later dismissed and Giovanni was released from jail. He agreed to testify in the trial when he signed an immunity agreement on May 18. According to law enforcement reports, Bordeaux called 911 from Runnings at the intersection of Lacrosse and Anamosa streets in Rapid City. Giovanni was in the Walgreens parking lot just across the street. His coworkers picked him up and took him back to the hotel. One of them took the stand and testified Giovanni was "very shaken up" and "all over the place." She also briefly stated Giovanni told her there had been a murder, a statement the defense quickly objected to. The judge sustained the objection. After getting to the hotel, Giovanni agreed to go to the Criminal Investigations Division at the Public Safety Building in Rapid City for an interview that would last 6.5 hours, according to testimony. Bordeaux allegedly spoke with the officer who responded to his call and told him he and Jumping Eagle, who he had been dating for a few months, were not getting along that day, according to the police report. He allegedly said the two were yelling and pushing each other. Bordeaux allegedly told the responding officer he was at the bathroom door telling his brother he wanted to leave when he heard a gunshot, and then he ran away from the hotel room. Although he allegedly refused to speak with law enforcement at the Public Safety Building, Bordeaux had an interview with RCPD Detective Daniel Trainer and Pennington County Sheriff's Office Investigator Kylie Kintigh 16 days later at the Minnehaha County Jail where he was held on a separate charge. According to Trainer's report, Bordeaux allegedly told them Jumping Eagle thought he was leaving her for someone else, and said she told him she would just die if he left her. Bordeaux told the investigator and detective he heard a gunshot, and turned back to try to save her, demonstrating cradling her head. He then became scared and left, according to Trainer. Bordeaux faces a minimum of life in prison and up to a $50,000 fine if the jury finds him guilty of the charge. He is currently held in the Pennington County Jail with no bond. A desire to head off a Dakota Access-type protest is one reason the company behind the planned Midwest Carbon Express carbon dioxide pipeline has ruled out a route to the south of Bismarck, according to an analysis that Summit Carbon Solutions has filed with state regulators. Summit also cites several other reasons for putting the route to the north of Bismarck, where many landowners worry about safety and where some people and officials think it could impede the capital citys northward progression. Those reasons range from geography challenges to project delays and cost increases. "A southern route presents significant unknowns and risks -- including potential impacts to resources for which there may not be viable mitigation options, including the historically negative impact to tribal lands," the company concluded in its analysis submitted Tuesday to the state Public Service Commission, which is considering whether to permit the route. Summit's pipeline is to transport climate-warming CO2 emissions from dozens of ethanol plants in five Midwestern states to North Dakotas Oliver County for permanent storage underground. The PSC on Friday is holding the last of five public hearings on the project. It begins at 8:30 a.m. Central time in Russell Reid Auditorium at the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum on the Capitol grounds in Bismarck. Southern route analysis Summit analyzed a possible southern route at the request of the PSC after north Bismarck opposition surfaced, though the company states in its report that it had identified multiple potential routes at the beginning of the project, including an area from the University of Mary south to the Dakota Access oil pipeline crossing of the Missouri River just to the north of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. An early proposal for DAPL called for the project to cross the river about 10 miles north of Bismarck, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rejected the route in part because it was seen as a potential threat to Bismarck's water supply and because of its proximity to homes. The route was moved to the south, where it was met by heavy opposition from American Indian tribes and environmental groups who maintained the pipeline trespassed on tribal treaty lands and that a rupture would pollute Standing Rock's river water supply. Thousands of protesters camped in the area in 2016-17 and often clashed with law enforcement, leading to more than 750 arrests in a six-month span. Summit states in its analysis that "relocating the (CO2 pipeline) project would raise major concerns for area tribes and their supporters regionally and nationally." "Moving the pipeline to the south of Bismarck and moving a pipeline project away from non-tribal interests and lands would likely cause significant controversy due to further impacts to this historically sensitive area," the company wrote. Summit also said it would be "improbable" that the company could get required federal permits for a river crossing to the south of Bismarck "based on lessons learned from the Dakota Access Pipeline." The Corps faced lengthy litigation from tribes that reached the U.S. Supreme Court, and the agency is still working on a court-mandated environmental study of the DAPL river crossing six years after oil began flowing through the pipeline. The tribe did not immediately respond Wednesday to a Tribune request for comment on how it would have viewed a southern Bismarck route for the CO2 pipeline. Summit cited several other reasons that preclude a southern route, including: The project would have to negotiate a broader floodplain, and the pipeline would be more susceptible to adverse effects from river migration and scouring. The area is more prone to flooding, which could make construction more difficult. The area has a higher density of unstable slopes and landslides. There would be added river crossings. There are more "sensitive and historic" lands in the southern area, including Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park, the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery and Huff Indian Village State Historic Site. A reroute could delay the project up to two years. "Summit strongly believes that it has chosen the safest, most prudent route for the project based on a multitude of factors, and to reroute the project to the south of Bismarck at this stage of development would add unnecessary cost, schedule delay, and offset many of the impact mitigation measures that have been implemented," the company said. The citizen group North Dakota Energy Council, which formed to give Burleigh County residents and landowners a voice in the Summit pipeline debate, thinks "It's unfortunate that they're ruling (a south route) out entirely," said spokesman Dustin Gawrylow, director of the North Dakota Watchdog Network. "Its still our hope that the Public Service Commission will work with (Summit) to come up with a solution," he said. "Clearly when you've got the second-largest county in the state and all of the major political subdivisions and elected officials are concerned, hopefully the PSC will take that into account simply because it's a significant thing." PSC hearing The Friday hearing gives members of the public a chance to weigh in on the project before the PSC makes a decision on permitting the pipeline route in the state. It was scheduled after a March 14 hearing in Bismarck ran long and not everyone who wanted to speak got an opportunity. Since then, hearings also have been held in Gwinner, Wahpeton and Linton. The pipeline is to cross about 2,000 miles through Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota and North Dakota. The project would cost an estimated $4.5 billion. About $898 million of that cost is for the North Dakota portion, according to the PSC. There would be 320 miles of pipeline in the state, along with aboveground facilities including pump stations. The project would pass through Burleigh, Cass, Dickey, Emmons, Logan, McIntosh, Morton, Oliver, Richland and Sargent counties. The Burleigh portion would consist of 41 miles of pipe. Burleigh County has passed ordinances related to hazardous liquids pipelines in response to the Summit debate. More information is at bit.ly/3UJKTvu. Some other North Dakota counties including Emmons also have passed ordinances to regulate the pipeline within their borders. The planned route is less than 2 miles from Bismarck's extraterritorial area at its closest point. Burleigh and Bismarck commissioners, as well as the Bismarck-Mandan Home Builders Association and the North Dakota Energy Council, have called for moving the pipeline, or delaying it until federal regulators craft new rules for CO2 pipelines. The federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is updating safety regulations for CO2 pipelines in the wake of a CO2 pipeline operated by Denbury Gulf Coast Pipelines rupturing in Satartia, Mississippi, in 2020. PHMSA is conducting a two-day public meeting on CO2 pipeline safety this week in Des Moines, Iowa. Summit touts the overall safety record of the thousands of miles of CO2 pipelines that have operated in the U.S. for decades, including in western North Dakota. The company also has said that issues outlined by PHMSA in its Satartia Failure Investigation Report have been factored into the "planning, design, construction and operations" of the Midwest Carbon Express project. Summit is working to secure easements from property owners so it can place the pipeline on their land. Some reluctant landowners worry the company will resort to eminent domain -- the seizure of private property use, with compensation. The company has filed dozens of eminent domain lawsuits in South Dakota. But it also maintains it strives to come to agreeable terms with landowners, and that most support the project. The company states in its southern route analysis that it has secured easements for 71% of the proposed route in Emmons, Burleigh and Morton counties. The 2023 North Dakota Legislature considered several bills dealing with CO2 pipelines and eminent domain, but most of them failed. The Legislature also passed two bills aimed at limiting or stopping foreign countries and companies from owning, developing or having an interest in land in North Dakota. The state Attorney General's Office is investigating the ownership and investors of Summit Carbon Solutions at the request of a group of 31 North Dakota lawmakers. Summit maintains the lawmakers are "making unfounded accusations" after unsuccessfully targeting the company during the recently concluded legislative session. Reporter David Velazquez contributed to this story. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem announced Thursday she will be deploying at least 50 National Guard troops to the southern border later this summer. Noem joins a group of 12 other Republican governors who are answering the call from Texas Governor Greg Abbott to help Texas respond to the crisis at the southern border. The border crisis is growing worse under President Bidens willful inaction. Across the country, crime rates, drug overdoses, and human trafficking have all skyrocketed because our border remains a warzone, said Governor Noem. Our National Guard soldiers are the best prepared to tackle this challenge. They have proven that they can serve with excellence in a situation such as this, and I am confident that they will do so again. Two years ago, Governor Noem was the first governor to deploy National Guard troops to the southern border at the request of the governors of Texas and Arizona. Monthly migrant encounters had fallen to 16,182 in April 2020, shortly after the COVID-19 outbreak forced the closure of borders and slowed migration worldwide, according to the Pew Research Center. Data from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol indicates encounters at the border have soared since then, up to 206,239 in November 2022. Due to conditions of local trails caused by recent rainstorms, Rapid Citys Sustainability Committee has extended the Earth Day Trail Challenge through June. The 40-day event was originally set to expire this week. The Rapid City Earth Day Trail Challenge tasked the public to hike each of three local trails: Birdhouse on the Skyline Wilderness Trail System, Founders Valley on the Hansen-Larson Memorial Trail System and the Nature Trail at the Outdoor Campus West. Along each trail, hikers will find a Rapid City Earth Day Trail Challenge sign and are asked to take a selfie with the sign in the photo. Hikers can show the selfies and pick up a Rapid City Earth Day pin at the South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks Outdoor Campus West during normal business hours through June 30. As part of the challenge, hikers are also encouraged to pick up any litter or garbage encountered on the trails. For more information and links to the trail maps, visit rapidcitysustainability.com. By Kai Xu, Nghia Nguyen, and KE Seetha Ram The development of quality infrastructure that is sustainable and promotes inclusive development has become a driving force of economic growth (Vivek et al. 2023). However, current global challenges and their socioeconomic impacts are undermining the potential for new private sector investment in developing Asia, where demand for new infrastructure projects is high. The question is: How can the region meet its infrastructure needs while securing investment to support project growth within the sector? In fact, some reflection shows that the answer lies within. Learning from Japans infrastructure development experience It is helpful to look at how Japan overcame social, environmental, and institutional challenges to meet its infrastructure needs and build up its national transportation networkincluding its first high-speed rail (HSR) lines and highwaysto achieve rapid economic growth after World War II. In 1952, at the close of the Allied occupation, Japan was a less-developed country, with per capita consumption roughly one-fifth that of the United States (US). The US invested $2.2 billion in Japans reconstruction effort between 1946 and 1952 under international cooperation, and a large portion of this was channeled to support infrastructure development. At the same time, Japan rolled out its post-war economic development plan, the national highway network called the Pacific Belt Corridor. The corridor included various fundamental infrastructures, including the Tokaido Shinkansenthe worlds first HSR. In addition, Japan developed new technologies and construction methods that allowed for faster and more efficient highway and HSR construction. New infrastructure was planned after the 1990s when the Japanese economy stagnatedthe Linear Chuo Shinkansen connecting Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, with a linear motor car maglev that will shorten travel time from 1 hour 40 minutes for the Tokaido Shinkansen down to 40 minutes for the new Chuo Shinkansen. This is expected to revitalize the Japanese economy and supplement the aging Tokaido Shinkansen as a second route in case of a large-scale disaster. Overall, Japan's national transportation network was developed through a combination of government investment, international cooperation, planning and design, publicprivate partnerships, technological innovation, and public support. It has demonstrated a perfect example of developing infrastructure to meet social, economic, and environmental needs. Yoshino and Nakahigashi (2000) conducted a study on the case of Japan and found statistically significant results supporting the positive role of infrastructure investment. The network has played a crucial role in supporting Japan's economic growth and connecting its people and goods across the country. Capacity building for cost saving: Railway cases in the Peoples Republic of China A shortage of infrastructure financing sources is an obstacle for many developing Asia countries. The Peoples Republic of China (PRC), which has experienced rapid infrastructure development in the past few decades, has demonstrated a solution for cost saving. We investigated the consulting cost of railway projects in the PRC that were co-financed with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) (Table 1). The preliminary findings show that the costs allocated for consultants for project implementation comprised a relatively low percentage of the whole cost, compared with similar projects in other countries, and the share is decreasing over time. According to the statistics from the China National Association of Engineering Consultants (CNAEC), by the end of 2007, there were about 20,000 engineering consulting firms with a total of 2 million employees. However, 8 years later, in 2015, the numbers surged to 34,000 firms and 3.5 million employees. Capacity building and training of the workforce, especially the growth of domestic consultants for project design and construction supervision, contribute have contributed significantly to PRCs development. Nowadays, the PRC is positively exporting its domestic consultants expertise through initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative. Prioritizing infrastructure amid limited financing sources: HSR development in India Prioritizing infrastructure projects in Asia per each economys socioeconomic needs is one way to solve the tradeoffs between huge infrastructure demand and scarce finance sources, particularly for developing countries. India appears to be prioritizing road and rail transport, including HSR development. This can be seen in Figure 2, which illustrates the relationship between population density and GDP per capita in the commencing year of HSR. Two groups can be identified, as separated by the blue and red lines. For European countries and the US, higher GDP stimulated the start of HSR (the blue line), while for Asian countries, a large population density was the foundation for HSR investment (the red line). India, whose total population surpassed that of the PRC in 2023 (World Population Review), is perfectly located on the red line, confirming the countrys suitable timing for HSR development, with the MumbaiAhmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor already under construction. HSR development is widely deemed to have critical development impacts, providing fast connectivity and reductions in fuel consumption, with many more spillover effects to be explored. Self-help for the road ahead Your home away from home. We want you to have a comfortable, safe, and welcoming place to live while you attend ECSU. Thats just what youll find in our on-campus housing. Residence halls at ECSU put food, classes, amenities, and your campus community within walking distance, helping you get the most out of your time at ECSU. Apply for Housing Learn the process and requirements for getting your residence hall assignment. Find your Home Find amenities, rates, and virtual tours of all residence halls at ECSU. Join a Community Live with students that share your interests with our Living Learning Communities. Frequently Asked Questions When are residence halls closing this semester? See below for information regarding the residence hall closings for spring 2023: If you do not have face-to face exams, and are not participating in graduation, please check-out early. Please vacate the residence halls within 24 hours of your last final exam. If you are not able to leave within 24 hours of your last final exam, please vacate the halls by 7:00 pm on Friday, May 5, 2023. The residence halls will close at 7:00pm on Friday, May 5, 2023. Students that are participating in Graduation are required to vacate the residence halls by 2:00 pm on Saturday, May 6, 2023. Secure transportation needs (bus station, train station and airport) immediately Transportation Services (ecsu.edu). All transportation arrangements are required to be made by April 26, 2023. Transportation Services (ecsu.edu). All transportation arrangements are required to be made by April 26, 2023. Students are required to remove ALL items from rooms. This includes trash, clothes, food in refrigerators and cabinets, furniture you brought yourself, televisions, etc. EVERYTHING MUST BE REMOVED and taken with you or thrown away. Students are required to turn in all keys at the time of check-out. We will NOT accept keys via mail after the fact. Failure to remove all items from rooms and or suites and or to return keys, will result in fines added to your student accounts Turn your books into Book Rental before you leave to go home. HRL staff will NOT turn your book into book rental. Secure your Housing for Fall 2023 before you leave to go home. Should you have questions and or concerns, please email us at ECSUHousing@ecsu.edu Is there housing available for summer school? Housing will be provided for Session II (5 Weeks): Thursday, June 22 Friday, July 28 Cleared students may check into the residence hall on Wednesday, June 21, 2023. Students must check out of the residence halls on Saturday, July 29, 2023 2023 Summer Rates: Spaces are limited for summer University Suites Single: $1,180.00 University Suites: $968.00 Request Summer School Housing here: https://forms.office.com/r/ag0c6m0Gun The deadline to request summer school Housing is April 14, 2023 For more information, email Ms. Kellogg How do I pay for housing? You may apply and pay for Housing after you have been accepted to the University. The Housing Application fee is non-refundable. The application is available in the Housing Portal. Can I pay the housing application fee over the phone? No, You may pay by the following methods: Online via the Housing portal In person to the University Cashier Send check or money order via mail (Campus Box 939) What size are the beds? The beds in University Suites, University Towers and Viking Tower are regular twin-sized beds. Beds in Viking Village singles are full sized. Beds in Viking Village Suites are regular twin-size beds. How much is the housing application fee? $150.00 What is the cost of living on campus? The room rate per residence hall varies based on room type. Do I have to stay on campus? No, currently we do not have an on-campus requirement. Do I have to have a meal plan? Yes, all boarding students are required to have a meal plan. New First Time Freshmen are required to have the 19-meal plan. All other students may select from a 10, 15, 19 meal plans or a 120 or 160 block meal plan. Will I have a roommate? If assigned to a double room, you may be assigned a roommate at any time during the semester. When can I change my room? Housing will make students aware of when or if they may change rooms. If moving to a higher priced room, students must be able to afford the upcharge. It is the responsibility of the student to check with Student Accounts and/or Financial Aid to see if they can afford the cost. If a room change is made after refunds have been processed, the student must be able to pay the cost up front. Are classifications assigned to different residence halls? Yes, see below for current classification assignments: University Suites: Seniors & Juniors University Towers: New Freshmen Viking Tower: Sophomores, Freshmen, New Freshmen Viking Village: Seniors, Juniors, Sophomores Does Housing provide microwaves and refrigerators? No, Housing does not provide microwaves or refrigerators. Students may supply their own microwave (1000 watts or less) and refrigerator (up to 5 cubic feet). Will I be able to keep my same room for the spring semester? Yes, you will be assigned to the same room. Am I required to take everything home during winter break? Students are required to take personal belongings home. Facilities will be performing cleaning and sanitizing in the residence halls. Larger items such as refrigerators and microwaves may be left at the students discretion. The University is not responsible for the loss, theft and or damage to personal belongings. What is my mailing address and how do I receive mail? All mail and packages must be addressed using the following format: Student's First and Last Name ECSU XXXXX CAMPUS BOX 1704 WEEKSVILLE ROAD ELIZABETH CITY, NC 27909 Items not properly addressed may cause a delay in processing or be returned to the sender. When are we required to leave the residence halls? Students are required to leave the residence halls during: Winter Break Spring Break The end of the spring semester The end of summer sessions What do I do if my furniture is damaged and/or missing? See the Community Director of your residence hall. Where can I find information and/or apply to be a Resident Assistant (RA)? The hiring process for Resident Assistants begins during the spring semester. There will be mandatory interest meetings. Be on the lookout for information via email and social media. Please express your interest to your Community Director. What type of security is provided in the residence halls? Our residence halls are staffed 24 hours day. Our staff consist of: Community Directors Resident Assistants Residential Security Officers What if my property is lost, stolen, and/or damaged? The University assumes no responsibility for your lost, stolen, or damaged property. We suggest that you obtain renters insurance to cover your items while away at school. Please view form here Personal Property Insurance Are residence halls co-ed? Yes, all of our residence halls are co-ed. What if my room needs repairs? Contact your residence hall staff (Community Director, RA or RSO). Can I drop my Housing after I move in my room? Yes, you may drop Housing at any time; however, charges will apply based on the date you move out of your room. What if I did not get the roommate that I requested? Assignments are made based on date of payment. If your request is not granted it could be due to non-payment of the requested student. (It is best that you both pay at the same time). Also, your requested roommate must also request to be your roommate. SEOUL/TOKYO (Reuters) - A North Korean satellite launch on Wednesday ended in failure, sending the booster and payload plunging into the sea, North Korean state media said, and the South's military said it had recovered parts of the launch vehicle. The new "Chollima-1" satellite launch rocket failed because of instability in the engine and fuel system, state news agency KCNA reported. The flight was the nuclear-armed state's sixth satellite launch attempt, and the first since 2016. It was supposed to put North Korea's first spy satellite in orbit. It prompted emergency alerts and brief evacuation warnings in parts of South Korea and Japan but no danger or damage was reported. South Korea's military said it was conducting a salvage operation to recover what is believed to be parts of the space launch vehicle. The military shared pictures of a large cylindrical object floating in the sea about 200 km (124.27 miles) off the west coast island of Eocheongdo. A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the satellite flew less than 10 minutes, for several hundred kilometres. The launch occurred from the northwestern space launch facility and fell into the Yellow Sea, the official added d. George William Herbert, adjunct professor at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies and a missile consultant, said the images showed at least part of a rocket, including an "interstage" section designed to connect to another stage. It is most likely a liquid-fuel rocket, and a round, brown object inside is likely a propellant tank for either fuel or oxidizer, Herbert added. Officials from the United States, Japan, South Korea held a phone call, where they "strongly condemned" the launch, Japans foreign ministry said. "The three countries will stay vigilant with high sense of urgency", the statement said. North Korea had said it would launch its first military reconnaissance satellite between May 31 and June 11 to boost monitoring of U.S. military activities. South Korea last week placed satellites in orbit with a domestically designed and produced rocket for the first time, and China sent three astronauts to its space station as part of crew rotation on Tuesday. The North Korean rocket plunged into the sea "after losing thrust due to the abnormal starting of the second-stage engine," KCNA reported, in an unusually candid admission of a technical failure by the North. Pyongyang's National Aerospace Development Administration will investigate the "serious defects" and take action to overcome them before conducting a second launch as soon as possible, KCNA said. WARNINGS ISSUED North Korea appeared to have rushed its satellite launch after Seoul's recent space rocket launch, a South Korean lawmaker said citing his country's intelligence agency. Lawmaker Yoo Sang-beom told journalists that North Korea's leader was believe to have observed the launch and Pyongyang may need several weeks at least to fix its rocket's problems. "Even if this satellite launch is a failure, General Secretary Kim Jong Un himself has made clear that this satellite is the first of many," said Atsuhito Isozaki, professor of North Korean studies at Keio University in Japan. "This wont be the end of those efforts." Lee Choon Geun, honorary research fellow at South Korea's Science and Technology Policy Institute, said it was a rare opportunity for South Korea to retrieve part of a North Korean rocket, and perhaps even the satellite. Analysts say North Korea's capacity for constructing sophisticated satellites remains unproven. In data provided to international authorities before the launch, North Korea said the rocket would fly south, with stages and other debris expected to fall over the Yellow Sea and into the Pacific Ocean. Air raid sirens wailed across the South Korean capital of Seoul as the city warned citizens to prepare for a potential evacuation. Later alerts said the city warning had been a mistake. "I was so panicked," said Lee Juyeon, 33, a resident in the city of about 10 million who was preparing to shelter in a basement with her young child before learning it was a false alarm. The Japanese government also issued an emergency warning over its J-Alert broadcasting system for residents of the southern prefecture of Okinawa to take cover indoors early on Wednesday morning. It later said the rocket would not fly into Japanese territory and lifted the warnings. Japan had this week vowed to shoot down any projectile that threatened its territory. The White House condemned the launch and said it was assessing the situation in coordination with allies. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said North Korea's rocket disappeared from radar above the Yellow Sea and did not make it into space. Japan strongly condemns the launch and has lodged a complaint to Pyongyang through diplomatic channels in Beijing, he said. 'NO JUSTICE TODAY' The driver who killed a 24-year-old Henrico County police officer in a crash last year will serve two months of house arrest as part of a plea deal, it was announced Tuesday. Jeffrey Adam Lankford pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in court Tuesday morning. He was 18 when he ran into Officer Trey Sutton's police cruiser at Chamberlayne Avenue and Wilkinson Road on the night of March 30, 2022. His house arrest will start Friday. An additional 22 months of incarceration will be suspended on the conditions that Lankford completes 200 hours of community service and five years of probation and surrenders his driver's license for a year, according to the plea agreement. He was facing up to 20 years in prison if convicted at trial. "This is not the exact result that the Commonwealth, the Sutton family, or (Zoe Pierson, Sutton's fiance), were hoping for," Henrico Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon. When reached by phone, Taylor said that there were two potential legal issues, including one involving "new science," that risked the possibility of Lankford not being held accountable for Sutton's death. One of the potential hurdles was the color of the traffic signal at the moment when Sutton, who had graduated from the Henrico police academy two months earlier, entered the intersection. If Sutton, rather than Lankford, was the one who ran a red light, as the defense was prepared to argue, that could be viewed as a mitigating factor that would reduce or eliminate Lankford's liability. The other was how to measure the speed at which Lankford was driving when the crash happened. His truck was old enough that it didn't have a "black box," an onboard computer that would log key information such as driving speed, Taylor said, so prosecutors would have to estimate the speed using a combination of traffic camera footage and Apple Maps location data from Lankford's cell phone. That is a technique that the county has not previously used in court before, which brought a risk that the judge in the case, L.A. Harris, would deem the speed analysis inadmissible significantly harming the county's case. Pierson read a victim impact statement during the hearing Tuesday, recalling the horror of receiving the news of the crash, detailing the injuries that Sutton suffered and mourning the fact that, in an instant, Sutton lost the chance to become a husband or father. "There is no justice today," Pierson said to Lankford. "If it had been you hurt that night, Trey, who took his oath to protect and serve, would've been the one to show up, no questions asked. He would've done his best to make sure you went home that night, and you did not extend to him or anybody else on that road the same courtesy." "It has been 425 days since we had to explain what happened to everyone we knew, 425 days of living in this nightmare, and 425 days in expectation of today. You might rationalize what happened in your head, make excuses for why and how it happened the way it did," Pierson added. Sutton, 24, of Chesterfield County, was one of four people hurt in the three-vehicle crash. He died of his injuries the next day. Hundreds of police officers and first responders from across Virginia and the East Coast attended his memorial service. His badge number, 559, was retired. "He had a purpose," Henrico Police Chief Col. Eric English said at the time. "We will carry on your dream." After the hearing on Tuesday, Craig Curwood, the Sutton family's civil attorney, read a statement on behalf of the family. The family thanked the first responders and medical professionals at VCU Medical Center who cared for Sutton between the crash and his death the following day, and praised Henrico police for their investigation. "While we are disappointed with the sentence, we know that no sentence will bring back Trey or ease our suffering," Curwood said. "We were hoping for more accountability in the outcome today, but sadly, we could not get that. There is however, some satisfaction in knowing that Jeffery Lankford will be a convicted felon for the rest of his life." The City of Richmond has released new documents from the groups competing for the right to revitalize the area around the shuttered Richmond Coliseum site. The city shared single-page summaries from each of the four remaining contenders for the City Center projectthat lay out the groups visions for the mixed-use development project, with conceptual renderings that bring their plans to life. The winning development group will be tasked with demolishing the Coliseum structure within 12 months, repurposing the historic Blues Armory on North Sixth Street and building a 500-room hotel that will support the Greater Richmond Convention Center. Other development goals set out by the city include upgrading infrastructure in the area, transforming North Sixth and East Clay streets into flexible festival streetscapes that prioritize walking and biking, adding new office space geared toward the life science and biotech industries and constructing affordable housing units. The four finalist groups are led by Maryland-based Capstone Development LLC, the hotel developer for the citys Diamond District project; City Center Gateway Partners, a group headlined by investment firm Capital Square and Shamin Hotels, both based in the Richmond area; Lincoln Property Company, a Dallas firm that is partnering with two companies linked to Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith; and Richmond Community Development Partners, a group spearheaded by Houstons Machete Group and Bank Street Advisors, a Richmond-based company whose local development portfolio includes the downtown Quirk Hotel and the Soda Flats apartments currently under construction in Scotts Addition. The Greater Richmond Convention Center Authority and Richmond Economic Development Authority, who put out the initial request for interest in November, are overseeing the evaluation process. The timeline laid out in the citys formal request for offers indicates that the finalists have already been interviewed by an evaluation panel, with negotiations to follow. The Economic Development and Convention Center authorities hope to announce a preferred development group this summer. Top five weekend events: Greek Fest, Shakespeare Fest & Ashland Strawberry Faire Richmond Greek Festival Richmond Shakespeare Festival Richmond Symphony Mile of Music at Bryan Park Ashland Strawberry Faire Kip Moore There are media reports that Justice Department prosecutors have obtained an audio recording of former President Donald Trump from after he left office in which he talks about holding onto a classified document related to a potential attack on Iran. CNN first reported that Trump suggested on the recording that he wanted to share with others information from the document but that he knew there were limitations about his ability to declassify records after he left office. The comments on the recording, made in July 2021 at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, would appear to undercut his repeated claims that he declassified the documents he took with him from the White House to Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate, after leaving office. The tragic murder-suicide that claimed two family members lives last week occurred when the father shot his son, then himself, Roanoke County police said Wednesday. Two hikers found the bodies of 17-year-old Christian Chris Lambert and 62-year-old Lewis James Jimmy Lambert Jr. at about 6 a.m. Friday in the McAfee Knob trailhead parking lot off Catawba Valley Drive (Virginia 311). At this stage of the police investigation, it appears that Lewis Lambert killed the male juvenile then committed suicide, Roanoke County police said in a press release issued Wednesday afternoon. Police also confirmed that Lewis Lambert was a person of interest in an arson investigation in the city of Roanoke. Lewis Lamberts home and another residence caught fire around 3:30 a.m. Friday, hours before he and his adoptive son were found dead. The Roanoke County Police Department is working alongside the Roanoke city arson investigators to provide them with any and all evidence collected from the scene to assist in their investigation, Roanoke County police said. Chris Lambert, who worked at Roanokes Texas Roadhouse restaurant, was set to graduate next week from Patrick Henry High School. The YMCA at Virginia Tech will host its first annual Summer Tea on Saturday, June 17, in honor of the birthday of Lucy Lee Lancaster, whose family lived in the house that the Y now occupies. Tickets are $25, and must be purchased by Saturday, June 10. There are two seatings to choose from: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., or 1 to 2:30 p.m., at the beautiful, historic Lancaster House, 403 Washington St. SW, in Blacksburg. The event will be catered by Carolyn Ansley, who has become well-known over the years for her authentic and delicious teas. Proceeds will benefit the Ys community programs. Born in Eggleston in June 1905, Lucy Lee Lancaster moved to Blacksburg with her family as a child, and would later be one of the first five women admitted to Virginia Tech in 1925, according to press materials about the event. After retirement, Lucy Lee became a member of the YMCA board of directors and served in a regular or honorary capacity all her life. Over the years she welcomed Y students in her home and delighted in having them hold meetings there, serving them lemonade and homemade cookies. Lucy Lee lived in the Lancaster House, which was built by her parents in 1913, until her death in 1989. She left the house to the YMCA at Virginia Tech in memory of her parents and her sister Martha. She is remembered as a lovely lady, in the best old Southern meaning of the word. Space is limited for this event! Tickets for may be purchased by going to https://vtymca.org/y-summer-tea/. THURSDAY 5PTS Open House: Mono Means One ft. John Ferrara, with Aaron Geller It's "Donor Appreciation Night" at the church, featuring Ferrara, Consider the Source's bassist. Expect musical madness. Details: 8 p.m. 5 Points Music Sanctuary. Free. 540-795-5618, 5pointsmusic.com, johnferraramusic.com Surrender Dorothy Good grooving gang plays decades of radio hits with genre variety. FRIDAY The Kind If you haven't seen this band that celebrates the Grateful Dead and other jam acts, here's a good chance to do it. If you have, you want to go again. Brian Belligerent With Gunner Heathe, Amber Collier The headliner, whose Roanoke rock resume includes Hanoi Jane, Auditory Dysmorphia and Redbox Money Cult, leads a trio of solo acoustic acts. First Fridays: On The Border It's the return of a First Fridays fave, which bills itself as "The Ultimate Eagles Tribute." Details: 5 p.m. Franklin Road between Jefferson Street and Williamson Road, Roanoke. $5. 540-776-5348, firstfridaysroanoke.com, otbrocks.com Rebirth Brass Band With Hoppie Vaughan This funky New Orleans-style party has no room left for revelers. Details: 7:30 p.m. Lime Kiln Theater, Lexington. SOLD OUT. rebirthbrassband.com, hoppievaughan.com Sara Evans Folks were "Born to Fly" to Harvester's ticket site, to buy them all. Details: 8 p.m. Harvester Performance Center, Rocky Mount. SOLD OUT. saraevans.com Empty Bottles 8 p.m. Rosie's Gaming Emporium, Vinton. Free Jared Stout Band 10 p.m. Martin's Downtown. $12 Shoot To Thrill 6 p.m. gate. Dr Pepper Park. $45, $25, $75 VIP advance via drpepperpark.com, $30 day of show Big Lick Conspiracy 8 p.m. The Spot on Kirk. $10 advance at eventbrite.com, $15 door The Great Big Hug 6:30 p.m. Big Lick Brewing Co. Free Kyle Forry 6 p.m. Twisted Track Brewpub. Free FRIDAY-SATURDAY Hunter Riley Check out Riley playing his song, "Bitter," in a writers round via fb.watch/kT7lTum1S3. Details: 9:45 p.m. each night. Sidewinders Steak House and Saloon. Cover charge varies; contact venue. 540-904-2777, sidewindersaloon.com, facebook.com/hunterrileyband SATURDAY 5PTS at Dog Bowl: Abby Bryant & The Echoes, with Runaway Grooms Bryant, with a sweet, strong voice and great vibes, headlines 5 Points Music Sanctuary's latest foray at The Dog Bowl. Details: 5:45 p.m. The Dog Bowl at Black Dog Salvage. $25, $13 via seetickets.us. 540-343-6200, facebook.com/blackdogsalvage, abbybryantandtheechoes.com, therunawaygrooms.com Chase Matthew With Graham Barham Matthew got TikTok famous with "County Line" and has a new cut at chasematthew.lnk.to/comegetyourmemory. Details: 6 p.m. Dr Pepper Park. $49, $25, $149 (VIP skybox) advance, $30 general admission day of show. drpepperpark.com, chasematthew.com, facebook.com/grahambarhamusic Scythian With Cabin Creek Boys D.C.-based, eclectic, Celtic-rocking, Americana-slinging Scythian returns to Southwest Virginia. Details: 7 p.m. Blue Ridge Music Center, Galax. $25 advance, $30 day of show. 866-308-2773 (ext. 245), blueridgemusiccenter.org, scythianmusic.com Summer of Grunge: Jar of Flies, Deep 6, Adhesive Grunge band tribute acts fete Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam and Stone Temple Pilots in a fundraiser for mental health awareness. Details: Noon (music at 2 p.m.). 4331 Barley Drive, Salem. $20 via eventbrite.com. Daleville Summer Concert Series: The Kings 5 p.m. Daleville Town Center, Daleville. $5, free 12-younger Tom Floyd Trio 6 p.m. Twisted Track Brewpub. Free Leilani Kilgore 6:30 p.m. Big Lick Brewing Co. Free Solacoustix 10 p.m. Martin's. $8 Pleading the 5th 8 p.m. Rosie's Gaming Emporium. Free SATURDAY-SUNDAY Sidewalk Art Show Painting, sculptures, photography, jewelry oh please, let it be nice out. Details: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. each day. Salem Avenue Southwest between Jefferson Street and Williamson Road; Market Street and Wall Street Southwest between Norfolk Avenue and Campbell Avenue. Free. taubmanmuseum.org SUNDAY Darrell Scott A soulful wizard of multi-instrumental virtuosity and creative brilliance returns to Rocky Mount. Details: 8 p.m. Harvester Performance Center. $47, $37, $240 VIP table for four. 540-484-8277, harvester-music.com, darrellscott.com Adam Hill, Isaac Hadden Project Hill, keyboard man with Solacoustix, goes solo here. Hadden had a great weekend at Rooster Walk, where he held it down with the likes of Ron Holloway, Jeff Sipe and Josh Shilling. Details: 1 p.m. (Hill) and 4 p.m. (Hadden). Parkway Brewing. Free. facebook.com/ilhadden William Seymour 5 p.m. Fork in the Alley. Free B-Mac 9 p.m. Fork in the Market. Free WEDNESDAY Foster Burton Burton, of Mad Iguanas, GOTE and more, plucks and sings on his own, too. Details: 7 p.m. Village Grill. Free. 540-767-0057, villagegrillroanoke.com JUNE 8 Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers Early warning to put one of the best live bands going on your live music calendar. The great Hornsby has hits and chops, and that's just "The Way It Is." Details: 7 p.m. The Coves Amphitheater, Union Hall. $72.50, $45.50 advance via seetickets.us/060823. 540-520-9595, facebook.com/covesatsml, brucehornsby.com Possible taxes and fees for any show listed here are not included in ticket prices. Schedules change, so check with venues before going out. Correction June 1, 2023, 2 p.m.: This column has been updated to clarify information regarding a GoFundMe page related to the Pride Ball. As you may be aware, June is Pride month, and here in Western Virginia that got an early lift-off this year, though not exactly by design. It occurred after a Roanoke County parent accused rainbow-promoting staff at Glen Cove elementary of grooming and indoctrinating pupils via LGBTQ+ symbols. Real estate broker Damon Gettier seemed highly upset at rainbow imagery inside the school, which his son attends, when he addressed the Roanoke County School Board on May 18. Examples he specifically cited were a multicolored sign that spelled WELCOME and rainbow-themed jewelry, lanyards, eyeglasses and clothing donned by some school employees. Gettier also termed Glen Cove employees sexual predators disguised as teachers and staff. His accusations hit the news May 25 and caused a stir. One day later, more than 200 supportive parents and others demonstrated outside Glen Cove elementary in support of the staff there. The Roanoke Diversity Center (RDC) was one of the groups that that helped turn out that crowd, said Mohammad Mo Elshawarby, president of the RDC. The nonprofit center supports, educates and advocates for LGBT individuals and groups in the Roanoke region. It also encourages collaborative efforts with the greater community. Friday evening, the RDC is the beneficiary of a Pride Ball fundraiser at the Taubman Museum of Art to launch Pride month. The balls is open to the public and will feature dancing, dance acts, a renowned deejay named Steve Chip Chop Gonzalez, a fashion show and more. Staffers who have recently resigned from Glen Cove Elementary school will be there and may speak. Tickets are $20 in advance ($15 for museum members) and are available through the Taubman Museums website, and are $25 at the door. The ball begins at 5 p.m., and Roanoke Vice Mayor Joe Cobb will deliver opening remarks at 6 p.m. (Another way to support the event is a GoFundMe page, which as of Wednesday afternoon had raised more than $3,000 to defray Pride Ball expenses.) The headlining act is the International House of Ninja, which was founded in New York City and now has offshoots around the world that feature transgender and cisgendered dancers. Theyre part of a movement known as Ballroom, a predominantly African American and Latinx LGBTQ+ community that first took shape in New York City in the early 1960s, because drag shows back then often excluded people of color. Among the styles of dance House of Ninja practices is Vogue, which was popularized by the recording artist Madonna. Locally, Roanokes own House of Expression practices the same kind of Ballroom performance art. (Houses are more than mere dance troupes theyre also families, in which members adopt and support each other.) And members of House of Expression, such as Amia Baltazar, will showcase their talents at the Pride Ball, too. Finally, the event will also feature a drag fashion show organized by Fashionista Roanoke that will showcase original styles from regional designers such as Lauren Devaughn Designs; ZaRiah Asante Couture; Fabric to Fashion; and Rosemary Jacques. Baltazar and Elizabeth Parsons, former president of the RDC, sat down with yours truly Tuesday so I could learn about the Pride Ball. (Parsons is handling the events public relations.) The proceeds from this support the Roanoke Diversity Center, which holds 320 events each year, Parsons said. Those include classes and workshops that promote LGBTQ+ tolerance and inclusion. LGBTQ+ teens and youths are an important focus of the RDC, said Elshawarby, the centers current president. Thats because queer teenagers and youth represent the highest percentage of teenage and youth homeless individuals, Elshawarby said. If they cant get support and acceptance in their schools or their families, it leads to them running away, and suicidal ideation, Elshawarby added. Thats who these teachers are putting this [rainbow-themed] stuff up for. It signifies, youre accepted, you can come talk to me if you need to. Baltazar, a transgender woman whos 26, experienced that lack of support and acceptance personally when growing up in her hometown of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. She ran away from home at 15 or 16. She moved to Roanoke two years ago because its much more accepting of LGBTQ+ people than Myrtle Beach, she said. Cobb told me he isnt sure yet what hes going to say during his opening remarks at the ball. But the recent events at Glen Cove weighed on his mind as we spoke Wednesday. In the past year alone, school districts in Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Florida and perhaps elsewhere have cracked down on in-school displays of rainbow pride flags, deeming them political. Theres an underpinning in our culture of people who use their religious beliefs to create political discrimination, said Cobb, whos gay, married, and the former pastor at Roanokes Metropolitan Community Church. Were seeing this happen all over the country. He called it very strategic and specifically mentioned Moms For Liberty, a conservative parents group that has many local chapters across America including one in Roanoke County. Its a very strategic effort to dismantle practices of equity and inclusion within public school systems, Cobb said. The [Roanoke County] school board has been taken over by right-wing people who want to control everything. Some school boards are holding teachers accountable for rainbow displays whereas the bullying behavior by parents, theres no accountability for that whatsoever, Cobb said. Radford police Chief Jeff Dodson, whose three years leading the department included an ongoing bid for national accreditation and criminal charges filed against four officers, announced Thursday he will leave the job next month. It has been an honor and a privilege to work alongside the brave men and women of the Radford City Police Department. The men and women of this agency are doing amazing work each day, Dodson said in a news release. Dodson was a Culpeper police patrol officer and lieutenant before becoming Radfords chief in January 2020. He previously worked for police agencies in central Virginia. Dodsons time in Radford included the COVID-19 pandemic and national protests against police violence after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Under Dodsons leadership, Radfords department instituted a citizen advisory panel to provide input on policy issues, trained officers in de-escalation techniques, and sought to meet best-practices standards set by the national Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, known as CALEA. According to the most recent annual report posted on the commissions website, from 2021, 35 Virginia police agencies are accredited by the commission, including the Roanoke, Roanoke County, Salem, Blacksburg and Virginia Tech police departments. The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services lists more than 180 police departments in the commonwealth, a total that does not include sheriffs offices. Dodson wrote in an email last month that only about 10 percent of law enforcement agencies across the country met CALEAs national accreditation standards, and that accreditation would be a big accomplishment for Radford. Dodson wrote that the Radford department successfully completed the first step of the accreditation process, a virtual assessment that included a review of department policies, property and evidence functions, and use of force. The latter area included procedures, reporting, training, administrative review and data collection, Dodson wrote. Still ahead was a visit from a CALEA assessor, scheduled to last from June 18 to June 21, Dodson wrote. If the assessor approves, the full commission will vote on accreditation in November, Dodson wrote. The Radford department, which has 42 sworn officers, has had four officers face criminal charges in recent years. In 2021, Robert Andrew Wilburn, a veteran detective who had retired two years earlier, was accused of having mishandled cash that was forfeited in criminal cases. He pleaded guilty in 2021 to a misdemeanor charge of malfeasance. In 2022, Capt. Chris Caldwell, also a veteran officer and one of the departments top leaders, resigned after state police notified the department it was investigating Caldwells electronic communications with a teenage boy. Caldwell was arrested in December on a felony charge of using a phone, computer or other device to sexually solicit a minor. That charge was dropped and Caldwell entered a no contest plea to a misdemeanor charge of attempted consensual sex with a minor, age 15 or older. Caldwell was convicted of the lesser charge, was put on supervised probation for a year, and was given a suspended jail sentence. As the case against Caldwell moved through the courts, School Resource Officer Mark Wright Mills was charged with assault and battery against a family member and with preventing a 911 call, both misdemeanors and both stemming from a January incident. Mills left the department and last month pleaded no contest to the charges. His case was taken under advisement for six months, with the charges to be dropped if Mills stays out of further trouble. In April, Officer John Fuhrman became the fourth officer to face charges when a Wytheville man took out a warrant against him for assault and battery. A Wytheville police report said that Fuhrman had an altercation in a restaurant that began verbally and, according to the other man, turned physical. Fuhrman has a June 22 hearing scheduled in Wythe County. In emails last month, Dodson noted that the charge against Fuhrman was in a separate category since it was not placed by a law enforcement agency. Of the officers who were convicted, Dodson wrote that the entire force was disappointed by their actions. It is heartbreaking to see your fellow officer tarnish their badge and breach the publics trust, he wrote. But the flurry of charges was not representative of the department, Dodson insisted. Radford Mayor David Horton agreed, saying last month, When something bad happens, it doesnt necessarily indicate something systemic. Horton said last month that Dodson had the support of all of city council. In Thursdays news release, Horton was quoted saying, Chief Dodson is an outstanding public servant and will be sorely missed. The announcement did not say where Dodson was headed after he steps down, but said he has accepted a job opportunity which will allow more time with his family moving forward. Dodsons resignation will be effective July 14. An 18-year-old Roanoke woman collapsed while jogging in college nearly 20 years ago. But even though another person was running alongside Grace Lovegrove in a residential area when she was stricken by cardiac arrest, no one intervened with life-saving CPR. Lovegrove, left brain dead, was removed from life support and died two days later. The first people on the scene for almost 10 minutes didnt know what to do, her father, Rick Lovegrove of Roanoke, said Wednesday. Cardiac arrest outside a hospital kills hundreds of thousands of people a year. Approximately half of people stricken are alone when the condition begins, a medical study showed. But the presence of bystanders who call 911 and give CPR and a heart shock can resuscitate people on the brink of death. CPR and use of an automated external defibrillator to shock the heart skills that virtually anyone can learn in about an hour will be taught throughout the region this weekend at no charge. Trainers will staff 12 locations in the Roanoke and New River valleys Saturday in a special event put together by the Roanoke-based Compress and Shock Foundation. Lovegrove, who lost his daughter in 2005, is a foundation board member and urged members of the public to undergo training. Everybody should consider it. Its one hour of your time, its free and you may save a life one day. Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops pumping blood to vital organs, according to the National Institutes of Health. Caused by a problem with the rhythm or rate of the heartbeat, cardiac arrest kills about 90% of those stricken outside a hospital, the government said. Despite medical breakthroughs against disease across the spectrum, the survival rate for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest has not improved in years even though its crystal clear whats needed: raising the percentage of the population ready to spot the condition, call 911, apply CPR and, if an AED is present, use it. The goal is to manually restart blood flow and possibly enable the heart to resume beating, because the brain cant survive intact without blood even for the several minutes it can take for rescuers to arrive. Lovegrove has seen proof of the value of basic lifesaving skills because five years after his daughter died, a distant relative who was also a youth suffered cardiac arrest at a church camp in Tennessee. This time, the person received CPR and an AED shock. She is alive and married and has two children, just to juxtapose the two situations, he said. Grave Lovegrove was a freshman at Christopher Newport University in Newport News majoring in marine biology when she perished. Her dad said he cant be sure she would have survived the attack even with bystander intervention, but he believes it would have lifted her chances. Lovegrove, 67, a retired writer and editor, said he understands that some people may hesitate to act when they see a medical emergency out of concern they do something wrong, such as break ribs by giving chest compressions. However, with cardiac arrest, the intervention is unlikely to be more harmful than the underlying event. The only wrong thing you can do is to do nothing, Lovegrove said. The AED? Also simple. The machine itself decides whether to apply a shock, making its use so simple an elementary student could do it, Lovegrove said. The only thing you could do wrong with an AED is not take it off the wall, Lovegrove said. Lovegrove said that he was quoting foundation creator and Roanoke emergency room doctor Jack Perkins. Since the foundation was stood up, it has trained 6,000 people and placed 75 AEDs in communities in the United States, its website said. Its mission is to bring free and equitable access to CPR and AED education to all communities with a specific dedication to those communities most adversely affected by cardiac arrest due to race, ethnicity, primary language, or access to healthcare education. The foundation will donate an AED to any group or organization that hosts a training class with 35 or more people and fits the foundation mission. This year, the foundation intends to give away nearly 80 units in underserved communities in conjunction with this weekends event, it said. The Roanoke Valley Pickle Ball Club organized a group training and received a free AED. It isnt mounted at a court, since members play regionally. Instead, Lovegrove carries it in a red backpack wherever he goes out to play, which is several times a week. There is still time to register for Saturdays training and on-site registration will be allowed. Training sites, addresses and registration access is available at https://www.compressandshock.org/classlocator. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. A new investigation led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine's Human Genome Sequencing Center, the Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain, and Illumina, Inc. analyzed the genomes of 233 nonhuman primate species and revealed key features of primate evolution, human disease and biodiversity conservation. The findings are published in a series of studies in a special issue of the journal Science. The Primate Genome Project generated the most complete catalog of genomic information for primates to date, covering nearly half of all existing primate species on Earth. Researchers from 24 countries compared the genomes of 809 individual primates from 233 species and identified 4.3 million common missense mutations. The resulting studies uncovered DNA sequence variants and developed phylogenies for primate species that will provide new data on primate and human evolution, as well as primate biodiversity. In addition, researchers used primate genomic data to identify new insights into the genetic causes of human disease and developed an algorithm that will help predict pathogenic variants in humans. "The simultaneous publication of this broad array of papers on primate genomics demonstrates the value and the power of comparative genetics," said Dr. Jeffrey Rogers, lead investigator and associate professor at the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor. "When we investigate the genomics of nonhuman primates, we not only learn about these species, which is important and timely, but we can also place human genetics into its proper comparative context, which provides new insights into human health and human evolution." "Primates have a great genetic diversity that increases between the different geographical regions and taxonomies," said Dr. Tomas Marques-Bonet, lead investigator from Pompeu Fabra. "The study of this diversity is crucial for human evolutionary studies, human disease and for their future conservation." "Our studies show which species are in most dire need of conservation efforts and can help identify the most effective strategies for preserving these species," said Dr. Lukas Kuderna, lead investigator from the Institute of Evolutionary Biology. Interspecies gene flow in baboons may shed light on human evolution One of the consortium studies focused on hybridization of genetically distinct lineages in baboons. Researchers used whole genome sequence data from 225 baboons representing multiple populations to identify several new geographic sites of gene flow between populations. They found that yellow baboons (P. cynocephalus) from western Tanzania are the first nonhuman primate shown to have received genetic input from three distinct lineages. The evolutionary dynamics of baboon populations suggest that other early hominins may display similar complexity. "These results suggest that the population genetic structure and history of introgression among baboon lineages is more complex than was previously thought, and that shows that the baboons are a good model for the evolution of humans, Neanderthals and Denisovans," Rogers said. Using primate mutations to predict risk of human disease One of the consortium studies with key implications for human disease focused on determining clinical relevance of genetic variants. Out of the 4.3 million missense mutations identified in primates in this study, researchers found that 6% can be considered likely benign in human disease because their abundant frequency in primate populations does not appear to have a negative effect. Meanwhile, in the other 94%, researchers used the PrimateAI-3-D deep learning algorithm, an artificial intelligence algorithm developed by the team at Illumina, to predict variant pathogenicity in human disease. "We discovered that if a 'rare' mutation cannot be found in the primate genome, it is very likely to cause a human disease," said Dr. Kyle Farh, lead investigator from Illumina. "In addition, some of these rare mutations can cause, by themselves, some diseases considered polygenic." The new genomic catalog outlined in this series of studies has halved the number of genomic innovations that were believed to be exclusively human. This observation facilitates the identification of those mutations not shared with primates that consequently may be unique to human evolution and the characteristics that make us human. "These studies bring comparative genomics to new heights, and we can predict the impact on both understanding of human biology and on practical clinical diagnostic issues," said Dr. Richard Gibbs, founding director of the Human Genome Sequencing Center and Wofford Cain Chair and Professor of Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor. Other Baylor contributors to this work include R. Alan Harris, Muthuswamy Raveendran, Marie-Claude Gingras, Sejal Salvi and Harshavardhan Doddapaneni. For a full list of authors and funding for this work, see the publications. More information: Lukas F. K. Kuderna et al, A global catalog of whole-genome diversity from 233 primate species, Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.abn7829. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn7829 Provided by Baylor College of Medicine "Examining Remorse in Attributions of Focal Concerns During Sentencing: A Study of Probation Officers" | Main | "Fighting Crime Requires More Police and Less Prosecution" May 31, 2023 Split state appeals court finds "no evidence" supporting California Gov's rejection of parole for "Manson family" member As reported in this AP piece, "California appeals court said Tuesday that Leslie Van Houten, who participated in two killings at the direction of cult leader Charles Manson in 1969, should be let out of prison on parole." Here is more about a notable high-profile ruling: The appellate court's ruling reverses an earlier decision by Gov. Gavin Newsom to reject parole for Van Houten in 2020. She has been recommended for parole five times since 2016. All of those recommendations were rejected by either Newsom or former California Gov. Jerry Brown, with the latest such rejection coming in March of 2022. California Attorney General Rob Bonta could ask the California Supreme Court to stop her release. Neither his office nor Newsom's immediately responded to requests for comment on whether they would do so. Van Houten, now in her 70s, is serving a life sentence for helping Manson and other followers kill Leno LaBianca, a grocer in Los Angeles, and his wife Rosemary. Van Houten was 19 at the time. Newsom has said that Van Houten still poses a danger to society. In rejecting her parole, he said she offered an inconsistent and inadequate explanation for her involvement with Manson at the time of the killings. The Second District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles ruled 2-1 to reverse Newsom's decision, writing there is "no evidence to support the Governor's conclusions" about Van Houten's fitness for parole. The judges took issue with Newsom's claim that Van Houten did not adequately explain how she fell under Manson's influence. At her parole hearings, she discussed at length how her parents' divorce, her drug and alcohol abuse, and a forced illegal abortion led her down a path that left her vulnerable to him. They also argued against Newsom's suggestion that her past violent acts were a cause for future concern were she to be released. The full 67-page opinion from the Second District Court of appeals can be found at this link. Here is part of the start of the opinion from the majority: We review the Governors decision under the highly deferential some evidence standard, in which even a modicum of evidence is sufficient to uphold the reversal. Even so, we hold on this record, there is no evidence to support the Governors conclusions. Van Houten provided extensive explanation as to the causative factors leading to her involvement with Manson and commission of the murders, and the record does not support a conclusion that there are hidden factors for which Van Houten has failed to account. The Governors refusal to accept Van Houtens explanation amounts to unsupported intuition. The Governors finding of inconsistencies between Van Houtens statements now and at the time of the murders fails to account for the decades of therapy, self-help programming, and reflection Van Houten has undergone in the past 50 years. The historical factors identified in the criminal risk assessment are the sort of immutable circumstances our Supreme Court has held cannot support a finding of current dangerousness when there is extensive evidence of rehabilitation and other strong indicators of parole suitability, all of which Van Houten has demonstrated. May 31, 2023 at 11:22 PM | Permalink Comments She should die in prison. And yeah, I know she's remorseful and wouldn't hurt a fly. This is interesting: https://hotair.com/john-s-2/2023/05/31/scot-peterson-the-coward-of-broward-finally-heads-to-trial-n554758 Posted by: federalist | Jun 1, 2023 9:29:28 AM I didn't realize that judicial review of a denial of parole was a thing. In my jurisdiction, it's a purely executive branch function for which there is no judicial review. See La. R.S. 15:574.11(A). Posted by: MBC | Jun 2, 2023 10:29:25 AM In my state, we have very limited review of parole decisions -- more for procedural error than for the merits of the decision. Posted by: tmm | Jun 2, 2023 12:49:52 PM What do people think of the Scot Peterson prosecution? Posted by: federalist | Jun 2, 2023 2:21:31 PM Post a comment PM Lee assured the public of low transmission risk, but will self-isolate until a negative ART result. Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time. (Photo: LHL/FB and RODGER BOSCH/AFP via Getty Images) SINGAPORE Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong revealed on Thursday (1 June) that he tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time. In a post on Facebook, the Prime Minister expressed that he felt fine but was experiencing a COVID rebound, a phenomenon that occurs in a small percentage of cases. The 71-year-old assured the public that although the risk of transmission is not high compared to the initial infection, he will be self-isolating until he tests negative using the Antigen Rapid Test (ART). In his Facebook post, Prime Minister Lee stated, "I feel fine but I am afraid I have turned COVID-19 positive again. My doctors say it is a COVID rebound, which happens in 5-10 per cent of cases. It is still infectious although the risk is not high compared to the initial infection. The doctors have advised me to self-isolate until I test ART negative." Lee expressed regret in his post about missing the consecration ceremony of the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple, an event he had eagerly anticipated attending. He apologised to the organisers and attendees, and wished them a successful consecration and celebration. He tested positive for COVID-19 for the first time on 22 May following his visits to South Africa and Kenya. Lee added that he took his most recent COVID-19 vaccine booster in November last year. What is a 'rebound' infection? When US president Joe Biden also tested positive for COVID-19 again in July, he experienced what medical professionals describe as "rebound" infections. Rebound infections, also known as breakthrough infections, occur when individuals experience a second infection of COVID-19 after a previous bout with the virus. While researchers are continuing to study this phenomenon, it is believed to be linked to the immune system's response. In some cases, the immune system may not have had enough time to generate a sufficient antibody response to provide long-lasting protection against the virus. Biden, 79, initially contracted the virus on 21 July, when he experienced mild symptoms. Despite testing negative for the virus multiple times, he tested positive again on 30 July, which prompted him to isolate for the safety of those around him. The US president's physician, Dr Kevin O'Connor, confirmed at that time that no further treatment was required, but Biden had remained under close observation. Biden had been taking Paxlovid, an antiviral medication known to cause a small percentage of COVID patients to experience a "rebound" positive test. Do you have a story tip? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube. Our editorial team is dedicated to finding and telling you more about the products and deals we love. If you love them too and decide to purchase through the links below, we may receive a commission. Prices were correct at the time of publication. Aloft Singapore Novena hotel's renderings. (PHOTO: Marriott International) Marriott International, Inc. today (1 June) announced it has signed an agreement with Hiap Hoe Limited, through HH Properties Pte. Ltd, to bring the design-forward Aloft Hotels brand to Singapore. Following a strategic conversion, the signing of the 785-room hotel expects to open in Q3 2023, marking the Aloft brands debut in Singapore and the largest Aloft hotel in the world. READ: The ultimate guide to fun things to do in Singapore From Bird Park to Bird Paradise: The new Mandai attraction animal lovers will love 8 exciting things to do in Sydney, and how to get the best travel deals 7 fun, family-friendly things to do in Bangkok with kids Vietnam travel guide: 16 best things to do in Nha Trang 12 luxurious hotel pools to add to your travel bucket list Coming soon: Aloft Singapore We are thrilled to announce our third collaboration with Marriott International as we venture and introduce the first Aloft hotel in Singapore, said Mr. Teo Ho Beng, Chief Executive Officer, Hiap Hoe Limited. "Aloft Singapore Novena expects to feature a contemporary and dynamic space that caters to the needs of design-savvy, next-generation travelers and locals. We are excited to provide an urban-inspired gathering place that embodies the Aloft brand's unique personality and energy, tailored for individuals who value boldness, style and connectivity. Aloft Singapore's renderings. (PHOTO: Marriott International) Aloft Singapore Novena will be comprised of two towers and is strategically located in Zhongshan Park, a mixed-use development in the cultural district of Balestier. This area is renowned for its rich heritage and is situated along the Balestier Heritage Trail, surrounded by an array of famous local eateries and linked to the integrated dynamic healthcare precinct, Healthcity Novena. Aloft Singapore's renderings. (PHOTO: Marriott International) Designed by Singapore-based DP Architects, the hotels exterior takes on clean simple forms and will blend harmoniously with Zhongshan Parks natural surroundings. With interiors of the hotel aesthetically designed by KKS International, Aloft Singapore Novena will showcase a vibrant atmosphere akin to the Aloft Hotels brand. Guestrooms will feature ultra-comfortable Sealy beds, custom amenities, complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi, 55-inch LCD televisions and walk-in rainfall showers. Dining options at Aloft Singapore Novena include a modern Chinese and local seafood restaurant, and a Halal-certified buffet restaurant. Aloft Singapore's renderings of the gym area. (PHOTO: Marriott International) The range of facilities available on the property will feature an outdoor pool, and state-of-the-art gym. Business travelers can also plan to host meetings in the hotels pillarless and modern event spaces. The signing of Aloft Singapore Novena heralds the expected arrival of Marriott Internationals 14th hotel in Singapore and we are delighted to be launching the Aloft brand in the country together with such an experienced partner as Hiap Hoe Limited, said Gautam Bhandari, Market Vice President for Singapore and Maldives, Marriott International. With the sites proximity to the citys Central Business District as well as to local attractions and green spaces, the location is strategically placed to enable us to attract both business and leisure guests. Check airfare here: Skyscanner | Trip.com | Expedia Book accommodations and activities here: Agoda | Booking.com | Klook | KKday | HotelsCombined Save big, get the all-inclusive pass & explore your destination in-depth: GoCity General info here: Tripadvisor Affordable data plans here And while you are at it, get your travel insurance with Alliance Assistance | Income | Prudential! SG Telegram banner. 5 21500 14300 5PMI57.1 5 Pixar75 25% The Henderson 81024 19 5PMI50.6 13 OPEC+ 100 0.34% 0.26% CCL0.61% 2% 4.02% 5.33% 9.5 1665 18.6 CHANEL300 TVB53% 9 66610 11 Want to help? Eat cookies Stephanie Sellers, founder of Cookies and Dreams bakery, took the initiative like many others in the Davenport area to donate to the victims of the apartment collapse. But her cookies plan to bring more than just smiles to the community. Sellers was inspired to create the Davenport Disaster Relief Box, a new cookie box of the bakerys most popular cookies with the proceeds going directly to the Quad Cities Disaster Recovery Fund. Our headquarters is two (or) three blocks from the apartment and I saw what a disaster it was, she said. We didnt want to do something where we were profiting. Sellers wanted the box to promote a Midwest and Iowa resiliency amidst the tragedies of the displaced tenants and protests. Two of the cookies included are direct influences of the Iowa community, including the PuppyChow Cookie as she likes to say, No one does puppy chow like an Iowa company, and the Hawkaroo cookie, the officially recognized cookie of the Iowa Hawkeyes. The business has received immense sales from the boxes which will all completely go towards the Recovery Fund currently providing immediate aid to the residents of the apartment. We had way more than anticipated, especially with shipping. Our sales have increased over 50% since we put this on our Facebook, she said. Along with the support through her business, Sellers and her husband passed out cookies and cold water during the recent protests, bringing joy to many of the protesters who stood outside in 90 degree weather throughout the day. We are founded and based in Davenport, she said. I cant believe what its like losing everything or what the victims are going through so I wanted to do something to help. Sellers is currently working with her husband to find additional ways to directly support the victims of the apartment collapse, along with supporting the Recovery Fund. Those looking to buy a box can go to the Cookies and Dreams website or donate directly to the Quad Cities Disaster Recovery Fund. WASHINGTON (AP) Amazon agreed Wednesday to pay a $25 million civil penalty to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations it violated a child privacy law and deceived parents by keeping for years kids' voice and location data recorded by its popular Alexa voice assistant. Separately, the company agreed to pay $5.8 million in customer refunds for alleged privacy violations involving its doorbell camera Ring. The Alexa-related action orders Amazon to overhaul its data deletion practices and impose stricter, more transparent privacy measures. It also obliges the tech giant to delete certain data collected by its internet-connected digital assistant, which people use for everything from checking the weather to playing games and queueing up music. Amazons history of misleading parents, keeping childrens recordings indefinitely, and flouting parents deletion requests violated COPPA (the Child Online Privacy Protection Act) and sacrificed privacy for profits, Samuel Levine, the FCT consumer protection chief, said in a statement. The 1998 law is designed to shield children from online harms. FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya said in a statement that when parents asked Amazon to delete their kids Alexa voice data, the company did not delete all of it. The agency ordered the company to delete inactive child accounts as well as certain voice and geolocation data. Amazon kept the kids' data to refine its voice recognition algorithm, the artificial intelligence behind Alexa, which powers Echo and other smart speakers, Bedoya said. The FTC complaint sends a message to all tech companies who are sprinting to do the same amid fierce competition in developing AI datasets, he added. Nothing is more visceral to a parent than the sound of their childs voice, tweeted Bedoya, the father of two small children. Amazon said last month that it has sold more than a half-billion Alexa-enabled devices globally and that use of the service increased 35% last year. In the Ring case, the FTC says Amazon's home security camera subsidiary let employees and contractors access consumers' private videos and providing lax security practices that enabled hackers to take control of some accounts. Amazon bought California-based Ring in 2018, and many of the violations alleged by the FTC predate the acquisition. Under the FTC's order, Ring is required to pay $5.8 million that would be used for consumer refunds. Amazon said it disagreed with the FTCs claims on both Alexa and Ring and denied violating the law. But it said the settlements put these matters behind us. Our devices and services are built to protect customers privacy, and to provide customers with control over their experience, the Seattle-based company said. In addition to the fine in the Alexa case, the proposed order prohibits Amazon from using deleted geolocation and voice information to create or improve any data product. The order also requires Amazon to create a privacy program for its use of geolocation information. The proposed orders must be approved by federal judges. FTC commissioners had unanimously voted to file the charges against Amazon in both cases. SIOUX CITY Sioux City Community School District Board Director Perla Alarcon-Flory will be moving to Northwest Arkansas in July due to the closure of the local Tyson corporate office. Alarcon-Flory officially announced the move Thursday. On May 23 the school district announced Alarcon-Flory's intention to leave, but no official comment was made by her. Alarcon-Flory's husband, Nathan Flory, worked in the Dakota Dunes Tyson Foods corporate office. In October 2022 Tyson Foods announced its plan to close the Dakota Dunes office and move the employees to the meat companys world headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas. All of the approximately 500 employees in Dakota Dunes were eligible for assistance to relocate to Northwest Arkansas, which was expected to begin early this year. "He has always supported me with my goals and dreams, starting my business, running for office and fulfilling my duties as elected official it is my turn to support him in his career," Alarcon-Flory said. In November, Alarcon-Flory was elected to her third term as a school board member, the only incumbent running at that time. The potential of her absence was made public on Feb. 27 during a public school board meeting. At the time, she said there was no information other than she was hopeful she would be staying in the community and would keep everyone updated. Alarcon-Flory has been directly involved with the district for more than 13 years. She has lived in Sioux City for 22 years. She is the owner of Perla Alarcon-Flory LLC Language Services. Originally from Guerrero, Mexico, she has a degree in international relations. She has two children in the Sioux City schools and one who graduated. "It has been my privilege to serve our community for the past 10 years and work alongside so many incredible people who have positively impacted our future past, current, and upcoming students in the Sioux City Community School District," Alarcon-Flory said in a news release. Iowa statutes and district policy requires that the board take action on filling a vacant board member position whenever a board member resigns or leaves the district, according to a district news release. The board is also required to fill the vacancy by appointment within 30 days after the vacancy occurs. Alarcon-Flory said she hoped the board would select "the right person" to take over her seat through November 2025, the end of her term. The board is allowed to appoint an individual to the board within the 30 day window, but that individual will only serve until November of this year, said Woodbury County Auditor Pat Gill. Gill said that seat will then be up for election in November, and voters will choose who takes over the remaining two years of the term. "I would encourage anyone who has a drive to make a difference and a passion for students to consider serving on the school board," Alarcon-Flory said in a news release. "Being a part of a team a board that has the capacity to shape the future for our students has been an absolute honor." Once a date for the vacancy has been identified and confirmed, the school board will publish notice of the Board's intent to fill the vacancy, according to a news release. Most recently, the Board of Directors appointed Bernie Scolaro to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Dr. Juline Albert. Scolaro was sworn in on Aug. 26, 2022. At this point, five of the seven school board seats will be up for election this year, including the seats held by Board President Dan Greenwell, Taylor Goodvin, Monique Scarlett, Scolaro and Alarcon-Flory. SIOUX CITY In order for an annual event to remain successful, it needs to have a sense of continuity, a bit of variety and, in the case of Sioux City Food Truck Fridays, plenty of great on-the-go grub. At least thats the formula used by the events site manager Becky Barnes. We have some trucks who are here every week, but we have a few trucks who rotate in and out due to availability, Barnes said. That keeps people coming back. We like familiar foods but we also want to try to something new on occasion. People will be flocking to Pearl Street Park, on the corner of Seventh and Pearl Streets, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday when Food Truck Fridays returns for its eighth season. The popular event, sponsored by Seaboard Triumph Foods, Downtown Partners and the City of Sioux City, will run every Friday until Aug. 25. Best known for being the site manager for the Sioux City Farmers Market, Barnes is a newcomer to Food Truck Fridays, though she is already a fan of its location. Pearl Street Park has a nice, casual atmosphere where a family can sit in the shade and have a little summertime picnic, she said. Indeed, young families are a common site at Food Truck Fridays, according to Downtown Partners executive director Ragen Cote. Initially, we thought wed get the downtown workers, she said. You know, the city worker or the person who had an office nearby. Nowadays, food truck aficionados can be of any age and from all walks of life. Thats because food trucks offer a wide variety of cuisines. Years ago, people associated food truck food as being youd get from a county fair, Cote said. The selection is much greater than that. While you can still get plenty of carnival-like fare, there are also trucks featuring made-to-order tacos using fresh ingredients and authentic recipes. Plus there are trucks with menus specializing in lighter, healthier fare. Food trucks are small businesses, Cote explained. They each have a dedicated fan base. Plus people will travel all over town for their favorite food truck fix. With Food Truck Fridays, canny gourmands will have their choice of up to 10 different food trucks in one location. Which is good news for Cote, who is a self-admitted foodie. Id still be a Food Truck Fridays fan, with or without the Downtown Partners affiliation, she said. So, does Cote have any recommendations? It all depends on what Im in the mood for, she said. Sometimes, Ill go for food from a favorite food truck or Ill try something new. Either way, I know Ill get something delicious and satisfying. Formerly South Sioux City Joel Walter Gatewood, Jr., 77, formerly of South Sioux City, died Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at his residence in Burke, Va., after a valiant 14-year battle with multiple myeloma. Services will be at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, June 16, at the Presbyterian Church of the Cross in Omaha, Neb., followed by military honors and interment at the Omaha National Cemetery. Born March 23, 1946, in Wayne, Neb., Joe was the son of Joel and Helen (Small) Gatewood. In 1965, Joe graduated from South Sioux City High School. After graduating from the University of Nebraska in 1969 with a degree in business administration, Joe joined the Navy and reported to Naval Air Station Pensacola for Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School. He was commissioned an Ensign in April 1970. Before heading to Pensacola to begin his military career, he stopped in Miami to ask Marcia Chase, the girl he dated since high school, to marry him. They were married on June 27, 1970, at the Aviation Memorial Chapel in Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla. To this union was born a daughter, Emily Ann, who wrapped her dad around her finger from the moment he held her in his arms. Joe received his wings as a Naval Flight Officer in October of 1970. His first deployment was with the Sundowners (VF-111) F-4 squadron aboard the U.S.S. Coral Sea. He flew 319 combat missions in Vietnam where he was awarded an air medal with bronze star. Joe was selected for the Navy Fighter Weapons School also known as Top Gun twice, in the F-4 Phantom and then in the F-14 Tomcat. He was a flight instructor in VF-124, the F-14 training squadron at Naval Air Station Miramar. He earned his masters degree in business administration from Chapman College while stationed at Miramar. Joe made two cruises as a Naval Flight Officer with the Screaming Eagles (VF-51) F-14 squadron on the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk and the U.S.S. Carl Vinson. During his Naval career, Joe, whose call-sign was Plug, logged 3,500 flight hours and made 732 carrier landings. In 1984, Joe was promoted to the rank of Commander. He received orders to the Naval Air Systems Command, Air-to-Air Program Management office near Washington D.C. In September of 1987, Joe was assigned to a classified joint USAF-USN program located at Eglin Air Force Base at Fort Walton Beach, Fla. Joe retired from the Navy with 21 years of service in 1990. After retiring from the Navy, Joe worked for the Department of the Navy in foreign military sales. His work took him to countries on six continents from 1990 until his retirement from the government in 2011. Family meant everything to Joe. Through all his work-related travels, he always managed to be home for every important event in his daughters life. Joes faith was unshakable. He was a member of the Messiah United Methodist Church where he faithfully made chili every month for a homeless shelter. Since her birth, his granddaughter, Elizabeth, took hold of his heart and became the joy of his life. Joe was a gentleman in every sense of the word. Everyone who met Joe knew of his quick wit, easy going personality, optimistic outlook, and his kindness that had no boundaries. He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him. He is survived by his wife of 52 years; daughter Emily (Josh) Murray; granddaughter Elizabeth; sisters Jacklynn (Wayne) Petersen, Jeanne (Tom) Barnes; brother James Gatewood (fiancee Ruth); sisters-in-law Linda (Keith) Schuster, and Carole (Wayne) Dinkins; and beloved nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents. In lieu of flowers please send donations to the United States Navy Memorial (navymemorial.org). SIOUX CITY -- Iowans involved in historic preservation are getting a close-up look at the Woodbury County Courthouse and other examples of Prairie School architecture as they attend the three-day Preserve Iowa Summit. The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs' statewide conference for historic preservation began Thursday and runs through Saturday. "The rich and colorful history of Sioux City is filled with stories about frontier exploration, riverboats and railroads, so this year's summit will be a real treat for Iowans," Deputy State Historic Preservation Office Heather Gibb said in a statement. "We strongly encourage Iowans and others to join us as we step into the past and present-day Sioux City." Built on the theme "Sioux City Making Tracks," the summit is designed for historic property owners, historic preservation commission members, Main Street staff and board members, developers and planners, government officials, community leaders, architects and students with workshops, presentations and an awards ceremony. The newly renovated Warrior Hotel is hosting the summit meetings, reception and overnight stay for attendees. Built in 1930 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, the Warrior underwent a major renovation and reopened in 2020. The summit is a coordinated effort of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs' State Historic Preservation Office, the City of Sioux City and the Sioux City Historic Preservation Commission. It is funded in part with federal funds from the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior. SOUTH SIOUX CITY -- NextEra Analytics, Inc. (NEA), a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, and South Sioux City, Neb., announced an agreement to implement a NextEra 360 Energy Management System to optimize energy use and reduce the city's carbon emissions. Derived from the company's expertise using data and artificial intelligence to create energy solutions, NextEra 360 is a comprehensive energy management software, which increases operational efficiency, reduces costs and accelerates decarbonization. Under the agreement, NEA will configure and integrate a combination of hardware, software and data services between South Sioux City operations and two cogeneration units owned by one of the city's customers. The project will reduce net load during peak hours, reduce costs, lower emissions and enable South Sioux City's access to real-time load monitoring and savings calculations. "With the implementation of NextEra 360, we are honored to continue the long-standing NextEra Energy Resources relationship with South Sioux City and contribute to the city's sustainability efforts," Richard Argentieri, president of NextEra Analytics, said. "Combining advanced technology and world-class renewable energy expertise, our proprietary platform enables organizations to meet energy management goals, including optimization for low-cost sustainable energy." South Sioux City has an ongoing commitment to adopt strategies toward reducing climate change and its impact, the use of alternative energy resources and promoting environmental health. "We believe that using innovative methods to leverage data is a key to better serving our customers and meeting our sustainability goals," said Mayor Rod Koch of South Sioux City. "With NextEra 360, we will have a detailed view of our emissions data, allowing for the efficient dispatch of energy resources, and, as a result, the citys energy costs will decrease." The city has previously collaborated with NextEra Energy Resources to benefit from its Renewable Energy Storage Project. This project stores solar energy from South Sioux City's 21-acre solar farm to bring clean, renewable energy to residents at times when the sun is not shining. (CNN) Canadian officials announced a fine of more than $18,000 on Wednesday for anyone in Nova Scotia who violates a province-wide burn ban implemented this week as wildfires continue to rage in the region, which has prompted air quality alerts in the northeastern US. The fires, which have spanned more than 42,000 acres as of Wednesday, destroyed buildings and produced huge plumes of smoke as Nova Scotia struggles with record-breaking heat. Officials on Monday announced the province-wide burn ban, expected to stay in place until June 25, due to the seriousness of the current fires. Yesterday I told you there were six burns overnight, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said during a news conference Wednesday. Last night? At least eight. At least eight more reckless people chose to burn. I do not know what they are thinking. During the news conference, Houston said, Anyone who burns in this province, anyone who disrespects the provincewide burn ban can be subject to a fine of 25,000 Canadian dollars ($18,430).The fine was initially set at 237.50 Canadian dollars. The forests are simply too dry. The conditions are too volatile, Houston said. The provinces Department of Natural Resources and Renewables said Wednesday that 17 firefighters are traveling from New York and New Hampshire to help Nova Scotia fight the wildfires starting on Saturday, according to a news release. Were taking every measure to prevent new fires from starting, said Tory Rushton, the provinces minister of natural resources and renewables. All Nova Scotians need to do their part follow the burn ban, stay out of the woods and help keep your families and communities safe. There were at least 14 active wildfires burning throughout the province on Wednesday afternoon, with at least three that remain out of control, according to Scott Tingley, manager of forest protection for the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Renewables. Province remains hot and windy amid wildfires The National Weather Service issued a Code Orange air quality alert for New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania, including the Philadelphia region, which means air pollution concentrations in there may become unhealthy for sensitive groups, including the elderly and young children. Those groups should minimize time outdoors and avoid strenuous activity, the NWS added. The smoke may be close enough to the ground that the affected area will see several hours with elevated concentrations of fine particulate matter, CNN reported. These microscopic particles have a diameter of less than 2.5 microns significantly smaller than the average width of a human hair. Their tiny size allows them easier access deep into lungs, which can exacerbate the effects of respiratory diseases such as asthma. From Wednesday through Thursday, the region continues to be warm and windy without any rain in the forecast, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada, the countrys federal environmental agency. Thursday will be the hottest day of the week and scattered showers will begin to move into the region on Friday with rain expected this weekend, which will bring cooler temperatures. Smoke from the wildfires burning in Tantallon, part of the Halifax Regional Municipality, has reduced visibility and air quality in the area and strong winds have allowed smoke to spread to communities north and east of the municipality, according to CNN meteorologists. The-CNN-Wire & 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. Iowa families can begin signing up starting at 8 a.m. today for a new state-funded private school financial assistance program. The program, signed into law by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds in January, will be phased in over four years until all K-12 students in Iowa will be eligible for roughly $7,600 per year in public funding to put toward private school tuition or other private school expenses. The program is expected to cost $107 million in the first year and $345 million by 2027, when fully implemented. In total, over the course of four years, the program would cost the state an estimated $879 million. A New York-based company, Odyssey, that administers similar programs in other states has been contracted by Iowa to operate the program. For the first academic year, applications for the new Students First Education Savings Accounts will be accepted through June 30. The legislation was approved this year with only Republican support. Supporters said the program will provide greater choice for families in their childs education. Democrats and critics say it will divert state funding from public schools and will disproportionately benefit higher-income families. Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand, a Democrat, has bemoaned a lack of accountability and transparency over how the taxpayer dollars are spent by private schools, which must be accredited by the Iowa Department of Education. How do I apply? Parents and guardians can access the application on the Iowa Department of Educations ESA website at educateiowa.gov. The link redirects them to the Students First ESA platform managed by Odyssey. Applications are in English or Spanish. At this point in the process, parents and guardians will not be asked to provide a name for an accredited private school. After applications are approved, they will be asked to supply that specific information starting July 15. Parents or guardians who choose to enroll their children in an accredited non-public school will receive an amount equal to the per-pupil funding allocated to public school districts for each eligible child. The per-pupil funding for the 2023-24 school year will be $7,635. Half of the money will be available to pay tuition and approved expenses for the fall semester and the remaining half will be available for the spring semester. Funds will be deposited into an education savings account to be used for tuition, fees and other qualified expenses. The money cannot be used to pay preschool tuition. ESA funds must be used for kindergarten through 12th grade education at an accredited private school in Iowa. That includes an online private school, provided the student is enrolled full-time and the school is accredited through the state. Which Iowa students are eligible? All incoming kindergartners and all K-12 students currently attending a public school who choose to enroll in an accredited non-public school for the 2023-24 school year are eligible for the ESA program, regardless of income. Students who attended an accredited non-public school at any time this school year are eligible for the 2023-24 school year, if their household income is at or below 300 percent of the 2023 federal poverty level ($90,000 for a family of four). Income eligibility will be automatically verified during the application process using the parents or guardians 2022 Iowa state tax return. If a parent or guardian did not file a 2022 state tax return, other documentation will be required to complete the application. Income requirements will be phased out: Year one (2023-24) All incoming kindergarten students All public school students Private school students at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty level Year two (2024-25) All incoming kindergarten students All public school students Private school students at or below 400 percent of the federal poverty level that will be updated January 2024 Year three (2025-26) All K-12 students in Iowa, re gardless of income What about home-school students? Are they eligible? Yes, so long as they are to become a full-time student at an accredited non-public school. There are no income restrictions. What information do I have to provide? Parents and guardians applying will need the following information: Parent or guardian legal name, current address, Social Security number or individual taxpayer identification number and contact information (email address and phone number that can receive text messages for updates) and preferred language (English or Spanish) Address used for the 2022 Iowa state tax return, if different from current address Spouses Social Security number or individual taxpayer identification number Students legal name, date of birth and address, if different from the parent or guardians address A parent or guardian must also check boxes acknowledging: They must follow state laws and administrative rules governing the program By participating their student is required to take all applicable state and federally required students assessments, and results submitted to the Iowa Department of Education They authorize the Iowa Department of Revenue to release tax information to the Iowa Department of Education They consent to sharing financial and personally identifiable information from student records with any individual or organization necessary for participation in the program, with the understanding such information will be kept private and protected and not released without consent, unless required under applicable state or federal law. What information will be used to verify residency? Residency will be verified using the parent or guardians 2022 Iowa tax return. If they did not file a state tax return, they will need a current Iowa drivers license or a copy of their current mortgage, lease or utility bill, plus one of the following: Iowa voter registration card Claim of a homestead tax credit or military tax exemption on an Iowa home Active checking or savings account with an Iowa address Other related documents and correspondence with an Iowa address during the tax period A signed, written statement from a parent or guardian claiming Iowa residency and related documents with an Iowa address What if I have more than one child who is eligible? Only one application per family is needed. What can the money be used for? The educational savings accounts must first be used to pay for tuition and fees. Any remaining funds can be used for other eligible expenses, like textbooks, computers, software or tutoring sessions. Odyssey will host a marketplace that will serve as the only eligible place for Iowa families to spend ESA funding on those other eligible expenses. Any purchases made outside Odysseys marketplace will not be eligible for reimbursement, a company official said during a webinar last week. Money cannot be used on clothing, school supplies, child care or transportation costs. How long will it take to know if Ive been approved? Applications that are able to be verified through state tax return data should receive a response within 30 minutes of completion, according to the Iowa Department of Education. Applications that require additional documentation verification or manual review will take more time. When will I receive money? Funds will be available starting July 15, or 30 days after the application is verified and approved, whichever is later. If my student is eligible for an ESA for 2023, will I need to apply next year? Any student who is approved for an ESA and remains an Iowa resident is automatically eligible for funding for following school year, but still will need to submit an application through the Odyssey platform. If ESA funding is more than tuition and fees, can I use the remaining funds to pay tuition and fees for another child? No. ESA funding is specific to the individual student. ESA funds from one account may not be used to pay for costs related to another student. Where can I learn more? Parents and guardians can find answers to frequently asked questions about the application process, eligibility and more on the Iowa Department of Educations ESA website. Technical support will be available from Odyssey representatives by calling 515-368-9564 or emailing help.ia@withodyssey.com. Families can also watch an application training webinar and view a PowerPoint presentation for families in English and Spanish. Parents and guardians can also email studentsfirst@iowa.gov or call 515-954-5652 for more information. WATERLOO A woman has been charged with a homicide in the stabbing death of her mother last month. Waterloo police arrested Sarah Nagy Brown, 33, of Waterloo, for the first-degree murder of 54 year old Roberta Nagy. On May 21, police and paramedics were dispatched to 217-D Fereday Court just after 8 p.m. where they found Nagy unresponsive. Capt. Jason Feaker said she had multiple stab wounds to the neck. After first responders provided life saving measures, she was transported to UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital, where she later died from her injuries. Feaker said Nagy Brown was at the scene and was arrested after she allegedly made "admissions." He could not offer any more details. Nagy Brown will be held with no bond. Biggest tornadoes in Iowa of the past decade Biggest tornadoes in Iowa of the past decade #15. Nov. 11, 2015 #14. Jun. 30, 2014 #13. Aug. 2, 2014 #12. Apr. 14, 2012 #11. Apr. 14, 2012 #10. Jun. 28, 2017 #9. Apr. 5, 2017 #8. May. 27, 2019 #7. Jun. 12, 2013 #6. Jun. 22, 2015 #5. Jul. 14, 2021 #4. Aug. 20, 2019 #3. Jul. 19, 2018 #2. Apr. 4, 2022 #1. Oct. 4, 2013 RICHMOND, Va. (AP) The governors of Virginia, West Virginia and South Carolina on Wednesday joined a growing list of Republican leaders sending their state National Guard soldiers or other state law enforcement officers to the U.S. border with Mexico. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who is considered a possible presidential aspirant, announced an executive order directing the deployment of 100 Virginia National Guard soldiers and 21 support personnel. South Carolina's Henry McMaster and West Virginia's Jim Justice announced their deployments shortly thereafter, also in response to a request from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. The announcements bring to at least eight the number of Republican-led states deploying soldiers or offering other assistance in the weeks since Abbott appealed for help. The ongoing border crisis facing our nation has turned every state into a border state, Youngkin said in a statement. As leadership solutions at the federal level fall short, states are answering the call to secure our southern border, reduce the flow of fentanyl, combat human trafficking and address the humanitarian crisis." President Joe Biden announced in early May plans to send 1,500 active-duty troops to the border, in addition to the 2,500 National Guard members already there. Those military personnel were tasked with data entry, warehouse support and other administrative duties so that U.S. Customs and Border Protection can focus on fieldwork, the White House said. But the Virginia deployment and others from Republican-led states have specifically been in support of Texas Operation Lone Star, which is separate from the active duty and National Guard troops working with the Customs and Border Protection. Abbott launched Lone Star in 2021, saying that the Biden administration was essentially welcoming illegal immigration. Critics have questioned the effectiveness of the multi-billion dollar operation. Some arrests, including for low-level amounts of marijuana during traffic stops, appeared to have little to do with border security, and some Texas National Guard troops initially complained of low morale, late paychecks and having little to do. Abbott's request this month came through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which facilitates state-level mutual aid nationwide. Youngkin and McMaster also joined other governors in Austin last week to discuss border policies. McMasters news release said South Carolinas mission is in the planning phase, with a goal of deployment by July 1. Justice said he had approved the deployment of as many as 50 West Virginia National Guard soldiers and airmen for 30 days. Youngkins order said the Virginia troops will answer to a military commander during a 30-day deployment, not any local civilian authorities. The operating cost of the mission is $3.1 million, spokeswoman Macaulay Porter said in an email. Youngkin, a former private equity executive who is barred under Virginia law from seeking a second consecutive term, is frequently mentioned as a possible 2024 presidential contender. He said earlier this month that he had no plans to launch such a bid this year. Presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is among the other governors who have announced plans to deploy Guard troops and other officers since Abbott's request was made. Mississippi, Iowa, Tennessee, and Nebraska have also volunteered aid, and other GOP-led states have made similar deployments in recent years, part of the party's criticism of Biden's performance on the border. CBP said it doesn't have any role with National Guard deployments with individual states, including Texas. In Virginia, while some Republicans praised Youngkin's decision, the state's Democrats characterized the move as absurd, disingenuous or politically motivated. Youngkin for President has officially jumped the shark our VA National Guard troops shouldnt be used to further presidential ambitions much less fight a MAGA culture war in Texas of all places Never thought I would see my state so compromised, state Sen. Scott Surovell tweeted. Associated Press reporters John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia; Jeffrey Collins and James Pollard in Columbia, South Carolina; and Rebecca Santana in Washington contributed to this report. TYNDALL, S.D. (AP) A South Dakota man has admitted to fatally shooting three people and wounding two others. Francis Lange, 43, on Wednesday entered a plea of guilty but mentally ill to three counts of murder and two counts of aggravated assault, KELO-TV reported. Sentencing is scheduled for July 24. Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty. Lange admitted in court to going into a home in the small town of Scotland, South Dakota, on Nov. 9, 2021, and shooting everyone inside. Those killed included Lange's former girlfriend, Angela Monclova, along with her father, Librado Monclova, and Diane Akins. A 5-year-old girl and another adult were shot but survived. South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley said that under the plea, Lange faces mandatory life in prison without parole, but will receive mental health evaluation and treatment. Psychiatrist Josette Lindahl testified Wednesday that she had met three times with Lange and diagnosed him with schizoaffective disorder. She added that alcohol and other substances made his symptoms worse. (Photo : Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Project Veritas, a far-right activist group, filed a lawsuit against its founder James O'Keefe accusing him of bullying employees and misusing company resources. Project Veritas sues founder James O'Keefe for alleged employee bullying and misuse of company resources A group of employees filed the lawsuit accusing O'Keefe of misdeeds such as eating a pregnant woman's sandwich The founder was also accused of using the company's resources on musical theater productions Project Veritas, a far-right activist group, files a lawsuit against its founder James O'Keefe, accusing him of bullying staff and misusing company resources in his attempt to create a new, rival media entity. The lawsuit was filed on Wednesday in New York federal court, as the two parties currently have a large rift between them. A group of employees working for Project Veritas signed a letter in early February that accused O'Keefe of becoming what they called a "power-drunk tyrant." Project Veritas Sues Founder James O'Keefe They claim that he was "outright cruel" to the company's employees and that his misdeeds ranged from eating an eight-months-pregnant woman's sandwich to spending the company's money on musical theater productions, as per The Daily Beast. Project Veritas complaint against James OKeefehttps://t.co/4iNEXW7uhP Simon Templar (@SimonTemplarPV) May 31, 2023 In February, the company founder was placed on suspension and was later found to have announced the launch of a new group called O'Keefe Media Group (OMG) which was seen as similar to Project Veritas. Many from Project Veritas claim that O'Keefe started his new company while using his original company's resources, such as donor lists and laptops. Neither of the two parties involved in the lawsuit returned requests for comment regarding the controversy. Project Veritas also claims that O'Keefe's supposed wild behavior constituted a breach of contract even before he created OMG. The company's board, during an internal investigation into the founder's conduct this year, "heard allegations that O'Keefe routinely behaved unprofessionally during team meetings." The accusations include O'Keefe screaming at employees during those meetings where he would belittle workers, particularly targeting female staff. The company's workers also believe that the founder used the company's money to fund his first-class travel and luxury hotel stays, according to the Washington Post. Read Also: Joe Biden's Sexual Assault Accuser Defects to Russia: Here's Why Alleged Bullying and Misuse of Resources A previously reported memo revealed that Project Veritas' board grew increasingly concerned that O'Keefe's spending could jeopardize the company's non-profit status with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The company's suspension of O'Keefe was met with criticism among the founder's allies in conservative media and lawmakers in the Republican Party. At the time, Donald Trump Jr. posted on Twitter, "Not sure what PV does without James." The lawsuit argued that even if a person is the founder of an organization, they do not have the authority to "run amok" and place his interests ahead of the said organization. It added that O'Keefe failed to properly fulfill his duties to Project Veritas, which resulted in serious and significant damage. Since its founding, Project Veritas has become a crucial right-wing political and media ecosystem. The company has conducted sting operations against perceived enemies such as Planned Parenthood, Pfizer, and several mainstream media outlets. Furthermore, some of the company's operations have also backfired on itself, such as the unsuccessful attempt to plant a false sexual misconduct allegation in 2017 against former U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore, said Business Insider. Related Article: Hunter Biden Probe: IRS Whistleblower Reveals FBI Procedure Not Followed @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. John Pestal was just a week shy of his 20th birthday when he joined a crowd of 3,000 to see President Harry Truman dedicate World War II Memorial Park for the city of Omaha. Truman stood before the distinctive colonnade bearing the names of 900 Douglas County boys who had died in the war. He spoke a few words and laid a memorial wreath near the foot of the flagpole. On Sunday, Trumans grandson, Clifton Truman Daniel, a writer and public relations executive, will take part in a ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of the parks dedication on June 5, 1948. Pestal, now 94, plans to be there, too. The longtime Dundee barber and Korean War veteran has lived most of his life within a few blocks of Memorial Park. Truman was up at the monument, Pestal recalled. I dont walk too good, but Im going to try to be there with the others to see his grandson. If he does, he might be the only person to attend both ceremonies. Memorial Park now commemorates those who died in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, in addition to those who fell in World War II. Besides honoring the countys war dead, the park also has become an indispensable Omaha gathering place the site of picnics, winter sledding, concerts, weddings and ballgames. This is such an important chunk of property, as a civic space, said Nick Manhart, historian and archivist for the Omaha Parks Foundation, which is sponsoring Sundays commemoration. It was a monumental effort, literally. The event will begin at 1 p.m. The list of notable speakers includes Sen. Deb Fischer, Gov. Jim Pillen, Mayor Jean Stothert, University of Nebraska President and retired Vice Adm. Ted Carter Jr., and Air Force Gen. Anthony Cotton, chief of U.S. Strategic Command. Just as Truman laid a wreath near the flagpole, so will some families of Omahas fallen: Sherry Williams, sister of Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient Pfc. James Fous Jose Puentes, brother of missing Vietnam War Army Staff Sgt. Manuel Puentes Wendy Adelson, mother of Marine Cpl. Daegan Page, who died in the 2021 Kabul airport suicide bombing Chester French, nephew of the unsung Black World War II sailor Petty Officer 1st Class Charles Jackson French, whose heroism in rescuing wounded shipmates was barely acknowledged by the Navy for nearly 80 years. Entertainers from Offutt Air Force Bases Heartland of America band will perform, as will jumpers from the Lincoln Parachute Skydiving Club. Classic military vehicles and military tribute trucks will be on display. Native American veterans will play drums. And the centerpiece is the a 26-foot-tall bronze Embracing Peace, a sculpture depicting a famous V-J Day image of a sailor bending a woman in a nurses uniform over in a deep kiss. The sculpture will be here for six months. Embracing Peace is meant to be an attention-grabber, tying the park back to its World War II origins. Its built on a brand-new event plaza built for future concerts and art shows. The Parks Department is doing what it can to make this park shine, said Tiffany Regan, the Parks Foundations executive director. Were trying to bring people here. Even many in the area dont know the history of the park. Manhart immersed himself in archives at the Durham Museum to learn the parks origin story. He found that it started with Lulu Broad, who owned the Gypsy Tea Shop downtown. Many war widows, troubled by their loss, visited Broad to have their fortunes read in tea leaves. She was so moved by their suffering, she wrote to Henry Doorly, publisher of The World-Herald, in January 1944 with an idea. She said, We need a memorial for these poor souls who died in the war, Manhart said. She had to go to the bigwigs to get it done. Doorly liked the idea and recruited Robert H. Storz, an executive with the family-owned Storz Brewery, to lead the effort. Neither Doorly nor Storz wanted to repeat the failure of an earlier group to raise sufficient funds to build a World War I veterans memorial at Elmwood Park. Robert had a living memory of that kind of fiasco, Manhart said. He took it on his shoulders to create a proper organizational infrastructure, and a fundraising apparatus. Storzs steering committee included more than 80 trustees from across Omaha, and he pitched the park as a living memorial. He asked the whole community to pitch in and raise the $262,450 cost of the land and the memorial, equal to about $4.4 million today. In one letter dated Feb. 15, 1945 before the war was over Storz invited businesses to contribute $5 for every employee who had served in the war, and $100 for every employee who has made the Supreme Sacrifice. In a radio address the same month, he said the park would be a sacred spot, not marred by commercial activities or any other distraction to disturb its tranquil peace. His strategy worked. Storz raised the money in time for land clearing to begin in October 1945 less than two months after the Japanese surrendered to end the war. Omahans watched the earth-moving, tree-planting and monument-building go on for more than 2 years until the day of the dedication finally arrived. Pestal had seen the work up-close. I remember when they had the bulldozers that were shaping that part of the park, he said. They had to push a lot of dirt up there to make that (hill). It was quite a coup to get the president of the United States to visit Omaha. 1948 was an election year, and Truman had just begun the first of the railroad whistle stop tours that became a trademark of his campaign. The Omaha visit was meant to be nonpolitical sort of. His main purpose was to attend a reunion of the 35th Division, the unit Truman served with during World War I. He would also lay a wreath on the tomb of Father Edward Flanagan, founder and director of Boys Town, who had died just three weeks earlier while visiting Germany on Trumans behalf to learn about the plight of European war orphans. That night, he gave a radio speech at Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum. At Trumans side during his visit was Omaha insurance executive Ed McKim, a close friend from their Army days who had worked for Truman briefly as a White House aide in the first months of his presidency. In the morning Truman marched downtown with his Army buddies from Battery D of the 129th Field Artillery, smiling and waving his hat to a cheering crowd estimated at 160,000. After lunch he motored out Dodge Street with McKim to the World War II Memorial Park dedication. Gold Star family members made up much of the crowd. It was a solemn President Truman who stepped to the speakers stand, reported The World-Heralds Ralph Smith. Gone was the jaunty, smiling mood of the Harry Truman who had marched festively in the morning parade. One of those Gold Star family members was McKim. His son, Marine Lt. Eddie McKim Jr., had been killed four years earlier in the Battle of Guam. The 22-year-old had left behind a wife and infant son. His name was on one of the plaques behind where Truman and McKim stood. In his short remarks, Truman noted that a tree had been planted in Eddie McKims honor at the park. Eddie was a fine boy. I knew him from birth until the day he sailed away, he said. Truman praised the men and women, boys and girls, who had helped to win the war. He urged everyone to work for world peace, and for the success of the brand-new United Nations. Then he conjured up the spirit of President Abraham Lincoln and his Gettysburg Address, delivered at the dedication of another monument to the war dead 86 years earlier. If we make this peace what these young men who died believed it would be, they will not have died in vain, Truman said. And with this memorial ever before you, you in Douglas County can always look forward to the accomplishment of that ideal. And I am sure you will. Photos: Embracing Peace sculpture installed at Memorial Park Texas is currently America's leader in wind and solar power. It provides 28% of America's wind energy. If it were a country, it would be the fifth biggest source. Surprisingly, it's about to eclipse California in production of solar power. And so why aren't Texas Republicans bragging about all that? Why, on the contrary, are they attacking clean energy with regulatory and tax burdens? Perhaps it's their co-dependance with oil and gas interests. On the psychosis level, renewables serve as a right-wing, culture-war toy. After all, they are the pride and joy of President Joe Biden and concerned environmentalists everywhere. Same goes for the science behind the warming of our planet. Renewables have become "a four-letter word," according to a big Texas landowner trying to stop a real rancher from putting a wind farm near his rich-man ranch. (His land is his land, and so is his neighbor's.) This leads to a plausible guess: Some of the older Texas money sees green energy's amassing of economic power -- with its growing empire of wind turbines and solar farms -- lording over parts of Texas they're supposed to be lording over. Well, we will need fossil fuels for the near future, but they are headed into the sunset. We don't power our lamps anymore with whale oil. If there weren't so many Texans gaining economic benefit from America's green energy policies, one might say, "Boys and girls, go out and play your game." But they're going after a source of big money and bigger money to come. In olden times, Gov. Rick Perry likened the state's wind projects to Spindletop, the spectacular 1901 gusher that turned Texas into an oil giant. Last year, over a third of the country's clean-power projects were in Texas. One reason, ironically, is that Texas is a low-regulation state that lets people easily build things. Plus, it has loads of open land swept by mighty winds. But one of the bills before the legislature would require renewable energy projects to get permits from the state and an environmental impact statement from the Parks and Wildlife Department. Any property owners "within 25 miles" could call for a hearing. It goes on. The Earth Liberation Front would look on that regulatory aggression with envy. Quote Box Some of the older Texas money sees green energy's amassing of economic power -- with its growing empire of wind turbines and solar farms -- lording over parts of Texas they're supposed to be lording over. You would think that the self-interests in green energy would stir some brain cells in the Texas Capitol. But Gov. Greg Abbott blamed the 2021 electricity blackouts that left millions of Texans without heat in frigid temperatures on -- wind turbines. They did freeze, as did gas-powered plants, coal-fired plants and a nuclear plant. Industrial and consumer users of energy are complaining that the proposed disincentives for green energy will drive up their electricity costs. One of the biggest developers of renewables in Texas, Enel, now says it might reconsider its expansion plans if confronted with new bills targeting their projects with higher costs. (Imagine a governor in Florida threatening his largest taxpayer and employer over some minor disagreement and then the company saying it would halt a big planned development. These are strange times we live in.) Two years ago, Elon Musk moved his electric vehicle carmaker, Tesla, to Texas. His plan was to "end the Oil Age." And when then-President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Accords, Musk quit Trump's advisory council. Sure, Musk has gone mental over woke activism -- whose clout he greatly overestimates -- but you wonder what he thinks about the bold efforts in Texas to punish the very industry he relies on. America now has 55 plants making EVs. As for the Texas political leaders or anyone else who wants to stymie green energy: What's wrong with these people? WASHINGTON (AP) Veering away from a default crisis, the House approved a debt ceiling and budget cuts package late Wednesday, as President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy assembled a bipartisan coalition of centrist Democrats and Republicans against fierce conservative blowback and progressive dissent. The hard-fought deal pleased few, but lawmakers assessed it was better than the alternative a devastating economic upheaval if Congress failed to act. Tensions ran high throughout the day as hard-right Republicans refused the deal, while Democrats said extremist GOP views were risking a debt default as soon as next week. With an overwhelming House vote, 314-117, the bill now heads to the Senate with passage expected by week's end. McCarthy insisted his party was working to give America hope as he launched into a late evening speech extolling the bill's budget cuts, which he said were needed to curb Washington's runaway spending. Amid deep discontent from Republicans who said the spending restrictions did not go far enough, McCarthy said it is only a first step." The package makes some inroads in curbing the nations debt as Republicans demanded, without rolling back Trump-era tax breaks as Biden wanted. To pass it, Biden and McCarthy counted on support from the political center, a rarity in divided Washington. In a statement released after the vote, Biden said: I have been clear that the only path forward is a bipartisan compromise that can earn the support of both parties. This agreement meets that test. He called the vote good news for the American people and the American economy. Biden had sent top White House officials to the Capitol and called lawmakers directly to shore up backing. McCarthy worked to sell skeptical fellow Republicans, even fending off challenges to his leadership, in the rush to avert a potentially disastrous U.S. default. Swift passage later in the week by the Senate would ensure government checks will continue to go out to Social Security recipients, veterans and others and would prevent financial upheaval at home and abroad. Next Monday is when the Treasury has said the U.S. would run short of money to pay its debts. Overall, the 99-page bill restricts spending for the next two years, suspends the debt ceiling into January 2025 and changes some policies, including imposing new work requirements for older Americans receiving food aid and greenlighting an Appalachian natural gas line that many Democrats oppose. It bolsters funds for defense and veterans, and guts new money for Internal Revenue Service agents. Raising the nation's debt limit, now $31 trillion, ensures Treasury can borrow to pay already incurred U.S. debts. Top GOP deal negotiator Rep. Garret Graves of Louisiana said Republicans were fighting for budget cuts after the past years of extra spending, first during the COVID-19 crisis and later with Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, with its historic investment to fight climate change paid for with revenues elsewhere. But Republican Rep. Chip Roy, a member of the Freedom Caucus helping to lead the opposition, said, My beef is that you cut a deal that shouldnt have been cut. For weeks negotiators labored late into the night to strike the deal with the White House, and for days McCarthy has worked to build support among skeptics. At one point, aides wheeled in pizza at the Capitol the night before the vote as he walked Republicans through the details, fielded questions and encouraged them not to lose sight of the bills budget savings. The speaker has faced a tough crowd. Cheered on by conservative senators and outside groups, the hard-right House Freedom Caucus lambasted the compromise as falling well short of the needed spending cuts, and they vowed to try to halt passage. A much larger conservative faction, the Republican Study Committee, declined to take a position. Even rank-and-file centrist conservatives were unsure, leaving McCarthy searching for votes from his slim Republican majority. Ominously, the conservatives warned of possibly trying to oust McCarthy over the compromise. One influential Republican, former President Donald Trump, held his fire: "It is what it is, he said of the deal in an interview with Iowa radio host Simon Conway. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said it was up to McCarthy to turn out Republican votes in the 435-member House, where 218 votes are needed for approval. As the tally faltered on an afternoon procedural vote, Jeffries stood silently and raised his green voting card, signaling that the Democrats would fill in the gap to ensure passage. They did, advancing the bill that hard-right Republicans, many from the Freedom Caucus, refused to back. Once again, House Democrats to the rescue to avoid a dangerous default, said Jeffries, D-N.Y. What does that say about this extreme MAGA Republican majority? he said about the party aligned with Trumps Make America Great Again political movement. Then, on the final vote hours later, Democrats again ensured passage, leading the tally as 71 Republicans bucked their majority and voted against it. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the spending restrictions in the package would reduce deficits by $1.5 trillion over the decade, a top goal for the Republicans trying to curb the debt load. In a surprise that complicated Republicans' support, however, the CBO said their drive to impose work requirements on older Americans receiving food stamps would end up boosting spending by $2.1 billion over the time period. That's because the final deal exempts veterans and homeless people, expanding the food stamp rolls by 78,000 people monthly, the CBO said. Liberal discontent, though, ran strong as nearly four dozen Democrats also broke away, decrying the new work requirements for older Americans, those 50-54, in the food aid program. Some Democrats were also incensed that the White House negotiated into the deal changes to the landmark National Environmental Policy Act and approval of the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline natural gas project. The energy development is important to Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., but many others oppose it as unhelpful in fighting climate change. On Wall Street, stock prices were down. In the Senate, Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell are working for passage by week's end. Schumer warned there is no room for error." Senators, who have remained largely on the sidelines during much of the negotiations, are insisting on amendments to reshape the package. But making any changes at this stage seemed unlikely with so little time to spare before Monday's deadline. Pay Dirt is Slates money advice column. Have a question? Send it to Athena and Elizabeth here. (Its anonymous!) Dear Pay Dirt, Ive never once in my life made a budget. Do I really need one? Im 36 and Im married to my lovely spouse, whos 35. I work in technology and make about $170,000/year and Im lucky that my spouse is a teacher who makes upwards of $80,000. We do not plan to have children. Ive done budget-esque things, like auto-paying my student loans until they were paid off, but Ive generally never allocated pots of money to specific outcomes. The closest Ive gotten was opening a HISA for our many-month emergency fund and big purchases fund, which we use for vacations and such. The thing isit works! Neither my partner nor I have champagne tastes, so we passively squirreled savings away into a large-cap index fund until we had enough to plunk down 20 percent on a condo mortgage in a very expensive area. Same with retirement; we just save the max every year without putting too much thought into it. We grab dinner and theater tickets whenever we feel like it, which isnt extraordinarily often but keeps us happy. I think we can keep doing this for a very long time. Weve cruised on vibes and frugality for years and we have more than enough savings in diversified holdings that a five-figure emergency wouldnt even hurt us too badly. This isnt crazy, right? We Just Dont Spend That Much Related from Slate Jenee Desmond-Harris Help! I Set up a Co-Worker and a Friend on a Blind Date. Her Drink Order Ruined Everything. Read More Dear We Just Dont Spend That Much, As a certified budgeting expert, I think everyone needs a budget. Its one of the main building blocks your financial house is built upon.Heres the good news: Although unintentional, youre currently practicing a budgeting method. This method is known as the pay-yourself-first method or an anti-budget. The pay-yourself-first method means that every paycheck, you put money aside for your financial goals and then spend the rest. The theory is that since your priorities have been taken care of, youre guilt-free to spend as much as you want without having to worry. Most start by setting 10 percent of their income aside and then go upwards from there. By default, youre less likely to spend money overall because youve given yourself permission instead of being restrictive. So yes, continue on with your budget and go buy yourself a meal out. Athena More Advice From Slate Our 2-year-old has always been a pretty good eater: She eats a variety of foods and has always eaten a lot. Both at day care and at home, she gets breakfast, lunch, and dinner on a schedule, and we eat together around a table with no screens. We try not to praise her for eating, though we do praise her for trying new things, and weve tried to let her hunger be the guide. Theres a beautiful scene in the memoir-turned-musical Fun Home where an elementary schoolaged Alison Bechdel spots a masculine deliverywoman in a diner, an encounter that sparks a kind of epiphany about her own identity. The little girl admires the woman from across the room, grasping for the right words to describe her fascination. I thought it was supposed to be wrong / But you seem OK with being strong, she sings. Its probably conceited to say / But I think were alike in a certain way. Advertisement Young Bechdel marvels at the womans short haircut, butch swagger, and lace-up boots. The focal point of her ode, the unmistakable signifier that gives the song its title, is the ring of keys on her belt. That song, and the scene in the 2006 memoir from which the musical was adapted, was based on a true-life moment Bechdel experienced in the 1960s. But look to the waistbands of any modern-day gaggle of queer women, and youre liable to find a critical mass of jingling metal attached. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The beltside key ring is one of the most enduring sartorial symbols of lesbian culture, one of the few stereotypes of our kind thats both inoffensive and true. Baby gays searching the internet for ways to find their people and send out lesbian vibes will learn that the universal key chain signal for lesbians is the carabiner clip and even straight people know it. When Pharrell Williams wore a sparkly yellow carabiner on his pants at the 2015 BET Awards, comedian Fortune Feimster joked that hed picked up a lesbians keys. Kate McKinnons cliched lesbian character in 2015s Sisters has a whole collection of carabiners to her name. Advertisement As a kid, I thought bunches of keys on belts were just really cool, but I dont think I ever saw a woman wearing one, Bechdel told me in an email. Then after college, I moved to New York City and got one myself. I cant quite remember what possessed me. Maybe I saw someone else doing it. Or maybe I just saw it at the hardware store and thought, what the hell! Im in New York, I can do whatever I want. When I first came out, the key ring was the first visual cue I learned of my new world, picked up through anthropological surveys of lesbian dance parties. Many years and worn-out carabiners and photos of friends key-adorned hips later, I still wear my keys on my belt for fashion and function. Advertisement Advertisement Both fashion and function are integral to the origin story of the key ring as lesbian flagging device. The style stems from the history of butch women being attracted to the masculine aesthetic of blue-collar jobs, and being shunted into such jobs because they didnt fit the gender molds of the other career tracksstewardess, waitress, secretaryavailable to women in generations past. (Lesbians were also more likely to have jobs in general in previous eras, as they didnt have male spouses to breadwin and demand kept homes.) Without strict dress codes, women who worked as custodians, postal workers, and mechanics could stretch the boundaries of accepted gender presentations. They also needed easily accessible keys. Advertisement Advertisement [Key rings are] a phallic symboltheyre all about potency, agency, capability, Bechdel said. In the 70s, the prevailing flavor of lesbian feminism was anti-butch, painting masculine women as man-imitators and butch-femme relationships as retrograde. By the time Bechdel got to New York in the 80s, she said, that conventional wisdom had shifted so that a timid college-educated white lesbian like myself could walk around feeling tough and transgressive with a leather key ring on her belt loop. Advertisement Another root of the lesbian key-ring tradition connects to kink culture and gay cruising. People involved in the leather scene used to (and sometimes still do) wear their keys clipped to their belt loops based on their sexual preferences: on the right side to indicate that the wearer is a bottom, and left if shes a top. One oft-repeated theory says a Village Voice writer once jokingly suggested that gay men should dispense with this binary key system and develop a more complex system to reflect a broader taxonomy of sexual desire, thus sparking the creation of the hanky code. Advertisement The semiotics of the carabiner have largely been divorced from sex for todays lesbian, but key clips are still reliable identity flagging implements. Bechdel calls her key ring an identifier, a way to make myself visible to other lesbiansand not even in a sexual way, just as a way of connecting and finding community. Krista Burton, who used to write the fantastic queer blog Effing Dykes, once surmised that carabiners kept their place on the lesbian belt loop through the years because of their functionality and simplicity, qualities many of our favored fashions share. Lesbians are way less likely than straight women to carry purses around, but womens jeans dont allow much pocket room for a bundle of keys. A ring of keys presents an elegant solution. Advertisement Advertisement A key ring also makes a perfect visual signifier for a culture that contains a full spectrum of gender presentations. Short nails are one well-known way to spot a lesbian in the wild, but not everyone has sex the same way, and apparently theres some high-femme workaround with cotton balls and latex gloves? Carabiners, which range from the utilitarian to the adorned, know no gender. Side-shaves and other alternative lifestyle haircuts have been usurped by straight women, muddling one of our clearest indicators; with their fancy purses and dresses, straight women are unlikely to ever adopt the belt loop key ring en masse. This is one reason why Ring of Keys has held such profound resonance for lesbians and queers of all genders: Moments of identification and affinity are essential for communities facing discrimination, assimilation, and erasure. Masculine-of-center lesbians in particular have long served as a cultural punch line, what Fun Home lyricist Lisa Kron has called a stock character of ridicule.* Ring of Keys is a powerful repudiation of that archetype, an earnest appreciation of the butch aesthetic viewed through an object thats helped lesbians find one another for generations. But now that the sacred symbol has been broadcast from Broadway stages and across national airwaves, it feels a bit conspicuous for the artist responsible. Nowadays I keep my keys on a carabiner, and stow them in my bag, Bechdel told me. There are certain occasions when clipping them onto my belt loop makes the most sense, but ever since Ring of Keys became the national butch anthem, I feel strangely self-conscious about doing that. Read more from Outwards Lesbian Issue. *Correction, Dec. 21, 2016: This piece originally misspelled Lisa Krons last name. Update, May 31, at 10:46 p.m.: The House passed the debt ceiling deal, ultimately with more Democrats supporting the bill than Republicans. It now heads to the Senate. In Washington, everyone is counting. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is tallying up Republican votes in favor of the debt ceiling agreement he negotiated with the White House; House Democrats are tallying up their own roster of support. Each party is also counting up the other partys votes, perhaps, with even more enthusiasm. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats expect two-thirds of the Republican caucus to support the bill; House Republicans have said theyre banking on at least 100 Democratic votes. Advertisement The attention, now, is on the Nos. How many Congresspeople will vote against the billand which caucuses they come fromis the most interesting development left in the debt ceiling drama. Its a fitting end to the extremely high stakes, low-interest showdown between Republicans and the White House. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So far, 30 House Republicans are on the record in opposition, mostly from the House Freedom Caucus (and its extended universe). Some of them claim to be quite upset with a deal that does not gore social spending on extremely popular things like health care, social security, welfare, food aid, and more. (Texas Rep. Chip Roy said Republicans would default on the American Dream by voting for this bad bill; Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs called the deal malodorous.) Advertisement That group, however, is conspicuously lacking some of its most high-profile members. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, waxing poetic about eating shit, seems to have locked in her support for the agreement. Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie had a chance to stand in its way in the House Rules Committee and did not. Even those who are vociferously voting no have been unwilling to commit to ousting McCarthy as speaker, despite needing only one vote to initiate that process. If the Freedom Caucuss performance in Januarywhere they repeatedly opposed McCarthys speakership through rounds and rounds of voteswas largely revealed to be bluster, their opposition to this debt ceiling deal seems even more toothless. Roy had his podium moment meltdown over the bill on Tuesday, which influenced the agreements contents and trajectory not one inch, though his Republican colleague Garret Graves said he was really offended by it. Roy probably wont be the only one to grandstand before Wednesdays vote is through. Advertisement Advertisement On the Democratic side, the Congressional Progressive Caucus has also signaled it is none too pleased with the deal. CPC Chair Pramila Jayapal announced herself as a no vote, and indicated that a large number of their caucus will similarly be opposed. (Sen. Bernie Sanders said, in a tweet, that he could not, in good conscience, vote for the deal; Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon recently followed suit.) The New Democrat Coalition, the group of pro-business moderates on the Democratic side, has already announced its membership as an enthusiastic yes; ditto the very inaptly named Problem Solvers Caucus which is bipartisan and constantly causing problems. (Theres a case to be made that this deal would never have been necessary in the first place if not for thembut I digress.) Advertisement Advertisement In any event, opposition from any Democrats seems unlikely to jeopardize the bill. California Rep. Ro Khanna said as much in an interview on MSNBC earlier today: Im a no, but I have full confidence that the deal will pass. Many House progressives have said if they need our vote, well be there, he said. Democrats only need to help get to 218 so the threat of default is not on the tableWe should have invoked the 14th Amendment, but Biden did best he could under the circumstance of a hostage negotiation, Khanna tweeted as a follow up. Advertisement Advertisement So, as many progressives as can will oppose the bill, but without going below the number of votes needed, exsanguinating this bloodless drama even further. If theres considerable progressive opposition it will only be because there is not considerable Republican opposition. (Still, the left-flank defectors will be notable if only because the progressive caucus has actually been Bidens most reliable congressional ally through the two-plus years of his presidency.) Advertisement Once the bill goes through the House, the Senate might be more intriguing. At that point, it becomes incumbent upon Mitch McConnell to find ten votes. It doesnt, at this point, seem like theres organized wholesale opposition on the Democrat side in that chamber either, though its possible some of the 14th amendment crew, the 11 Democratic senators who have posited that this whole debt ceiling drama is unconstitutional and thus unnecessary, will defect. Sen. Tim Kaine might try to keep Sen. Joe Manchin from getting his personal pipeline smuggled through the text. But were not expecting a ton of fireworks. This is all to say: We are officially in the spin cycle, where whats actually in the bill becomes a distant concern compared to how to sell it. Advertisement Advertisement Nowhere is this more apparent than the discussion of the additional work requirements being added to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps program. Republicans successfully pushed for expanded work requirements for SNAP eligibility, raising the age for single adults from 49 to 54 years of age. Related from Slate Alexander Sammon At a Blowout Party for Unsung Republican Heavyweights, the Men Were Drunkand Anxious Read More Everyone knows those work requirements, which are also onerous paperwork requirements, are effectively cuts. Given how unpopular cutting food aid is, and how intellectually illegitimate work requirements are on a policy level, the White House has taken to spinning this as a bank shot triumph because the agreement also does technically exempt veterans, homeless people, and young adults who are coming out of foster care. A favorable score from the Congressional Budget Office, which is almost never right about anything consequential, claims that SNAP enrollment will actually go up under this rule making regime. Theres a ton of reason to be skeptical of thateven beyond the CBOs risible track recordbut perhaps the biggest reason is that the amount of money and energy needed to do the outreach to enroll homeless people in SNAP is considerable, and theres nothing set aside for that purpose. Its possible Democrats believe they can quickly reverse the impact of those cuts when the Farm Bill comes up for negotiations later this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SNAP is just one of a handful of things in the bill; as Khanna mentioned, progressives seem as incensed by the process itself as the contents. Still, the overarching questionfor those not being booted into poverty due to these administrative tweaksis who won the negotiation. Any deal cut by the White House was going to be, by definition, a loss. The cuts and overall spending freezes are real, though much less severe than some reports had anticipated. Republicans got a bill with zero Democratic priorities in exchange for raising the debt ceiling, which was not itself a Democratic priority, but something that just had to happen. At the same time, Republicans showed yet again they have not even a passing interest in a balanced budget, after they shunned revenue raisers like tax hikes on the rich but embraced increased military spending. They also pushed a cut on IRS funding; a fully-funded IRS is an unequivocal deficit shrinker. And yet, Biden made off much better than Barack Obama in 2011, when Republicans secured massive cuts, took his lunch money, and then some. After that debacle, Democrats said theyd learned their lesson and wouldnt allow the debt ceiling to be used by the GOP for extortionary purposes. Then they did nothing to prevent it from happening. And it happened again. Now, similarly, were hearing that Democrats may take steps to prevent another hostage-taking event in two years; Biden has signaled the 14th amendment approach may work in the future. But whether they take any kind of action at all will almost certainly depend on the outcome of the 2024 election. Its more fun via email (promise). This article first appeared in our Slatest evening newsletter, which seeks to surface the best pieces published across Slates digital and audio journalism. We publish it there to help you cut to the chase at the end of each day. To get it in your inbox, along with more of the best work we published that day, sign up below. Earlier this year, ProPublica broke the story that GOP megadonor Harlan Crow had bought property in Georgia from Clarence Thomasthe house of Thomas 94-year-old mother, Leola Williams. Advertisement Our own Joel Anderson had actually done a sit-down interview with Williams a little while before the news broke, making him the one to confirm she still lives there. To mark the release of Slow Burn Season 8, he wrote about what he learned from talking to her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This new season traces Thomas surprising path from college radical to conservative icon. The first episode focuses on Thomas youth, and how he went from an aspiring priest in rural Georgia to a campus activist, inspired by the teachings of Malcolm X. You can listen on Slate here, or wherever you prefer to listen to podcasts: YouTube Spotify Apple Podcasts All ways to listen A sandwich most foul Amid negotiations to keep the U.S. from defaulting on its debts next week, theres been a strange outbreak of seeminglyreasonable behavior among Republicans in D.C.? Ben Mathis-Lilley has some ideas about why the GOP seems eager to eat what the New York Times euphemistically dubbed a foul sandwich. Advertisement Plus: The debt ceiling deal is a mixed bag when it comes to climate change! Nitish Pahwa lays out the pros and cons. Life and debt Advertisement Advertisement Speaking of debt: Is student debt forgiveness happening, or what? Its still very much up in the air. Shirin Ali takes a look at the obstacles standing in its path. Despicable Ron Earlier this month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill that will bar immigrants from China from buying property in the state. It goes into effect in July. Advertisement Why did he do this? Or, as 8-year-old Jia Jing Chen asked during a public hearing in April, Did Chinese people do something bad to Florida? In addition to making a mockery of the Constitution and causing 8-year-olds to wonder why theyre being targeted, these measures will make immigrants susceptible to hate crimes and abuse, Azadeh Shahshahani and Juilee Shivalkar write. They look at similar bills being pushed around the country, and how they will have devastating consequences for peoples livelihoods and safety. Picture perfect Magic Eraser lets you buff the randos from your beloved vacation snapsbut youre losing something valuable in the process, Rebecca Onion argues. She makes the case for leaving strangers in your family photos. Today, Slate is ASKING A STAFFER WHERE THE ARMADILLOS ARE* much like Alexander Sammon was, on his sojourn through the big, boozy annual convention of some unsung GOP heavyweights: the car dealers of America. Early on Wednesday morning, police officers from the Atlanta Police Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation raided the Teardown House, a hub for a constellation of organizing activity in East Atlanta. At least a dozen officers in riot gear, wielding assault rifles, arrested three organizers from the Atlanta Solidarity Fund, a nonprofit that supports people who are arrested for protest or activism. The Solidarity Fund pays bail, provides jail support, and refers people who have been arrested to available lawyers. In other words, the Solidarity Fund connects people who are still presumed innocent to things that they are legally entitled to: the ability to have others pay their bail and a lawyer to represent them in court. Advertisement As a collective of people who post bail for strangers, the Atlanta Solidarity Fund is one of nearly a hundred organized bail funds around the country. These community bail funds share a sense that the state should not be subjecting people to the violence of jail simply because they cannot pay their bail. More essentially, bail funds understand that one powerful way to push back against the injustice of pretrial detention is to join together in the act of paying bail for strangers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the case of the Atlanta Solidarity Fund, much of their focus in the past year has been on providing this collective support to activists in their local movement to stop Cop City, shorthand for the Atlanta Police Foundations plan to raze 85 acres of the Weelaunee Forest and, in its place, build a $90 million police training complex that includes a small model city in which to practice police tactics. The Cop City project would, in turn, be funded by at least $30 million in Atlantas public funds, and possibly as much as $51 million in public money. For more than two years, the Stop Cop City movement has pushed back against this proposal, through protest actions and tactics ranging from occupation of the forest to mass testimony at city council hearings on the proposal. In return, local and state police have continuously surveilled and criminalized these activities, beginning with the arrests of protesters in September 2021. The movement lost its first member to state violence when, in January 2023, Georgia State Patrol killed a 26-year-old nonbinary movement activist who was known as Tortuguita, and who was shot at least 57 times by patrol officers while they sat cross-legged in the forest. According to the police, Tortuguita fired first and hit a state trooper, but the available evidenceincluding the autopsy report, body camera footage, and a lack of gunpowder residue on Tortuguitas bodypoint to the state trooper being hit by a fellow officer and Tortuguitas hands being up in the air when they were gunned down in cold blood. Advertisement Advertisement The three Solidarity Fund organizers arrested this weekMarlon Kautz, Adele Maclean, and Savannah Pattersonhave been initially charged with the felony crimes of charity fraud and money laundering. Georgia officials are not hiding the underlying theory of these prosecutions: that to be part of a group supporting protesters is, itself, a crime. State prosecutors said as much during the bail hearings of dozens of activists who were charged earlier this year with state domestic terrorism chargestheir terrorism being the alleged destruction of property or trespassing while engaged in protest. During these prior bail hearings, the state prosecutors made arguments that, were it not for the accompanying criminalization, might verge on comical: They used as evidence against the activists at their bail hearings the fact that some of those arrested had written on their arms the phone number of the Atlanta Solidarity Fund in case bail was set against them. The activists were correct in their fear that the police might arrest protesters and attempt to hold them in cages because they could not afford bail. And for that prescience, they were labeled as terrorists. The states intention to criminalize dissent could not have been clearer, to both the prosecutors and those they were prosecuting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is a longstanding tactic of the repression of dissent: to criminalize the collective care of activists, including through the payment of money bail. In the 1950s, for example, the federal government targeted a bail fund run by the Civil Rights Congress that supported people charged in politically motivated prosecutions, especially those accused of communism under the second Red Scare. The Congress president, writer Dashiell Hammett, served five months in a federal prison because he would not reveal the names of the funders of the bail fund. More recently, politicians across the political spectrum have surveilled and attacked community bail funds in the wake of the 2020 uprisings against police violence, whether it was the repeated far-right attacks on the Minnesota Freedom Fund during the 2020 and 2022 national elections, or the 2020 investigation of the Massachusetts Bail Fund by then-Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, who is now the governor. (Healeys investigation was later quietly closed without any findings of wrongdoing.) In each instance, government officials took a routine procedurethe posting of bailand turned it into alleged criminal conduct because of the collective, and therefore political, nature of the actions. Advertisement This weeks prosecutions of the Atlanta Solidarity Fund organizers, however, have taken this form of state political repression to a new level. In what is a first in recent memory, prosecutors are openly charging people with felonies simply for being organizers within a bail collective that uses legally established procedures to post bail for movement allies. The state is criminalizing collective care itself. And it is doing so at a time when forms of collective support are becoming increasingly essential, whether it is efforts to support people seeking abortions, to provide health care to trans youth across state lines, to leave out water for people crossing through the desert, or to house, clothe, and feed migrants in crisis. As each of these forms of collective care face repression and accompanying criminalization, we should be frightened by the ways in which the state so quickly transforms a group of people taking care of someone else into a criminal act. As state officials in Georgia are demonstrating, this does not always require the passage of a new criminal lawalthough states are doing that, too. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Part of what makes this state repression so troubling is that it is so explicit: If you take care of each other, we will come for you. By criminalizing the support structures of social movements, government officials are acknowledging how threatening it is when people come together to live out understandings of public safety and collective freedom that clash with the governments stated priorities. The Stop Cop City movement has certainly done this, using festive concerts in a forest to draw broader connections between the destruction of natural resources and the funding of police violence. The criminalization of this mutual joy is frightening, but it also points toward the power of collective care and solidarity, a power that we all can and should seek to play a part in, wherever we live. Update June 2, 9:30 a.m.: The Senate passed the debt ceiling deal, and it is now headed to President Bidens desk. On Wednesday, Slate published a summary of the state of affairs on Capitol Hill that was organized around the concept of the shit sandwich. The term is a somewhat common way of referring to a deal between multiple parties that no one really likes but that everyone decides to go along with because they dont have a better option. You dont want to eat the sandwich, because it is made of shit, but you have to, because you are very hungry and no one is offering you ham or tuna. In this case, the phrase was used by Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to describe the debt ceiling agreement between Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden, which does a little bit of budget trimming (which Democrats dont like) but not very much of it (which Republicans dont like). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heres how Greenes shit sandwich made it into the New York Times (which famously does not print any news that is not fit to print, as defined by the New York Times): Hard-right lawmakers are in open revolt over the compromise and have vowed to try to derail it, with some warning of dire consequences for Mr. McCarthy for shepherding it. Multiple right-wing lawmakers have savaged the bill, publicly using a profanity-laced description to compare it to a foul-tasting sandwich and arguing that it does nothing to secure the kind of deep spending cuts and rollbacks of Biden administration policies for which they have agitated. As is suggested here, you could also define shit sandwich as something someone is trying to trick you into eating even though its disgustingsomething that youre rejecting. But Greene voted for the bill. Advertisement At one point on Wednesday afternoonand youre just going to have to trust us on this because the Wayback Machine didnt catch itthe phrase foul-tasting sandwich was edited to foul sandwich, perhaps because it was decided that the latter wording was less descriptive and thus less upsetting. (The Times declined, politely, to comment on the alteration.) Then, as you can see in the current version of the piece, the reference to sandwiches was removed entirely. That change is easier to explain because the story was updated to focus on the bill having passed through the House by a wide margin, 314 to 117, with bipartisan support. The main thing to know about the debt ceiling bill is no longer that some representatives hate it but that most of them have decided its fine. Advertisement Speaking of which: Several senators are reportedly expected to propose amendments to the bill now that its passed into their chamber. (Republicans want increases to defense spending, while Democratic Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine says hes not happy about a provision that approves a natural gas pipeline through his state.) But none of these amendments are expected to receive filibuster-proof 60-vote support, in part because sending the bill back to the House with changes could extend the legislative process to the point that the U.S. actually defaults on its Treasury payments. Which means that the Houses version is likely to pass in the Senate, as is, sometime on Friday, after which Biden will sign it. And that, as they say in civics textbooks, is how a foul sandwich becomes the law of the land. When the Oklahoma Supreme Court first declared a limited state constitutional right to abortion in March, many didnt bat an eye. There were splashier state supreme court rulings, like one in South Carolina recognizing a privacy right to make decisions about abortion, or a recent Montana decision reaffirming a state abortion right and striking down a law that prohibited certain nurses from performing the procedure. The Oklahoma ruling, by contrast, was about limited exceptions to abortion bans, and historically, exceptions made little difference in the real world. There was even something a little grotesque about the courts conclusions: as Jessica Valenti wrote, the case invited judges to debate how close to death a woman needs to be to justify giving her care. Advertisement But this weeks ruling, together with the courts decision last March, gives some teeth to the limited right the court identified. The courts decision suggests a kind of middle path for courts in red states to carve out limited, but real, protection for abortion and other pregnancy-related careand to make abortion exceptions something more than political theater. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oklahoma, like other conservative states, left no stone unturned when it came to prohibiting abortion. In addition to a criminal law first passed in 1910, the state recently passed two laws inspired by Texass SB8, allowing for lawsuits when anyone performed an abortion (one kicked in at six weeks, before many know they are pregnant, while the other applied from the moment of fertilization). Both also included some exception: the six week ban allowed for abortion in cases of medical emergency (a term that the law never defined); the ban from fertilization allowed for abortion only when an abortion is necessary to preserve the life of a pregnant woman whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, physical illness, or physical injury. Then there were two criminal laws that banned abortion, in case anyone was confused about where the state stood on the issue. Advertisement In March, the state supreme court not only declared an inherent right of a pregnant woman to terminate a pregnancy when necessary to save her life but also suggested that the legislature would have to do more than pay lip service to the idea of life-saving exceptions. After all, both laws the court struck down in March had medical emergency exceptions, but the court thought that a true life exception required something more than [r]equiring one to wait until there is a medical emergency. These unwarranted delays, the court reasoned, would further endanger the life of the pregnant woman. This week, the court reinforced the limited state right, striking down the two SB8-style bans. Only the 1910 prohibition remains standing, and even it may not last for long. Advertisement Advertisement While this development may offer a path forward in other red states, we still shouldnt make too much of the Oklahoma decisions. To start with, Oklahoma judges face retention elections, and there is no guarantee that voters in the ruby red state wont punish jurists for recognizing a limited abortion right (a reconfigured Iowa Supreme Court recently reversed course on a state abortion right after a retention election). And even if that doesnt happen, the court has not weighed in on whether the state constitution protects a right to any other abortions. Relatively few would qualify under a medical emergency exception, even the one drawn up by the state supreme court. Demanding access in cases of medical emergency sounds important, but may amount to very little, especially if the state can still apply harsh penalties if prosecutors dont think that a patient was close enough to death. Doctors may not be willing to risk their financial wellbeing or freedom if there is any doubt whether an exception applies, and exceptions themselves can be vague and hard to understand, especially in places like Oklahoma, where there are multiple bans, each with its own definition of an emergency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related from Slate Mark Joseph Stern It Took Alito Barely a Month to Violate the Supreme Courts New Ethics Rules Read More What exceptions seemed to be was political showmanshipa way for Republicans to walk back unpopular positions on abortion, soften bans, and appear reasonable. If a law had an exception for rape and incest, for example, voters may not dig into the details to find out that it applied only for a very limited window, or that it required reporting to law enforcement. The simple existence of an exception could give political cover to a Republican in a contested seat. Historically, exceptions might have helped Republicans, but they seemed to do very little for patients. When states began expanding the circumstances under which abortion was legal in the mid-1960s, access to abortion did not change. Using exceptions was expensive for patients, who needed an inside connection to a physician, and a dangerous gamble for health care providers themselves. Exceptions available to low-income people under the Hyde Amendment were hardly a recipe for meaningful access either. Advertisement This history made all the fighting about exceptions in some conservative seem to be much ado about nothing. Exceptions (or the lack thereof) may send a message about what a state thinks about fetal personhood, for example, or victims of sexual assault, but likely wont change much on the ground. But the Oklahoma courts decisions suggest that the politics of exceptionsand of limited abortion rightsmight not be so simple. Together, the Oklahoma rulings got rid of four bans in their entirety and forced legislators to be more carefulto identify exceptions that would actually provide some protection for the lives and health of patients or see their handiwork tossed aside. And in states like Oklahoma, where recognition of a sweeping abortion right might seem unwise to judges facing contested elections, these more limited rights might represent a way of mediating the most extreme effects of sweeping bans without embracing positions that could cost judges their jobs. That doesnt mean that the right the Oklahoma Supreme Court declared will translate anything profound for patients. But it does open up the possibility that in deeply conservative states where few other paths are viable, limited rights could make a difference for some seeking abortion. The struggle in Oklahoma is ongoing, and its much too early to say that exceptions (or limited rights) matter. But the Oklahoma decision also makes clear that it may be just a little too early to write them off entirely. Fighter jets in low-altitude tactical maneuver training China Military Online) 09:16, June 01, 2023 Fighter jets attached to a regiment under the PLA Naval Aviation University soar over the shore of the Bohai Sea during a low-altitude tactical maneuver training exercise in early May, 2023. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Ni Shuai) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) (Photo : Ludovic MARIN / AFP) (LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images) French President Emmanuel Macron calls for "credible and tangible" security guarantees from NATO to Ukraine amid Russia's continued aggression. French President Emmanuel Macron calls for tangible and credible security guarantees for Ukraine Macron argued that Kyiv is continuing to "protect Europe" by holding its ground against Russia's invasion The French president added that it is in the best interest of the West that NATO provide security assurances to Kyiv French President Emmanuel Macron is demanding NATO provide Ukraine with "tangible and credible" security guarantees as Kyiv continues to battle Russia's invasion. During his Wednesday remarks, the French president also stressed that Kyiv is continuing to "protect Europe." Macron added that it is in the best interest of the West that Ukraine receives security assurances from the global military alliance. Macron Calls for Security Guarantees for Ukraine In his statement while in Bratislava, Macron said that he is in favor of offering tangible and credible security guarantees to Ukraine. He said that this topic will be the subject of collective talks in the next few weeks. Macron said that various NATO members could provide such security guarantees to Ukraine for the time being as Kyiv has expressed its desire to join the military alliance. He said that it is crucial to building something that is between the security that was provided to Israel and full-fledged membership, as per Yahoo News. The French president's remarks were made during a visit to Slovakia where he delivered a speech at an event that was organized by Globsec, an international affairs think tank. The event was focused on discussing regional security issues and comes shortly before the NATO summit that is set to be held in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on July 11 to July 12. During the event, Macron recalled that he previously called the Western defense alliance "brain dead" but argued that Russia's invasion that began last year "jolted NATO awake." He said that Ukraine desperately needs help to carry out a counter-offensive against Moscow's military forces. The French president said that it was what they were currently doing but claims that there is a need to intensify efforts. He argues that in the next few months, the situation would offer a chance of lasting peace. Read Also: Drones Attack Russian Oil Refineries, Set Fire to Afipsky Plant Protecting Europe On the other hand, NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu described the military alliance's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. She said that the alliance, within hours of the first attack, activated its defense plans from the Baltic to the Black Sea, according to Defense One. These include placing 40,000 troops under NATO command that are backed by significant air and maritime capabilities. The military alliance also doubled the number of battle groups that it had deployed in the east from four to eight and worked to reinforce them to brigade level. Despite Macron's calls for assistance for Ukraine, he has faced continuous criticism since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war for keeping communication channels open with Moscow. The countries that commented on this include Poland which intensified after the French president visited the Kremlin only a few weeks before the start of the invasion. Furthermore, Eastern European governments were critical of the French president's declaration in June 2022 where he said that it was crucial not to "humiliate" Russia. His remarks were a reference to a future peace settlement where he warned against a potential repeat of the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, said France24. Related Article: Russia's Medvedev Calls UK Officials "Legitimate Military Targets" @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. This is part of Opinionpalooza, Slates coverage of the major decisions from the Supreme Court this June. Were working to change the way the media covers the Supreme Court. Sign up for the pop-up newsletter to stay up to date all through June, and support our work when you join Slate Plus. Last week, Slate took a close look at how the media covers the Supreme Court, and how we could do better. The package, called Disorder in the Court, culminated in a live Amicus show to dissect what we found, and try to set us up better for this end-of-term. One of our chief conclusions was that we tend to talk about decisions in a vacuum, as if they came from nowhere, and the only interesting thing about them is their legal reasoning. But the specifics of the doctrine are only a teeny part of the story. During the live show, each of our panelists tried to tell the backstory of three of the most important cases that the court will decide this Junecases about affirmative action, voting rights, and anti-gay discrimination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Below is Elie Mystals contextualization of the affirmative action cases, SFFA v. UNC and SFFA v. Harvard. For full background on these cases, read Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Sterns coverage of oral arguments in these cases. Listen to the full live show here, read Mark Joseph Sterns background of the anti-gay discrimination case here, and Jay Willis on voting rights here. These transcripts have been edited and condensed for clarity. This term, the Supreme Court is going to overturn affirmative action. Its one of those 50-year-long projects by the Federalist Society and the conservative media to overturn this policy. Affirmative action has been more or less the most successful racial social justice policy in American history since Emancipation. But whatever. Theyre going to get rid of it. They dont like it. Advertisement Most of the coverage is going to be about the history of race-based admissions. You might get a little coverage on pitting race-based admissions versus legacy admissions and something like that. With the kinds of people who generally report on the Supreme Court, what youre going to have is a lot of people who are like, Little Timmy got into Dartmouth instead of Harvard, probably because somebody Black got in instead. And theyre going to write their narratives about what happened in this case. But this case has nothing to do with race-based admissions. It has nothing to do with racial discrimination. Related from Slate Mark Joseph Stern The Real Story of 303 Creative v. Elenis Read More The record of the case actually shows that the aggrieved party, this group of AAPI students who allegedly were discriminated against because of race-based admissions, actually werent discriminated against, just on the straight facts of the case. In the suit against North Carolina, the district court literally found there was no discrimination at North Carolina against AAPI students. AAPI students are more likely to get into the University of North Carolina than Black students. At Harvard, where I went, the district court actually did find a thing that maybe could have possibly discriminated against AAPI students, but that wasnt anything about affirmative action. Its a score that Harvard uses thats based on your guidance counselor and your rec letters, and Asian American students were scoring lower on those rec lettersprobably because of racism! After the Supreme Court overturns affirmative action, universities will still be able to use the racist thing that was actually hurting AAPI students. But theyre going to take away affirmative action. Advertisement Advertisement Again, from a coverage perspective, all of this will be out there. But my first story about this is going to have nothing to do with any of that because the affirmative action case comes down to two men: Ed Blum, who made it his personal mission in life to overturn affirmative action. Hes behind the two cases that were the most recent challenges to affirmative action. For whatever reason, he really doesnt like it. Advertisement Advertisement And Clarence Thomas. What youre going to find is a lot of predominantly white reporters really shying away from this aspect of: How does the second Black Supreme Court justice in history become the one to overturn affirmative action? Because its either going to be his majority opinion, or itll be Roberts majority opinion, and then Clarence will write a concurring opinion. Hes the guy whos also made it his lifes mission to do this. But when I write about it, Im going to tell you why. Elie Mystal is a columnist at the Nationfollow his coverage of this case there. Listen to the full episode of Amicus here: This is part of Opinionpalooza, Slates coverage of the major decisions from the Supreme Court this June. Were working to change the way the media covers the Supreme Court. Sign up for the pop-up newsletter to stay up to date all through June, and support our work when you join Slate Plus. Last week, Slate took a close look at how the media covers the Supreme Court, and how we could do better. The package, called Disorder in the Court, culminated in a live Amicus show to dissect what we found, and try to set us up better for this end-of-term. One of our chief conclusions was that we tend to talk about decisions in a vacuum, as if they came from nowhere, and the only interesting thing about them is their legal reasoning. But the specifics of the doctrine are only a teeny part of the story. During the live show, each of our panelists tried to tell the backstory of three of the most important cases that the court will decide this Junecases about affirmative action, voting rights, and anti-gay discrimination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Below is Mark Joseph Sterns contextualization of the anti-gay discrimination case, 303 Creative v. Elenis. For full background on this case, read Sterns piece covering oral arguments. Listen to the full live show here, and read Elie Mystals background on affirmative action here and Jay Willis on voting rights here. These transcripts have been edited and condensed for clarity. This is a fake case. This is not a real case at all. This is a case about a website designer named Lorie Smith, who makes very bad websites by herself for, like, dog breeders and local Republican politicians. Lorie claims that she really wants to make wedding websites but doesnt want to make wedding websites for same-sex couples because that would violate her religious beliefs. Represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, she filed a First Amendment lawsuit in federal court in Colorado arguing that this vanilla Colorado civil rights law violates her freedom of speech by forcing her to create a custom wedding website for same-sex couples, in violation of what she thinks marriage should be. Advertisement Heres what you need to understand about this case: No one has ever asked her to make a wedding website. Ever. No one will ever ask hercertainly not gay people. Come on. Advertisement Why, you might ask, does this case exist? Well, heres why. Because there have been a bunch of cases like this before: the cake case, where he wouldnt sell the cake; the flowers case, where she wouldnt sell the flowers; the photographer case, where she wouldnt take the pictures. Well, in those cases, you had victims, and who were the victims? The same-sex couples who faced discrimination. And the coverage of those cases and the way they were presented to the court, there were two sides. There was this sweet, sincere Christian who just wants to do what Jesus tells her; and then the couple who wanted some respect in shopping for wedding services and was told, Sorry, too bad. Because of your identity, Im not selling you anything. Advertisement Advertisement Related from Slate Jay Willis The Real Story of the Voting Rights Case Read More That was a real problem in some of these cases. In Masterpiece Cakeshop, you may remember, that couple was on the steps of the Supreme Court. They got their own profiles. They were very clearly the victims in the case, victims of Jack Phillips, the baker. And Phillips teamalso Alliance Defending Freedomhad to work really hard to make him seem like the victim. Advertisement Advertisement So, whats the genius of this Colorado case? Well, Lorie Smith has never been asked to make a website, so there is no real victim. Instead, she gets to play the victim. She is the aggrieved party. She is the person who goes into court and cries crocodile tears and testifies that her feelings will be so, so, so hurt if a gay couple asks her to sell them a website and she has to do it. That has worked in the media. I dont know how else to say it. That worked. Go online. Google Loris website, and you will see dozens of pieces in the New York Times, in the Washington Post, and in CNN. They sent their photographers out there to take pictures of her in the softest lighting, in her little studio with Live, Laugh, Love quotes on the wall. It was like: This poor, poor woman is having her rights trampled upon. It turns out its pretty easy to trick the press if you just manufacture the case and you have total control over the players. When that decision comes down, and Im sure it will come down on the side of Lorie, do not fall for the narrative, please, because its untrue. Its a fake case. This is simply a vehicle to manufacture an excuse for this Supreme Court to open the floodgates of legalized discrimination against gay people. Listen to the full episode of Amicus here: This is part of Opinionpalooza, Slates coverage of the major decisions from the Supreme Court this June. Were working to change the way the media covers the Supreme Court. Sign up for the pop-up newsletter to stay up to date all through June, and support our work when you join Slate Plus. It was impossible to listen to oral arguments this past Supreme Court term without being struck by the way this courts conservative supermajority views the 14th Amendment. According to these justices, the key Reconstruction-era amendment was intended merely to promote a theory of color blindnessin which race is simply ignorednot to actively lift Black people from a previously subjugated status following the end of slavery. Indeed, the newest justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson, made headlines at one of her first oral arguments after she took pains to debunk this historically dubious theory. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In that voting rights case, Allen v. Milligan, the first Black woman to hold a seat on the Supreme Court explained that the drafters of the amendment intended that its vision be applied in a race-conscious way so that freed former slaves were actually brought equal to everyone else in the society. She went on to urge, Thats not a race-neutral or race-blind idea. Unfortunately, Jackson will likely be raising these points againthis time in dissentas the Supreme Court is poised to end the term by using the color-blind formulation to gut affirmative action in higher education, weaken or decimate a key part of the Voting Rights Act, and erode long-standing tribal protections for Native American families and their children. When the court does so, it will be another belated victory for William H. Rehnquist. Advertisement The late chief justice, who long sought to turn the 14th Amendment on its head, notoriously drafted a 1952 memo as a Supreme Court clerk that defended racial segregation in the South and the disastrous Plessy v. Ferguson decision on which the institutions legality was based. Although Rehnquist denied during his confirmation hearings that the memo reflected his own viewssaying they were meant to reflect those of Robert H. Jackson, the justice he was clerking for in 1952a newly released court document, not previously reported, lays bare Rehnquists abhorrent true position on segregation as late as 1993. Advertisement That year, the then chief justice was still defending the logic of Plessy in no uncertain terms and using his position as a justice to block the court from acknowledging that the 14th Amendment barred segregation. The Fourteenth Amendment prohibits discrimination; it does not require integration, and I think it is a mistake to intimate that it does even as a goal, Rehnquist wrote in a memo to Justice Sandra Day OConnor as part of an effort to have her remove a passage from an election decision. (For good measure, Rehnquist also requested that OConnor remove a suggestion that the Civil War was fought in part to secure voting rights for Black people.) Advertisement Advertisement The logic of Rehnquists 1993 memo would seem to be in tension with landmark Supreme Court cases such as the Brown v. Board of Education decision, which prohibited school segregation, and the Loving v. Virginia decision, which ended bans on interracial marriage. Rehnquist evidently believed that Plessy was correctly decided as a law clerk in 1952, and still evidently believed as much as a chief justice of the United States in 1993. As Justice Henry Brown put it in Plessy, although the 14th Amendment was clearly meant to enforce the absolute equality of the two races before the law, it couldnt have been meant to enforce social equality. Tragically, Rehnquists thinking on the 14th Amendment currently infects the conservative supermajority of the Supreme Court and could have devastating consequences for the end of this term. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The stark evidence of Rehnquists true views was found in the newly released papers of Justice John Paul Stevens, which include the memo from Rehnquist to OConnor. The context for Rehnquists statement was a response to OConnors early draft of the opinion in the case of Shaw v. Reno. In Shaw, a conservative Supreme Court majority ultimately held that taking race too much into account in drawing lines for congressional, state, or local legislative districts violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. OConnors final opinion for the majority held that drawing such districts bears an uncomfortable resemblance to political apartheid. It reinforces the perception that members of the same racial groupregardless of their age, education, economic status, or the community in which they livethink alike, share the same political interests, and will prefer the same candidates at the polls. Advertisement One of us has long criticized the Shaw theory as not representing a real harm, whether used by conservatives or now increasingly used by liberals to attack Republican gerrymanders. But the circulation of draft opinions in that case reveals that in order to win the chief justices vote, OConnor had to tamp down her description of the 14th Amendment as prohibiting segregation. Advertisement Advertisement Before Shaw saw the light of day, OConnor circulated her opinion to the other justices in order to get them to agree to its language. The various justices had their own critiques, such as Justice Anthony Kennedy, who wanted a clearer statement about the relationship between a Shaw claim and the Voting Rights Act. But Rehnquists note was fundamentally different. Advertisement Dear Sandra, he wrote, in a memo dated June 7, 1993, I agree with the substance of your second draft, and will join it if you will deal with two non-substantive concerns of mine. He then laid out his two quibbles as follows: First, on page 7 you say that the Civil War was fought in part to secure the elective franchise to black Americans. One can certainly say that the Civil War was fought to end slavery, but I dont think it is an accurate statement to say that it was fought to secure the elective franchise for blacks. This view gained majority support only during the period of Reconstruction after the Civil War was over. Second, on page 23, you say that the Fourteenth Amendment embodies the goal of a fully integrated society. The Fourteenth Amendment prohibits discrimination; it does not require integration, and I think it is a mistake to intimate that it does even as a goal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whether or not Rehnquists point about the goal of the Civil War was right as an historical matter, it is reprehensible that he did not want the court to even suggest that integration of American society was a worthy objective embodied in one of the Reconstruction Amendments. In some respects, Rehnquists 1993 editorial request was unsurprising. When he testified at his confirmation hearings, in 1971 for an associate justice position and again in 1986, for chief justice, he was asked to explain his views on racial discrimination, and he ended up disavowing the 1952 memo he had written as a law clerk to Justice Robert H. Jackson. In that memo, written in the first person and signed by himself, entitled A Random Thought on the Segregation Cases, then-clerk Rehnquist urged Jackson to reject the theory put forth to desegregate public schools in Brown v. Board of Education: Advertisement Advertisement If this Court, because its members individually are liberal and dislike segregation, now chooses to strike it down, it differs from the McReynolds court only in the kinds of litigants it favors and the kinds of special claims it protects. I realize that this is an unpopular and unhumanitarian position for which I have been excoriated by liberal colleagues, but I think Plessy v. Ferguson was right and should be re-affirmed. Advertisement At his hearings, Rehnquist would later insist: I believe that the memorandum was prepared by me as a statement of Justice Jacksons tentative views for his own use. (Similarly, Rehnquist would dismiss his activities as a poll watcher in the 1960s challenging Black and Hispanic voters in Phoenix.) Advertisement Rereading Rehnquists random thoughts on the school desegregation cases in line with his conduct as a young lawyer, and his later views on the purposes of the Reconstruction Amendments, its plain that he was an early adopter of the now-fashionable idea that those amendments served to eliminate some of the vestiges of chattel slavery but not to promote racial equality or diversity. Related from Slate Mark Joseph Stern It Took Alito Barely a Month to Violate the Supreme Courts New Ethics Rules Read More In Shaw v. Reno, he got his way. OConnor acceded to Rehnquists editorial requests for changes to her draft opinion. She modified the majority opinion to read that the 14th and 15th amendments embody the goal of a political system in which race no longer matters. Thats colorblindness but not integration. And as we are learning from cases currently on the docket, the two are not the same. Advertisement In short, Rehnquist consistently contendedand the current Supreme Court majority is likely to contendthat the Reconstruction Amendments were drafted not to protect disadvantaged groups from racially biased treatment at the hands of the government but rather to prohibit the government from using race-conscious measures to ever remediate inequality. We will learn in the coming weeks whether this vision of the Reconstruction Amendments will lead to the further erosion of rights for some of the most historically marginalized Americans. If the court fully embraces Rehnquists vision, it will be a posthumous victory for him as the court concomitantly crushes minority rights and waxes poetic about its lofty and ongoing commitment to racial equality. Meet the (very old) parents: Robert De Niro, 79, welcomed a baby with his girlfriend recently. And now Al Pacino, 83, has confirmed that his own girlfriend is pregnant. Obviously, those girlfriends are much younger. The male privilege of having kids whenever you want, as USA Today describes it, is on full display. People who produce sperm should know, however, that their biological clocks are ticking too, even if not as rapidly and loudly as they are for the rest of us. Yes, it is much (ugh, much) easier for men to have kids later in life than women, and there are plenty of tales of dads fathering kids into their septuagenarianand even nonagenarian!years. But though male fertility doesnt come to a menopausal halt the way female fertility does, it still declines with age. And even for men that do have strong swimmers later in lifeas a TMZ headline about De Niros baby news put itthere can be other pregnancy complications that they need to watch out for, experts say. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While there has been extensive research regarding infertility and comorbidities in the aging mother, relatively few studies have explored similar reproductive factors in aging men, wrote researchers at Rutgers in a paper published in 2019 that reviewed the literature on the risks associated with fathering kids as an older dad. This is of concern because the older-dad trend is not just about extreme cases involving celebrities. The age at which men become fathers has ticked upward, the authors explain, with more kids being born to fathers of advanced paternal age than there were a few decades ago. (APA is not clearly defined, but its roughly as young as 40. Pacino and De Niro clearly fit it!) While testicles do produce sperm throughout a males lifetime, a males sperm can have more genetic mutations as time goes on. Basically, all of the cells in our body are adversely affected by aging, says Gloria Bachmann, who was a co-author on the 2019 paper and is the director of the Womens Health Institute at Rutgers. Sperm are no exception. Older-male sperm can lead to pregnancy issues, Bachmann and her co-authors reported, ranging from gestational diabetes to preterm birth. Furthermore, a 2020 review paper suggests that APA is associated with miscarriages. And a paper published this May that looked at data from nearly 18 million births found that men over age 44 were more likely to father kids with congenital anomalies, i.e., birth defects. (There is, of course, a huge downside of having kids much, much later in life: Even rich people cannot live forever, and Pacino and De Niro may well miss their kids growing up.) Advertisement Bachmann and her co-authors conclude that men who plan on becoming older dads should receive counseling from their physiciansas older women already do. They also suggest that men planning on fathering kids at an advanced paternal age consider freezing their sperm. At least one urologist has even suggested that young men freeze their sperm just in case something suddenly happens to their quality, though thats hardly a position that everyone holds. Advertisement As with many aspects of celebrity life, the Pacinos and De Niros of the worldor at least what we glimpse of thempresent a picture of male fertility that is a little too easy-breezy compared with the reality. I suggested to Bachmann that men might get the wrong idea about fertility by considering these men to be role models. She was careful to note that there are more factors than paternal age that go into being a good dad: Being a role model, provides guidance and love, good listener, teacher, has a great relationship with mother, can admit to mistakes, and most of all cherishes the role of being a father are extremely important. Not everyone sees it quite that way. The CEO of the male-fertility startup Legacy has gone so far as to tsk-tsk the famous men who become older dads, once saying in an interview, In many ways, Mick Jagger is our greatest enemy because he had kids into his 70s. Finding candidates takes longer, with fewer available. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Society in general must become more flexible, given the shortage of talents the world is facing, says Klemens Wersonig, CEO of Target Executive Search CEE, referring both to the age of potential candidates and their plans to remain with one company. More information about the Slovak labour market Please see our Career & Employment Guide. We recently placed a lady over 60 into a top managerial position. A few years ago, this would have been impossible, said Wersonig, welcoming this flexibility. These trends will continue. Accepting candidates of higher ages should no longer be an issue. Another topic concerning flexibility is loyalty within companies. While 10 years ago Targets clients looked to hire somebody who would stay at least five years, following the pandemic and subsequent crises they are satisfied if somebody says they will stay for two years. The Slovak Spectator spoke with Wersonig about the impacts of the Covid pandemic on headhunting, differences between Slovak and foreign managers, as well as what tasks artificial intelligence can perform in filling positions. What are the main differences between a recruitment agency and an executive search firm? I would call it the social media trap. This means that recruitment companies are relying on social media only. This means that they reach only people who can be found on LinkedIn or Facebook. Headhunting companies typically go beyond that. They aim to identify people who are maybe too busy to be active on social media. For example, I know some managers who could be candidates for possible positions and they say that they check LinkedIn maybe once per quarter because they are just too busy. Related article Related article Managers in Slovakia consider quitting more often Read more Which assignments are suitable for a recruitment agency and which are better performed by an executive search firm? The general trend is that executive search firms are going down to lower levels in the market and they are looking for positions and projects which they would not have looked at five years ago. The reason is that the qualified labour force became so scarce on all levels. Companies often cannot find an account manager or some specialist just by simply advertising the post, as either no people apply or the wrong people apply. Therefore the trend is that headhunting is needed at lower levels. What challenge does the shortage of qualified labour on the market pose to headhunters? It is a big challenge because it means our work has increased dramatically. We need to do much more searching in order to find the same quality of people among the same amount of people. Originally in the classical headhunting world, you did research for one or one and a half months and you came to a shortlist of three to five people. Nowadays we often have to search for two or three months and we are happy if we find two people. What are the main differences in making an executive search in Slovakia and in other countries where your company operates? Our company focuses on central and eastern Europe ,while we also have offices in Austria and Germany. And there is not so big a difference between Slovakia and Hungary or the Czech Republic. But with Germany and Austria there are differences. But what is really special in Slovakia is the very limited number of candidates. This is because of the brain drain and also because people over a certain age, nowadays around 55, are often not considered as possible candidates. It used to be basically a European problem that people over 50 were not considered. But this is shifting and many countries have started to change and consider people above 55 or even ask retired people to come back. But this is much less the case in Slovakia. Why do you think this is so? I consulted with my Slovak colleagues and they think that basically there is a prejudice as hiring people are typically west European managers against people of a certain age as the managers are afraid that older people will carry too much baggage in their minds from communist times. Do you also fish for successful Slovaks abroad? This would be an ideal scenario and many of our clients would want that actually. But it is very difficult to reach those people because these communities are difficult to reach. When we talk to these people, usually they have very high expectations in order to return because they would have to give up their well-settled life in Canada or Germany. So, it does not normally work, except for one small segment in the market of Slovaks living abroad: those who actively want to come back for whatever reason; nostalgia or family reasons, etc. These people tend to approach us actively. We have a few such people every month. They are highly qualified and have great market value. Do you succeed in finding them good jobs? Yes, definitely. Are there any differences in managers in Slovakia and abroad in terms of their skills and abilities? Our company made a study regarding cultural differences a few years ago and this was one of the questions that was raised. The outcome was that team work ability and discipline is very high in Slovakia. Slovak managers are also very well structured and organised and thus have a good image even within the central European community. This is also shown in industry, with so many car manufacturers and suppliers operating in Slovakia. One of the reasons is that Slovaks are high-performing. Another reason is that logistics in Slovakia are very close to western Europe. What impacts has the pandemic had on headhunting? Will these effects continue? One major impact was holding video meetings and video interviews. These will continue because they are faster and easier to organise. But they have brought in less commitment. Potential candidates, when approached with an offer, first say that they are interested. Then one week later they change their minds. This is because there was no personal meeting and they feel much less committed. But this is part of the shift in society as a whole. Everything is very fast. The pandemic brought on a phenomenon known as the Great Resignation in the US, where employees began to voluntarily quit their jobs en masse. Is this phenomenon also occurring in the region of central and eastern Europe or in Slovakia? Definitely not. The reason why is that people here are fighting much more for their livelihoods. In general, they are poorer, so they need the salary to support the family, to pay their mortgage, they cannot afford to say: I will quit to find fulfilment without a regular income. This comes back to the differences of Slovak managers. One finding of our study was that there is a lack of entrepreneurial spirit amongst Slovaks. The desire to step out of a safe world with a fixed income into entrepreneurial risks is very low in Slovakia. What qualities does a headhunter need to be good? The first quality is listening skills. Listening is very important because we have to listen to, of course, interviews, but also listen to what clients want. A good headhunter must also have a good balance of sales and HR skills. It is also a sales job, which is often forgotten. This is because we have to sell our services to potential new clients, we have to sell the job to the candidate and we have to sell the final candidate to the client. It is not enough just to do a good interview and select a good candidate. But we also have to have this sales transaction. What conditions must be met for a good match to occur? Besides objective factors, such as the right experience, language, age, salary and all these criteria, it is needed to get the personal chemistry right between the candidate and the future boss for a really good match. That is the key element. This is why before actually hiring someone the parties have to meet in person. You can have early video interviews for early screening, but there is still a huge difference, and I think it will last, between video and personal interview. This is because when somebody walks into the room, there are so many messages coming: putting the mobile phone on the table, it is almost like showing a power symbol see Im here, I can be reached. Even how somebody is sitting at the table, putting the chair back after the meeting or just leaving it there in the corner can tell a lot about the candidate. There are so many details which are not possible to see in a video interview. What was your best match of a top manager and company in the long term? There are two, one in Slovakia and one in Hungary. The first one is Andrej Arendas, managing director at Karcher Slovakia. Our company placed him in Osram in Slovakia. At that time, he was a young and very promising manager. He stayed with the company for 10 years and even became its general manager. The other one is a manager I placed 25 years ago in one company in Hungary. He has become a European manager and made a wonderful career. He is still with the company. Do you approach managers you have placed before when you are looking for managers for another client? Our own placed candidates are off limits as long as they are with the company. It means we do not approach them ever, even if they are a good fit. This is our business approach. What should headhunters do to avoid a failure in headhunting? Check and double check. Good references come from previous bosses, not from previous colleagues. When we can reach the previous boss we ask one very easy and immediate key question, whether he or she would hire the person again. If the reference person hesitates a bit, then already we have some doubts. Have you predicted a good match that in the end was not? Yes, of course, we also make mistakes. It happens because, despite being careful and checking, we cannot look inside peoples minds. They may be playing a role and cheating us. It has happened to me also, I misjudged people, too. Which aspect of headhunting can be performed by AI? Obviously the data screening parts or CVS screening and matching with the job description. But I also see danger here. This is because candidates are using artificial intelligence to apply and get their CV written. On the other hand, another artificial intelligence is checking that CV and application. So, in the end we have two computer systems checking each other. But in general, especially in mass recruitment for workers where no personal meeting is needed, AI plays a huge role for sure. What should young people with the ambition to become top managers focus on during their studies or the early years of their career? They should go out into the world to learn languages and experience other cultures and test what they are good at, say through internships or apprenticeships. Jobs can have a good image or even a good salary, but the daily reality of a job might be very different. Reach for the sky and hold your head up high. For tonight and every night? Youre a superstar. On the latest episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast, Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen are jamming out to Love Inc. and Superstar DJ Keoki while sipping on a honey-processed single-origin Verve Coffee Roasters brewed on a brand new Moccamaster KBGV Select in the Pistachio colorway. Michelman and Carlsen also discuss Sprudges latest Berlin guide from contributor Tatiana Ernst, a lovely new fashion hub in Portland called Barnes & Morgan, and so much more. Have a listen! This episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast is sponsored by Baratza, Moccamaster, Pacific Barista Series, and Ghirardelli. Show notes/links: What is honey-processed coffee? Guide To Coffee In Berlin In 2023 What is your favorite coffee condiment? Tea, Fashion, and Legacy at Portlands Barnes & Morgan In Portland, Fusing Creative Design With Caffeinated Appeal At Tired Coffee By FISK Submissions Now Open For Build-Outs of Coffee 2023! Listen right here: Check out The Coffee Sprudgecast on Apple Podcasts and leave a nice review if youre so inclined. The Coffee Sprudgecast is available on Spotify, Stitcher, and other exceptional podcast portals. Check out all our shows today! Seed To Cup Podcast from the Sprudge Podcast Network. A Better Table with Umeko Motoyoshi from the Sprudge Podcast Network. Cascara with Cydni Patterson from the Sprudge Podcast Network. No Free Refills with Ezra Baker and Tymika Lawrence from the Sprudge Podcast Network. In Good Taste with Ever Meister from the Sprudge Podcast Network. Check out all the Coffee Sprudgecast episodes here. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230531/protester-aggressiveness-near-russian-embassy-in-canada-increasing---ambassador-1110826214.html Protester Aggressiveness Near Russian Embassy in Canada Increasing - Ambassador Protester Aggressiveness Near Russian Embassy in Canada Increasing - Ambassador The aggressive behavior by protesters near the Russian embassy in Ottawa has increased but the Canadian authorities have not taken any measures to strengthen security, Russian Ambassador to Canada Oleg Stepanov told Sputnik. 2023-05-31T21:24+0000 2023-05-31T21:24+0000 2023-05-31T21:19+0000 americas russian embassy in canada oleg stepanov canada ottawa protesters /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/02/0b/1092947142_0:0:3073:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_6813ec44e65f53ce6fbee40db9df2ddc.jpg "We note the increasing aggressiveness of a number of protesters near the embassy, who insult our employees, family members, children, when they leave and enter the embassy," Stepanov said. "They try to create obstacles for the movement of our vehicles, which threatens to cause an accident on a busy street near the embassy." Stepanov provided several examples of such aggressive behavior, including protesters putting Ukrainian flags on the windshields of embassy vehicles to block the driver's view when entering heavy traffic, and said that the issue has been raised with the Canadian authorities. By contrast, the Canadian embassy in Russia does not experience any security-related problems or problems concerning the dignity of its diplomats, Stepanov said. "I would like to see a more vigorous response from Trudeau's cabinet and from Canadian law enforcement agencies to the clearly existing security problems not only of our embassy, but also of our Consulates General," he said. Asked about news in the probe of the April incident when the Russian embassy was defaced with red paint, Stepanov said, "We are told that all the cases that deserve attention from law enforcement are under investigation or consideration." Stepanov emphasized they have not seen proactive or increased security measures after that incident, yet protesters have since tried to hang posters and banners on Russian diplomatic property or on the embassy fence. The ambassador pointed out that the fact the authorities reaction time is from 5-10 minutes at best does not help anyone. At the end of April, an unknown person poured red paint over the fence of the Russian embassy in Ottawa, but by the time the police arrived, the assailant had fled the scene. Stepanov told Sputnik in September that they have provided the Canadian authorities with video footage of an attack on the embassy with a Molotov cocktail and have expected a thorough investigation into the incident. At the end of September, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Canadian Ambassador in Moscow Alison LeClaire and delivered a demarche regarding the attack. americas canada 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 aggressive behavior, russian embassy in ottawa, canadian authorities, russian ambassador to canada oleg stepanov https://sputnikglobe.com/20230531/russia-issues-demarche-over-canadas-silence-on-drone-attacks-against-moscow-1110827491.html Russia Issues Demarche Over Canada's Silence on Drone Attacks Against Moscow Russia Issues Demarche Over Canada's Silence on Drone Attacks Against Moscow Russian Ambassador in Ottawa Oleg Stepanov told Sputnik on Wednesday that he sent a protest note to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Minister Melanie Joly to urge them to condemn recent drone attacks in Moscow. 2023-05-31T23:30+0000 2023-05-31T23:30+0000 2023-05-31T23:24+0000 world oleg stepanov justin trudeau moscow canada ottawa drone /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/05/1e/1110789289_0:109:2782:1674_1920x0_80_0_0_3e1f8e3349a8e66dc226ae838b8f1d93.jpg "Officially, Canada is in silent mode. In this regard, following our diplomatic practice, I was forced to draw the attention of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by issuing a personal demarche note to him," Stepanov said."Yesterday, I sent it to him and Minister of Foreign Affairs Joly to describe the specific details of the latest attempt to strike Moscow with unmanned aerial vehicles."The diplomat further noted that the letter emphasized that "Russia calls on Canada to take an unequivocal position in condemning this terrorist act."Stepanov's remarks came not long after the Russian Defense Ministry detailed that Ukraine had used eight unmanned aerial vehicles to carry out an attack against the Russian capital. All of the drones had been downed by Russian officials.At the time, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said several buildings were left with "minor damage," and that "no one" had sustained serious injuries as a result of the attack. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later stated that the drone incident was in response to Russia's successful strikes against one of Kiev's "decision-making centers" over the weekend. The Russian Investigative Committee has since undertaken a criminal case under the terrorist acts article. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230530/several-buildings-in-moscow-slightly-damaged-after-drone-attack---mayor-1110785693.html moscow canada 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 russian ambassador in ottawa oleg stepanov, canadian prime minister justin trudeau, foreign minister melanie joly, moscow, drone attacks https://sputnikglobe.com/20230601/china-singapore-agree-on-top-level-military-hotline-1110844118.html China, Singapore Agree on Top-Level Military Hotline China, Singapore Agree on Top-Level Military Hotline Singapore and China have agreed to establish a top-level military hotline to help the two nations defuse tensions. Its a strategy Beijing has pursued with several regional powers that cooperate militarily with the US. 2023-06-01T16:15+0000 2023-06-01T16:15+0000 2023-06-01T16:15+0000 world china singapore hotline south china sea /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/06/01/1110843959_0:0:1565:881_1920x0_80_0_0_f402a80e0b30c7f8ed912abc4b7d8275.jpg Singapore and the Peoples Republic of China have agreed to establish a top-level military hotline to help the two nations defuse any tensions that might arise. Its a strategy Beijing has pursued with several regional powers that cooperate militarily with the United States as Washington seeks to isolate China and turn its regional friends into US allies.The deal was signed by Singaporean Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen and Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu, the latter of whom is in the city-state for the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum.The memorandum of understanding was signed just a month after the two nations held joint military exercises and four years after they agreed to upgrade their defense and security ties.The agreement comes just weeks after Li finalized a similar effort with Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada. The two defense chiefs spoke over the new Beijing-Tokyo hotline for about 20 minutes to discuss defense and bilateral relations. Last December, China opened a hotline with the Philippines as well, focused on South China Sea relations.A Hanoi-Beijing link was also established in 2021 to help avoid naval encounters in the South China Sea from spiraling out of control.Since 2018, the US has pursued a policy of "great power competition" with Russia and China, which calls for isolating both states in order to prevent their continued development into world powers that might supplant Washington and its postwar system for dominating developing nations. Consequently, the US has sought to pull Chinese regional partners away from Beijing by convincing them that China is a threat that only military confrontation can deter.By contrast, China has sought dialogue and mutually beneficial trade arrangements as a way to defuse tensions and sort out problems. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) infrastructure megaproject has partnered with numerous nations, and hotlines like those set up with Singapore create avenues for communication. A code of conduct for the South China Sea is also in the works, to establish "rules of the road" for the contested waterway. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230531/elon-musk-meets-with-chinas-commerce-industry-ministry-chiefs-in-beijing-1110811430.html china singapore south china sea Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Fantine Gardinier Fantine Gardinier 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 Fantine Gardinier singapore; china; hotline; military; shangri-la Danny Masterson, known as a "That '70s Show' actor, was found guilty of two out of three counts of rape in his Los Angeles sexual assault retrial. The 'That 70s Show' star is now facing up to 30 years in prison, according to the prosecutors of the rape retrial. 'That '70s Show' Actor Danny Masterson Guilty of Rape After months of legal and courtroom drama, the jury decided on the trial of Masterson. The actor, once known for his charismatic portrayal of Steven Hyde in the hit sitcom 'That '70s Show,' was found guilty on charges of raping two women, per Associate Press News. The jury, composed of seven women and five men, deliberated for seven days in the past two weeks before handing out the verdict. However, they failed to reach a verdict on the third count of rape, wherein Masterson was accused of raping his longtime girlfriend. Masterson, who has vehemently denied all allegations from the beginning, now faces the grim reality of the consequences. After the guilty verdict, the actor came out of the courtroom in handcuffs and was taken by the authorities into custody. He is set to face his sentence on August 4. The ex-sitcom star faces 30 years of imprisonment for the two counts of rape. According to the BBC, three women have accused the former sitcom actor of sexual assault in his house in Hollywood between 2001 and 2003. One of the women who accused Masterson of sexual assault responded to the verdict. She says, "I am experiencing a complex array of emotions - relief, exhaustion, strength, sadness - knowing that my abuser, Danny Masterson, will face accountability for his criminal behavior." However, she expressed her utter disappointment since the actor was not convicted on the third count of rape. Meanwhile, the other accuser thanked the jury for their decision. But she still feels devastated that the ex-sitcom actor "dodged criminal accountability for his heinous conduct against me." Read Also: Trump Facing Another Legal Battle as Rape Case Trial Begins Danny Masterson's Rape Retrial At the height of the sensational #MeToo movement in 2017, Materson faced accusations that the actor was a rapist. However, he dismissed the allegations, citing that he was never charged nor convicted of any crime to prove his guilt. The actor also slammed the movement. He says, "It seems as if you are presumed guilty the moment you are accused." After the investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department, which lasted for three years, sexual assault charges against Materson have been filed in court. Vulture reports that the first rape trial involving Masterson ended in a mistrial in 2022, wherein the actor pleaded not guilty. Upon the retrial, the Los Angeles jury found the 'That '70s Show' star guilty of two counts of rape. Related Article: David Choe Rape Comments: Ali Wong, Steven Yeun Slam Beef Co-Star's 'Extremely Disturbing' Story @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230601/cia-vets-fbi-withholds-damning-evidence-on-bidens-prior-to-presidential-election-again-1110844270.html CIA Vets: FBI Withholds Damning Evidence on Bidens Prior to Presidential Election, Again CIA Vets: FBI Withholds Damning Evidence on Bidens Prior to Presidential Election, Again House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer moved to hold FBI director Christopher Wray in criminal contempt of Congress on Tuesday after the agency refused to provide a subpoenaed document potentially implicating US President Joe Biden. 2023-06-01T16:22+0000 2023-06-01T16:22+0000 2023-06-01T16:22+0000 analysis hunter biden joe biden larry johnson federal bureau of investigation (fbi) internal revenue service (irs) fbi cia russia doj /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/08/1c/1100091060_0:0:3071:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_7c3ed30727949556f21370526cb1d830.jpg The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has refused to provide a form that "describes an alleged criminal scheme involving then-Vice President Biden and a foreign national relating to the exchange of money for policy decisions," as per James Comer, R-Ky.According to Larry Johnson, a veteran of the CIA and the State Departments Office of Counter Terrorism, the information in the FD-1023 form would require criminal charges to be filed against the incumbent president.What's a FD-1023 Form?Comer and his fellow lawmakers subpoenaed the FBI for the document in question last month. However, the bureau refused to provide it, claiming that a specific Justice Department policy "strictly limits when and how confidential human source information can be provided outside of the FBI."On May 30, acting assistant director of the FBI, Christopher Dunham, sent a letter to Comer, downplaying the significance of the document: "Investigative reports, such as an FD-1023, include leads and suspicions, not the conclusions of investigators based on fuller context, including information that may not be available to the confidential source."The very next day, on May 31, Wray held a phone conversation with Comer and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and confirmed the existence of the aforementioned FD-1023 form. He further offered to provide the congressmen "an opportunity to review information responsive to the subpoena in a secure manner to accommodate the committee, while protecting the confidentiality and safety of sources," as per the bureau's statement.Is the FBI Deliberately Delaying the Process?Just hours after holding talks with Comer and Grassley, Wray "hopped" on the bureau's jet and headed to the FBIs Las Vegas field office to hold a meeting and attend a counterterrorism conference there, according to Just the News, an independent US media outlet founded by American investigative journalist John Solomon. The media outlet remarked that the trip allowed the FBI chief to escape "an increasingly hostile atmosphere" for himself in DC.The FBI is interested in further delaying the congressional probe prior to the 2024 elections, believes former CIA station chief Philip Giraldi.FBI and DoJ Have Record of Shielding BidensSputnik's interlocutors noted that the unfolding spat between GOP lawmakers and the FBI should be seen in a larger context of the Justice Department and bureau operatives hindering attempts to turn the spotlight on the Bidens' potential wrongdoing.In April, an IRS whistleblower came forward informing the US Congress about apparent violations during the Hunter Biden tax crimes investigation by the DOJ, citing "preferential treatment" and attempts to shield the first son. He also alleged misleading statements to Congress by Attorney General Merrick Garland related to the probe. After that, the whistleblower's team was abruptly suspended from the Hunter Biden investigation at the DoJ's orders, as per IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel. According to the whistleblower, who turned out to be Gary Shapley, a 14-year IRS veteran, the expulsion could be nothing short of "retaliation."FBI agents facilitated the suppression of the New York Post's Hunter "laptop from hell" story in October 2020 as his father, Joe Biden, ran for the presidency, according to Elon Musk's Twitter Files expose.In addition, 51 ex-top intelligence officials branded Hunter's laptop from hell as "Russian disinformation" at the time. As it turned out in April, it was done at the request of then-Biden campaign top operative Antony Blinken, now serving as a secretary of state.How Could FBI's Doc Affect Biden's 2024 Bid?The unfolding row over the FD-1023 form replicates the circumstances of 2020, when Joe was amidst his presidential campaign."If the story will ever develop fully and appear in the mainstream media, which is unlikely, it could easily change the outcome of the 2024 election if Biden runs," Giraldi suggested. "I suspect the story will be played down by the media, however, and I would imagine Biden would not run again if he decides that he has been badly damaged."For his part, Johnson does not believe that Biden will be able to run.Team Biden and their allies in the FBI and DoJ appear to have been doing "everything they can to try to obstruct justice," Johnson noted. "That would be another charge that should be filed against them, theyre making sure that they're not held accountable." https://sputnikglobe.com/20230601/fbi-chief-confirms-existence-of-form-alleging-bidens-role-in-criminal-scheme---congressman-1110829117.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230520/durham-report-is-reckoning-coming-for-clintons-and-bidens-1110490817.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230527/irs-whistleblower-closing-in-on-dojs-cover-up-of-hunter-biden-case-1110640188.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230530/house-panel-to-hold-fbi-chief-in-contempt-over-failure-to-provide-biden-criminal-docs-1110805692.html russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Ekaterina Blinova Ekaterina Blinova 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 Ekaterina Blinova contempt, criminal contempt, fbi director chris wray, joe biden, hunter biden, bribery allegations, fd-1023, subpoenaed fd-1023, hunter biden tax crimes, congressional investigation hunter biden, house gop subpoena, 2024 presidential election, hunter biden laptop from hell Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 in response to calls by the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics for protection from Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defense Ministry said the operation, which targets Ukrainian military infrastructure, aims to "demilitarize and denazify" Ukraine, and to completely liberate Donbass. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230601/ex-biden-aide-leaves-for-russia-after-safety-concerns-in-america-1110826727.html Ex-Biden Aide Leaves for Russia After Safety Concerns in America Ex-Biden Aide Leaves for Russia After Safety Concerns in America On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events including Republicans threatening FBI boss Chris Wray with contempt of Congress, and Ex-Biden aide Tara Reade fleeing to Russia for safety concerns. 2023-06-01T04:14+0000 2023-06-01T04:14+0000 2023-06-01T10:57+0000 the backstory radio fbi nato tiktok turkey serbia hsbc 2024 us presidential elections disney /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/05/1f/1110826570_0:0:1920:1080_1920x0_80_0_0_d5f4b477b840c9f4a957445d347c58ab.png Ex-Biden Aide Leaves for Russia, after Safety Concerns in America On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events including Republicans threatening FBI Director Chris Wray with contempt of Congress, and Ex-Biden aiden Tara reade fleeing to Russia for safety concerns. Nebojsa Malic - Investigative Journalist, Blogger, and Author | Violence in Kosovo, NATO Peace Forces, and Western CondemnationFilmLadd - Filmmaker | Fake Conservatives, Eternal Debt, and the Drive By Media In the first hour, Lee spoke with Nebojsa Malic about Russia's position on Kosovo, China chimes in on Serbia's issues, and President Zelensky criticizes China. Nebojsa talked about the recent elections in Kosovo and protesters clashing with NATO soldiers. Nebojsa discussed the condemnation of violence from Washington and the speed of Turkish elections.In the second hour, Lee spoke with FilmLadd about Rand Paul spending bill, Trump fights with DeSantis, and Trump still celebrates operation warpspeed. Ladd spoke about the social media fight between team Trump and team DeSantis. Ladd commented on Donald Trump's avoidance on the 2020 lockdowns topic and the Trump team siding with Bud Light.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. serbia disney 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's tara reade, violence in kosovo, is desantis running for president, who is running for president in 2024 https://sputnikglobe.com/20230601/five-injured-in-ukrainian-shelling-of-russias-belgorod-region-1110830832.html Eight Injured in Ukrainian Shelling of Russia's Belgorod Region Eight Injured in Ukrainian Shelling of Russia's Belgorod Region Five people were injured in the shelling of the town of Shebekino in Russia's Belgorod Region by Ukrainian troops, regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. 2023-06-01T05:26+0000 2023-06-01T05:26+0000 2023-06-01T10:27+0000 russia's special operation in ukraine belgorod russia ukraine ukrainian attacks on belgorod region /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/06/01/1110833545_0:120:1280:840_1920x0_80_0_0_426bf1cc35f2425779d7660b600d6db1.jpg Earlier in the day, the governor provided some details about the latest attacks by Ukrainian forces:"Shebekino is under constant fire: at midnight, at 3:40 a.m. and at 5:15 a.m., the Armed Forces of Ukraine fired at the center and outskirts of the town from Grad [rocket launchers]. According to preliminary data, five people were wounded," Gladkov wrote on Telegram. The governor specified that three people were hospitalized. He said one woman received medical assistance on the spot. "Regarding destruction: there is a direct hit on a private house, which caught fire," Gladkov said. Earlier, he said two people were wounded in the shelling of Shebekino by Ukrainian forces.Shebekino is a town in Russian Belgorod Region located on the Nezhegol River, 30 kilometers southeast of Belgorod. The population of Shebekino is about 40,000 people. belgorod russia 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 belgorod attacks, ukrainian shelling of belgorod region, ukrainian shelling of russia's belgorod region, what is happening in russian belgorod, ukrainian attacks on russian towns https://sputnikglobe.com/20230601/grayzone-journalist-detained-by-british-police-interrogated-over-russia-views-1110829009.html Grayzone Journalist Detained by British Police, Interrogated Over Russia Views Grayzone Journalist Detained by British Police, Interrogated Over Russia Views UK counterterrorism police detained journalist Kit Klarenberg and subjected him to an intense interrogation over his political views and journalistic output, an alarming new report has revealed. 2023-06-01T02:28+0000 2023-06-01T02:28+0000 2023-06-01T02:23+0000 world russian federal security service (fsb) united kingdom (uk) britain kit klarenberg max blumenthal russia /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/09/08/1088878422_0:204:2048:1356_1920x0_80_0_0_27ec875c49c3fa4d69b20545c30f5475.jpg UK counterterrorism police detained journalist Kit Klarenberg and subjected him to an intense interrogation over his political views and journalistic output, an alarming new report has revealed."As soon as Klarenberg landed in his home country of Britain on May 17, 2023, six anonymous plainclothes counter-terror officers detained him" and "quickly escorted him to a back room, where they grilled him for over five hours about his reporting for [The Grayzone]," explained Max Blumenthal, the head of the independent investigative outlet.Blumenthal wrote Tuesday that "during Klarenbergs detention, police seized the journalists electronic devices and SD cards, fingerprinted him, took DNA swabs, and photographed him intensively," while threatening to "arrest him if he did not comply."Klarenberg reportedly remains under investigation by the British government, and although its unclear what specific crime he could be charged with, Britains counterterrorism police seemed to have three main areas of interest: the content of his reporting, the outlet in which he published it, and whether he was doing so at the behest of the Russian government.First, "the officers asked Klarenberg about articles including his report on the CIAs recruitment of would-be 9/11 hijackers, as well as his thoughts on 9/11 conspiracy theories," Blumenthal explained."Then came a blizzard of questions relating to The Grayzone: How much was Klarenberg paid by this publication, how often, and into which bank account? Who owned the site? How much contact did he have with Max Blumenthal, the author of this article and editor of The Grayzone? Had he met Blumenthal in person?"Later, "counter-terror officers rattled off a series of unfounded questions related to Russia: Does The Grayzone have an agreement of any kind with Russias Federal Security Bureau (FSB) to publish hacked material? Has Klarenberg knowingly been in contact with any FSB operatives? Is he in touch with current or former personnel of Russian state media? Who owns The Grayzone and is it sponsored by Russia?"As the outlet in question has repeatedly noted, however, "The Grayzone is a fully independent outlet" that "does not accept funding or support from any state, including Russia."The report went on to state that officials returned Klarenburg's two memory cards and his tablet, which was said to have "masking tape over its cameras." A third card was kept over allegations it was "relevant to criminal proceedings," but that it would be returned once their probe was closed. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230323/none-of-us-are-safe-how-us-journo-was-hit-with-kremlin-label--looped-into-nsa-dragnet--1108705706.html united kingdom (uk) britain russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Wyatt Reed Wyatt Reed News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Wyatt Reed kit klarenberg, uk counterterrorism, political views, journalist output, grayzone journalist, luton airport https://sputnikglobe.com/20230601/not-worth-penny-ambassador-on-us-words-about-non-support-of-ukrainian-attacks-on-russia-1110831392.html 'Not Worth Penny': Ambassador on US Words About Non-Support of Ukrainian Attacks on Russia 'Not Worth Penny': Ambassador on US Words About Non-Support of Ukrainian Attacks on Russia WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US statements that Washington does not support Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory are just empty words, Russian Ambassador to the US... 01.06.2023, Sputnik International 2023-06-01T05:40+0000 2023-06-01T05:40+0000 2023-06-01T05:40+0000 world us russia ukraine ukrainian drone attacks on russia /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/05/1e/1110789085_0:0:3141:1767_1920x0_80_0_0_1cb83c9d220baa7e15aef661fd91d83e.jpg "Public statements by the White House that they allegedly do not support the attacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the very heart of our Motherland are not worth a penny," Antonov said. White House Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday that the US administration opposes Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory to "avoid World War III."On Tuesday, eight drones were intercepted in and near Moscow in what the Russian Defense Ministry said was an attack carried out by Ukraine. Five drones were shot down and three diverted off course, failing to cause any significant damage or casualties. The Kremlin said this was likely Kiev's retaliation for earlier Russian strikes against a military decision-making center in Kiev. Earlier in May, two drones unsuccessfully tried to attack one of the Kremlin's buildings. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230531/russian-foreign-ministry-calls-vile-wests-position-on-uav-attacks-against-moscow-1110810818.html russia 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 us, russia, ukraine, ukrainian drone attacks on russia https://sputnikglobe.com/20230601/operational-hq-in-russias-belgorod-denies-info-on-ukrainian-forces-allegedly-breaking-into-region-1110831920.html Operational HQ in Russia's Belgorod Denies Info on Ukrainian Forces Allegedly Breaking Into Region Operational HQ in Russia's Belgorod Denies Info on Ukrainian Forces Allegedly Breaking Into Region The operational headquarters of Russia's Belgorod region denied on Thursday media reports claiming that Ukrainian armed forces broke into the territory of the region. 2023-06-01T05:57+0000 2023-06-01T05:57+0000 2023-06-01T08:56+0000 russia's special operation in ukraine ukrainian crisis russia ukraine belgorod region belgorod shelling war crimes /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/06/01/1110834088_0:120:1280:840_1920x0_80_0_0_5ba46317a410a80c9b8ed2657452f9e4.jpg "A number of telegram channels are spreading false information about the Ukrainian armed forces breaking into the Shebekinsky direction at night. The operational headquarters officially declares that this information is false and does not correspond to reality. The situation in the Shebekinsky district is difficult at the moment, shelling is underway, sounds of battle are heard. Russian armed forces are working, but there is no breakthrough of Ukraine's armed forces," the operational headquarters said in a statement.Shebekino is a town in Russian Belgorod Region located 30 kilometers southeast of Belgorod. Shebekino's population is roughly 40,000.According to regional authorities, eight people were injured in the Ukrainian shelling of the town overnight. Almost 20 buildings are damaged. The were no fatalities. There was and is no enemy on the territory of Russia's Belgorod region, but there is constant bombardment, the governor of the region said.The Russian Armed Forces, border guards, Federal Security Service, and National Guard are on the spot, the governor added.According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been receiving all the updates about the situation in Shebekino. "In connection with the situation around Shebekino, Vladimir Putin constantly receives reports from the Ministry of Defense, the Border Guard Service, the FSB, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and is also directly informed by the regional and municipal authorities of the region about measures to provide the necessary assistance to the population, including providing those who wish with temporary accommodation," Peskov told reporters. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230523/watch-decimated-remains-of-ukrainian-terror-group-that-attempted-assault-on-belgorod-region-1110545435.html russia ukraine belgorod region belgorod 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 russia's special military operation, ukrainian crisis https://sputnikglobe.com/20230601/russian-envoy-us-new-ukraine-package-shows-indifference-to-crimes-of-banderites-1110829308.html Russian Envoy: US' New Ukraine Package Shows Indifference to Crimes of Banderites Russian Envoy: US' New Ukraine Package Shows Indifference to Crimes of Banderites The new US military package to Ukraine shows Washington's indifference to the crimes of Ukrainian nationalists, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said. 2023-06-01T02:36+0000 2023-06-01T02:36+0000 2023-06-01T04:35+0000 world anatoly antonov volodymyr zelensky moscow kiev ukraine kremlin drone strikes ukrainian drone attacks on russia /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/05/03/1110058491_0:0:3072:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_08ec451533c955783020b4c011e91a5f.jpg "The [US] authorities are again proudly talking about providing financial assistance and another batch of materiel to their crazed Kiev puppets," Antonov said.The Pentagon said in a release on Wednesday the new security assistance package the United States has announced for Ukraine is valued at $300 million. "The new US 'security package', totaling $300 million, effectively fuels the rotten regime in Kiev," the Russian ambassador said, later noting that Washington's statements that it does not support Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory are not worth a penny.White House Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday that the US administration opposes Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory to "avoid World War Three."On Tuesday, eight drones were intercepted in and near Moscow in what the Russian Defense Ministry said was an attack carried out by Ukraine. Five drones were shot down and three diverted off course, failing to cause any significant damage or casualties. The Kremlin said this was likely Kiev's retaliation for earlier Russian strikes against a military decision-making center in Kiev. Earlier in May, two drones unsuccessfully tried to attack one of the Kremlin's buildings. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230531/us-to-send-300-million-in-munitions-to-ukraine-with-new-aid-package-1110825316.html moscow kiev 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 us military package, washington's indifference, ukrainian nationalists, russian ambassador to the us anatoly antonov, https://sputnikglobe.com/20230601/russian-northern-fleet-could-threaten-american-east-coast-us-media-claims-1110831235.html Russian Northern Fleet Could Threaten American East Coast, US Media Claims Russian Northern Fleet Could Threaten American East Coast, US Media Claims The Russian Foreign Ministry earlier promised that Moscow would strengthen its defense capability in the Arctic amid NATOs growing clout in the region. 2023-06-01T07:00+0000 2023-06-01T07:00+0000 2023-06-01T07:00+0000 military russia us arctic northern sea route russian northern fleet nato presence /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/101526/33/1015263346_0:130:3178:1918_1920x0_80_0_0_bd971e3720d6015d75f3b4cb961b144c.jpg Washington is worried over a possible threat to the US that emanates from the Russian Northern Fleet as Moscow is seeking to expand its military presence in the Arctic, an American newspaper has reported.According to the media outlet, Russia remains a vast Arctic power, with naval bases and nuclear missiles stationed in the Far North but also along Russias western edge: in the Kola Peninsula, near Norway, where Russia keeps most of its nuclear-armed submarines.The report comes as Moscow and St. Petersburg are hosting the 2023 International Arctic Summit. The Arctic: Prospects, Innovations and Regional Development summit is dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Soviet governments decision to turn Russias Northern Sea Route into an officially managed and administered shipping line along the countrys Arctic coast.In November 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country prioritizes and seeks broader international cooperation for the development of territories in the Arctic and research activities in the Antarctic.This followed Putin stressing that the Arctic would play a bigger role in Russia's future, which is why the country would redouble engagement with its northernmost regions.The remarks were preceded by the Russian Foreign Ministry pledging that the country will boost its defense capability in the Arctic amid NATO's growing presence in the region."Russia is taking and will continue to take all the necessary measures to ensure national interests and strengthen the defense capability in the Arctic, a strategic region for our country. Political, economic and military-technical measures. With time, their specific content will become known," Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Second European Department Sergey Belyaev told Sputnik. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230522/what-is-northern-sea-route-and-how-can-it-turn-russia-into-arctic-superpower-1110524259.html russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Oleg Burunov https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg Oleg Burunov https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.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 Oleg Burunov https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg russia's northern sea route, us' reported concern over the russian northern fleet's alleged threat to america's east coast, nato"s growing military presence in the arctic https://sputnikglobe.com/20230601/sino-russian-cooperation-on-northern-sea-route-may-upset-nato-powers-1110846321.html Sino-Russian Cooperation on Northern Sea Route May Upset NATO Powers Sino-Russian Cooperation on Northern Sea Route May Upset NATO Powers NATO may be concerned about a potential "Sino-Russo type of collaboration or partnership" in the Arctic, as while China does not have any territory in the region, the Northern Sea Route may be of interest for Beijing. 2023-06-01T19:18+0000 2023-06-01T19:18+0000 2023-06-01T19:18+0000 world sweden finland nato russia arctic /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/16/1082155846_0:197:3075:1926_1920x0_80_0_0_052c7a8f8bb161f7747882d724d6c629.jpg As the Western military bloc launcheslargescale military exercises in NATO's newest member Finland not far from the border with Russia, Moscow has vowed to bolster its own defense capability in the Arctic in response.Commenting on this situation, analyst at the MGIMO-University Institute for International Studies Nikita Lipunov pointed out that NATO has so far adopted a moderate stance on the military presence in the Arctic, with the bloc's activity being limited to North-Eastern Atlantic and Northern Europe.He noted that while all Western Arctic powers started reassessing risks and increasing defense spending since the launch of Russia's military operation in Ukraine, the military-political situation in the Arctic region so far remains "stable and controllable."The analyst warned, however, that the deployment of NATOs military infrastructure in Finland may pose a real threat to Russia in the long run.Meanwhile, Ret. Col. Earl Rasmussen, a US Army veteran and an international consultant, suggested that the aforementioned NATO drills may be meant to help "integrate the newly-accessed Nordic countries."Rasmussen also mused that NATO may be concerned about a potential "Sino-Russo type of collaboration or partnership" in the Arctic, as while China does not have any territory in the region, the Northern Sea Route a shipping lane that may be used to transport goods from Far East to Europe across the Arctic waters may be of interest for Beijing.The expert added that Swedens likely accession to NATO in the near future is unlikely to improve stability in the region, instead increasing the odds of generating tensions and friction with Russia and perhaps even with China, given the latters interest in using the Northern Sea Route for trade.Thus, argued Rasmussen, NATO expansion in region will likely be a detriment to security and global stability. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230310/uk-to-establish-arctic-military-base-in-norway-1108242963.html sweden finland russia arctic Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Andrei Dergalin Andrei Dergalin 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 Andrei Dergalin northern sea route, nato expansion in arctic The Facebook and Instagram parent firm Meta has threatened to block news content in its apps in California. The Mark Zuckerberg-led tech giant previously pulled out news content on its platform, specifically Facebook, in 2021 over a law in Australia, which requires them to pay for news content. Meta Threatens to Block Facebook and Instagram News Content in California This time, Meta, formerly known as Facebook, is making a similar threat. According to Axios, the tech firm plans to block news content from its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, in California if a new bill turns into law. Meta issued a warning against legislators in California, threatening to pull out all of the news content from its platforms, Instagram and Facebook, which draws millions of users globally. A Meta spokesperson Andy Stone, clearly says, "If the Journalism Preservation Act passes, we will be forced to remove news from Facebook and Instagram." The company argues that the bill asking them to pay news publishers for their content would give an unfair advantage to "big, out-of-state media companies under the guise of aiding California publishers." Read Also: California Library Book Returned After Roughly 100 Years: How Much is the Estimated Fine? California's Journalism Preservation Act The bill in question is formally named the California Journalism Preservation Act. Once it passes into law, it requires tech giants in the state, which includes the Facebook parent, to pay news publishers for the use of their content. Reuters reports that the proposed act seeks to force "online platforms" like Google to pay news publishers a "journalism usage fee" for the content showing up in their services. The "tax," which is based on the advertising earnings of the platform, will be directly paid to the state. But California proposes to allocate at least 70 percent of the payment to various media outlets throughout the state, according to NPR. The bill essentially seeks to revive that significant decline in media outlets, which have been struggling with the shift of advertising revenue from the traditional print format to digital. The Meta spokesperson says that the proposed bill in California is giving them two choices. Either they pay or remove the news content from its giant platforms. Meanwhile, the News Media Alliance trade group executive vice president, Danielle Coffey, slammed the recent threat of the Instagram parent. He accused the Zuckerberg firm of being "unbecoming" and "undemocratic." If Meta follows through on its threat, folks in California could lose access to news content from various sources, such as major newspapers, local news outlets, and even independent journalists. In turn, the move could significantly impact the public's ability to stay in the know about relevant issues. But despite that, the threat from Meta has been done before. Facebook has yanked all its news articles in Australia for some time after a similar bill turned into law. Related Article: California's Deadly Torrents Warn of Memorial Day Recreation Risks @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230601/that-70s-show-actor-found-guilty-of-two-counts-of-rape-in-la-retrial--1110827927.html That 70s Show Actor Found Guilty of Two Counts of Rape in LA Retrial That 70s Show Actor Found Guilty of Two Counts of Rape in LA Retrial The actor was found guilty on two counts of rape after the jury was deadlocked on the third count. Prosecutors say Masterson attacked his victims in the early 2000s and used the Church of Scientology to shield his crimes. 2023-06-01T00:09+0000 2023-06-01T00:09+0000 2023-06-01T00:04+0000 beyond politics sexual assault sexual assault crime celebrity celebrity gossip celebrity scandal /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/05/15/1082961177_0:155:2984:1834_1920x0_80_0_0_4d72e2a8e0a64e8c14e258c5964faf11.jpg A Los Angeles jury on Wednesday found US actor Danny Masterson, 47, guilty of two counts of rape. The actor was charged with forcibly raping three women in his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003, however the jury was deadlocked on a third rape count.The actor, who is best known for his role as Steven Hyde on the late 1990s and early 2000s sitcom That 70s Show, earlier pleaded not guilty to three counts of felony rape after charges had been filed.Masterson was a member of the Church of Scientology, and prosecutors argued during the latest round of proceedings that he used his influence in the Church to avoid consequences for raping his victims.Three of the survivors gave detailed testimonies, the first alleging she stopped by his house to pick up keys when he gave her a drugged beverage and then proceeded to rape her. The second, an ex-girlfriend of Masterson, said he raped her twice, and that on one occasion after he had drugged her she wondered aloud the next morning why she was in pain. He then admitted to raping her while she was unconscious, and laughed at her.The third victim said she had set "boundaries" and told Masterson she did not want to have sex with him before visiting him at his home. She said despite this, the actor assaulted her in his jacuzzi. The three victims are former members of the Church of Scientology, and said the organization had discouraged them from reporting the rapes at the time. Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Mary Manley https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/01/0b/1092187887_0:0:2048:2049_100x100_80_0_0_0c2cc4c84f89aff034cc55bb01fb6697.jpg Mary Manley https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/01/0b/1092187887_0:0:2048:2049_100x100_80_0_0_0c2cc4c84f89aff034cc55bb01fb6697.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 Mary Manley https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/01/0b/1092187887_0:0:2048:2049_100x100_80_0_0_0c2cc4c84f89aff034cc55bb01fb6697.jpg danny masterson, church of scientology, rape charges, sexual assault, crime, celebrity crime https://sputnikglobe.com/20230601/ukrainian-forces-fire-at-shebekino-in-belgorod-region-from-grad-rocket-launchers-1110836634.html Ukrainian Forces Fire at Shebekino in Belgorod Region From Grad Rocket Launchers Ukrainian Forces Fire at Shebekino in Belgorod Region From Grad Rocket Launchers The Ukrainian forces fired at Russian town Shebekino from Grad rocket launchers, Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Thursday, adding that an administration building was partly destroyed. 2023-06-01T09:34+0000 2023-06-01T09:34+0000 2023-06-01T10:27+0000 russia's special operation in ukraine belgorod shelling ukraine ukrainian attacks on belgorod region /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/06/01/1110834088_0:120:1280:840_1920x0_80_0_0_5ba46317a410a80c9b8ed2657452f9e4.jpg The dormitory building is on fire from a direct hit by shells, and there is destruction in the administration building. There is no light in the city. All information will be updated," Gladkov wrote on his Telegram channel, adding that the armed forces of Ukraine fired at Shebekino "with Grad shells." A video has emerged online showing the dormitory building on fire following the shelling. The governor also denied reports about fatalities following a shelling of a bus in Shebekino, adding that it was "empty."The town of Shebekino and the Belgorod region in general have been suffering from regular attacks by Ukrainian armed forces lately. belgorod 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 Footage from Shebekino, where a hostel is on fire after a Ukrainian shelling Footage from Shebekino, where a hostel is on fire after a Ukrainian shelling 2023-06-01T09:34+0000 true PT0M12S 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International belgorod region, shebekino, ukrainian shelling https://sputnikglobe.com/20230601/veto-expected-after-congress-strikes-down-bidens-student-loan-debt-relief-plan-1110848304.html Veto Expected After Congress Strikes Down Bidens Student Loan Debt Relief Plan Veto Expected After Congress Strikes Down Bidens Student Loan Debt Relief Plan The US Senate voted on Thursday to repeal a sweeping plan for student loan debt relief championed by Joe Biden. The president is expected to veto the resolution, which did not achieve the votes necessary to override that veto. 2023-06-01T21:16+0000 2023-06-01T21:16+0000 2023-06-01T21:11+0000 americas senate student loans debt veto /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/08/1a/1100020053_0:212:3072:1940_1920x0_80_0_0_b580afbb6e37e61e0e74eb5a2eed071e.jpg The Senate voted 52-46 on Thursday to pass the resolution, with two moderate Democratic Senators, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana, along with Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, crossing the aisle to vote with their Republican colleagues.The resolution passed the House days earlier, with two Democrats similarly joining the Republican majority: Reps. Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington. Now, it heads to the White House, where Biden has already said he will reject it. In that situation, Congress can still override his veto, but its unlikely that a two-thirds majority can be mustered to do so.Last August, Biden used his executive authority to implement a plan for canceling up to $10,000 in student loan debt for borrowers with incomes below a certain level, and up to $20,000 for those who received Pell Grants. However, the order was immediately challenged in the courts.The debate has since been heard by the US Supreme Court, which is expected to issue its decision by the end of the month.American students, almost uniquely in the world, must pay hefty tuition fees to obtain a higher education, often obtaining the loans to do so through financing plans facilitated by the US Department of Education or private banks. Those debts can become onerous, totaling tens of thousands of dollars, and continue to grow due to interest.Republicans have argued that a debt forgiveness program is unfair to those who have already paid off their loans and that it would burden taxpayers; however, the Biden administration has countered that whats unfair is the lifelong burden debt can create for lower-income Americans, and that forgiveness would decrease the federal deficit by about $315 billion in the next decade. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/us-supreme-court-hears-case-with-potential-to-annul-400-billion-in-student-loans-1107877716.html americas Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Fantine Gardinier Fantine Gardinier 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 Fantine Gardinier student loan; debt; senate; veto; forgiveness https://sputnikglobe.com/20230601/west-pushing-coup-in-belgrade-us-brush-with-chinese-jet-woke-imperialism-1110828088.html West Pushing Coup in Belgrade; US Brush with Chinese Jet; Woke Imperialism West Pushing Coup in Belgrade; US Brush with Chinese Jet; Woke Imperialism There is a conspicuous tie between woke politics and the brutal thievery of neoconservative imperialism. 2023-06-01T04:04+0000 2023-06-01T04:04+0000 2023-06-01T10:54+0000 the critical hour radio taiwan ukraine turkiye debt ceiling twitter germany recession /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/05/1f/1110827784_0:0:1920:1080_1920x0_80_0_0_9efc5d6813bb3ca1241202c87bb71ee8.png West Pushing Coup in Belgrade; US Brush with Chinese Jet; Woke Imperialism There is a conspicuous tie between woke politics and the brutal thievery of neoconservative imperialism. Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to discuss Ukraine. The US Empire seems to be moving for a Maidan-style coup in Belgrade. Also, Ukraine is pushing for a quick entrance into NATO and Turkiye is an important geopolitical nation that may be able to facilitate peace in Eastern Europe.Brian Berletic, ex-US Marine Corps independent geopolitical researcher and writer based in Bangkok, joins us to discuss foreign policy. The rag-tag assignment of military equipment to the Ukrainian proxy army will make it difficult for the soldiers to act in a uniform and coordinated manner.Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst, and co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, joins us to discuss Ukraine and the Durham report. Ray argues that we must understand the root cause of the Ukraine conflict to find a diplomatic solution. Also, we review the Durham report to see if it was legitimate or just another deep-state false flag operation.Dr. Margaret Flowers, activist and editor of "PopularResistance.org," joins us to discuss the Global South. The US Empire is furious as Brazilian President Lula DeSilva renews ties with Venezuela. Also, President Biden doubles down on the neocon war on Cuba as more and more people call for the US to drop its sanctions.Dr. Gerald Horne, Professor of History at the University of Houston, TX, author, historian, and researcher, joins us to discuss persecution of the Uhuru movement and the danger of nuclear war. Taiwan is pushing the US to include it in the US nuclear umbrella. Also, Germany has sanctioned itself into a recession.Dr. Jack Rasmus, professor of Economics and Politics at St. Mary's College in California, joins us to discuss the economy. The Biden McCarthy debt ceiling deal is a neoliberal austerity collaboration. Also, China's Union Pay card is taking the market from US companies.Dan Kovalik, writer, author, and lawyer, joins us to discuss woke imperialism. There is a conspicuous tie between woke politics and the brutal thievery of neoconservative imperialism.Steve Poikonen, national organizer for Action4Assange, joins us to discuss social media. The EU has threatened to ban Twitter for refusing to enforce the NATO neoliberal narrative. Also, the Democrats have let the censorship dogs loose on Matt Taibbi.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. ukraine turkiye germany Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Wilmer Leon https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/12/1082114047_0:-1:238:238_100x100_80_0_0_4e3adef3e334e381bffe19d388f4b776.jpg Wilmer Leon https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/12/1082114047_0:-1:238:238_100x100_80_0_0_4e3adef3e334e381bffe19d388f4b776.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 Wilmer Leon https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/12/1082114047_0:-1:238:238_100x100_80_0_0_4e3adef3e334e381bffe19d388f4b776.jpg the critical hour, neoconservative imperialism, what is happening in kosovo, us foreign policy, what is in the durham report, brazil's ties with venezuela, uhuru movement, debt ceiling deal https://sputnikglobe.com/20230601/western-nations-plotting-coup-in-belarus-lukashenko-warns-1110849483.html Western Nations Plotting Coup in Belarus, Lukashenko Warns Western Nations Plotting Coup in Belarus, Lukashenko Warns Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has issued a warning that Western regimes including that of Ukraine are preparing to carry out a coup detat against him. 2023-06-01T23:13+0000 2023-06-01T23:13+0000 2023-06-01T23:08+0000 world alexander lukashenko volodymyr zelensky waldemar skrzypczak ukraine belarus poland commonwealth of independent states kremlin coup /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/06/19/1096659585_0:0:2433:1369_1920x0_80_0_0_73ea0c6b992f044626ed77483d92e82d.jpg Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has issued a warning that Western regimes including that of Ukraine are preparing to carry out a coup detat against him.At a meeting of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) security chiefs on Thursday, Lukashenko cautioned that a violent regime change is being prepared against Minsk.In contrast to their unsuccessful and largely bloodless color revolution attempted in 2020, Western regimes are now training and funding the opposition to engage in armed violence, the president alleged.This fact means that they wont leave us alone, he noted.The remarks came a week after an influential figure in the Polish military sphere publicly called for the dissident Belarusians currently fighting on behalf of the Zelensky regime to be unleashed on Minsk in the event of a successful counteroffensive in Ukraine.During a May 23 television interview with a national channel, former top Polish general Waldemar Skrzypczak urged officials in Warsaw to prepare for an uprising in Belarus, insisting such a scenario will happen.We must be ready to support the troops that will carry out the operation against Lukashenko, Skrzypczak insisted.We have reasons to help them, just as we help Ukraine, claimed the general, who previously served as a deputy minister in the Polish Ministry of Defense.In response to the generals remarks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov pointed out that Russia has a legal obligation to safeguard Belarusian security which we will fulfill in the face of such blatant threats, he said. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230528/why-nato-has-no-right-to-complain-about-russian-nukes-in-belarus-1110654526.html ukraine belarus poland Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Wyatt Reed Wyatt Reed News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Wyatt Reed alexander lukashenko, volodymyr zelensky, waldemar skrzypczak, ukraine, belarus, poland, commonwealth of independent states, kremlin, coup, warning https://sputnikglobe.com/20230601/what-do-democrats-and-republicans-think-of-the-us-debt-ceiling-bill-1110840507.html What Do Democrats and Republicans Think of US Debt Ceiling Bill? What Do Democrats and Republicans Think of US Debt Ceiling Bill? The House has cleared the US debt ceiling deal that was earlier clinched between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to avert a looming government default. 2023-06-01T14:05+0000 2023-06-01T14:05+0000 2023-06-01T14:08+0000 americas us joe biden kevin mccarthy debt ceiling bill deal /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/06/01/1110840003_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_ce57418ee469403a86d6c5f7cb2939fa.jpg What Did Biden Say?The 46th US president touted the bill as "good news for the American people and the American economy," urging the Senate to take up the legislation, which was passed on Wednesday evening, as soon as possible."This budget agreement is a bipartisan compromise. Neither side got everything it wanted. That's the responsibility of governing. I want to thank Speaker McCarthy and his team for negotiating in good faith, as well as [Democratic] Leader [Hakeem] Jeffries for his leadership," POTUS added.He also said he had been "clear that the only path forward is a bipartisan compromise that can earn the support of both parties." According to Biden, "This agreement meets that test. I urge the Senate to pass it as quickly as possible so that I can sign it into law, and our country can continue building the strongest economy in the world.How Did Democrats and Republicans Respond?Hakeem Jeffries himself promised that Democrats will "continue to do what is necessary" to "build an economy that works for everyday Americans," while McCarthy told reporters, "I've been thinking about this day before my vote for speaker because I knew the debt ceiling was coming."He was partly echoed by Republican Garret Graves, who expressed frustration that the US accumulated so much debt, but hailed the bill's "historic" savings and urged his colleagues to pass the legislation."It is absolutely historic. For the first time ever, as a result of the strategic nature of this speaker, we're in a situation where we have legislation before us that will result in the greatest savings in American history," Graves argued.Democrat Ritchie Torres, for his part, admitted that "the deal is bad," but added that "the alternative, a default in America, would be much worse."He spoke as Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the House vote "very good," telling reporters that "we hope we can move the bill quickly here in the Senate, and bring it to the president's desk as soon as possible."Democrat Teresa Leger Fernandez said that even though this bill is far from perfect, she voted for this legislation because it prevents economic catastrophe, rejects the cruelest proposals, and protects investments for our communities. She urged her colleagues from the party never let Republicans take our economy hostage again.Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that while she finds the legislation "objectionable," it would avert a catastrophic default.What are GOP Presidential Contenders' Thoughts?Almost all Republican presidential candidates have, meanwhile, lined up against the bill, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis insisting that the US "was careening towards bankruptcy before the debt deal, and it will still be careening towards bankruptcy after this debt deal."He underscored that the deal is "not gonna solve our nations fiscal problems.""This is greenlighting $4 trillion in new debt in less than two years. It took us almost 200 years to get to $4 trillion in debt in the first place. It locks in inflated COVID-era levels of spending. And it keeps 98% of the 87,000 new IRS agents that Joe Biden instituted," the Florida governor said referring to the agreement.Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is yet to officially entered the presidential race, said the deal "doesn't just kick the can down the road, it uses Washington smoke and mirror games to make small reforms."South Carolina Senator Tim Scott noted that despite the fact that McCarthy did a good job in negotiating process, the agreement didn't go far enough and that he would oppose it.The GOP presidential candidate explained that he disagreed with a key aspect of the bill, which would allow the debt ceiling to be raised through early 2025.The same tone was struck by former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, for her part, called the document "business as usual" and "no way to run our countrys fiscal affairs."Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who heads an asset management company and is running for president on an "anti-woke" platform, said he would "absolutely" vote against it if he were in Congress. He described the spending cuts in the budget agreement as "window dressing."One candidate not opposed to the bill was former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson. "Nothings perfect, and thats the result of compromise and having to work with this president," he told a US news network.What Was Trump Reaction?Former President Donald Trump, the projected 2024 GOP election frontrunner, has gone conspicuously silent since the deal was clinched late Saturday.Trump had earlier urged Republicans not to make a deal unless all of their demands were met, even if it meant sending the country into a government default. "That's the way the Democrats have always dealt with us. Do not fold!!!" he wrote on his Truth Social platform earlier this month.This followed Trump arguing that Republicans should use the debt ceiling deal as leverage to roll back many of Biden's spending priorities. "If they dont, you'll have to default," Trump said, suggesting that the consequences of a default could lead to "a bad week or a bad day."His rhetoric, however, showed signs of softening shortly before the deal was agreed as he told McCarthy, "Make sure you get a good agreement." https://sputnikglobe.com/20230531/bipartisan-us-debt-ceiling-deal-means-whatever-republicans-want-1110821789.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230531/us-debt-ceiling-deal-wont-hinder-arms-shipments-to-ukraine-1110816332.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230530/debt-ceiling-deal-why-snubbing-progressives-poses-risk-to-team-biden-1110796870.html americas Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Oleg Burunov https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg Oleg Burunov https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.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 Oleg Burunov https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg us debt ceiling bill, us debt ceiling, us government default, biden-mccarthy deal on us debt ceiling https://sputnikglobe.com/20230601/worlds-first-female-crash-dummy-presented-in-feminist-sweden-1110832251.html World's First Female Crash Dummy Presented in Feminist Sweden World's First Female Crash Dummy Presented in Feminist Sweden So far, all crash dummies have been based on the male anatomy. This is a big no-no in a country that previously debuted "female snow removal" and "female urban planning." 2023-06-01T08:32+0000 2023-06-01T08:32+0000 2023-06-01T08:32+0000 beyond politics ulf kristersson sweden feminism women cars /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/106108/93/1061089354_0:0:2048:1153_1920x0_80_0_0_cf6d2c5e039a35dcd0498396ad816d66.jpg The world's first female crash dummy has been presented by the Swedish National Road and Transport Institute (VTI) in the city of Linkoping.The female crash dummy is 162 centimeters tall and weighs 62 kilograms, which corresponds to the measurements of an average woman.According to VTI, which has been working on this project for a surprising 14 years, most recently with assistance from the EU, women have considerably less protection in road accidents compared to men. Above all, there is a greater risk of them suffering whiplash injuries, because women's necks are protected only half as well as men's. Despite this, all crash dummies to date have been based on the male anatomy."We must be able to assess the protection of the entire population," Astrid Linder, a professor of road safety and one of the main people behind the project, told Swedish media.However, she refused to say when it may become a requirement to test new cars with female crash dummies."It can take a short time or an infinite amount of time. It depends on what we as a society decide on, it doesn't happen by itself," Linder said.Worldwide, Sweden is known as a bastion of feminism, making gender equality of its top priorities.Within Swedish society, feminism is significant social and political force to be reckoned with. Political parties across the entire spectrum have been at pains to tout gender-based policies in their public political manifestos. In 2014, Sweden became the first country in the world to launch what it dubbed "feminist foreign policy." Even though the current government abandoned this policy as counterproductive in one of its very first steps, incumbent Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson went out of his way to assure the Swedish public that he is and remains a committed feminist.Sometimes, though, feminism takes amusing and even comical forms. Among others, Swedish politicians and mass media have no qualms about seriously discussing "feminist urban planning" and "feminist snow removal," which allegedly put a greater emphasis on women's needs. Several Swedish cities, including Gothenburg, pledged to name more streets after women to rectify the current imbalance. Other token gestures are not uncommon. In a bid to become more gender-equal, Stockholm City introduced pictograms of women's bicycles to indicate cycle lanes.The paradoxical desire for equality at all cost was ridiculed by comedian and writer Tage Danielsson already in his 60s classic "Fairy tales for children over the age 18." In "The Story of Gudrun the Fair," Gudrun, the main female protagonist, sees her marriage come crashing down as she demands her husband to bear their second child, because asking her a second time would be "unfair" and that now is "his turn." https://sputnikglobe.com/20230511/survey-finds-swedish-women-more-prone-to-superstitious-beliefs-1110254676.html sweden Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Igor Kuznetsov Igor Kuznetsov 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 Igor Kuznetsov feminist sweden, female crash dummies, gender equality, equal rights, women's rights https://sputnikglobe.com/20230601/worsening-wildfires-in-nova-scotia-prompt-air-quality-alerts-across-us-northeast-1110829901.html Worsening Wildfires in Nova Scotia Prompt Air Quality Alerts Across US Northeast Worsening Wildfires in Nova Scotia Prompt Air Quality Alerts Across US Northeast Blazing wildfires in Nova Scotia have prompted more than 18,000 people to evacuate as disastrous flames have surged and gone so far as to trigger air quality alerts across the US northeast due to rising smoke. 2023-06-01T04:18+0000 2023-06-01T04:18+0000 2023-06-01T04:13+0000 americas nova scotia canada wildfires wildfires wildfire weather extreme weather severe weather /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/08/01/1097986776_0:0:3077:1731_1920x0_80_0_0_5d4db09745bc5c783fe0337d5e137ccf.jpg Blazing wildfires in Nova Scotia have prompted more than 18,000 people to evacuate as disastrous flames have surged and gone so far as to trigger air quality alerts across the US northeast due to rising smoke.The smoke and haze has been lingering in the US for days, and on Wednesday, officials in New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia, issued a Code Orange air quality alert.According to the National Weather Service, a code orange is when the air may be unhealthy or sensitive for some people, warning that these groups of individuals should minimize their outdoor time and avoid strenuous physical activity.Hazy conditions were seen across the cityscape of Philadelphia around noon on Wednesday, according to local media. The smoke reached the city after traveling over Cape Cod and Boston, with those in Boston able to smell the smoke. Philadelphia residents are expected experience that same phenomenon on Wednesday into Thursday.At least 200 structures, most of which are homes, have been destroyed by the fire in Nova Scotia, while 14 schools in Halifax remained closed on Wednesday. Authorities have urged residents not to return to the evacuated areas, adding that its still a dangerous place.The wildfires will likely continue to grow and spread, said David Steeves from the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (DNRR), as no rainfall is expected in the forecast in the coming days.At least eight of the 13 wildfires in Nova Scotia began on Monday, three of which remained out of control by Tuesday, with five active wildfires being described as small by Scott Tingley, a manager from the DNRR.Meanwhile, officials have announced an increase in a fine of more than $25,000 for anyone in the province who creates an illegal burn. However, despite the fine hike, authorities have found individuals continuing to do so.We need all Nova Scotians to take the wildfire situation as seriously as we are. We are still finding cases of illegal burning, and it has to stop, said Tory Rushton, minister of the DNRR. Amid ongoing efforts to clamp down on the blazes, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has pledged federal assistance for the affected regions. americas nova scotia canada Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Mary Manley https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/01/0b/1092187887_0:0:2048:2049_100x100_80_0_0_0c2cc4c84f89aff034cc55bb01fb6697.jpg Mary Manley https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/01/0b/1092187887_0:0:2048:2049_100x100_80_0_0_0c2cc4c84f89aff034cc55bb01fb6697.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 Mary Manley https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/01/0b/1092187887_0:0:2048:2049_100x100_80_0_0_0c2cc4c84f89aff034cc55bb01fb6697.jpg wildfires, nova scotia, air quality alerts, us northeast Truro Raceway will be the host for the Nova Scotia vs. Ontario Drivers Challenge this Sunday, June 4, with four top drivers from Woodbine Mohawk Park flying in to represent Team Ontario, while four of the top drivers in Nova Scotia will represent Team Nova Scotia in the full nine-race challenge. The event is presented by the Nova Scotia Harness Racing Industry Association and is a fundraising event on behalf of Kidsport, Nova Scotia, an organization that provide grants to help cover the costs of sport registration and equipment fees so that all kids aged 18 and under in Nova Scotia can play a season of sport. There will be limited quantities of commemorative t-shirts sold for the event and there will be 50/50 draw and a charity BBQ, with all proceeds to Kidsport. Team Ontario will include back-to-back OBrien Award winner as Canadas top driver, James MacDonald, along with perennial star drivers Bob McClure, Doug McNair and Louis-Philippe Roy. Team Nova Scotia will be represented by 2022 Truro Raceway driving champion Paul Langille, as well as long-time Truro regular and former driving champion Ernie Laffin. Inverness Raceway will be represented by its 2022 driving champion Redmond Doucet, while driver Mark Pezzarello will carry the torch on behalf of Northside Downs. The event has been a long time in the making, as it was originally scheduled for 2020, but was derailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Event organizer Christina Saftic is very pleased that the drivers challenge will finally be able to take place. This event is long overdue, as it was originally scheduled for 2020," said Saftic, who works for Ontario Racing. "To see it finally come to fruition is very exciting. Being from Truro, it is always great to get home for a fun race card, but to be able to organize something for so many people in the province, to get out and enjoy with a focus on harness racing, was the ultimate goal. It also looks like we will also have a wide range of viewers tuning in from near and far online as well, so that is a bonus! For Kingston, P.E.I. native James MacDonald, it will be an East Coast homecoming of sorts, with lots of fans expected to come out and support him from all over the Atlantic provinces. He is looking forward to being part of the event. Im really excited to be heading back to the East Coast," said MacDonald. "I hope we can all put on a great show for the fans. They have supported me throughout my career and Im looking forward to seeing them in person. Its also nice to be able to contribute to raising funds for a great charity. Its going to be a fun day. Truro Raceways 2022 driving champion Paul Langille thinks its a wide-open event that anyone can win based on how the draw turned out for horses and post positions. Its a good-looking race card with eight drives for each driver," said Langille. "Everyone has a chance, I think. I have a couple horses myself that look like they could be ok, but Im sure everyone feels the same way. Im sure there will be a lot of kids here to see the Ontario drivers driving here. This Sunday will mark driver Bob McClures first ever visit to Truro Raceway and hes looking forward to being part of the event. Im looking forward to meeting some new people and experiencing Truro Raceway and the area for the first time," said McClure. "Driver challenges are always competitive and a lot of fun and, with the funds going to Kidsport, Nova Scotia and helping kids play sports, Im happy to be a part of it. Ernie Laffin has driven at Truro Raceway since 1990 and has long been a mainstay in the drivers colony. Taking part in the challenge will be a special for the reinsman. It will be an exciting day for Truro Raceway and our fans," said Laffin. "Well have many of the best drivers in Canada taking on many of the top drivers in Nova Scotia. Im honoured to be a part of it. All nine races on the card will be part of the drivers challenge and the team with the most total points from their drives will be the winner. The point system awarded to the drivers will be as follows: five points awarded for a first-place finish; four points awarded for a second-place finish; three points awarded for a third-place finish; two points awarded for a fourth-place finish; and one point awarded for a fifth-place finish. If a horse is scratched or there is not a full field and some drivers are not in the race, each of those situations will result in the driver being awarded two points. Post time for the Sunday card is 1 p.m. ADT/12 noon EDT. The program will feature Canadas lowest takeout Pick 5 in Race 1 at 12 per cent, with a $1,500 pool guarantee and a 20-cent minimum, as well as a Superfecta carryover in Race 2 of $279.45. There is also a 15 per cent low takeout Pick 4 in Race 6 with a $750 guarantee. The tracks pre-game show begins a half hour before post time with Melissa Keith and Grady Hachey. To view Sunday's harness racing entries, click the following link: Sunday Entries - Truro Raceway. (With files from Truro Raceway) The back room of the Hemingford American Legion Post #9 Hall was filled on Monday morning for the Memorial Day Service. The weather blessed us with some nice sunshine today and the Avenue of Flags looks really amazing as always, said Commander Mike Raben as he encouraged those in attendance to take the time to look at the over 300 casket flags from veteran funerals on display throughout Hemingford. Raben then introduced Chaplain Troy Sorensen who asked the crowd to stand for a prayer followed by the Pledge of Allegiance lead by Raben. American Legion Auxiliary Post #9 members Nancy Ray took to the piano as Auxiliary President Carol Danbom led the crowd in singing the National Anthem. Auxiliary members Diane Olson, Carol Danbom and Andrea Danbom took turns reading the names of deceased veterans buried in Hemingford and the surrounding cemeteries. This is always a moving moment as the number grows bigger and bigger with each passing year. Songbird Danbom and pianist Ray performed God Bless the USA. Raben introduced the guest speaker as Chaplain Sorensen. He began with the poem In Flanders Fields written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, M.D. while serving on the front lines. Battle grounds were often called Flanders fields in England. The poem speaks of poppies that grow in the fields between crosses of fallen soldiers. The red poppy came to symbolize the blood shed during battle following the publication of the wartime poem. He speaks of his fallen comrades and how its our job to hold their torch high, said Sorensen. Thats our job and thats what this day is about. A day of remembrance; a day to remember all of those who died in service for our freedom. Today we remember the 240 Nebraska lives lost during the Civil War, the 855 lost during the first World War, the 2,976 lost during World War II, the 318 lost in the Korean War, 396 in the Vietnam War, and 62 Nebraska lives lost in the War on Terror. Thats just under 5,000 Nebraska lives lost out of the over 1.2 million American soldiers that lost their lives during those wars. Today we raise a torch for these men and women that served and died for our freedom. But today I would like to raise a torch for another group of veterans that have sacrificed their lives but not on a battle field half way across the world but in our own neighborhoods, said Sorensen. In the first 20 years of the War on Terror there were 7,057 military service members who lost their lives in military operations. In contrast, over those same 20 years, over 31,000 military men and women took their lives to suicide. Sorensen spoke of the importance of being there for those struggling with an internal battle of suicidal thoughts. Nebraska unfortunately has one of the highest rates per capita of veteran suicides, he said. There are 40 suicides per every 100 thousand residents in Nebraska. Over 125,000 since 2001, its the second leading cause of death in veterans under the age of 45. The statistics are pretty ugly. So what can we do? First is ask and listen. When someone says Im good sometimes its time to ask okay but how are you really doing. Their life is worth that second question. He spoke of how his Faith has saved himself from the same demons. This is not an easy topic but this is something that needs to be talked about, said Sorensen. The crowed made their way over to the Hemingford Memorial Park to close out the program. A wreath was placed at the memorial for the Unknown Soldier followed by a 21-gun salute from the Honor Guard led by Sergeant-at-Arms Jim Olson and the playing of Taps by 13 year old Tyan Hruby. (Photo : JEON HEON-KYUN / POOL / AFP) (JEON HEON-KYUN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) South Korean nuclear experts urge for further analysis of Japan's plan to discharge nuclear water waste into the sea following meltdowns of a plant's three reactors. South Korean nuclear safety experts urge further analysis of Japan's plan to release nuclear water waste into the sea The experts visited the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear station following the meltdown of its three reactors The incident was a result of a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that rocked Japan in 2011 South Korean nuclear safety experts who traveled to Japan and observed the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant said that detailed analysis is needed to verify Tokyo's plan to release the nuclear water waste into the sea. The remarks come after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear station was destroyed by a powerful magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that occurred in 2011, which resulted in the meltdown of the plant's three reactors. Japan's Plan To Release Nuclear Water Into the Sea The Japanese government is planning to release more than one million tons of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea. The water was mainly used to cool the reactors of the power plant. The plans, which were set to release the contaminated waste by this summer, triggered alarm both locally and internationally, especially among fishing communities, as per Reuters. During a briefing, the chairman of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, Yoo Guk-hee, who led a delegation on a site visit to Japan last week, said that South Korea was reviewing whether or not Tokyo has an appropriate discharge plan based on scientific and technological standpoints. On the other hand, the Japanese utility that is responsible for the plant as well as the government said that the water is safe after it is treated, filtered, and diluted. However, they argued that it does contain some traces of tritium. Yoo added that there was some progress in checking facilities and securing samples and documents. However, he noted that further work is needed to reach any conclusion regarding the safety of the water waste. A team from South Korea that was made up of 21 members made the six-day trip to Japan for water purification, transport, and release of equipment. They also conducted sampling and analysis of facilities, according to Channel News Asia. Read Also: Russia's Medvedev Calls UK Officials "Legitimate Military Targets" Analyzing the Contaminated Water The nuclear experts' visit came after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attended a summit in Seoul last month. The event was seen as a break to the stalemate in relations between the two countries after years of tension despite both being allies of the United States. In a statement, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) added that it was also conducting a safety review of Japan's plan to discharge nuclear water waste. The company is expected to announce the result of its review in the next few weeks. Japan cooperated with South Korea's nuclear experts during the investigation, providing data that showed levels of radioactivity in the water before and after the treatment process. That process was something that also needed to be analyzed and confirmed. Some scientists have argued that the impact brought by long-term, low-exposures to radionuclides is still unknown. This is the reasoning that they used in arguing that the release of the contaminated water should be delayed, said the Associated Press. Related Article: Erdogan Extends Rule to Third Decade, Sets Sights on Istanbul @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. ONLY COMPLAINTS ON ALUMNI SHOW Sunday night was that laughter was so loud and applause so hearty that bits of the shows dialogue were sometimes missed by others in the packed Legion Memorial Hall. The record attendance of 365 saw humorous play based on Greek mythology titled From Olympus to Hades. Cast included: Glen Kotschwar (Zeus), Jo Cowan (Pandora), Don Hanks (Hercules), Darien Anderson (Echo), Bill Cowan (Pluto), Bobby Lliteras (Narcissus), Beverly Bremer (Aphrodite), Moose Walker (Ulysses), Lyle Fodnes (Homer) and Robyn Anderson, Joni Roes and Caren Schekall as the Muses. After the switch to Hades and a turnabout of rolls. Darien discovers Zeus covered throne makes appropriate sounds effects as she sings Dean Martins Welcome to my World as Pluto; Bill Cowan tickled the crowd with a yodeling number as Echo; and surprise addition is Mexican exchange student George Mejia as Banicek, the Polack who entered to a Bohemian polka joke in Spanish and solved the turnabout by turning Zeus himself into a Centaur. CASE SOLVED HERE Hemingford Police and the County Sheriff department have solved the school illegal entry case of May 22nd, 1973. A 15-year-old youth has admitted to entering Hemingford School District 10 elementary building and taking cash. Some $30.28 was missing from various classrooms. Name of the youth was withheld by authorities. ALUMS FUN A RECORD EVENT When the Hemingford Alumni Association was started 21 years ago and held their first banquet, they might have envisioned what happened last Sunday evening at the Legion Memorial Hall. If so, their fondest dreams were certainly realized at the 21st annual event. An all-time record of 334 paid alums and spouses attended the gala affair and by the time the turkey and dressing dinner tally was made, 365 plates were paid by the Association to catering Corral Cafe owners here. That included 20 servers and 11 non-alums in the stage show. Classes of 1903, 1913, 1923, 1933, 1943, 1953, 1963 and 1973 were recognized by toastmaster Jerry Kiester. MEMORIAL IN 2-DAY EVENT, GOOD CROWDS Memorial Day 1973 attracted a crowd of about 200 at services in the Hemingford High School Wednesday morning. The day was observed here on the 30th by American Legion Post 9 and Auxiliary, rather than the government set legal holiday Monday, the 28th. Following HHS band selections, Post 9 Commander James Hollinrake made introductions and the Color Guard under Sgt.-at-Arms Carey Davies presented Colors. Invocation was by Rev. Howard Osborne, pastor of the Congressional Church and Joni Frahm sang a vocal solo. The roll of the military deceased was read by Legionnaire Alan Danbom and benediction was by the Very Rev. C. J. Schumski, pastor of St. Bridgets Church. Principal speaker Charles Singleton of Dix, Area D Commander of the Nebraska American Legion, gave his audience the meaning of Memorial Day. He also exhorted them to higher patriotism and listed ways in which this can be attained. The assemblage then adjourned with retirement of colors to join the crowds at the Hemingford Cemetery. There, the color guard and fire squad of Post 9 carried out decoration of veterans graves and participated, along with Post officials in the concluding services at the Memorial of the Unknown Veterans. PRELIMINARY STREET PAVING WORK Began about 10 days ago by the James E. Simon Company of Scottsbluff, contractors. Streets in the south and southwest part of town are now being widened, graded and packed to establish grades preparatory to curbing, guttering and paving with asphalt. Some 11-plus blocks are involved in the project. FRIDAY COLLISION HERE HOSPITALIZED SIX AREA GIRLS A tragic accident marred the start of the Memorial Day weekend south of Hemingford Friday night. The emergency call came in here at 8:45 p.m. and it was a 2-car collision 4.6 miles south of Hemingford on Highway 2 that occurred about 8 p.m. Six girls were taken to St. Josephs Hospital in Alliance by the Hemingford Fire Department rescue teams. The Alliance Fire Department emergency squad was also called but later turned back. According to State Patrolman Morris McKillip, a car driven by Judy Smith, 21, a college student from Hemingford, slowed down for a farm implement on the highway and another car, driven by Sheryl D. Edwards, Alliance, plowed into the rear of the Smith vehicle. Both cars, headed south, were total losses, McKillip said. Passengers in the car driven by Judy Smith included her sister, Karen, 18, and Sandra Davis, 19, daughter of Mrs. Hilton Olson of Hemingford. Karen and Judy are daughters of Mr. and Mrs. C. O. Duffy Smith of Hemingford. The Patrol listed Miss Edwards, 17, daughter of Mrs. Ruth Edwards of Alliance and her passengers as Connie Buresh, 14 of Gordon; and Rhonda S. Frohman, 14, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Leo Frohman of Alliance. Most seriously injured were Karen Smith and Sandra Davis. Both suffered fractured necks with spinal cord damage and paralysis. Karen and Sandra were transferred to Scottsbluff by ambulance Saturday morning and are in West Nebraska General Hospital, Room 404. Their physician described their condition each as conscious but serious. A Concord man wanted in connection to at least four bank robberies in Iredell County and surrounding areas was arrested on Thursday near Black Mountain, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. Kelvin Wayne Simmons, 46, is charged with four counts of felony robbery with a dangerous weapon. The charges stem from bank robberies in Statesville, Mooresville, Salisbury and Hendersonville which occurred in the last week, according to law enforcement officials. WSOC-TV reported a fifth robbery took place in Belmont. According to the U.S. Marshals, the Black Mountain Police Department located Simmons as he was driving through the area. Black Mountain police arrested Simmons. In all four robberies, a man carrying a lunch box entered the banks and demanded money. No one was injured in the robberies, according to police. The most recent robbery occurred in Hendersonville on Wednesday afternoon. Shortly after 5 p.m., the Hendersonville Police Department was contacted regarding a bank robbery that occurred at First Citizens Bank at 1700 Four Seasons Blvd., Hendersonville police said in a social media post. Officers were told a white male, described to be in his early to mid-40s, entered the bank and told tellers he had a gun, the Hendersonville police said. The suspect left on foot with an undisclosed amount of money, Hendersonville police said. First Horizon Bank on East Broad Street in Statesville was robbed Tuesday morning, according to the Statesville Police Department. On May 26, a robbery was reported around 4 p.m. at United Community Bank on Williamson Road in Mooresville, the Iredell County Sheriffs Office said. On May 25, F&M Bank at 102 S. Avalon Drive reported a robbery shortly before noon, the Salisbury Police Department said. According to a police report from Salisbury, $1,000 was stolen from F&M Bank. The report identified the weapon as a handgun. In the Hendersonville and Salisbury robberies, the suspect was wearing the same clothes and carrying a lunch box with a Minion cartoon character from the film Despicable Me emblazoned on the front, Hendersonville police said. The man was wearing a camo hat, dark pants, a navy blue T-shirt and tan shoes in security camera photos from the Salisbury bank. The outfit was similar to what the suspect in the Mooresville robbery was wearing in security camera photos provided by the Iredell County Sheriffs Office. The lunch box also appeared to be the same. Simmons is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein said Tuesday that many North Carolina residents are unfamiliar with the day-to-day work of his office. People dont always know what the attorney general does, but basically my job is to protect the people of the state, Stein said during a visit to Statesville. We do that work in a lot of different ways. Whether it is administering the states crime lab or addressing robocalls that often target seniors, the attorney generals office represents the public in a number of legal issues. The work also puts him in a position to speak on a number of issues that concern voters as he campaigns as a Democrat eager to fill the governors seat in 2024. We do live in partisan times but I think most voters just want to know that you care about them, that youre fighting for them, trying to help them succeed in life. Thats what Ive been doing as attorney general and exactly what Ill do as governor, Stein said. The things that I want to work on, strong public schools, safe neighborhoods, affordable health care, those are not Republican or Democratic issues, those are people issues, and thats what Im going to champion. Stein spoke with the Record and Landmark at a downtown coffee shop on Tuesday about his work and his ambition. Fentanyl Theres definitely real partisan division in this country, both parties take different sides of the issue and yell at each other. But fortunately, fighting the opioid crisis is one area we can come together, Stein said. Weve done that hear in North Carolina as Ive partnered with Republican legislators to strengthen state laws in the fight against opioids. And Ive done it nationally with Republican attorney generals to work together to hold big drug companies accountable. The attorney general said its a multifaceted approach, one of those was his push for the Stop Counterfeit Pills Act, which creates harsher punishments for those caught with equipment used to create pills with fentanyl in them. He said one of the reasons why fentanyl is found combined with other drugs is because drug dealers realize how addictive the opioid is even if it kills the people they make money off of. I think what drug dealers are doing is polluting the entire illicit drug supply chain with fentanyl because they want all of these drugs to be more addictive. They want methamphetamines to be more addictive. They want marijuana to be more addictive. They want cocaine to be more addictive, Stein said. Evidently, theyre prepared to accept the risk of overdose deaths, which is why we need to hold these guys accountable. Stein said another way he hopes to tackle the issue is by asking the legislature to fund a special unit dedicated to fentanyl prosecution that would assist district attorneys in prosecuting crimes related to it. Its a legitimate crisis in this country. Were at the deadliest moment of the deadliest drug epidemic in American history, Stein said. More kids are dying of drug overdoses than ever before. Over 100,000 Americans died of a drug overdose last year, and thats absolutely terrifying. We have to do everything in our power to turn the tide. Another addiction? Stein also pointed to the negative impact of social media. Its not just drugs though, its social media. Which frankly is another form of addiction, Stein said. Im on the bipartisan executive group of state attorney generals investigating both TikTok and Instagram for the ways theyve designed their platforms. Were analyzing what designs they did that have led to such a dramatic uptick in use and continued use by young people. If we determine theyve engaged in actions that have harmed our youth, we wont hesitate to take action as a result. He said the goal of the investigation is to protect children, as online use averages five hours a day among middle schoolers and eight hours for high schoolers. Stein said studies show that people who spend that much time online are more likely to suffer from mental health issues, including eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and suicide. He said elected leaders without teenagers in their lives often dont realize the way younger people use social media, as well as the way it can make harassment and bullying a constant issue for children. Bullying happened in the past, before the internet, but it is so much easier and prevalent with the internet, Stein said. His candidacy Stein was quick to tout his record as attorney general. As attorney general, Ive taken on big fights on behalf of the people of North Carolina and delivered, Stein said. He shared the story of hwo his office took on Juul, the e-cigarette manufacturer, for targeting teenagers and secured a $40 million settlement. Thats what I will do as governor, is take on fights for people that help them lead a better life, Stein said. That means good jobs, affordable health care, strong public schools, clean drinking water, and a secure retirement. With North Carolina remaining a battleground state, he said he believes many voters can see past part labels and see the work hes done and the values he has shown both as attorney general and previously as a member of the state Senate. For certain issues, including LGBTQ, Stein said he believes in a live-and-let-live approach and wont hesitate to defend anyone facing discrimination. He said parents should have a say in what books their child checks out from the library if it concerns them, but he believes some of the issues around it being debated by school boards around the state are a distraction from other education issues. Im concerned about the culture wars being debated in our schools to distract us from the fact our Republican General Assembly has woefully underfunded public education. We rank 48th in adjusted per-pupil spending in the country, 50th as a share of our states economy we spend on public education. Thats an embarrassment and frankly an outrage, Stein said. Youll notice the people talking about the culture wars in schools are talking about that instead of adequately funding teacher salaries and support staff for more school councilors, nurses, and school psychologists. In a place like Iredell County, a Republican stronghold, Stein said he knows winning over voters might be an uphill battle. He said he believes that focusing on everyday issues is what is important to the average voter. What people in Iredell County want, is someone who cares about their family member struggling with opioid addiction, who wants their children to go to the best public schools possible, that makes sure there are decent hospitals that can treat your parents when they get sick. These are things I am fighting for that help people all across the state. These are not Republican or Democratic issues. The opioid doesnt ask the victim if you are a Democrat or Republican before it takes over their life. A rapist doesnt ask if youre a Republican or Democrat before they commit sexual assault. These are all issues that affect all of us, and we all have a stake in, and that Ive been working on. Matt Walsh says his 11th studio album, Straight Outta Dunn is a culmination of and a reflection on his two decades as a musician. The music was released on Tuesday. Every song on there is about my experience as a professional musician, if it comes off that way, it might just be the struggle of a musician, Walsh said. He references a line on I Hit The Bank where he sings I hope I never go back to the good old days. Walsh said musicians sometimes romanticize the early days of playing live music. He does not. Its just that kind of sentiment of I dont wanna go back to playing horrible places and getting stuff thrown at me or yelled at or what I did when I was in my early twenties or a young musician. He added, Its more observations. Some of it is defiant like youre saying: This is such a tough business and if youre not already thick-skinned its gonna make you a little more thick-skinned. Thats where that comes from. The recently released video for I Hit The Bank is more up tempo. Guitar-playing Walsh is known as being is a little rock, a little blues, a little country, but undeniably his own. Walsh said when he made the album, he was able to be more relaxed in the recording process which allowed others to influence the final product. Walsh took an open-minded approach to see how the ideas of other musicians would fit into his own music. Things like that I think added a lot more to the relaxed vibe of it and added a lot more creativity, he said. That happened with having more young people around with young ideas, their perspectives. It couldnt hurt. While the official release date was May 30, Walsh said a few copies of the album had been distributed early, which created hype and provided him with feedback from his listeners. When people listen to it, especially if they followed my career for some time with all the changes that Ive done, I think it came off exactly the way that I intended it to, Walsh said. Most people say it the best thing Ive ever done. He added, Its not so much the best thing Ive ever done but its the best of all those things. Red Buffalo Brewing Company in Statesville will host Walshs Straight Outta Dunn album release party at 9 p.m. on Friday. (Photo : HO/AFP via Getty Images) NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) detected a massive 6,000-mile-long water plume coming out of one of Saturn's moons, Enceladus. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) detected a massive 6,000-mile-long water plume from one of Saturn's moons. The discovery was made on Enceladus, which is known among scientists for its geysers Enceladus is known to be home to a sub-surface salty ocean that acts as its primary water source NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) detected a massive 6,000-mile-long water plume blasting out from one of Saturn's moons, known as Enceladus. Enceladus is known for its geysers but the latest discovery is something that scientists consider to be a particularly large one. The water plume was estimated to span roughly 9,600 kilometers, which is a distance that is equal to that of flying from the United Kingdom to Japan. Saturn's Moon Releases Massive 6,000-Mile-Long Water Plume The discovery has excited scientists fascinated by Enceladus, whose sub-surface salty ocean is its main water source. Their fascination is mainly due to the moon's ability to hold the basic conditions to support life, as per BBC. It was NASA's Cassini mission, which was conducted from 2004 to 2017, that gathered sufficient evidence of the necessary chemistry. The mission regularly flew through the geysers of Enceladus and sampled the water using its instruments. However, it made no direct detection of any biology. The recent discovery by James Webb comes after previous observations that tracked vapor emissions that extended for hundreds of kilometers. However, the sheer size of the newly-found geyser is on a different scale altogether. Furthermore, the European Space Agency (ESA) calculated that the rate at which the water that was coming out of Enceladus was roughly 300 liters per second. The agency noted that this amount of water is enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool in just a few hours. Enceladus is described by many scientists as an "ocean world" and is considered by NASA as one of the most compelling places to search for any signs of extraterrestrial life. This particular moon of Saturn is coated in a distinctive, icy outer shell, beneath which lies the saltwater ocean that wraps its rocky core, according to CBS News. Read Also: UAE Plans to Send Spacecraft to Asteroid Belt Incredible Discovery There are cracks on the celestial body's surface, which scientists often call "tiger stripes." They are the ones that allow geyser-like jet streams to spew out from under the ice and into space. These potentially act as a crucial water source for the entire Saturnian system. The recently detected water plume is particularly interesting to researchers due to its size and strength. While the moon is one of the largest among Saturn's satellites, it's only about 4% of the size of our planet. In a statement, a scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Geronimo Villanueva, who is also a lead author on the new findings of James Webb, said that the first time he saw the data, he thought they made a mistake. In a press release, Villanueva added that the finding was just so shocking because of how they detected a water plume roughly 20 times the size of the moon that released it, said Yahoo News. Related Article: China Launches New Crew for Space Station, Aims for Moon Landing by 2030 @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. by Austin Bay June 1, 2023 Eighty-one years separate 1942 and 2023. In that human lifetime, the technologies of war have changed, as have some of the regional and global actors. Great Power rivalry definitely isn't ancient history in the Pacific and East Asia. However, communist China is now the expansionist power, not imperial Japan. The U.S. is still the challenged, but its allies now include democratic Japan, the independent Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan. The Pacific's island geography hasn't changed -- the rocks and coral remain where they were in 1942. Despite the hype of the Space Age and the information age and now artificial intelligence, communist China's 21st century diplomats and generals know geographic position matters. Why do small Pacific islands matter? Chinese military aircraft and navy warships need forward bases beyond the First Island Chain (Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines). The new bases also provide the People's Liberation Army with missile launch sites. The closer missile launchers are to U.S. bases such as Pearl Harbor, San Diego and Puget Sound, the better, from Beijing's perspective. All the better for cowing the U.S. Navy. Saipan, Palau, Truk Atoll. They were valuable islands in 1942. Many American citizens, victims of bad schools and leftist teachers, have never heard of these World War II battlegrounds. But controlling them or denying Japan use of these and other islands led to Japan's defeat. For the record, Japan used Saipan as a base for attacking Guam. In 2023, the hearts and minds of people living in these islands matter. In these small nations, (and that's the current political configuration, nations and confederations) they are vulnerable to the suite of tricks that serves Beijing well in Europe and Washington. The wallets of agents of influence -- diplomatic slang for politicians and media operatives accepting bribes -- are a classic means of first obtaining a weather station, then fishing rights, then naval anchorage rights, then a navy base. After the navy base: a missile launch site. The process I describe isn't theory. In spring 2022, a leaked document indicated that China had reached an agreement with the Solomon Islands that would give it the right to make naval ship visits and send soldiers or police to train and (according to one source) "maintain order." Maintain Order: that's Beijing-speak for taking control when the moment is ripe. In March, Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) stated at a congressional hearing: "We have fought for these strategic islands before. Now we are ?ghting again, hopefully in a nonlethal battle, and we need to pay attention." Here's an example of the current fight -- the nonlethal before the lethal. This spring, the biggest issue in the Federated States of Micronesia was the recognition of Taiwan over mainland China. The FSM is over 600 islands with less than 300 square miles of surface area. But their location, between Guam and Papua New Guinea, is valuable real estate. The FSM's former president wanted to support Taiwan. But in early April, the FSM's legislature voted to retain recognition for China. Democracy in action? The former president repeatedly warned that Beijing was dragging the island federation "into its political warfare" and accused Beijing of corrupt practices to include bribing local politicians. Beijing buys politicians in Washington, so why not Micronesia? What can the U.S. do? In the summer of 1942, Japan invaded the island of New Guinea. Tokyo saw it as a step to taking France's New Caledonia -- an island with rich mineral deposits -- and possibly knocking Australia and New Zealand out of the war. The Japanese used Truk as a base for the invasion of New Guinea. Australian and U.S. troops stopped the Japanese Army in the mountains and slowly pushed the imperial forces north. On May 22, the U.S. and Papua New Guinea signed a new military agreement. Papua New Guinea is the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and is about 90 miles north of Australia. Though late, it looks like Washington bets Papua New Guinea will be a bulwark against Chinese communist imperial expansion. History doesn't repeat itself, but if we're lucky, it will rhyme. Country rock legend and founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band John McEuen comes to Floyd for a show for the first time on Saturday. Despite touring nationally and internationally for about 50 years, McEuen said he somehow missed Floyd until now. McEuen was a driver of Nitty Grittys platinum album Will the Circle be Unbroken, which united the band with a slate of legendary musicians that included Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Jimmy Martin and more. He left Nitty Gritty in 2017 the same year as the bands 50th anniversary tour and his induction to the American Banjo Hall of Fame to revisit his solo career and discover new things. The John McEuen Live Tour, which includes The Circle Band, features recognizable classics and stories from McEuens career, starting with the formation of Nitty Gritty in California in 1966. Fellow founding member Les Thompson will be at the Floyd show on Saturday, McEuen said. The show starts at 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 3, at The Floyd Country Store (206 S. Locust St.) in Floyd. Tickets are $38 for general admission and $45 for reserved seats, available online and in-store. McEuen, who spent the COVID-19 pandemic writing music and his second book, said the key to performing tens of thousands of shows is to focus on each night, one show at a time. The Floyd show will be the only thing that matters [June 3], McEuen said. Before stopping in Floyd, McEuen and The Circle Band are scheduled to play in Black Mountain, North Carolina, on June 2 and in Warrenton on June 4. McEuen said touring has become much easier throughout his career, largely thanks to technology and having more options. Plus its easier to get a ride at the airport, McEuen said. His shows are not necessarily impacted by the size of the venue hes playing, whether it be playing a stadium or something smaller, like The Floyd Country Store. All shows can be intimate as long as the audience feels connected to you and you to them, McEuen said. McEuen published his first book, The Life Ive Picked: A Banjo Players Nitty Gritty Journey, (Chicago Review Press) in 2018, and completed his second, Will the Circle Be Unbroken: The Making of a Landmark Album, 50th Anniversary (Backbeat) in August 2022. Will the Circle Be Unbroken is a memoir thats not a memoir, McEuen said, and it solely focuses on the most important album to come out of Nashville, Rolling Stone said. The album Will the Circle be Unbroken was recorded in five days in 1971 and released in 1972. In his book, McEuen gives readers a first-person perspective of the creation of Will the Circle be Unbroken, complete with never before seen photos by McEuen and his brother/producer, Bill. McEuen said he worked on the book for about a decade because the albums influence continues to grow. There will be copies of the book available at The Floyd Country Store on Saturday. Another one of McEuens most recent projects is a spoken word album from Compass Records, set to be released sometime this summer. A title has not yet been announced. McEuen said the album is unusual for him, and it features historical letters, such as from the Civil War and Vietnam. Stay up-to-date about McEuens upcoming album and nearby shows at www.johnmceuen.net. There are also a handful of stories online, similar to those McEuen will tell at the Floyd Country Store. Fertility rates in regions under the control of the Syrian regime have experienced a notable decline in recent months, Syria TV writes. The usage of birth control pills among women in Syria has witnessed a notable increase due to various factors, including the rising cost of living, the countrys economic crisis, and the substantial expenses associated with pregnancy and childbirth. According to Athr Press, a website with close ties to the regime, the percentage of contraceptives sold in Damascus pharmacies has surged by 80 percent in recent times. A pharmacist interviewed by the website stated, Contraceptives serve as a viable option for women who do not wish to have children, especially since abortions now cost 2 million pounds. The proprietor of another pharmacy in Damascus informed Athr Press that there is high demand for purchasing contraceptives, including foreign varieties that some women prefer and often acquire through smuggling. It is noteworthy that certain women specifically desire foreign brands due to their perceived advantages, such as the absence of significant side effects like weight gain. Moreover, there is a considerable price disparity between local and foreign contraceptives, with the former priced around 4,000 Syrian pounds and reaching up to 30,000 Syrian pounds. Additionally, there are contraceptive options administered via needles, priced at 100,000 Syrian pounds, which require the woman to take a shot every six months. Low fertility rates Fertility rates in regions under the control of the Syrian regime have experienced a notable decline in recent months, primarily due to the countrys economic crisis and the financial burdens associated with childbirth and child-rearing. According to the newspaper Tishreen, which has close ties to the regime, a doctor reported that her clinic receives two to three cases daily from women seeking to terminate their pregnancies. When asked about the reasons behind their decision, these women cited the high cost of living and the challenges of raising children amidst low income. The doctor further highlighted a significant drop in the birth rate, with several months passing without any births, whereas previously there would be daily or bi-daily deliveries. She also noted that maternity and maternity hospitals sometimes have empty beds, as women are discharged promptly after childbirth due to the pressures they face, similar to the situation with examinations. 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. HTS has adopted a new approach to handling foreign fighters who are actively involved in their ranks, according to Athr Press. Confidential sources in the countryside of Idleb have provided information to Athr regarding the efforts of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (Jabhat al-Nusra and its allies, HTS) to remove numerous foreign militants. These militants are being coerced into travelling to Ukraine to engage in combat against Russian forces or carry out acts of harassment. According to the sources, the HTS has adopted a new approach to handling foreign fighters who are actively involved in their ranks or within the Turkistan Islamic Party. HTS has implemented measures such as imposing restrictions, seizing their homes and finances, and compelling them to journey to Ukraine via Turkish territory. The purpose of this forced deployment is to confront Russian forces, with the promise of monthly salaries reaching up to $3,000. Failure to comply with these directives results in the HTS implementing various measures, including apprehension, asset confiscation, and separation from their spouses. What is the reason for the elimination of foreign militants? Informed sources have disclosed that the leader of HTS, Abu Muhammad al-Julani, in Idleb, has expressed a desire to eliminate foreign militants. This intention stems from Julanis aspiration to position himself as part of the moderate opposition, particularly in anticipation of any future political settlement. Julani seeks to play a significant role in such a settlement and, to that end, maintains regular meetings with Turkish officers. He also complies with their requests on the ground and maintains consistent coordination with the Washington-led international coalition. Julani provides them with coordinates and information about the movement and locations of Hurras al-Din militants, with the aim of facilitating their elimination and subsequently having HTS removed from the list of internationally designated terrorist organizations. Since HTS assumed control over the majority of the countryside in the Idleb governorate in 2017, agreements have been forged with other factions in the region. These factions include Ansar al-Tawhid, Hurras al-Din, and the Turkistan Islamic Party, where foreign militants constitute over 70% of their total strength. HTS has mandated their presence on the fronts of Jabal al-Zawiya, located in southern Idleb, and Jisr al-Shughour, situated in the southwest of the governorate. Furthermore, HTS has established separate settlements for some of these militants in the northeastern countryside, specifically in the Lattakia mountains, ensuring their segregation from other militants. HTS provides comprehensive logistical, military, and financial support to these foreign militants in exchange for their complete field coordination with HTS. 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 strikes hit a Hezbollah headquarters in southern Syria, among other targets, al-Souria Net reports. The Israeli channel Kan recently reported that the Israeli airstrikes on Damascus a few days ago were aimed at the covert Golan Unit of the Lebanese organization Hezbollah. According to an intelligence source quoted by the channel, the airstrikes specifically targeted a training camp for the Golan Heights unit located near Damascus. The camp was known to house individuals who received training to carry out operations against Israel. Furthermore, the strikes also hit a Hezbollah headquarters in southern Syria, which was involved in planning attacks against Israel and the United States in the region. Reports from the regimes news agency, SANA, confirmed that Israel had launched airstrikes near Damascus. The agency stated that Israel conducted air aggression from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting certain locations in the vicinity of Damascus. It further mentioned that the damages were limited to material and that air defences successfully intercepted several Israeli missiles. Recently, the Long War Journal website reported statements from US intelligence officials, revealing that the Golan Unit had been making preparations to launch attacks against US forces in Syria. According to the website, the unit was engaged in exercises involving tanks and weapons in southern Damascus, with the specific intention of targeting US forces. In recent months, Israel has escalated its bombardment of multiple locations in Syria. Although Israel does not formally claim responsibility for all these attacks, it acknowledges that its airstrikes in Syria are in response to the presence of Iran, which is actively involved in military positions supporting the Assad regimes forces. Who is the Golan Unit? The Golan Unit is a covert division within Lebanese Hezbollah, which was initially exposed by Israel in 2019. Its primary objective is to train Lebanese and Syrian teams to carry out attacks against Israel. According to the Israeli Ministry of Defense, the leader of this clandestine unit is Ali Musa Abbas Daqduq, also known as Abu Hussein Sajid. Daqduq became affiliated with Hezbollah in 1983 and held various positions in southern Lebanon. In 2006, he relocated to Iraq to oversee the operations of Hezbollahs unit in that country. However, he was apprehended by US forces in 2007. Despite being released in 2012 due to an alleged lack of evidence, he was dispatched to Syria in 2018 to establish the Golan File Unit. 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 Network for Human Rights has appealed to several international bodies, according to Baladi News. On Thursday, June 1, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) announced that it had provided a comprehensive report to the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances at the United Nations regarding the distressing case of Mrs. Mayada Burhan Wakeel. Prior to her arrest, Mrs. Wakeel served as a housewife. Regrettably, she was detained by regime forces. Mrs. Wakeel, born in 1976, resided in the village of Chtoura in the Zahle district, Bekaa Governorate, Lebanon, along with her five children, all of whom hail from the city of Idleb. In their statement, the SNHR explained that the woman and her children were apprehended on Sunday, April 7, 2013, at a regime forces checkpoint in the city of Homs while returning from Lebanon. Subsequently, they were taken to an undisclosed location. Since that distressing incident, they have been victims of enforced disappearance, leaving the SNHR and their families deeply concerned about their well-being. The SNHR has also briefed several United Nations Special Rapporteurs on this case, including the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, and the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. This effort aims to raise awareness and garner support in uncovering the truth surrounding the plight of Ms. Mayada Burhan Wakeel and her five children. It is disheartening to note that the Syrian regime has denied any knowledge of the disappearance of Mrs. Wakeel and her children. Unfortunately, the SNHR has been unable to ascertain their fate thus far, and their families have also been left in a state of uncertainty and anguish. She expressed deep concerns, based on past experiences in similar cases, that repeated questioning could lead to their arrest and torture, as has tragically occurred in numerous instances. The Syrian Network for Human Rights has appealed to several international bodies, including the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, and the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. Their urgent intervention with the Syrian regime is sought to secure the immediate release not only of Mrs. Mayada Burhan Wakeel and her children but also of the thousands who have been forcibly disappeared, emphasizing the crucial need to ascertain their fate. The Syrian Network for Human Rights has underscored the grave concerns over the potential for torture and even loss of life through such means since 2011, as enforced disappearances continue to mount in number. 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. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as part of his effort to win a third decade, highlighted the repatriation of one million Syrian refugees as a crucial focus of his campaign. However, fulfilling this promise will present significant challenges. Simultaneously, the Syrian Democratic Council, led by the Kurds, has urged Arab countries to prioritize the inclusion of UN Resolution No. 2254 in their agenda to establish normalized relations with Syria. Additionally, a 12-foot puppet named Little Amal, symbolizing a Syrian refugee, will embark on a journey across the United States to increase awareness about immigration and refugee issues. Erdogans promise According to Reuters, the ongoing conflict in Syria poses challenges to fulfilling this promise. The focus on refugee return has raised concerns among the 3.4 million Syrians living in Turkey, where resentment towards them is growing. Many refugees come from areas controlled by President Bashar al-Assad and believe they cannot return as long as he remains in power. Erdogans plan involves building new housing in rebel-held northwest Syria with Qatari assistance. This strategy, Reuters adds, reinforces Turkeys commitment to the rebel-held area, despite Assads demand for the withdrawal of Turkish troops. Erdogan aims to ensure the return of one million refugees within a year to opposition-held areas. However, security concerns and unstable conditions in northern Syria make large-scale returns challenging. Turkeys diplomatic approach to Syria has shifted, with the reopening of channels to Assad, but progress has been slow due to Turkeys deeper involvement and the presence of other foreign forces. Analysts believe Turkey is unlikely to agree to a withdrawal timetable, as it could trigger a mass exodus of Syrians to Turkey. Kemal Kilicidaroglu, Erdogans opponent in the election, had discussed refugee returns with Assad, but his defeat relieved many Syrians in Turkey. Erdogans chief foreign policy adviser emphasized a safe, dignified, and voluntary return, in line with international refugee law. Despite the election outcome, policy changes on migration are not expected. SDC calls for including Res 2254 in the Syria-Arab states normalization The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) called, during a meeting of its Executive Body, on Wednesday, for the UN Resolution No. 2254 to be included in the agenda of Arab countries for normalizing ties with Syria, North Press reported. The SDC called for the active participation of the representatives of the Syrian people without exceptions, and determining the Syrian governments responsibilities. The SDC is the political wing of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). It was founded in 2015 and includes all the communities of North and East Syria. During its meeting, the SDC Executive Committee stressed the importance of the Arab community in playing a vital rule in the Syrian crisis, and called for a comprehensive political settlement. The SDC discussed the causes and motives of Arab normalization with the Syrian government since the international community considers dealing with Arab countries more effective and positive than dealing with Turkey and the countries of the Astana Peace Talks. The Astana Peace Talks process to end the conflict in Syria was launched in January 2017 at the initiative of Turkey, Russia and Iran. The Executive Committee held the Syrian government responsible for slowing down international efforts to find a settlement for Syria, as well as accused it of claiming that lifting economic sanctions and the reconstruction process are conditions for the return of refugees. It called for efforts to continue to hold meetings between democratic forces and personalities and to focus on the opposition national parties. HTS to hand over foreign fighters to Turkish intelligence Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly known as al-Nusra Front) transferred four foreign detainees, one of whom is of French nationality, from Prison 107 in Idleb City to the Bab al-Hawa border crossing on Thursday, in preparation for handing them over to Turkish intelligence, North Press reported. A security source told North Press, The leadership of HTS General Security Apparatus, represented by Abu Maria al-Qahtani, has issued orders to transfer the detainees to the security office at the Bab al-Hawa crossing under tight security escort. They will be handed over to the Turkish intelligence during the upcoming night hours. The source added that the names of the detainees were sent from the Turkish side, including Abu Bilal al-Faransi, a member of the militia of Ghuraba al-Sham Front that includes French fighters. He was arrested by HTS about two years ago. This operation is the fifth of its kind in 2023. HTS prisons contain dozens of foreign militants whom Ankara wishes to receive, without knowing the purpose behind it. Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet of a Syrian refugee, will travel to the US Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet representing a Syrian refugee, will travel across the United States to raise awareness about immigration and migration, Arab News reports. Starting in Boston on September 7 and ending at the US-Mexico border on November 5, Little Amal will visit historic sites like the US Capitol and the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The journey aims to create empathy and highlight the experiences of vulnerable children. Local artists and community leaders will collaborate to organize special events at each of the 35 stops. Crafted by the Handspring Puppet Company, Little Amal requires a team of puppeteers. This initiative seeks to contribute to discussions about refugees, immigrants, and migration in the United States and was inspired by a previous trek across Europe. The puppet of the 10-year-old girl will visit the US Capitol, Boston Common, Joshua Tree National Park and the Edmund Pettus Bridge among other sites during a trek which starts in Boston on Sept. 7 and ends Nov. 5 along the US-Mexico border. There is something in the act of welcoming a stranger which redefines you, says Amir Nizar Zuabi, the artistic director. I think thats part of what were trying to create when walking into places that have a beautiful, complicated, defining history. Stops are also planned for Philadelphia, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, the Tennessee cities of Nashville and Memphis, New Orleans, the Texas cities of Austin, Houston, San Antonio and El Paso, as well as the California cities of Los Angeles and San Diego. Obviously theres a lot of specific points in our American history that we felt that we needed to address and thats the reason why were starting in Boston, says Enrico Dau Yang Wey, lead puppeteer and co-associate artistic director. The reason why were finishing in San Diego is that theres just such a thin line between the United States and Mexico. Little Amal demands empathy, the puppet of a vulnerable, naive girl who is in a strange place after surviving a long ordeal alone. Shes just a symbol of millions of children, says Zuabi. Just having a community breathe together and walk with Amal for a stretch in the streets becomes a very, very meaningful act. Organizers are reaching out to community artists and leaders at each of the 35 stops including places revered in Civil Rights Movement history like Selma, Alabama, and recent scenes of gun violence like Uvalde, Texas to create more than 100 special events anchored by each place visited. We work very closely with our local partners and try and understand what is the story theyre trying to tell and try to co-create an event that resonates in this place to this community, says Zuabi. I think thats part of why this project becomes so emotional for many people. Iran plans to escalate attacks against U.S. troops in Syria, documents show According to leaked classified documents and intelligence officials, Iran is reportedly providing support and arming militants in Syria for the purpose of carrying out lethal attacks against U.S. troops in the country, The Washington Post reports. The documents reveal that Iran, in collaboration with Russia, is working on a broader strategy to drive American forces out of the region. The reports suggest that Iran and its allies are developing and training forces to use more advanced armor-piercing roadside bombs, specifically targeting U.S. military vehicles and personnel. The use of these powerful explosives could escalate the conflict and increase the risk of a wider military confrontation between the U.S. and Iran. The leaked documents also indicate that Russia, Iran, and Syria are seeking to oust the United States from Syria, with the goal of allowing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to reclaim territories currently controlled by U.S.-backed Kurdish forces. The leaks have significant implications for the U.S. and its allies, prompting investigations and assessments of the damage caused. The situation in Syria is becoming more volatile, and the leaked documents suggest a potential escalation of tensions. Did the Ukraine War Begin In Syria? Aris Roussinos writes a thought-provoking essay in UnHerd arguing that the Ukraine conflict was prefigured in Syria, where American delusions about history moving the world inevitably in our direction were upended by direct and decisive Russian intervention: In Syria, Putins gamble turned out to be correct: Assads victory was indeed a historic turning point, marking Russias return to the world stage as an actor able to direct the course of history. While American officials insisted there was no military solution to the Syrian war, Russia promptly delivered one. The Russian intervention in 2015 made Assads victory inevitable, allowing America to turn with some relief to the campaign against Isis, then ravaging European capitals, and to quietly divide the country into two spheres of influence separated by the river Euphrates. As Putin foresaw, even Americas final chosen proxies in Syria, the Kurdish-led Syrian Defence Force, would find themselves abandoned over time as the White Houses revolving door upended any coherent long-term planning. In a hasty rewriting of recent history, the fractious rebel alliance which took part in Turkeys invasion of north-eastern Syria, which included factions previously armed by the US, was now denounced by Washington as renegade war criminals. In Russias eyes, the uncertainties inherent in Americas increasingly chaotic democratic system were the greatest vulnerability for Washingtons allies. Rather than the arc of history leaning towards liberal democracy, the abrupt policy shifts inherent to its system meant that liberal democracy itself was its own greatest strategic weakness. Now, this is an interesting argument, but I tend to think that it strangely reinforces the maximalism about Syria in retrospect. Back in 2015, one plan floated was that America would send 40,000 troops to Syria to help rebel groups hold on to the slivers of land they still controlled in Syria and then we would just wait until further developments or outrages moved public opinion in a way that would license the regime change desired by hawks in Syria. I still find this crazy, in that the best-case result would have extended and exacerbated the refugee crisis hitting Europe for years as our radical Sunni allies butchered and cleansed their nation of Alawites who benefit from the Assad regime. Small business owners in downtown Longview say they are struggling and one store is closing shop at the end of the month. Local business groups are working to prevent closures and continue what some independent owners called a resurgence of downtown businesses just a few years ago. Hopscotch Toys announced May 17 the Commerce Avenue store would close June 24. Savan Kong and Pamela Hayes-Kong, who opened the business in the fall of 2019 to sell nonelectronic toys, said they contemplated closing for months. They arent the only ones. The owners of chocolate shop and bakery Storyboard Delights posted on Facebook in May that their Commerce Avenue business was facing financial issues. We have tried to keep a positive attitude, stay flexible, pivot, share the joyful chocolatey things but the truth is that we have been struggling to stay afloat for a very, VERY long time (and we know we are not the only ones in town), the store posted. Some say they havent rebounded since the pandemic. Savan Kong said after the pandemic closures, Hopscotch Toys never quite returned to its customer demand from the 2019 holidays and it took longer than expected to find what items sold best. Gyros Gyros owner Andrea Horton said business at the Commerce Avenue eatery is down about 30% compared to before COVID. She said it wasnt clear whether the issues were due to COVID fallout, a potential recession or the shift to online sales. I think theres a real dependency now on shopping online and Uber Eats coming to your house, which is a real decline in people going out into town, Horton said. The plan But a downtown business nonprofit and the citys downtown advisory board say they are looking to draw shoppers. Longview Downtowners President Josh Carter said they are working on joint advertising, where similar downtown businesses team up to make one ad for all of their services. Carter pointed to what happened to Storyboard in the weeks after their post for help. The store saw a wave of new orders soon after the post and over the rest of May, with large interest in their chocolates and special weekend pastries. A lot of that support came from other downtown businesses. Were all about putting that message out. One of us says that they need help, what can we do about it? Carter said. The Downtowners are also looking to host more events. Last years inaugural Harvest Festival in October led to a jump in business during that time and the group wants to hold similar attractions over the summer. Originally, the goal of the Harvest Festival was to pay for a fulltime staff member to promote downtown businesses. Before Carter, Lindsey Cope headed the Downtowners as an employee of the Cowlitz Economic Development Council, an independent 501(4). Every county in Washington has a similar organization dedicated to local economic growth and is partially funded by the Washington State Department of Commerce. Although Hopscotch Toys is closing, Savan Kong said he and his wife want to keep having a community impact; they arent sure if or when they would pursue a new business. Kong said the decision to close rested on the familys priorities, and they are happy with their experience in The Merk. We wanted the ability to make critical decisions, be flexible, let our kids see the world..., Kong said. We brought joy to a ton of people and were sad to see it go. Fishery managers closed the recreational Chinook and steelhead spring fishing season on the Columbia River downstream of the Bonneville Dam starting Thursday four days earlier than anticipated. Oregon and Washington officials made the decision which bars fishing and retaining the species from the Tongue Point/Rocky Point line upstream to Bonneville Dam during a Wednesday hearing to be compliant with the federal Endangered Species Act. The recreational fishery downstream of the Bonneville Dam was originally scheduled to close Sunday, but will now close Thursday for 15 days. The fishery from Bonneville Dam upstream to the Oregon and Washington border closed May 25. The Columbia River summer fishery reopens June 16 with Chinook and steelhead retention allowed both upstream and downstream of Bonneville Dam. The National Marine Fisheries Service advised fishery managers to close the spring season immediately because fishing for the species past Wednesday violates the Endangered Species Act, according to an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife press release. The release states the expected return of upriver adult spring Chinook to the Columbia River mouth was downgraded from the 153,000 fish predicted on May 24 to 143,000 fish predicted on Wednesday. The numbers showed the fisheries were over the allowed impact rate for spring and summer Snake River Chinook and Upper Columbia spring Chinook, as determined by the Endangered Species Act, according to the press release. (Photo : OLEKSANDR GIMANOV / AFP) (OLEKSANDR GIMANOV/AFP via Getty Images) The United Nations issued a "mutually beneficial" proposal that seeks to salvage the Black Sea Grain deal that is on the brink of collapsing. The United Nations issued a "mutually beneficial" proposal in an attempt to save the Black Sea Grain deal from collapsing The proposal seeks to have Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine conduct preparatory works for the transit of ammonia from Moscow This comes after the Black Sea Grain deal was agreed to by involved parties to include more Ukrainian ports and other cargo The United Nations has issued a "mutually beneficial" proposal that it believes would save the Black Sea Grain deal which is on the brink of collapse amid rising global tensions. The UN's proposal involves Ankara, Kyiv, and Moscow starting preparatory work for the transit of Russian ammonia through Ukrainian territory. It is meant to salvage the Black Sea Grain deal, said a source familiar with the talks. UN Issues 'Mutually Beneficial' Proposal As the preparatory work begins, the UN wishes to have parallel talks to be held regarding the potential widening of the Black Sea Grain deal. That particular agreement was something that involved parties accepted last July to include more Ukrainian ports and other cargo, as per Reuters. Last month, Russia agreed to a two-month extension of the original deal but argued that the initiative will stop unless other countries fulfill an agreement that seeks to overcome barriers to Moscow's grain and fertilizer exports. Both Turkey and Ukraine have signed off on the new proposal, which was designed to improve operations in the Black Sea grain export corridor. However, Russia has not yet responded to whether or not it agrees with the new proposal. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said during a press briefing that conversations between involved parties are still ongoing. He added that the Secretary-General put forward a few ideas to the involved parties that seek to improve the facilitation of the work of the Joint Coordination Center. The situation comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the Pivdennyi seaport is now de facto blocked. He added that if Russia continues to get away with blocking navigation in the Black Sea, it could lead to other maritime countries of the world suffering consequences, according to Yahoo News. Read Also: Emmanuel Macron Demands Credible, Tangible Security Guarantees for Ukraine Black Sea Grain Deal on the Verge of Collapse During his nightly video address, Zelensky said that the entire world is aware of the fundamental role that Ukraine's maritime grain exports play in global food security. He added that security in the Black Sea as well as the effectiveness of international navigation were both crucial security factors. Zelensky noted that more than one and a half million tons of agricultural products have accumulated in the Pivdennyi seaport. This includes grain, which at least 10 countries are expecting to receive. The Ukrainian president said that these nations include Turkey, Egypt, Bangladesh, and China. If there is less food supplied to these nations, then it would result in higher food prices for their population. He warns that the continued blockade of the seaport is creating a significantly serious risk for various countries. Zelensky added that Moscow is still trying to exploit its relations with the affected nations. On the other hand, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov issued warnings that the Black Sea Grain deal would no longer function if Moscow's demands are not met. The deal that was achieved last July requires the UN to assist Russia in overcoming any obstacles related to its grain and fertilizer exports. However, Lavrov said that these provisions are not being fulfilled "at all," said Channel News Asia. Related Article: South Korea Urges Further Study of Japan's Plan To Release Nuclear Water Waste @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. VANCOUVER The man killed by police in a central Vancouver shopping center parking lot on Tuesday night was wanted for multiple armed robberies, according to the Vancouver Police Department. The identity of the dead man has not been released. Three Vancouver police officers and a Clark County Sheriffs Office deputy have been placed on Critical Incident Leave, according to a late Tuesday statement from Vancouver police. About 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, a Vancouver police detective from the Neighborhood Response Team spotted a suspect wanted for multiple recent armed robberies driving westbound in the 6700 block of E. Mill Plain Blvd., according to the agency. Two addition detectives arrived, and the suspect was seen parking in the Heights Shopping Center lot and going into the Safeway. Police waited until they saw him leave the store. According to Vancouver police, when the suspect saw the detectives, he dropped a bag of items, displayed a firearm, ran westbound through the parking lot and during the attempt to apprehend him, the suspect fired at officers, and they returned fire. In a video posted to social media, officers, with their guns drawn, can be seen running through the parking lot. Someone is then heard calling out, He has a gun! A few seconds later, what appears to be another officer is seen firing a weapon, and multiple gunshots can be heard. Police said three Vancouver detectives and one Clark County sheriffs deputy fired their weapons, striking the suspect. They rendered aid but the robbery suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. No law enforcement officers or other members of the public were injured. The information is preliminary, police said, and the investigation is ongoing. The Lower Columbia Major Crimes Team, led by the Cowlitz County Sheriffs Office, will investigate. Additionally, the Vancouver Police Department has notified the Washington State Office of Independent Investigations. In compliance with state law, Vancouver Police Department and Clark County Sheriffs Office personnel will not be involved in the investigation. The Cowlitz County Sheriffs Office is the case managing agency for this incident. All future communications will be sent via the Lower Columbia Major Crimes Team. The Washington State Patrol Crime Scene Response Team will be assisting with this investigation. The Vancouver Police Department and Clark County Sheriffs Office will release the names of the officers and deputy involved, at a later time, via the Lower Columbia Major Crimes Team. The Clark County Medical Examiners Office will release the name of the deceased when appropriate. Once the Lower Columbia Major Crimes Team investigation is complete, the case will be forwarded to the Clark County Prosecutors Office for review. This isnt the first shooting in that shopping center parking lot this year. A confrontation that resulted in a shooting left one person dead in March. Two people have been arrested in connection with that shooting. 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: Utilizing in-memory computing allows for ultrahigh energy efficiency wireless communication, which works for radio, acoustic and light waves. Credit: Wang et al. (Nature Electronics, 2023) Advanced communication technologies, such as the fifth generation (5G) mobile network and the internet of things (IoT) can greatly benefit from devices that can support wireless communications while consuming a minimum amount of power. As most existing devices have separate components to perform computations and transmit data, reducing their energy consumption can be challenging. Researchers at Nanjing University, Southeast University and Purple Mountain Laboratories in China recently devised a parallel in-memory wireless computing scheme that performs computations and wireless transmission concurrently on the same hardware. This design, introduced in Nature Electronics, is based on the use of mermristive crossbar arrays, grid-like structures containing memristors, electrical components that can both process and store data. "In one of our previous works published in Nature Nanotechnology, we proposed the realization of massively parallel in-memory computing by using continuous-time data representation in a nanoscale crossbar array," Shi-Jun Liang, one of the researchers who carried out the recent study, told Tech Xplore. "In this past paper, we demonstrated that the processed analog signals can be transmitted via RF module. Inspired by our findings, we started to think about whether it is possible to exploit the in-memory computing based on memristive crossbar array to realize parallel digital data transmission in an ultralow power consumption manner, which is desirable for intelligent internet of things or other edge computing devices." The in-memory wireless computing approach introduced by Liang, Feng Miao and their colleagues utilizes the analog in-memory computing capabilities of memristors to also process analog wireless signals that are transmitted or received by a device. This could greatly improve the energy efficiency of devices, smoothening the sharp separation between the digital and analog domain that characterizes most current technology designs. "The unique characteristics of this computing paradigm is that the wireless signals carrying information can be processed (e.g., modulated or demodulated) in the path of data transmission in real-time and while consuming a low amount of power," Liang explained. "First, this approach can reduce demand for ADC (analog-to-digital converter) used in wireless communication systems, and drastically boost energy efficiency of real-time wireless digital communication. Our study also identifies a promising application scenario for the memristive devices, practical application of which has been limited by the noise associated with conduction state variation." The researchers created a prototype system based on their proposed design and then evaluated its performance in a series of tests. They found that it transmits a binary stream of 480 bits with a highly promising bit error rate of 0/480. Moreover, their device consumes significantly (i.e., approximately two orders of magnitude) less power than conventional devices based on digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital converters. In the future, the parallel in-memory wireless computing approach introduced by Liang, Miao and their colleagues could enable the development of electronics that consume less energy and are better equipped to meet high computational demands. While the team have so far tested their design to create electronics, it could also potentially be applied to acoustic and optical wireless communication devices. "Utilizing the memristive devices into the wireless communication, where the precise computing is not required, offers a great opportunity for analog in-memory computing technology," Miao added. "In near future, we plan to work on the large-scale integration of memristive crossbar array into wireless communication system and push it toward real-world application." 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: Boeing currently has three commercial planes at different phases of certificaiton. Boeing will focus on successfully completing plane certifications, shoring up its supply chain and improving technologies in development before launching a new plane model, said Chief Executive Dave Calhoun. "You have to be patient, you have to get your ducks lined up," Calhoun said at a briefing at Boeing's Charleston, South Carolina factory organized Tuesday and Wednesday ahead of the Paris Air Show in late June. The aviation giant's top technology efforts under development include greater use of composite materials and autonomous systems. "There's a lot of homework going on, a lot of regular testing, so that if we decide to include it, it's mature enough to do so," he said. Boeing currently has three commercial aircraft at various stages of the certification process. These include the shortest version of its best-selling 737 MAX, the 737-7, as well as the longest in the 737-10. The third jet moving through the US regulatory process is the long-distance 777X. "It's an enormous amount of work at scale to move through all of those certifications," Calhoun said. Mike Flemming, who heads Boeing's development programs, said Wednesday that certification of the 737-7 was taking longer than expected. "The amount of documentation that we're producing on these airplanes relative to what we've had to produce in the past is considerably much larger," said Flemming, adding that the company still hopes to receive final approval for the jet by the end of the year. The company also expects to be cleared to undertake certification flights on the 737-10 "within this year," Flemming said. Calhoun cited the pandemic-era supply chain constraints in explaining the company's waiting approach to advancing new jet designs, noting that key suppliers have struggled with staffing shortages. "Many of those suppliers make one part; and they're the only supplier that makes that part. And when they fall down and or can't respond to a rate increase, we suffer," Calhoun said. "We can't just get mad at them... We simply have to work with them." Most recently, Boeing was forced to slow deliveries of new MAX jets because of problems with a part supplied by Spirit Aerosystems. Despite the issue, Calhoun said he has no interest in acquiring the company. "Oh yes, we are disappointed with every next issue that occurs that limits our rates," he said. "But I believe the path forward is still a constructive path where engineers work with engineers." 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 combustion of iron powder seen here is taking place on an entirely smokeless, carbon free basis. Tested in microgravity aboard ESA sounding rockets by a team from McGill University in Canada and Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, this technique has now been harnessed by Swinkels Family Brewers in the Netherlands, helping to free their brewing process from reliance on fossil fuels. Credit: TU/e / Solid / Bart van Overbeeke Everything burns. Given the right environment, all matter can burn by adding oxygen, but finding the right mix and generating enough heat makes some materials combust more easily than others. Researchers interested in knowing more about a type of fire called discrete burning used ESA's microgravity experiment facilities to investigate. In a series of parabolic flights and on sounding rockets launched from Sweden, a team from Professor Jeffrey Bergthorson at McGill University in Canada and Eindhoven University of Technology in The Netherlands investigated burning iron powder in zero gravity. Their research was pure physics, the scientists wanted to know more about discrete burning whereby flames do not burn through fuel continuously but jump from one fuel source to another. This form of fire hardly occurs naturally on Earth, but an example is a forest fire where one tree burns completely and the fire jumps to the next tree when the temperature increases enough for combustion. Burning iron dust in experiments on zero-g aircraft and rocket flights allowed for the iron particles to float and ignite discreetly. High-speed cameras captured the spectacle and allowed the researchers to better understand the phenomenon, resulting in computer models that showed the ideal conditions to burn the fuel on Earth. Discrete burning for sustainable energy With the new understanding made possible from microgravity research it became possible to build efficient and practical iron-burning furnaces. This hypnotic video was recorded during a parabolic flight experiment on board the Falcon-20 aircraft of the Canadian National Research Centre that offers researchers up to eighteen seconds of precious zero-gravity. It shows at 30 times reduced speed iron metal dust igniting as it reaches combustion heat in slow-motion. So-called discrete burning occurs when a piece of fuel ignites and burns completely due to the heat created by other fuel elements around it. Unlike traditional fires that burn through their fuel continuously, discrete fires spread by jumping from one fuel source to another. There are very few examples of discrete fires on Earth, but sparklers commonly used on New Years Eve burn are an example. Another example is forest fires, where trees burn individually and the next tree burns only when the heat from burning trees around it reaches the temperature necessary for combustion. Credit: Perwaves team The advantage of burning iron is down to chemistry. Essentially, burning fuel is the process of transforming a material by adding oxygen atoms. his is why carbon-based fuel produces the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide when two oxygen atoms are added to the carbon-based fuel such as wood, coal or oil. With iron, the leftover product after combustion is iron oxide, more commonly known as rust. No carbon dioxide is produced, and the rusty iron can be easily collected as it doesn't form a gasburning iron emits no noxious gases at all. Iron rust can even be processed to remove the oxygen and return it as iron using hydrogen. By using electricity from sustainable sources, iron as a fuel can become a circular, endlessly recyclable energy storage. A demonstration plant is already up and running in Budel, near Eindhoven, The Netherlands, using iron as its fuel source this generator can produce 1 MW of steam in a unit that stands in a warehouse. Scaled up such an iron power plant could produce much more energy. Multiple start-ups are already pursuing this carbon-free fuel, to power factories and industrial processes. Metal Fuels. Credit: European Space Agency From space to Earth and then to the moon As space agencies prepare to build sustainable lunar outposts, supplying energy for the astronauts on the moon is just one of the challenges to overcome. Metal fuel could be a solution. Using solar energy, not only aluminum and silicon powders can be produced from lunar minerals, but also hydrogen and oxygen can be harnessed from lunar ice. The hydrogen can then be used to convert lunar dust that is high in iron and titanium to produce water and iron powder. The metallic powders and oxygen from the water ice can be used as propellants for rockets or ground transportation and the water by product can even be used as drinking water. This process might seem like science fiction now but using iron as a fuel source on Earth started out as an idea just a decade ago. Now the metal fuel community spans hundreds of scientists and engineers around the globe and is a lighthouse technology for alternative carbon-free fuel. In a not-so-distant future you might be running your car or home on iron. 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 key concern in the conversation over floating offshore wind's potential to disrupt the clean energy space is how the technologies would impact marine life. Researchers developed fiber-optic sensing capable of monitoring surrounding acoustic signals, such as whale calls. This allows scientists to monitor how FOSW operations might impact large marine mammals. Credit: Jenny Nuss/Berkeley Lab In shallow waters, offshore wind turbines are fixed to the ocean floor. However, in deep water areas where winds are typically stronger and have the capacity to reap more than double the energy, floating offshore wind turbines must be moored to the seabed where the ocean is too deep for fixed structures. Floating offshore wind (FOSW) is one of the most promising clean energy technologies with a potential market worth nearly $16 billionbut science and technology solutions are needed to help reduce the cost of developing, deploying, and maintaining these complex systems. Scientists at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) are developing sensing technologies consisting of fiber-optic cables, which could be installed on FOSW structures that have been planned off the California coast. This would allow structures to self-monitor damaging conditions that could lead to costly repairs and would also help gauge how FOSW impacts marine mammals by detecting their activity. In collaboration with experts in materials science, engineering, geophysics, and FOSW developers from around the world, Berkeley Lab scientist Yuxin Wu is developing solutions to reduce the cost of FOSW development and deployment, while minimizing potential environmental impacts. Researchers captured this audio of whale calls using fiber-optic sensors that could be affixed to the floating offshore wind substructure. Credit: Berkeley Lab Q. What is the biggest obstacle to expanding floating offshore wind technologies? Wu: So far, there have been few FOSW deployments because the technology is in the early stages of development. Currently, no such systems have been deployed anywhere near 1000 meters in depth. We want to leverage scientific innovation by co-designing structural materials that are better able to withstand harsh marine environments and extreme weather events. And we want to add distributed fiber optic sensing to FOSW systems to enable systems to self monitor in real time for potential problems, a capability that could prolong a system's lifespan and lower operating and maintenance costs. Q. How does your team apply fiber-optic sensing to these innovations? Wu: A fiber cable has a glass core that allows you to send an optical signal at the speed of light; when there is any vibration, strain, or changes in temperature of the material that is being monitored, that information will be carried in the light signal that is scattered back. When attached to or embedded within the wind turbine structure, this gives it a "nervous system" which allows it to "hear" and "feel." The fiber is able to monitor surrounding acoustic signals, such as whale calls, which can help scientists assess potential impacts to large marine mammals from FOSW operations. We've been testing the deployment of this sensing technology to structural componentssuch as towers and turbinesto monitor physical and mechanical conditions experienced by the structure itself, like temperature or strain. Our research so far has focused on testing fiber optics on the tower and gearbox, some of the most expensive components where there is benefit to identifying damage before it leads to problems. Q. How important is materials science to reducing the cost of floating offshore wind systems? Wu: By revealing what is happening within a FOSW system in real time, fiber-optic sensing gives us the knowledge needed to develop more resilient, cost-effective materials at the system level. Designing FOSW systems at lower cost and to withstand harsh marine environments requires cutting-edge materials science combined with computing science to produce better materials and to effectively simulate how the materials perform. Materials can be developed to give the structures self-healing capabilities; for example, seawater intruding into a crack in concrete triggers reactions to seal the crack without interventions. We are partnering with experts in materials science and simulations from the molecular to structural scale to bring about innovations that have great potential for future deep-water floating systems because of their large cost-saving potential, local producibility, better performance, and environmental sustainability. DOE Office of Science user facilities at Berkeley Lab, such as the Molecular Foundry, Advanced Light Source, and National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC), play key roles in facilitating innovations in our research. Q. These systems are far offshore, making them challenging to access for maintenance. How can technology help track and predict their performance when people aren't nearby to monitor operations? Wu: Digital twins are representations of structures made using advanced computer modeling, often jointly with real-time monitoring data, that scientists can use to control, simulate, and monitor how the FOSW system would respond to different weather or marine conditions. For example, we can simulate conditions of a hurricane and see exactly how the system would function under this extreme weatherright from our desktop computers. With real-time data feeding into the digital twins, system response to actual "on-the-water" field conditions can be monitored to support decision-making, for example when to send a crew to conduct system inspection. This could significantly reduce costs by avoiding unnecessary trips, and by allowing proactive maintenance of the system before larger, expensive failures. Last summer, our team used shake table testing of an actual turbine at the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center at UC Berkeley's Richmond Field Station, to test the ability of the fiber optic sensing to monitor how the turbines would respond to wave movements far offshore. The shake test helps evaluate and optimize deployment of sensors which eventually will be sitting on structures in the middle of the ocean and autonomously communicating data to land via fiber cables. Shake table tests at the Richmond Field Station are used to mimic ocean waves and test turbine stability. They also test the ability of fiber optic sensing to measure the response of the turbines. Credit: Yuxin Wu Q. How important is collaboration to reducing the cost of floating offshore wind? Wu: DOE's floating offshore wind Earthshot has an ambitious goal of 70% cost reduction by 2035. This requires a system-level approach that optimizes all steps through the entire lifecycle of FOSW from material design, structural construction, deployment, operation, and maintenance. Partnering with institutions and industries with different expertise allows us to efficiently develop these new and complex technologies that can help shift the nation's energy economy to one built on clean, renewable sources. 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 First there was ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence model with a seemingly uncanny ability to mimic human language. Now there is the Bloomberg-created BloombergGPT, the first large language model built specifically for the finance industry. Like ChatGPT and other recently introduced popular language models, this new AI system can write human-quality text, answer questions, and complete a range of tasks, enabling it to support a diverse set of natural language processing tasks unique to the finance industry. Mark Dredze, an associate professor of computer science at Johns Hopkins University's Whiting School of Engineering and visiting researcher at Bloomberg, was part of the team that created it. Dredze is also the inaugural director of research (Foundations of AI) in the new AI-X Foundry at Johns Hopkins. The Hub spoke with Dredze about BloombergGPT and its broader implications for AI research at Johns Hopkins. What were the goals of the BloombergGPT project? Many people have seen ChatGPT and other large language models, which are impressive new artificial intelligence technologies with tremendous capabilities for processing language and responding to people's requests. The potential for these models to transform society is clear. To date, most models are focused on general-purpose use cases. However, we also need domain-specific models that understand the complexities and nuances of a particular domain. While ChatGPT is impressive for many uses, we need specialized models for medicine, science, and many other domains. It's not clear what the best strategy is for building these models. In collaboration with Bloomberg, we explored this question by building an English language model for the financial domain. We took a novel approach and built a massive data set of financial-related text and combined it with an equally large data set of general-purpose text. The resulting data set was about 700 billion tokens, which is about 30 times the size of all the text in Wikipedia. We trained a new model on this combined data set and tested it across a range of language tasks on finance documents. We found that BloombergGPT outperformsby large marginsexisting models of a similar size on financial tasks. Surprisingly, the model still performed on par on general-purpose benchmarks, even though we had aimed to build a domain-specific model. Why does finance need its own language model? While recent advances in AI models have demonstrated exciting new applications for many domains, the complexity and unique terminology of the financial domain warrant a domain-specific model. It's not unlike other specialized domains, like medicine, which contain vocabulary you don't see in general-purpose text. A finance-specific model will be able to improve existing financial NLP tasks, such as sentiment analysis, named entity recognition, news classification, and question answering, among others. However, we also expect that domain-specific models will unlock new opportunities. For example, we envision BloombergGPT transforming natural language queries from financial professionals into valid Bloomberg Query Language, or BQL, an incredibly powerful tool that enables financial professionals to quickly pinpoint and interact with data about different classes of securities. So if the user asks, "Get me the last price and market cap for Apple," the system will return get(px_last,cur_mkt_cap) for(["AAPL US Equity']). This string of code will enable them to import the resulting data quickly and easily into data science and portfolio management tools. What did you learn while building the new model? Building these models isn't easy, and there are a tremendous number of details you need to get right to make them work. We learned a lot from reading papers from other research groups who built language models. To contribute back to the community, we wrote a paper with over 70 pages detailing how we built our data set, the choices that went into the model architecture, how we trained the model, and an extensive evaluation of the resulting model. We also released detailed "training chronicles" that contains a narrative description of the model-training process. Our goal is to be as open as possible about how we built the model to support other research groups who may be seeking to build their own models. What was your role? This work was a collaboration between Bloomberg's AI Engineering team and the ML Product and Research group in the company's chief technology office, where I am a visiting researcher. This was an intensive effort, during which we regularly discussed data and model decisions, and conducted detailed evaluations of the model. Together we read all the papers we could find on this topic to gain insights from other groups, and we made frequent decisions together. The experience of watching the model train over weeks is intense, as we examined multiple metrics of the model to best understand if the model training was working. Assembling the extensive evaluation and the paper itself was a massive team effort. I feel privileged to have been part of this fantastic group. 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 OmniRing doesnt have a display and so can support a longer battery life. This makes it possible to wear the ring all the time, including while sleeping and swimming, enabling the ring to capture deeper and more intimate levels of sensing information. Credit: Taiting Lu A team of researchers in the Penn State School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science aims to enable health care and extended realitywhich encompasses virtual, augmented and mixed realitywith their smart sensing ring, OmniRing. The ring uses both inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors, which can capture location, speed and rotation of the fingers, and photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors, which utilize an infrared light to measure volumetric changes in blood circulation. The IMU sensors are used to detect and track finger motion, and the PPG sensors are used to collect and analyze health metrics such as heartrate, glucose levels and oxygen saturation. "The sensor data offers rich information to be able to capture the stress and mood of the wearer and recommend meditation and relaxation activities," said Wormley Family Early Career Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Mahanth Gowda. "We are currently exploring deeper applications at the intersection of sensing, machine learning, and Edge Internet of Things to extend the capabilities of what can be achieved in the convenient small size of a ring." The research team's paper, "One Ring to Rule Them All: An Open Source Smartring Platform for Finger Motion Analytics and Healthcare Applications," recently won the Best Paper award in the "Edge Internet of Things Artificial Intelligence" category during the Internet of Things Design and Implementation Conference. The paper details how, unlike smartwatches, the OmniRing doesn't have a display and so can support a longer battery life. This makes it possible to wear the ring all the time, including while sleeping and swimming, enabling the ring to capture deeper and more intimate levels of sensing information. "Our hope is to bring the technology to reality," doctoral student and OmniRing hardware lead Taiting Lu said. "Because the ring can have a lot of potential to help people in the future, we don't want to limit it to the lab but bring it to the real world." To meet that end, the research team became the first ones to develop a smart ring with an open-source design, meaning they have fully disclosed all details on their hardware, software and firmware. This will allow the research community to find and develop potentially interesting use cases for the technology. Lu emphasized that the project is an accomplishment of teamwork, with every member playing a crucial role in bringing the technology to reality. The research team includes, along with Gowda and Lu, doctoral candidates Hao Zhou, Yilin Liu, Shijia Zhang and Runze Liu. "We envision a significant role for OmniRing in the future: individuals will be able to effortlessly interact with their connected devices by utilizing hand motions," said doctoral student and OmniRing machine learning lead Hao Zhou. "Personal health and emotional data can be selectively relayed in real-time, enabling surrounding devices to interpret the information and respond appropriately. To put it another way, our goal is to strive to ensure that OmniRing deserves its name." Credit: Taiting Lu In addition to health care and XR, the ring can potentially enable sign language recognition and translation by integrating with other sensors, said the researchers. In order to do this, Gowda's lab is actively collaborating with Kenneth DeHaan, director of the Master of Arts in Sign Language Education program at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., and a member of the Deaf community. Lu explained that his research team and DeHaan explored challenges that could be addressed with such technology. DeHaan highlighted one common situation to the team: "Often in a public setting such as a coffee shop, for instance, baristas or servers are often impatient to assist as a customer is writing down their order, demeaning the customer and their shopping experience. This is why we want to even the playing field with this technology." In spring 2023, Lu and his team participated in the Invent Penn State NSF I-Corps Short Course program, which helps researchers connect with and interview potential customers to learn what potential iterations to make to their technology, as well as how to best present and talk about the technology, prior to entering the market. "The biggest benefit of the short course is that it taught me how to go about finding the needs or the difficulties of the customers," Lu said. "We can think our product is the best and can solve all these problems, but the reality is, the first thing we need to do is listen to opinions from partners and customers and from the community, then we can make a good decision about which application of our technology makes the most sense." The OmniRing team also participated in the Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank Idea TestLab, a 4-week program that helps anyone with an idea connect with potential customers to better define the problem and a potential solution. Lu said he and his team also had the opportunity to collaborate with Alert Heart, another Penn State startup, which is developing a device capable of detecting heart attacks wirelessly and alerting the caretakers. "I would definitely recommend the short course to other researchers," Lu said. "It would be a good starting point if you have a product and research funding and a prototype. It gives you a lot of experience, and you can learn how to bring the technology from the lab to real life." Right now, OmniRing has been tested and is able to detect 3D hand and finger motions, said the researchers. The next step for the team is to program the ring to recognize the hand and finger motions specific to ASL, as well as implement the health care features like heart rate and oxygen saturation monitoring. The research team is currently seeking collaboration opportunities for research and commercialization, and is hoping to participate in the NSF I-Corps National Teams program this summer to narrow down their market through additional customer interviews. The study is published as part of the Proceedings of the 8th ACM/IEEE Conference on Internet of Things Design and Implementation. More information: Hao Zhou et al, One Ring to Rule Them All: An Open Source Smartring Platform for Finger Motion Analytics and Healthcare Applications, Proceedings of the 8th ACM/IEEE Conference on Internet of Things Design and Implementation (2023). DOI: 10.1145/3576842.3582382 According to local officials, Russia has attacked the eastern district of Ukraine's capital city Kyiv with a missile strike, killing three people right off the bat. The latest night-time Russian missile attack reportedly injured several civilians in Kyiv. Russia Strikes Kyiv Again According to The Guardian, city officials report that Russia has launched a wave of strikes in Ukraine's capital city Kviv yet again. The military administration of the city posted about the latest attack in a post on the messaging app Telegram. It disclosed that falling debris hit a medical clinic and residential structures in the Desnyan district of Kyiv. The capital city mayor Vitaliy Klitschko says that the falling debris from the missile attack also fell on the Dnipro district of Kyiv. The debris fell to the Desnianskyi district after the city's air defenses shot down the missiles, the military administration of Kyiv reports. Photos of the incident quickly circulated online, showing a devastating scene wherein debris from residential buildings had been lying on the streets of Ukraine's capital city. Read Also: Moscow Hit by Drone Attack, Leaves Minor Damages to Residential Buildings Ukraine Says Russia's Missile Attack Kill 2 Kids As per a report by Aljazeera, Ukraine has reported that two children were killed in a recent missile attack on Kyiv, the capital city. In total, Reuters reports that there were three fatalities from the strike. The attack, believed to be carried out by Russia, marks another violent escalation in the ongoing conflict between the two nations. The strike occurred during the night, causing widespread panic and devastation. According to reports from city officials and confirmed by the Ukrainian government, the attack resulted in the death of three people, including two innocent children. The victims' identities have not been disclosed at this time. Besides taking the lives of three civilians, the recent missile strike also injured several individuals in Ukraine's capital city. City authorities in Kyiv have condemned the attack and expressed deep anguish over the loss of civilian lives, particularly the tragic deaths of young children. Ukrainian member of parliament Inna Sovsun slammed the recent missile attack, particularly the death of two children. She pointed to Twitter that the kids "went to bed last night, and now they are dead." Sovsun notes in her tweet that the "air raid alert is off now, but I cannot sleep. Holding my son's hand, making sure he sleeps well." The city mayor, Klistschko, declared that the Russian missile strike injured more than a dozen individuals, or 14 people, to be precise. At least nine have been taken to the hospital for further medical care. Related Article: Vladimir Putin Offers Nuclear Weapons To Anyone That Will Join Russia Against Ukraine, Ally Says @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. According to sources close to the matter, Pentagon leaders have canceled drag shows at the Air Force base in Nevada in time for Pride Month. The drag show was supposed to run at the Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada on June 1, paying tribute to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Air Force service members and its civilian personnel. Pentagon Cancels Pride Month Drag Show at Nevada Air Force Base According to NBC News, the show, which commemorates Pride Month, has been initially approved by the leaders of the Air Force. However, Pentagon leaders forced the Air Force to cancel the drag shows. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, General Mark Milley, ordered the Air Force to drop the Pride Month drag show. NBC News notes that the Pentagon leaders argued that they could not fund drag shows on bases under their policy. And as such, they demand it be dropped or moved elsewhere. The initially approved drag event at the Nevada Air Force base was touted as a "family-friendly" show. The showcase has no age requirement, allowing kids to join the festivities. As per The New York Post, the deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh has responded reported cancelation of the drag shows. She confirms, "[the Department of Defense] will not host drag events at US military installations or facilities." She further notes that "these types of events in federally funded facilities is not a suitable use of DOD resources." Read Also: Target To Remove Some LGBTQ Products Amid Customer Backlash: Here's Why! Drag Shows on Air Force Base Notably, the Nellis Air Force base has hosted drag events since 2021. In June that year, the military base hosted its first-ever drag show, aptly called "Drag-u-Nellis." The officials then explained that the event serves as "an opportunity for attendees to learn more about the history and significance of drag performance art within the LGBT+ community." CNN reports that no less than Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has previously supported the Pride Month celebration within the military. In 2021, he emphasized that members of the LGBTQ+ community were among the brave ones who valiantly defended "our rights and freedoms from the founding of our nation to the Civil War." But despite that, CNN notes that an official disclosed that the Defense Secretary has a different stance regarding hosting drag shows on military bases. He believes using the Defense Department funds for running such festivities is inappropriate. And because of this, the Pentagon leaders have directed the Air Force to choose two options: cancel the event altogether or find another location apart from a military base. Related Article: Xi Jinping Administration Shuts Down Beijing LGTB Center as Crackdown Grows in China @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A spoofed phone call is believed to be the reason why Texas A&M officials issued two Code Maroon alerts for bomb threats at White Creek Apartments and the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility on Thursday afternoon, according to Lt. Bobby Richardson of the University Police Department. No suspect has been arrested in the incident Richardson said wasnt credible. A&M sent an all clear at 2:58 p.m. after searches of the two on-campus facilities were completed and no suspicious devices were found. At around 12:30 p.m., UPD received a call that reported bombs were placed in the White Creek Apartments and the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility, Richardson said. The first Code Maroon was issued at 1:15 p.m. for the threat at White Creek Apartments. Residents were asked to evacuate immediately from the student housing center and others were asked to avoid the area. Richardson said the White Creek Community Center was cleared first so residents would have a place to go. A second Code Maroon was sent at 1:59 p.m. for the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility on A&Ms West Campus near the Mays Business School. A&M officials said the facility was evacuated. Until further notice, A&Ms Route 3 bus is not servicing White Creek, White Creek 2 and the Houston Building stops. Although an investigation continues, Richardson said the way the call came in, UPD officials are confident the number was spoofed by using technology. This is happening across the country to not only universities, colleges, high schools and things like that, Richardson said. A lot of it is stemming from the new AI technology and ways to hide your phone numbers. It is on the uptick and increasing, not just here but across the country as well. This is the second bomb threat made at A&M in the last year. In October, a call was made to A&Ms Help Desk threatening an explosion at Kyle Field, which prompted an evacuation of A&Ms football stadium and the adjacent Bright Football Complex. No explosives were found and the case was not taken by the Brazos County District Attorneys office because the call was made by an individual who, at the time, was a patient in a psychiatric hospital in Houston, according to police records and district attorney Jarvis Parsons. Weve learned from every incident and were getting better and better at responding, Richardson said, so it has been a learning experience even though they are unfortunate and this is a waste of a lot of resources that are taken away from emergency services. (tncms-inline)1664334488136982543[0](/tncms-inline) One person died from a steam engine explosion at the Oak Grove Power Plant off F.M. 979 between Bremond and Franklin on Wednesday morning, according to Robertson County Emergency Management. Shannon Payne, a 50-year-old man from Georgia, was identified as the lone casualty at the plant, according to the Robertson County Sheriffs Office. No further injuries were reported and there was no threat to the public, according to Emergency Management. Luminant, the owner of the 1,600-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Robertson County, issued a statement saying that the incident occurred around 8 a.m. during the commissioning of a new auxiliary boiler. Our on-site team immediately called 911 and implemented our emergency response protocols, the statement read. A contractor was fatally injured. All other employees and contractors have been accounted for, and there are no other known injuries at this time. The identity of the victim was not provided as of mid-afternoon by the Robertson County Sheriffs Office. Luminant officials said they will work with the contractors employer and state and federal regulators to investigate the cause of the event. Oak Grove continues in operation and is generating electricity. The plant, which is situated 12 miles east of Bremond and 12 miles north of Franklin, opened in 2010 with two boilers, each generating 800 megawatts using lignite from a nearby mine. Luminant is a subsidiary of Vistra and generates 39,000 megawatts of electricity across 12 states. Oak Grove was awarded POWER magazines Plant of the Year award in 2010, but there have been multiple incidents at the plant in recent years. In 2016, a transformer blew at the plant, which prompted response from first responders from Robertson County and Bremond. No injuries were reported during the incident. This February, KBTX reported four contract workers were taken to a Temple hospital due to possible exposure to a hazardous chemical. Although Oak Grove has only been open since 2010, the plant was in the works since the 1970s, according to POWER magazine. In the mid-1970s, TXU approved construction of separate plants Forest Grove and Twin Oaks in different parts of the state, but the projects were deferred and the permits were ultimately withdrawn in 1994. In 2005, the project was renewed and revised. TXU applied for a permit using equipment from the two planned sites under the new name of Oak Grove. Construction for the plant started in 2007. TXU officials touted the plant as an economic boom for Robertson County and promised it would bring over 250 jobs and millions of dollars in economic development, according an Eagle report in December 2005. Most community leaders supported the project. The county judge, commissioners court, the cities of Franklin, Bremond and Calvert, and the chambers of commerce in Bremond, Hearne and Franklin all signed off on the plant. Being a teacher for 36 years, I watched the good kids out of Robertson County grow up and have to go to Houston and Dallas and Texas City to make a living, former Robertson County Judge Fred Elliott told The Eagle in December 2005. I wanted them to be able to stay home because theres a lot of good families here. A small, but vocal, group of concerned residents were opposed to the project, though. The group called Robertson County: Our Land, Our Lives led a lengthy fight against the plant between TXUs filing in 2005 and the start of construction in 2007. State administrative judges recommended regulators deny an air quality permit for Oak Grove in August 2006 after plant officials failed to prove environmental controls for mercury and nitrous oxides, particularly outlined in the draft permit were technically practical or feasible. But the power plant received a reprieve in June 2007 when TCEQ voted 2 to 1 to approve the permit and overturned the judges decision. TXU spokesman Tom Kleckner told The Eagle after TCEQs approval the company was pleased to move forward and stressed plant and company officials were being protective of both human health and the environment. Our goal, as one of only a handful of plants in the planning process, is getting ready to meet Texas growing need for power, Kleckner told The Eagle. Were happy to oblige. Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (NYSE:AWI Get Rating) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 914,100 shares, an increase of 6.2% from the April 30th total of 861,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 460,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.0 days. Currently, 2.1% of the shares of the company are sold short. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several research firms have commented on AWI. StockNews.com raised shares of Armstrong World Industries from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Sunday. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Armstrong World Industries from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Credit Suisse Group reissued an outperform rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Armstrong World Industries in a report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Armstrong World Industries from $77.00 to $78.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Armstrong World Industries from $90.00 to $87.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Armstrong World Industries has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $83.63. Get Armstrong World Industries alerts: Armstrong World Industries Price Performance Shares of AWI stock traded down $0.65 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $62.44. The company had a trading volume of 517,982 shares, compared to its average volume of 425,803. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The stocks 50-day moving average is $67.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $72.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.11. Armstrong World Industries has a 52 week low of $62.26 and a 52 week high of $94.94. Armstrong World Industries Announces Dividend Armstrong World Industries ( NYSE:AWI Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 25th. The construction company reported $1.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.06. The company 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%. Armstrong World Industriess revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.02 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Armstrong World Industries will post 4.86 EPS for the current fiscal year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 4th were given a $0.254 dividend. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 3rd. Armstrong World Industriess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.82%. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in Armstrong World Industries during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in Armstrong World Industries during the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in Armstrong World Industries by 32.3% during the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,029 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $82,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its position in Armstrong World Industries by 89.9% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,272 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $115,000 after acquiring an additional 602 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dark Forest Capital Management LP bought a new position in Armstrong World Industries during the first quarter valued at approximately $124,000. 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 Stories 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. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG Get Rating) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,380,000 shares, a growth of 5.8% from the April 30th total of 2,250,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 242,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 9.8 days. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities analysts have recently commented on ABG shares. Stephens increased their price target on shares of Asbury Automotive Group to $275.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 27th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Asbury Automotive Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday. Get Asbury Automotive Group alerts: Insider Transactions at Asbury Automotive Group In other news, SVP George A. Villasana sold 2,828 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.60, for a total transaction of $666,276.80. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 4,290 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,010,724. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the companys stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Asbury Automotive Group Asbury Automotive Group Stock Performance Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Toroso Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $252,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 21.4% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 48,096 shares of the companys stock valued at $10,100,000 after purchasing an additional 8,474 shares during the period. Castleark Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,678,000. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 2.0% in the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 828,314 shares of the companys stock valued at $173,946,000 after purchasing an additional 16,208 shares during the period. Finally, Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $13,310,000. ABG traded down $7.27 on Wednesday, hitting $209.20. 474,169 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 239,579. The firm has a market cap of $4.50 billion, a PE ratio of 4.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.12. Asbury Automotive Group has a twelve month low of $138.88 and a twelve month high of $253.67. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $201.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $199.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.92, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 25th. The company reported $8.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.94 by $0.43. The firm had revenue of $3.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.79 billion. Asbury Automotive Group had a net margin of 6.23% and a return on equity of 29.48%. Asbury Automotive Groups quarterly revenue was down 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $9.27 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Asbury Automotive Group will post 31.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. About Asbury Automotive Group (Get Rating) Asbury Automotive Group, Inc is a franchised automotive retailer. It operates through the Dealerships and Total Care Auto (TCA) segments. The Dealerships segment offers a range of automotive products and services fulfilling the entire vehicle ownership lifecycle including the sale of new and used vehicles and the provision of vehicle repair and maintenance services, replacement parts, and collision repair services. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Asbury Automotive Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Asbury Automotive Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE:HPE Get Rating) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 31,590,000 shares, an increase of 7.2% from the April 30th total of 29,480,000 shares. Currently, 2.5% of the companys shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 12,080,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.6 days. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of research firms have recently commented on HPE. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise from $13.00 to $14.00 in a research report on Friday, March 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise from $16.00 to $15.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research report on Friday, March 3rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise in a research report on Monday, March 20th. They set a neutral rating and a $15.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hewlett Packard Enterprise currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $16.62. Get Hewlett Packard Enterprise alerts: Insider Activity at Hewlett Packard Enterprise In other Hewlett Packard Enterprise news, EVP Thomas E. Black, Jr. sold 34,088 shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.05, for a total transaction of $513,024.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Hewlett Packard Enterprise news, EVP Alan Richard May sold 703,226 shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.11, for a total transaction of $10,625,744.86. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 249,511 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,770,111.21. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Thomas E. Black, Jr. sold 34,088 shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.05, for a total transaction of $513,024.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 747,314 shares of company stock worth $11,291,569. 0.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hewlett Packard Enterprise Hewlett Packard Enterprise Price Performance Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HPE. Old North State Trust LLC bought a new position in shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Arlington Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. New Hampshire Trust bought a new position in shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky bought a new position in shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Romano Brothers AND Company bought a new position in shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors own 81.36% of the companys stock. Hewlett Packard Enterprise stock traded down $1.09 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $14.43. 34,080,707 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 13,098,403. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The business has a fifty day moving average of $14.85 and a 200 day moving average of $15.49. Hewlett Packard Enterprise has a 1-year low of $11.90 and a 1-year high of $17.25. The company has a market capitalization of $18.69 billion, a PE ratio of 22.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.22. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE:HPE Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 30th. The technology company reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.03. Hewlett Packard Enterprise had a return on equity of 4.22% and a net margin of 2.92%. The company had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.30 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.19 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Hewlett Packard Enterprise will post 1.32 earnings per share for the current year. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Dividend Announcement The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th will be issued a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th. Hewlett Packard Enterprises dividend payout ratio is 73.85%. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company Profile (Get Rating) Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co is a global edge-to-cloud company, which engages in the provision of information technology, technology and enterprise products, solutions, and services. It operates through the following segments: Compute, High Performance Computing & Artificial Intelligence (HPC & AI), Storage, Intelligent Edge, Financial Services, and Corporate Investments and Other. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Hewlett Packard Enterprise Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hewlett Packard Enterprise and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Heyu Biological Technology Co. (OTCMKTS:HYBT Get Rating) saw a significant growth in short interest in May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,300 shares, a growth of 8.3% from the April 30th total of 1,200 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 205,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.0 days. Heyu Biological Technology Stock Performance HYBT traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $0.16. 38,900 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 80,976. Heyu Biological Technology has a 52-week low of $0.00 and a 52-week high of $0.25. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $0.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $0.06. Get Heyu Biological Technology alerts: About Heyu Biological Technology (Get Rating) Featured Stories Heyu Biological Technology Corp. operates as a shell company. The company was founded on May 18, 1987 and is headquartered in Xiamen City, China. Receive News & Ratings for Heyu Biological Technology Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Heyu Biological Technology and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Performance Food Group (NYSE:PFGC Get Rating) insider Patrick T. Hagerty sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total value of $111,820.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 151,790 shares in the company, valued at $8,486,578.90. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Performance Food Group Stock Performance Shares of PFGC traded down $0.34 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $55.29. The stock had a trading volume of 1,170,925 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,126,932. The company has a market cap of $8.63 billion, a PE ratio of 26.75 and a beta of 1.36. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $59.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $59.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. Performance Food Group has a fifty-two week low of $38.51 and a fifty-two week high of $63.22. Get Performance Food Group alerts: Performance Food Group (NYSE:PFGC Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 10th. The food distribution company reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $13.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.94 billion. Performance Food Group had a return on equity of 17.20% and a net margin of 0.57%. On average, equities analysts expect that Performance Food Group will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current year. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Institutional Trading of Performance Food Group A number of research firms have recently commented on PFGC. UBS Group raised their price objective on Performance Food Group from $72.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, February 9th. Stephens reiterated an overweight rating and issued a $68.00 target price on shares of Performance Food Group in a research note on Friday, February 24th. TheStreet upgraded Performance Food Group from a c+ rating to a b rating in a research note on Monday, March 20th. Truist Financial increased their target price on Performance Food Group from $75.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Friday, May 12th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Performance Food Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, May 11th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $73.00. Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PFGC. Securian Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Performance Food Group by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc. now owns 14,305 shares of the food distribution companys stock worth $835,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. Utah Retirement Systems boosted its position in Performance Food Group by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Utah Retirement Systems now owns 8,200 shares of the food distribution companys stock worth $479,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its position in Performance Food Group by 43.1% during the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 834 shares of the food distribution companys stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares during the period. Toroso Investments LLC boosted its position in Performance Food Group by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Toroso Investments LLC now owns 5,276 shares of the food distribution companys stock worth $227,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares during the period. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its position in Performance Food Group by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 21,790 shares of the food distribution companys stock worth $1,272,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.35% of the companys stock. Performance Food Group Company Profile (Get Rating) Performance Food Group Co engages in the market and distribution of food products. It operates through the following segments: Foodservice, Vistar, & Convenience. The Foodservices segment delivers food and food-related products to independent restaurants, chain restaurants, and other institutional food-away-from-home locations. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Performance Food Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Performance Food Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Unity Software Inc. (NYSE:U Get Rating) CFO Luis Felipe Visoso sold 6,887 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.73, for a total value of $190,976.51. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 725,328 shares in the company, valued at $20,113,345.44. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Unity Software Trading Up 3.5 % Shares of U stock traded up $1.00 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $29.72. The company had a trading volume of 9,082,697 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,478,941. The company has a 50 day moving average of $28.86 and a 200 day moving average of $31.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 2.39 and a quick ratio of 2.39. The firm has a market cap of $11.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.75 and a beta of 2.16. Unity Software Inc. has a 1-year low of $21.22 and a 1-year high of $58.63. Get Unity Software alerts: Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in U. Credit Suisse AG raised its stake in shares of Unity Software by 19.7% in the 3rd quarter. Credit Suisse AG now owns 711,992 shares of the companys stock valued at $22,683,000 after purchasing an additional 117,106 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in shares of Unity Software by 16.7% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 38,623 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,231,000 after purchasing an additional 5,535 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its stake in shares of Unity Software by 50.1% in the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 14,132 shares of the companys stock valued at $450,000 after purchasing an additional 4,720 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc raised its stake in shares of Unity Software by 55.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 78,026 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,487,000 after purchasing an additional 27,800 shares during the period. Finally, Aviance Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unity Software in the 4th quarter valued at about $286,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.50% of the companys stock. Analyst Ratings Changes Unity Software Company Profile A number of equities research analysts recently commented on U shares. Credit Suisse Group decreased their price target on Unity Software from $71.00 to $67.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 23rd. Citigroup decreased their price target on Unity Software from $54.00 to $41.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Unity Software from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 15th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on Unity Software from $35.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, February 23rd. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered Unity Software from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research report on Thursday, February 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $40.06. (Get Rating) Unity Software Inc operates a real-time 3D development platform. Its platform provides software solutions to create, run, and monetize interactive, real-time 2D and 3D content for mobile phones, tablets, PCs, consoles, and augmented and virtual reality devices. The company offers its solutions directly through its online store and field sales operations in North America, Denmark, Finland, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, China, Singapore, and South Korea, as well as indirectly through independent distributors and resellers worldwide. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Unity Software Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Unity Software and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES Get Rating) CEO Michael J. Arougheti sold 68,603 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.83, for a total value of $5,819,592.49. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 825,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $69,984,750. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Ares Management Stock Down 0.3 % Ares Management stock traded down $0.27 on Wednesday, hitting $87.09. 1,305,320 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,012,900. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market cap of $26.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 79.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.31. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $82.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $78.93. Ares Management Co. has a 1 year low of $53.15 and a 1 year high of $90.28. Get Ares Management alerts: Ares Management (NYSE:ARES Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 28th. The asset manager reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.82 by ($0.11). Ares Management had a return on equity of 16.79% and a net margin of 6.84%. The company had revenue of $813.36 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $694.04 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.65 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ares Management Co. will post 3.6 earnings per share for the current year. Ares Management Dividend Announcement Analysts Set New Price Targets The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 16th will be issued a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 15th. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.54%. Ares Managements payout ratio is 280.00%. A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on ARES shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Ares Management from $81.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, February 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on Ares Management from $98.00 to $108.00 in a research report on Monday, May 1st. TheStreet raised Ares Management from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Ares Management from $100.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Ares Management from $82.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Monday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ares Management currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $97.44. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ares Management A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Park Place Capital Corp lifted its position in shares of Ares Management by 1,427.3% during the 1st quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 336 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in Ares Management by 210.5% in the 1st quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 354 shares of the asset managers stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 300.0% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 400 shares of the asset managers stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Ares Management during the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Machina Capital S.A.S. purchased a new stake in shares of Ares Management during the 1st quarter worth approximately $40,000. 47.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. About Ares Management (Get Rating) Ares Management Corp. is engaged in providing investment management and consultancy services. It operates through the following segments: Credit Group, Private Equity Group and Real Estate Group. The Credit Group segment offers credit strategies across the liquid and illiquid spectrum, including syndicated bank loans, high yield bonds, credit opportunities, special situations, asset-backed investments and U.S. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Ares Management Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ares Management and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. (Photo : Hunter Martin/Getty Images) Thirteen coal companies owned by the family of West Virginia Governor Jim Justice are being prosecuted for unpaid fines. The Justice Department announced on Wednesday that it is prosecuting the son of West Virginia Governor Jim Justice and 13 coal companies he owns to collect "unpaid civil penalties." Justice, a two-term Republican governor, declared his candidacy for Joe Manchin's US Senate seat in 2024 in April. He will oppose incumbent US Representative Alex Mooney in the Republican primary, according to Washington Examiner. DOJ Sues West Virginia Governor's Coal Empire, Son The Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice filed the 128-page lawsuit against James C. Justice III and 13 coal companies he owns and operates for "over 130 violations of federal law" that posed health and safety dangers to the public and environment. The lawsuit seeks to recover "$4,376,328 in uncontested corporate civil penalties, $1,419,959 in uncontested individual civil penalties, and $190,759.97 in uncontested AML reclamation fee and audit obligations," and unpaid pre-judgment interest, late payment penalties, and administrative expenses. Per ABC News, the administration was accused of retaliation by Justice, who was not named in the lawsuit. The defendants owe approximately $7.6 million in penalties, fees, interest, and administrative costs, according to the lawsuit. The US Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, Christopher Kavanaugh, stated that the defendants were ordered more than fifty times to cease mining operations until the violations were rectified. The companies failed, among other things, to ensure the seismic stability of a dam, to maintain sediment-control measures, to remove rock and debris from a haul road following a rock fall, and to dispose of non-coal refuse appropriately. On a financial disclosure form, he filed this year with the state Ethics Commission, Justice listed 112 coal, agricultural, and other enterprises, including seven that were deposited in a blind trust in 2017. In recent years, his net worth soared to $1.7 billion, but he was removed from Forbes' prestigious list of billionaires in 2021. The enterprises of the governor have been perpetually embroiled in litigation over unpaid debts. Read Also: Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Orders Son To Resign After Public Outrage Over 'Inappropriate' Behavior NRSC Asserts Suit as Politically Motivated A spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee expressly asserted the lawsuit was politically motivated and accused Democrats of "weaponizing the federal government to attack the family of a Republican Senate candidate." The federal lawsuit involves unpaid penalties related to mining operations, violations that "pose health and safety hazards or imperil environmental damage," according to the US Department of Justice. On a financial disclosure form submitted to the state ethics commission this year, Jim Justice listed 112 coal, agricultural, and other businesses, seven of which were deposited in a blind trust in 2017. Never-ending litigation over unpaid fees has plagued the justice industry. The governor has attempted to distance himself from the enterprises by asserting that his two adult offspring are now in charge of them. The plaintiffs in the new lawsuit identify Roanoke, Virginia, as their principal place of business. Per Guardian, Justice stated on Wednesday that he was unaware of the suit's specifics but that he expected his son to inform him. Related Article: Hunter Biden Probe: IRS Whistleblower Reveals FBI Procedure Not Followed @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Aeterna Zentaris Inc. (TSE:AEZS Get Rating)s share price rose 1.3% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as C$3.83 and last traded at C$3.83. Approximately 200 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 1,552 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$3.78. Aeterna Zentaris Trading Up 2.4 % The company has a 50 day moving average of C$3.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of C$4.40. The stock has a market capitalization of C$18.42 million, a PE ratio of -0.52 and a beta of 1.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 9.37 and a current ratio of 7.88. Aeterna Zentaris Company Profile (Get Rating) Aeterna Zentaris Inc, a specialty biopharmaceutical company, engages in developing and commercializing therapeutics and diagnostic tests. Its lead product is macimorelin, an orally available peptidomimetic ghrelin receptor (GHSR-1a) agonist that stimulates the secretion of growth hormone by binding to the GHSR-1a for the diagnosis of adult growth hormone deficiency and childhood-onset growth hormone deficiency, as well as oncology indications. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Aeterna Zentaris Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Aeterna Zentaris and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Africa Oil Corp. (OTCMKTS:AOIFF Get Rating) saw a significant decline in short interest during the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,686,900 shares, a decline of 6.5% from the April 30th total of 2,872,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 93,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 28.6 days. Africa Oil Trading Up 1.7 % Shares of Africa Oil stock opened at $2.15 on Thursday. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $2.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $2.04. The firm has a market cap of $993.99 million, a P/E ratio of -11.32 and a beta of 1.25. Africa Oil has a 12 month low of $1.47 and a 12 month high of $2.65. Get Africa Oil alerts: Africa Oil (OTCMKTS:AOIFF Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 27th. The energy company reported ($0.39) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Africa Oil Announces Dividend Analyst Ratings Changes The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 13th were issued a $0.025 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 10th. This represents a yield of 2.26%. Africa Oils payout ratio is -26.32%. Several brokerages have issued reports on AOIFF. Scotiabank raised shares of Africa Oil from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 22nd. Barclays upgraded Africa Oil from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, May 23rd. About Africa Oil (Get Rating) Africa Oil Corp. is an oil and gas company, which engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production associated with oil and gas assets. It focuses on producing and development assets in deep-water offshore Nigeria, and development assets in Kenya. Its portfolio of exploration assets includes Guyana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, and in the Senegal Guinea Bissau Joint Development Zone (AGC). Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Africa Oil Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Africa Oil and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Armstrong World Industries (NYSE:AWI Get Rating) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Sunday morning. Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Credit Suisse Group reaffirmed an outperform rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Armstrong World Industries in a report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Armstrong World Industries from $77.00 to $78.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Armstrong World Industries from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 22nd. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on Armstrong World Industries from $90.00 to $87.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Armstrong World Industries has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $83.63. Get Armstrong World Industries alerts: Armstrong World Industries Trading Down 1.0 % AWI opened at $62.44 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.82 billion, a PE ratio of 13.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.11. Armstrong World Industries has a 12-month low of $62.26 and a 12-month high of $94.94. The firms fifty day moving average price is $67.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $72.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 2.18 and a quick ratio of 1.49. Armstrong World Industries Announces Dividend Armstrong World Industries ( NYSE:AWI Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $310.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 for the quarter was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.02 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Armstrong World Industries will post 4.86 EPS for the current fiscal year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 4th were given a dividend of $0.254 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 3rd. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. Armstrong World Industriess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.82%. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Armstrong World Industries Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cantillon Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Armstrong World Industries by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. Cantillon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,917,708 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $131,536,000 after purchasing an additional 152,796 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Armstrong World Industries by 25.5% in the first quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 1,773,996 shares of the construction companys stock worth $126,379,000 after acquiring an additional 360,508 shares during the period. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP purchased a new position in Armstrong World Industries during the first quarter valued at $121,108,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Armstrong World Industries by 1.5% during the first quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 1,611,898 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $114,832,000 after purchasing an additional 23,978 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in Armstrong World Industries by 59.3% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,500,752 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $118,905,000 after purchasing an additional 558,365 shares in the last quarter. 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. Read More 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. Banco Itau Chile (NYSE:ITCL Get Rating) is one of 70 public companies in the Commercial banks, not elsewhere classified industry, but how does it compare to its competitors? We will compare Banco Itau Chile to related businesses based on the strength of its analyst recommendations, valuation, dividends, earnings, risk, profitability and institutional ownership. Dividends Banco Itau Chile pays an annual dividend of $0.17 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.8%. Banco Itau Chile pays out 24.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, Commercial banks, not elsewhere classified companies pay a dividend yield of 2.5% and pay out 17.0% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Get Banco Itau Chile alerts: Institutional and Insider Ownership 0.2% of Banco Itau Chile shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 24.6% of shares of all Commercial banks, not elsewhere classified companies are owned by institutional investors. 8.0% of shares of all Commercial banks, not elsewhere classified companies are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth. Profitability Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Banco Itau Chile 11.23% 13.12% 1.06% Banco Itau Chile Competitors 18.66% 11.98% 0.98% Valuation and Earnings This table compares Banco Itau Chile and its competitors net margins, return on equity and return on assets. This table compares Banco Itau Chile and its competitors revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Banco Itau Chile $2.94 billion $487.62 million 5.06 Banco Itau Chile Competitors $13.62 billion $3.07 billion 9.56 Banco Itau Chiles competitors have higher revenue and earnings than Banco Itau Chile. Banco Itau Chile is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its competitors, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry. Analyst Recommendations This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Banco Itau Chile and its competitors, as provided by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Banco Itau Chile 0 0 0 0 N/A Banco Itau Chile Competitors 631 2240 2273 61 2.34 As a group, Commercial banks, not elsewhere classified companies have a potential upside of 85.73%. Given Banco Itau Chiles competitors higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Banco Itau Chile has less favorable growth aspects than its competitors. Risk and Volatility Banco Itau Chile has a beta of 0.98, meaning that its stock price is 2% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Banco Itau Chiles competitors have a beta of 0.94, meaning that their average stock price is 6% less volatile than the S&P 500. Summary Banco Itau Chile competitors beat Banco Itau Chile on 8 of the 12 factors compared. Banco Itau Chile Company Profile (Get Rating) Banco Itau Chile engages in the provision of banking and financial services. It specializes in banking products such as financing, leasing, loans, insurance and credit cards. It operates through the following geographical segments: Chile and Colombia. The Chile segment consists of commercial and corporate banking, real estate and construction, large companies, retail banking, personal banking, small business, retail companies, Banco Condell consumer banking, international and treasury and other financial services. The Colombia segment offers commercial and retail banking and treasury and international business operations. The company was founded in 1871 and is headquartered in Las Condes, Chile. Receive News & Ratings for Banco Itau Chile Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Banco Itau Chile and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. BOX (NYSE:BOX Get Rating) updated its second quarter earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of $0.34-$0.35 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of $0.33. The company issued revenue guidance of $260-$262 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $260.35 million. BOX also updated its FY24 guidance to $1.44-$1.50 EPS. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on BOX from $39.00 to $37.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 2nd. JMP Securities reiterated a market outperform rating and issued a $32.00 price objective on shares of BOX in a report on Thursday, March 16th. Credit Suisse Group reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $36.00 price objective on shares of BOX in a report on Thursday, March 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on BOX from $24.00 to $21.00 and set an underperform rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 15th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded BOX from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Friday, May 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, BOX currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $33.44. Get BOX alerts: BOX Price Performance BOX stock opened at $28.18 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 563.60, a P/E/G ratio of 13.30 and a beta of 1.01. The business has a 50-day moving average of $26.81 and a 200-day moving average of $29.04. BOX has a fifty-two week low of $22.31 and a fifty-two week high of $34.98. Insider Activity at BOX BOX ( NYSE:BOX Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 1st. The software maker reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.03 by $0.04. BOX had a negative return on equity of 2.53% and a net margin of 2.70%. The firm had revenue of $256.48 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $256.29 million. Equities analysts expect that BOX will post 0.1 EPS for the current year. In related news, CFO Dylan C. Smith sold 13,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.09, for a total transaction of $339,170.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 1,402,904 shares of the companys stock, valued at $36,601,765.36. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other BOX news, Director Jack R. Lazar sold 5,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.95, for a total value of $134,750.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 26,555 shares in the company, valued at $715,657.25. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Dylan C. Smith sold 13,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.09, for a total value of $339,170.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 1,402,904 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,601,765.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 44,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,173,060. Insiders own 4.90% of the companys stock. Institutional Trading of BOX Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of BOX by 0.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,922,747 shares of the software makers stock worth $363,967,000 after purchasing an additional 48,626 shares during the period. Macquarie Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of BOX by 4.9% during the first quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. now owns 3,379,511 shares of the software makers stock worth $90,537,000 after purchasing an additional 158,270 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of BOX by 2.8% during the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,051,147 shares of the software makers stock worth $81,740,000 after purchasing an additional 82,813 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of BOX by 4.7% during the first quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,644,197 shares of the software makers stock worth $70,838,000 after purchasing an additional 119,823 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in shares of BOX by 165.1% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,151,620 shares of the software makers stock worth $57,642,000 after purchasing an additional 1,340,114 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.67% of the companys stock. BOX Company Profile (Get Rating) Box, Inc engages in the provision of an enterprise content platform that enables organizations to securely manage enterprise content while allowing easy, secure access and sharing of this content from anywhere, on any device. Its products include cloud content management, IT and admin controls, Box Governance, Box Zones, Box Relay, Box Shuttle, and Box KeySafe. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for BOX Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BOX and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Credit Suisse Group AG (NYSE:CS Get Rating) has earned an average rating of Hold from the fourteen research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $3.63. CS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Kepler Capital Markets cut Credit Suisse Group from a hold rating to a reduce rating in a research note on Monday, February 13th. Citigroup cut Credit Suisse Group from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, February 16th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Credit Suisse Group in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Get Credit Suisse Group alerts: Institutional Trading of Credit Suisse Group Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Credit Suisse Group by 6.8% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 49,762 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $195,000 after buying an additional 3,164 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its stake in Credit Suisse Group by 70.3% during the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 7,931 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 3,273 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its stake in Credit Suisse Group by 84.5% during the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 7,318 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $166,000 after purchasing an additional 3,351 shares during the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Credit Suisse Group by 8.7% during the third quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 44,306 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $174,000 after purchasing an additional 3,540 shares during the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE lifted its stake in Credit Suisse Group by 8.9% during the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 50,292 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $395,000 after purchasing an additional 4,130 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 11.20% of the companys stock. Credit Suisse Group Stock Down 3.1 % Credit Suisse Group Increases Dividend Shares of Credit Suisse Group stock opened at $0.82 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.79. Credit Suisse Group has a 12 month low of $0.82 and a 12 month high of $7.25. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $0.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $2.39. The stock has a market cap of $2.56 billion, a PE ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.27. The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 11th were issued a dividend of $0.0547 per share. This represents a yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 10th. This is a positive change from Credit Suisse Groups previous dividend of $0.05. Credit Suisse Group Company Profile (Get Rating) Credit Suisse Group AG is a holding company, which engages in the provision of financial services. It operates through the following four divisions: Wealth Management, Investment Bank, Swiss Bank and Asset Management and four geographic regions: Switzerland, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Asia Pacific, and Americas. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Credit Suisse Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Credit Suisse Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. CIRCOR International (NYSE:CIR Get Rating) and Crane NXT (NYSE:CXT Get Rating) are both industrial products companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings, profitability, risk and institutional ownership. Volatility & Risk CIRCOR International has a beta of 2.16, suggesting that its share price is 116% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Crane NXT has a beta of 1.49, suggesting that its share price is 49% more volatile than the S&P 500. Get CIRCOR International alerts: Profitability This table compares CIRCOR International and Crane NXTs net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets CIRCOR International 5.03% 34.61% 4.73% Crane NXT 13.12% 20.86% 9.01% Valuation & Earnings Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio CIRCOR International $786.92 million 0.75 $19.39 million $1.98 14.66 Crane NXT $3.37 billion 0.88 $401.10 million $6.50 8.10 This table compares CIRCOR International and Crane NXTs top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Crane NXT has higher revenue and earnings than CIRCOR International. Crane NXT is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than CIRCOR International, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Insider and Institutional Ownership 94.8% of CIRCOR International shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 70.8% of Crane NXT shares are held by institutional investors. 1.0% of CIRCOR International shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 2.0% of Crane NXT shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth. Analyst Recommendations This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for CIRCOR International and Crane NXT, as provided by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score CIRCOR International 0 1 2 0 2.67 Crane NXT 0 0 1 0 3.00 CIRCOR International currently has a consensus target price of $32.33, indicating a potential upside of 11.38%. Crane NXT has a consensus target price of $72.00, indicating a potential upside of 36.80%. Given Crane NXTs stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Crane NXT is more favorable than CIRCOR International. Summary Crane NXT beats CIRCOR International on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks. About CIRCOR International (Get Rating) CIRCOR International, Inc. engages in the business of designing, manufacturing, and marketing differentiated technology products and sub-systems for the defense markets. It operates under the Aerospace and Defense, and Industrial segments. The Aerospace and Defense segment is involved in the production of valves, pumps, electric motors, kinetic switches, high pressure pneumatic regulators and subsystems, and electromechanical assemblies. The Industrial segment includes positive displacement pumps, specialty centrifugal pumps, metering pumps, automatic recirculating valves, and control valves for mission critical applications. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Burlington, MA. About Crane NXT (Get Rating) Crane NXT Co. engages in the management of a subsidiary, which manufactures aerospace equipment, electronics systems, and flow control systems. The company was founded on December 2, 2021 and is headquartered in Stamford, CT. Receive News & Ratings for CIRCOR International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for CIRCOR International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (NYSE:FIS Get Rating) by 52.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 188,003 shares of the information technology services providers stock after purchasing an additional 64,523 shares during the period. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc.s holdings in Fidelity National Information Services were worth $12,756,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fund Management at Engine No. 1 LLC grew its stake in Fidelity National Information Services by 11.7% in the 4th quarter. Fund Management at Engine No. 1 LLC now owns 6,530 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $443,000 after acquiring an additional 684 shares during the period. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in Fidelity National Information Services by 48.1% in the 4th quarter. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 27,440 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $1,862,000 after acquiring an additional 8,917 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP grew its stake in shares of Fidelity National Information Services by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 236,690 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $16,059,000 after buying an additional 20,115 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. grew its stake in shares of Fidelity National Information Services by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 118,514 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $8,036,000 after buying an additional 7,415 shares during the period. Finally, Poehling Capital Management INC. purchased a new stake in shares of Fidelity National Information Services during the 4th quarter valued at $272,000. 90.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Fidelity National Information Services alerts: Fidelity National Information Services Price Performance Shares of Fidelity National Information Services stock opened at $54.82 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.74. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $54.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $62.91. Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $48.57 and a twelve month high of $106.65. The firm has a market cap of $32.48 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.82. Fidelity National Information Services Announces Dividend Fidelity National Information Services ( NYSE:FIS Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The information technology services provider reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $3.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.41 billion. Fidelity National Information Services had a negative net margin of 114.79% and a positive return on equity of 10.66%. Fidelity National Information Servicess revenue for the quarter was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.47 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. will post 5.95 EPS for the current fiscal year. The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 9th will be issued a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 8th. Fidelity National Information Servicess dividend payout ratio is currently -7.38%. Analysts Set New Price Targets FIS has been the subject of several research reports. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Fidelity National Information Services from $93.00 to $81.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 14th. Credit Suisse Group decreased their price target on shares of Fidelity National Information Services from $75.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Friday, April 28th. Citigroup cut shares of Fidelity National Information Services from a buy rating to a neutral rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $85.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Fidelity National Information Services from $65.00 to $60.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of Fidelity National Information Services from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and upped their price target for the stock from $73.00 to $79.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $89.30. Insider Buying and Selling at Fidelity National Information Services In other news, CFO Erik D. Hoag sold 5,658 shares of Fidelity National Information Services stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.88, for a total value of $361,433.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 16,368 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,045,587.84. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Fidelity National Information Services news, CFO Erik D. Hoag sold 5,658 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.88, for a total transaction of $361,433.04. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 16,368 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,045,587.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeffrey A. Goldstein purchased 958 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 17th. The shares were bought at an average price of $57.24 per share, for a total transaction of $54,835.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 5,404 shares of the companys stock, valued at $309,324.96. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.56% of the companys stock. Fidelity National Information Services Profile (Get Rating) Fidelity National Information Services, Inc engages in the provision of technology solutions for financial institutions and businesses. It operates through the following segments: Banking, Merchant, Capital Markets, and Corporate and Other. The Banking segment focuses on serving financial institutions with core processing software, transaction processing software, and complementary applications and services. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding FIS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (NYSE:FIS Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Fidelity National Information Services Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Fidelity National Information Services and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Texas Yale Capital Corp. lessened its holdings in Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF (NYSEARCA:GSLC Get Rating) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,587 shares of the companys stock after selling 992 shares during the quarter. Texas Yale Capital Corp.s holdings in Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF were worth $2,557,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of GSLC. Goldstein Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF in the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,656,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF by 15.2% in the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,917,598 shares of the companys stock worth $207,208,000 after purchasing an additional 384,355 shares in the last quarter. Betterment LLC boosted its position in Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Betterment LLC now owns 3,040,801 shares of the companys stock worth $231,496,000 after purchasing an additional 190,256 shares in the last quarter. WMS Partners LLC boosted its position in Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF by 645.0% in the 3rd quarter. WMS Partners LLC now owns 215,456 shares of the companys stock worth $15,302,000 after purchasing an additional 186,535 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allen Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF in the 4th quarter worth approximately $10,820,000. Get Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF alerts: Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF Trading Up 0.8 % Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF stock traded up $0.63 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $82.86. The company had a trading volume of 97,008 shares, compared to its average volume of 308,214. Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF has a 12-month low of $69.51 and a 12-month high of $85.63. The companys fifty day moving average is $81.34 and its 200-day moving average is $79.78. The company has a market capitalization of $11.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.56 and a beta of 0.98. 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. Featured Stories 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. Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. (NYSE:TV Get Rating) has received a consensus recommendation of Hold from the nine analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $8.77. A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on TV shares. TheStreet downgraded Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. from a c- rating to a d+ rating in a report on Friday, February 24th. UBS Group downgraded Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. from a buy rating to a neutral rating and cut their price objective for the company from $8.80 to $6.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. StockNews.com downgraded Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Friday, May 12th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. in a report on Tuesday, February 14th. They set a buy rating and a $8.50 price objective on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. in a report on Tuesday. They set a buy rating and a $6.10 price objective on the stock. Get Grupo Televisa S.A.B. alerts: Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. Price Performance Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. stock opened at $4.81 on Thursday. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $4.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $5.18. Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. has a one year low of $4.38 and a one year high of $10.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 2.38 and a quick ratio of 2.33. The firm has a market cap of $2.72 billion, a PE ratio of -5.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.70 and a beta of 1.42. Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. Increases Dividend Hedge Funds Weigh In On Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. The firm also recently announced an annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 30th will be paid a $0.0985 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 26th. This is an increase from Grupo Televisa, S.A.B.s previous annual dividend of $0.09. Grupo Televisa, S.A.B.s payout ratio is presently -9.68%. Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of TV. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. by 0.4% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 307,546 shares of the companys stock worth $3,599,000 after buying an additional 1,312 shares in the last quarter. GABELLI & Co INVESTMENT ADVISERS INC. raised its holdings in shares of Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. GABELLI & Co INVESTMENT ADVISERS INC. now owns 51,875 shares of the companys stock valued at $274,000 after acquiring an additional 3,050 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its stake in Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. by 20.7% in the first quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 20,868 shares of the companys stock valued at $110,000 after purchasing an additional 3,578 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ronald Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. by 681.6% in the first quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,565 shares of the companys stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 4,853 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 56.61% of the companys stock. Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. Company Profile (Get Rating) Grupo Televisa SAB engages in the provision of media products and services. It operates through the following segments: Content, Sky, Cable, and Other Businesses. The Content segment includes advertising, network subscription revenue and licensing and syndication. The Sky segment includes direct-to-home satellite television system. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Grupo Televisa S.A.B. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Grupo Televisa S.A.B. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. (Photo : Sam Mooy/Getty Images) A judge ruled that Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia's most decorated soldier, killed defenseless captives in Afghanistan. The most decorated soldier in Australian military history lost a multi-million dollar defamation case against three newspapers that accused him of committing war crimes in Afghanistan, including the execution of unarmed prisoners after a judge ruled that their reports met the standards of truth. The decision, handed down by Federal Court Justice Anthony Besanko on Thursday, brings a dramatic conclusion to a lengthy trial and deals with another injury to the military's reputation, which was already damaged by the 100 days of testimony. Ben Roberts-Smith Loses Mammoth Defamation Case Besanko discovered that The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Canberra Times established substantial truth in a number of claims about Ben Roberts-Smith, but not all. In some instances, he discovered that the documents established contextual truth, which is also a defense under the Defamation Act of Australia. In other scenarios, he discovered that the documents failed to establish the truth, as per CNN. In the most damning findings, Besanko stated that the documents demonstrated there was substantial truth to the allegation that Ben Roberts-Smith, a former member of the special forces, murdered an unarmed Afghan civilian by kicking him off a precipice and commanding his soldiers to shoot him. Besanko also discovered that the allegations that Roberts-Smith killed a man with a prosthetic limb in Afghanistan with a machine gun, then brought the prosthetic leg back to Australia and encouraged his soldiers to use it as a drinking vessel, were supported by substantial evidence. Roberts-Smith, who was awarded Australia's highest decoration for valor, the Victoria Cross, and hailed as a hero for his bravery and leadership, has an already tarnished reputation, which is further harmed by the truth of the most severe allegations. As part of the defense for the newspapers, former comrades testified at the trial that they witnessed Roberts-Smith murder unarmed civilians in violation of the laws of war and that he was a tyrant and belligerent towards some of those he served with. Per Guardian, the trial also revealed the spiteful dissolution of his marriage to Emma Roberts, the mother of his two daughters, and his tumultuous liaison with a woman he met after departing the military. If the newspapers prevail, the reputations of the journalists who wrote the articles will be enhanced. The trial revealed years of meticulous effort to confirm rumors within the mysterious and secretive world of Australia's SAS regiment. Nonetheless, the verdict might not be a straightforward decision. The judge could determine that some of the newspaper's defense allegations were proven, but not others. If so, the judge will likely measure the damage to Roberts-reputation Smith's caused by the unproven allegations against the damage caused by the proven allegations. Read Also: Report: Kim Jong Un Suffers Insomnia, Alcohol Dependency; South Korean Spies Claim Dictator Weighs Over 140 Kilograms Australia's Campaign in Afghanistan Military details of Australia's unsuccessful 20-year campaign in Afghanistan have been laid bare in open court; ministers of the crown have been subpoenaed to testify; media empires have been pitched in barely concealed conflict; and institutions such as the Australian War Memorial, which still hosts a Roberts-Smith-dedicated display, have been drawn into the controversy. Within Australia's military hierarchy, questions have been raised about the command responsibility of senior officers and the more remote decision-makers who repeatedly dispatched the same small group of soldiers to the ill-defined frontlines of a dangerous, costly war against an elusive, faceless foe. The trial has also revealed vindictive factionalism within Australia's normally covert SAS regiment. Former closest friends who provided irreconcilable evidence have been pitted against each other as a result. Mohib Iqbal, the president of the Afghan National Council Australia, told SBS News that the case was "closely followed by Afghans in Australia and around the world." Iqbal stated that the case demonstrated the significance of the Australian government providing compensation to the families of civilian victims. Major General Paul Brereton concluded his four-year investigation into alleged malfeasance by Australian special forces in Afghanistan in 2020. The Brereton Report detailed "credible" evidence of 39 unlawful murders of Afghan civilians or detainees, and recommended prompt payment of compensation to restore "Australia's standing." When asked if he would contemplate depriving Roberts-Smith of his service medals, the minister of defense, Richard Marles, refused to comment. Related Article: Trump Acknowledges Keeping Classified Documents, Audio Recording Reveals @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Shares of Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. (OTCMKTS:HTZZ Get Rating) dropped 0.3% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $15.75 and last traded at $15.79. Approximately 2,281,748 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 295% from the average daily volume of 577,139 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.84. Hertz Global Stock Performance The stocks 50 day moving average is $15.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.07, a quick ratio of 2.91 and a current ratio of 2.91. About Hertz Global (Get Rating) Hertz Global Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides airport and off airport vehicle rental and leasing services. It operates through three segments: U.S. RAC, International RAC, and All Other Operations. The company provides its vehicle rental services under the Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty, Firefly, and Flexicar brands from approximately 12,000 corporate and franchisee locations in North America, Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and New Zealand. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Hertz Global Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hertz Global and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Hudson Pacific Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HPP Get Rating) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 19,200,000 shares, an increase of 5.2% from the April 30th total of 18,250,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,930,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.9 days. Currently, 14.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Analyst Ratings Changes HPP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Hudson Pacific Properties from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 10th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Hudson Pacific Properties in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a sell rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Hudson Pacific Properties from $10.00 to $6.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 31st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Hudson Pacific Properties from $10.00 to $7.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Hudson Pacific Properties in a report on Tuesday, March 21st. They issued a sell rating and a $5.50 price objective for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $10.46. Get Hudson Pacific Properties alerts: Hudson Pacific Properties Stock Down 1.3 % NYSE:HPP traded down $0.06 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $4.67. 4,774,515 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,321,350. The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $5.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $8.34. Hudson Pacific Properties has a 1 year low of $4.08 and a 1 year high of $20.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $658.00 million, a P/E ratio of -11.67 and a beta of 1.09. Hudson Pacific Properties Dividend Announcement Insider Activity The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 20th were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 21.41%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 17th. Hudson Pacific Propertiess dividend payout ratio is presently -249.99%. In other news, CIO Drew Gordon bought 25,000 shares of Hudson Pacific Properties stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 27th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $5.96 per share, with a total value of $149,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive now directly owns 116,958 shares in the company, valued at $697,069.68. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, EVP Arthur X. Suazo acquired 10,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 28th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $5.86 per share, for a total transaction of $58,600.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president now owns 87,102 shares in the company, valued at $510,417.72. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CIO Drew Gordon purchased 25,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, March 27th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $5.96 per share, with a total value of $149,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive now directly owns 116,958 shares in the company, valued at $697,069.68. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have purchased 38,975 shares of company stock worth $232,523. 2.95% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hudson Pacific Properties A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pathstone Family Office LLC raised its holdings in Hudson Pacific Properties by 110.2% in the third quarter. Pathstone Family Office LLC now owns 72,475 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $794,000 after buying an additional 37,996 shares during the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its position in Hudson Pacific Properties by 18.9% in the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 339,327 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $3,716,000 after acquiring an additional 54,005 shares in the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its stake in Hudson Pacific Properties by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 513,529 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $4,997,000 after purchasing an additional 27,357 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio boosted its stake in Hudson Pacific Properties by 19.2% during the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 214,972 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $2,091,000 after purchasing an additional 34,620 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Green Alpha Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hudson Pacific Properties by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Green Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 144,303 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,404,000 after purchasing an additional 3,896 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.57% of the companys stock. About Hudson Pacific Properties (Get Rating) Hudson Pacific Properties, Inc is a real estate company, which acquires, repositions, develops, and operates sustainable office and state of-the-art studio properties in high-barrier-to-entry submarkets in California, the Pacific Northwest, Western Canada, and Greater London, United Kingdom. It operates through the Office Properties and Studio Properties segments. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Hudson Pacific Properties Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hudson Pacific Properties and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Rio Tinto Group (NYSE:RIO Get Rating) shares saw strong trading volume on Thursday . 2,074,082 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 36% from the previous sessions volume of 3,255,339 shares.The stock last traded at $60.53 and had previously closed at $59.05. Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Rio Tinto Group in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating for the company. CLSA raised Rio Tinto Group from an underperform rating to an outperform rating in a report on Monday, March 13th. BNP Paribas cut Rio Tinto Group from an outperform rating to a neutral rating in a report on Monday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley raised Rio Tinto Group from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a report on Friday, May 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Rio Tinto Group from a buy rating to a conviction-buy rating in a research note on Thursday, March 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Rio Tinto Group has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $5,790.00. Get Rio Tinto Group alerts: Rio Tinto Group Stock Performance The stock has a 50-day moving average of $64.44 and a 200 day moving average of $69.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rio Tinto Group About Rio Tinto Group A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of RIO. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in Rio Tinto Group by 58.9% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 12,899,694 shares of the mining companys stock worth $1,037,135,000 after buying an additional 4,783,488 shares in the last quarter. Cowa LLC acquired a new position in Rio Tinto Group during the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Pendal Group Ltd acquired a new position in Rio Tinto Group during the 4th quarter worth $183,849,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Rio Tinto Group by 537.9% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,514,532 shares of the mining companys stock worth $172,457,000 after buying an additional 2,120,343 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Rio Tinto Group by 176.1% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,112,031 shares of the mining companys stock worth $48,114,000 after buying an additional 1,347,060 shares in the last quarter. 10.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. (Get Rating) Rio Tinto Plc engages in the exploration, mining, and processing of mineral resources. It operates through the following business segments: Iron Ore, Aluminium, Copper and Diamonds, Energy and Minerals, and Other Operations. The Iron Ore segment supplies global seaborne iron ore trade. The Aluminium segment produces bauxite, alumina and primary aluminum. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Rio Tinto Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Rio Tinto Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW Get Rating) COO Chirantan Jitendra Desai sold 13,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $538.15, for a total transaction of $6,995,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 40,558 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,826,287.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. ServiceNow Price Performance Shares of NYSE:NOW opened at $544.78 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $110.99 billion, a PE ratio of 277.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.73 and a beta of 1.04. ServiceNow, Inc. has a 1-year low of $337.00 and a 1-year high of $556.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $470.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $437.97. Get ServiceNow alerts: Institutional Investors Weigh In On ServiceNow A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. New Hampshire Trust grew its holdings in ServiceNow by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. New Hampshire Trust now owns 599 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $278,000 after buying an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC grew its holdings in ServiceNow by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 1,666 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $774,000 after buying an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp grew its holdings in shares of ServiceNow by 0.9% during the first quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 2,454 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $1,141,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Alera Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in ServiceNow by 2.7% in the first quarter. Alera Investment Advisors LLC now owns 928 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $431,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirova grew its stake in ServiceNow by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Mirova now owns 2,525 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $980,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. 86.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth ServiceNow Company Profile Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of ServiceNow from $495.00 to $525.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 27th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of ServiceNow from an underperform rating to a neutral rating and set a $410.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of ServiceNow from $612.00 to $586.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 9th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of ServiceNow from $500.00 to $510.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of ServiceNow from $525.00 to $545.00 in a report on Thursday, April 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $530.33. (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. Shell plc (LON:SHEL Get Rating) has been assigned a consensus rating of Buy from the eleven research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One investment 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. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is GBX 2,813.40 ($34.77). SHEL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group restated a buy rating and set a GBX 3,000 ($37.07) price objective on shares of Shell in a report on Wednesday, May 17th. Barclays reaffirmed an overweight rating and set a GBX 3,300 ($40.78) price target on shares of Shell in a research report on Tuesday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an overweight rating and issued a GBX 2,950 ($36.46) price objective on shares of Shell in a research report on Tuesday, May 9th. Royal Bank of Canada set a GBX 2,900 ($35.84) price target on shares of Shell in a research note on Tuesday, April 4th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group reiterated a top pick rating on shares of Shell in a research note on Tuesday, February 7th. Get Shell alerts: Shell Stock Down 2.7 % Shares of LON:SHEL opened at GBX 2,220.50 ($27.44) on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of 151.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 456.89, a P/E/G ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a 50 day moving average of GBX 2,383.77 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 2,392.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 43.54, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 0.87. Shell has a one year low of GBX 1,908.60 ($23.59) and a one year high of GBX 2,613.50 ($32.30). Shell Dividend Announcement Shell Company Profile The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 18th will be issued a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 18th. This represents a yield of 0.99%. Shells dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 1,913.58%. (Get Rating) Shell plc operates as an energy and petrochemical company Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa, the United States, and Rest of the Americas. The company operates through Integrated Gas, Upstream, Marketing, Chemicals and Products, and Renewables and Energy Solutions segments. It explores for and extracts crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids; markets and transports oil and gas; produces gas-to-liquids fuels and other products; and operates upstream and midstream infrastructure necessary to deliver gas to market. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Shell Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Shell and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Victoria Gold Corp. (TSE:VGCX Get Rating) shares rose 1.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as C$8.70 and last traded at C$8.45. Approximately 262,520 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 52% from the average daily volume of 545,943 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$8.33. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Pi Financial upped their price target on Victoria Gold from C$16.25 to C$17.50 in a research report on Tuesday, February 7th. CIBC upped their price target on shares of Victoria Gold from C$10.50 to C$11.50 in a research note on Monday, April 17th. Finally, HC Wainwright lowered their price objective on shares of Victoria Gold from C$22.00 to C$21.00 in a research note on Friday, February 24th. Get Victoria Gold alerts: Victoria Gold Trading Up 3.6 % The stock has a 50-day moving average of C$9.62 and a 200 day moving average of C$8.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 49.29. The stock has a market cap of C$596.11 million, a PE ratio of 27.38 and a beta of 1.64. About Victoria Gold Victoria Gold Corp. acquires, operates, explores, and develops mineral properties in Canada and the United States. The company primarily explores for gold deposits. Its flagship property is 100% owned Dublin Gulch property, which hosts the Eagle and Olive-Shamrock Gold deposit covering an area of approximately 555 square kilometers located in central Yukon, Canada. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Victoria Gold Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Victoria Gold and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Four Pennsylvania residents, including a teenager, died after an SUV towing a rented trailer collided with a tractor-trailer on Interstate 81 in Montgomery County early Tuesday. The incident near the 120 mile marker on the interstates northbound lanes involved two tractor-trailers and four passenger vehicles, Virginia State Police Public Information Officer Rick Garletts wrote in an email. At about 3:30 a.m. a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox, an SUV pulling a trailer, was traveling north at the 120.2 mile marker when it lost control and spun around, police said. It came to rest facing southbound in the northbound travel lanes. Then it was struck by a northbound Freightliner tractor-trailer. Shortly after that crash, a secondary crash occurred, Garletts said, but no one was injured in that incident. The Chevrolets driver, Douangpee Amnatkeo, 54, of Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, died at the crash scene. Two passengers in the Chevrolet also died on the scene Ericssan Kathpratoum, 13, also of Shippensburg, and Monthy Matnopaseuth, 39, of Reading, Pennsylvania. A third passenger, Samiane Kothpratoum, 37, of Shippensburg, was flown to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, where he later died. Police said no one in the Chevrolet SUV was wearing a seat belt. The tractor-trailers driver was not injured. The Virginia Department of Transportation, or VDOT, set up a temporary detour for motorists at northbound exit 118 A to U.S. 11. VDOT later reopened northbound I-81. The crash remains under the investigation of state police. A local committee planning to bring fireworks back to Fonner Park next month is asking for the public's help to reach its goal. A total of $50,000 is needed to stage the public fireworks celebration on July 4. Weve raised almost $45,000 thanks to the generous support of local businesses, said Chris Rosacker, a member of the fireworks committee. Were almost there. We just need a little more support to get over the finish line. With funds raised already, Rosacker said the committee is able to fund the cost of the fireworks themselves and pay a display contractor to launch them. More support is needed to fund all the other associated costs to make the event free for the whole community. The fireworks display is meant to wrap up Grand Island's celebration of its 150th anniversary. Tax-deductible donations may be made by mailing a check to the Hall County Historical Society and earmarking fireworks in the memo line. The mailing address for the Hall County Historical Society is 603 N. Plum St., Grand Island, NE 68801. Sponsorships levels are also available in intervals of $500, $1,000, $2,500, $5,000, and $10,000, which earn sponsors increasing levels of recognition. Thus far, significant donations have been received from the Nebraska State Fair, O'Neill Transportation, Overhead Door, Schuster & Anderson Wealth Advisors, All Faiths Funeral Home, Amur, the Grand Island Convention and Visitors Bureau, Dramco Tool, Equitable Bank, First National Bank/Insurance, Home Federal, Nebraska Fire Sprinkler, Roger and Liana Steele and Stuhr Museum. Fonner Park has not hosted a July Fourth fireworks celebration since 2019. Grand Island Family Radio had traditionally organized the annual Independence Day observances, with backing from community sponsors but ceased during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many residents have a misconception that Fonner Park had organized those shows. However, Fonners role was as a host to the event and one of its sponsors. For years prior to 2019, the parking lot at Fonner and the surrounding streets and neighborhoods would be jammed with cars, lawn chairs and blankets as the community annually gathered to look to the skies to celebrate the national holiday. The neighborhood just north of Fonner Park even began to organize something of an after-party, which entailed the launch of thousands of dollars of their own collectively-funded fireworks just moments after the conclusion of professional display. The annual show of fireworks at Fonner Park was something people really looked forward to, said Don Deitemeyer, a fireworks committee member. It was something of a tradition for folks to go see. I cant tell you how many people have told me they are excited for it to return. Anyone interested in supporting the fireworks effort is encouraged to reach out to Dana Jelinek at Grand Island Tourism. Organizers hope that momentum from this year's effort will continue to keep fireworks exploding for the public of the citys sky for years to come. AI & Education Policy Report: AI R&D Should Align with ED Recommendations and Focus on Context, Partnership, and Public Policy "AI is sometimes presented as a race to be the first to advance new techniques or scale new applications innovation is sometimes portrayed as rapidly going to scale with a minimally viable product, failing fast, and only after failure, dealing with context," according to a new report, "Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Teaching and Learning: Insights and Recommendations," by the Office of Educational Technology (OET) of the U.S. Department of Education (ED). As far back as 2010, the National Education Technology Plan (NETP) set a research and development (R&D) challenge for ed tech developers to "create personalized learning systems that continuously improve as they are used." The new AI report suggests further R&D goals and makes recommendations for AI ed tech developers, keeping in mind a focus on "context sensitivity" for success in educational goals. "We look forward to new meanings of 'adaptive' that broaden outward from what the term has meant in the past decade. For example, 'adaptive' should not always be a synonym of 'individualized' because people are social learners. Researchers therefore are broadening 'adaptivity' to include support for what students do as they learn in groups," the report notes. "The R&D focus on context must be prioritized early and habitually in R&D; we don't want to win a race to the wrong finish line," it adds. R&D recommendations are made from these perspectives: Attention to the "long tail of learner variability," that is, the multiple ways in which people engage in teaching and learning according to their "strengths and needs." This replaces the "teaching to the middle" philosophy. Partnership in design-based research, the shift toward co-design from multiple stakeholders teachers, students, parents, and others. A commitment to this can foster digital inclusion and generate discussions about the need for AI explainability, transparency, and responsibility. Teacher professional development and the expectation that teachers should adopt and embrace emerging ed tech, especially AI, but have too little training. Focus should be placed on how to increase teacher literacy about AI. Alignment with public policy efforts, including funding, to keep AI algorithmically unbiased, ethical, inclusive, private, and secure. Based on these considerations, the report concludes with several recommendations moving forward with regard to the use of AI in ed tech: Keep "humans in the loop" so that a technology-enhanced future is "more like an electric bike and less like robot vacuums"; Promote AI models that conform to "a shared vision for education," i.e., humans determining goals and evaluating such models, with heavy involvement from local, state, and federal policymakers keeping an eye on and holding developers accountable for overblown promises and unsupported claims; Design AI ed tech based on modern learning pedagogy; Strengthen public trust in AI by demonstrating its "safety, usability, and efficacy"; Keep educators informed and involved in AI ed tech at every step and foster respect for their skills and value to society; Focus R&D on enhancing context, trust, and safety; Develop "guidelines and guardrails" for the use of AI ed tech. Throughout the report, reference is made to the "Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights," released by the White House in fall 2022. Five basic rights are outlined and elaborated: 1. Safe and effective systems; 2. Algorithmic discrimination protections; 3. Data privacy; 4. Notice and explanation; 5. Human alternatives, consideration, and fallback. Visit this page for a summary handout of the report's main points. A webinar going into more depth on this report will be held Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at 2:30 p.m. ET. Signup is available by QR code on the handout page. The full report can be downloaded from this page. Paris, TX (75460) Today Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 89F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A few clouds from time to time. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable. Chinese diplomats, doctors visit orphanage in Algeria before Int'l Children's Day Xinhua) 09:21, June 01, 2023 Chinese Ambassador to Algeria Li Jian (L) hands over the donation to Sofiane Guercif, director of Draria Children's Village, in Algiers, Algeria, on May 31, 2023. The orphanage on Wednesday welcomed a charity event organized by the Chinese embassy ahead of the International Children's Day. (Xinhua) ALGIERS, May 31 (Xinhua) -- An orphanage in Algiers, capital of Algeria, on Wednesday welcomed a charity event organized by the Chinese embassy ahead of the International Children's Day. During the event at the Red Crescent's Orphanage Village of Draria, members of the Chinese medical team in Algeria conducted health consultations on site for the children in the village. A number of games and activities were organized by the China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) Algeria, and gifts, health care kits, and stationary supplies worth about 2 million Algerian dinars (about 14,617 U.S. dollars) were donated to the children. It is the seventh consecutive year for the CSCEC Algeria to donate to the Draria Children's Village, said Chairman of CSCEC Algeria Tang Hao. Chinese Ambassador to Algeria Li Jian said at the event that China is a "permanent friend and sincere partner of Algeria, hoping that the Sino-Algerian friendship will be passed on from generation to generation." He expressed hopes that "the children would have a special and joyful Children's Day," and wished for their healthy growth and success in future studies. Sofiane Guercif, director of Draria Children's Village, said the event "is a perfect embodiment of the friendship between Algerian and Chinese people," adding that the much-needed materials and gifts made the children feel the warmth from China. Draria Children's Village is a charitable organization based in Algiers that provides international relief for orphaned children. It currently supports 72 children between the ages of 4 and 22. Representatives from the Chinese Embassy in Algeria, a Chinese medical team, and the China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) Algeria, hold an International Children's Day activity at Draria Children's Village in Algiers, Algeria, on May 31, 2023. The orphanage on Wednesday welcomed a charity event organized by the Chinese embassy ahead of the International Children's Day. (Xinhua) Members of a Chinese medical team conduct health consultations for an Algerian child at Draria Children's Village in Algiers, Algeria, on May 31, 2023. The orphanage on Wednesday welcomed a charity event organized by the Chinese embassy ahead of the International Children's Day. (Xinhua) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) (Photo : PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP via Getty Images) During his inaugural speech, Nigeria's new president's off-the-cuff statement prompted petrol station queues. Nigeria's new president's plan to cut fuel subsidies has caused long lines at gas stations across Africa's most populous nation. Bola Tinubu's first address as president unexpectedly announced that Nigeria's $10 billion petrol fuel subsidies were "gone," sparking the gasoline crisis. Nigeria's Fuel Subsidy The announcement, which differed from the scheduled remarks, prompted Nigerians to stock up before the subsidies were eliminated, causing huge lineups at petrol stations and immediate shortages. On Wednesday, the state oil firm tripled fuel prices to N557 ($1.20) per liter, warning that prices will "continue to change to suit market dynamics." Fuel subsidies are still budgeted until June, Financial Times reported. A Mobil branch in Lekki, Lagos, had a 1km-long line of worried motorists. After four hours, cab driver Clement Agbor reported little movement. Last year, the World Bank called Nigeria a "fiscal time bomb" because of subsidies. After inheriting a government with little income and high debt, Tinubu needs to save. Because of theft and poor infrastructure, the country's output has dropped to fewer than 1 million barrels per day. Within hours of Tinubu's first speech, hundreds of people flocked to the streets in their cars or on foot with yellow jerrycans to acquire what they believed to be the last drops of petroleum sold at a government-set price. Few were fortunate; many gas stations ceased sales entirely, while others unilaterally raised prices by more than 200 percent, causing pandemonium and artificial scarcity. It was too late to halt the panic by the time the president's staff clarified that the subsidy would only be eliminated at the end of June, following the budget of the outgoing administration. Read Also: Ben Roberts-Smith Verdict: Australian Soldier Loses Defamation Case, Judge Says Newspapers Established Truth of War Crimes Nigeria Government Corruption According to BBC, commuters are stranded at bus stations, and the powerful labor union is now preparing to confront the new government. Nigeria cannot refine enough petroleum to meet domestic demand despite its energy wealth. Four state-owned refineries are inoperable, requiring the country to import refined petroleum products, which are then sold at a government-set price. Since the 1970s, this has been the norm in Nigeria, and most residents have never paid the actual price of gasoline. The government has already set aside $7 billion to subsidize petroleum for the first six months of this year, despite Tinubu's assertion that Nigeria can no longer do so due to declining revenues. However, Nigerians' primary concern is corruption. Government agencies provide contradictory figures for the amount of imported gasoline, and shady merchants have been known to divert fuel to neighboring countries to charge higher prices. The proposal has been opposed by labor unions citing a lack of transparency and a history of corruption in government expenditure. Even though Tinubu's election is being challenged in court, his administration is widely viewed as a continuation of Buhari's. However, Ayodele Oni, an energy partner at Lagos-based Bloomfield Law Practice, stated that despite being controversial, the government had acted appropriately. He stated that the government must work to guarantee a consistent power supply and enhance rail and other modes of transportation to reduce the amount of money citizens spend on petroleum products. As per Aljazeera, the inflated cost of governance in Nigeria has also sparked concern among those who believe the government must modify its expenditure. Related Article: Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Orders Son To Resign After Public Outrage Over 'Inappropriate' Behavior @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Organizers call grassroots efforts in Marion to provide humanitarian relief for residents of Ukraine as a pay-it-forward project. The organizers of the project, Marion Realtor Dave Thompson, fellow Realtor and historian Jon Musgrave and John Holst, pastor of Zion United Church of Christ, have a goal of raising enough funds to fill a truck with food and household supplies for distribution in Ukraine. They are inspired by their own memories. Dave Thompson wanted to do something for Ukraine, Musgrave explained. Hes been around long enough, he knows all of the times Marion had benefitted from disaster relief and thought it was time that we pay it forward. Musgrave said the trio are partnering with the Marion-based Southern Illinois Community Foundation with a goal of raising $25,000 before the end of June. The funds will be forwarded to Bevan Stein, a missionary who has made about two dozen trips into Ukraine to deliver truckloads of food and materials to some of the millions of Ukrainians who have been impacted since the Russian invasion of the nation. Stein has presented about his work to Marion civic groups. His parents live in Williamson County. He basically tries to take a semi load of items on each trip to one of six cities that serve as distribution points, Musgrave said of Stein, who works out of Slovakia. With the donated funds, Stein will purchase food and household supplies, box them and then distribute to those in need. Musgrave said the effort is counting on the generosity of Southern Illinois residents, churches and other groups. He said he recently learned that giving to Ukrainian relief funds has slowed since 2022. They still are dealing with a lot of things; the number of refugees in the southwestern corner of the country alone is about 900,000, he said. There are millions of people suffering right now and we in Marion have benefited from other peoples generosity over the years. This is an opportunity for us to pay it forward. He said contributions will be accepted through the end of June either by mail to the Southern Illinois Community Foundation, P. O. Box 1772, Marion, IL 62959 (donors should indicate Ukraine Relief) or online at http://tinyurl.com/Marion2Ukraine. In liberated Ukraine city, civilians still pay price of war Following a series of pilot tests in April, a new internet-based telephone system is being installed at South Carolina State University. The university installed 20 pilot telephones in mid-April successfully, said Dr. Gerald Hubbard Smalls, S.C. States vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer. The pilot telephones have been operational since installation and provided feedback for ongoing deployments, Smalls said. Last week, AT&T and S.C. State installed 215 more voice over IP telephones in eight administration and academic buildings, including those necessary for communication with parents and students about such key functions as admissions, enrollment, finances, registration and emergencies. They included Belcher Hall, Moss Hall Annex, Dawn Center, Lowman Hall, Moss Hall, Ko W.G. Donma Administration, Nance Hall and Crawford-Zimmerman. This week, AT&T and S.C. State are installing another 145 phones on the campus. As the project moves forward, all telephone operations are being monitored, and any reported issues are mitigated, Smalls said. All phones are scheduled to be fully operational by Aug. 1 in preparation for the 2023 -2024 academic year. The project is replacing 700 existing telephones with new digital phones and will maintain the operability of over 110 hard-wired analog fax and security lines throughout the university campus. The change was necessary because the previous telephone system was approaching the end of its life, causing widespread communication issues both externally and internally. In early February, S.C. State signed a contract with AT&T to supply the universitys internet-based telephone system. The phone system is part of a larger effort to improve S.C. States information technology. S.C. State has engaged Branchville Inc. to assess IT projects in development, existing systems and software, and the University Computing and Information Technology Services divisions organization and capabilities. The university has committed $5 million in initial capital funding to shore up the IT infrastructure, including the AT&T phone partnership. Todays events Alcoholics Anonymous meetings: Noon and 5:15 p.m., Alano Inc., 590 Louis St., Orangeburg. Bowman Post 64 to meet American Legion Post 64 in Bowman will meet at 7 p.m. Friday, June 2, at 8096 Charleston Highway. New members are invited. For more information, call 803-347-9361. OCCD 3 Fun Day Saturday The Orangeburg County Council District 3 Fun Day will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 3, at Canaan UMC, 5659 Slab Landing Road, in Cope. Bring lawn chairs. For more information, call 803-378-1215. Thompson reunion Sunday The 59th Henry Calloway Thompson reunion is coming back after COVID delays. The reunion will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, June 4, at Prospect Southern Methodist Church in Pearidge near Branchville. Bring food, desserts, door prizes and beverages to share. Calhoun school board meets June 5 The Calhoun County School District Board of Trustees will hold its regular monthly meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday, June 5, at Calhoun County High School. The public is invited. Smoak reunion set for June 11 Descendants of Russell Frederick Smoak and Elizabeth Maria Mack Smoak will hold their annual family reunion at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, June 11, at Ebenezer Baptist Church Fellowship Hall in Cordova. Ice and utensils will be furnished. A picnic lunch will be served at 1 p.m. A business session and family reports will follow. GSSM summer applications being accepted The South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics is accepting applications for its iTEAMS XTREME for rising sixth-, seventh- and eighth graders who would like to sharpen their technology and coding skills this summer. The summer camp will be held June 26-29 at Howard Middle School. Students who attend any Orangeburg County school will have their deposit, fees waived. For more information, call 843-383-3958. How to submit your events Please submit Community Datebook column items in writing. Items must be received no later than noon Tuesday of each week. The T&D does not guarantee when items will run. Items may be submitted by: Email: news@timesanddemocrat.com; In person: 1010 Broughton St. (TBTCO) - Cac quan chuc Cuc Du tru Lien bang My (FED), nhung nguoi ma viec tang, bo qua hoac tam dung thong bao ve lai suat a tro thanh mot cau o hoc bua oi voi cac nha au tu, duong nhu a san sang cham dut chuoi 10 lan tang lai suat lien tiep cua ngan hang trung uong My vao cuoi thang nay, nhung van e ngo kha nang co the tiep tuc tang trong tuong lai. Ethnic Serbs gathered again in a flashpoint town in north Kosovo on Thursday at the site of clashes earlier this week with NATO-led forces, as Pristina and Belgrade came under mounting international pressure to defuse tensions. French president Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and her Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic on the sidelines of a European Political Community summit in Moldova, hoping to head off further unrest in the region. United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken also urged both Pristina and Belgrade to ease tensions, warning they were putting their aspirations of European integration at risk. Macron and Scholz said they had urged Kosovo to allow new elections in four disputed northern municipalities. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz flank Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani at an EPC summit seeking ways to head off further unrest / AFP Osmani said she had told the European leaders that this would be possible under Kosovo law if the Serbian leadership in Belgrade did not encourage Serbs to boycott the poll. "We have asked the two parties to organise new elections in these four municipalities as soon as possible, with an undertaking from Kosovo with participation in these elections in a clear manner on the part of the Serbian side," Macron said. Kosovo is mainly populated by ethnic Albanians, but the Serbs who make up around six percent of the population have remained largely loyal to Belgrade, especially in the north where they are a majority. Kosovo's ethnic Serb minority boycotted April local elections in the north, allowing ethnic Albanians to take control of local councils despite a turnout of less than 3.5 percent. In the northern town of Zvecan, dozens of protesters -- significantly fewer than crowds seen on previous days -- rallied outside the town hall, sealed off with barbed wire and encircled by NATO-led peacekeepers (KFOR) in full riot gear. - 'Masked and organised' - Many Serbs are demanding the withdrawal of Kosovo special police forces as well as the ethnic Albanian mayors they do not consider their true representatives. Kosovo police said two ethnic Albanian men were injured in an attack near a square on the Serb-populated part of the ethnically divided city of Mitrovica / AFP Kosovo police said two ethnic Albanian men were injured in an attack near a square on the Serb-populated part of the ethnically divided city of Mitrovica. "The victims were attacked by a group of criminals who were masked and organised for the attack," the police said, adding that they sustained injuries and were sent for medical treatment. In Zvecan, a KFOR armoured vehicle was parked near the road leading to the town hall, a move requested on Wednesday by a local Serb party after masked protesters smashed windows of two Kosovo police cars in the town centre, injuring an officer. On Monday, NATO-led peacekeepers armed with shields and batons clashed with protesters throwing rocks, bottles and Molotov cocktails. Thirty peacekeepers and more than 50 demonstrators were injured. Several hundred people rallied in the ethnic-Albanian populated southern part of Mitrovica, but despite announcements of "marching" towards the Serb neighbourhood, the demonstrators dispersed after half an hour. - 'Unnecessarily escalated tensions' - The United States -- Kosovo's historic ally who championed the former province's independence from Serbia -- has criticised the government in Pristina for "sharply and unnecessarily escalated tensions" by installing ethnic Albanian mayors. Macron has also said that Kosovo authorities bore "responsibility" for the current situation. Serbia's Vucic said he had talked with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell about "irresponsible behaviour of Pristina institutions". "Situation in Kosovo has, alongside Ukraine, became the major topic at the summit ... They did not want any kind of meeting with the Serbian delegation, I don't think anyone (of the other leaders) was being supportive of that," Vucic told reporters in Moldova. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Belgrade -- along with its allies China and Russia -- still do not recognise the move, preventing Kosovo from having a seat at the United Nations. Board no-show at scheduled FAB meeting 01/06/2023 No representatives of the Everton Board of Directors showed up at last night's quarterly meeting of the Fan Advisory Board, contrary to the Memorandum of Understanding in place that defines the terms and conditions for this avenue of communication between the club and its fans. The situation was described in a tweet from the FAB that read: Last night we met with officials from EFC for a scheduled quarterly meeting. We were informed at very short notice that there would be no Board representatives attending the meeting - contrary to the requirements of the Memorandum of Understanding we have in place with EFC. We thank those Club officials that did attend and who engaged in constructive discussion/consultation on matters that are important to Evertonians, such as: Transition to the new stadium Governance Investment Fan engagement Embracing the heritage of our Club As speculation builds about investment/ownership/strengthened leadership at EFC, we also urge any prospective investors/future leaders to prioritise engaging with and understanding the views of Evertonians - something the current board has decided not to do this year. Well continue working with the club, providing input into important and future decisions while also raising strategic matters as they emerge. A summary of the meeting will be published over the coming days. Article continues below video content The absence of any board members follows the continuous failure of any board members to attend Premier League games played at Goodison Park since January, amidst claims that unspecified threats had been made against them. Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer () How to get rid of these ads and support TW ToffeeWeb North Korea failed to launch its first spy satellite into space in an attempt Wednesday from the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground. The country attempted to put Malligyong-1, its first reconnaissance satellite, in earth orbit on top of its Chollima-1 rocket. However, a few minutes after liftoff, the rocket suffered a propulsion failure during stage separation. Pieces of the rocket reportedly crashed off the western coast of the Korean Peninsula. According to North Korean state media, the country's space agency, the National Aerospace Development Administration, would investigate "the serious defects revealed" by the failure and would schedule a second launch in the future once they are ready. Neighboring South Korea and Japan urged residents near the rocket's flight path to seek shelter after the launch. North Korea's Space Program Malligyong-1 was an earth-observation satellite intended to develop North Korea's intelligence capabilities and enable them to generate photographs from space, while the Chollima rocket was first tested in December 2022 as part of the suborbital test of Malligyong's imaging capabilities. Chollima was the hermit kingdom's answer to Nuri, South Korea's three-stage launch vehicle, which recently delivered eight small satellites into orbit last week. North Korea successfully launched general-purpose satellites in 2012 and 2016, but the status of the spacecraft could not be verified. International Response While the aim of the launch was to put a satellite in space, the White House issued a statement saying the failed launch was "directly related" to North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program, which it condemns. It also urged other nations to condemn the launch as a step towards what they believed was Pyongyang's ICBM development. "The door has not closed on diplomacy," wrote National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge, "but Pyongyang must immediately cease its provocative actions and instead choose engagement." Ewha University professor Leif-Eric Easley was surprised by North Korea's admission of failure, calling the behavior "impressive." "[I]t would be difficult to hide the fact of a satellite launch failure internationally, and the regime will likely offer a different narrative domestically," he said. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has an active ban on North Korea's long-range ballistic missile technology, which meant Pyongyang was not allowed to launch satellites on rockets based on ballistic technology. South Korean military officials said it was salvaging an object presumed to be a part of the Chollima rocket used in the launch attempt. The rocket part was retrieved 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Eocheongdo island. The South Korean defense ministry later released photos of a white metal cylinder suspected to be part of the rocket. Kim's Sister: Expect More Launches Meanwhile, Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, accused the US of "gangster-like" hypocrisy for criticizing North Korea's failed launch of Malligyong-1. She added the country's efforts to expand its space technology and space-based reconnaissance capabilities were a legitimate exercise of its sovereign right. Yo Jong also condemned the UNSC's resolutions banning them from launching spacecraft using ballistic missile technology. "[The United States] is letting loose a hackneyed gibberish prompted by its brigandish and abnormal thinking," she said. Yo Jong went on to say the US and other countries that launched their own satellites should also be "denounced." "It is certain that the [Democratic People's Republic of Korea]'s military reconnaissance satellite will be correctly put on space orbit in the near future and start its mission," she added. @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Casper-Natrona County International Airports service to Salt Lake City will stick around at least a few more months after the Casper City Council on May 24 agreed to set aside up to $50,000 to temporarily subsidize the flight. That $50,000 will join an additional $1.84 million in subsidies pledged by Natrona County since late 2021. (The county wasnt on the hook for all of the money the Wyoming Department of Transportations Aeronautics Commission, which subsidizes air service across Wyoming, agreed to cover 40% of that total. Private donors have also pitched in to support the effort.) Its not uncommon for flights to receive some sort of financial support from outside sources, especially during economic rough patches. The airline industry has been struggling to recover from loss of business from the coronavirus pandemic and a national pilot shortage, Glenn Januska, the airports director, told city councilors during an April work session. The flight to Salt Lake City, serviced by airline carrier SkyWest (which does business as Delta Airlines), is one of just two flights the airport offers. The other is a United Airlines flight to Denver. Without the subsidy from the city, the airport likely would have lost the Salt Lake City flight, Januska indicated previously. The hope is that itll only be a one-time payment. Some officials believe that come the third quarter of the year, the flight has a good shot at become financially self-sufficient. On July 7 SkyWest will be replacing the services roughly 50-seat plane with a larger, hopefully more profitable model. Consumer demand also tends to pick up in the summer. Why hand over the extra money over if Natrona County already agreed to subsidize the flight? Representatives from the Fly Casper Alliance, a new advocacy group backing the airport, previously told the council the $50,000 would help show SkyWest that theres broad community interest in keeping the flight. If the larger plane helps the flight make enough money this summer, the service stays. If not, SkyWest will likely cut bait and discontinue the flight anyway. No one knows for sure what to expect. SkyWest is projecting a $200,000 loss for the third quarter, though Januska said its not uncommon for the company to underestimate their profits. Of the $1.84 million the countys pledged in minimum revenue guarantees since 2021, as of March, the airline only needed $932,536. I think theyre being more pessimistic based upon past history, because we have outperformed what theyve shown in the past, Januska said. And the new plane will offer 26 extra seats. Januska said an average of five more passengers on each Salt Lake City flight could mean the difference between a loss and a profit. What happens if the flight does better than expected? Casper wouldnt be getting any of the money back. But councilors on May 24 asked that any leftover funds go toward Fly Casper Alliances marketing campaign, which is trying to bring the airport more customers. City Manager Carter Napier during the meeting indicated the $50,000 would come out of unallocated direct distribution money granted to Casper from the Wyoming state government. Three California men face the possibility of decades in prison for allegedly robbing a Casper Walgreens and taking more than 3,500 opioid pills, authorities said. Police suspect the men drove over 1,000 miles to commit the robbery and insinuated they had a gun to take the drugs. Curtis Green, Joshua Slaughter and Charles Jemison, who are high school friends, made their initial appearances Tuesday in Natrona County Circuit Court. The three men appeared distraught pleading with the judge for bond leniency, rubbing their faces and repeatedly referencing their crime-free lives prior to being arrested. These are very serious charges, and you have no ties to our community, Judge Nichole Collier told them. A worker at the Wyoming Boulevard Walgreens reported Jemison, 23, entered the store on May 26, jumped behind the counter and robbed the pharmacy, taking a bag of oxycodone and everything in the safe, according to a police investigators affidavit. At the same time, Slaughter, 23, was watching to make sure no one saw Jemison jumping the counter and no one called the police, the affidavit states. The pair then jumped in a getaway car, which police say was driven by Green, 20. The white Kia Forte sped through Casper before getting onto Interstate 25. A Casper police sergeant later arrived on scene, the affidavit states. During the interview, one of the pharmacy employees reported he was pushed towards the back of the pharmacy and believed Jemison had a gun. Once the safe was open, the male began taking all the Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Hydromorphone, and Methadone, the affidavit states. ...[The employee] saw the suspect males hand in his hoodie pocket and it appeared the suspect male was holding a gun. Police determined over 3,500 pills were stolen, which were worth $4,715. The three men were ultimately apprehended in Converse County. They were transferred to the Natrona County Detention Center and interviewed at the Casper Police Department. During the interview at the station, Green could not explain why the trio selected Wyoming to rob and admitted he had never heard of the state before this trip, the affidavit states. He said he was going to school to be an electrician and made a stupid decision because he needed the money. Jemison explained their idea for robbing Walgreens was inspired by an Instagram video, which showed them how to go for hydros at Walgreens, police said. [He] expressed to the group that they should go home, but they had driven 15 hours to get to Casper, so [they] talked themselves into robbing a store, the affidavit states. They talked themselves into trying as they had never tried to rob a store and it didnt hurt to try. There is no evidence that a gun was actually brought inside Walgreens, but officers found a small pistol magazine and rifle ammunition while executing a search warrant on their car, the affidavit shows. In court Tuesday, Slaughter told the judge he had a baby on the way and has never committed a crime before. He has been a security guard for the DMV and welfare offices since he was 18, he said. Im not a bad guy, Slaughter said. I just wanna get home to my babys mom. All three men were charged with felony aggravated robbery and felony conspiracy to deliver hydrocodone, oxycodone and methadone. Assistant District Attorney Ava Covert told the court that authorities believe Jemison carried out the robbery and confined the workers in the store, which is why he is facing a third felony charge for kidnapping. Green and Slaughters bonds were set at $150,000. Bond was set at $200,000 for Jemison. They are scheduled to appear in court again on Tuesday. LANDER Wyoming residents could face a new hurdle when registering to vote if Secretary of State Chuck Gray gets his way. The Joint Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee advanced a proposal at its Tuesday meeting to create a 30-day residency requirement for voters. Currently the law only requires a voter to be a bona fide resident of the state, among other qualifications. Secretary of State Chuck Gray, who brought the proposal to the committee, said the 30-day requirement would provide clarity as to who can vote and in what situations they can register. Known as a durational residency requirement, the concept is not entirely new to the state. A provision of the Wyoming Constitution required one year of residency until it was struck by the Wyoming Supreme Court in 1972, according to a memo prepared by the Legislative Service Office. The bottom line here is that that constitutional provision was struck down, and [in] an absence of action by the Legislature, we think we need to have action on the durational residency requirement, Gray told the committee. We believe a 30-day residency requirement for state races would pass federal and state muster. The committee requested that LSO draft a bill ahead of the Joint Corporations August meeting, along with several other pieces of election-related legislation. Legal patchwork Durational residency requirements for voting have been addressed in a variety of ways on both the federal and state level, the LSO memo states. On the federal level, for example, the memo points to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits the imposition and application of a durational residency requirement for citizens as a precondition to voting in presidential elections. Wyomings constitutional provision was challenged in 1972 in Delgiorno v. Huisman when three Laramie County residents were denied registration because none of them had lived in Wyoming for a full year. That same year, the U.S. Supreme Court heard a challenge to Tennessees durational voting requirements in Dunn v. Blumstein. The high court held that such a requirement violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Supreme Court also ruled that Tennessee must show a substantial and compelling reason for imposing residence requirements. Wyomings highest court recognized that decision when it ruled that the state did not have a compelling interest in maintaining a one-year residency requirement. It did, however, determine that a 30-day residency requirement was permissible in order to match the U.S. Supreme Courts ruling. The Legislature is still free to establish durational residence requirements for any period for which their investigation showed there was a compelling reason, the Court ruled. Discussion Im confused on why were doing this other than other states have done it, Rep. Mike Yin, D-Jackson, told the committee. What is the compelling interest of the state to impose one when weve had all along no requirement and it seems to be working just fine? Gray responded with a hypothetical scenario he said he had posed to the county clerks. I asked them If someone showed up at a hotel, and asked for a ballot, asked to register is that an illegal action? Gray said, adding that the clerks told him it wasnt clear. Thats scary to me, he said. Mr. Secretary, is this a problem that you actually witnessed or encountered or is it just a hypothetical? Yin responded. Gray said the clerks agreed that this needs to be shored up. We do not have a position, Malcolm Ervin, Platte County clerk and president of the County Clerks Association of Wyoming told WyoFile. Were currently looking to see how other states administer their durational residency requirements so we can provide the committee with as much information as possible. As always, we do not have a policy stance, only an administrative one. Rep. Sandy Newsome, R-Cody, expressed concerns about the logistics of a 30-day residency requirement. If I moved to Wyoming, got a job, and its been 30 days in a hotel because I couldnt find a place to live, what documentation would I have to bring to be able to register to vote to say, I have been here for 30 days? she said. Sen. Charles Scott, R-Casper, raised the question about whether the congressional prohibition on durational residential requirements for presidential elections would pose the need for two different ballots. Gray pointed to other states with a residency duration requirement, none of which have bifurcated ballots. This is a complex question. And one that I think we will need to delve into at the [August] meeting, Gray said, before pointing to North Dakota, which has same day registration and a durational residency requirement, which would be the box that we would fit into. Despite some unknowns, the committee chose to move forward with the proposal. Some expressed a keen interest in the proposal. Im very glad to hear this here today, Rep. Pepper Ottman, R-Riverton, told the committee. There was a meeting in Riverton and there was different people there. One of the questions was, Although we have one of the best election systems in the country, what can we do to make it better? And that one thing was residency requirements. Ottman declined to clarify to WyoFile what meeting she was referring to or who had made the suggestion. In April, Ottman and Fremont Countys five other legislators were invited to a private meeting with Douglas Frank, whose assertions of voter fraud were refuted by the County Clerks Association of Wyoming in a letter to Gray. Reps. Lloyd Larsen, R-Lander, Ember Oakley, R-Riverton, Sarah Penn, R-Lander, and Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, told WyoFile they did not attend the meeting. Ottman declined to say whether she did and Sen. Tim Salazar, R-Riverton, did not respond to WyoFiles inquiries. The Corporations Committee will next meet Aug. 24-25 in Douglas. THE executive of the Fire Service Associations (1st & 2nd Division) have accepted the Chief Personnel Officers (CPO) four per cent salary. But while they may have accepted the offer, president of the Fire Services Association Leo Ramkissoon said they are not happy to have done so but they felt they had no other choice. 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. The High Court will deliver its decision tomorrow on whether it will grant an injunction preventing Government from substituting the Customs and Excise Division (CED) and the Inland Revenue Division (IRD) with the Trinidad and Tobago Revenue Authority (TTRA). China Eastern Airlines successfully operated a commercial flight from Shanghai to Beijing using a C919 aircraft, which is a significant achievement for its manufacturer, Commercial Aviation Corp of China (COMAC). The CEO of Boeing, Dave Calhoun, dismissed the idea that China's first commercial flight of their own C919 narrowbody jet could lead to the end of the current duopoly in the aviation industry held by Boeing and Airbus, according to Reuters. Nothing to Worry About Calhoun stated that the C919 is a decent aircraft, but it will take a significant amount of time for COMAC to establish the necessary production capacity to satisfy the demand of Chinese airlines. He also mentioned that having three providers in the expanding global market should not be a cause for concern and believes that becoming too anxious about this matter is unnecessary. Calhoun suggested that Boeing should concentrate on the current competition and strive to emerge victorious in the technology race. Even though China is still a customer and friend, business operations could be disrupted due to political tensions. Earlier this year, Chinese airlines resumed using the 737 MAX aircraft. However, the delivery of new planes has been delayed due to tensions between the United States and China. Despite this, all Chinese airlines have resumed flying their existing 737 MAX fleet. The Chinese aviation regulator released a report on the 737 in April, and Calhoun stated that it was a crucial move towards resuming MAX deliveries following two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 that claimed the lives of 346 individuals. Read also: Why the Boeing Block III F/18 Super Hornet is the Best Variant Made To Date Boeing Gives Reassurance On Tuesday, Calhoun gave a statement to the media while visiting Boeing's facilities in Charleston, South Carolina, which is where they manufacture the 787 Dreamliner aircraft with a wide body. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons / mr_t_77) Boeing's offices in Arlington County, Virginia, are the corporate headquarters of the company as of 2022. Before the Paris Air Show, where Boeing and Airbus compete for orders, Calhoun stated that Boeing could handle challenges such as competition from other companies and issues with their supply chain. Airbus is considering the launch of a longer version of its A220 aircraft, which could potentially compete with Boeing's popular 737 MAX 8. However, the CEO of Boeing, Calhoun, has stated that he is not worried about this potential competition and that it is not necessary for Boeing to regain a 50% market share in narrowbody plane orders over Airbus. Calhoun stated that Boeing's significant decrease in market share during the last four years was mainly caused by its failure to deliver planes. This was due to various reasons, such as the MAX crisis in 2019, as well as challenges with their supply chain and production processes. Not Buying Spirit Back Calhoun denied rumors that Boeing might attempt to buy back Spirit AeroSystems, a company that was separated from Boeing in 2005 and manufactures significant aircraft components such as the 737 MAX fuselage and front section of the 787, as well as crucial parts of Airbus planes. Overall, while acknowledging some setbacks over recent years, Calhoun conveyed an attitude of resilience and determination, moving forward into what promises to be another highly competitive year at Paris Air Show. Related article: China's First Passenger Plane Makes Official Commercial Debut @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. So, we are here with Part II of the interview with a supposed expert discussing situationships. JP: Last week we ended with the point of mens brains being able to compartmentalise better than womens. Aside from being cultured and nurtured differently, you are saying the physical make-up of the male brain by itself makes men compartmentalise better? DAVENPORT, Iowa About three months before the partial collapse of a downtown Davenport apartment building and again just two days before a masonry company owner said he predicted it was coming. City officials say at least five people are unaccounted for after the partial collapse Sunday evening at 324 Main St. Families of two men fear they remain under the rubble of the fallen west side of the six-story building. No new updates came from the city Wednesday on rescue operations or a potential timeline for demolishing the building, which remains standing after city officials said Monday that "demolition is expected to commence" on Tuesday. However, the city released hundreds of pages of documents Wednesday close to 6 p.m. detailing structural engineering reports, notices of violations, orders to vacate some apartments and resident complaints over the past three years. Ryan Shaffer, co-owner of R. A. Masonry, was working nearby at 112 W. 3rd St., the former Antonellas Pizza, in February. While on the job, he said, he was approached by Andrew Wold, the owner of the building where the collapse occurred. Shaffer said Wold asked him to supply a quote for work on the nearby apartment building. When he did, he said, the bid was rejected because it was too high. He wanted to cut the cost by cutting out the shoring and supporting of the building," Shaffer said. Shoring is done to prop up a building when the structure is deemed unsafe, Shaffer explained. The bid for that work alone came in at about $50,000. I said, If we dont do it this way exactly, Im not putting my guys in there. Somebody is going to die, he said. According to Shaffer, Wold then shopped around for someone who would do the work for an acceptable price. City records reflect this. On Feb. 22, the city of Davenport issued a permit for, structural masonry repairs to west elevation as specified in engineer's report. According to the permit, the job came at a cost of nearly $40,000. The contractor listed is Bi-State Masonry. City inspection records show a final inspection was done on March 1 by Trishna Pradhan, the chief building official for Davenport. The building passed inspection, and the work was being completed in line with the structural engineer's report. The exterior finish of the building needed to match the historic fabric of the rest of the building. Pradhan wrote that the contractor was aware and the owner was being informed. In the next sentence, it was noted Bi-State was off the job as of March 1 because the owner did not agree to their change order for installing brick outside. Pradhan continued, saying repair work was on hold but shoring was in place and, site is secure. Owner has not submitted new timeline for work to commence. Work then appears to have resumed, and it passed three more city inspections on April 12, April 21, and May 1. In the last one, the inspector noted repair work has been completed per Engineers Report. Brickwork done in the days before collapse A separate permit for brickwork was filed on Wednesday, May 24. City records indicate the job consisted of replacing 100 feet of brick on the exterior of the building, per city code. The permit says the work came at a cost of $3,000. The contractor on the job is listed as owner. Shaffer said, in his opinion, the work described would account for only one-third of what needed to be done. Saturday, one day before the collapse, he drove by and saw a pile of bricks on the ground. (Wold) was calling us and asking for I-beams and stuff to support it. I looked at it and was like, Theres no saving it at this point, he said. Friday, two days before the building collapsed, Shaffer said he went to the apartment building and told workers, Get away. Youre going to die. Sunday, at 3:30 p.m., less than two hours before it collapsed, he warned workers at the site of 324 Main St. that they needed to leave. We were here working all day," he said, referring to his work at the former Antonella's location. "Literally, we were just waiting for the building to drop." The city inspected the partially completed brickwork being done in the days before the collapse. That work also included internal concrete masonry with rebar and grout. Notes in the city inspection records pledged that the owner-hired engineer and city inspector would stop over periodically to see progress. Social media users this week questioned why the status of that final inspection on the citys website changed. On Monday, as viewed through an internet archived site, the citys site listed the May 25 inspection as passed. Now, that same inspection status is failed. City officials attributed this to a system glitch that the city is working to correct. The site shows any inspection marked as Incomplete with a fail/error message Chief Strategy Officer Sarah Ott wrote in an email and included screenshots of the internal systems. This is not a failed inspection but an incomplete inspection since no re-inspection could be completed, she wrote. Select Structural Engineering, of Bettendorf, was hired by Wold to advise on work being done on the building in the past year. City officials said the engineering firm had determined that the building was structurally sound for tenants to stay in while the exterior work was being done. When a reporter reached the business through a publicly listed phone number, a man who declined to give his name said they are aware of what happened and are still trying to determine the details of the situation. He declined to answer any questions. However, among the documents posted by the city Wednesday is an inspection report by Select Structural, performed May 23, which reads, "On the west face of the building, there are several large patches of clay brick facade, which are separating from the substrate. These large patches appear ready to fall imminently, which may create a safety hazard to cars or passersby." The report said two window openings appeared to be bricked over several years ago, and the clay-brick facade was "bulging outward." The contractor should secure it to "keep the entire face of the building from falling away when the bottom area(s) come loose," the report said. To the north, the report said a wall "appears to be (losing) some stability." An interior steel furring and drywall "bulge as if a large downward force is acting upon them." Adding a steel column to support it would alleviate that force, the report recommended. City issues citation to building owner On Tuesday, the city cited Wold, accusing him of failing to maintain the building at 324 Main St. in a safe, sanitary and structurally sound condition, according to Scott County court records. Records show that if convicted, the fine for a first violation of the city code is $300 plus $95 for court fees. The city also asked the court for an order barring Wold from further violations of the municipal code. A hearing, at which Wold can answer the charges, has been set for June 9. Earlier this year, the city of Davenport declared the property a nuisance, because it violated city code by leaving dumpsters overflowing at the property between 2022 and 2023. Wold did not contest the 19 violations, and he was ordered to pay the city $4,500 plus court costs in March. In a statement on Wednesday, Wold and two property managers wrote, "Our thoughts and prayers are with our tenants and families during this difficult time." They thanked first responders, and said they were "working closely with American Red Cross and other agencies to assist the displaced tenants affected by this event." History of the building The building dates back to the early 1900s, when it opened as the Hotel Davenport in 1907 with 150 rooms. At the time, it was heralded by a reporter for the Daily Times as one of the finest hoteleries west of Chicago and a beacon for progress in the downtown. The Davenport was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The architects that designed the building, Temple and Burrows, also designed other buildings in the downtown, including the Hotel Blackhawk in 1915, the former Union Trust and Savings Bank (now called the Union Arcade Building) and the federal building at 4th and Brady streets. In the mid-1980s, when the brick-over-steel-and-concrete structures use as a hotel had diminished and the building had faded, it was rehabbed by a Des Plaines, Ill.-developer who undertook a $5.5 million project to turn it into apartments called The Davenport. The original 150 hotel rooms became 78 rental units and opened in 1987, according to Quad-City Times archives. Since then, the building changed hands several times. Most recently, Wold, through his company Davenport Hotel, LLC, bought the property for $4.193 million in June 2021, according to county records. What other buildings does Wold own? Wold has significant investments in Davenport real estate, including more apartment buildings downtown. Listed in a web of limited liability corporations, many with only a single property, Wold's address and information can be traced to ownership of at least three buildings downtown, public records show, and dozens of houses and business buildings across the city. Among those downtown are: The Roosevelt, 307 W 6th St., a 32-unit apartment building Wold bought for $1.16 million in 2020. The four-story building was built in 1907. For a long time, the building housed the Salvation Army until 2018, when the organization sold to Foundry Apartments, LLC, in 2018. The Dorothea, 311 W. 3rd St., a 24-unit apartment building, which a company registered to Wolds address bought in 2022 for close to $1 million. That building also houses a law office on the ground floor. 217 Brady St., a three-story building doing business as M Lounge and apartments that dates back to the late 1880s. Downtown Davenport Partnership Executive Director Kyle Carter said with several other properties owned by Wold downtown, he hoped an investigation would get to the bottom of what happened at 324 Main St. to ensure nothing like it happened again. He said the partnership would work to help relocate the three businesses at 324 Main St. and help the businesses surrounding the property that were forced to close by the buildings collapse. Well do our part, and our board will have to discuss how we might go about doing that, Carter said Tuesday. The city has the larger burden, dealing with the infrastructure issues and the residents, but ultimately it's just disappointing to see that a building got to this point. My heart goes out to the people that are in there that theres potentially people that lost their lives. It should never have come to that. We have a lot of excellent property ownership who would put in millions of dollars to make sure that things like this dont happen. Who else is involved? The Davenport Building is owned by the Davenport Hotel, LLC. The LLC is registered to Wold, who bought the building in 2021. Wold is also the owner of Andrew Wold Investments LLC, according to the Iowa Secretary of States Office. The registered agent on that property is Robert H. Gallagher. His son, Robert S. Gallagher is the mayor of Bettendorf. The pair work together at their firm, Gallagher, Millage & Gallagher, PLC. In Iowa, a registered agent is any individual or entity who is designated to receive legal documents on behalf of the business. An owner or employee of the company can be the registered agent as long as that person lives in Iowa, is at least 18 years old and has an office in the state. What did the apartments cost? Listings for the building still are available on Zillow. Apartment 608, described as a 600-square-foot studio, was being advertised for $800 a month. The listing said the space was newly renovated with brand new stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and hardwood style flooring. The lease was for one year and pet friendly with a one-time free and preapproval from management. Parking was offered off-street for an additional $50 a month. Unit 503, a 650-square-foot one-bedroom, was offered for $850 a month. That listing said the owner would pay for water, heat, sewer and trash. (CNN) After police found a body in a black steamer trunk in a wooded area in Florida 53 years ago, the mystery of the trunk lady became a cold case that captured the attention of the public for decades. Using DNA evidence, police have now identified the victim as Sylvia June Atherton, a mother of five, from Tucson, Arizona. On Halloween 1969, St. Petersburg police were called to a wooded area behind what was then a restaurant named the Oyster Bar, Assistant Chief Michael Kovacsev said at a news conference Tuesday. He said two children reported seeing two white men in a pickup truck unload the trunk in the field and leave. When the officers opened the trunk, they found a womans body, wrapped in a large plastic bag, police said in a statement. She had visible injuries to her head and was partially clothed in a pajama top. She had been strangled with a bolo tie, police said. Investigators were unable to identify the woman, and she was buried as Jane Doe in St. Petersburgs Memorial Park Cemetery. The mystery of the trunk lady, as she came to be known, captured the attention of crime shows, journalists and amateur sleuths over the years, but even after her body was exhumed in 2010, detectives were unable to crack the case. The teeth and bone samples they collected were too degraded, police said. When a sample of the victims hair and skin taken during an original autopsy turned up this year, St. Petersburg Cold Case Detective Wally Pavelski sent it to a lab for DNA testing and police were soon able to identify Atherton. They say she was 41 when she died. She has a name now after 53 years. Her family has closure, Kovacsev said. A family still searching for answers Pavelski tracked down Athertons daughter, Syllen Gates. It was shocking, because it had been so many years, Gates said at the news conference via a video call from California, according to a video of the event posted by 10 Tampa Bay. We had no idea what happened to her. Gates was about 5 years old when her mother left Tucson for Chicago in 1965, she said. Police said Atherton left with her husband, Stuart Brown, and three of her children: Kimberly Anne Brown, adult son Gary Sullivan and adult daughter Donna Lindhurst along with Lindhurts husband David Lindhurst. Gates and her 11-year-old brother stayed in Tucson with their father, Athertons ex-husband. We thought we would hear from them at some time, but life goes on. I was young, Gates said. Its a sad relief to have finally found her. Of course, its a terrible way to die just a few years after she left the state. Gary Sullivan eventually returned to Tucson. Gates used ancestry.com to try to find her mother and sisters, with no luck. She said she had not heard of the trunk lady case until Pavelski reached out to her. Stuart Brown died in 1999 in Las Vegas. He never listed Atherton as missing and did not include her name on bankruptcy filings, Kovacsev said. While police now know her name, they still dont know who killed Atherton. This is where, like, amateur sleuths will come in. Kovacsev said. This is where were asking for assistance to kind of put the pieces together. Police say the two daughters who left Tucson with Atherton have yet to be located. Kimberly Anne Brown, who was around 5 years old at the time of the disappearance and Donna Lindhurst, who was around 20 years old, may have information that could20 help, police said. Wed like the case to be solved. Wed like to find out who did this also to find my sisters, Gates said. Thats my hope. Maybe this gets out, maybe theyll hear and maybe we can locate them. The-CNN-Wire PHOENIX The system of universal vouchers enacted by Republican lawmakers will cost Arizona taxpayers $900 million next school year, 63% more than budgeted just a month ago. By the end of the next school year there will be about 100,000 students getting state funds to attend private and parochial schools, the director of the system, the Empowerment Scholarship Account, Christine Accurso, said in a new memo to legislative budget staff. That compares with about 58,000 who are now in the program and another 3,000 who have submitted applications. The about $900 million Accurso said the state must come up with to pay for the vouchers is about one dollar out of every eight now earmarked for public education. Its up from the $552 million estimate prepared just months ago by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. Cost shifts from parents to taxpayers Despite that, state schools chief Tom Horne argued Wednesday there really is no additional cost to the state. The 39,000 additional students that are being projected for the next year are going to be educated someplace. Theyre either going to be educated in the public schools or theyre going to be educated in ESAs, said Horne, a Republican elected in November. The $900 million estimate, he said, includes money following those students from traditional schools to private schools. That is not accurate, however. Hornes own staffers acknowledged that three out of every four of the students who have applied for the new universal vouchers to date already were going to private schools and on their parents dime. Now their tuition will be borne by taxpayers. Even assuming Hornes projections that just half of the additional 39,000 students expected to sign up before the end of the next school year already are in private schools, with the median voucher running $10,000, that alone adds up to an additional $200 million. Hobbs left vouchers in budget The fact that theres been a burst of parents seeking to shift the costs of their childrens private school tuition to the state should come as no surprise to lawmakers. They were warned earlier this year by their own budget staffers, before Arizonas new spending plan was adopted, that would happen. We expect that most of the growth in universal ESA participation will likely occur among private school and home school students, said the report by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. They have already decided to opt out of the public school system and would be likely to receive a financial gain from ESA program participation. It was that logic that caused Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, in her first budget request in January, to call on lawmakers to repeal universal vouchers approved last year. Prior to that, vouchers were designed specifically to help students who fit certain categories who may need help beyond what they could get in public schools. These included students with special needs, foster children, children living on reservations, and those attending schools the state rates as D or F. The Republican-controlled Legislature, at the behest of then-Gov. Doug Ducey, voted in 2022 to lift all restrictions, making state funds available to all who want. Hobbs proposed to return to the way the situation was before. She sought to redistribute the cost of the expanded program at that time pegged at about $144 million for other education priorities. But closed-door negotiations between Hobbs and legislative leaders failed to rescind the expansion. Republicans also refused to put a cap on the number of new students who could enroll, to help control costs. In the end, Hobbs signed the state governments $17.8 billion spending plan for the coming year, saying she got other key victories, including $300 million in one-time funding for K-12 education. On Wednesday, informed of the new estimate, Hobbs went back to her January talking points. The school voucher program in its current form is not sustainable, she said in a prepared statement. Legislative Republicans need to explain why they are forcing this runaway spending on Arizona taxpayers and making working families foot the bill for private school tuitions. We need to bring an end to the wasteful school voucher spending that threatens to decimate our states finances. Whats next? Lawmakers will be back at the Capitol on June 12. But whether Hobbs will try to renegotiate the deal she agreed to just a month ago one heavily criticized by many members of her own party is less than clear. We are evaluating our options, said the governors press aide, Christian Slater. House Speaker Ben Toma, R-Peoria, questioned the 100,000 students figure prepared by Hornes staff, saying his numbers are closer to 68,000. ADEs new round-number estimate provokes natural skepticism, Toma said. He said he wants legislative staffers to review the data and methodology before we can comment on it further. There was no immediate response from Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert. More money per student for some schools The report from Hornes department also contends that students switching from public schools to private ones save money for the state. That is based on a law that the base voucher the amount that is available for a student with no additional needs like special education is supposed to be set at 90% of what the state pays on a per-student basis if that same student were attending public schools. But that is misleading. The 90% figure is based on aid to charter schools, or private, for-profit schools that qualify as public schools that cannot charge tuition. The state gives them an additional $1,986 for each K-8 student and $2,314 for high schoolers above what they give to traditional public schools, which changes the calculus. Figures provided by the Arizona Association of School Business Officials show that puts the basic voucher for this year at $6,764 for elementary and middle school students, or $424 more per student than state aid to district schools. Vouchers for high schoolers are worth $7,532, about $540 more than the state provides to public schools. Partisan legislative reaction Several Republicans who support vouchers said they were not concerned about the price tag. In fact, Rep. Jacqueline Parker of Mesa said in a Twitter post that $900 million is not enough yet, calling it a drop in the bucket to the other $7+ billion spent on the useless indoctrination camps that are government schools. Rep. Cory McGarr of Marana said this is an admission if given the choice parents will choose ESAs. But the memo may have energized Democrats, who were unhappy about Hobbs giving in on the issue of universal vouchers during the budget talks. I say lets not forget our original fight and not give in this time, me included, said Sen. Catherine Miranda of Phoenix in a Twitter post. She wants to raise the issue again when the Legislature reconvenes on June 12. Competition issues John Ward, an internal auditor for the Arizona Department of Education, said his agency was not hiding the true cost of the expanded voucher program when lawmakers adopted the budget a month ago with its $552 million cost estimate. He said state law requires only that a report be prepared every year by May 30 of anticipated voucher enrollment and the cost for the coming school year. We just completed that analysis a few days ago, Ward said. It was at that point that we had our estimate of 100,000 students by the end of next fiscal year June 30, 2024 at a cost of $900 million. Horne sidestepped the question of whether there is enough money in the $17.8 billion state budget to support the increase in the number of private school students now expected to rely on state funds for their education. Right now, were relying on basic state aid, he said, based on the premise that these students were going to public schools until now. If we conclude that more is needed, we will have to deal with that at the time. At least part of the reason there has been a big influx of applications for vouchers is due to Horne himself. State lawmakers agreed to set aside $10 million to administer the voucher program. But Horne acknowledged he has been using some of that for advertising the universal vouchers. Asked how much, he responded, Im not prepared to say. Horne, who at one time was a member of the Paradise Valley Unified School District governing board, has become a major champion of vouchers. Competition is good for everyone, he said. Horne said it helps keep public schools to do better. That presumes, however, there is true competition. Traditional public schools must accept anyone living in their district. Even charter schools privately run for-profit schools also generally cannot discriminate against applicants. Private and parochial schools, however, are free to accept or reject any student for any reason, including those who may be the hardest to teach because of learning disabilities or language skills. Horne brushed aside the question of whether the comparisons are fair. If a public school is worried about losing students to ESAs or to charter schools, its motivated to improve its academic performance so it wont lose those students, he said. Tucson barters in the unexpected. Our roadside motels have mural galleries and standout food trucks. Here, fine dining can happen at a pop-up; wagyu beef can be found at a butcher, like a reverse speakeasy, in the commercial kitchen of a bar. Our favorite panaderias might be called hidden gems anywhere else; here they are our communitys lifeblood. Yet, with each unexpected pairing comes the thrill of surprise; delight in yet another place that, of course, happens here and nowhere else not like this. So when your favorite Indian restaurant is opening another location on Fourth Avenue, its only somewhat a surprise when the owner says it isnt actually the second location, but the third: his brother has already opened a spot, called Twisted Indian, inside of a Chevron gas station, off of Interstate 10. Twisted Indian, 1999 E. Ajo Way, is the only Indian restaurant on the south side. Their menu and recipes are identical to what youd find at Indian Twist, its fine-dining counterpart in midtown, but on a smaller scale to reflect their smaller kitchen. The restaurant is a family affair. Jimmy Aujla owns Indian Twist, and his brother, Ben Sihota, and sister-in-law, Manveen Sihota, own the Chevron off I-10 and Ajo Way (as well as a few other gas stations). Theres a lot of Indian people who drive the trucks on I-10, Manveen said. That was the idea. We had a lot of people that demanded: were Indian-owned, why dont we have some Indian food in here? The kitchen was an existing kitchen for Mexican food and fried chicken, but there was demand for Indian food. Thats how we started. In the past, youd be able to get tacos alongside your chicken tikka, but their chef that cooked Mexican food left. Now, Manveens son Raj Sihota does it all: manage the restaurant, take orders, cook the food. While the most popular things on the menu are the classics chicken tikka, butter chicken, samosas and garlic naan Rajs favorite menu item, the kadai curry, is more veggie-forward and less rich. The gravy is made with a base of grilled onions rather than cream, and you can order it with either paneer or chicken. I'm a meat lover, Raj said. It's just that is my favorite thing on the menu because that just makes me, you know, remember my childhood, because that's how my mom used to cook it ... when I was a little kid. So that's just my favorite thing. The open kitchen allows for diners to watch Raj as he assembles the ingredients for the curry and cooks in front of you: theres modest seating inside the gas station, and he offers ice water steeped with lemon and cucumber in a big jug at the counter. The naan will come in the kind of lined basket most commonly associated with burgers and fries. Raj makes it his own way, charring it lightly directly over the flame. Some things remain the same: your samosas will still come with some chutneys: cilantro and tamarind. For dessert, you can order a mango lassi or some gulab jamun, but you can also partake in some other locally-made options. The owners of Twisted Indian stock desserts from local baker Dannys Keto (Rajs favorite are the lemon cakes) and Kettlelicious Kettle Corn. The community of Tucson is so connected, and they always want to support local businesses, Raj said. That's why we ... want to step up as local business owners to support other local businesses. So we don't just grow alone. Everybody grows with us. Twisted Indian Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Friday, 2-8 p.m. Saturday For more information, follow them on Facebook. Several Christian parents are taking legal action against Minnesota state officials after they made changes to a program that allows high school students to earn college credits, preventing some religious universities from offering this benefit on their campuses for free. A legal case was initiated on May 24th in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. It claims that Minnesota violated the U.S. Constitution by modifying its Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) program to exclude institutions that demand a faith statement or engage in discriminatory admissions practices based on race, religion, disability, gender, or sexual orientation, as reported by Fox News. The PSEO The PSEO program was introduced in Minnesota in 1985 to provide high school students with the chance to earn credits for both high school and college without paying any fees. The program's funding covers the expenses of tuition and course materials. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Lorie Shaull) Minnesota Welcomes You Highway sign. Last month, a new amendment was approved in the Minnesota legislature with support only from one Republican in the state Senate, while the rest opposed it. The amendment was signed by the Democrat Governor, Tim Walz, on the same day the lawsuit was filed. It will come into effect from July 1st. The parents claim that their constitutional rights, particularly the freedom to practice their religion and equal protection under the law, were violated. They are receiving assistance from lawyers from the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. Crown College and the University of Northwestern-St. Paul, which are Christian universities that high schoolers wished to attend, is also involved in the lawsuit as a plaintiff. The president of the University of Northwestern-St. Paul, Corbin Hoornbeek, mentioned that his university is the largest provider of PSEO in Minnesota and wishes to continue helping on-campus PSEO students succeed in their academic journey. He hopes that the court will allow them to do so, just like any other school in Minnesota. The PSEO program has been highly successful in Minnesota, with thousands of high school students taking advantage of this opportunity every year. It allows them to earn college credits and get a head start on their academic journey while still completing their high school education. However, the recent amendment passed by the state legislature has raised concerns among some parents and universities who feel that it discriminates against religious schools. The new law requires all colleges participating in PSEO to be accredited by one of six regional accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Read also: Minnesota Marijuana Bill: State House Legalizes Cannabis for Recreational Use Challenging the Amendment This requirement could potentially exclude certain Christian institutions from participating in PSEO if they are not accredited through one of these agencies. This is seen as discriminatory towards religious institutions, which have different accreditation standards based on their faith-based values and beliefs. The lawsuit filed by several parents and two Christian universities seeks to challenge this amendment as violating both constitutional rights for freedom to practice religion without discrimination or unequal treatment under the law. They believe that students should have access equally regardless of what institution they choose, especially when there isn't any cost difference between attending secular or non-secular educational programs The outcome remains unclear at present, but many people will watch closely how things develop over the coming months since broader issues concerning funding for private schools may also come into play depending upon decisions made during litigation proceedings. Related article: Minnesota Legislators Approve Bill to Make Recreational Marijuana Legal @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. ORLANDO, Fla. The independent study team charged by NASA to investigate the ever-changing acronym once simply referred to as UFOs held a public meeting Wednesday to lay out its progress toward its final report expected this summer. UFO, as in unidentified flying object, is a dated term that the U.S. military began referring to as UAPs, as in unidentified aerial phenomena, which has since been further relabeled as unidentified anomalous phenomena, meaning it could be some sort of aircraft or something natural. The study team commissioned by NASA last fall includes 16 experts ranging from former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly to university physics professors to officials with the Federal Aviation Administration. The panelists laid out their approach noting the panels purpose isnt to delve into the unexplained sightings of the past, but instead create a scientific plan on how to assess future sightings. Above all, objectivity when we approach UAPs, from a scientific perspective, we do not come in with an agenda, said Daniel Evans, NASAs assistant deputy associate administrator for science research. We come in needing a roadmap. Indeed, the primary objective of this incredible team of experts is not to go back and look at grainy footage of UAPs but rather to give us a roadmap to guide us for future analysis. While UFO sightings have been in the collective public mindset since the end of World War II, unclassified military footage taken in the past two decades of naval aviator encounters, including one off the coast of Florida, swelled more public and government interest. That interest prompted NASA administrator Bill Nelson to call for a scientific evaluation to ensure keeping skies safe, no matter the explanation. Panelists explained the challenges they were facing with the data theyre assessing while hearing from government officials that have a vested interest in UAPs. You will find more infographics at Statista A big key is that since the panel is public, its not looking at classified footage, so the majority of the data is coming from civilian observations. Another hurdle facing not just this panel, but the military as well, is the stigma associated with those reporting unexplained phenomena. Sean Kirkpatrick, the director of the federal governments All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), presented examples of the UAP sightings reported, and what sort of conclusions can be drawn, as well as the challenges behind it. AAROs charge after its creation in 2022 with the passing of the National Defense Authorization Act, is to synchronize efforts across the Department of Defense with other U.S. federal departments and agencies like NASA to to detect and identify objects like UAPs and mitigate their potential threats to national security. In one recently declassified video, he showed a spherical metallic object seen from an MQ-9 reconnaissance aircraft over the Middle East in 2022. This is a typical example of the thing that we see most of. We see these all over the world and we see these making very interesting apparent maneuvers, he said. This one in particular, however, I would point out, demonstrated no enigmatic technical capabilities and was no threat to airborne safety. He said that it remains unexplained with no other data from which to draw any conclusions. He showed more footage reported by a training flight pilot that looked like three objects in the sky in fixed positions that turned out to be just airplanes on an approach corridor farther away than what the pilot thought. Kirkpatrick emphasized that most of the reports his office receive feature mundane characteristics of readily explainable sources. And while the offices queue of what he called technically unresolved observations has climbed to more than 800, he said its primarily due to a lack of data associated with those cases. Without sufficient data we are unable to reach defendable conclusions that meet the high scientific standards we set for resolution, he said. Meanwhile for the few objects that do demonstrate potentially anomalous characteristics, AARO is approaching these cases with the highest level of objectivity and analytical rigor. AAROs work will take time if we are committed to doing it right. The NASA study groups report aims to nail down which data sources can be leaned on to better explain UAPs as they are reported. The goal would be to explain the things that can be explained quicker, and clear the path for further investigation into those that cannot be explained. They also dont want to duplicate the DOD efforts, but complement them. And to do it transparently. NASA prides itself on making its data and images available to the public to learn and explore on their own, the agency posted ahead of the meeting By holding public meetings like this one, we aim for open and honest dialogue with the public. We recognize that public interest in UAPs is high and the demand for answers is strong. conversations like this one, are the first step to reducing the stigma surrounding UAP reporting or over transparency is essential for fostering trust between NASA, the public and the scientific community. DAVENPORT, Iowa As some residents of an Iowa apartment building that partially collapsed remained unaccounted for on Wednesday, officials in the city of Davenport say they were able to rescue several pets from a safer area of the six-story building. Officials said rescue teams entered a part of the building on Tuesday that was deemed a lower risk and they rescued several animals, which were brought to the local Humane Society. A statement from the city said: "Crews continued to search for human activity and none was detected." The city statement also said: "The stability of the building continues to degrade. The recovery of any unaccounted for individuals remains the priority of the City as operational planning progresses." Davenport authorities have not provided an update on the number of people missing since Tuesday, when they said five people were unaccounted for, including two who could still be in wreckage that was too dangerous to search. The three others are not believed to have been in the building when it started collapsing Sunday evening, said state Rep. Monica Kurth. The city has been criticized by some who said it was moving too quickly toward demolishing the 116-year-old brick and steel structure after it partially collapsed, with initial plans to start the process as early as Tuesday morning. After one woman was found alive in an apartment on Monday night, protesters showed up to the site, holding signs that said "Find Them First" and "Who is in the Rubble?" Some used a megaphone to shout out names of residents. The building had 53 tenants in about 80 units, the police chief said. Built as a hotel, the building was more recently used as apartments, and tenants were allowed to remain even as bricks began falling from the building. On Wednesday, the Red Cross opened a temporary shelter several miles away where displaced tenants could stay, get meals and seek services. Mayor Mike Matson confirmed at a news conference Tuesday that not all the residents were accounted for, and officials said immediate demolition was never intended, but they did want to quickly stage the site for the tear-down. The woman's rescue prompted officials to see if they could safely enter and ensure others weren't inside. "This could be a place of rest for some of the unaccounted," Matson said. The city is trying to determine how to bring down what remains of the building while maintaining the dignity of people who may have been killed, he said. Later Tuesday, there were no signs that authorities were conducting any sort of search. About 50 people gathered outside a perimeter of fencing and police tape. Children drew hearts in chalk on the pavement, and a candlelight vigil included five minutes of silence in honor of the five people still missing. Fire Marshal James Morris said explosives will not be used on the building, which is near other structures and is "unstable and continues to worsen." Removing the debris that is propping up the rest of the building could cause further collapse, he said. "We're very sympathetic to the possibility that there's two people" still left inside, Morris said. He said there will be an investigation into what caused the collapse but that it's unclear so far whether a criminal investigation is warranted. Building workers had been completing interior and exterior repairs in recent months, city records show. Reports of falling bricks were part of that work, said Rich Oswald, the city's director of development and neighborhood services. The fire marshal said Tuesday a structural engineer hired by the owner determined that the building was safe enough to remain occupied during the repairs. Davenport Hotel, L.L.C., owned by Andrew Wold, acquired the building in 2021 in a property deal worth $4.2 million, according to county records. On Tuesday the city filed a new enforcement action against Wold, saying that he failed to maintain the property "in a safe, sanitary, and structurally sound condition" before the collapse. The city is seeking a $300 fine. City inspectors reviewed the ongoing repairs three days before the collapse, records show. Plans called for replacing 100 feet of brick to comply with city code starting May 25, and an interior cinder block wall with rebar and grout was partially installed as of last week, according to online inspection and permitting notes. "Wall bracing will be installed per engineer's design," the notes said. "Engineer will stop over periodically to ensure work is being done per his design. City inspector will stop over periodically to see progress." Standing at the microphone at the Scripps National Spelling Bee may be nerve-wracking for students, but for parents watching their children on stage after months of preparation, its emotionally gut-wrenching. Thats how Frank Opoku-Appoh described the experience of watching his daughter, Karen Opoku-Appoh, one of three Arizona spellers competing in this years national bee, as she took her turn on stage over the last two days. You dont know what word youre going to get, you know youve done all the preparation, you know youve done everything but when she goes up to the microphone its really, really gut-wrenching, he said Wednesday. But Karens turn, and her fathers anxiety, ended Wednesday morning when she incorrectly spelled the word ordonnance meaning arrangement as ordinance in the quarterfinal round. The only other Arizona speller still in the bee on Wednesday, Opal Mishra, was eliminated in the semifinals Wednesday afternoon when she misspelled feuillage another word for foliage, which she spelled instead. Head judge Mary Brooks praised Opal, 12, a Basha Accelerated Middle School sixth grader, for her performance throughout the competition. Opal, youve done an outstanding job and we know you told us you wanted to go to Paris and I think somewhere I read that youd also like to go to Harvard University and we think after this weeks performance we know there is no dream thats going to be too big for you, so congratulations, Brooks said. It was the end of two days of competition that began with 229 spellers from every state and a handful of foreign countries. A winner was expected to be decided Thursday night. In addition to Karen and Opal, Arizona was represented by Tazbah Spruhan, an eighth grader from Tsehootsooi Middle School in Window Rock. Tazbah, 14, was eliminated Tuesday when she misspelled Groenendael, a Belgian sheepdog. She was one of 108 spellers eliminated on the first day, leaving 121 to start the day Wednesday. Karen, 13, secured her place in the quarterfinals by correctly defining the word Immolate meaning to sacrifice oneself in the interest of some goal or cause on Tuesday afternoon. Her father said he was shocked when she correctly defined the word. Seriously, yesterday I think my heart, like, popped because the vocabulary, the words they gave her, we never did anything and we never learned that word, Opoku-Appoh said. Oh my God, she took her time reading and guessed it correctly, I nearly fell off my seat. While her luck ran out Wednesday with ordonnance, Opal was able to advance to the semifinals by spelling correctly spelling pointillistic in the quarterfinals. But she was not able to get past the sixth round. Opal, 12, said that she competed in her first spelling bee just this year. She said she was nervous before her first competition but has since found ways to make taking the stage a little easier. When I get nervous I just try to ignore all the people and just focus on the word and the judge and my parents I think, she said. From that first win in her class spelling bee in Chandler earlier this year, she went on to the district, the regional and, finally, the Arizona state spelling bee, where she finished second behind Karen, securing her spot at the national bee. Karen said she had been studying up to three hours every day since December in preparation. Now that her spelling bee days are behind her eighth grade is the cutoff Karen said she hopes to focus on academics to pursue her dream of being a doctor, but not before taking a well-deserved break. While leaving the competition was a bittersweet experience for Karen, the Marana Middle Schooler said she is excited to have more free time and the chance to visit all the monuments and museums Washington has to offer before she heads home to Arizona this weekend. Environment over highway Re: the May 26 article "Judge lets environmentalists' challenge to Interstate 11 proceed." To the Editor: It is a good decision that at least raises the possibility of considering our environment over a new highway. But the key environmental issue is that I-11 should not be built at all; the idea that the solution to heavy traffic is a new highway is so 20th century! In the 21st century, the money allocated for this highway should be spent on public transportation, specifically a commuter rail system, preferably electric, at least from Tucson to Phoenix and possibly points beyond. The New Mexico Rail Runner might be examined as a possible model for construction of an even better and more eco-friendly route in Arizona. Joshua Freeman North side Why doesn't PCC turn hotels into student housing? Re: the May 28 article "PCC may tear down hotels needing repair." I was shocked to read that plans for Pima County Community Colleges Drachman hotel properties Frontier Motel, Copper Cactus and Tucson Inn plan does not include a possibility for housing. With Tucsons housing shortage, transforming these historic hotels into affordable student housing for both PCC and UA students or even members of the public could become a revenue center to offset the expected renovation costs while preserving the historic value of the asset. Collaborating with a community-minded partner that might bring money to the table, such as HSL Properties/Management, for advice/investment/renovation/operation might create a win-win-win situation for the community, business, government and the college. Why demolish potential housing when the three properties could thrive again, like the Sahara Apartments on Stone Ave. Debe Campbell Southeast side Star is balanced Re: the May 29 letter "Harris as President?" The Star printed a letter on May 29 in which the writer bemoaned its proclivity to print "liberal opinions without a balanced opinion from the conservative viewpoint." The writer then boasts of being "smart enough" to back his attack on Kamala Harris, whom he dismisses as "an unqualified word-salad woman." As a lawyer who served as a District Attorney, an Attorney General and as a U.S. Senator, she certainly has more experience than a TV reality show grifter who has declared bankruptcy a number of times. Word salad, also called jargon aphasia, refers to incoherent speech, sometimes associated with schizophrenia, or to patients with dementia or Alzheimer's. The writer feels compelled to add "woman" to his perceived list of failings he attributes to the Vice-President, thereby managing to tick off three boxes in one foul sentence: ignorant, offensive and misogynistic. Kudos to the Star for printing his vile letter; once again, it is proven to be a paper that does present all viewpoints even reprehensible ones. Christopher Rodarte Midtown Remembrance of the fallen in war Every year on Memorial Day weekend, the dead from foreign wars are honored. Taps and the national anthem are played. The attendees, who can, stand with their hats off and hand over heart. This has always been an emotional event. We attended the event this year at Udall Park with the Arizona Winds on Saturday and at Reid Park with the Tucson Pops on Sunday. At both musical events, the Armed Forces Medley was played, with service members, past or present asked to stand when their service melody is played. As I looked around to applaud those who stood, it registered that fewer veterans were standing. I realized that the major wars are receding and that fewer veterans from those conflicts are still alive today. As we grow older the remaining veterans from wars are declining rapidly. Unless there is another major conflict there will continue to be fewer veterans to recognize. Jack Walters Northeast side There's still hope Our society today is riddled with mass shootings, racism, antisemitism and lots of hatred being spewed towards others. It all fosters the feeling of little hope for us in our wonderful great Democracy, our United States. Well, something happened that has brought hope back to me and my wife. We were celebrating our 35-year anniversary at the P. F. Chang restaurant in Tucson the night of May 29 and, when we were finished, requested the check. The waitress informed us that our bill was paid in full by a couple at an adjoining table who had just left. We were flabbergasted! It gave us hope that there are wonderful loving people that are here in our country that are full of love. It gives us hope that there are many others like them in our wonderful Democracy, our United States! Mark Adams Northwest side Second thoughts on CFSD Im a CFSD resident who was active in the campaign that elected three current CFSD governing board members. This may have been a mistake. Our district has spent months arguing about a perfectly appropriate policy on transgender students in schools, in the process losing its focus on education. Through my childs experience with the CFHS math department this year, Ive learned that CFSD administrators have prioritized PR over math instruction. More alarmingly, Ive learned that over 50% of the students in my childs math class scored below the level of proficient as defined by the district. Anecdotally, Ive learned that many CFSD parents plan to enroll their kids in online summer math classes because they feel math instruction at CFHS is lacking. Those parents are contributing to the problem. Rather than demanding quality math instruction in our public schools, we pay for private tutoring and pat ourselves on the back for our wokeness on social issues. Its hypocrisy on the highest level. Carrie Clancy Foothills Memorial Day celebrations How did you celebrate Memorial Day? Perhaps with a family get-together? Or maybe attending a parade? Or remembering a fallen loved one who fought for his/her country? All those are great. But it seems a number of our fellow citizens "celebrated" by shooting, injuring and killing their fellow citizens. From a Florida beach to Chicago city streets to right in our own backyard in Phoenix and Mesa, America's killing spree continued. Will this violence never end? I fear not. There isn't the will to do anything about it but send thoughts and prayers. Karen Schickedanz SaddleBrooke Human neglect seems to mean dead horses Along with a recent report of there being 12 horses that have recently died at Churchill Downs Race Track (for now the cause is unknown) ... now we have this. The heroic horses that carry service-members flag-draped caskets to their final resting places in Arlington National Cemetery are dying. In this case, the Army is at fault. I know that Memorial Day Weekend has just passed, so let me make the point that I don't put the blame here on the veterans or even the untrained army men and women at the lowest level here. However, the apparent insinuations written in this news article are inexcusable. The horses didn't die (or even deserve to die) because they were "old,". .. as seems to be indefensibly implied here as some type of justification. They died from human neglect. Even a 6-year old can tell you that a horse that is starving ... is probably really starving. Sue Thompson SaddleBrooke Heads or tails Can't decide? Let's flip a coin. But what if your coin has only one side? You might think this is ridiculous. A coin HAS to have two sides. A one-sided coin is physically impossible! Yet we easily apply that idea to politics, religion, sex, and just about anything else, besides coins. We will never solve any problem as long as we believe there is only one possible solution. Not til we recognize the existence of the 'other' side will we be able to reach a middle ground where BOTH sides can exist ... I almost said, 'with each other,' but just like a coin is ONE coin with two sides, so are we ONE people, just with two different points of view. Ken Paul Chernock Northwest side Investing in Tucson Re: the May 28 article "Tucson renters are running out of time." God forbid investors invest in Tucson. Instead we should continue to let Tucson be the humdrum crusty city in Phoenixs shadow. Or readers can stop using their bias and personal experience to support an agenda that doesnt advance or benefit Tucsons growth. The fact of the matter is residential investment properties in Tucson have become desirable and at an all-time high; almost 95% of the time these investors are buying distressed properties that have been run into the ground by careless owners and tenants. Why should they apologize for upgrading, renovating, making Tucson look more appealing and demanding respectable rents? Emmanuel Mouzourakis, Realtor/property manager The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer: Arizonans and folks across the country look to their local law enforcement to keep our communities safe. Thats especially true today, as we face some of our greatest public safety challenges in decades from an uptick in violent crime rates and an ongoing opioid epidemic, to escalating cyber-crime and the rise of extremist groups threatening national security. And, particularly relevant in Arizonas southern communities, we continue to address a crisis along our southern border. As Cochise County Sheriff, my department is the chief law enforcement agency covering 6,215 square miles of territory with more than 80 miles of shared border with Mexico. As we prepare for another influx of migrants and its impacts on our small towns alongside addressing these other public safety priorities we are also tackling the need to build more trust in our communities by modernizing our training, tactics and approaches that avoid escalation. So it should alarm every Arizonan, and every American, that regulators in Washington are about to hand down a new unfunded mandate on local police departments that risks distracting police from these critical goals, while fueling an already booming illicit marketplace. In the coming weeks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is planning to finalize a new Prohibition-style rule criminalizing the use of flavored tobacco products. These flavored tobacco products have, until now, been legal and regulated. As I warned the Biden Administration last year, this Prohibition-based policy will have a major impact on not only my agency, but law enforcement around the U.S. and the communities we serve, because it will create a new and massive illicit market in the very products the FDA is seeking to eliminate. States attempting their own criminal bans on these products, such as Massachusetts, are seeing spikes in illicit product sales. We already face a growing illicit market for tobacco products in the U.S., driven in part by high taxes on legally sold tobacco. Banning legal sales of currently regulated products would create powerful financial incentives for cartels and criminal networks both domestic and international to step in to supply the unmet demand. With financial incentives this powerful, the question isnt whether an illicit market for flavored tobacco will rise, but just how big it will be. In fact, just this month, a group of U.S. Senators urged the U.S. Treasury Department to sanction Tobacco International Holdings, a Switzerland-registered business, for reported ties to a Mexican cartel. As the Senators noted: Since at least 2018, the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), a cartel sanctioned by the United States for its role in trafficking narcotics and fentanyl, has been involved in the sale of tobacco products to generate a new revenue stream . Setting aside the public health harms of unregulated tobacco products flooding the market, criminal networks do not confine their activity to one crime. Rather, history shows us that the more criminal activity there is to engage in, the more crime escalates across the board. The U.S. State Department issued a report in 2018 that carefully detailed the many layers of serious crime that illicit tobacco trafficking is associated with, including violent crimes, property crimes, human trafficking, and terrorism. The last thing Arizona needs is an entirely new category of controlled substances capable of generating billions of dollars in new funding for the criminal networks whose threats to society we are tirelessly working to reduce. While the FDA has claimed that enforcement of its proposed ban would only occur against tobacco makers, rather than individuals, the fact is that all 50 states, including Arizona, treat trafficking in illicit tobacco products as a serious crime, subject to arrest, prosecution and imprisonment. Confronted by an influx of illegal products as a result of this new prohibition, law enforcement would now become the menthol cigarette police, investigating and interdicting illicit domestic manufacturing, illegal smuggling at the borders (like ours) and at our Ports of Entry, illicit distribution within and across state lines, and, ultimately, illicit sales in our communities. And all of this must be done in a coordinated, multi-state manner with the infrastructure necessary to be successful an undertaking in need of resources in the many billions of dollars. In these ways, the FDAs proposal represents an unfunded mandate for law enforcement that will shift responsibility for enforcement of these tobacco products to state, local and federal law enforcement but without the resources needed to deal with these new responsibilities. I have joined with fellow law enforcement leaders from across the country in urging the FDA to use other tools at its disposal that support harm reduction without resorting to criminalizing these products and turning the whole category over to the men and women of law enforcement focused on keeping our communities and borders safe. It should go without saying that we do not endorse or support tobacco use, and the fact that menthol cigarette use, along with other tobacco metrics, are at historic lows should be applauded. But tobacco policy belongs with regulators, not police. Prohibition-based criminalization will put our men and women in uniform and the communities we serve at risk. And there are much better options for reducing tobacco use even further without shifting these products into the criminal justice system. With the many challenges we are facing in our work to keep Arizona communities safe and secure, tobacco prohibition is the last thing we need right now. Locals can now check out Sabino Canyon in a new light the moonlight, to be exact every Saturday with the Sabino Canyon Crawlers new night tours. The night tours return 8 p.m. Saturday, June 3 and will run every Saturday through October, according to the Sabino Canyon Crawler website. The tour is 7.4 miles roundtrip and runs for about an hour. (Start times may differ in the fall, so make sure to check your ticket before arriving!) Tickets for the tour cost $15 per adult and $8 per child, ages 3 to 12. Children under the age of 3 are free, according to their website. Shuttle rides sometimes sell out, so get your tickets online to guarantee your spot. Its important to note that the tour ticket prices do not include the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area amenity fee of $8 per vehicle. The tour features a special narrative program in English and Spanish that includes historical and cultural information about Sabino Canyon, such as the canyons origins and details about the fauna and flora of the area. The Sabino Canyon Crawler is an emission-free electric shuttle that can seat up to 60 passengers. The new shuttles were implemented in the fall of 2019, according to the Arizona Daily Star. Register for more free articles. Log in Sign up During the monsoon season, the shuttle service closely monitors the Sabino Creek flow and operates conservatively to ensure the safety of our passengers, according to their website. This means the shuttle route may change depending on weather. If you go What: Sabino Canyon Crawler night tours. When: 8 p.m. Saturdays, June through October. Start times may differ in the fall. Where: Sabino Canyon Recreation Area, 5700 N. Sabino Canyon Road. Cost: $15 per adult, $8 per child ages 3 to 12. More info: Visit the website here. McNellies Group will open two new steakhouse concepts in two of the areas distinctive neighborhoods this year. The first is Jimmys Chophouse, which is scheduled to open in early July in Tulsas Brookside district, in a space that formerly housed a Senor Tequila, 3348 S. Peoria Ave. The other, which will open at years end, is City Hall Steak & Cocktail, which will be at 123 E. Main St. in Jenks. The new restaurant is part of a citizen-led effort to rebrand the citys historic Main Street as The Ten District. According to a news release, the interior of City Hall Steak & Cocktail will have a blend of modern design and vintage accents that celebrate the buildings unique history. The atmosphere will be ideal for intimate dinners, special occasions, business meetings, gatherings with friends or just a glass of wine at the bar. We were very excited when we heard about the opportunity to develop 123 Main Street, said Elliot Nelson, CEO and founder of the McNellies Group in the release. Having a location in the heart of Main Street means City Hall Steak & Cocktail will be ideally positioned to contribute to the areas ongoing revitalization. McNellies Group Executive Chef Ben Alexander, who was recently nominated for a James Beard Award for his work at Mr. Kims, is creating a menu that will feature steaks, chops, fish and pasta. I want City Hall Steak & Cocktail to be the type of restaurant people can visit several times a week and always find something that satisfies whatever theyre craving, Alexander said. The menu, in addition to the classic steakhouse favorites that everyone loves, will have signature salads, sandwiches and a gourmet burger. The Ten Districts name is a reference to a corner of Main Street that is 10 miles from downtown Tulsa, Bixby, Sapulpa and Broken Arrow, and also 10 blocks west of the Arkansas River. The goal of the branding is to attract new businesses to the area. The new restaurant will occupy space formerly used by Tedford Insurance. The McNellies Group operates a total of 11 concepts in Oklahoma and Arkansas, include McNellies Pub, Fassler Hall, Bar Serra, The Wild Fork, Dust Bowl, The Tavern, Dilly Diner and Elgin Park. The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today. Her absence at family gatherings has not grown any less noticeable over the last year. But for Amanda Glenns survivors, whenever theyre together, it still feels in small ways like shes with them. Its really hard to describe Amanda in the past tense, said Kristin McPherson, Glenns sister-in-law. Shes still so very much a part of us. Especially her boys. We see glimpses of her in them. Ians big smile and Gabes cute nose. Even in their actions and personalities. The courage and strength they both have shown over this year is a testament to how they were raised. Extra courage and strength will definitely be needed this week both for family members of Glenn and those of the other victims of last years mass shooting on the Saint Francis Hospital campus in Tulsa. This Thursday marks one year since June 1, 2022, when Glenn, 40; Dr. Preston Phillips, 59; Dr. Stephanie Husen, 48; and William Love, 73, were killed by a gunman in the campus Natalie Building. Saint Francis officials will honor the victims at the hospital Thursday, with Mayor G.T. Bynum and other city leaders joining them. Glenn, a receptionist, had worked in Phillips office for several years, part of her nearly two decades in the medical field. The Sand Springs resident left behind a host of loved ones, including her husband, Beau Glenn, and their two sons, Gabe, 19, and Ian, 17 all of whom have spent the last 12 months grappling with the loss. I dont think it feels real yet, McPherson said. Everyone is still healing and trying to create a new normal. Were missing her from ballgames, missing her meals, missing her guidance and support. Its impossible to make it make sense. McPherson said holiday gatherings, which Glenn loved to help plan, have been especially hard. We didnt skip any of them, but they were different, she said. We spent more time outside, keeping our minds busy, making new memories, but always remembering Amanda. Glenn was a 2000 graduate of Charles Page High School, as was her husband. The two had been married 19 years. Glenn was a natural nurturer (and) was happiest when she was taking care of other people, McPherson said. She loved the challenge of planning and organizing. Sticky notes were everywhere to remind her what needed to be done, McPherson said, adding that Glenn enjoyed taking care of details. The family likes to think shes doing the same thing now planning ahead for the day when they will all join her. The good news is we will see her again, and that is what keeps the boys going, McPherson said. Until then, Amanda is our angel. The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today. One year ago: Mass shooting at Saint Francis Timeline related to mass shooting in Tulsa Saint Francis shooting victims remembered at two vigils 'He began firing at anyone that was in his way' Tulsa police chief says of shooter Tulsa police chief gives new details of mass shooting response 'Catastrophic scene' inside Tulsa medical building where five people died in mass shooting Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum reacts to mass shooting Gunman bought rifle on the same day he killed 4 people, Tulsa police chief says Motive for mass shooting targeting doctor was back pain after surgery, Tulsa police say Gunman saw his doctor the day before killing him, three others in his medical office Tulsa police chief explains motive for mass shooting 'I'm so sorry we couldn't save you,' Tulsa ER physician says to family of William Love Tulsa mass shooting victim Dr. Preston Phillips remembered fondly by Saint Francis CEO Cliff Robertson Who was Dr. Preston Phillips? Saint Francis doctor recalls fallen colleague: "He called me Son and I called him Father" Who was Dr. Stephanie Husen? What is known about Michael Louis? Oklahoma imposes few obstacles to obtaining firearms Five confirmed dead after mass shooting at south Tulsa medical building Check out our latest digital-only offer and subscribe now The author of the most banned book in the U.S. spoke Wednesday night about working to balance creativity with speaking up against censorship. Maia Kobabe, the author and illustrator of Gender Queer: A Memoir, spoke about the writing process and censorship during the University of Tulsas Switchyard Festival. The memoir details Kobabes journey to self-discovery as nonbinary, asexual and someone who uses the Spivak gender-neutral pronouns e, em and eir. As an introvert, Kobabe said, finding that balance can be difficult. A big challenge for me has been how do I both respond to this moment and make sure that I speak up that I speak up against censorship, that I speak up for freedom of information and access to information (and) the First Amendment while also maintaining that quiet time that is necessary for creative work, Kobabe said. Gender Queer was challenged 151 times in 2022 because of its LGBTQ content and claims that it is sexually explicit, according to the American Library Association. No other book was challenged more. In 2022, according to the association, 1,269 attempts were made to censor library books and resources. Kobabe said during Wednesdays event that book sales are generally likely to go up as a result of censorship. The challenges that are happening are hitting the communities where it is happening, and when a book is removed, it is the community that is impoverished, not me, Kobabe said. Kobabes memoir and Mike Curatos book Flamer were banned from Tulsa Public Schools libraries and classrooms last July after an informal challenge, according to PEN America data. The books were challenged after then-Oklahoma Secretary of Education Ryan Walters, now the state superintendent, tweeted screenshots of the graphic novels taken from the conservative social media account Libs of TikTok. The book was available at Nathan Hale and Booker T. Washington high schools before the ban, the Tulsa World has reported. I am, of course, disappointed that the book has been banned in the public schools, but I was also informed that it has not been banned in the public libraries, so Im glad that it is available locally, Kobabe said in an interview after the event. Kobabe has been encouraged by bookstore owners who have ordered copies of the book. Sharing writings with family members and friends before publishing online and in print was nerve wracking. Some of these comics, they touch on intimate topics like theres one where I talk about nightmares about period blood, and gender dysphoria and masturbation, touchy subjects, Kobabe said. And I worry about sharing them. Im worried it would change how people saw me while also wanting to change how people saw me. Kobabe thinks every person has a story to tell. I really hope that this wave of challenges doesnt silence the voice of sort of newbie writers, Kobabe said. Or even writers that havent put pen to paper, because I think a huge goal of the censorship is to scare people and to silence people, and, instead, we have to like, as authors and readers, we have to renew our commitment to diverse voices. The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today. Same fears, new tactics: How efforts to ban 'bad books' reached a record high in 2022 Same fears, new tactics: How efforts to ban 'bad books' reached a record high in 2022 Burned or banned: Outlawed books reflect fears and politics of the time 2022 set a record for book challenges, almost doubling from 2021 Most of the top challenged 2022 books cited LGBTQ+ and sexual content School libraries are being targeted more frequently Organized efforts are accelerating Tesla CEO Elon Musk concluded his China trip this week after visiting Beijing and Shanghai. The billionaire remained tight-lipped on Twitter, which he acquired last year, about his conversation with Chinese officials. This week's trip to China was Musk's first in three years, which became a two-day whistle-stop tour. Musk Treats Tesla Workers He concluded his trip by treating around 100 workers at Tesla's Shanghai plant to burgers and soft drinks before heading towards his private jet in Shanghai's Hongqiao airport Thursday bound for the United States. While Twitter is banned in China, the Chinese state-run media site Global Times posted a video on Twitter where Musk thanked the factory's workers for staying up late at night. "I would like to just very much congratulate you on the amazing work that you've done," he told the crowd. "I just wanna let you know it warms my heart." Tesla's China vice president Grace Tao also posted a picture on the Chinese social media site Weibo showing Musk waving to the camera with the workers in Shanghai. Meeting with Chinese Officials, Businessmen Earlier in his trip, Musk traveled to Beijing and received a hero's welcome as a "global idol" similar to business magnate Jack Ma. His trip included several meetings with top government officials like Chinese vice premier Ding Xuexiang. Ding ranked sixth within the Chinese Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee, which is led by President Xi Jinping. The meeting marked the first time Ding was known to privately converse with a foreign CEO. Musk initially had a one-on-one meeting with then-premier Li Keqiang in 2019. He also attended a banquet with battery boss Zeng Yuqun of Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL). @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Federal filings indicate that more than $215,000 has been seized from bank accounts tied to the former head of Tulsa Public Schools human resources department. According to court records filed Tuesday, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma has served or, in one instance, attempted to serve notice of civil forfeiture complaints to former TPS Chief Talent Officer Devin Fletcher and two family members after FBI agents seized a combined $216,105.95 from two bank accounts listed under the relatives names. Fletcher resigned from Tulsa Public Schools in June 2022 after irregularities were discovered with vendor contracts within the Talent Management Department. An independent audit of the districts finances and an internal investigation both indicated that at least two vendor contracts connected to Fletcher had no documented business purposes and that Fletcher had circumvented TPS disbursement and conflict of interest policies. A sworn affidavit alleges that Fletcher wired money to a relative who had a contract with the district through an entity called Talented 10th. A bank account in the relatives name received $343,125 in wire transfers from TPS between August 2018 and May 2021, plus an additional $105,000 in wire transfers from a nonprofit organization connected to the district, the Foundation for Tulsa Schools, in early 2022, the document says. Those funds were then transferred to a second bank account with the second family member listed as the primary signatory before being wired directly to Fletcher, the affidavit says. Along with noting that both relatives said they were working under Fletchers direction, the affidavit states that the family member who contracted with TPS told investigators in April that they did not own a business named Talented 10th and did not provide any services for the district or its foundation. TPS only identified 12 emails between (family member name redacted) and TPS over the four-year span of the relationship and none of the emails contain any work product or communication about any services provided by (redacted), and TPS has not been able to document any work completed by (redacted) to support the payments since the allegations, the affidavit says. The emails focused on the payment process and correct address. To date, no criminal charges have been filed, and federal court documents indicate that an investigation into one of the methods used allegedly to misappropriate funds is ongoing. The Tulsa school board voted in April to authorize its attorneys to investigate civil litigation options against Fletcher. The civil forfeiture notice filed with the Northern District of Oklahoma court notes that Fletchers current location is unknown. Both TPS and the Foundation for Tulsa Schools issued written statements Wednesday morning in response to the forfeiture notices. We are grateful to law enforcement officials who have recovered a portion of the funds stolen from our schools, TPS statement reads in part. Since we reported our initial findings to officials nearly a year ago, we have worked closely to share additional evidence from our internal reviews. This action gives us encouragement that a resolution for our community is underway, and we are confident that justice will be served. The Foundation for Tulsa Schools remains focused on its mission to build a better community through the support of Tulsa Public Schools, the foundations statement says. We are disappointed a former TPS employee is alleged to have abused his position of trust by unlawfully diverting funds intended to benefit students and educators. We support the efforts of law enforcement officials to investigate and hold accountable any person responsible for misappropriating these funds. We also support the actions taken by Tulsa Public Schools to address the situation and mitigate any impact to the students and programs that our donors support. The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today. Over 40 authors of the Bible have written that it is Gods plan to save the lives of his children. We believe His heart is broken when evil walks in with an automatic rifle and takes the lives of innocent victims young and old every day in America. Our Stephanie did not deserve to die at work caring for her patients on June 1, 2022, nor do over 120 people a day in our country. Stephanie spent 13 years of higher education to reach her goal to become a medical doctor to care for others. Caring, loving and giving of herself for others was her mission in life. She was kind and generous to everyone. Those who knew her loved her, and she loved them right back. Stephanie should not be gone from us. While we are very grateful for the gift of having had her in our lives, we long for the new memories that were left to be made. Because our family is seeking to raise awareness and find solutions to stop gun violence, we are trying to educate ourselves on the issues surrounding this problem. Gun violence is a multifaceted problem that we believe should be discussed in a bipartisan atmosphere to find commonsense solutions. The silent majority must use their voices. Please do not think there is nothing I can do. Go to oklegislature.gov to find your legislator and let them know that gun safety and the issue of gun violence is important to you. Please remember this issue and the response, or lack of response, you receive from your legislator when considering a vote in the next elections. Our family now tries to focus our grief on helping to prevent another shooting and loss of innocent lives. What can each of us do going forward to make our communities and workplaces safer? Pay attention to what is happening around you. Every workplace, school, church, library, event center, medical facility and shopping mall needs to be training staff to report belligerent or threatening behaviors they witness or threats seen on social media. See something; say something. We need to identify and help people before they are so desperate to buy a gun to harm themselves or others. We need secure places to work and spend our leisure time. Door locks, panic buttons, cameras, metal detectors can all help deter an intruder. Does this cost money? Yes. But what is the value of a life, or four or 20 lives ended in a flash of an automatic rifle? There are two things we want to draw attention to this week on the first anniversary of the mass shooting in the Natalie Building on the Saint Francis campus. We have learned of a national campaign that honors the victims and survivors of gun violence, calls for gun safety such as proper storage and gun locks, and raises awareness of gun violence in our country. National Gun Violence Awareness Day is Friday, followed by Wear Orange Weekend on Saturday and Sunday. Orange is the color hunters wear for safety in their sport. This weekend it represents gun safety and much more. We have asked Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum and other city leaders around the state to issue a proclamation declaring Friday as Gun Violence Awareness Day and Saturday and Sunday as Wear Orange Weekend. During this weekend, support for gun violence victims and survivors can be shown by people wearing orange and lighting homes and businesses with orange or putting out orange signs. Another program launched nationwide this last year is the 988 Mental Health Lifeline. It is a new mental health resource for all Oklahomans who may be experiencing or witnessing a mental health crisis. There is more information at 988oklahoma.com. We hope it will be a resource for families, employees, students and those who need help coping in any situation. Our family morns for all victims of gun violence in our nation but especially Dr. Preston Phillips; our daughter, Dr. Stephanie Husen; Amanda Glenn; and William Love. Please help change this epidemic in our country. We must respect and value all human life. Pray for commonsense solutions and resources to be available to end gun violence. Greg and Joyce Husen, parents of Dr. Stephanie Husen, wrote this for her family in her loving memory. The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today. OKLAHOMA CITY One of the states largest retirement systems could be out $9.7 million if it has to drop some of its money managers and investment funds as a result of a new law barring state contracts and investments with companies deemed hostile to the oil and natural gas industries. About 64% of the roughly $10 billion invested through the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System is held in funds controlled by financial firms that have been blacklisted by the State Treasurers Office as a result of the new law. The retirement system could face $9.7 million in taxes, fees and commission costs if it is forced to divest from BlackRock, Wells Fargo and Co., JPMorgan Chase and Co., State Street Corp. and Bank of America, OPERS Chief Investment Officer Brad Tillberg told members of the pension systems board of trustees on Thursday. The financial impact on the much smaller Retirement System for Justices and Judges would be an estimated $391,000, he said. Those five financial firms are among the 13 firms State Treasurer Todd Russ said do not meet the requirements of a 2022 state law that bans the state from working with companies that boycott oil and gas. Russ, a member of the OPERS board who sat in on a presentation about how Oklahomas Energy Discrimination Elimination Act could impact the retirement system, downplayed the cost estimate as speculative. He said the retirement system wont have a clear picture of potential financial losses until it goes through a public bidding process to hear from other financial firms and investment managers. Theres been states that have actually made money by sending it out and getting an RFP (request for proposals), so its just speculation until we see, Russ said. He added that any financial losses would be a cause for concern. Other Republican-led states have adopted similar laws in an attempt to push back on corporate Environment, Social and Governance policies which, among other things, pledge to make decisions with consideration for the impact of fossil fuels on the environment. Russ said the list of blacklisted companies is likely to change because his office will review it every 90 days. The law could impact OPERS more than any of the states other retirement systems, Russ said. Certainly, this is the largest exposure for the state of Oklahoma because of the size of holdings in BlackRock, he said. The rest of them are relatively small compared to this. OPERS investment committee recommended that the full board of trustees seek an exemption from the Energy Discrimination Elimination Act on the grounds that divesting from the blacklisted firms would be a breach of the systems fiduciary responsibility. The board did not vote on the motion Thursday but is likely to consider that recommendation at its next meeting. The Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System is the states second-largest retirement system, behind the Oklahoma Teachers Retirement System. The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today. OKLAHOMA CITY Gov. Kevin Stitt on Wednesday vetoed two bills that would have extended for one year tobacco and vehicle registration compacts the state has inked with Oklahomas Native American tribes. Stitt said the bills are an unconstitutional attempt to circumvent his authority to negotiate state-tribal compacts. This Bill may appear on its face to be innocuous, Stitt wrote in one veto message. However, if this bill were to become law, irreparable harm will befall our Great State. Tribal leaders are urging the Oklahoma Legislature to override the governors vetoes in a special legislative session. Stitt, a Cherokee Nation citizen, had previously criticized lawmakers for introducing bills to extend the current agreements, saying the tribes were pushing the legislation in an attempt to cut him out of compact negotiations. As some compacts are set to expire in the next year, Senate Bill 26X would extend existing and newly expired tobacco compacts through December 2024. House Bill 1005X would do the same for vehicle tag compacts. The state compacts with the tribes to split the tax revenue from the sale of tobacco products to non-Native customers in Indian Country. The state and the tribes also sign agreements on motor vehicle licensing and registration fees. In his veto messages, Stitt challenged the constitutionality of the two bills because they were passed in a special legislative session on the state budget and the expenditure of pandemic relief funds. Compacting was not listed in the call for the special session; therefore the bills are unconstitutional, Stitt wrote. But the call for the special session left the door open for lawmakers to address budget-related issues, and revenue from the compacts impacts the state budget. The governor also questioned whether the states constitution allows the Legislature to hold a special session that runs concurrently with the regular legislative session. Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton said previous attempts to renegotiate long-standing compacts with the governor have been unproductive. The governors offers have been a nonstarter and demonstrated a lack of interest in good faith negotiations, he said. Batton urged lawmakers to override Stitts vetoes. Significant majorities in both chambers of the Legislature voted to extend tobacco and vehicle compacts for one year because they provide important, ongoing benefits for the people of Oklahoma, Batton said in a statement. By vetoing these bills, Gov. Stitt has once again put his personal hostility to tribal sovereignty ahead of what is good for the state and what is good for the tribes. Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. also encouraged lawmakers to override the governors vetoes. If Governor Stitt gets his way with these vetoes, the state loses millions in revenue and disrupts business, Hoskin said in a statement. All Oklahomans lose in that scenario. Fortunately, the governor is isolated in his hostility to cooperate with the tribes. Stitt has had a frosty relationship with most of Oklahomas tribes since 2019, when he unsuccessfully began seeking to renegotiate the states tribal gaming compacts. The governor has since said the terms of the compacts must be renegotiated in light of the U.S. Supreme Courts 2020 McGirt decision, which found that the Muscogee Nation reservation had never been disestablished a ruling that has since been expanded to include other tribes reservations. Stitt said he is looking to renegotiate the agreements in order to strike a fair deal for the state moving forward. House leadership initially sought a five-year extension of the compacts, but the bills were whittled down to one-year extensions in keeping with Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treats wishes. House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, said the bills give state leaders more time to negotiate the terms of the agreements. The extensions dont really change anything other than allow us to potentially avoid some lawsuits until an agreement can be reached, McCall said in an interview. The Legislature is likely to remain involved in the compacting process, McCall said. Stitt has insisted that hes the only elected official with the power to negotiate compacts with the tribes. McCall said a 2020 court ruling that found that Stitt overstepped when he signed new gaming compacts with two tribes upheld the Legislatures compacting authority. The compact bills passed both chambers with veto-proof margins. Two-thirds majorities in the House and Senate can override gubernatorial vetoes. Lawmakers may return to the Capitol in mid-June to override some of the governors vetoes in a special legislative session. The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today. An Okmulgee police officer who was shot early Thursday has been treated at a Tulsa hospital and released, a spokesman for a state agency said. The officer was ambushed when he and another Okmulgee police officer responded about 1:45 a.m. to a call about a burglary in progress at a house in the 100 block of East Second Street, according to Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Interim Public Information Officer Gerald Davidson. The other officer approached the front door while the officer who was ultimately shot approached the rear of the house, where a person ambushed the officer and fired at the officer with what was reported to be an AK-47 rifle, Davidson said. The officer returned fire, and during the exchange of gunfire, the officer was shot once. The shooter fled on foot, Davidson said. The officer, who was stable and alert, was taken to Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa and was later released, Davidson said. He has been on the Okmulgee police force for five or six years, Davidson added. Police and officers from multiple agencies are looking for Christopher Alfred Harris, who is described as 34 years old; Black; 5 feet, 9 inches tall; 218 pounds; and bald with brown eyes. He was last seen near Second Street and Central Avenue in Okmulgee. The suspect was known by residents of the house, but Davidson did not know whether he was a friend or relative or had some other connection. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol has issued a Blue Alert in an effort to find Harris. Authorities dont know whether he was struck by the gunfire. The Okmulgee Police Department is the lead agency in the manhunt, which involves about 30 officers from agencies that also include the Creek Nation Lighthorse Police, the District 25 Task Force, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and the OHP, Davidson said. The Tulsa Police Department said in a Facebook post that some of its officers and its helicopter are also assisting in the search. Davidson said Harris had been in federal court system previously but that he didnt know whether he had a history of violence against officers. An online resource for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons indicates that Harris was released from federal prison in September. Tulsa World archives show that Harris was sentenced in federal court in November 2012 to 10 years and a month in prison for robbing a Tulsa bank earlier that year. Harris, then 23 and a Tulsa resident, was ordered to be under court supervision for three years after his release. He had pleaded guilty to robbing the Bank of Oklahoma at 3037 S. Garnett Road and to a related firearm charge. He admitted brandishing a gun during the heist, during which he stole $4,215.90, Tulsa World coverage shows. The Okmulgee Police Department asked the OSBI to investigate Thursday mornings gunfire, Davidson said. Harris is considered armed and dangerous, and anyone with any information about him or his whereabouts should call 911, authorities said. The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today. Tulsa Race Massacre / The Tulsa World Library: See all of the coverage of the race massacre in this special report. "The first time Americans were terrorized by an aerial assault was not Pearl Harbor," a CBS News story says leading up to coverage this weekend of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. "Scott Pelley reports on a race massacre in which an estimated 300 people, mostly African American men, women and children, were killed, and aircraft were used to drop incendiary devices on a black neighborhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Greenwood Massacre of 1921 has been largely ignored by history, but Pelley finds a Tulsa community seeking to shed more light on what's been called the worst race massacre in history," a preview reads for a "60 Minutes" story airing 6 p.m. Sunday on CBS. Context for viewers: Six airplanes circled the Greenwood area during the morning hours of June 1. What they were doing, and why there were so many, has long been a matter of passionate debate. Many people believe they were used to shoot at people on the ground and bomb Greenwood. Officials said the small craft, generally thought to be two-seat, single-engine Curtis Jenny biplanes, were merely keeping track of activities on the ground and relaying the information through written messages dropped in weighted metal cylinders attached to streamers. To what extent this explanation was initially challenged is unclear, but in October 1921 the Chicago Defender published a story in which it said Greenwood had been bombed under orders of prominent city officials. The story cited a Van B. Hurley, who the newspaper said had given a signed statement to Elisha Scott, a Kansas attorney. Scott filed dozens of lawsuits on behalf of victims but doesnt seem to have ever entered the Hurley affidavit into the record. There is no record of a Van B. Hurley living in Tulsa around the time of the massacre or that anyone by that name ever belonged to the Tulsa police force. But that doesnt mean the story did not have substance. Many people believed city officials were behind the burning of Greenwood, and the explanation that the squadron of planes was only used for surveillance struck some as suspiciously thin. Certainly the planes had a great psychological impact on many. For example, Mary Jones Parrish wrote about them in her account, as did prominent attorney B.C. Franklin in his. The Defender story said the planes dropped nitroglycerin on buildings, setting them afire. But nitroglycerin is an explosive, not an incendiary. It is also highly unstable and dangerous. That has caused some to speculate that something like Molotov cocktails might have been used, or turpentine balls rags soaked in flammable liquid and wrapped around the head of a stick. There are several practical reasons why trying to light and throw incendiary devices from an open cockpit airplane of that era would seem a difficult, dangerous and even foolish idea. But that doesnt mean it wasnt done. Tulsa Race Massacre / The Tulsa World Library: See all of the coverage of the race massacre in this special report. Tulsa Race Massacre: This is what happened in Tulsa in 1921 An attempt to turn a hearing on child care into an indictment of a childrens book went sideways on U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin on Wednesday when his I dont want reality rejoinder to a panelist and the resulting laughter went viral. And not, for the most part, in a good way. Republican Senator declares, I dont want reality. Uproarious laughter ensues. (Video: C-SPAN) pic.twitter.com/OgRqY1awlc Mike Sington (@MikeSington) May 31, 2023 Mullin was participating in a Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on child care access and affordability when he held up the book Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race. Among those recommending or reviewing Our Skin favorably have been the American Library Association, the National Council of Teachers of English, Parents Magazine, the School Library Journal and the Association for Library Service to Children. Mullin objected to the passage: A long time ago, way before you were born, a group of white people made up an idea called race. They sorted people by skin color and said that white people were better, smarter, prettier, and that they deserve more than everybody else. He then compared the song Jesus Loves the Little Children Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight and demanded of the four panelists which was more appropriate. A fairly common tactic of Mullin and other lawmakers is to try to force witnesses into yes-no/either-or answers and then cut them off when a witness attempts a more nuanced response. Cheryl Morman, president of the Virginia Alliance for Family Child Care Association, said, First, it is important that we teach Jesus, and Jesus is what we teach. But the reality is But do you think , cut in Mullin. Could she answer the question, please, said Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders of Vermont. I dont want reality! Mullin said. This brought a round of laughter and someone saying, Got it on tape. Mullin, momentarily puzzled by the reaction, rolled his eyes, said, Misspoke, and continued his questioning. Mullin began his allotted time by saying he and his wife, Christie Mullin, tried 14 years ago to provide child care to employees of their plumbing company but gave up because of the cost and red tape. Finding ways to soften regulations while still keeping our kids safe, Mullin said, would be a way to lower costs and increase access. He then veered off into what he said is an attempt to federalize the education system and move more toward socialism. This was a jab at Sanders, with whom he frequently spars over Sanders socialist leanings and critiques of capitalism. Mullin concluded by tying the passage from Our Skin to a quote attributed to Joseph Stalin: Education is a weapon whose effect depends on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed. Notably, given the subject matter, the quote is quite similar to one often attributed to Nelson Mandela: Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today. Airfares on routes to popular tourist destinations across Vietnam are skyrocketing for this years summer travel season. According to a recent survey conducted by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, local air carriers plan to raise the prices of air tickets from mid-June to early August. Airfares for the Hanoi Da Nang route will average VND3.5 million (US$150) per round trip, up VND1 million ($42.8) from the non-summer average. For the Ho Chi Minh City Phu Quoc route, Vietjet will offer the lowest fare at VND2.5 million ($107) per round-trip ticket. Comparatively, airfares on the same route set by Pacific Airlines and Bamboo Airways will range from VND2.8 million ($120) to VND3.2 million ($137) per round trip. While these prices are high compared to non-summer airfares, many local flight ticket agents said they were lower than the same period last year. Vietnam Airlines Group, which operates Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines, and Vasco, has announced that it will offer over 7.3 million seats on the domestic and international routes from June 1 to August 15 in order to meet demand during the busy summer travel season. During peak periods, these airlines will operate a combined 500 flights each day, up 30 percent against their normal schedules. Among the busiest domestic air routes are those linking Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with tourist hubs such as Da Nang, Con Dao off the coast of Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province, Thua Thien Hue Province, Quy Nhon, Nha Trang, Da Lat, and Phu Quoc. Local air carriers will also increase international flights from Vietnam to Japan, South Korea, and Thailand during the summer travel season. A representative from Vietnam Airlines Group said that many of the flights on offer during the summer travel season are nearly full. Although low-cost airline Vietjet has yet to announce the number of flights it will offer during the summer travel season, the air carrier has opened a series of international air routes such as Ho Chi Minh City Kochi, India; Da Nang - Hong Kong; Phu Quoc - Hong Kong; Da Nang Singapore; Da Nang Daegu, South Korea; and Nha Trang Seoul, South Korea. In May, the airline added four aircraft to its operations, brining the size of its fleet to more than 80. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! In a significant move, NASA recently held its first public discussion about UFOs, also known as "unidentified aerial phenomena" (UAPs). One year after beginning research on unexplained sightings, this event was televised live and included an impartial panel of specialists who pledged openness. NASA selected 16 scientists and professionals, including former US astronaut Scott Kelly, according to Al Jazeera. Panel chair David Spergel indicated that this public conference at NASA's Washington, DC, headquarters was for "final deliberations" before the team's report, slated for late July, is released. Spergel also noted the unsystematic and fragmented character of UAP gathering operations. Additionally, he voiced disapproval of using tools for scientific data collection that were not correctly calibrated. During the hearing, Sean Kirkpatrick, head of the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) of the US Defense Department, said they get 50 to 100 new monthly reports. Based on the database, just 2% to 5% of these sightings may be considered extraordinary, according to Kirkpatrick. NOW: An audio-only media briefing following today's public discussion on unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs. https://t.co/y4gMK6n1M9 NASA (@NASA) May 31, 2023 The discussion included a video taken by a navy aircraft over the western United States, showing a pattern of dots moving across the night sky as one significant event. The object in question was a commercial airliner traveling to a large airport, and the military aircraft failed to intercept it. Many other sightings, though, are still mysterious. NASA Wants to Address the Stigma Spergel said commercial pilots are hesitant to report flying saucer encounters due to the stigma. He said NASA wants "to remove the stigma" since "high-quality data are needed for answering significant inquiries about UAPs, the BBC reported. Read Also: North Korea's Satellite Launch Attempt Failed to Reach Orbit Additionally, several researchers in the field have experienced abuse on the internet. NASA science head Nicola Fox said that harassment "only leads to further stigmatization of the UAP field," substantially impeding the scientific process and deterring individuals from investigating. Out of the 144 sightings by military pilots since 2004, according to a Pentagon assessment published in 2021, all but one were still unaccounted for. Officials did not exclude alien origin for these items. Still No Convincing Evidence NASA clarified that since they are relevant to national security and aviation safety, the study primarily emphasizes UAPs. They stressed the need for actual, trustworthy data to confirm and account for such findings. After the public forum, NASA associate administrator Dan Evans noted: "There is absolutely no convincing evidence for extraterrestrial life associated with" unexplained objects. However, numerous public queries before the event indicated doubt and conspiracy suspicions, per USA Today. Thomas Zurbuchen, an associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, stressed the need to understand UAP data to study celestial events. Data helps scientists explain the unexplainable, he said. Related Article: James Webb Detects 6000-Mile-Long Water Plume Coming from Saturn's Moon @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in a recently-signed dispatch ordered the adoption of urgent measures to alleviate goods congestion and facilitate the export of agro-products along the border with China. The dispatch was issued at a time when border gates in the northern border province of Lang Son have seen an upsurge in the number of container trucks carrying farm produce for export, resulting in a prolonged customs clearance process and limited clearance capacity. Several fruits, meanwhile, are now ready to harvest in the country. This could pose a higher risk of congestion at the border gates as more container trucks transporting fruits for export to China will head to these areas. Therefore, PM Chinh urged the authorities in northern border provinces and relevant agencies to review regulations on the import and export of farm produce between Vietnam and China. They were told to work with the Chinese side to streamline the customs clearance process, extend business hours for customs clearance services, and enhance the performance of customs clearance, so as to prevent agro-products from getting damaged due to hot weather and a long wait at the border gates. The authorities of border provinces also have to closely monitor and forecast the traffic volume of vehicles carrying goods to the border areas and promptly take measures to cope with possible congestion. PM Chinh asked ministries and relevant agencies to join hands with businesses to promote the consumption of farm produce in the local market, as well as take timely actions to remove obstacles hindering trading activities via border gates. In addition, the chief of the Vietnamese government told relevant ministries and agencies to roll out measures to promote exports through official channels and diversify transport methods in the long run. They have to focus on expanding export markets, removing technical barriers to trade, and facilitating negotiations with China on farm produce quality management. They were also tasked with developing farming regions that have adequate scales and meet requirements on product origin, traceability, food safety, and geographical indication. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Spanish police raided three clandestine tobacco factories early this year, seizing nearly 40 million euros ($44 million) worth of tobacco leaf and illicit cigarettes. At one, in the northern town of Alfaro, they found 10 Ukrainian workers, five of them war refugees, who'd been put to work with no contracts and scant pay, police said. They worked all day for and lived at the factory, forbidden from leaving. This operation is one of dozens across the EU that regional policing and anti-fraud agencies say have driven seizures of illicit cigarettes to record levels. Crime groups, which have traditionally mainly sourced fake tobacco products from outside the EU, are increasingly setting up production facilities in western Europe to be closer to higher-priced markets, according to Reuters interviews with half a dozen specialists in the field, including enforcement officials, tobacco executives and industry analysts. The trend was revved up by the travel shutdown of the COVID-19 pandemic, which choked supplies from outside the bloc, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) said. It may have been further accelerated by the war in Ukraine, which for years has been a production hub and transit route for illicit tobacco, OLAF added. As well as the human cost, counterfeiting is a financial thorn in the side of the world's biggest tobacco companies at a time when they're facing a global decline in smoking that's spurred large investments in alternative products like vapes. "Criminal gangs have switched from importing counterfeit products into Europe to establishing illicit manufacturing facilities within EU borders," said Cyrille Olive, British American Tobacco's (BAT) regional head of anti-illicit trade. BAT - one of tobacco's global giants with Imperial Brands, Japan Tobacco and Philip Morris International - has seen increased counterfeiting since last year in France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Denmark and the Czech Republic, Olive added. Some campaigners have accused Big Tobacco of overstating the size of the illicit market to help lobby against higher taxes - something the companies deny. Nonetheless, the latest data shows seizures of illicit cigarettes are increasing. A record 531 million illicit cigarettes were impounded across the EU last year, a rise of 43% from the roughly 370 million seized in 2020, according to data from OLAF. About 60% of the cigarettes were from illicit production in the bloc while the rest were smuggled in. Europol told Reuters that last year would also likely set a record for the number of illegal cigarette factories that were reported shut down by national police forces, although the full-year data isn't yet available. Spanish Civil Guard officers inspect an illegal tobacco machine during a raid where more than 3.5 million packets of contraband tobacco were seized, in Seville, Spain, in this picture released on January 22, 2023. Photo: Guardia Civil/Handout via Reuters Tobacco investigators The industry has responded by hiring investigators to research illicit operations and share intelligence with European authorities, executives at Japan Tobacco, BAT and Imperial Brands told Reuters. The three tobacco majors declined to put a figure on the financial hit from the illicit trade. Japan Tobacco has, though, spent "hundreds of millions of dollars" gathering information on the counterfeiters which it then passes on to European authorities like OLAF, according to Vincent Byrne, head of the company's anti-illicit trade operations. "We have a dedicated function within the company to try and protect our assets, protect our brands, and combat illegal trade," said Byrne, a former detective who investigated organised crime in Ireland. BAT and Imperial Brands said they also had intelligence operations. Philip Morris International declined to comment for this article. Pack: less than a euro to make Counterfeiters typically replicate popular cigarette brands, which include Japan Tobacco's Winston, Philip Morris' Marlboro, British America's Dunhill and Imperial Brands' Nobel. A packet of 20 cigarettes costs less than a euro to make, said Byrne, but trades at several times that, depending on the marketplace. Supplies from China and other parts of Asia - which used to be the biggest sources of counterfeit cigarettes that ended up in the EU - shrank during COVID-19 lockdowns, spurring increasing production in Europe itself, according to Alex McDonald, head of group security at Imperial Brands. Russia's attack on Ukraine may have quickened that trend, said Ernesto Bianchi, OLAF's director of revenue and international operations, investigations and strategy, adding that the agency was "analysing how the fraudsters may have reconfigured their routes". Ukraine had been a hub for the manufacturing of illicit tobacco and a supply route for illicit and counterfeit cigarettes made in Russia and Belarus, activities that may have been disrupted by the war, Imperial Brands' McDonald said. Some counterfeiters are luring and coercing Ukrainian refugees to be workers. An illegal tobacco factory was dismantled last month in Roda de Ter, 80 km from Barcelona, Spanish police said on Thursday. Officers seized 11,400 kilos of tobacco and 7,360 packets of cigarettes. Six Ukrainians were found working there. In Italy, officials said in April last year they had found about 82 tonnes of counterfeit cigarettes inside a factory in the industrial area of the country's Pomezia municipality. Investigators said they found Russian, Moldovan and Ukrainian workers doing gruelling shifts in an unsafe environment where walled-up windows stopped fumes escaping. "A good many workers from Ukraine have been found in these illegal factories," Japan Tobacco's Byrne said about counterfeiting operations across the EU. "They're collected in a van at an airport, blacked out windows, driven around and swapped into another van," Byrne, said recounting a particular incident. "Eventually they're delivered to the factory. Mobile phones are taken from them. Essentially, it's a form of modern-day slavery." ($1 = 0.9310 euros) Thirty-five wild animals which had been caught in Ho Chi Minh City were returned to the wild on Wednesday. The Ho Chi Minh City Forest Protection Department cooperated with the management board of the Lang Sen Wetland Reserve in neighboring Long An Province to release the animals. The 35 animals included pythons, giant Asian pond turtles, yellow-headed temple turtles, Mekong snail-eating turtles, and golden thread turtles. They had earlier been voluntarily handed over to the Ho Chi Minh City Forest Protection Department. A 63-kilogram python is released into the Lang Sen Wetland Reserve in Long An Province, a neighbor of Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Supplied Among the released animals was a 63-kilogram 4.5-meter-long python which had been handed over in February by Dang Dinh Quoc, a 55-year-old a resident of Hoc Mon District. Quoc said he bought the python in 2000 when it was as big as his little finger and had raised it for 23 years. It was the largest python that the Ho Chi Minh City Forest Protection Department had received from local residents in the past 10 years. Turtles are set free at the Lang Sen Wetland Reserve in Long An Province, southern Vietnam. Photo: Supplied The animals were released after being cared for by the Cu Chi Wildlife Rescue Station in Ho Chi Minh City. The Ho Chi Minh City Forest Protection Department last Thursday also joined hands with the management board of the Phuoc Binh National Park in Ninh Thuan Province, south-central Vietnam to free 28 wild animals, including Javan pangolins, long-tailed monkeys, rhesus macaques, pig-tailed macaques, stump-tailed macaques, elongated tortoises, and Asian box turtles. All of them had been handed over by residents and organizations to the Ho Chi Minh City Forest Protection Department. Two Javan pangolins are released to the Phuoc Binh National Park in Ninh Thuan Province, south-central Vietnam. Photo: Supplied Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! As many as 678 cases of land encroachment and illegal construction in Phu Quoc City off Kien Giang Province, southern Vietnam will be subject to police investigation. The Phu Quoc Peoples Committee said on Wednesday it had asked the administrations of Ganh Dau and Duong To Communes, as well as relevant agencies, to review these cases and provide documents linked to the cases to the provincial police department in order to aid in the investigation. The departments investigators previously sent a list of these 678 cases to the Phu Quoc administration, requesting confirmation on whether the locations of these cases were under the management authority of Phu Quoc, which cases had been fined by the citys administration for land encroachment or illegal construction, and the effect of the fines. According to the investigators, 260 cases were reported at a school area in Chuong Vich Hamlet and 157 at Suoi Lang in Ganh Dau Commune, while 261 others were reported in Duong To Communes Duong Bao Hamlet. 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 -- Moderate to heavy rains are expected to sweep through many parts of the south-central, southern, and Central Highlands regions on Thursday, with rainfalls exceeding 60 millimeters, according to the national weather forecast center. -- Authorities in Dong Nai Province, a neighbor of Ho Chi Minh City, halted the operation of two wharves in Bien Hoa City to develop a riverside road on Wednesday, taking the number of wharves shut to make room for the road to four. The riverside road will be 5.2 kilometers long upon completion. -- A man, 53, in Nghe An Province, north-central Vietnam got fined VND15 million (US$640) after beating his wife to a pulp. -- The Ho Chi Minh City Management Center of Public Transport has resumed the subsidized bus route No. 61, which links Cho Lon Bus Station in District 5 and the Le Minh Xuan industrial park in the outlying district of Binh Chanh. -- Police in Hanoi have detained a babysitter, a 21-year-old resident of Nam Dinh Province in northern Vietnam, on suspicion of mistreatment of a one-month-old girl. -- Airfares on the routes to popular tourist destinations across Vietnam are trending up during the busy summer travel season this year. Business -- The domestic cooking gas price slumped by VND35,000-35,500 ($1.49 - 1.51) per 12-kilogram cylinder starting from Thursday, following a drop in global cooking gas prices, some gas traders told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Wednesday night. -- The Vietnamese job market saw a plunge in recruitment demand in the first four months of 2023, with hiring in the apparel sector tumbling 39 percent year on year due to the global economic downturn, according to a report recently issued by Navigos Group, one of the leading recruitment companies in Vietnam. -- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has issued a telegram urging the authorities in northern provinces, and relevant ministries and agencies to review regulations on imports and exports at border gates with China, and work with Chinese officials to simplify customs procedures due to the soaring number of container trucks carrying farm produce stuck at northern border gates. Lifestyle -- Paintings by children with autism will be presented at a fundraising exhibition titled Heart for Autism in Hanoi starting from Friday, to spread and inspire the souls of autistic children, and bring their voices to the community, the Vietnam News Agency reported. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Childrens Hospital 2 in Ho Chi Minh City has been assigned to deepen the transplant field to turn it into Vietnam's major organ transplant center. Speaking at a ceremony to celebrate 45 years of the hospitals establishment on Wednesday, Duong Anh Duc, vice-chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee, said that Childrens Hospital 2 is expected to become a leading organ transplant center in Vietnam. The hospital must ensure its care and treatment of other diseases for children as well, said the official. Apart from appreciating the hospitals efforts and contributions over the past 45 years, the vice-chairman hoped that Childrens Hospital 2 will build a better service system to care for and treat more children, moving toward becoming a more reliable medical facility. Duc expected the hospital to make greater strides in the coming months. Over the past 45 years, the hospital has achieved numerous positive results in childrens care and treatment in the city and the country as a whole, said Trinh Huu Tung, director of Childrens Hospital 2. The hospital has become one of four leading pediatric hospitals nationwide, he noted. Childrens Hospital 2 features a workforce of highly-skilled and dedicated doctors and nurses, and modern equipment, raising its efficiency of care and treatment. The hospital has expanded the depth of organ transplant, tumor treatment, pediatric neurosurgery, diagnostic endoscopy, and other illnesses. It has successfully separated eight pairs of conjoined twins. Among them, a pair of Vietnamese and German twin boys were separated on August 4, 1988. This was the first separation surgery at the hospital and a historic surgery in Vietnams health industry. The surgery was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for 1991. Ho Chi Minh City has three pediatric hospitals, including Childrens Hospital 1, Childrens Hospital 2, and Ho Chi Minh City Childrens Hospital. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A 17-year-old boy in La Gi Town, Binh Thuan Province, south-central Vietnam has been arrested for attempting to kill his parents with pesticide after they banned him from having a relationship with a girl. The La Gi Peoples Procuracy on Wednesday said it had approved a decision to keep T.A.K. in custody. T.A.K. and P.T.T.T., both 17-year-old residents of La Gi Town, are in a relationship which took a rough turn when K. took T. to his house and his parents began insulting the couple. The couple then made plans to kill the boys parents. On Thursdsay last week, K. and T. picked up a bottle of pesticide and poured it into an empty water bottle. K. then brought the bottle home. At about 6:00 pm that day, K. poured the pesticide into a soup pot on the table while his mother was cooking. The mother smelt the pesticide and reported the case to local police. K. and his girlfriend admitted that they had poured the pesticide into the soup in order to kill K.s parents. Local police have seized the soup pot, the pesticide bottle, and the water bottle containing the pesticide. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Police in Ho Chi Minh City recently collaborated with the Ministry of Public Securitys Department of Cybersecurity and relevant agencies to apprehend three South Korean individuals, who had been the subjects of an Interpol red notice for involvement in high-tech crimes. These foreigners, namely 49-year-old Jeong Ki Won, 40-year-old Park Jai Hyung, and 43-year-old Jang Woo Jin, entered Vietnam under the guise of foreign investors and experts who had endorsements from different businesses in Ho Chi Minh City, thereby obtaining visas and temporary residence cards through legal channels, a representative of the citys Department of Public Security said on Thursday. Park came to Vietnam on September 20, 2022, Jeong entered the country on March 23, 2023, and Jang followed suit on March 28, 2023. This supplied photo shows police officers arresting 49-year-old South Korean Jeong Ki Won. The Interpol red notice showed that the three individuals established and ran a gambling and betting website named Slot in Vietnam to generate profits. This online platform offered gambling services where players would make deposits to participate and potentially gain money. This trio worked and communicated using the Telegram instant messaging application, employing an auto-delete feature for their messages to evade detection by law enforcement agencies. This supplied photo shows 40-year-old South Korean Park Jai Hyung. Upon their arrival in Vietnam, the group did not reside at the registered address provided upon entry, but instead concealed themselves at various locations in Ho Chi Minh City. Police in the city arrested all three individuals along with several other people involved, and confiscated substantial evidence linked to their illicit activities. The three South Koreans then admitted to their involvement in criminal activities. Vietnamese police officers handed them over to the South Korean authorities via Tan Son Nhat International Airport on May 26, according to Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A Federal Court judge has thrown out Ben Roberts-Smiths defamation claims against three newspapers and three journalists, Nick McKenzie, Chris Masters and David Wroe. Roberts-Smith VC, Australias most decorated living soldier, alleged the Age, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Canberra Times defamed him in their reporting, and falsely portrayed him as a war criminal and murderer who broke the moral and legal rules of military engagement. In Sydneys Federal Court this afternoon Justice Besanko found the newspapers established the substantial truth of many of the imputations, including allegations of murder. He also found the news organisations had established contextual truth on allegations of domestic violence and bullying of an SAS colleague. In light of my conclusions each proceeding must be dismissed, he said. Roberts-Smith has been awarded no damages in the judgment. Lawyers for the newspapers have sought several weeks for applications around costs of the trial. Those costs are expected to run into the tens of millions of dollars. Sources close to the case have suggested the cost of the case could have run as high as $35m. The civil judgment is likely to cost Roberts-Smith millions of dollars in costs to be awarded to the newspapers. The cost of the trial is estimated to be upwards of $35m. Roberts-Smith is General Manager of Seven Queensland but stepped aside in April 2021 to focus on the legal case. The former SAS corporal had taken out a loan, believed to be $2m, from a company owned by his employer, Seven Chairman Kerry Stokes, to fund his defamation case. Ben remains on leave and will review the judgment with us and make a decision on his future in the near future, a Seven spokesman said. We will make no further comment at this time. Seven Chairman Kerry Stokes said, The judgment does not accord with the man I know. I know this will be particularly hard for Ben, who has always maintained his innocence. That his fellow soldiers have disagreed with each other, this outcome will be the source of additional grief. I havent had a chance to have a discussion with Ben as yet, but I will when he has had a chance to fully absorb the judgment. Roberts-Smith is reportedly currently in Bali. The judgment is not a criminal finding of guilt, but a determination on the civil standard of the balance of probabilities. Statement by James Chessell, Nines Managing Director, Publishing / Tory Maguire, Executive Editor, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age: We welcome the Federal Courts judgement that investigations by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald were correct in their reporting that Ben Roberts-Smith committed war crimes. The finding by Justice Anthony Besanko today that Roberts-Smith participated in the execution of Afghans confirms our reports that the Victoria Cross recipient breached the Geneva Convention, and is a critical step towards justice for the families of the murder victims. The judgement is a vindication for journalists Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters, who began reporting this difficult and complicated story more than seven years ago. It is a vindication for the many people in our newsrooms and our organisation who supported this important public interest journalism. And, most importantly, its a vindication for the brave soldiers of the Australian Defence Forces SAS who served their country with distinction and then had the courage to speak the truth about what happened in Afghanistan. Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters painstakingly pieced together these investigations, and todays judgement exemplifies how the exhaustive public interest journalism of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald serves our community. The series of stories at the centre of this trial will have a lasting impact on the Australian Defence Force and how our soldiers conduct themselves during conflict. Today is obviously a pivotal moment in this story and we are very pleased with the result but its critical to acknowledge that it goes on beyond this judgement. We will continue to hold people involved in war crimes to account. The responsibility for these atrocities does not stop with Ben Roberts-Smith. Publishing a story of this magnitude is never easy, but high quality investigative journalism is vital to a thriving democracy. Nines unequivocal backing of this reporting and our defence of it is a clear demonstration of its commitment to quality journalism. MEAA Media Federal President Karen Percy said: This is an important case upholding the medias important role in undertaking public interest investigations and the publics right to know. But it highlights how Australias defamation laws have worked to constrain investigative journalism and attack legitimate reporting. This case began in 2018 and has come at immense personal cost to both Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters, and at great financial cost to their media outlets. Yet todays finding is a vindication of their journalism. This post updates. Source: Guardian, ABC US actor Danny Masterson (That 70s Show, The Ranch) has been found guilty of raping two women between 2001 and 2003. Masterson, 47, now faces up to 30 years in prison. In 2022, a jury was unable to reach a verdict in the case against the actor involving rape allegations by three women, and Los Angeles Judge Charlaine Olmedo declared a mistrial. But the retrial jury of seven women and five men reached a guilty verdict on two of three charges. They could not reach a verdict on the third count, that alleged Masterson raped a longtime girlfriend. During the retrial prosecutors said Masterson forcibly raped three women in his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003. They claimed he drugged the womens drinks in order to assault them, then relied on his status as a prominent member in the Church of Scientology to avoid consequences for decades. Masterson, is a Scientology member and all three women are former members. During the defences closing, attorney Philip Cohen told jurors the womens accounts were so full of inconsistencies, there was more than enough reasonable doubt for jurors to acquit him. Prosecutors said the institution protected him, and helped convince the women that they were not raped, and could not go to authorities to report a fellow Scientologist in good standing. The church has denied having any such policy, saying, The Church has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyoneScientologists or notto law enforcement. Quite the opposite, Church policy explicitly demands Scientologists abide by all laws of the land. All allegations to the contrary are totally false. Masterson was not charged with any counts of drugging, and there is no toxicology evidence to back up the assertion. His lawyer asked for a mistrial over the issues inclusion. The motion was denied, but the issue is likely to be a major factor in any potential appeal. Masterson played the roles of Steven Hyde in That 70s Show, Milo Foster in Men at Work and Jameson Rooster Bennett in The Ranch. Source: ABC, Nine News Full Stop Australia: 1800 385 578 Lifeline: 13 11 14 Updated. Federal charges were released Wednesday, May 31, against a failed Republican candidate for his alleged involvement in a string of drive-by shootings at the houses of state and municipal officials in Albuquerque. The accusations include election interference and additional conspiracy and weapons-related charges. Former GOP Candidate Charged for Shooting Four Democratic Officials' Residences According to NBC News, US District Court in Albuquerque has indicted former GOP candidate Solomon Pena and two others for their roles in the shootings at the properties of four Democratic officials, including the current state House speaker, in December 2022 and January of this year. Former President Donald Trump and his supporters once propagated false statements about the result of the 2020 presidential race. Then a wave of threats and acts of intimidation against election workers and public officials around the nation followed. Moreover, the residences of two county commissioners were attacked immediately after they certified the 2022 election, as noted by US Attorney Alexander Uballez. "Pena targeted several of these public officials because, in their official capacity, they certified the election, which he lost." The shootings resulted in no casualties. However, gunshots penetrated the bedroom wall of a state senator's 10-year-old daughter in one incident. See Also: Trump Acknowledges Keeping Classified Documents, Audio Recording Reveals The Latest Indictment Includes Pena's Texts About 'Pressing the Attack' The latest indictment details Pena's use of his smartphone, including text conversations, in the days after the 2022 November 8 election. In these messages, Pena allegedly reveals the addresses of officials' houses, asserts claims of election manipulation, and confides in a political associate about his intentions to "press the attack." The indictment includes texts sent by Pena as Bernalillo County commissioners certified the results of the midterm election and his own resounding loss as a contender for a seat in the state House of Representatives. The federal government claims that Pena recruited hitmen and personally participated in at least one of the shootings. Pena texted a Republican political ally, who also lost a race for state representative, hours before the first shooting on December 4, 2022. He stated, "We have to act. I'm continuing my study of election rigging. The enemy will eventually break." Later, Pena texted one of the unidentified conspirators in the indictment. The text message was sent during the chaos of the killings. According to the police, Pena was the mastermind behind a plot that targeted two county commissioners and two state politicians. Elizabeth Honce, Pena's defense attorney, has said that her client is not guilty. Since his arrest in January, Pena has been jailed without bond in state district court relating to gunshot allegations. Secretary of State for New Mexico, Maggie Toulouse Oliver, has expressed her satisfaction with the federal government's serious pursuit of the matter. Notably, legislators in New Mexico passed a bill this year that permits certain public officials and political candidates to remove their home addresses from government websites. See Also: Former VP Mike Pence Set to Launch Presidential Campaign Next Week @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. What do a naked body, a giant fur seal, Princess Mary and I Touch Myself all have in common? The answer is Deadloch a quirky new mystery drama -or is that mystery comedy- screening on Prime Video. The 8 part series is the work of the two talented Kates, Kate McLennan and Kate McCartney (Get Krack!n, The Katering Show, Bleak), now taking a leap into premium drama. Set in the fictional town of Deadloch, Tasmania, this mystery unfolds when three teens discover a mans naked body washed up on the beach. It becomes the job of local senior sergeant Dulcie Collins (Kate Box) to protect the crime scene from inquisitive, leering locals in a town where everybody knows each other. But maintaining order until detectives arrive does not come easily, especially when the force includes overeager junior constable Abby (Nina Oyama) and the hapless, very laid-back constable Sven (Tom Ballard). Theres colourful cast of locals: a mayor Aleyna (Susie Youssef), Dulcies doey-eyed girlfriend Cath (Alicia Gardiner), newly-widowed mum Vanessa (Katie Robinson), the victims brother Gavin (Jackson Tozer), a forensic pathologist James (Nick Simpson-Deeks) -but these only scratch the surface of the massive cast. You can expect to see Pamela Rabe, Kris McQuade, Duncan Fellows and more. While our hero Dulcie begins to piece together evidence, her life is upended by the arrival of a loud, foul-mouthed detective sent from Darwin to oversee the case. Dressed in tropical shirt, Sgt. Eddie Redcliffe (Madeleine Sami) rushes in like a bull in a f***in china shop, discarding all of Dulcies good work, in the hope of arriving at a quick conclusion to get it over with. In Dulcies town, she is both ignorant and unwelcome. Deadloch is also hosting a Festival of Food and Wine amid the local scandal, which adds to the very believable village backdrop created by director Ben Chessell. You really get the feeling this town has many strands, all of which help set up plenty of killer red herrings and suspects. The Kates also pepper their mystery with some trademark one-liners, with a great ear for the Australian idiom and laconic social observation. even having the temerity to have a First Nations character deliver a most cynical Acknowledgment of Country. Love it. But the thick plottens when the body count begins to rise as the writers chart a more dense series arc. Kate Box is terrific as the voice of reason in this wobbly coastal town, navigating truth as she is tested by a brash outsider and a clinging girlfriend, the latter cheerfully portrayed by Alicia Gardiner. Amid all this rich nuance, why the decision to let Madeleine Sami seemingly channel another genre altogether for the irritating Eddie Redcliffe? Its a cartoon performance, not at all convincing, and, if the intent is to be funny man to Boxs straight man, a fail for me. It was a disappointing turn in what had otherwise been set up as a quirky, satisfying world. amounting to an uneven viewing experience. Its challenging to enjoy the riches of Deadlochs fertile community, when a deal-breaker of a character barges onto screen. But then the Kates have been known to be risk-takers, challenging traditions, as they did so bravely in Get Krack!ns episode with Indigenous guest hosts. I guess on this occasion there are three Kates -McLennan, McCartney and Box- to thank for the gems in a town where almost everybody is a friendly face and a whodunnit suspect. Deadloch airs Friday 2 June on Prime Video. Q+A is live from Newcastle next week with guest host David Speers. This week Q+A hits the road, broadcasting live from Newcastle. The Hunter Valley community is NSWs second largest city and is at a pivotal moment in its history transforming from a fossil fuel hub to a clean energy superpower. How do people whove built lives, families and careers around the coal industry feel about this brave new world? And are our leaders up to the challenge? The housing crisis being felt around Australia is particularly acute in the Hunter, now home to five of the 10 local government areas in NSW with the highest housing need. As residents struggle to find safe and affordable accommodation, what more can be done right now to help the most vulnerable? The head of the Reserve Bank says we need more people living in each house but is that really a solution? And with another rate rise looming, how can households absorb another hit to the budget? Health and aged care services are also under pressure, and the national GP shortage hasnt bypassed the city. As politicians debate the best way to encourage more doctors to regional areas and fill crucial nursing roles in aged care, is there too much talk and not enough action? And Newcastle is a city synonymous with sport. Former NRL star Alex McKinnon knows all too well the risks of playing at the highest level now with concussion and its long-term effects in the spotlight, what will policymakers do to keep players safe and fans happy? Panellists: Former Newcastle Knights Player Alex McKinnon, Minister for Aged Care & Sport Anika Wells, Shadow Minister for Climate Change & Energy Ted OBrien, Lord Mayor of Newcastle Nuatali Nelmes, Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Strategy and Leadership Monday, June 5 at 9.35pm on ABC. Abdul Basit | Twocircles.net Launched in 2015, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), promised to provide affordable housing to the poor. However, owning a house under the scheme is still a distant dream for many in Kashmir. Support TwoCircles Bagha Hassan Khan, 40, and his seven-member family including his wife and 5 sons all under the age of 14 live in a mud hut 1012 feet in size with a makeshift roof in the Kuta Sathri region of Bandipora, Kashmir. Khan has been applying for a house under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), a Government of India initiative launched in 2015 to provide affordable housing to the poor. But it was in vain. We have been waiting for our PMAY case for the past three years, despite having submitted all the necessary legal formalities and meeting the eligibility criteria. It is disheartening to see my family being denied such basic rights, said Khan. Frustrated, Khan filed a written complaint against Mohammad Shafi Khan, the local Sarpanch for failing to issue them a house under PM Awas Yojana despite their eligibility. Khan claims that instead of taking action against the Sarpanch, the authorities backed him. TCN could not verify the allegation. PM Awas Yojana: Not a Rosy Picture Since the schemes launch in 2015, the central government has sanctioned nearly 1.30 lakh houses under the scheme in Jammu and Kashmir, including 28,000 for the Kashmir division. On 14 April, PM Narendra Modi, expressed that the PM Awas Yojana is making the lives of mothers and sisters easier. This statement was made in response to a tweet thread by Jammu Poonch MP, Jugal Kishore Sharma, who shared a story about the significant positive impact of a house provided under the PM Awas Yojana in Poonch. Sharma had previously highlighted the success of PM Awas Yojana in Jammu and Kashmir through a series of tweets and expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister for bringing positive change to peoples lives. However, the actual progress in terms of construction and allocation of houses has been slow and uneven. According to local activists, the PM Awas Yojana implementation in the region has been marred by corruption, bureaucratic delays, inadequate funding, and other challenges that have left many needy people without a decent shelter. Dont Know if We Will Ever Get the House: Residents Many residents TCN met with who applied for PM Awas Yojana houses are still waiting for their turn, while others claim their names were omitted or replaced with fake beneficiaries owing to corruption by local officials. We have been living in a dilapidated house for decades and applied for PM Awas Yojana assistance, but nothing has happened so far. The officials keep asking for more documents and bribes, alleged Shakeel Ahmad, a resident of Bandipora district. We dont know when or if we will ever get the house, Ahmad said, his voice breaking. Several activists and civil society groups have expressed concerns about the lack of transparency and accountability in the PM Awas Yojana implementation. They have sought a thorough review and audit of the PM Awas Yojana houses allocation and construction to ensure that the schemes benefits reach the intended beneficiaries and are not siphoned off by middlemen or corrupt officials. Abdullah Paswal, an activist with Gujjar Bakarwal Youth Welfare Conference J&K (JKGBYWC), an organisation working for nomads Gujjar Bakarwals in Kashmir, believes that the PM Awas Yojana scheme has the potential to transform the lives of many impoverished families in Kashmir who are facing housing insecurity, but only if it is implemented in a fair and efficient manner. The government should address the systemic issues of corruption, red tape, and funding gaps that have hindered the schemes progress and caused hardship to many, said Paswal. Residents Accuse Sarpanch of Favouritism and Corruption in Scheme Residents of Sirender hamlet in Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir have been left disillusioned and disheartened with the functioning of their local Sarpanch. The Sarpanch, who is responsible for issuing PM Awas Yojana cases in his Panchayat Halqa, has been accused of favouritism and corruption by several residents of the village, who are living in poverty. The Sarpanch only recommended the names of beneficiaries who paid him 30,000 rupees, while the needy continue to suffer and knock on the doors of his office, a resident said on the condition of anonymity. The plight of the residents of Sirender hamlet is not unique. Across the Kashmir Valley, there are numerous cases of Panchayat fraud that go unreported, resulting in taxpayer money being wasted while the concerned agencies remain oblivious to the situation. No House Applied for Home Under PM Awas Yojana 4 Years Ago: Resident A family from Arin village in Bandipora district has filed a complaint alleging that they applied for PM Awas Yojana 4 years ago but have yet to receive the benefit. The family claims that the block-level administration has only made false promises to them. The family members, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, claimed that they were promised a house under PM Awas Yojana during the Back to Village programme, a government outreach initiative in Jammu and Kashmir, but to no avail. The family continues to live in a small shed. Officials Say Large Number of Applications Led To Delay TCN spoke with senior officials from the Office of the Director of Rural Development, Srinagar who spoke on the condition of anonymity and conceded that there may be some truth to these allegations but said that people making these allegations to come out and report them. We are diligently monitoring the progress of every panchayat and their work. While the large number of applications for the PM Awas Yojana has led to delays in processing cases, we are working towards transitioning all procedures online. Our goal is to render corruption merely a word of the past, an official said. While the officials say they are working towards providing houses to people under the scheme, Khan and his family and not very hopeful. Only God knows when we will finally receive the benefits we deserve, Khan lamented. Abdul Basit is an independent reporter based in Kashmir F&L ASIA PERSON OF THE YEAR FOR 2023: GOH KOON ENG OF CHEVRON ORONITE HONG KONG, June 01, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With a legacy spanning 28 years, the annual F+L Week event provides a platform for industry professionals to network, share knowledge and explore the latest trends and innovations in the fuels and lubricants industries. Since 2017, F+L Week has honoured outstanding individuals and groundbreaking products with the prestigious F&L Asia Awards. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230601005551/en/ F&L Asia Person of the Year for 2023 Goh Koon Eng (Photo: Business Wire) We are proud to announce Goh Koon Eng of Chevron Oronite as the F&L Asia Person of the Year for 2023. Goh is a distinguished leader in the Asian lubricant additives landscape and has made a significant impact on Oronite and the industry as a whole in the region. With a career spanning over three decades, he is one of Oronites most tenured senior leaders. Goh joined Chevron in 1991 and has held a variety of positions with increasing responsibilities. He is currently Vice President of Commercial for Chevron Oronite, based in Singapore. Goh has played a significant role in several key Oronite advancements in Asia including establishing the companys original presence in Singapore, expanding Oronites Singapore Manufacturing Plant through multiple large-scale projects, and establishing a manufacturing footprint in Ningbo, China. Gohs willingness to embrace new technologies and his warm and compassionate approach have earned him the respect and support of his colleagues in Asia and beyond. Trevor Russell is a veteran of the additives industry. He joined the additives division of Exxon Chemical in 1980 and has forged an illustrious 43-year career that includes seven years as CEO of Infineum and nearly 25 years on the Corporate Leadership Team. F&L Asia is excited to announce Russell as the recipient of the F&L Asia Lifetime Achievement Award for 2023. Russell is one of the longest-serving executives in the additives industry. His retirement as Infineum CEO in June 2023 marks the end of an era, leaving behind a remarkable legacy of leadership and dedication to the additives industry. Russells calm professionalism was instrumental in helping Infineum and the broader industry navigate its way through challenging times such as responding to Hurricane Katrina in the U.S. in 2005, the financial crash of 2009 and more recently the global Covid-19 pandemic. He has also spearheaded efforts to transform Infineum from its strong heritage of additive transportation chemistry into a sustainable specialty chemicals company. Dr. Wenyang Zhang, senior staff mechanical design engineer at Tesla, Inc., is honoured with the F&L Asia Future Leaders Award for 2023. Dr. Zhang has made a remarkable contribution to the development of next-generation fluids and advanced cooling and lubrication designs. He leads Tesla's fluid engineering, tribology and lubricant-related subjects for all current and future Tesla platforms including the Model S/X/3/Y/Cybertruck/Semi. Dr. Zhang is a Certified Lubrication Specialist (CLS) from the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE), a Certified Lubricating Grease Specialist (CLGS) from the National Lubricating Grease Institute (NLGI) and serves as associate editor of the ASME Journal of Tribology. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Materials Science & Engineering from Jilin University in China, and his Master of Science and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arkansas. Chevron Oronite's OLOA 49844, an innovative additive package designed for 2-stroke low-speed marine engines, receives the prestigious F&L Asia Product Development of the Year Award. This groundbreaking product, designed for engines operating on various low-sulphur fuels such as LNG, distillates, and Very Low Sulphur Oils (VLSOs), has garnered significant attention in the industry. Notably, it was among the first market general MAN Category II 40 BN additive packages to receive a No Objection Letter (NOL) from MAN Energy Solutions. The MAN Category II specification sets a high-performance standard for marine lubricants. Development of this additive took place during Covid-19 restrictions which makes the R&D field testing efforts even more impressive. Join leading figures from the Asian fuels and lubricants industry in celebrating the outstanding achievements of Goh Koon Eng, Trevor Russell, Dr. Wenyang Zhang and Chevron Oronite's OLOA 49844 at the F&L Asia Awards 2023 Dinner, which will be held at the Grand Ballroom, Four Seasons Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on June 15, 2023. The F&L Asia Awards Dinner, sponsored by Lubrizol, is one of 10 networking opportunities at this years blockbuster F+L Week event, commencing on June 13 with a dedicated networking day and the opening of the tabletop exhibition. Two full days of technical sessions include 32 oral presentations, seven panel discussions and eight poster presentations, which will be featured during the Welcoming Cocktail Reception on June 14. Day 2 of the technical session concludes with the Annual F&L Asia Awards Dinner. To find out more about F+L Week 2023, visit the conference website. For a quick glimpse of the event schedule, click here. To register, please contact conference@fuelsandlubes.com. ABOUT F+L WEEK F+L Week 2023 will be held from June 14-16 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The event will be co-located with the ALIA Annual Meeting. For full details of the F+L Week 2023 event or to register, click here. The conference theme is "Fuels and Lubricants: Navigating the Energy Transition." Governments, investors, and consumers around the world are signalling plans for a more rapid shift away from fossil fuels. While fossil fuels will continue to play a key role in the decades to come, the pattern of use will change. F+L Week will provide insight into the technical challenges and opportunities that come with the energy transition and the implications for fuels and lubricants of a more sustainable future. The F+L Week 2023 Conference & Exhibition starts on June 13, 2023, with a pre-conference networking day for customers and suppliers to connect over coffee, tea, and lunch. Participants can pre-book their appointments via our digital app, F+L Connect. For inquiries, please contact us at conference@fuelsandlubes.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230601005551/en/ Contacts Vicky Villena-Denton F&L Asia Ltd. Email: conference@fuelsandlubes.com 22/F., 3 Lockhart Road Wanchai, Hong Kong Phone (Hong Kong): +852 3183 4143 For more information, please, visit the website: https://www.fuelsandlubes.com/fl-week Hungary might not 'credibly fulfil' tasks of EU Council presidency, MEPs say in critical resolution Hungary might not "credibly fulfil" the tasks associated with the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union due to the government's "deliberate and systematic efforts" to undermine the bloc's fundamental values, the European Parliament has said. Hungary is scheduled to take over the six-month presidency in the second half of 2024, following turns by Spain and Belgium. The position does not carry executive powers but allows the selected country to set the agenda, host meetings, steer negotiations, draft compromise texts and organise votes on legislative files. In a non-binding resolution approved on Thursday afternoon, MEPs cast doubt on whether Budapest, which has long been under scrutiny for democratic backsliding and rule-of-law breaches, could sustain such high-level responsibilities. Hungary first held the presidency in the first half of 2011. The European Parliament "questions how Hungary will be able to credibly fulfil this task in 2024, in view of its non-compliance with EU law and the values enshrined in Article 2 (of the EU treaties), as well as the principle of sincere cooperation," the resolution reads. Lawmakers ask the EU Council, the bloc's other co-legislator, to find a "proper solution as soon as possible," which they do not specify. "Parliament could take appropriate measures if such a solution is not found," it goes on, without providing further details. The resolution, which is symbolic and therefore devoid of legal power, was passed with 442 votes in favour, 144 against and 33 abstentions. It was jointly tabled by the European People's Party (EPP), the Socialists & Democrats (S&D), Renew Europe, the Greens and the Left. Several amendments filed by far-right parties were overwhelmingly rejected. The text raises multiple concerns regarding the state of democracy inside Hungary, including lack of transparency, mismanagement of EU funds, manipulated public procurement, fraud, corruption, conflicts of interest and the continued use of emergency decrees since the COVID-19 pandemic. It also sounds the alarm about "serious threats" against academic freedom and LGBTIQ+ rights in relation to a new amendment to the Whistleblower Protection Act that MEPs believe will "legitimise open discrimination." Despite the criticism of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government, the resolution falls short of calling for an outright cancellation of Hungary's scheduled presidency of the EU Council. Such a move has no precedent in European history and legal experts have raised questions on whether the European Parliament could interfere with a prerogative that rests exclusively in the hands of member states. Lawmakers could adopt an uncooperative attitude to slow down the work of the Hungarian presidency, although this could backfire and damage the hemicycle's reputation. "I don't think that the European Union is the campaign team for Mr Orban, we have allowed him to do that for the last 13 years, so enough is enough," said Sophie in 't Veld, a Dutch MEP who co-sponsored the text. During a Council meeting on Tuesday, ministers did not discuss the possibility of re-shuffling the presidency calendar, which is set years in advance to allow countries to prepare for the arduous and expensive undertaking. Judit Varga, Hungary's minister of justice, rejected calls for a suspension and said her government would not bow to pressure. MEPs "are constantly attacking the free elections of Hungary and they don't accept the result that the Hungarians, in the name of democracy, choose as a government," Varga said on Tuesday. "Secondly, they don't respect the rule of law, because here the European Parliament has no role to play." Last year, the Parliament passed a non-binding resolution in which it declared Hungary was no longer a fully-functioning democracy and should instead be considered a "hybrid regime of electoral autocracy." The European Commission is currently withholding nearly 28 billion in EU funds from Hungary over unresolved rule-of-law concerns similar to those raised by MEPs on Thursday. Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Wikimedia Commons/Getty On the steps of the state capitol building in Frankfort on May 31, the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission (KYOAAC) announced the launch of a new state-funded program that would aim to help stem the damage and destruction wrought by the ongoing opioid crisis that has devastated the lives of millions and led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands. But the new initiative wasnt simply to throw more money and resources into tried-and-true public health programs. Instead, the commission announced it was going to explore allocating tens of millions of dollars toward studying and promoting the use of the controversial, plant-based hallucinogen ibogaine in psychedelic-assisted therapy to combat the opioid crisis, as well as treat a host of other mental health issues. The goal is to make Kentucky the first state in the nation to pursue a clinical program around ibogainecurrently legal only in Mexico and New Zealand. This administration recognizes that the opioid epidemic is one of the most tragic and visible symptoms of spiritual affliction which pervades our society, Bryan Hubbard, chairman and executive director of KYOCC, told The Daily Beast. We must do better. We must explore every possible avenue which holds the potential for improvement. The news was lauded by advocates of psychedelic-assisted therapy, an increasingly popular form of mental health treatment. With yesterdays announcement, Kentucky is taking a bold leadership role to addressing the opioid epidemic, Jesse MacLachalan, state policy and advocacy coordinator for Reason For Hope, a psychedelic therapy advocacy nonprofit, told The Daily Beast. This is a prudent and measured approach to explore innovative solutions to the greatest addiction crisis our country has experienced in its history. We applaud the Bluegrass State for the example they are setting for states across the country. Ketamine Therapy Will Go Mainstream in 2022for Better or Worse Kentuckys new plan is unusual, however, in its use of ibogaine, instead of more commonly known and better-studied psychoactive drugs like psilocybin, MDMA, or ketamine. The drug is derived from the roots of an evergreen shrub native to Central Africa. When ingested or smoked, ibogaine can produce strong hallucinations, which some clinicians try to use to induce feelings of profound introspection. Anecdotal evidence, according to Hubbard, suggests the drug has the potential to reset the brains opioid receptors and restore neurochemical activity to pre-opioid exposure levels. According to the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), ingesting ibogaine usually results in about 1836 hours of psychoactive effects, substantially longer than any other type of psychedelic used as a part of psychiatric therapy. However, it can also cause spikes in cardiac activity and heavy states of ataxia. Very little is understood about how to effectively administer ibogaine as a therapeutic in clinical environments. Despite optimism from some members of the clinical psychiatric community, ibogaine has led to the deaths of at least 19 people between 1990 and 2008, mostly due to cardiac arrhythmia, and mixing ibogaine with other powerful pharmaceuticals like methadone and diazepam. Theres a lot of news about psychedelics that have come out, but this one requires by far several orders of magnitude, more supervision, medical observation, Joseph Barsuglia, a clinical psychologist and the former director of research and CEO at the now-closed addictions treatment center Crossroads Treatment in Mexico, told The Daily Beast. It needs to be done where you can house people for several days. You need live cardiac monitoring. There's metabolic risks with people that have organ dysfunction or metabolic conditions. People that have had psychotic disorders or bipolar disorder sometimes are too mentally unstable to go through an ibogaine experience. Theres some case reports of people that had mania that was induced by ibogaine. Hubbard and other members of KYOAAC believe the severity of the opioid crisis is cause for pursuing more unconventional solutions even in a conservative state like Kentucky, where opioid overdose-related fatalities are the second highest in the nation behind West Virginia. We lost 2,127 Kentuckians to overdoses last year. And those are just the preliminary numbers, state attorney general Daniel Cameron said at Wednesdays announcement. Overdose deaths in our state are up 60 percent since 2019, in just three years. That same report indicates that since 2019, we've lost 7,665 Kentuckians to overdose. Thats more than one-fourth the population of Frankfort. We know that opioids account for 90 percent of these deaths. Camerons enthusiasm for the program is notable, given that he has expressed a bit of reticence over the legalization of medical marijuana in Kentucky that Gov. Andy Beshear (D) signed into law in March. Cameron is running against Beshear in the 2024 gubernatorial election. Psychedelics Are Surgingat the Expense of Indigenous Communities When asked by The Daily Beast why the commission wanted to allocate millions toward studying a psychedelic compound rather than expanding resources to more tried-and-true public health initiatives, Hubbard argued that while medications like methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone are part of the solution, it comes with consequences. Diversion independently fuels the epidemic, and that the money gone into expanding access to these drugs has not yet had enough of an impact. KYOACC is proposing to fund the program to the tune of $42 million over the next six years, derived from a larger pool of $842 million collected from settlements received from federal lawsuits against pharmaceutical providers and manufacturers for the role they played in the opioid crisis affecting people across the nationincluding Wal-Mart, CVS, and Walgreens. Over $8 million has already been assigned to two dozen organizations specializing in prevention, treatment, and recovery services. If funding is approved, the programs first steps are to form an advisory council to initiate and oversee clinical research into the use of ibogaine for the treatment of mental health disorders like PTSD, addiction to substances like opioids, and severe depression. Through this council, the state government hopes to establish public-private partnerships with local clinical psychologists, nurse practitioners, and other licensed physicians to develop research studies. Public hearings will be scheduled in the coming months to collect more testimony from experts and iron out new details such as how to pursue the new pilot program and recruit participants for new trials. Psychedelic-assisted therapys star has risen rapidly in recent years, with advocates touting its ability to treat depression, PTSD, and alcoholism. Though ibogaine has not been studied as well as other hallucinogens, there are a few investigations that show its potentialincluding a new clinical trial launched in 2020 by Stanford University psychiatrist Nolan Williams, to treat combat veterans experiencing PTSD. The trial is still ongoing, but Williams has said the results so far have been positive. We May Have Discovered the Missing Link Between Mental Trauma and Chronic Pain Experts like Barsuglia point out that ibogaines big potential lies in how much more powerful its effects are versus other psychedelics. Rather than having to undergo several sessions before patients start to feel significant relief from mental health disorders, ibogaine would only require as few as one or two sessions. Those struggling with opioid use disorder would not have to enroll in a lengthy treatment program before experiencing some help. Some veterans have been especially vocal advocates for expanding the study of ibogaine as part of mental health treatment. At Wednesdays announcement, Retired Navy SEAL medic Tommy Aceto told the story of how trauma he experienced in the field led him to abuse opioids and alcohol. Aceto said it was ibogaine that helped him to recover. I knew that if I didn't try something new, I wouldn't be around much longer, he told the audience. Ibogaine showed me how to feel the separation between my body and my soul, my mind. I felt safe letting go of my addictions and my past traumas. I felt safe to feel again. The eventual goal of the new program is to make it possible for ibogaine to receive FDA approval as a breakthrough therapy, like the one given to psilocybin in 2019, which would accelerate the regulatory pathway for legal status nationwide. We must overcome the opioid epidemic by any and all humanitarian means necessary, Hubbard said in closing remarks at Wednesdays announcement. Our history demands it. 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. Polk County police have arrested eight men, including a Disney employee, under the department's "Operation May's Monsters," which is "focused on identifying those who possessed and distributed child pornography." Aside from the Disney employee, arrested individuals include a self-employed boudoir photographer and employees of major retail chains. The arrested men face a combined 1,280 felony charges. Investigators said the seized child porn (CP) materials included "thousands of photos and videos" of children of all ages, including those who were sexually battered, forced to engage in sex acts or strike sexually explicit poses. According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, the CP materials were "some of the most horrific" detectives have ever seen. "Each time one of these monsters uploads and shares child pornography, they are feeding a child exploitation pipeline, and they are victimizing children over and over again," the sheriff said. Judd also urged parents to actively engage in their children's business concerning their gaming stations, cell phones, and other electronic devices. Further information about the arrests would be released by Polk County Police at a press conference at 13:00 ET (17:00 UTC). This is a developing story. @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. NAHA, Japan (AP) Typhoon Mawar appeared to be losing force as it headed Wednesday toward Japan's Okinawa Islands, where the United States maintains a significant military presence, after largely skirting Taiwan and the Philippines. After tearing across Guam last week, Mawar passed by Taiwan on Tuesday with sustained winds of 155 kph (96 mph) and gusts of up to 190 kph (118 mph), sending high waves crashing on the island's east coast. In the Philippines, authorities said heavy rains were expected to continue in the country's north through at least Thursday and warned of flooding, possible landslides and gale-force winds before the typhoon exits the country's area of responsibility. As it turns toward the Japanese islands of Okinawa, Philippine meteorological authorities said Mawar's strength had dropped with sustained winds now of 120 kmh (75 mph) and gusts of up to 150 kmh (93 mph). Mawar is expected to gradually pick up speed but steadily weaken and may be downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it is predicted to hit the area on Friday, Philippine forecasters said. Residents on Japan's southern Sakishima Island chain, which includes the Okinawa Islands, were already preparing for the approaching typhoon when a warning siren woke them up Wednesday to alert them of a North Korean rocket launch. Officials urged people to stay indoors or take shelter underground in case of a falling debris. The rocket failed and did not come anywhere near Japan, but residents already anxious about the typhoon said it added to their stress. Japan had deployed a number of PAC-3 land-to-air interceptors on southern islands ahead of the launch, but some of them were kept on base instead of being set up at intended locations due to safety precautions ahead of the typhoon. The U.S. military, which has some 20,000 troops stationed on multiple facilities on Okinawa, will take preparatory action as the storm draws closer, depending upon need, said Capt. Brett Dornhege-Lazaroff, spokesman for the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force on Okinawa. Our installations are tracking the storm closely, he said. At the moment, it seems that Mawar will not make landfall on the main Okinawa island, home to the capital of Naha and where most of the U.S. forces are based, according to Japan's meteorological agency. Mawar lashed Guam last week, becoming the strongest typhoon to hit the U.S. Pacific territory in more than two decades, flipping cars, tearing off roofs and knocking out power. In the Philippines, more than 8,000 people had been evacuated from flood- and landslide-prone communities to emergency shelters or relatives' houses but many returned home on Wednesday as the weather started to clear. No major damage was reported. ___ Rising reported from Bangkok. Associated Press writers Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Jim Gomez in Manila contributed to this report. President Volodymyr Zelensky pressed his case for Ukraine to be part of the NATO military alliance as he joined European leaders on Thursday in Moldova ahead of an expected counter-offensive against Russia's invasion. Addressing leaders at the start of the gathering, Zelensky asked NATO members to take a clear decision on whether to admit Ukraine and also reiterated calls for Western fighter jets to protect Ukrainian skies after another deadly strike on Kyiv. He spoke as divisions between NATO members spilled out into the open over the speed of Ukraine's accession, with some fearing that a hasty move could bring the alliance closer to direct confrontation with Russia. "We told President Zelensky that we will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes," Moldovan President Maia Sandu said at a news conference closing the summit of the EU's 27 member states and 20 other European states. She hosted the meeting at a castle just 20 km (12 miles) from Ukrainian territory and near the Russian-backed, breakaway Transdniestria region of Moldova. Leaders used the occasion as a symbolic show of support for Ukraine and Moldova while also tackling other issues, including a rise in ethnic tensions in Kosovo and efforts towards lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The summit was a security and organisational challenge for Moldova, an ex-Soviet republic of 2.5 million people that is seeking a path to EU accession while being wary of Russia. Moldova shut its airspace except for official delegation planes. (FRANCE 24 with Reuters) Read more on FRANCE 24 English Read also: Tens of thousands of Moldovans rally in favour of EU membership Moscow attempting to 'reinstall a pro-Russian government' in Moldova, minister says Ready to bite the bullet? EU on collision course with Russia over Ukraine candidacy Over the course of two weeks at the beginning of May, over 30 kids were reported missing in the Cleveland region, causing concerns among parents and advocates. Cleveland Kids and Teens' Disappearance Rate Remained High According to Fox News, Newburgh Heights Police Chief John Majoy said that the number of missing children and teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 has stayed at historic levels throughout the month. "There's always peaks and valleys with missing persons, but this year it seems like an extraordinary year," said Majoy, who leads the police department in a Cleveland suburb and serves as board president of the volunteer non-profit Cleveland Missing. Majoy remarked it is unclear whether any of these youngsters are being trafficked or if they are connected to gang activity or drugs. Between May 2 and May 16, the Cleveland Police Department received reports of the disappearances of 27 children and teenagers. Majoy added that although abductions are less common and that most instances are believed to be runaways, young teens are vulnerable to predators who are "wolves in sheep's clothing." Their disappearances are not being reported on the news, and their accounts are not being circulated on social media until an Amber Alert is issued, as reported by Fox News. This contributes to a vicious cycle of crime in the Cleveland region. Desperate teens, according to Majoy, turn to gangs for safety. This often results in initiation crimes like carjackings and robberies, or they sell their bodies for money or become drug addicts. The absence of images only serves to heighten the gravity of the situation. There are more empty spaces labeled "Photo not available" than there are actual images of missing individuals when you go through Cleveland's missing persons website. Majoy said that this causes law enforcement agencies a myriad of problems. The public, he added, is law enforcement's "greatest asset" in missing people cases. If the family has images, the police may utilize social media and broadcast messages to the public to amass tips and possible leads. See Also: 8 Men Arrested in Child Porn Sting in Florida's Polk County Organization That Provides Emotional Support and Search Aid to Families Cleveland Missing is a special non-profit organization serving Cleveland and its surrounds, committed to helping families of missing individuals via emotional support, search assistance, and information. Sylvia Colon and her cousin Gina DeJesus, who was 14 when abductor Ariel Castro took her from their family in 2004, formed the organization. Colon told Fox News Digital, "Every family's experience is different, but there are some things that are the same for everybody. It's first disbelief, blame, [questions like] 'What did we do wrong?' 'Did we miss something?' 'Oh my gosh, how are we going to find this person?' The not knowing what are we going to do." Cleveland residents may contact police with information on missing individuals by calling 216-623-7697 or emailing helpfindthemissing@city.cleveland.oh.us. Cleveland Missing may be contacted at (216) 232-6470 or found at 2937 West 25th St. See Also: Dubai Authorities Arrest Man for Drug Smuggling Attempt; Marijuana Kept in Cereal Bags @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. HA NOI Viet Nam's ultra-rich population has nearly doubled over the past five years, according to Knight Frank's The Wealth Report. The number of ultra-rich persons in the country, whose net wealth exceeds US$30 million, rose from 583 in 2017 to 1,059 in late 2022. The figure is forecast to hit 1,295 in the next five years. And the good news doesn't stop there. The group of individuals with a net worth in excess of $1 million also expanded by 70 per cent, and is expected to reach more than 112,250 persons in 2027. The expansion of the well-off class in Viet Nam was echoed by the growing wealth in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, which were three of the top 10 fastest-growing wealth hubs in the world. The three countries saw their wealthy populations expand by around 7 to 9 per cent between 2021 and 2022. This comes despite the wider Asia-Pacific region experiencing a 5.7 per cent decline. Christine Li, Knight Frank head of research Asia-Pacific, said the Asia-Pacific population of ultra-high-net-worth individuals declined by 5.7 per cent in 2022, after a record climb of 7.5 per cent in the previous year. In spite of that, three out of 10 markets were witnessing the fastest-growing ultra-rich groups globally, with annual growth rates of between 7 to 9 per cent. "Taking the longer view, the wealth story remains compelling as the region will continue to lead the pack in the unending wealth expansion with plenty more opportunities for ultra-high-net-worths to discover," Christine Li said. The world's ultra-rich population contracted by 3.8 per cent in 2022 after a record climb in 2021. The up-and-down fluctuation in the top income bracket was indicative of the global economic situation, which saw a strong rebound in 2021 and then a reversal in 2022. Over the next five years, Knight Frank forecast that the global ultra-rich groups would expand by 28.5 per cent to almost three-quarters of a million from 579,625 persons in 2022. The headcounts of high-net-worth individuals would follow suit to surpass 100 million globally in the same period. Victoria Garrett, Knight Frank head of residential Asia-Pacific, said the top 10 global locations for forecast growth were dominated by European and Asian economies. The regions economic growth story would remain urban-centric, and its residential investment landscape would continue to be defined by its prime urban cores. "Underpinned by its high rates of urbanisation, investors can look forward to a more sustainable growth trajectory and wealth preservation profile, Victoria Garrett said. VNS HCM CITY Vietjet has been honoured as the Best Low-Cost Airline Onboard Hospitality for 2023 for the first time and named again as Best Ultra Low-Cost Airline 2023 for the 5th year in a row. The double international awards were selected by AirlineRatings, the worlds renowned airline safety and product rating website. The airline is recognised for its newly launched SkyBoss Business class with all priorities and premium services on wide-body aircraft, including the comfy leather flatbeds and incredible on-board cuisine experience. Vietjet has been recognised for its constant efforts to diversify new and quality aviation products. The airline has put the A330 wide-body aircraft into operation, offering the premium class of SkyBoss Business, which enhances the seamless pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flights experiences of flyers. Those services are pioneering and revolutionary for a low-cost airline, said Airlineratings Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas. AirlineRatings has also rated Vietjet at seven-star level, the highest ranking for aviation safety worldwide and the worlds Top 10 safest and best low-cost airlines for many years. It was voted as the Value Airline of the Year last year also by AirlineRatings. These major awards inspire the airline to keep up with the flight network and service expansion to bring more joyful and affordable connectivity while ensuring the excellent services performed by dedicated and professional cabin crew, Vietjet said in a statement. The AirlineRatings Airline Excellence Awards has been hosted since 2013 to honor the worlds best airlines. This year awards were judged by five editors with decades of industry experience, combining major safety and government audits, with key criteria that include: fleet age, passenger reviews, profitability, investment rating, product offerings, and others. The worlds best airline 2023 list also names Air New Zealand, Qatar Airways, Ethiad Airways and Singapore Airlines. VNS HA NOI Saint-Gobain Vietnam accompanied the 6th Top 10 Award as a silver sponsor. The representative of Saint-Gobain presented the award for two winning projects in the Top 10 Houses category, namely Tam ao Retreat and Tien's House, at the Top 10 Awards event organised by the Viet Nam Association of Architects, taking place at the Sofitel Metropole Hotel. Saint-Gobain's participation in the event shows its companionship and support for the development of Vietnamese architects and architecture firms. Duong Thi Minh Phuong, Head of Project Communication at Saint-Gobain said: "Saint-Gobain accompanying the award is our way of honouring talented architects and architecture firms devoting creative initiatives for the industry. As a leading provider of lightweight materials solutions, Saint-Gobain will support architects and architectural firms to create green buildings, bringing convenience to users." Saint-Gobain Vietnam is a destination providing comprehensive construction material solutions. The group's products and solutions not only have outstanding quality but also meet many green standards such as EPD, Greenguard, Green Label Singapore allowing architects and construction investors to create a sustainable green building. VNS HA NOI A conference on trade and investment promotion and economic cooperation between Viet Nam-Shandong (China) opened in Ha Noi on June 1. The conference was co-chaired by Hoang Minh Chien, deputy director of the Ministry of Industry and Trade's Trade Promotion Agency, and Lin Yuan, vice chairman of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shandong Sub-Council. The conference witnessed the signing ceremony of seven cooperation agreements between Vietnamese enterprises and Shandong enterprises. At this conference, Vietnamese businesses and Shandong's businesses had the opportunity to promote cooperation in official export of Vietnamese agricultural and aquatic products to China in the context of that China has removed Covid-19 pandemic prevention measures since January 8, 2023, creating favourable conditions for Viet Nam's export activities to China. The conference attracted more than 200 associations, production and import-export companies in many different fields of Viet Nam and China. During the conference, representatives of the Trade Promotion Agency and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT)'s Shandong Sub-Council introduced investment and trade opportunities for Vietnamese and Chinese businesses. In order to promote stable and sustainable development of economic and trade cooperation between Viet Nam and Shandong Province, Chien proposed the two sides to encourage the businesses to attend large and prestigious fairs and exhibitions of Viet Nam and Shandong, such as Viet Nam International Trade Fair (Vietnam Expo), Viet Nam International Food Industry Exhibition (Vietnam Foodexpo). Those events are expected to help the businesses introduce their products, brands and organise trade connection activities. Shandong should create favourable conditions for Vietnamese enterprises to promote the export of agricultural and aquatic products to China through official channels, especially agricultural products such as durian, purple sweet potato, bird nest that China has officially opened for them since 2022, Chien said. Meanwhile, the Trade Promotion Agency will coordinate with the CCPIT's Shandong Sub-Council and localities of Viet Nam to create favourable conditions for businesses of Shandong Province to have long-term trade connection and cooperation with Vietnamese businesses. The highlight of the conference was a Viet Nam-Shandong trade connection programme with the participation of more than 200 businesses in many fields, such as agricultural products - food, machinery equipment, rubber tires - auto parts, construction - building materials and other industries. In the first three months of 2023, the trade value between Shandong and Viet Nam reached US$2.67 billion, up 1.63 per cent over the same period in 2022. Of which, Shandong's exports to Viet Nam reached US$2 billion, up 7.9 per cent; and imports from Viet Nam reached $672.65 million, down 13.35 per cent, according to the Trade Promotion Agency. Main export items from Shandong to Viet Nam included mechanical machinery and electrical equipment, industrial chemicals, base metals, textile products, plastic and rubber, stone and glass materials. Key import products from Viet Nam to Shandong were timber and wood products, plastic and rubber, mechanical machinery and electrical equipment, vegetables, textile products, animals and made-from-animal products, industrial chemicals and mineral products. VNS HCM CITY Coteccons, one of the top construction companies in Viet Nam, has signed a three-year memorandum of understanding with Microsoft Vietnam to accelerate its innovation and value chain in the construction industry by leveraging the power of artificial intelligence and cloud technology. Through this collaboration, Coteccons will leverage Microsofts technology and solutions to accelerate digital transformation in four areas: helping it engage customers better, creating a secure modern workplace, optimising operations and transforming its products and services. Coteccons will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the companys current data centre infrastructure with help from Microsoft, including hardware, software, networking, and security systems, then analyse existing data centre operations and vulnerabilities and provide recommendations for improvements. It will then apply design cloud reference architecture for modern infrastructure and platforms as a service to unlock the benefits of cloud computing, including scalability, cost efficiency and improved agility. Under the MoU framework, Coteccons will invest resources to work with and build projects that can leverage the strength of Microsoft technologies and solutions. Microsoft will also provide training to Coteccons employees on Microsoft technologies, ensuring they have the necessary skills to use, manage and maintain the system. "We would like to be one of the first examples in how to digitalise the construction industry in Viet Nam. We recognise that there is an urgent need to apply established technologies and techniques in new ways in order to improve not only management efficiency and productivity, and ultimately the welfare of stakeholders, but also ESG performance. Coteccons has decided to take the journey to the cloud.... We are confident about this collaboration with Microsoft as the backbone of our digital journey, said Vo Hoang Lam, CEO of Coteccons. Nguyen Quynh Tram, Country General Manager of Microsoft Vietnam, said: Today, cloud and AI technology play a critical role in the transformation of the construction industry by reducing labour costs, increasing safety, and improving the quality of the building design. By embracing our industry proven cloud and AI technologies, Coteccons will be enabling construction companies to achieve incredible designs and buildings in Viet Nam. VNS In a recent interview with media, Canadas Ambassador for Women, Peace and Security, Jacqueline ONeill talked about the importance of including women's perspectives and experiences in United Nation peacekeeping missions as well as challenges that hinder womens participation in security mission worldwide. This is your first official visit to Viet Nam, could you please tell us more about it? My position in the government of Canada was created about four years ago by the Prime Minister. It's a reflection of the priority that Canada places on the issue of women in peace and security and the great potential for really strong relationships on this issue around the world. Canada, Viet Nam and many other countries in the world share a number of challenges, especially relating to non-traditional security threats, like climate change and climate emergencies, cybersecurity, trafficking and a whole range of other threats that we are dealing with from a peace and security perspective. This region is so important to us. Viet Nam has shown leadership in key areas related to women, peace and security and I wanted to visit and learn from Vietnamese colleague and to share some of the experiences that Canada has been having. There are so many opportunities for us to collaborate and work together to learn from Vietnamese experiences, for us to share Canadian experiences, and for us to continue for both military police and government institutions as well as people to people to share experiences and plans related to peace and security. By March 2022, 85 out of 193 countries and territories approved a national action programme on women peace and security, why are the remaining countries unwilling to fulfill their commitments and what can UN do to promote women's participation? There are many countries now that have a national plan for implementing the agenda and the idea of this agenda is that all aspects of peace and security are stronger when women are meaningfully included in making them. So many countries have developed national strategies and we are close to 105 and it keeps going. Canada has one and we are here in part because Viet Nam has announced that it will be creating a national action plan on women, peace and security. Many countries are on the path towards creating one. So even they havent announced it yet, they are taking meaningful step and what the UN and the rest of us who have plans do is to share experience as many of us are facing the same challenges. Many of us are facing a lot of non-traditional threats so we used to concepts of war involving military and security forces between states and now all over the world we are facing challenges like threats from climate change, cyber security issue, online harassment of women. What we can do is to share experiences about how we are addressing challenges and what we can do better. By talking about it, more and more countries will see the values in doing it. Why is it important to ensure diversity and include women perspective in peacekeeping? It's important to achieving the entire mission which includes strengthening relationships with local people. It includes protecting people and to protect people, you have to understand what their priorities are, what their needs are. In many places where there are peacekeeping missions, it's women who are responsible for collecting water for the family. Sometimes because of conflict, women have to travel further distances to collect water. When keepers understand what women have to do and what risks they face, they can do things like increased patrols around water sources. They also help build the confidence of the local community in the peacekeepers because when the community can see that the force looks like them, the communities all have men and women, they like their forces, and they see they have men and women, they have more confidence that they're there to be of service and not there for a negative reason. There are a whole range of other reasons why having men and women serving together is really important. We don't say women are better at one thing, and men are better at something, we need the diversity, all the perspectives together in one force. What are gender-based challenges female peacekeepers face while their male counterparts may not? Some women who've been peacekeepers have said sometimes their male colleagues think that they don't want to be deployed on the most dangerous patrols, or that because they're women, they can't do some of the physical tasks. But they're always very clear that they are there to do the role that every peacekeeper needs to do. Sometimes there are stereotypes about what women can do physically or risk wise. They say that it's sometimes a challenge to convince even their own colleagues that they want to be treated with that same theme of quality. How do you assess Viet Nams women participating in UN peacekeeping? Viet Nam is a real leader in contributing to peacekeeping overall. The country is currently exceeding the UN recommended level for the proportion of women who serve. We have seen around the world that female peacekeepers are able to do the same job that men can do and their presence really strengthened the ability of the peacekeeping force to conduct a whole range of additional functions within the country. Canada and Viet Nam also share the same challenge of wanting to continue to deploy women to increase our percentages of women and to ensure that we're deploying women at all levels, including the most senior level. What are your recommendations to support Viet Nam in further increasing women participation? The challenges that both Viet Nam and Canada face are very similar to each other and they're similar to challenges that women in security forces face all around the world. I think something that we both know at this stage in our journey is the importance of leadership and the commitment of top leadership to saying we need women in military police deployed on peacekeeping operations. That commitment is essential. We've seen that both in Viet Nam and Canada. Even with that commitment, there are sometimes challenges or issues within our organisations, our societies that make it challenging for women to deploy. Virtually every part of the world, including Canada, women's responsibilities for caring for children and the rest of their family is the number one challenge faced. We have been looking at opportunities for providing childcare, for supporting families to understand more about the value of deploying on peacekeeping and about what circumstances are like. We have also learned from Viet Nam and from partners in the ASEAN region that you've created networks of women peacekeepers, and that's something that we understand is very important and that we are taking away from this visit as something that we hope to do more. VNS HA NOI Viet Nam's maritime law enforcement is closely following the intrusion by the Chinese survey ship Xiang Yang Hong 10 and the escorting flotilla of coast guard and fishing vessels into Vietnamese waters. Deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nguyen uc Thang made the remark on Thursday, in response to the question on Viet Nam's reaction to Chinese ships' continued presence in Viet Nam's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Thang stressed that Vietnamese authorities are resolutely and determinedly protecting and exercising the legal rights and interests of Viet Nam in its waters, in accordance with international laws, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and Vietnamese law. On May 25, the deputy spokesperson for the foreign ministry Pham Thu Hang said these ships "violated Viet Nam's EEZ, which was established in accordance with the provisions of the 1982 UNCLOS." The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant agencies have repeatedly communicated with Chinese authorities and implemented measures in accordance with international law and Vietnamese law to ensure Viet Nam's legitimate rights and interests, deputy spokesperson Hang stressed. Viet Nam demands that relevant Chinese agencies comply with the common perceptions of the high-level leadership of the two countries, immediately end their provocative activities, withdraw the Xiang Yang Hong 10 and other coast guard and fishing vessels from Vietnamese waters, respect Viet Nam's sovereignty and jurisdictional rights, strictly abide by the Declaration on the Conduct (DOC) of Parties in the South China Sea (known in Viet Nam as the East Sea), towards the maintenance of peace, cooperation, and development in the East Sea, and contribute to the development of bilateral relations. VNS TIEN GIANG The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Tien Giang plans to have about 82,000ha of fruit growing areas that are granted production codes for export by 2025. The countrys largest fruit producing province aims to have 25,000ha granted codes this year, according to its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Vo Van Men, head of the provinces Plant Cultivation and Protection Sub-department, said the province has 271 fruit growing areas with a total of 20,000ha that have been granted production codes. Of them, 175 areas grow fruits to export to China. Jackfruit, dragon fruit and durian growing areas account for the largest share of code-granted fruit growing areas. A code-granted area must have a minimum of 10ha, grow one type of fruit and grow it to Vietnamese good agricultural practices (VietGAP) or other equivalent standards. The province has 257 fruit packaging establishments that have been granted production codes to serve export markets. The sub-department has received 83 applications of fruit packaging establishments to register for production codes. It has also received 204 applications asking for production codes for 8,900ha of fruits to export to China. It is strengthening advocacy activities to enhance the awareness of farmers about the purposes of production codes and assist them to link with companies and co-operatives to grow fruits in code-granted areas. It is also assisting farmers, co-operatives and companies to register to receive the code and providing them advanced farming techniques. It instructs farmers to grow fruits to VietGAP, maintain a cultivation diary for origin traceability, and bag fruits on trees to meet the quality requirements of export markets. Cai Lay Districts Ngu Hiep Commune has a 1,500ha specialised durian growing area and its fruit has been granted a geographical indication certification by the National Office of Intellectual Property. The commune is focusing on instructing farmers about procedures to register for production codes and targets all durian orchards in the specialised durian growing area to get codes. Farmers, co-operatives and companies in the province are also expanding code-granted fruit growing areas. The Cam Son Co-operative in Cai Lays Cam Son Commune has been granted seven production codes for nearly 780ha of durian, or all of the communes specialised durian growing area. Pham Van Nuoi, director of the co-operative, said the co-operative, through export companies, is expected to export its first batches of durian to China through official channels by the end of this year when it is the peak harvest time of off-season durian. Cho Gao District, which is the provinces largest dragon fruit growing area, has created favourable conditions for farmers to link with co-operatives and companies to grow high quality dragon fruit and increase export value. The district has encouraged dragon fruit farmers to use VietGAP and GlobalGAP to increase quality. Dragon fruit farmers have earned high profits since March of this year because the selling price has increased after a period of declining. Nguyen Van Huong in Cho Gaos Quon Long Commune has sold five tonnes of dragon fruit at a price of VN33,000 (US$1.4) a kilogramme and earned a profit of VN165 million ($7,000). With this selling price, farmers feel secure to grow dragon fruit, he said. Nguyen Van Man, director of the department, said the province has about 83,000ha of fruit with an annual output of 1.6 million tonnes, with many specialty fruits of high export value. With the development of production codes for exporting officially to China and other countries, the province is taking opportunities to develop sustainably specialty fruit growing areas and improve income for farmers, he said. VNS HCM CITY Vietnam Space Week will be held in Hau Giang and Binh inh provinces and HCM City from June 5 to 9. Organised by the two provinces, Thu uc City in HCM City and the HCM City Computer Association (HCA) with support from the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration, it will make Viet Nam the first Southeast Asian country to host such a NASA event. Visitors will have the chance to meet with US astronauts and experience space exploration and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) educational activities. Michael Koetsier, vice president of client management at Skyrora UK Ltd, an orbital launch vehicle manufacturer focused on providing clients with low cost access to space for a range of satellites, said astronaut Mike Baker and flight surgeon Dr Josef Schmid would be in attendance. Baker was on four space missions, twice each as pilot and mission commander, and later became director of operations for NASA based at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Russia, he said. Schmid was an aquanaut serving in the NEEMO (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations) project, the worlds only undersea research laboratory. He is now the lead for Orion (Artemis) medical operations, an international programme that will take humans to the moon. He was also the first person to be holoported off the planet and into the ISS. Koetsier said: The event will focus on raising awareness among young people of the opportunities that exist for them if they choose to pursue a career with STEM. We invite all young people to come along to take part in the many events which will run throughout the week. HCA Chairman Lam Nguyen Hai Long said Vietnam Space Week aims to inspire the young generations through astronauts' stories about working and living in space, share information about scientific studies on how to protect Earth, minimise environmental pollution, warn of the risks of collision with asteroids, and provide information about extraterrestrial life among others, thereby inspiring and providing career-oriented education and career orientation for them. This is the first time such a NASA event is organised in a Southeast Asian country, and we hope to make it an annual event and expect NASA to continue choosing Viet Nam as the host country and upgrading it to the ASEAN level. The event will be held in Hau Giang Province on June 5-6, HCM City on June 7 and Binh inh Province on June 8-9. VNS HA NOI The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has asked agencies to pilot the use of level 2 electronic identification (eID) authentication for air passengers at airports nationwide from June 1. The pilot scheme will last until August 1 and is applicable for passengers on domestic flights, according to the CAAV. Passengers who join the pilot voluntarily will show their eID to airline staff at check-in booths and boarding areas. The eID account can replace the physical ID card, and the programme is optional for both passengers and airline staff. The staff must commit not to use passenger information for illegal purposes. The level-2 account is created in case the information of the declarant has been verified by a portrait photo or a fingerprint that matches the information recorded in the countrys databases on population, citizen identity, or immigration. In the long term, the CAAV proposed the passenger verification work use both eID and biometric authentication. Airport operators, airlines and agencies and units with aviation staff to perform a check-in, aviation security checks, boarding were asked to arrange check-in counters and security checkpoints flow for the pilot, depending on their conditions. They were also asked to set up clear signs and train and mobilise experienced staff to participate in the effort. Airport operators will arrange locations (not in restricted areas of the airport) and coordinate with public security forces and local police to issue level 2 eID accounts for air passengers. They must collect data on the pilot weekly and report to the CAAV every 15 days to quickly address difficulties and inadequacies. VNS A Russian missile attack in Kyiv killed a nine-year-old child, her mother, and another woman. The victims attempted to take cover in an air raid shelter, but it could not open, leaving them susceptible to the onslaught. The deaths, which occurred close to a clinic in the Desnyanskyi area, have been the subject of a criminal inquiry by the police in reaction to this tragic incident, according to Reuters. Since the start of May, 18 attacks on the city have been reported, which raises worries about the increase in violence as the Russia-Ukraine war continues. Mayor Vitali Klitschko voiced his grief, saying the missile component landed near the clinic immediately after the air warning. The air raid shelter's closing stopped individuals from finding refuge, but the cause of its closure is unknown. Following the sad occurrence, locals have been urged to examine shelters and report any safety issues. According to local media, the inquiry into these fatalities included searches at municipal administrative buildings. Read Also: Dubai Authorities Arrest Man for Drug Smuggling Attempt Kyiv's International Children's Day celebrations were canceled after the Russian missile strike, purportedly using short-range Iskander ground-launched missiles, NBC News reported. The Kremlin's 10 cruise and ballistic missiles were intercepted by Ukrainian air defenses, but falling debris injured 16 people on the ground. Attacks Continue To Intensify The Russian missile attack in Kyiv comes after a string of drone attacks earlier in the week that damaged and injured residents of residential buildings in Moscow. Ukraine denies participation in the airstrikes. Russian soldiers have been relentlessly attacking Kyiv and other regions of Ukraine in recent weeks as Kyiv gets ready for a counteroffensive to stave off the invasion. Numerous drone and missile assaults have targeted Kyiv, constantly making its citizens anxious, according to The Hill. The United Nations' Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported that six children died, and 34 sustained injuries in one month. Unsettlingly, since February 2022, there has been a considerable increase in juvenile casualties, with at least 525 children dying and at least 1,047 children suffering injuries. These shocking figures show how the Russia-Ukraine war has affected society's most vulnerable. Related Article: UN Issues 'Mutually Beneficial' Proposal as Black Sea Grain Deal on Brink of Collapse @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. By Le Huong When visiting the lush Golden Camellia Park in Nho Quan District in the northern province of Ninh Binh, it is hard to imagine that a few years ago the valley was abandoned with few crops surviving, the local soil deemed too rough to do anything worthwhile. But things have changed. Part of the valley has been converted into the park, hosting several greenhouses nurturing the seedlings and plants of camellia for revered ornamental flowers and essential oil. Covering an area of 26 hectares, it is the only park of its kind in the country. The success of the park is largely down to the vision of Vu Van Tam, the chairman of Vu Gia Herbal Company Ltd, which supplies materials to produce various herbal products, including those from golden camellia. Tam says that Cuc Phuong National Park is home to over 2,000 types of plants, including many valuable species. He says there are dozens of types of golden camellia, but the ones growing in the buffer zone of the park are great for human health. Some research has suggested the plant could be beneficial to inhibiting tumour growth, lowering blood pressure, and preventing atherosclerosis. Tam sees it as his duty to spin gold from the plant's wide-ranging properties, of which he is a keen proselytiser. I learnt about the plant on a business trip to a northern mountainous area, where a local herbalist offered me a drink from the flower, he tells Viet Nam News. The herbalist says the plant was good for peoples health. "Then I learned from various sources that the golden camellia has over 400 chemical substances, none of which are toxic or have side effects. All improve peoples health, enhance resistance and prevent diseases naturally and safely. Tam soon invested in the park with some friends, hoping to produce herbal products from the plant. The material source in nature is limited, so we decided to plant camellia by ourselves to have a stable source of raw material for production, he adds. The plant also resides in China, but it is Viet Nam that is considered a paradise for the golden blooms, with over 50 types. The park alone has collected 30 kinds from across the country. The company has chosen types with high productivity to plant en masse. Each year we harvest several tonnes of the fresh flower, and dry them to pack in boxes for consumers to enjoy as a drink, Tam says. "We want to let Vietnamese people use the products first, and then we will think of export later. Protecting and developing golden camellia is vital, as the plant has been growing wild in the forest. The natural forest area has been much reduced over time, resulting in the disappearance of the wild plant. Tam wants to collect all the genres of the endangered plant to share with nature lovers and plans for more products like instant herbal tea from the flowers and leaves, and even cosmetics for women. Big potential Camellia is a perennial plant. It blooms once a year, and the number of flowers and leaves increases rapidly year by year. The company has set up an automatic irrigation system, with the golden camellia plants grown alongside other plants to get shadow from the sun. We are trying to apply green cultivating methods by using organic fertilisers from cattle dung and decomposed vegetables to save the environment, Tam says. We raise red ants to limit the black ants that harm the plant, and make biological traps for flies. After being picked, the flowers are freeze-dried at minus 50 degrees Celsius, so they maintain their shape, colour and chemical substance. The company has received a GACP-WHO certificate from the Ministry of Health for "Good Agriculture and Collection Practices". Its production line has been approved with the HACCP certificate by the Quacert Centre for food safety; and they have 4-star OCOP (One Commune, One Product) standard for Ninh Binh Province, and were among the best products of the north in 2022. According to the International Camellia Journal, substances from the flower can limit the development of tumours by over one-third, which may even help in treating cancer. They can also help reduce cholesterol in the blood as well as or better than existing drugs. The leaves are also thought to prevent inflammation and allergies and maintain a healthy thyroid gland. I believe herbal tea from golden camellia is a potential product, says Pham Van Trung, head of the Rural Development Agency under Ninh Binhs Agriculture and Rural Development Department. Its really meaningful for us as the product is made locally. Bigger ambitions But Tam's dream goes beyond mere money-making and into the realm of the spiritual. He wants to soon open the park to the public and has designed the area with lakes, streams, and facilities for practising Zen. I intend to set up 108 areas for practising Zen or yoga throughout the park, he says. I want more people to enjoy the fresh air here and live closer to nature. Im finding tranquillity for my soul in this valley. Hoang Thanh Thuy, founder & CEO of the Mekong Coconut Company, says that she can feel Tams enthusiasm for the park. He has a long-term vision and the courage to turn this barren land into a fertile park, she says. With his heart, strong will, and calmness to live in nature, I hope he will make this place special. Nguyen Thi Lien, project manager of the Regional Biotrade Project, says she really appreciates the creation of the park. "This is a good model of biodiversity created by a private enterprise. This is a highly recommended model for many enterprises, who are still wondering about their role in protecting natural resources and preserving and recovering nature," she says. "Such a project like Biotrade will help push models of producing and trading products that have local origins and search markets for other such products." Nguyen Thi Thu Lien, an official from the Association of Food Transparency, also shows her admiration for Tams efforts. Maintaining a clean material source, using no chemical fertilisers and no growth stimulants while still reaching the desired productivity for market demand is not simple, she says. All living organisms inside the park have a close connection to one another. They collaborate, share mutual benefits, and create a diverse ecosystem to protect a park with biodiversity and ensure the local communitys benefits. Whilst Tam has full belief in the value of the project, he often jokes that it was the land that chose him, not him who chose the land. Seeing is believing. People here can see a valley of yellow flowers in spring and a tranquil green land with birds twittering and streams gurgling. They will believe there is nothing we cannot do, he says. VNS (Additional reporting by Nguyen Hong Van) By Cong Thanh In the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Nguyen Huu Quy Khang, 31, a construction engineer, found himself unable to return to his work in Japan, and instead found a temporary job at a Ngoc Linh ginseng farm in Nam Tra My District of Quang Nam. He soon fell in love with work on the mountainous ginseng farm, tending and nurturing the ancient medicinal herb believed by some to have almost magical qualities. Khang's new role saw him explore the natural conservation of Vietnamese ginseng (Panax vietnamensis), growing strongly and sustainably in the primary forest. At first he found being away from Japan difficult, but the work on the Sam Sam Company ginseng farm soon grabbed all his attention. Its a turning point. I thought I would just be working on the farm while waiting for Japan-Viet Nam air services to resume after the pandemic. However, the wild nature of my homeland soon fascinated me, Khang said. I restarted as a beginner in farming. It was quite different to engineering work that I had experienced in Japan. I loved exploring the co-existence of the flora habitat and ginseng. It was like caring for a newborn baby. Khang said he spent most of his time on the farm observing ginseng seeds sprouting. Saplings are very sensitive to any small temperature changes in the foggy mountain air, where sunlight hits for just a few hours each day. We built up a scrutiny process to watch the saplings at every moment in the forest canopy farms, while arranging long-term nutrition and pest protection. Ginseng sprouts die if they suffer from plant fungus at any time. Rodents are also a threat, he said. As a technical manager of the farm, he also trains local workers on how to develop ginseng as a sustainable crop for the community, rather than lazily making money from illegal logging and hunting. Khang said the farm had developed on one-hectare pilot plot before expanding as a high-yield business and community joint-venture farm. Ho Van Khuyet, 40, a member of the Xo ang ethnic group in Tra Linh Village, said he was trained in sustainable agricultural practice at the farm for two years. Most local villagers lived by exploiting forest products including animal hunting for food in the jungle, but the strict rules of forest protection stopped us from living this life, Khuyet said. We had to do odd jobs in urban areas instead. However, we struggled with poor education and skills in urban and industrial parks. Our forest-based experience was always our best skill. He said the ginseng farming project offered an opportunity for ethnic communities to improve their income with their traditional forest knowledge. It took me one year to complete training in ginseng farming. We can earn well from working on the ginseng farm, while protecting the forest, our spiritual home, for future generations, he said. Global value In building a national high-quality ginseng brand, Sam Sam has grown 500,000 ginseng plants on a 200ha farm in Tra Linh mountainous village. The company has put into operation the first Ngoc Linh ginseng production facility a major high-tech processing factory combined with a nursery and research centre at Tam Thang Industrial Park in Tam Ky City, producing 200,000 capsules and 5 million Ngoc Linh ginseng saplings by in-vitro every year. The sustainable ginseng farm has been listed as one of 20 safe and one of eight Asian projects jointly assessed and financially supported by the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Dutch Fund for Climate and Development (DFCD). Experts from the DFCD and WWF-Vietnam recently paid a field trip to inspect technical and financial support for the project. The DFCD has approved a support grant for Sam Sam, seeking to scale up its production in one of the countrys poorest regions. The money will help the company to acquire seedlings, seeds, earthworm compost and land for expansion. The project is aided by the World Wide Fund for Nature Netherlands together with SNV Netherlands Development Organisation to nurture new projects for the investment fund. With the approval of the grant, the WWF plans to sign a 275,000-euro grant agreement with Sam Sam. Huib Jan de Ruijter, senior expert from the Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Ban (DEDB), said the project developed by Sam Sam offered benefits to the local community, particularly in terms of protecting the forest and mitigating climate change. Aart Jan Mulder, portfolio manager from DEDB Bank, said the ginseng project was unique in the well-protected primary forest as it helped conserve nature, while creating benefits for both business and the indigenous community while reducing the damage caused by climate change. Stuart Beavis, regional lead at WWF Asia said: "Sam Sam has the potential to be an amazing project. It grows ginseng under the now protected canopy of the forest and works closely with the locals, adding to their skill set and income. The company is also perfectly aligned with the national government's vision for this commodity." The chairman of the company, Nguyen uc Luc, said the combined investment of farm-production plant R&D and the in-vitro centre would help build global production chains for the national brand and boost sustainable development of the Ngoc Linh ginseng not only for Quang Nam, but nationally. We have been building a long-term strategy for a national brand of high-quality Ngoc Linh ginseng production from seed selection, planting and harvest, to storage and processing, Luc said. He said at least 80 per cent of natural forests were well protected by local farmers who joined the ginseng farm as the plant could only develop well under forest canopy from 1,400m to 2,500m above sea level, Luc said. As ginseng can die by chemical fertiliser, the ginseng farm is fertilised by organic earthworms. The farm will help contribute to Viet Nams zero carbon targets." The ginseng farm will also be recruiting and training manpower from the Xo ang, Ca Dong and M' Nong ethnic communities across several local villages, hoping to develop more medicinal herb farms. VNS Industrial parks and gas ventures are among those that are being kickstarted after long delays Mitsui Oil Exploration is eager to remove long delays in resolving procedures in order to develop the $10-billion Block B of the O Mon gas venture. In the framework of the meeting between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and executives of several major Japanese economic corporations in Hiroshima last week, Mitsui Oil president and CEO Hirotaka Hamamoto asked the PM to help settle pending issues to accelerate the project. The company has proposed a number of solutions to resolve pending issues to be able to officially develop the project as soon as June this year. Block B is located in the Malay-Tho Chu basin in southwest Vietnam, and comprises the development of a gas field and pipeline. It was announced in early 2016 and the first production was expected in the second quarter of 2020. It is considered one of the most significant gas exploitation projects in the country. PM Chinh hailed the corporation for pursuing the project on natural gas exploitation at Block B, expressing hope that the natural gas would soon serve Vietnams O Mon thermal power plants. He suggested that Mitsui continue cooperating with and investing in the Vietnamese market, especially in the development of green and clean energy that align with global trends and contribute to the nations goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Another long-delayed project is Quang Tri Industrial Park in the central province of Quang Tri. At a meeting in mid-May, the provincial Party Committees Deputy Secretary Nguyen Dang Quang asked provincial departments, agencies, and localities to work closely to help investors complete legal procedures related to the project in order to accelerate implementation of $87 million complex. The project was licensed in March 2021 but has yet to be implemented due to barriers in land clearance and compensation for households. The park is a joint venture involving Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park, Amata City Bien Hoa, and Sumitomo Corporation. It is based in Hai Lang district and is set to cover 481.2 hectares. The first stage of the project costs $21.74 million and was scheduled to be implemented before 2025. As of last month, around three-quarters of the land for the first stage has been cleared. Block B and the Quang Tri park are just two of many registered foreign-invested projects with a lack of progress in recent years. According to the Ministry of Planning and Investments Foreign Investment Agency, Vietnam has attracted consolidated registered capital of $446 billion over the past 30 years, and disbursed $280 billion so far, meaning a raft of projects and huge amounts of capital still awaiting disbursement. The total disbursed volume of foreign direct investment in 2022 reached a record of $22.4 billion, up 13.5 per cent over the previous year, which means that $5.32 billion is still on paper only. Foreign direct investment stood at $8.88 billion in the first four months of 2023, with disbursed capital of $5.85 billion. Both the government and local authorities are making effort to boost the disbursement of foreign-invested projects in terms of traffic, industrial infrastructure, and improving the labour force. They have determined key tasks to attract more foreign-invested capital, including those willing to innovate, reform, improve the business environment, and being ready to provide support. For example, the northern province of Thai Binh took only 10 months to complete land clearance for nearly 540 ha at Lien Ha Thai Industrial Zone, which is a province record. Thanks to this effort, the complex has attracted seven projects equalling capital of $731 million in the two years since its funding plan was approved, one of which is a $260 million manufacturing plant by Taiwanese laptop maker Compal Electronics. vir Vietnam's fruit and vegetable export turnover has risen 29% year-on-year to US$1.9 billion in the first five months of this year, enabling the sector to reach US$4 billion in exports in 2023, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). Fruit and vegetable exports grossed US$982 million in the first quarter of this year, up 16.2% compared to the same period in 2022, with sales to the Chinese market showing impressive growth. China imported $805 million worth of Vietnamese products, accounting for 80% of the market share. MARD stressed that in foreign markets, including China, Vietnamese fruits face stiff competition from rivals from Thailand, Cambodia, and the Philippines. "Export prospects in the second half of the year will be better as many countries favor Vietnamese agricultural products," it added. Vietnamese durian for exporting. Photo: congthuong.vn Dang Phuc Nguyen, general secretary of the Vietnam Fruit Association (Vinafruit), said durian was a major contributor to the impressive export results in the first months of this year. The fruit's export value is expected to reach $1 billion, contributing to the sector's target of $4 billion this year, up 20% year-on-year. Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports to China fell sharply in 2022 due to the impact of China's Zero-Covid policy. This was the first time the sector experienced a sharp decline in export turnover, with the Chinese market accounting for less than 50% of the total export value. Now that China is wide open, Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports to this country are making a strong comeback. In the first quarter, the exports to China reached $576 million, accounting for 58.7% of the total fruit and vegetable export value, up 27% on year. "Fruit and vegetable export will be very positive if Vietnamese enterprises meet the requirements of the Chinese market in terms of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). The export value will rapidly grow this year and the following years," Nguyen said. Nguyen Xuan Cuong, Director of the MARD's Department of Plant Production, said that besides China, it is also necessary to step up trade promotion activities in other markets such as the US, EU, New Zealand, Japan, and Australia. "In recent years, processed fruit and vegetable exports have been growing. Last year, the export value of these products exceeded $1 billion for the first time, accounting for nearly 30% of the total export value of fruits and vegetables. To be precise, we earned nearly $3.4 billion from fruit and vegetable exports in 2022," Cuong added. He said processors should invest and adopt advanced technologies to improve the export value and gain a firmer foothold in choosy markets like the US and EU. Hanoi Times More than 50 staff volunteers from CLD (Vietnam) and The Ascott Limited participated in the drive that took place during the end-of-term celebrations held at the schools from May 24 to 29. Students at Thanh Phuoc Primary School receiving essential items during the end-of-term celebration In addition to the distribution of school equipment, CLD (Vietnam), through CHF, awarded scholarships to 22 high-performing fifth-grade students to cover their expenses, including school fees, textbooks, and health insurance, as they embark on their secondary school education. A representative from CLD (Vietnam) awarding scholarships at Quang Yen primary school in Phu Tho province The end of the school term also marked the completion of the Nutrition Project initiated by CLD (Vietnam) in collaboration with the International Dairy Products JSC (IDP), one of Vietnams fastest-growing dairy product firms. Through the Nutrition Project that is supported by CHF, which aims to supplement the nutritional needs of the students under the CapitaLand Hope School Programme, more than 223,000 packs of milk were distributed to about 1,400 students in the 2022-2023 academic year. In partnership with IDP, health check-ups were conducted at the start and end of the project to monitor the students health and development. They indicated that 73 per cent of the participants showed an improvement in their health by the end of the project. According to Ronald Tay, CEO of CLD (Vietnam), CapitaLand is committed to building a better future for children in need by providing support for their educational needs and wellbeing. As a strong advocate of volunteerism, we are proud that our staff volunteers have taken time to join our corporate social responsibility activities and give back to the community, Tay said. Over the past years, a total of over 6,000 staff volunteer hours have been contributed to support the students at the four schools in Phu Tho, Hung Yen, and Long An provinces. Since 2007, CLD (Vietnam) and CHF have contributed to the upgrading of school facilities to provide a safe and conducive learning environment for the students, as well as improving access to education through various programmes such as My Schoolbag and CapitaLand Kids. Do Muoi, principal of CapitaLand Quang Yen Primary Hope School, said that the school believes that a quality education plays a crucial role in providing children with a better start in life. We remain focused on providing a conducive environment for holistic education where students can learn effectively and also pick up positive values and attitudes to support their overall development. We are grateful to have dedicated stakeholders like CLD (Vietnam) and CHF to support us on this journey. On behalf of the school faculty, the students, and their families, we would like to thank CLD Vietnam and CHF, as well as other relevant stakeholders, for their continued support throughout the years, Muoi said. CLD is the development arm of the CapitaLand Group, with a portfolio worth $16.2 billion as of March 31. It encompasses developments across various asset classes, including integrated developments, retail, office, lodging, residential, business parks, industrial, logistics, and data centres. CLD (Vietnam) oversees and grows CLDs investment and development business in Vietnam, one of CLDs core markets where it has built an extensive presence over 29 years. CLD (Vietnam)s portfolio comprises one retail mall, one small office, home office development, three integrated developments, and over 13,000 quality homes across 17 residential developments. As part of the CapitaLand Group, CLD places sustainability at the core of what it does. As a responsible real estate company, CLD complements CapitaLands businesses through its contributions to the environmental and social wellbeing of the communities where it operates, all while delivering long-term economic value for its stakeholders. CapitaLand Development hands over pink books for D1Mension CapitaLand Development (CLD), the development arm of CapitaLand Group, has handed over the first batch of pink books to the homeowners of D1Mension, its first luxury boutique residential development in the prime District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City. CapitaLand Development unveils SOHO property in Hanoi's Tay Ho district CapitaLand Development (CLD), the development arm of CapitaLand Group, commenced the sales gallery preview and the booking of its first Small Office Home Office (SOHO) property in Vietnam on November 26. CapitaLand Development wins twice at PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards CapitaLand Development (CLD), the development arm of CapitaLand Group, clinched Best Housing Development and Best Eco-Friendly Housing Development for Sycamore, CLDs first large-scale residential property in Vietnam, at the prestigious PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards Grand Final 2022 held on 9 December 2022. Contributions of foreign direct investment cannot be denied, illustration photo In recent years, there has been a viewpoint that foreign direct investment (FDI) is a foreign element rather than an organic part of Vietnams economy. It is also sometimes believed that the domestic economy is weak due to the low spillover effects of FDI without a clear recognition of the need to promote the development of the domestic economy. However, if we assume something that did not happen in reality that Vietnam never did have access to FDI then we would see a vastly different nation today. The increasing proportion of FDI indicates that the economic growth rate of this area is usually higher than that of the domestic economy. Without, it would take many more years for Vietnam to reach the GDP scale of 2022 with $409 billion and average GDP per capita of $4,110, and with the economic growth rate at over 7 per cent annually, as seen in 1991-1997 and 2002-2007. In 2022, the realised investment capital at current prices reached $140 billion, up 11.2 per cent over the previous year. Of which, FIEs accounted for 16.2 per cent and increased by 13.9 per cent. The share of FDI in total social investment tended to decrease gradually from the peak of 30.4 per cent in 1995 to the bottom of 14.2 per cent in 2004 and then suddenly increased to 24.3 per cent in 2007. It peaked at 30.9 per cent in 2008 and then gradually decreased to around 16 per cent in the past two years. The investment efficiency of FDI has improved significantly in the past decade, when its share in GDP was much higher than that of total social investment. In the period 1988-2021, there was more than $251 billion of realised FDI out of a total of nearly $524 billion of registered capital in over 38,300 projects. Realised FDI capital also has experienced many ups and downs, with periods of capital at a double-digit annual growth rate and even nearly doubling in 2007, along with periods of decline in 2009-2012 and 2020-2022. However, such capital has made an important contribution to investment resources in Vietnam, not only in terms of quantity but also in quality. In 2022, the export turnover of goods reached $371.85 billion, up 10.6 per cent over the previous year. For the past 20 years, FIEs have officially contributed more than half of Vietnams total merchandise exports and grew to more than two-thirds in 2013, before reaching approximately three-quarters last year. It can be asserted that without FDI, Vietnam could not have become the export powerhouse it is now, with the growth rate of commodity export turnover continuously at double digits and commodity exports accounting for 90.9 per cent of GDP in 2022. Vietnam has become an increasingly important global commodity production base. The openness of Vietnams economy to 179 per cent of GDP in 2022 is led by FDI, when it also accounted for 65 per cent of the total import turnover of goods in the same year. More importantly, without it, it would be difficult for Vietnam to get out of a persistent trade deficit and move to a trade surplus. If it is said that by attracting FDI we can improve the capital balance, it is thanks to the export activities of FIEs Vietnam has improved the trade balance markedly, thereby improving the current account and the overall balance of payments. While the domestic economic sector is still deep in a state of trade deficit with a record of $30.7 billion in 2022, FIEs continuously have a trade surplus. The vast majority of basic indicators of FIEs maintain a continuous uptrend. As of the end of 2020, the country boasted over 22,200 FIEs, of which just over 19,200 were fully-fledged FIEs and around 3,000 were joint ventures with other countries. Although accounting for only 3.25 per cent of the total number of active enterprises, FIEs create just over one-third of total jobs in the enterprise sector with more than five million direct jobs, with a higher average income of $450 per person monthly, and possibly millions of indirect jobs related to the sector. In particular, FIEs account for more than half of enterprises with a labour size of between 1,000 and 5,000, and nearly two-thirds of enterprises with a labour size of over 5,000. The total income of employees in FIEs accounts for 38.3 per cent of the total income of employees in enterprises in our country. Besides that, FIEs also held 19.16 per cent of the total production and business capital of enterprises, 23 per cent of the value of fixed assets and long-term financial investments, and 29.8 per cent of net production and business revenue. They make up 22.8 per cent of enterprises with capital scale of over $21.2 million, and up to 48.5 per cent of total profit before tax of enterprises with the highest return on equity of 12.8 per cent (more than twice the overall average). Thus, without FDI, millions of workers would not have access to jobs with high incomes. Moreover, they would not be able to work in a business environment with medium- to high-tech equipment, good production and business efficiency, and a healthy financial situation. Domestic revenue from FIEs in 2021 reached more than $9.2 billion, accounting for 13.85 per cent of total domestic revenue, not including revenue from crude oil. Balanced revenue from import and export of nearly $9.19 billion was contributed by FIEs in whole or in large part. If only domestic revenue is taken into account, revenue from FIEs in 2021 was more than triple than in 2010, with the proportion increasing steadily over the years and exceeding 10 per cent in 2008. The state budget in 2020 showed that FIEs contributed more than $8.9 billion, the vast majority of which are tax payments. Especially, VAT collected from domestic production and business goods was $2.49 billion, accounting for 23.3 per cent of total revenue. PM orders enhancement of foreign investment attraction efficiency Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has signed a directive clarifying tasks and solutions to enhance the efficiency of foreign investment attraction in the new period. Insights garnered in high-tech FDI Attracting high-tech foreign direct investment has become a strategic priority for Vietnam as it moves up the value chain and seeks to continue its impressive economic growth trajectory. Peter Ryder, CEO at Indochina Capital, explains how this can be achieved. (*) Dr. Vu Dinh Anh - Economic expert Ministry of Finance Vo Hoang Lam, CEO of Coteccons said, "We would like to be one of the first examples of how to digitalise the construction industry in Vietnam. We recognise that there is an urgent need to apply established technologies and techniques in new ways to improve not only management efficiency and productivity but also environmental, social, and governance performance." Leaders of Coteccons and Microsoft Vietnam at the MoU signing on May 30 Coteccons has decided to take the journey to the cloud. We are looking for a trusted technology partner who can help accelerate our growth strategy and do more with fewer resources, enabling us to focus on innovation. We are confident in this collaboration with Microsoft as the backbone of our digital journey, he added. Coteccons plans to use Microsofts technology and solutions in four areas, namely optimising the customer experience, building a modern workplace, streamlining operations, and transforming products and services. Nguyen Quynh Tram, country general manager of Microsoft Vietnam said, "Today, cloud and AI technology play a critical role in the transformation of the construction industry by reducing labour costs, increasing safety, and improving the quality of the buildings design. By embracing our industry-proven cloud and AI technologies, Coteccons will be enabling construction companies to achieve incredible designs and buildings in the nation." Established in 2004, Coteccons has become a leading construction company in Vietnam. The company has grown both in size and reputation by implementing world-class projects in diverse fields such as residential and commercial developments, hotels, infrastructure, and industrial sites. The Vietnamese construction market was valued at $108.6 billion in 2022, and is projected to witness an average annual growth rate of more than 6 per cent during the 2024-2027 period. Coteccons won series of large projects with total value of more than $435 million in Q1 In the first quarter of 2022, Coteccons (CTD) and its member company Unicons (UNC) made a mark with large bidding packages valued at over $435 million. Coteccons teams up with local partners for The Emerald 68 Coteccons, DSPcons, Danh Khoi Real Estate Services JSC, BIDV, and Anabuki NL Housing Service Vietnam have become partners of Le Phong Group to develop The Emerald 68 Luxury Apartment Project located in Binh Duong New City. Coteccons sets up sustainable working conditions Coteccons Construction JSC has worked to set up sustainable working conditions for thousands of workers by kicking off a project for the festive season. Construction industry to build on a tough 2022 The business journey for construction enterprises in 2022 encountered a great many difficulties. Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Hanoi - Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha stressed the need to incentivise the conversion of fossil fuel-powered vehicles to electric vehicles and other types of clean energy. In his conclusions made at a meeting discussing the application of preferential electricity prices at electric vehicle charging stations, Ha said that the transition to green economic development is an inevitable trend and a goal that Vietnam is pursuing. It will also create opportunities for Vietnam to become a pioneer in the region in terms of green growth and recovery, thus keeping pace with the new development trends of the world, he added. The Deputy PM asked the Ministry of Transport to collaborate with the Ministries of Natural Resources and Environment, Finance, Industry and Trade, Planning and Investment, Science and Technology, and Justice; and related agencies to study international experience, conduct a comprehensive analysis of various aspects, fully assess impacts, clarify legal and political foundations, and ensure consistency in implementing the Party's guidelines and the State's policies and laws, thus proposing synchronous and feasible support policies. The Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Transport were required to issue plans, criteria, regulations, and standards for investing in public infrastructure development serving electric vehicles and other environmentally friendly means of transport in urban areas. The agencies will be also responsible for guiding localities in planning public infrastructure facilities to ensure compliance with safety standards. VinFast to export batch of VF8 electric vehicles VinFast, the electric vehicles (EV) manufacturer subsidiary of the conglomerate Vin Group, will export the first batch of VF8 electric vehicles to the US, Canada, and EU on November 25. How electric vehicles can shape the auto industry In order to implement Vietnams net-zero commitments, one of the solutions by the government is to use more electric vehicles (EVs) as a means of transportation for the step-by-step replacement of motor vehicles powered by conventional internal combustion engines. How do you assess the potential of the supporting industry in Vietnam? Jun-Ho Lee, deputy director of the Vietnam-Korea Technology Consulting and Solution Centre (VITASK) Vietnams supporting industry sector has a large room for growth because the Vietnamese electronics industry has a fairly large position as one of the top 15 largest electronics exporting countries in the world. Besides that, this sector leads in the total import and export turnover of all industries in Vietnam. A report from the Department of Industry under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) shows that in 2022, the electronics industry had an export turnover of $114.4 billion, an increase of about 6 per cent on-year, and accounting for over 30 per cent of the total export turnover of the whole country. Among the six groups of goods with export turnover of over $10 billion in Vietnam, there are also computers, mobile phones, electronics, and components. The export market of Vietnams electronic products is also continuously expanding, including the key markets of China, the US, the EU, Japan, and South Korea. The appearance of global technology corporations also creates a big boost for supporting enterprises in terms of the electronics industry, which is a great opportunity for domestic supporting enterprises to participate in the supply chain of parts and accessories for global corporations. How do Vietnamese supporting enterprises receive support from VITASK? The Vietnamese government is making efforts to enhance the development of the supporting industry and the latest move is the issuance of Resolution No.115/NQ-CP on measures to boost the development of the supporting industry through to 2030, with electronics, car assembly, and manufacturing some of the priority sectors. The industry is expected to develop through the mobilisation of resources from all economic sectors, especially foreign-invested enterprises and domestic counterparts. Besides that, the governments of South Korea and Vietnam plan to continue working together to support investment and trade activities for enterprises on both sides. In December 2020, the two governments signed a business agreement with representatives of the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy; the MoIT; LG Electronics; Hyundai Motors; and POSCO in attendance. The agreement provides technical consulting for Vietnamese material, component, and equipment suppliers and builds closer ties in terms of mutual supply and demand. Based on this, VITASK was established in 2020 to help domestic enterprises improve their competition capacity to participate in the global value chains. Its purpose is to further promote bilateral cooperation in industrial materials, equipment, and components and for South Korean companies to join Vietnams projects. The centre is implementing a technical assistance initiative with South Korean consultants to help Vietnamese businesses solve technical problems at the production site, offer engineer training courses for students, support product performance assessment and error analysis, and promote technical exchanges between Vietnamese and South Korean businesses. Notably, VITASK has supported over 100 businesses, including in intensive and regular instruction. As a result, many businesses have significantly reduced error rates. The centre also trains engineers and professional technical consultants while running material and component performance assessment programmes for Vietnamese companies. Since 2020, an average of 25 students have participated in training each year. Besides that, we are also a bridge to connect supply with demand from the South Korean side. In the context that small- and medium-sized enterprises have limits when it comes to contacting consultants, especially qualified experts, our initiative contributes to not only meeting the training demand, but also creating effectiveness. In addition to direct technical support programmes at factories, what programmes has VITASK implemented to strengthen the connection between businesses of the two countries? We continuously promote connections and exchanges between Vietnamese and South Korean businesses. In recent times this has included supporting businesses to attend VIMEXPO in 2021, organising an investment promotion conference in the northern province of Vinh Phuc, and organising the Vietnam-Korea Business Exchange Conference in 2022. Through these programmes, many MoUs between businesses were signed. In addition to in-depth instruction at the factories, VITASK also organised seminars to share knowledge and experience for businesses, such as a workshop on technical guidance and seminars relating to digitalisation in production, smart factories, and batteries for electric cars, among others. How do projects like these contribute to promoting foreign-invested capital inflows from South Korea? The field of processing and manufacturing is always one that attracts the largest amount of overseas capital, so the demand for supporting industrial products is considerable. Foreign-invested groups may have a group of satellites in Vietnam, and they really have a demand for increasing the localisation ratio with the main purpose of avoiding dependence on vendors and to ensure on competitive selling prices between them. They encourage Vietnam to foster the development of the supporting industry and open more factories. To be competitive, goods must meet the criteria of price and quality. Therefore, the intensive technical support provided by VITASKs experts contributes to helping domestic enterprises improve their competitiveness by providing sophisticated products at competitive prices, and thereby attracting more investors. Regarding South Korea in particular, it is currently the largest foreign investment partner in Vietnam both in terms of registered capital and the number of projects. Vietnams supporting industry has many development opportunities with a number of large foreign corporations such as Samsung, Hyundai, and LG expanding their operations. What are VITASKs activities in the near future? In 2023, our centre will continue to carry out technical support activities, human resource training programmes, and trade connections for businesses. We will also build testing facilities to support product feature assessment and fault analysis. The trial production SMT line for research and testing has already been delivered to Vietnam and is expected to be completed and put into use soon. FPT IS teamed up with SAP to introduce the brand-new ERP cloud solution at a seminar last week centred around growing a business with cloud-based solutions. The seminar attracted more than 100 senior leaders from enterprises in various fields such as manufacturing, trade and services, retail, technology, finance and banking, among others, indicating great interest from the market towards the solution. The seminar "Business growth with SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud" was jointly organised by FPT IS and SAP Speaking at the event, Phan Thanh Son, chief business development officer, FPT IS, noted that the uncertainty and constant fluctuations in the market require firms to equip a solid and flexible management system that can adapt to increasingly rapid and diverse systematic changes. In Son's words, SAP's new ERP cloud solution delivers an open approach for enterprises of all sizes and from different industries to quickly adopt management processes compliant with international standards, solving corporate management problems in a volatile market environment. This model will help reduce deployment costs by up to half, allowing enterprises a leap forward in business performance. FPT IS and SAP are committed to working together to deploy the solution in the Vietnamese market, added Son. According to Nguyen Hong Viet, managing director of SAP Vietnam, with diverse integration capabilities and flexible scalability, cloud-based ERP eliminates complications associated with complex technology, cost, and feasibility concerns. SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud has opened the door for ERP to be available to all enterprises, especially the small- and medium-sized enterprises, said Viet. Nguyen Hong Viet - managing director of SAP Vietnam affirmed Cloud ERP totally eliminates obstacles when deploying EPR Despite only just being introduced to the Vietnamese market, the system has recorded many success stories in the nearly eight years since its initial launch. It engages with more than 200 million customers and over seven billion financial documents each year, saving as much as 99.7 per cent in deployment times. The solution has also gained many positive reviews from market-leading analytics companies such as Gartner, IDC, and Forrester. SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud is updated every six months to meet the needs of expanding business and the advancement of new technologies. SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud is updated every six months to meet the needs of expanding business and the advancement of new technologies. The system is an ERP SaaS solution in which customers do not need to invest in hardware or operational costs, instead they simply register an account and discover the solution on SAP's shared cloud platform, helping to minimise costs and deployment time. Speaking of the superiority of the model compared to more conventional ones, Ankur Dey, region lead (APJ), SAP, emphasises that S/4HANA Public Cloud is comprehensively designed with over 800 standardised and ready-to-use processes, more than 600 built-in APIs to facilitate connection and integration, and upwards of 250 different scenarios of typical business situations, offering outstanding adaptability for Vietnam-specific business characteristics and environments. Firms can also design their own scenarios to automatically apply when necessary, allowing enterprises to manage any unusual fluctuations and receive real-time reports via virtual assistants so management can make accurate and timely decisions. Using an example of a service enterprise yet to set up its manufacturing facility, Ankur reaffirmed the flexible scalability of the solution. Once the enterprise can set up the factory, they can easily expand production modules on SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud. Besides integration of new processes, the solution allows expansion based on location, in different regions or countries around the world, or based on scale as the number of employees grows. Son Tran, presale lead, SAP Vietnam, presented the operational process of the system and upgrades as the solution develops as it embraces the combination of technology and automated processes. Son Tran - presale lead, SAP Vietnam introduced the innovations of SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud solution Pioneers in deploying ERP cloud solutions in Vietnam Signing up for the SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud application is as simple as signing up for a Netflix account, said Ankur Dey. World-class security technologies from SAP will help data be centrally processed. Businesses only need to focus on core values, develop products, improve relationships with customers and not worry about hardware, security or operational concerns," Dey added. Nguyen Hong Viet, managing director of SAP Vietnam, said, SAP has high expectations for the 20-year strategic cooperation with FPT IS and the introduction of our ERP cloud solution in Vietnam. We are ready to go to businesses, visit each factory and office to understand businesses pain points, thereby finding solutions and create momentum for future development. Lim Chin Ee, digital transformation solution architect, Enterprise Division, FPT IS, shared the most important criteria for the good implementation of and ERP project. In particular, the first thing businesses need is a viable solution with ready processes and methods. SAP Activate Methodology would be a powerful support tool for the solution application process. The next important criterion is the prescribed, step-by-step implementation method for project teams. Such information is already available on SAP Activate Methodology - the implementation method drawn from SAP's best practices. Powerful integrated utilities for system configuration, deployment and launching are the final one. With SAP's best practices and FPT's knowledge in various industries, we expect to accompany and successfully implement SAP S/4HANA Cloud for enterprises, Lim added. FPT IS has a 25-year track record with a proven methodology and offers a suite of specialised solutions, integrating best practices in each industry, and is so experienced and competent in digital transformation that it makes the company the strongest choice for consultation and to accompany enterprises on their modernising journey, said Dao Duy Quang - Senior consultant, Corporate Division, FPT IS. Dao Duy Quang - Senior consultant, Corporate Division, FPT IS - mentioned three factors that make FPT IS the leading ERP implementation company in Vietnam During more than 20 years of cooperation with SAP as a technology partner, FPT IS has successfully delivered hundreds of ERP projects for enterprises. This is an important foundation for FPT IS to understand the market and understand SAP's technologies so that the company can quickly penetrate ERP cloud solutions into the Vietnamese market. FPT IS has successfully delivered several ERP projects already, including a 100-day project to streamline Coteccons' business processes and operations; creating a new standard in large-scale digital transformation with Dat Xanh which involved 90 member companies across the country; digitalising more than 200 standard processes to tackle labour efficiency problems at Boston Pharma, and many more. FPT IS, SAP's Gold partner, was granted with a certificate of specialised implementation capacity in ERP, and aims to become a leading vendor of SAP cloud projects, especially RISE S/4HANA, in the domestic market. Last April, FPT IS was honoured by SAP to be given three prestigious awards, Partner of the Year 2022, Rise with SAP Partner 2022, and Mid-market Partner 2022. Cloud technology thriving in Vietnam Cloud computing is changing the way businesses perform in Vietnam, and proving increasingly important for future growth. Werner Vogels, CTO at Amazon, spoke with VIRs Bich Thuy about how future tech trends will impact digital transformation in the country. Salesforce and FPT IS to elevate digital experience for customers FPT Information System Corporation (FPT IS) and Salesforce have been providing strategic solutions for the finance and banking industry in Vietnam, helping to shape the digital experience for customers. FPT acquires Intertec International unit to expand in North America Vietnams top technology firm, FPT, has announced the acquisition of the IT Services division of Intertec International to increase its footprint in North America. From demographic dividend to talent dividend 09:24, June 01, 2023 By Li Jia ( China Daily JIN DING/CHINA DAILY Population aging is a distinct demographic phenomenon in the 21st century, with declining fertility and increasing life expectancy combining to raise the share of elderly people in the total population of many countries. But unlike in Western developed countries, China's total fertility rate has declined drastically within a short period of time from more than 6.0 in the late 1960s to 2.1 in 1991 and 1.6-1.7 since 1994 to 1.07 in 2022. In comparison, the total fertility rate is 1.6 in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 1.3 in Japan, which is considered a "super-aged" society. China's current total fertility rate of 1.07 is well below replacement fertility of 2.1. Replacement fertility refers to the total fertility rate at which women give birth to enough babies to sustain population levels. As China's total population is nearing its peak, low fertility and aging together will change the population's age structure. While the number of people aged 60 or above will grow rapidly to exceed 300 million by the end of 2025 and 400 million by 2033, the share of working-age people and children (aged 0-14 years) in the total population will continue to shrink. As a long-term effect of the low fertility rate, the working-age population which peaked in 2011 at more than 900 million is expected to decline by nearly a quarter, to about 700 million, by the middle of this century. As a result, every 100 working-age people will have to support 106 elderly people and/or children. The changing demographic structure will affect the population size and age structure, reflecting the complex features and structure of society. First, the low total fertility rate together with population aging will have a huge impact on families, affecting intrafamily relations and weakening family care, leading to more dysfunctional families. And the transformation of the traditional family structure will prompt people to find other ways to connect with each other, reflecting diversified communication. Second, the elderly population's requirements will grow, as many face increasing risks due to higher life expectancy, poverty, illness and/or disability. Hence, eldercare services and the public health system need to be improved to meet their requirements. To promote the long-term, balanced development of the population, it is necessary to foster a fertility-friendly society, mesh childbirth policies with related economic and social policies, and offer incentives to encourage couples to have two to three children. Third, the shrinking numbers of children and working-age people will result in a shortage of workforce and rising cost of labor, weakening the competitiveness of labor-intensive enterprises. To adapt to the new population age structure and major changes in production factors, efforts should be made to alter the existing production methods, development models, growth drivers, income distribution patterns, supply and demand systems, and the industrial structure. Fourth, the changing demographics have also impacted China's filial piety culture and the institution of marriage. They will bring about changes in the education sector as well. In the short term, the previously limited basic educational resources could become surplus due to the continuous decline in the school-age children's population, affecting resource allocation and creating structural imbalance in education resources. In the long run, the negative population growth could weaken the demand for higher education, affecting the education layout. So efforts should be made to fix the new education objectives and syllabus, in order to turn demographic dividend into talent dividend by building a strong pool of talents. The declining fertility rate will first affect preschool education. According to Ministry of Education data, the number of kindergarten and preschool enrollments in 2022 was nearly 46.3 million, down 1.7 million year-on-year. There were a total of 289,200 kindergartens nationwide in 2022, and the number of kindergartens in China has dropped for the first time in 15 years, falling by more than 5,000 than last year. Many kindergartens, especially those privately-owned, are facing financial problems, with some even being forced to shut down due to fewer students enrolled. The falling birth rate will not only reduce the demand for kindergartens but also shrink the market for children's products, including toys. But while schools in towns, counties and smaller cities are likely to see a decline in new admissions, those in big cities may not be affected much due to the continued migration from rural areas to cities. Enrollments in high schools, vocational schools and private universities, too, may fall in the future, because the number of students taking the college entrance exam is expected to fall from 11.93 million in 2022 to about 7.13 million in 2040, according to the Pangoal Institution. And although reputable public universities may not face tough challenges, some universities might be forced to shut down. The changing population age structure also means corresponding changes in the elderly people's lifestyle in terms of living space, family relations, consumption pattern, physical and psychological health, social networking, and ways of socializing. The low fertility rate and population aging will not only bring socio-political and strategic changes in different countries, but also impact international relations and geopolitics, which could affect global cooperation given the complex political and legal systems followed by countries around the world. The author is deputy head of the Aging Society Research Center at the Pangoal Institution. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) The US Coast Guard suspended its search efforts for missing cruise ship passenger Ronnie Lee Peale Jr. late Wednesday, fearing he has since drowned. In a statement, the Coast Guard said the decision to suspend the search for the 35-year-old was something they "never...take lightly." Peale was last seen aboard the cruise ship Carnival Magic at around 04:00 Monday morning when the ship's CCTV footage caught how he leaned over the balcony of his cabin and slipped overboard off the coast of Florida. The ship was returning to Norfolk following a routine cruise to the Bahamas. FBI Takes Over Investigations The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has also been involved in piecing together the details about Peale's disappearance. "The FBI typically has jurisdiction to investigate incidents on the high seas and works closely with our partners in law enforcement and in the cruising industry to collect the evidence and facts of cases," said a representative from the FBI. Investigations also look at why Blosser failed to report her partner earlier in the day, but Blosser said Peale was drinking on the night before the incident. Loved Ones Missing Peale Peale was accompanied by his partner Jennilyn Michelle Blosser, who was devastated by the incident. She described Peale as "the life of the party" and enjoyed every minute of the cruise until the incident. "I never could have imagined something like this could happen," Blosser wrote in a now-deactivated GoFundMe appeal. Meanwhile, Peale's mother, Linda, told local media her son was a "wonderful man" and looked forward to the cruise as it was his first time doing so. "It was just a special time because he'd never been on a cruise," she said. @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Chinese finance hub is pivoting to embrace crypto despite high-profile failures in recent months, including the meltdown of trading platform FTX, which wiped out more than $1.5 trillion in the market. Hong Kong launches retail-friendly rules for crypto exchanges/ illustration photo/ Source: freepik.com China has had a strict crypto ban since 2021, but in Hong Kong -- which operates on a separate legal framework -- trading has been allowed though unregulated, meaning individual investors use unlicensed platforms. The regulatory regime launched Thursday means that after a one-year transition period, all crypto exchanges in Hong Kong must be licensed, and will be able to take on retail clients. "(The sector) fundamentally is going to stay despite all the risks... These activities have to be allowed in a regulated way," the city's financial services and treasury chief Christopher Hui told AFP. The new rules have an emphasis on investor protection measures, like requiring exchanges to vet their clients and limit their risk exposure, as well as restricting trade to "large-cap" tokens such as bitcoin. Crypto exchange OKX -- founded in China but now based in Seychelles -- told AFP it was "committed to the Hong Kong market" and will apply for a licence. "Hong Kong is making concrete strides and is building confidence among industry players," said Lennix Lai, OKX's global chief commercial officer. Regulators said they hope to move quickly to issue the first licences. But a prominent activist investor in Hong Kong said Thursday the new policy lends credibility to a risky sector and endorses speculation. "Hong Kong has a history of jumping onto financial bandwagons just as the wheels are falling off," David Webb, a former investment banker, told AFP. The government may say the new crypto regime is similar to that of traditional finance, but Webb said the "analogy breaks down" as most crypto -- unlike stocks or futures on companies and commodities -- have no intrinsic value. "There's no reason why (the government) should encourage people to bet on someone else paying more for something that has no fundamental value," Webb said. Last year, the city said HK$1.7 billion ($217 million) was lost to crypto-related scams, which police attributed to criminals taking advantage of the public's lack of sector knowledge. The new rules ask exchanges to conduct a "holistic assessment" of a client's understanding of digital currencies before taking them on, but give no specifics. One company licensed under Hong Kong's previous regime tells its prospective clients to take a screenshot showing they have finished watching 13 instructional videos in a free online course. But they "DO NOT need to complete any programme assignments or take any tests", it wrote on its website. Regulatory framework needed to boost Vietnams crypto scene While cryptocurrency exchange providers must go through a stringent selection process to obtain a licence in Singapore, with the same upcoming in Hong Kong, exchanges like Binance or Remitano can freely operate in Vietnam without a financial service provider licence, and investors who make capital gains on crypto do not have to pay any taxes. Indonesia sees 32 billion USD investment in EV battery chain (Photo source:auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com) Jakarta - Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan on May 30 revealed that the country can receive an estimated 31.9 billion USD in investments for project tied to battery supply chain by 2026. According to the minister, with the country rich in nickel used in batteries for electric vehicles (EV), the government wants to see more investment in nickel downstream sectors to boost economic growth. He said the Kalimantan region can receive 12.35 billion USD in investment while North Maluku and Sulawesi can attract 9.78 billion USD and 9.84 billion USD in battery supply chain projects, respectively. To encourage investment from emissions-conscious investors, the Indonesian government has touted the North Kalimantan industrial park on Borneo island as "green, with a plan to power activities there with hydropower. Companies have committed to producing aluminium there. Luhut said that the North Kalimantan industrial park can house projects that could produce batteries with a total capacity of 265 GW hours and petrochemical, iron and steel, alumina and silicon industries. Indonesia is known for its abundant coal supply and use, and the country is trying to cut emissions and promote tougher environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards. The minister warned that his ministry will shut down factories which do not comply with ESG, adding that Indonesia will not allow deep sea tailings disposal - a controversial method of releasing waste materials into the ocean - for high-pressure acid leaching (HPAL) operations, and will encourage companies to turn the waste into useful materials. Indonesia,UK cooperate in developing electric battery Indonesia's Minister of Investment Bahlil Lahadalia and Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade of the UK Nusrat Ghani have discussed downstreaming investment opportunities in the critical mineral sector and electric battery development. Illustrative photo (Photo: VNA) Hanoi - After receiving numerous opinions on the amendment of fire safety regulations, the Ministry of Construction recently requested a review and revision of the national technical standards for fire safety in buildings and construction projects. Minister of Construction Nguyen Thanh Nghi has issued an urgent decision to conduct a comprehensive review of all fire safety issues in construction activities. The Institute of Construction Science and Technology of the Ministry of Construction is to coordinate with the Fire Prevention, Firefighting, Rescue and Emergency Department of the Ministry of Public Security, as well as other relevant units. A review of the content of national technical standards for fire safety in buildings and construction projects is being conducted to identify the specific obstacles and causes. Based on the review, proposals will be made to amend the contents of the technical standard for fire safety, named QCVN 06:2022, aiming to complete the system of standards and technical regulations for fire prevention and firefighting in buildings and construction projects. The Minister of Construction has also assigned the task of compiling and revising the QCVN 06:2022, ensuring the standards based on science and compliance with relevant laws and regulations in Vietnams practical conditions. According to the representative of the Department of Science, Technology, and Environment, the decision of the Minister of Construction is based on the proposal of this unit. According to the decision, the specialised agencies of the Ministry of Construction will rely on feedback documents to review and approve fire prevention and firefighting aspects for project evaluation, design evaluation, as well as inspection and acceptance of construction works from 2013 to the present. Recently, the Department of Science, Technology, and Environment, together with a working delegation from the Fire Prevention, Firefighting, Rescue and Emergency Department, visited production facilities to gather information. Most of the existing obstacles are found in projects constructed before 2021. Some construction works were built several decades ago, and over time, the buildings and workshops have been expanded. However, the standards apply only to newly constructed projects. For such old construction works, there are confusions whether the new standards should be applied to the entire project or to related sections during repairs or renovations. According to QCVN 06:2022, this standard is only applicable within the scope of renovation and repair and specifically in cases where the renovation or repair increases the fire risk of the facility. The standard does not apply beyond the scope of renovation and repair. Regarding the regulations on the use of fire-resistant building materials, including fire-resistant paint, the representative of the Department of Science, Technology, and Environment also mentioned that there were opinions stating that QCVN 06:2022 requires fire-resistant paint types that are not available in Vietnam. However, in reality, QCVN 06:2022 and its previous versions only provide fire safety requirements for building materials without specifying the use of specific materials. If the components or structures do not meet the fire resistance limits corresponding to the fire rating of the building or construction project, additional fire protection measures must be implemented. The fire protection solutions recommended by experts include using fire-resistance paint, tile cladding, concrete, using ordinary mortar including cement mortar, fire-resistant mortar, or encasing with concrete to form a composite structure, or replacing it with other materials such as steel instead of concrete. On the occasion of Workers' Month (May 2023), Nestle Vietnam has cooperated with its partners to deliver nutritional products to disadvantaged personnel in some provinces. Through these units and organisations, nearly 125,000 Nestle Vietnam products, including MILO barley milk, MAGGI soy sauce, and NESCAFE coffee, have been delivered to staff members. In May, Nestle Vietnam accompanied the Golden Heart Charitable Social Fund, under the Dong Nai Labour Confederation, to donate 2,600 gifts to union members, employees, and poor patients in Hai Phong, Hai Duong, Ho Chi Minh City, and Dong Nai. In April 2023, Nestle Vietnam, the labour confederations in Ho Chi Minh City, Long An, and Tien Giang, as well as agencies under the Golden Heart Charitable Social Fund, organised activities to grant gifts. The gifts sponsored by Nestle Vietnam have been delivered to nearly 1,000 union members and other members of staff in difficult circumstances in these localities. The support is part of a series of Nestle Vietnam's corporate social responsibility activities to encourage employees to overcome difficult circumstances. This is an activity under the Nestle Cares initiative, which demonstrates Nestle Vietnam's strong commitment to contributing to the development of prosperous communities, improving conditions, and raising the quality of life of Vietnamese people. After 28 years of development, creating shared values has always been at the core of Nestle Vietnam. Thanks to its efforts and achievements, Nestle Vietnam has been honoured in the Typical Enterprise for Labour rankings continuously for 3 years. This is an annual programme hosted by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, together with the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It aims to honour the enterprises that have made great efforts to improve their working environment and take care of the material and spiritual lives of employees. Thus, the workforce can unlock its full potential and contribute to the company's sustainable development. Nestle drives Vietnam's transition to sustainable food system Nestle has extensive experience in developing agricultural economic clusters to promote a sustainable food system. Nestle Vietnam focusses on digital transformation throughout its supply chain Nestle Group is pioneering in the application of digital transformation throughout its logistics activities in the Vietnamese market. Vangelis Vitalis - New Zealands Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade What was achieved at the eighth meeting of the Vietnam-New Zealand Economic and Trade Committee? Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang and I focused on practical things that will benefit our businesses, and also benefit New Zealanders and Vietnamese on both sides, because of the way in which we can support trade flows. We discussed some of the customs procedures on both sides that would make it easier for our companies to export to one another. We also discussed the need to have electronic certification and to set up a process by which we could audit each others horticulture sectors, which our two leaders say are essential. For example, when they agreed on the export of Vietnamese limes and pomelo to New Zealand, we were able to send squash and strawberries to Vietnam. Besides that, we agreed to increase work together to find ways to facilitate more of this kind of trade. In addition, we elaborated on the bilateral relationship. Our leaders committed to making the strategic partnership grow so that bilateral trade can reach $2 billion. We are nearly there and at the meeting, we talked about how to get the extra bit more as soon as possible. These were very much about practical things to support exporters to do more business, and to create more trade between our two countries. In November last year, Vietnamese passion fruit and grapefruit were officially allowed to be imported into New Zealand. How has New Zealands market received this development, and can Vietnamese fruit compete there? Vietnam has a strong reputation, particularly for producing high-quality and tasty fruit. Our prime minister said lime is the green gold that Vietnam has produced for us. New Zealand cant grow the kinds of lime and the quality of lime that Vietnam can produce. We certainly cant grow pomelo, and Id like to think that we can grow strawberries and squash in a way that Vietnam cannot, and so we have complemented one another. In the future, we can send products like kiwi and apples that we grow well, and Vietnam will send us the products that it grows well, such as tropical fruit. And for now, were really pleased for the strawberry farmers in New Zealand and the squash producers to export their products to Vietnam for the first time. Do you have any suggestions for other Vietnamese products to head to your country? Im a big fan of the mango and so I would certainly welcome more Vietnamese mangos in New Zealand. We talked to the deputy minister of industry and trade at the meeting about the chance for more joint trade-economic cooperation and how we facilitate more of that trade, in terms of items like that. But the idea is that we can try to find a way that doesnt involve just thinking about individual products, as that takes everyone involved a long time. Both sides need to think about how we could do this for a much bigger range of products across the whole horticultural sector, so that Vietnam can send us products and we can send other items back, which are good for both economies and good for consumers. Vietnam and New Zealand are both members of new-generation multilateral trade agreements. How can we make the best use of the cooperation and preferential mechanisms that mutual free trade agreements bring? The first thing we need to do is we need to find ways to educate our businesses about the opportunities that exist in our markets because of the advantages we now have from these trade agreements. In terms of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area, we have expedited customs procedures so that products that arrive in Vietnam will be cleared within six hours of customs. For Vietnam, we also have additional fast track certification requirements, which means that Vietnamese producers can sell more quickly into our market. But Im certain that many Vietnamese and New Zealand businesses are not aware of this massive advantage they have over their competitors. For us to compete in the Vietnamese market, our big competitor is Chile, but Chile doesnt have the same free trade deals so we are hopeful that we offer a bit of an advantage to New Zealand producers in the Vietnamese market, and for Vietnam. Recent changes happening in our two economies will be the driver of growth between us, and these agreements that weve negotiated are just enabling this trade. Our job is now to make sure that businesses and individuals take advantage of these agreements. Prime Minister of New Zealand starts official visit to Vietnam Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern arrived in Hanoi on November 14, starting a four-day official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of her counterpart Pham Minh Chinh. New Zealand and Vietnam propel new collaboration Vietnam and New Zealand have found fresh ways to increase bilateral trade on the back of free trade agreements, of which they are members. New Zealand strengthens educational cooperation with Vietnam New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's visit to Vietnam from November 14 to 17, along with a trade and education delegation, highlighted the importance of bilateral cooperation in education between the two countries. Vietnam's Direct Investment Abroad & in Myanmar debuts for first time On May 31, International Investment Study Institute Co., Ltd. (ISC) launched the new book, which is a remaking of the first book providing an overview of outward foreign direct investment by Vietnamese businesses. The book focuses on analysing Vietnam's current direct investment situation, both in overview form and focusing on particular countries and territories. It is based on an in-depth analysis of the production and business results of many selected enterprises, representing each specific industrial sector, as well as each region. The book also analyses the legal and policy systems of the host countries, as well as those in Vietnam that target outbound investment and international investment practices, to highlight the opportunities and the difficulties for Vietnamese enterprises when investing abroad. The book offers recommendations on improving the current laws and policies on Vietnam's outbound investment, providing practical lessons learned from Vietnamese enterprises, and shows case studies from foreign experts about their experience managing and operating their investments overseas. According to the editorial board, the book is written with an acknowledgement that the data relating to outward foreign direct investment globally for 2022 and has yet to be officially published. As the data relating to Vietnams direct investment abroad is incomplete and not yet synchronised, the authors had to collect the figures from many sources, such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), ASEAN, the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and a field survey to Myanmar. As stated by the editorial team, after the publication of the Report on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Vietnam 2021, the ISC concentrated on producing an in-depth study based on the clear consciousness that fostering FDI and Vietnam's direct investment abroad is vital as the countrys becomes increasingly integrated and implements many free trade agreements. What is more, Vietnams economic landscape and management capabilities have been improved, especially in comparison with those of 35 years ago. Attracting FDI and investing overseas to promote socioeconomic growth is a common aim of countries all around the world, especially developing nations with specific advantages. Vietnamese firms have been conducting investment overseas for many years and witnessed great achievements, however, there are still issues that need to be solved. Dr. Phan Huu Thang, chairman of the editorial team said, The re-evaluation of Vietnamese overseas direct investment activities, achievements, and unsolved problems in an objective and scientific manner has become a must for all state management agencies and the Vietnamese business community. The book, published by ISC together with the Vietnam-Myanmar Friendship Association, aims to solve all these urgent requirements. In the opinion of experts at the launch ceremony, looking back at Vietnam's direct investment journey overseas can provide policymakers and businesses with a view of the effects of deeply integrating into the regional and global economy. Nevertheless, due to the economic limitations, investors have to move in line with the level of development of the national economy, as well as the countrys international relations and its own status in the international arena during each period of time. However, the experts said that there is inevitably a lack of synchronisation and incomplete legal documents for Vietnam's direct investment abroad and the state management of investment activities overseas, which has slowed down the development process and reduced efficiency. Therefore, although there have been initial successes, with a number of Vietnamese corporations that have built their brands abroad and brought profits back to the country, there remain certain obstacles. What led to the initial successes and failures of Vietnams direct investment activities abroad? What can be done to promote the benefits and overcome the shortcomings? What is the most effective way to maintain growth momentum and enhance sustainable integration for both Vietnam and the country receiving the investments? How can Vietnam be promoted as a developed country with significant economic and technological potential in the countries and territories where it is conducting investments? The book seeks to provide insights into all the aforementioned questions, Thang added. The book combines four chapters: Chapter I: The foreign investment activities of countries around the world Chapter II: Vietnam's outbound direct investment Chapter III: Vietnam's Investment in Myanmar - trends and prospects Chapter IV: Orientations and solutions to promote Vietnam's overseas direct investment in the coming period Building on cooperation towards common prosperity With open and transparent attraction policies and a favourable, stable, and constantly improving business environment, Vietnam has gained many achievements in attracting foreign investment. Quality and quantity advances sought The scale and quality of foreign-led projects in Vietnam have been fostered thanks to the promulgation of new policies to improve the investment environment. PM orders enhancement of foreign investment attraction efficiency Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has signed a directive clarifying tasks and solutions to enhance the efficiency of foreign investment attraction in the new period. At the meeting, Karan Adani, CEO of APSEZ and Nguyen Canh Tinh, CEO of VIMC discussed the cooperation possibilities between the two sides. Tinh said that VIMC's fleet in India had received cooperation and support from Adani. As a government-run enterprise, VIMC will implement a strategy of strong breakthroughs in maritime service infrastructure, development of seaports, especially deep-water seaports in key economic regions of Vietnam. VIMC and APSEZ signed a MoU on May 24 VIMC has always considered Indian enterprises like Adani Group as an important strategic partner in developing its shipping fleet, container fleet in inner Asia and the world, including the Indian market to develop a connection chain with key economic regions of Vietnam, Tinh said. Adani said that VIMC and Adani were both leading enterprises in the maritime sector in each country, making important contributions to the countries economic development, and having similarities in providing world-class maritime services. He believes that the combination of experience and expertise of VIMC and Adani will contribute to improving the supply chain between Vietnam and India, helping to boost trade between the two countries. The signing of cooperation today will be an initial milestone between the two parties, creating the premise for more specific steps in the fields of shipping, logistics, and maritime services, Adani said. In the same week, Adani also had meetings with the Ministry of Transport, Vietnam Maritime Corporation and Saigon Port JSC on business opportunities. More private capital required for seaports A downturn in exports may prompt the private sector to reevaluate its investment plans in the nations seaports, which are estimated to require over $13 billion by 2030. Soc Trang seeks feasibility report on Tran De Seaport Soc Trang Peoples Committee is proposing developing Tran De Seaport under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and, to promote the venture as an investment opportunity, is seeking the Ministry of Transports approval to use local budgetary funds to draft a feasibility report for its construction. India's Adani Group proposes $2 billion seaport in Vietnam The Indian-based conglomerate Adani Group has proposed developing a $2 billion seaport in Vietnam, while also investing in wind and solar power plants. Hanoi - The World Bank (WB) on May 31 approved a 176-million-USD loan to fund a fisheries project that aims to improve fisheries management, enhance the value of fisheries production, and raise incomes for coastal communities in the Philippines. Illustrative image. (Photo: VNA) The project is expected to benefit more than 1.5 million fisherfolk, small-to-medium businesses, and residents in coastal communities, the multilateral lender said in a statement. According to the WB, the fisheries sector contributes 1.3% to the Southeast Asian country's gross domestic product. It provides approximately 1.6 million jobs, or around 4% of the labour force, including for low-income families engaged in subsistence fishing. However, the sector has faced challenges, with fish stocks declining by an average of 20% over the past decade due to over-exploitation, destructive fishing methods, habitat degradation, and negative impacts from land-based activities. This project aligns with the country's commitment to environmentally sound practices in fishing and aquaculture while ensuring improved incomes for those involved in the sector, said Ndiame Diop, World Bank Country Director for Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand. The long-term goal is to foster enhanced community resilience in these coastal regions, which will be reflected in thriving fish stocks, improved food security, reduced poverty and heightened competitiveness in key seafood commodities, he added. Philippines, Japan agree to boost economic, security cooperation President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed to strengthen economic and security cooperation between the two countries. DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) One moment Lexus Berry and her wife were rushing toward the door of their fourth-floor apartment, and the next, Quanishia Peach Berry was gone. Their apartment had disappeared into a heap of bricks and steel far below, leaving Lexis Berry running by herself to a stairwell in the teetering building, panicked that she might never see her wife again. The moment that we hit the door, it started to shake and rattle and literally it all just happened in the blink of a second the floors caved in, like collapsed, Lexus Berry said Wednesday. So as the floors were falling, and she was falling four stories down, there were still two stories above her falling and two stories falling above me. It was all crumbling. The six-story building in downtown Davenport partially collapsed just before 5 p.m. Sunday, but it took hours before rescuers found Peach Berry trapped in the rubble and then determined one of her legs would need to be amputated to pull her free. Lexus Berry gave her assent. Doctors removed the leg and rushed her to a hospital, mindful that the remainder of the building could come down at any time. Its definitely something thats like a miracle that shes here, Lexus Berry said. Due to the circumstances, they had to make a judgment call. And thats the best thing for her, honestly, because shes still here. As Peach Berry recovered in the hospital, crews in Davenport puzzled over next steps for the unstable structure, where five residents remained unaccounted for and officials feared at least two of them might be stuck in a mound of debris at the base of the 116-year-old building. Officials have said the building is continuing to shift and they need to bring it down, but they think any effort to find remains in the debris pile could cause the rest of the structure to collapse. Davenport Police Chief Jeff Bladel said there were 53 tenants in the 80-unit building, and now most of them are struggling to find housing and start rebuilding their lives. They have not been allowed into the apartments to retrieve belongings, though crews were able to rescue some pets Tuesday. Toriana Hill and her 3-year-old son Nassir Gladney were among those who sought help Wednesday at a newly opened American Red Cross shelter several miles from the downtown building. They were in their top-floor apartment when their dog, Luna, began barking. Hill heard other booming sounds but figured they were from the busy street below, until neighbors began screaming. She checked the hallway and found the lights were out. Hill picked up her son and fled but debris blocked one staircase, forcing her to find another toward the back of the building. It was bricks already falling so Im like, how the hell am I going to do this, how the hell am I going to do this? she said. I just kept running. I kept running until I hit the first floor, and by the time I made it to the door, I dont know if it was the police officer or the fireman snatched me up, but I was just happy I made it out. Hill is looking for a new apartment and is hopeful shell find something soon. City officials didnt release new details about its plans for the building Wednesday, but at about 6 p.m. the city released hundreds of pages of documents, including structural engineering reports, violation notices and resident complaints, according to the Quad-City Times. Among the documents was an inspection report by Select Structural Engineering, hired by building owner Andrew Wold to advise on building work, that described patches of brick facade that were separating from the building. The report noted bulging that needed to be secured to keep the entire face of the building from falling away when the bottom area(s) come loose." The newspaper also published comments by Ryan Shaffer, a co-owner of a masonry company that was doing work near the now-partially collapsed building. Shaffer said Wold asked him for a quote for work on the building but rejected it as too costly. In part, Shaffer said, the high cost was because of a need to support the building. I said, If we dont do it this way exactly, Im not putting my guys in there. Somebody is going to die, he said. Wold released a statement dated Tuesday, his first comments since the partial collapse, saying our thoughts and prayers are with our tenants" and that his company, Davenport Hotel, L.L.C., is working with agencies to help them. County records show Davenport Hotel, L.L.C. acquired the building in 2021 in a deal worth $4.2 million. The city later declared the building a nuisance due to numerous solid waste violations, and a judge ordered Wold to pay a $4,500 penalty after he did not appear in court. Tuesday, the city filed a new enforcement action against Wold, saying that he had failed to maintain the property in a safe, sanitary, and structurally sound condition before the collapse. The city is seeking a $300 fine. Emails sent to an attorney believed to be representing Wold have not been returned. On Tuesday, city officials said they feared that two residents were stuck inside the rubble and that it was too dangerous to search the debris. Another three people remained unaccounted for Tuesday, but officials said they might not have been in the building when it began collapsing. Protesters have been pushing to thoroughly search the building and debris before the city moves ahead with plans to demolish the rest of the structure. Officials had planned to begin staging the site for a tear-down as early as Tuesday morning but they delayed their efforts after a woman was found Monday evening. Fire Marshal James Morris said explosives will not be used on the building, which is near other structures and is unstable and continues to worsen. He said there will be an investigation into what caused the collapse but that its unclear so far whether a criminal investigation is warranted. Soon after the the Davenport Hotel, built in 1907 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, partially collapsed, officials said crews escorted 12 people from the building and rescued several others later. This story has been corrected to show that the city is seeking a $300 fine from the building owner, not $3,000. McFetridge reported from Des Moines, Iowa, and Ahmed from St. Paul, Minnesota. Senegal's main city of Dakar was rocked by new protests on Thursday, June 1, after an influential opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko, was given a two-year prison term for corrupting youth. Therefore, this ends his prospects of running for president in 2024. Political Implications Sonko, now 48 years old, was accused of raping and threatening to kill a 20-year-old masseuse in 2021. He claims the accusations against him are based on political motives and that he is innocent. Sonko was found not guilty of rape, as reported by CNN. However, he was found guilty of immoral conduct with minors or individuals younger than 21, which is a different crime under the penal code. According to electoral rules in Senegal, this might exclude him from voting in the next elections in February 2024. Bamba Cisse, one of Sonko's attorneys, said that the punishment disqualified him from running for office. Meanwhile, university legal professor Ndiack Fall said that Sonko has the right to request a new trial if he turns himself in. Plagued by Violent Demonstrations Since 2021, when the rape allegation first came to light, the nation in West Africa has been plagued by violent demonstrations. According to a Reuters report, the accusations have been slammed by Sonko's supporters, who see it as an attempt to prevent him from competing in the next election. The official government and legal establishments, however, deny this. The African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics, and Fraternity (PASTEF) party, which is run by Sonko, has claimed that the ruling is part of a political scheme. The group has urged the public to go to the streets in protest. Demonstrators attacked riot police with rocks and set fire to buses on a key university campus, releasing a cloud of thick black smoke. Cops reportedly fired tear gas. Also Read: Nigeria's New President Sparks Chaos After Halting Fuel Subsidy Amid Rising Petrol Prices Sonko vs. Sall Sonko, a former tax inspector who placed third in the last election, is capitalizing on people's growing dissatisfaction with President Macky Sall, who was first elected in 2012. There have been rumblings that Sall may try to run for president again next year despite the fact that he has already served two terms. His critics claim he has failed to generate employment and has shut down the opposition. Sall has neither verified nor refuted these claims. In response to Sonko's appeals for protest over his legal troubles, many young people have taken to the streets, resulting in security crackdowns and the deaths of several protesters. Riots are rather regular in Senegal, and they tend to spike just before elections. Although Senegal is often considered one of the most successful democracies in West Africa, Sall's second term has been unusually contentious. In a separate case, Sonko is contesting a libel conviction that resulted in a six-month suspended jail term. The impact of the lawsuit on his presidential campaign is unclear at this time. Also Read: Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Orders Son To Resign After Public Outrage Over 'Inappropriate' Behavior @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) A missing emergency room doctor from Missouri was found dead in Arkansas from an apparent gunshot wound, authorities confirmed Wednesday. But they are still investigating what happened in the week since he was last seen. A kayaker discovered the body of 49-year-old Dr. John Forsyth on Tuesday in Beaver Lake, a large reservoir in northwestern Arkansas, the Benton County Sheriff's Office said. No further information would immediately be released, authorities said, and they didn't specify if he was shot by someone else or if the wound was self-inflicted. The doctors unlocked vehicle with his wallet, two phones, a laptop and other items had been found Sunday near a city-run public pool in Cassville, the town in the Missouri Ozarks where he worked, said his brother Richard Forsyth. The body was found at a location about 20 miles (32 kilometers) away, Arkansas authorities say. Cassville is about 200 miles south of Kansas City. Surveillance video from the pool shows John Forsyths black Infiniti pulling into the parking lot, and a white SUV can be seen parking near him a few minutes later, his brother said in an interview Wednesday. Were devastated, especially at the nature of his passing, Richard Forsyth said. He said Wednesday evening that police had given the family no new details other than investigations into his brothers death and how he went missing were continuing in both states. The last time the two brothers met in person was at dinner on Wednesday, May 17. I told him this is the happiest Id seen him in a long time. His divorce was final May 11, and I think that gave him energy for the future, Richard Forsyth said in an earlier interview. John Forsyth had recently become engaged to be married, his brother said, and his fiancee was the last known person to communicate with him, texting at around 7 a.m. on Sunday, May 21. The doctor was reported missing that same day when he didn't arrive for work at Mercy Hospital, police have said. Richard Forsyth said the family was mystified by his brother's death and rejected the theory that he might have taken his own life. I dont believe it, he said. John would never do that. I wont accept that possibility. John Forsyth was the father of eight children, his brother said, and was so dedicated to his work that he never missed a day, stayed in an RV near the hospital when he was on call, and was never late for his difficult shifts in the emergency room. His brother-in-law Jason Musgrave in a call with The Associated Press Wednesday from Ozark, Missouri, also rejected the idea of John Forsyth dying by suicide. I feel like it is foul play. I feel like it has to have been, Musgrave said, adding that it was also hard to imagine that anyone who knew him would want to hurt him. He was funny and engaging and the life of a party, Musgrave said. He said the news that his brother-in-law's body had been found had hit the family like a bus full of bricks. Messages seeking comment from the Missouri State Highway Patrol and Cassville police on Wednesday were not immediately returned. When the doctor's vehicle was found, several law enforcement agencies searched about a 9-mile (15-kilometer) radius around the aquatic park using people, dogs and drones. Forsyth's family set up a Facebook page seeking information. Gina Forsyth-Farlaino said her brother was smart, confident, loved to help people and was devoted to his family. In the days since his disappearance, she said the family has heard at least three stories of people who he persuaded not to take their own lives. But Forsyth never mentioned those cases to his family, she recalled in an interview Wednesday from Price, Utah. I miss him terribly, Forsyth-Farlaino said. And Im devastated that hes not here. Associated Press writer Lisa Baumann contributed from Bellingham, Washington. DETROIT (AP) A lawsuit can go forward against a Michigan official who flashed a rifle during a public meeting over video conference, a federal appeals court said Wednesday. Patricia MacIntosh is suing Ron Clous, alleging he tried to silence her right to free speech when he displayed the rifle during a 2021 meeting of Grand Traverse County commissioners. Clous has no governmental immunity at this stage of the litigation, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in a 2-1 opinion. Virtually smirking and displaying a high-powered rifle at someone during a tension-filled public meeting is pregnant with dangerous meaning, said judges Jane Stranch and Stephanie Dawkins Davis. The incident occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic when the county board met over video conference. During the public comment period, MacIntosh urged commissioners to make a statement opposing anti-government militia groups, a few weeks after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. That's when Clous, a commissioner who was participating from home, left the screen and returned with a rifle. In response to the lawsuit, an attorney for Clous argued that displaying the rifle was his own expressive conduct protected by the Constitution. But the appeals court said it could be considered an adverse action. Clous didn't seek reelection in 2022 and is no longer a county commissioner. In a dissent, Judge Jeffrey Sutton said no legal precedent fits to keep MacIntosh's free speech retaliation lawsuit alive. Think of what happened, he said. A side view of Commissioner Clouss lawfully possessed rifle. In that officials own home. For a few seconds. During a virtual Board of Commissioners meeting. With everyone participating from the safety of their own homes. Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwritez BRANDON, Miss. (AP) An intruder who went into a Mississippi home armed with three guns and wearing a bulletproof vest took a woman hostage and later shot two police officers, killing one and wounding the other during an eight-hour standoff Thursday that ended in his death, police said. The violence took place in the Jackson suburb of Brandon, where officers had called in backup from several law enforcement agencies. Among those responding was Madison Police Department fficer Randy Tyler, who died after he was shot twice in the chest with a rifle, Brandon Police Chief Wayne Dearman said. Tyler had worked for seven years as an officer in Madison, another Jackson suburb. The Madison department said he was a member of its special response team and directed the training of newly hired officers. Tyler previously retired as police chief in nearby Ridgeland. Today, Mississippi grieves for Officer Tyler, his loved ones, and the rest of the law enforcement community, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said in a statement. His courageous sacrifice likely stopped others from being killed or injured. Dearman said at a news conference that the shooter was identified as 22-year-old Gabriel Matthew Wilson, from the city of Pearl. Brandon police received a call at 1:20 a.m. that a man in a tactical vest with two handguns and a rifle was trying to break into a home that had two women inside, Dearman said. He said investigators believe that one of the women was Wilsons girlfriend. The chief said one woman escaped quickly and Wilson held the other one hostage until police brought him water that he demanded. Officers left the water inside the house and walked out, and the hostage escaped unharmed. From our conversations with him, he was there and he was looking for a fight, Dearman said. Wilson's mother was at the scene assisting police in talking to her son, the chief said. Dearman said that several hours into the standoff, two officers were standing outside when Wilson starting shooting toward them from inside the home. The gunfire wounded one of the officers, who works for the Brandon Police Department. Dearman did not release that officer's name but said he was shot in the side while wearing a bulletproof vest. Hours later police sent a drone into the house, and its video showed Wilson lying on a mattress, Dearman said. A team of officers went inside to try to end the standoff. I think the drone may have hit a ceiling fan, Dearman said. When he woke up from that point, he grabbed the rifle again, and that's when he fatally shot the officer (from) Madison. After Wilson fired several shots, he added, some of the team members wound up having to subdue the subject. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is examining the case, as it does with most shootings of or by law enforcement officers in the state. Afterward the MBI will give its findings to the state attorney general's office, Department of Public Safety spokesperson Bailey Martin said. This story has been corrected to show that Randy Tyler had worked for the Madison Police Department for seven years, not eight. Witnesses testified in a Waco court Wednesday that they believe former Clifton police Officer David Christopher Boen Jr. touched a 15-year-old boy inappropriately after a wedding in June 2017. Chris got him drunk and touched his (genitals), said the girlfriend of the alleged victim, who is now 21. Boen, 34, of Waco, is on trial this week in Wacos 19th State District Court on a second-degree felony charge of indecency with a child by contact. Boens defense attorney, Aubrey Robertson, objected to the testimony from the girlfriend, who has been dating the young man since shortly after the alleged incident, as hearsay. McLennan County Assistant District Attorney Tara Avants told Judge Thomas West the testimony should be allowed because it is based on what the young man told the woman in the immediate aftermath of the alleged incident. West allowed it. According to the Boens arrest affidavit, the young man told a forensic interviewer in November 2018, when he was about 16, that Boen was speaking with him about sex at the June 2017 wedding reception. After Boen allegedly made inappropriate comments to the 15-year-old, the boy exposed himself to Boen to invalidate Boens assertions that the boy was aroused by the conversation, police reported at the time. Boen then touched the boys genitals before he pulled away from Boen and Boen turned and walked away, according to the affidavit. Boen had been an officer with the Clifton Police Department for less than a month at time of his arrest. Before that he worked as a deputy constable in McLennan County Precinct 1 and as a corrections officer at McLennan County Jail. The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement did not immediately respond Wednesday to the Tribune-Heralds questions about the status of Boens peace officer license. The girlfriend told the jury the young man was trigged one evening in November 2018, when he saw Boen at the restaurant where he worked. Through tears, she told the jury it was very hard for the young man to speak about it. Robertson asked if she was at the wedding. She said no. He asked if everything she knows about the night of the wedding had been told to her by the young man. She said yes. Robertson asked if she knew that another of the young mans close friends did not believe him at the time. She said this surprised her. The young mans brother-in-law told the jury he had considered Boen a part of the family before he found out about what the young man said happened the night of the wedding. I lost my best friend, the brother-in-law, who is now a sheriffs deputy in Hill County, said of the night in November 2018 when he found out about the young mans allegation. The brother-in-law said that before he found out, Boen had gone to all his family events, particularly those for his own young children. Afterward, he no longer associated with Boen. Im a peace officer and that allegation is what I consider a heinous crime, the brother-in-law said. I cant associate with anyone I believe did this. The brother-in-law said he told the young mans family member who called him for advice to report the act to law enforcement. While the young mans mother was on the witness stand, Boens defense attorneys attempted to ask her how her son responded to Boen at a pool party in the months after the incident. She said she did not recall the pool party and did not usually go to family events at that particular home. Defense attorney Vic Feazell asked her if she had thrown two of her daughters out of the house for becoming pregnant out of wedlock. Prosecutor Elizabeth Buice objected, questioning the relevance. Feazell said the question is relevant to a defense theory that young man made the accusation against Boen out of fear of his mother. The mother said no. On redirect from Buice the mother said she was not happy that her daughters became pregnant out of wedlock. She said it went against everything she was raised to believe. Waco police arrested a Marlin man Thursday and charged him with second-degree felony manslaughter in a May 17 car crash that killed an 81-year-old woman and sent a 3-year-old girl to the hospital. Lee Jordan Murrow, 31, was charged with manslaughter, as well as injury to a child, a state jail felony; and possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor, according to jail records. He remained Thursday morning in McLennan County Jail, with bond set at $21,000. Waco police spokesperson Cierra Shipley said in a press release that Murrows reckless driving caused the fatal crash. According to the related press releases from May 17 and 18, the crash occurred around 12:15 p.m. in the 1000 block of North Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The press release says a Mazda 5 was traveling south on MLK Boulevard when it made a U-turn and was hit by a second vehicle, which caused the two cars to collide with a third. Shipley said Lee was driving the second vehicle, a BMW. The passengers of the Mazda were ejected and transported to a local hospital, the press release says. The passengers were Dorthey Small, of Fountain, Colorado, who was pronounced dead at the hospital, and a 3-year-old girl, who suffered minor injuries in the wreck, the press release says. The occupants of the other vehicles were expected to be OK, according to the press release. Friends of retired Waco school librarian Beulah Barksdale are remembering her in a way the veteran storyteller and informal historian would appreciate, with stories of their own. Everyone who knew Beulah had a Beulah story, retired Waco Independent School District educator Hazel Rowe said of her colleague and longtime friend. She was one of a kind and we are better people for having known her. Her head and heart were always busy. Barksdale died Sunday at the age of 91. Funeral services will take place at 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Paul AME Church, 1302 Herring Ave. She will lie in state from 9:30 to 11 a.m., before the service. Barksdale left her mark on multiple Waco communities through her years as an instructor at Paul Quinn College, then Kirk Wilson, Alta Vista, Parkdale and J.H. Hines Elementary Schools; storytelling, including years with the Heart of Texas Storytelling Guild; her advocacy for education; deep knowledge of Waco history; community work with the Waco chapter of The Links Inc., which she co-founded, and the national sorority Delta Sigma Theta; dedication to her church, St. Paul AME; and a stunning doll collection with thousands of dolls and plenty of background stories. Born Beulah Elizabeth Ewing in San Marcos, she grew up in Waco, graduating from Moore High School, then going on to Fisk University in Nashville, graduating with a bachelors degree in 1952 and returning to Waco to work as an instructor at Paul Quinn College. She later earned a degree in library service from Atlanta University and became a school librarian. She and her late husband, Ralphael Barksdale, a longtime Waco ISD principal, made Waco history themselves in the early years after Waco ISD became racially integrated in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was one of the first Black principals of a predominantly white school after integration and she is believed to be one of the first Black librarians in Waco ISD, although the district was unable to confirm that. "She was a consummate lover of books. She loved books and she loved turning kids on to reading," Rowe said. Barksdale and her students often dressed up as characters in books, with parades, displays and dioramas that connected kids with books. At the same time, students who were casual or negligent in how they handled books, or inattentive in their school behavior, would soon see Barksdale's sterner side, Rowe said. Barksdale retired in 1990 after some 38 years in education, but never slowed down, friends and colleagues said. Vivian Rutherford, president of the Heart of Texas Storytelling Guild, remembered her as a fellow librarian, a mentor and someone passionate about storytelling. She loved storytelling. It was her life, Rutherford said. Barksdale regularly took part in the guilds Walking Tales at Oakwood Cemetery, often telling the story of Waco timber magnate and philanthropist William Cameron. She knew Waco history back and front and could talk about people and make history come alive, Rutherford said. Barksdale is pictured in a mural panel on the side of the East Waco Library, a nod to her time at Paul Quinn College and her deep involvement in East Waco history. She was a wonderful community servant and certainly a social butterfly. She loved community, said the Rev. George Johnson, former pastor at St. Paul AME Church and now presiding elder of the Paul Quinn District of the Northwest Texas Conference of the AME. Johnson said Barksdales years of service and church work led to her consecration as deaconess on Sept. 14, 2018, at the Northwest Texas AME annual conference, one of the AMEs highest levels of service. Waco Cultural Arts Director Doreen Ravenscroft said Barksdale brought memorable tenacity and good humor to her involvement in multiple arts and history projects in the community. Barksdale often shared items of Waco or Black history from her collection with community events such as the Waco Cultural Arts Festival and had a collection of walking sticks, many from her African trips, with their own stories attached. The two women often had tea together and Barksdale was a seemingly infinite source of stories, regardless of the subject. You could sit and listen to her for hours, Ravenscroft said. She was one of the landmark people of Waco. It would have been lovely to have one more cup of tea with her. Two bills sitting on Gov. Greg Abbotts desk could free up state funding to renovate or replace the Hilton Waco next to the Waco Convention Center. House Bill 5012 would add Waco to the list of eligible cities for the states qualified hotel project program. The program grants a 10-year rebate of state hotel occupancy taxes and state sales taxes for the construction or renovation of a hotel within 1,000 feet of a city-owned convention center. Rebated tax revenue begins once a hotel project opens for initial occupancy and can be used for bonds or other certificates of obligation incurred during the project. City Manager Bradley Ford said the amount of the tax rebates has yet to be estimated, but it will be based on the success of the project. That keeping of that revenue is worth, in some cases, tens of millions of dollars over that 10 years, Ford said. The bigger the hotel, the higher revenue it has, the more you would keep. It basically captures the state revenue within a thousand feet. So they basically draw a circle and if theres a 300-room hotel within that 1,000-foot circle, its a lot of money. If its only a 100-room hotel, its less money. House Bill 5012, passed in the House and Senate with amendments Monday, would add Waco to a list of 51 Texas municipalities already authorized to participate in the qualified hotel project program. State Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, who represents Waco, sponsored the bill in the Senate. Wacos state representatives, Charles Doc Anderson, R-Waco, and Angelia Orr, R-Hill County, voted for the bill in the House. The Hilton Waco, a 195-room facility first opened in 1981, could be the subject of the program as it sits on city property at University Parks Drive and Franklin Avenue. The 11-story building overlooking the Brazos River is owned by Texas Western Hospitality and last underwent a major overhaul in 2008 when an $18 million renovation redid each room, added a ballroom, reworked its exterior and added a restaurant. The idea behind the state-led legislation is that convention centers attract out-of-state commerce with conventions, business meetings and visitors, and can push local revitalization and development efforts, boosting Texas economy. Having functional convention centers with an adequate supply of nearby hotel rooms is critical to event planners looking to bring business to Texas and makes the state more competitive for tourism, according to an interim report from the Texas Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Economic Development. Birdwell is chair of that committee, which approved the legislation. Fifty-one municipalities have been authorized to participate in the states qualified hotel project program since it was first approved to assist the city of Houston in 1993. Only 13 projects have actually been constructed and prepared for occupancy. Some $204.2 million had been paid by the state to the projects as of August 2022, including four projects that have reached the end of their rebate period: Dallas Convention Center hotel project, $45.8 million Fort Worth Convention Center hotel project, $26.8 million San Antonio Convention Center hotel project, $34.7 million Houston Convention Center hotel project, $40.2 million. Conventions and Tourism Director Dan Quandt said he was involved with a successful project in Amarillo that was funded through the program. He said it is difficult to estimate how much Wacos project could cost or what the rebate would be because the return on investment is based on what kind of project would be undertaken and how much tax revenue the project can generate. The most important thing about the opportunity that we get out of House Bill 5012 is that its an opportunity, Quandt said. The beauty of this concept is that the actual project generates its own money. Development ideas Even as the funding mechanism is being authorized, city and hotel officials are still discussing what kind of development to do. It could be a renovation of the existing Hilton, or it could involve replacing it with a new hotel nearby, city officials said. A city-commissioned study on the future of downtown, presented in April by the architectural firm Gensler, suggested moving both the convention center and the Hilton to create a vast green space connecting the riverfront to the heart of downtown. The Waco City Council has made no commitment to that vision. Ford said discussions have continued about the idea of razing the Hilton and building a new hotel somewhere close to the convention center. Quandt said it is too early to tell if the project would construct a new hotel or renovate the current one. Either way the existing owner or new developer would have to do their own assessment of how their brand will work within Wacos market and produce a return on investment. Hilton Waco owner Gene Carter said he is open to either option refurbishing the current Hilton or tearing down the facility for a new one and he wants to be cooperative with what the city thinks is best to accomplish something great for the city of Waco. Were in the Waco deal for the long haul, he said. Carter said he was in the process of starting a major improvement plan when the qualified hotel project program came up, but the preliminary property improvement plan he was issued from the Hilton flagship to refurbish the hotel is extensive. The brand recommends redoing the entire interior and some exterior improvements, including outdoor lighting, if the city chooses to keep the building, he said. If the city opts to tear it down itll be another ballgame, Carter said. Carter and the city have met a few times, but have not come to a conclusion on the Hiltons fate. Senate Bill 1420 While the House bill would add Waco to the list of municipalities approved for a qualified hotel project, another bill authored by Sen. Birdwell and awaiting Gov. Abbotts signature includes a clawback provision for future projects requiring that they produce a return on investment or repay the lost tax revenue. One of the things that was important to Senator Birdwell, which we were in agreement with, some of the language you see in here created kind of a return on investment test for the state, Ford said. If theyre going to invest those dollars, it needs to generate new tourism and new visitors and new spending. As soon as the completed hotel project is in operation, under a qualified hotel agreement, the sites developers would keep the state rebate for the first 10 years, said Ashley Nystrom, chief of staff to the city manager. Once the 10-year rebate period is over, the state will determine its return on investment for the next 10 years, she said. Then 20 years after the project is complete the state will either find the project has met return-on-investment measures and move on, or calculate how much the city missed its goal by and issue a bill for the missing amount. This is something that, you know, itll take us a couple years to put the deal together and then 20-plus years later to know if it paid off or not, Ford said. A Baylor University professor said mosquitoes in Waco and McLennan County are a nuisance, but very few people catch mosquito-born illnesses in the area. Biting mosquitoes are certainly a nuisance, but because of the low incidence of mosquito-borne illnesses in the area, we do not consider them a danger, said Jason Pitts, an associate biology professor at Baylor and director of the Texas Mosquito Control Association. Pitts lab at Baylor studies mosquitoes that carry diseases like dengue and Zika. He said a Baylor colleague, biology professor Cheolho Sim, used to run a mosquito surveillance program in McLennan County, but his grant funding the program ran out about five years ago. Pitts said he is not concerned the county has no ongoing mosquito trapping and testing. Most of the trapping and testing of mosquitoes to see if they carry diseases is done in the major metropolitan areas of Texas and the counties that surround them, he said. When Sim was trapping mosquitos, one of Baylors labs would test them for diseases, Pitts said. The most recent cases of mosquito-borne illnesses recorded in McLennan County were in 2016, when eight people had West Nile virus, according to Texas Department of State Health Services records. The records do not indicate any of the eight who had West Nile died. Texas had 128 cases of all mosquito-borne illnesses in 2019, including four that resulted in death, according to the departments most recent statewide mosquito-borne illness report, prepared in 2022 for the year 2019. None of the cases were in McLennan County. West Nile virus is endemic to the United States and Texas, which means the state sees cases of the disease every year in humans and pathogen transmission by mosquitoes every year, said Sonja Swiger, an etymology professor and extension specialist with the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service in Stephenville and the second vice president of the Texas Mosquito Control Association. In Texas, we also have cases of dengue that are travel-associated, meaning the individual contracted the virus outside of Texas but was diagnosed in Texas, Swiger said. Any time doctors or hospitals detect a mosquito-born disease it is reportable to the state, said Dr. Cinthia Gallegos, an infectious diseases physician at Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Medical Center in Waco. If there were any provable cases, these would be reported, Gallegos said. Diseases like West Nile virus, Zika and dengue are spread only by infected mosquitoes, she said. These are transmitted only by a mosquito bite, not from coughing or sneezing or anything like that, Gallegos said. Eighty to 90% of people who have West Nile virus have a very mild case, or no symptoms at all. When residents go outside in the early mornings or evenings when mosquitos are active, public health experts recommend wearing long sleeved shirts and long pants, and insect repellent with DEET. Dumping containers with standing water a couple of times per week will prevent mosquito larvae from maturing. Pitts said he puts a product called Mosquito Dunks, which kills mosquito larvae, in any standing water he finds on his property if it is not in something he can dump out. He recommends that people who have a large number of mosquitos on their property contact a professional exterminator rather than buying spray or chemicals from a store and attempting to treat the mosquitoes themselves. The places where mosquitoes would actually live are not places you would ever think to spray for them, or not easily reached by homeowners, Pitts said. In 10 short years, the United States will have more people older than 65 than those under 18. We will join Japan, Italy, Singapore and South Korea facing a weakened workforce, too few citizens to support their safety net for children and the elderly, and shuttered schools. Ours will not be as challenging a crisis as the above countries because we have historically offset our low birth rate with replenishing immigration. However, the stalemate in reaching immigration reform in our partisan Congress puts us in a dangerous place. For the last seven years, Republicans and the media have directed their attention to the Mexican border. In the process, they have shut down all conversations concerning the need for general immigration reform critical to our economy and the countrys well-being. We need more immigrants, not fewer. The U.S. population has grown for years. That growth is not because our birth rate sustains our population. Our birth rate has steadily declined and is lower than in any other year since 1983. Our current birth rate of 1.6 is significantly below the replacement rate of 2.2. A low-birth-rate asteroid is racing our way. Unless we attend to our immigration policies, we will face the same social and economic havoc that countries with an aging workforce and low birth rates face. Our good fortune of being one of the most highly sought immigration destinations in the world is wasted unless we pay attention to this food that has so bountifully fed us in the past. While the U.S. dawdles, other countries are stepping into the breach to resolve the demographic crunch in their countries. Canada is a prime example. Canada is one of the most diverse countries in the world, with 22.3 percent of the country considered immigrants. By contrast, the immigrant population in the United States is 13.6 percent, about the same as a century ago. Canada, the second most popular destination after the United States, is expanding. We are not. The Canadian government perceives further immigration as necessary to combat its shrinking labor population. According to immigration targets from the Canadian government, Canada aims to welcome 465,000 immigrants in 2023, 485,000 newcomers in 2024, and a milestone 500,000 new Canadian permanent residents in 2025.Canada is not the only county aggressively seeking new immigrants while we turn them away. Germany, too, is seeking new immigrants, especially those who fill the countrys workforce needs. Research by the German Institute for Economic Research showed that Germany experienced an economic boom and an inflow of labor, following its immigration policies. Frankfurt, Germany, stands out as a city with the most immigrants and is seeking more focus on software developers, programmers, architects, IT consultants, nurses and teachers. While other members of the European Union resisted absorbing immigrants from northern Africa, Germany welcomed them. Then it required massive numbers to learn the German language and engage in education programs specifically directed to fill needs in faltering occupations. While it may be true that our national unemployment rate currently hovers around 3.5 percent, the number hides occupations that face critical needs, such as farm workers, doctors, nurses, teachers and caretakers, to name a few deficits significantly pronounced in rural areas. While immigration at our southern border needs attention, we are remiss in not attending to the broader immigration problem looming soon. We are missing an opportunity other countries are addressing, leaving us in the dust. At Mobile Office Hours, Ricketts staff will be on-site to assist Nebraskans with their casework needs. If Nebraskans cant get an answer in a timely manner or feel they have been treated unfairly, Ricketts and his staff may be able to help resolve the issue or help them get in touch with the correct people. (Photo : Drew Angerer/Getty Images) By a vote of 52-46, the US Senate approved a resolution rejecting the execution of the student loan relief plan of President Joe Biden. The US Senate rejected President Joe Biden's plan to erase more than $400 billion in student loan debt on Thursday. This move puts forward an anticipated veto from the White House. By a vote of 52-46, the Senate approved a resolution denouncing the Department of Education's execution of Biden's proposal. Democratic Senators Joe Manchin, Jon Tester, and Independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema joined all 49 Republicans in voting to stop the loan bailout, contributing to this result, Fox News reported. Republicans contended that the program was unjust to individuals who either never took out student loans or had already paid them off, and the House voted to end it by a margin of 218 to 203. This eventually led to the Senate's decision. Senators Manchin, Tester, and Sinema voted for the bill as moderate Democrats teamed up with Republicans to approve it. According to Politico, Joe Biden's student loan relief proposal was condemned by Senator Manchin as being "reckless" and adding to the US debt. He voiced worry that the idea would burden taxpayers who had previously returned their student debts or chose not to seek further education. Senators Mark Warner and Michael Bennet abstained from the vote. Read Also: NASA Experts Hold First Public Forum to Discuss UAPs Biden's Student Loan Forgiveness Plan Faces Challenges The White House noted that President Joe Biden must now decide whether to reject the bill or defend his student debt forgiveness scheme, per NBC News. However, two cases that the conservative-leaning US Supreme Court is anticipated to decide on this month may provide another substantial obstacle for Biden's student debt relief proposal. Separately, the Senate is also considering the US debt ceiling agreement President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached. If passed, this proposal will recommence federal student loan repayments at the end of August after they were suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, despite Republican efforts to do so, the debt package does not include clauses that would prevent Biden's student debt forgiveness plan from being implemented. Related Article: Prudential CFO Steps Down After 'Code of Conduct' Probe @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Vintage Aviation News staff did not write this article; the content comes via our partners who wish to help $upport our website. Military aviation is a field that is just a young century or so old. Despite its limited timeline, the rapid advancement of technology has seen it go from simple powered flight to AI-led systems capable of covering tens of thousands of kilometres without any human interaction. Indeed, the history of military aviation is as fascinating as it is surprising, as you will soon discover with this article. So much so, its had an impact on many other aspects of the general history of mankind including online games, believe it or not! Did you know, there are even online slots based on this interesting topic? NoDepositWorld has an entire catalogue of licensed operators offering such games centralized around this theme, so we suggest you check them out. Today, we cover the most influential moments in military aviations history, from the beginning up until now. 1. The Wright brothers take off Aviation history was born in 1903 when the Wright brothers achieved the worlds first powered flight. The internal combustion engine allowed the first-ever flight to last for a grand total of 12 seconds and 120 feet, which was shortly followed by another flight lasting 59 seconds and 852 feet. Obviously, the second flight was the one that managed to capture the worlds attention. Both Orville and Wilbur went on to further the aviation community even more, although Wilbur passed away just nine years later from Typhoid. 2. World War I Even though powered flight was still in its infancy, World War 1 proved to be a testing ground for air-to-air combat. Initially, aircraft were not equipped with munitions, with the battle being done simply with guns held by humans, but soon enough these were mounted to make life easier for those in the air. Dogfights were born in World War 1. 3. Aircraft carriers come in to land In the late 1910s and early 1920s we saw the first naval aircraft carriers emerge. These massive ships were designed specifically to carry aircraft. Back in the times, we didnt have large aircraft so for lengthy and geographically disparate operations, there was a need to deploy ships. 4. The jet engine The 1930s and 40s were when the jet engine was invented, with Frank Whittle being the inventor of the turbojet engine. It wasnt until later that jet engines were used in fighter jets, which became the weapon of choice during World War II. For countries that had jet-powered fighter jets, they were able to outplay their enemies during air battles. 5. Atomic bomb dropping In the mid-1940s the devastating atomic bombs, Little Boy and Fat Man, were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively. These two bombs were both deployed by Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers which had been redesigned to make room for the bombs themselves. The effects were devastating for the people of Japan and the fallout from the bombs persisted for many, many decades. In the context of technology for the military, the nuclear race was on. 6. US Air Force Space Command The U.S. Air Force Space Command (AFSPC), established in the 1980s, signalled a move towards more long-range capabilities and defense needs for the United States. The agency, now rebranded as the US Space Force in 2019, is in charge of such fields as satellite military operations, early warning systems, and other long-range communication systems. Now, 40 years later, long-range complex communications are more important than ever. 7. September 11 September 11, 2001, marked a significant time in military aviation history. It was the first time that multiple commercial airliners were hijacked in unison for shared common suicide missions. The methods the coordinators went to in organizing the extremely complex operation ensured that commercial aviation worldwide changed forever. We now have far more strict rules for screening in airports everywhere. 8. UAVs go long-range The MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper of the 90s and early 2000s were the first UAVs that really showed off what unmanned drones were capable of in actual military operations. While the general public was stunned by these aircrafts capabilities, those within the military community were not surprised to see the release of these drones in practice. From these first deployments, UAVs have not skyrocketed in their capabilities, making for a large component of many operations. 9. Advanced air defense systems Along with military aircraft, comes the need to counter air-based attacks. While air defense systems have been around since military aircraft were first released, it was until the past few decades that advanced air defence systems like Integrated Air Defence Systems (IADS) have become more sophisticated. These systems rely on complex networks, systems, radar tech, and missile defense munitions to deflect modern air attack systems. 10. AI for military aviation The emergence of AI from research and development over the last 20 years means that military aviation has come along in leaps and bounds, particularly within the realm of UAVs. AI systems such as tactical decision aids, image recognition, anomaly detection, and even data-driven maintenance. This is expected to grow exponentially over the next 10 to 20 years as we enter the golden age of AI. Vintage Aviation News staff did not write this article; the content comes via our partners who wish to help $upport our website. More than 600,000 Americans have lost Medicaid coverage since pandemic protections ended on April 1. And a KFF Health News analysis of state data shows the vast majority were removed from state rolls for not completing paperwork. Under normal circumstances, states review their Medicaid enrollment lists regularly to ensure every recipient qualifies for coverage. But because of a nationwide pause in those reviews during the pandemic, the health insurance program for low-income and disabled Americans kept people covered even if they no longer qualified. Now, in whats known as the Medicaid unwinding, states are combing through rolls and deciding who stays and who goes. People who are no longer eligible or dont complete paperwork in time will be dropped. The overwhelming majority of people who have lost coverage in most states were dropped because of technicalities, not because state officials determined they no longer meet Medicaid income limits. Four out of every five people dropped so far either never returned the paperwork or omitted required documents, according to a KFF Health News analysis of data from 11 states that provided details on recent cancellations. Now, lawmakers and advocates are expressing alarm over the volume of people losing coverage and, in some states, calling to pause the process. KFF Health News sought data from the 19 states that started cancellations by May 1. Based on records from 14 states that provided detailed numbers, either in response to a public records request or by posting online, 36% of people whose eligibility was reviewed have been disenrolled. In Indiana, 53,000 residents lost coverage in the first month of the unwinding, 89% for procedural reasons like not returning renewal forms. State Rep. Ed Clere, a Republican, expressed dismay at those staggering numbers in a May 24 Medicaid advisory group meeting, repeatedly questioning state officials about forms mailed to out-of-date addresses and urging them to give people more than two weeks notice before canceling their coverage. Clere warned that the cancellations set in motion an avoidable revolving door. Some people dropped from Medicaid will have to forgo filling prescriptions and cancel doctor visits because they cant afford care. Months down the line, after untreated chronic illnesses spiral out of control, theyll end up in the emergency room where social workers will need to again help them join the program, he said. Before the unwinding, more than 1 in 4 Americans 93 million were covered by Medicaid or CHIP, the Childrens Health Insurance Program, according to KFF Health News analysis of the latest enrollment data. Half of all kids are covered by the programs. About 15 million people will be dropped over the next year as states review participants eligibility in monthly tranches. Most people will find health coverage through new jobs or qualify for subsidized plans through the Affordable Care Act. But millions of others, including many children, will become uninsured and unable to afford basic prescriptions or preventive care. The uninsured rate among those under 65 is projected to rise from a historical low of 8.3% today to 9.3% next year, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Because each state is handling the unwinding differently, the share of enrollees dropped in the first weeks varies widely. Several states are first reviewing people officials believe are no longer eligible or who havent recently used their insurance. High cancellation rates in those states should level out as the agencies move on to people who likely still qualify. In Utah, nearly 56% of people included in early reviews were dropped. In New Hampshire, 44% received cancellation letters within the first two months almost all for procedural reasons, like not returning paperwork. But New Hampshire officials found that thousands of people who didnt fill out the forms indeed earn too much to qualify, according to Henry Lipman, the states Medicaid director. They would have been denied anyway. Even so, more people than he expected are not returning renewal forms. That tells us that we need to change up our strategy, said Lipman. In other states, like Virginia and Nebraska, which aren't prioritizing renewals by likely eligibility, about 90% have been renewed. Because of the three-year pause in renewals, many people on Medicaid have never been through the process or arent aware they may need to fill out long verification forms, as a recent KFF poll found. Some people moved and didnt update their contact information. And while agencies are required to assist enrollees who dont speak English well, many are sending the forms in only a few common languages. Tens of thousands of children are losing coverage, as researchers have warned, even though some may still qualify for Medicaid or CHIP. In its first month of reviews, South Dakota ended coverage for 10% of all Medicaid and CHIP enrollees in the state. More than half of them were children. In Arkansas, about 40% were kids. Many parents dont know that limits on household income are significantly higher for children than adults. Parents should fill out renewal forms even if they dont qualify themselves, said Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. New Hampshire has moved most families with children to the end of the review process. Lipman, the states Medicaid director, said his biggest worry is that a child will end up uninsured. Florida also planned to push kids with serious health conditions and other vulnerable groups to the end of the review line. But according to Miriam Harmatz, advocacy director and founder of the Florida Health Justice Project, state officials sent cancellation letters to several clients with disabled children who probably still qualify. Shes helping those families appeal. Nearly 250,000 Floridians reviewed in the first month of the unwinding lost coverage, 82% of them for reasons like incomplete paperwork, the state reported to federal authorities. House Democrats from the state petitioned Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to pause the unwinding. Advocacy coalitions in both Florida and Arkansas also have called for investigations into the review process and a pause on cancellations. The state is contacting enrollees by phone, email, and text, and continues to process late applications, said Tori Cuddy, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Children and Families. Cuddy did not respond to questions about issues raised in the petitions. Federal officials are investigating those complaints and any other problems that emerge, said Dan Tsai, director of the Center for Medicaid & CHIP Services. If we find that the rules are not being followed, we will take action. His agency has directed states to automatically reenroll residents using data from other government programs like unemployment and food assistance when possible. Anyone who cant be approved through that process must act quickly. For the past three years, people have been told to ignore the mail around this, that the renewal was not going to lead to a termination. Suddenly that mail matters, he said. Federal law requires states to tell people why theyre losing Medicaid coverage and how to appeal the decision. Harmatz said some cancellation notices in Florida are vague and could violate due process rules. Letters that shes seen say your Medicaid for this period is ending rather than providing a specific reason for disenrollment, like having too high an income or incomplete paperwork. If a person requests a hearing before their cancellation takes effect, they can stay covered during the appeals process. Even after being disenrolled, many still have a 90-day window to restore coverage. In New Hampshire, 13% of people deemed ineligible in the first month have asked for extra time to provide the necessary records. If you're eligible for Medicaid, we don't want you to lose it, said Lipman. Clere, the Indiana state representative, pushed his states Medicaid officials during the May meeting to immediately make changes to avoid people unnecessarily becoming uninsured. One official responded that theyll learn and improve over time. Im just concerned that were going to be learning as a result of people losing coverage, Clere replied. So I dont want to learn at their expense. 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). BRUSSELS The European Union has been at the forefront of the fight against climate change and the protection of nature for years, but now finds itself under pressure from within to pause new environmental efforts amid fears they will hurt the economy. With the next European Parliament elections set for 2024, some leaders and lawmakers are concerned about antagonizing workers and voters with new binding legislation and restrictive measures and are urging the 27-nation bloc to hit the brakes. Since Ursula von der Leyen took the helm of the powerful European Commission back in 2019, environmental policies have topped the EU agenda. EU nations endorsed plans to become climate neutral by 2050 and adopted a wide range of measures, from reducing energy consumption to sharply cutting transport emissions and reforming the EU's trading system for greenhouse gases. However, cracks in the European united front against climate change emerged in recent months. The first sign was earlier this year when Germany, the bloc's economic giant, delayed a deal to ban new internal combustion engines in the EU by 2035 amid ideological divisions inside the German government. An agreement was finally reached in March but just weeks later, the bloc's other powerhouse, France, called for a pause on EU environmental regulation, causing controversy. As he presented a bill on green industry earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron said it was time for the EU to implement existing rules before adopting new ones. "We have already passed a lot of regulations at European level, more than our neighbors," he said. "Now we have to execute, not make new rules, because otherwise we will lose all players." Macron was particularly concerned by a U.S. clean energy law that benefits electric vehicles and other products made in North America, fearing it will expose European companies to unfair competition. Although Europeans and their American partners keep working to resolve the challenges posed by the U.S. law, Macron's logic basically holds that a pause on environmental constraints would help EU businesses keep producing on home soil, despite competition from countries such as China that have lower environmental standards. Belgian Prime minister Alexander De Croo quickly followed suit, calling this past week for a moratorium on the introduction of EU legislation aimed at nature preservation, creating a rift within the governing coalition including green politicians. The law proposed by the EU's executive arm aims by 2030 to cover at least 20% of the EU's land and sea areas with nature restoration measures, "and eventually extend these to all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050," the commission said. De Croo said climate legislation should not be overloaded with restoration measures or limits on agricultural nitrogen pollution, warning that businesses would no longer be able to keep up. "That's why I'm asking that we press the pause button," he told VRT network. "Let's not go too far with things that, strictly speaking, have nothing to do with global warming. These other issues are important too, but measures to address them must be taken in phases." Macron and De Croo found allies at the European Parliament, where members of the biggest group, the Christian Democrat EPP, asked the European Commission to withdraw the nature restoration law proposal on grounds that it will threaten agriculture and undermine food security in Europe. The move came after two parliamentary committees, the Fisheries Committee and the Agriculture Committee, rejected the planned legislation. EPP lawmakers claim that abandoning farmland will lead to an increase in food prices, more imports and drive farmers out of businesses. "This is an exceptional step and shows that the Parliament is not ready to accept a proposal that only increases costs and insecurity for farmers, fishers and consumers," said Siegfried Muresan, the vice chairman of the EPP Group responsible for budget and structural policies. The growing opposition to the nature restoration law caused great concern among environmental NGOs, and Frans Timmermans, the EU Commission's top climate official in charge of its Green Deal, warned he would not put forward an alternative proposal because there isn't time. The EU commission also proposed setting legally binding targets to reduce the use of pesticides by 50% by 2030 and a ban on all pesticide use in public parks, playgrounds and schools. To ease the transition to alternative pest control methods, farmers would be able to use EU funds to cover the cost of the new requirements for five years. "If one piece falls, the other pieces fall. I don't see how we can maintain the Green Deal without the nature pillar, because without the nature pillar, the climate pillar is also not viable," Timmermans told EU lawmakers. "So we need to get these two together." 25 terms you should know to understand the climate change conversation 25 terms you should know to understand the climate change conversation Weather Climate Ice sheet Global warming Carbon dioxide PPM Methane Emissions COP and UNFCCC Tillage Fossil fuels Ocean acidification Particulate matter INDC Sea ice IPCC Greenhouse gas Global average temperature Biofuels Pre-industrial levels of CO2 Ozone Sea level rise Algal bloom Renewable energy Mitigation CEDAR FALLS Troopers arrested a woman in the area of U.S. Highway 218 and Lone Tree Road for child endangerment Saturday after she allegedly drove under the influence with a 7 year old in the back seat. Jaronda Lesha Washington, 50, of St. Paul, Minnesota, was reportedly driving a silver Dodge Avenger at 75 mph in a 65 mph zone when she was pulled over at 7:27 a.m. In the center console were a couple of cannabis blunts, responsible for a strong odor of marijuana that led to sobriety testing by the officer, according to court records. She admitted to having smoked cannabis at 3 and 6:15 a.m. and having taken multiple medications the night prior at about 9 p.m., including fluoxetine and other anti-depressant, anti-anxiety and PTSD medications, the records state. She was charged with possession of the controlled substance and first-offense operating under the influence. Additionally, she and the child had a no contact order with Ricardo Dale Smith, the passenger in the front passenger seat. He was placed under arrest for violating the order. WATERLOO An Iowa City woman faces several theft and burglary charges in Waterloo. Jordan Lynne Hanrahan, 20, allegedly stole a 1995 Cadillac DeVille at 115 Western Ave. and was charged with second-degree theft. Police responded at 5:30 a.m. Thursday to a report of a stolen vehicle. Officers later located Hanrahan, who allegedly admitted stealing the car, intending to drive to Cedar Rapids, and told them where to find it. Officers recovered the vehicle on U.S. Highway 20 at mile marker 66. Hanrahan also has been charged for an incident at 1122 W. Mullan Ave. after the owner of a 2011 Kia Sorento LX called and provided video allegedly showing her taking debit and credit cards from the vehicle, as well as a drivers license. Fraudulent transactions of $84.53 and $4.81 were completed, resulting in two counts of fraudulent credit card purchases. Similarly, she allegedly broke into a 2011 Toyota Rav4 at 1244 W. Mullan Ave. Credit and debit cards were stolen. CEDAR FALLS Mayor Rob Green, City Administrator Ron Gaines and Public Safety Director Craig Berte have recommended Acting Chief John Zolondek be the permanent replacement for retired chief John Bostwick. The City Council will vote on confirming Zolondeks appointment at 7 p.m. Monday at City Hall, 220 Clay St. He beat out Chris Ledeker, former fire and emergency medical services chief of the Arkansas City Fire Department in Kansas. A total of 11 applications were received for the job. Zolondek began serving in the Cedar Falls fire division as a paid-on-call firefighter in 2008 but was originally hired as a police officer in 2007. He had been a military police officer in the United States Marine Corps Reserve from 2002 to 2008. In addition to acting chief, hes served as a public safety officer, investigator, lieutenant and captain. The City of Davenport plans to provide $6,000 in aid to displaced residents of 324 Main Street, city officials announced Thursday. Tenants in surrounding buildings that had to vacate as well as businesses forced to close will also receive some city aid, said Bruce Berger, the community planning and development director. The aid is set to come from the city's COVID-19 relief allocation from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, and is subject to council approval, which Berger said would likely come at the next meeting so aid could be rolled out late next week. Residents forced to vacate surrounding buildings could apply for $1,000, Berger said. Businesses at 324 Main St., would be eligible for $25,000 from the city, and adjacent businesses, $5,000. Berger said impacted residents and business owners could apply at a Saturday event hosted by the Red Cross. The Red Cross with 15 other agencies is holding a resource center for displaced residents at the downtown Davenport Bittner YMCA Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Red Cross Executive Director Trish Burnett said residents will be able to meet with case workers to connect them with resources, including mental health resources, now and in the future. Berger said the city wanted the aid to be as flexible as possible and didn't place any restrictions on what residents could spend it on. Asked about how residents who lost identification or had no computers would be able to access the city program, Berger said there would be "a little bit of paperwork" that could hopefully be completed on Saturday, but that the city would complete follow-ups with tenants. Separately, by declaring the building collapse a disaster, the state is offering grants of up to $5,000 for households at or below 200% of the poverty level. Mayor Mike Matson said the city talked with Surfside, Florida, area officials earlier today, getting their advice. Surfside had a condominium building collapse in 2021, killing 98 people. It's the city's second press conference of the day regarding the partial building collapse this weekend. At the one held at 10 a.m. this morning, city officials said two of the five people who had been unaccounted for were located. The third person still missing has been named as Daniel Prien, along with Branden Colvin and Ryan Hitchcock. The city has said those three residents' apartments were in the collapsed portion of the building, and had a "high probability" that they were home. The Fire Chief said Monday morning there were no known individuals in the building and the city transitioned from rescue to recovery efforts. City officials then said demolition was expected to commence on Tuesday, but hours later a woman was rescued from the fourth story of the intact portion of the building. On Thursday, city officials gave no update on the timeline for demolition, but said they planned to do so sensitively. Reports from the Bettendorf firm hired by Andrew Wold to assess work at 324 Main St. document the building's problems before its partial collapse on Sunday, May 28. Following are excerpts from those documents. Feb. 8: The back wall posed a risk Feb. 2, 2023, an emergency site visit was performed after concern that the west exterior wall had a spot where brick was cracked and crumbling. This engineer determined that this is not an imminent threat to the building or its residents, but structural repairs will be necessary, wrote professional engineer David Valliere. Valliere reiterated there are two east-west beams in the west wall that needed to be shored. With those secured, the reconstruction of the wall could commence. The height of the wall should be replaced as well, he said. He recommended a CMU (concrete masonry unit) wall. The new CMU wall need not replace the entire west side of the building, but rather only the approximately 12-foot wide area from a window opening (currently boarded up) to an adjacent wall area of CMU, he wrote. It is also recommended to replace the brick wall in segments, and to shore/support the wall above in said segments. Villiare said this would minimize the amount of time the building would be unsupported while construction commenced. He gave specific instructions on what needed to be done for the new wall. The purpose of the staged and incremental demolition and reconstruction of wall segments is to minimize the risk of local structural failures, he said. Feb. 23: A new problem emerges During a follow-up, Valliere said the mason pointed out that the area to the north of the work area was potentially dangerous beneath its facade. Bi-State Masonry was working on the repairs recommended in the report issued Feb. 8, he said. They appear to be going according to plan, he said. What has recently come to the attention of the team is that this area has a large void space, roughly 12-14 wide, between the clay brick facade and CMU (concrete masonry unite) layer. This void appears to have been caused by the collapse of some mass of clay brick between the facade and CMU. Valliere said the collapsed mass was now settled and piling against the inside of the facade, pushing it outward. This will soon cause a large panel of facade to also collapse, creating a safety problem and potentially destabilizing the upper areas of brick facade, he wrote. This condition was not visible in the early inspection(s) and did not become apparent until repairs were under way and an opening was made by a smaller area of failing facade. The mason and engineer on site agreed the best solution was to remove the facade in the area in a safe, controlled manner and construct a second, outer layer of CMU from the ground up, about 15-18 feet. On March 1, Valliere emailed Davenport's Chief Building Official Trishna Pradhan, saying he had last been on the site on Feb. 23 and the work was being done per his design. "Bi-State Masonry is doing a good job from what I can see," the email said. May 23: The wall continues to bow Valliere followed up and noticed several large patches of facade separating from the building. The firm warned portions were ready to fall immediately and would create a safety hazard for cars and passersby. Valliere said the owner blocked off the area with cones and started to remove drywall from inside the wall to get a view of what was going on. The report also noted two former window openings, roughly 12-by-6 feet, that were bricked over years ago. The facade on and between those was bulging and, looks poised to fall. In anticipation of them falling, the brick above the windows needed to be secured, the report stated. This is to keep the entire face of the building from falling away when the bottom area(s) come loose. The same temporary facade support as was recommended on February 9th, 2023, may be used here too, he noted. After ripping out drywall, Select Structural confirmed the windows were never filled with brick or rock but facade was placed over the openings, unsupported. This lack of bracing helps explain why the facade is currently about to topple outward. The brick facade is unlikely to be preserved in place, but it can be brought down in a safe, controlled manner, he said. The firm gave recommendations on how to secure the window openings, then said it would need to be reinforced before the facade was replaced. This time, the new facade would need to be braced against the structural wall with brick pintles to keep it secure. Just north of the window openings was another issue, he wrote. The wall appeared to be losing stability and was causing deformation. The wall was visibly bowing. The firm said the culprit could be a weak beam and said a steel column to support it would alleviate the pressure. Valliere signed the letter by saying the opinions and recommendations in the report were based on field measurements and observable conditions, not an assessment of the non-structural elements of the local building code or an in-depth analysis of the full structure. Building collapse day 3 DES MOINES Former President Donald Trump kept up a steady drumbeat of criticism of his chief rival Ron DeSantis on Thursday, jumping immediately on remarks by the Florida governor on the campaign trail to try to highlight his own strength as the leading GOP presidential candidate. Trump, appearing in Iowa as DeSantis campaigned in New Hampshire, made a point of telling about 200 members of a conservative club gathered at a Des Moines-area restaurant that they could ask him questions an offer that came not long after DeSantis snapped at an Associated Press reporter who asked him why he didnt take questions from voters at his events. A lot of politicians dont take questions. They give a speech, Trump said to the audience, many of whom wore red Make America Great Again hats espousing his political movement. Trump also sought to capitalize off a remark by DeSantis that it felt like it would take two terms in the White House to really roll back the actions of the Biden administration a veiled reference to Trump, who can only serve one more term. Who the hell wants to wait eight years? Trump said Thursday, claiming he could unwind President Joe Bidens policies within six months. DeSantis, asked about the former presidents comment while leaving a voter event in Rochester on Thursday afternoon, noted Trump had already had a chance to fix the nations problems in his first term in office. Why didnt he do it in his first four years? Their campaign appearances Thursday displayed an early tableau of the Republican primary thats just getting underway: Trump hammering DeSantis and promising to use a return to the White House to quickly unwind his successors work, while the governor limits his replies and direct critiques, pitching instead to nationalize his aggressive governing style. Both men are portraying themselves as the stronger fighter for conservative causes and their partys best chance to block Biden from reelection next year. Thursday was the first time both were on the campaign trail meeting with voters since DeSantis announced his candidacy for president last week. At his first event in Laconia, New Hampshire, on Thursday, DeSantis left the stage without inviting any questions from voters, which is typically expected of presidential candidates competing for voters in the first-in-the-nation primary state. DeSantis also didnt take any questions on stage from voters in Iowa during his time in the state earlier in the week. While posing for pictures and shaking hands with voters afterward, DeSantis was asked by the AP reporter why he wasnt taking questions from voters. People are coming up to me, talking to me, what are you talking about? Are you blind? he said. Are you blind? People are coming up to me, talking to me whatever they want to talk to me about. Alan Glassman, treasurer of the state GOP, attended the event and was disappointed that the Florida governor didnt include a question-and-answer period. Glassman and his wife decided to skip any subsequent events of the day given that DeSantis wasnt likely to take unscripted questions. This is NH. The reality here is the vast majority of political people here in NH, we do our due diligence. We want to know where these people stand. And a lot of that is hearing from them and then asking them questions, Glassman said. Im just hoping that next time the governor does show up here, hell actually be doing some more interaction with the people, Glassman said. In Laconia, DeSantis turned his focus to Biden, criticizing him for championing a move to demote the early-voting state from its prominent role picking presidential candidates. He said the president was wrong to back a Democratic National Committee move to have New Hampshire hold its Democratic primary the same day as Nevada as part of a major shake-up meant to empower Black and other minority voters critical to the partys base of support. The Republican Partys calendar is decided separately but the Democrats changes have irked members of both parties in New Hampshire. Im glad Republicans are holding the line and committed to New Hampshire, DeSantis said. He used a similar line tailored to the local voters when acknowledging that New Hampshire, like Florida, does not collect personal income taxes. Youve got this one little outpost in New England thats holding the line, he said. Trump is in Iowa nearly three weeks after canceling his last event, a large rally near Des Moines, due to a tornado warning, reluctantly ceding the spotlight to DeSantis as the governor crisscrossed the state ahead of his campaign launch. In addition to Laconia, DeSantis New Hampshire tour included planned stops Thursday in Rochester, Salem and Manchester. He planned to campaign Friday to South Carolina, another prominent state on the presidential voting calendar. Trump, after appearing Wednesday night at a GOP legislative dinner in Des Moines, appeared Thursday morning at one of the twice-monthly breakfasts of a conservative club at a restaurant in Urbandale. The Westside Conservative Breakfast events are a long-standing stop for Republican candidates for all levels of elected office, including presidential hopefuls. The former president later had lunch with faith leaders, and was scheduled to visit with activists and supporters. Thursday afternoon, he was set to participate in a town hall with Sean Hannity taped in the Des Moines suburb of Clive. The town hall aired at 9 p.m. Thursday on Fox News. DeSantis stop in New Hampshire is scheduled to look similar to his Iowa swing, with a series of appearances around the state and one event billed as a fireside chat with his wife, Casey DeSantis. As Trump and DeSantis make their pitch to GOP voters, the Republican presidential field is shaping up to become even more crowded. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is expected to launch a Republican presidential campaign June 6 in New Hampshire. The next day, both Mike Pence, Trumps former vice president, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum are expected to announce campaigns of their own. U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and biotech entrepreneur and anti-woke activist Vivek Ramaswamy are among the other candidates already in the race. Price reported from New York and Beaumont reported from Urbandale, Iowa. Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report. Countries the world over have their version of Father's and Mother's Days, but almost nobody is aware of the one day when we can celebrate both parents at the same time - the Global Day of Parents. Our parents (or at least parental figures) were the first ones we looked up to when we were older - they helped us nurture our talents, teach us right and wrong, and helped us become who we are now. It's only right and proper to be grateful for everything they did together as they are. Interestingly, the UN recognizes the Global Day of Parents as an event worth celebrating, but who or what started it in the first place? Global Day of Parents - How It Came To Be The UN mentioned on its webpage for Global Day of Parents came to be when it began focusing attention on the issues related to the family. It said that the Commission for Social Development made a resolution based on the recommendations of the Economic and Social Council requesting the UN Secretary-General to enhance awareness among decision-makers and the public of the problems and needs of the family. The request also covers effective ways of meeting the same needs as well. As such, the UN, in its resolution 44/82 of Dec. 9, 1989, proclaimed 1994 as the International Year of the Family, and that May 15 would be observed as the International Day of Families in resolution 47/237 of 1993. However, it was only in 2012 that the UN General Assembly proclaimed June 1 as the Global Day of Parents to honor parents worldwide. Days of the Year mentioned in its report on Global Day of Parents that the UN wants to recognize parents' vital role in providing sustenance, protection, and the tools needed for their kids to have positive development. Read More: Riot Games Delays LCS 2023 Summer Split Following Walkout Vote How To Celebrate Global Day of Parents The Techy Way People have their own way of honoring and recognizing their parents' efforting in raising them properly, but the technological advancements of our time made it possible to connect to them whenever we want. It opens other means to connect with our parents that would be unthinkable in the past. Here are some ideas on how to celebrate Global Day of Parents: Video Call Them Parents are human beings too, who feel the same feelings you do on a daily basis. Sure, they probably have a job to do or chores to finish, but at the end of the day, they'll think of the times when you're around. Ringing them up for a video chat would not only make their day, but it would also make them feel loved and appreciated. Send Them A Gift Online Mother's Day and Father's Day may be good opportunities to give each of your parents a gift or two, but you don't have to spend so much to show your gratitude and appreciation to them. Sending them their favorite food through a delivery app, gift certificates, and even a gadget that would help them with their daily lives would go a long way to help them in their lives. Spend Time With Them Online Video calls are all well and good, but if you want to spend more time with your parents online, you'd want to have something to help you prolong the time you spend with your parents. Playing a simple online game, messing around with filters, and sending pictures would go a long way to make both your days. Related Article: Earth Day - Why Do We Celebrate It on Apr. 22? Ron DeSantis has made a four-stop blitz through Iowa during his first full day of presidential campaigning. He's aiming for a personal connection with voters even as he intensifies his criticism of former President Donald Trump. The Florida governors first appearance was the floor of Port Neal Welding in Salix, a rural town near Sioux City. DeSantis made subsequent Wednesday events in Council Bluffs, Pella and Cedar Rapids. He's packing in early stops in the state where caucuses kick off the Republican presidential primary voting. From there, he will head later in the week to New Hampshire and then South Carolina. Former Vice President Mike Pence will launch his presidential campaign during a Des Moines rally on June 7, a source familiar with Pences plans confirmed. The former vice president has made frequent visits to Iowa as he explored a bid for president. He will join several other presidential contenders at Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernsts annual Roast and Ride fundraiser on Saturday, days before the planned campaign launch. He plans to campaign in all 99 counties, according to multiple reports. CNN will host a town hall with Pence at Grand View University at 8 p.m. June 7, the same day his campaign is set to launch. Pence has made education, LGBTQ issues and civility in politics a focus of his early campaigning, taking particular aim at an often-maligned gender support policy the Eastern Iowa Linn-Mar school district adopted last year. If a school in the heartland of America, where a student would have to come in with a permission slip from their parents to get a Tylenol from the school nurse but could get a gender transition plan without ever notifying their parents, as I said then Ill say it again: Thats not bad policy. Thats crazy, Pence said during a Des Moines visit last week. Hes also drawn contrast with his former boss and soon-to-be primary opponent, former President Donald Trump. In his bid to overturn the 2020 election Trump urged Pence to stop the certification of the results, and said Pence did not have the courage to do what should have been done during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Pence said this year there can be no tolerance for the violence seen on Jan. 6, drawing comparisons to protests in many cities in 2020 against police violence. Before being selected as Trumps 2016 running mate, Pence was the governor of Indiana from 2013 to 2017 and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013. Pence is polling around 5.5 percent in FiveThirtyEights national Republican primary polling average, trailing Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. He drew 5 percent of support in a recent Emerson College poll of Iowa Republican voters. Chris Christie, N.D. governor also set to announce presidential bid North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is set to join the growing field of Republicans seeking the party's 2024 presidential nomination. Burgum, a wealthy software entrepreneur, is expected to launch his campaign during a June 7 event. Burgum is scheduled to make a special announcement about the 2024 presidential race in Fargo, where he helped build Great Plains Software, according to a media advisory. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is set to announce his 2024 presidential campaign Tuesday at a town hall in Manchester, N.H., according to NBC News and The Washington Post. Christie finished 10th in the 2016 Iowa caucuses and dropped out of the race after finishing sixth in the New Hampshire primary. He endorsed Donald Trump, and later was named the head of Trumps transition team, only to emerge as a vocal critic of Trump after the then-president refused to concede his loss to Joe Biden in 2020 and pushed claims of widespread election fraud. Trump by far remains the leading Republican front-runner in the polls, both nationally and in Iowa. Hinson announces 3rd annual BBQ Bash Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, of Marion, announced she will host her annual BBQ Bash on Aug. 6 at Hawkeye Downs in Cedar Rapids. Special guests and additional details will be announced in the coming weeks, according to her campaign. Hinsons fundraiser has drawn crowds of hundreds in past years, bringing together Iowans from across the state to hear from nationally prominent speakers. South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, who is seeking the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, headlined last years event. Previous speakers included Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel and Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who won the 2016 Republican Iowa caucuses. Tickets are available for purchase for $40, and kids 12 and under can attend free of charge. Tickets can be purchased at ashleyhinson.com/bbq Nikki Haleys husband to deploy to Africa as she seeks 2024 GOP nomination Nikki Haleys husband will soon begin a yearlong deployment to Africa with the South Carolina National Guard as his wife campaigns for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Our family, like every military family, is ready to make personal sacrifices when our loved one answers the call, Haley, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and South Carolina governor, said in a statement provided to The Gazette. We could not be prouder of Michael and his military brothers and sisters. Their commitment to protecting our freedom is a reminder of how blessed we are to live in America. Michael Haley is a major in the South Carolina Army National Guard. It will be his second active-duty deployment overseas since he joined the Guard as an officer in 2006. He previously deployed to Afghanistans Helmand province with the National Guard from January to December 2013. A person with knowledge of Michael Haleys deployment told The Gazette on Wednesday that he will begin deployment in the coming weeks and likely remain deployed through spring 2024. Details regarding the units deployment ceremony were forthcoming, according to the person familiar with upcoming deployment, who was not authorized to discuss it publicly and requested to speak on background without being named. According to the individual, the South Carolina National Guard this spring called officers with Michael Haleys skill set to deploy in support of United States Africa Command (AFRICOM). Nikki Haley has been highly critical of Democratic President Joe Bidens competency as commander in chief as she campaigns for the White House. She has also pledged to make cuts in $46 billion in foreign aid to countries that hate us. I am running for president to restore our nations strength, our national pride and our peoples trust, Haley wrote in a February op-ed. Backing American allies and friends like Israel and Ukraine is smart. Sending our tax dollars to enemies isnt. Thats why I will cut every cent in foreign aid for countries that hate us. Tim Scott headed back to western Iowa for Council Bluffs town hall South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, is headed back to western Iowa. Scott will host a town hall Friday in Council Bluffs with Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra before joining Iowa GOP U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst on Saturday at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines for Ernsts annual Roast and Ride fundraiser. Eight announced or prospective GOP presidential candidates are slated to speak at the Des Moines event. "I'm excited to be back in the Hawkeye State with my good friends and colleagues Randy Feenstra and Joni Ernst," Scott said in a statement. "Iowans are ready for an optimistic message grounded in conservative values." Photos: Nikki Haley, former South Carolina governor and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in Davenport campaigning for president. 051923-qc-nws-haley-145 051923-qc-nws-haley-144 051923-qc-nws-haley-143 051923-qc-nws-haley-140 051923-qc-nws-haley-141 051923-qc-nws-haley-142 A rural water system in northwest Iowa would be required to idle its wells near the Ocheyedan River when its flow is too low, according to a Department of Natural Resources plan to keep the river from running dry. The Osceola County Rural Water System had sought the opposite and suggested removing its requirement to photograph the status of the river in low-flow conditions. The utility alleges that its role in the rivers status is relatively inconsequential. But the state seeks to impose more stringent restrictions on the water utility, according to a DNR letter. A two-mile section of the river ran dry last year near May City, mostly because the county pumped water from a nearby quarry that reduced the water table surrounding it, the DNR said. The utility also has wells in the area that contributed to the problem. In 2015, when an smaller section of the river was dry, the utility was the primary culprit, the DNR determined. That led to increased monitoring requirements for the utility. After the river was dry again in September, the DNR asked the utility and the county for proposals to prevent it from happening again. The county said it would limit its dewatering of the quarry to earlier months of the year to reduce the strain on the river. The utility claiming it was being bullied sought to reduce its monitoring requirements. That idea was rejected by the DNR in a recent letter that proposes idling the utilitys wells near the river when the Ocheyedans surface level drops to certain points. It also seeks to prohibit the county from pumping water from the gravel pit from July to September. Its unclear how the water utility will proceed. Doug Westerman, general manager of the Osceola County Rural Water System, did not immediately respond to a request to comment. The DNR asked the county and water utility to reply to its proposals by June 22. Biggest tornadoes in Iowa of the past decade Biggest tornadoes in Iowa of the past decade #15. Nov. 11, 2015 #14. Jun. 30, 2014 #13. Aug. 2, 2014 #12. Apr. 14, 2012 #11. Apr. 14, 2012 #10. Jun. 28, 2017 #9. Apr. 5, 2017 #8. May. 27, 2019 #7. Jun. 12, 2013 #6. Jun. 22, 2015 #5. Jul. 14, 2021 #4. Aug. 20, 2019 #3. Jul. 19, 2018 #2. Apr. 4, 2022 #1. Oct. 4, 2013 The U.S. House was expected to vote late Wednesday on raising the nations debt ceiling to avoid risk of a looming catastrophic default on the nation's debt. Iowas senior U.S. senator, Republican Chuck Grassley, told reporters Wednesday he still is on the fence about the legislation. What Ive studied so far, Id say theres a lot of good in it and then some thats not so good, Grassley told reporters on a weekly conference call. He said he was hesitant to say how he would vote on the bill before passing the House and reaching the Senate with possible amendments. Ive still got three or four days to make up my mind, Grassley said, adding defaulting is not an option, and I feel strongly about that. The bill would extend the debt ceiling for two years, through the next presidential election, in exchange for modest spending cuts. It would cap some government spending for the next two years, speed up the permitting process for some energy projects, claw back unused COVID-19 relief funds, and expand work requirements for those receiving food and temporary assistance for needy families, with carve-outs for veterans and homeless people. Hard-line Republicans have trashed the agreement and urged fellow members to vote no. Theres some good in it and some bad in it, but thats the art of compromise, Grassley said of negotiations between the Republican-majority U.S. House, Democratic-controlled Senate and the White House. Nobody gets 100 percent of what they want in a compromise. Its just that simple, Grassley said. He told reporters he likes the energy infrastructure permitting reforms, expanded work requirements for food stamps and spending cuts included in the bill, but said cuts probably dont go far enough. Lunacy: Grassley votes to repeal student loan forgiveness plan Grassley also voted Wednesday to undo Democratic President Joe Biden's student loan debt forgiveness plan. On a 51-46 vote, the Senate advanced legislation that would repeal Bidens debt cancellation program and end the pandemic-era pause on monthly payments and interest. Biden's plan would forgive up to $20,000 in student loans for Americans who made less than $125,000 in either 2020 or 2021 and married couples or heads of households who made less than $250,000. The plan is already on hold over legal challenges being reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court. Iowa Republican Attorney General Brenna Bird joined five other GOP-led states suing the Biden administration over the presidents plan to forgive billions in student loan debt. Under the Congressional Review Act, the Senate could pass the measure later this week on a simple majority vote. Despite what President Bidens plan suggests, student debt isnt something that can be waived away with somewhat of a magic wand, Grassley told reporters Wednesday. Common-sense Iowans know that once a loan is taken out, it has to be paid back. The Biden administrations plans would transfer the burden of repayment from the original loan holder to the American taxpayer. Grassley said the Senate has an opportunity to put an end to this lunacy, and said he hopes a majority of my fellow senators will join me in voting to scrap the Biden administrations student debt plan and get our financial house in order. Office standing by to help in wake of Davenport building collapse Asked about the partial collapse of a Davenport apartment building over the weekend, Grassley said his office in Davenport is monitoring updates and were standing by to help in any way we can. Grassley said his office was helping a veteran replace medals lost in the collapse. City officials on Tuesday said five residents of the six-story apartment building remained unaccounted for, and at least two of them might be stuck inside wreckage and debris that was too dangerous to search. Grassley thanked emergency personnel who responded to the scene and helped rescue tenants. This is a scary situation, he said. You just dont expect things like this to happen in a major economy, economic country like America. Its more of a third-world situation. First in a series on Cedar Valley Top 10 Nurses. WATERLOO Ask Allie Boyle to name her dream job and her response is, I have it and Im very happy. Boyle, 31, is a labor and delivery nurse at MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center. Her job is to help moms safely deliver healthy babies. I love the moms. I love all the babies they fill me with joy, but its the moms that keep me in it. I love empowering women, said Boyle of Readlyn, a registered nurse at MercyOne for the last four years. Boyle has been named one of The Couriers Top Cedar Valley Nurses for 2023. She received 19 nominations, with the majority of comments praising her for providing the best care to her families in the Birth Center at MercyOne. She works with a smile on her face even during the busiest and craziest of times. Her supporters describe her as a blessing to patients and colleagues and, collectively, offered their thanks to Boyle for being who you are and for being amazing! Boyle is humbled by the recognition. I work with the best group of nurses in the world at MercyOne. I feel so fortunate to work with these nurses every day. I go to work and get inspired by them, she said. Boyle once dreamed about becoming a veterinarian. Then, at 18, the Waverly-Shell Rock High School graduate decided she wanted to help people. The first step on her journey was training as a certified nursing assistant. Her responsibilities included providing basic patient care and working alongside nurses to gain real-world health care knowledge. That experience opened her eyes to nursing as a career choice. Thats when I realized I had a love for nursing. I wanted to keep learning and Id never felt like that before. A light bulb went on over my head and I just knew that being a nurse was what I wanted to do. She carried a heavy course load through the demanding registered nursing associate degree program at Hawkeye Community College. Her studies became even more challenging because I was pregnant with my second child, Boyle recalled. She earned her nursing degree in 2017. I got a very good foundation in nursing from Hawkeye, she said. There have been mentors, too, who have offered Boyle guidance, support and advice on building a successful and fulfilling nursing career. Her goal is to be calm and collected, no matter the situation. Boyles nurse colleague Becca Aronson said, Im so proud of her. She always goes above and beyond for her patients and provides the most amazing care. Shes always there when I need her. Boyle started in the pediatrics department and when she moved into labor and delivery, Aronson taught her basically how to be a labor nurse. I think it takes a passion for this. We work weekends, long hours, always away from our families, so you have to love what you do to show up everyday and provide great care. You never know what to expect, Aronson explained. Boyle said, Labor and delivery nurses see women at one of the most challenging and exciting times in their lives, when they are ready to give birth and bring a new little person into the world. Women have a lot expected of them, too. I know what theyre going through because Ive been there. And sometimes, after the baby is born, moms are forgotten. Everyone comes to see the baby and they forget about mom. Thats who I like being there for, too. Boyle needs to be on her toes. Its never a dull moment and things can quickly change. So I try to be the calm in the storm for moms. I want to provide them with support and knowledge. It can be especially scary for first-time moms but its also wonderful. And not everything is happy. When its bad, its the worst, and I have to be strong and support these moms through everything, Boyle explained. Im very happy where Im at in my career but it can be an intense job. Having the time to recharge her energy is important, Boyle said. She enjoys reading and walks but especially loves hanging out with her husband, Lucas, and their daughters, Evelynn, 10, and Brielle, 8. Photos: 2023 Cedar Valley Top Nurses recipients at award ceremony COURIER CELEBRATES CEDAR VALLEY'S TOP NURSES Nurses 2 Nurses 3 Nurses 4 Nurses 5 Nurses 6 Nurses 7 Nurses 8 Nurses 9 Nurses 10 Nurses 11 About the next facts of global surveillance by the United States The Russian competent authorities have established another fact of systematic global surveillance carried out by the US intelligence services over citizens of their own and other countries with the involvement of American IT companies. This time , covert data collection was carried out through software vulnerabilities in US made mobile phones . The revealed facts again convincingly prove what Moscow has repeatedly warned about: US intelligence agencies have been using IT corporations for decades to massively collect data from Internet users without their knowledge. Evidence of such illegal activity appears every year. The question of the need to restore order in this area, develop universal norms of behavior in the digital space based on respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms and the sovereign equality of states was regularly raised at all specialized international platforms. In January 2021, the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation adopted a Statement in connection with the violation of the principle of freedom of speech by global American Internet companies, calling for the development of an international convention regulating their activities. Practice shows that Washington is not ready to listen to our proposals. The USA is a state that puts itself above the law. Evidence of the double standards of this country, its intelligence services and companies in the field of international information security (IIB) have been repeatedly presented to the UN. Once again, we call on all interested parties to form clear and fair regulatory mechanisms in the digital sphere, which are mandatory for all states and, in particular, for information and communication technology (ICT) developers. This is the aim of Russian initiatives within the framework of the UN Open-ended Working Group on IIS. <> No state has the right to abuse its technological capabilities in such a sensitive area as access to personal data of smartphone users. WtR Amazon avoids lengthy court procedures again. The popular e-commerce company recently agreed to pay $5.8 million to settle a recently announced privacy lawsuit the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed in light of the privacy issues it found in its investigation. Amazon stated it doesn't agree with the FTC's claims despite settling the lawsuit out of court, per Engadget. Amazon Ring FTC Lawsuit details Amazon's Ring unit has become the target of scrutiny yet again. The FTC's lawsuit accused it of unlawfully deceiving its customers over the privacy of their data and the videos Ring collects from its products, per The Verge. According to the FTC's lawsuit, which it submitted in the district court for the District of California, Ring ignored information security considerations when it believed they would interfere with growth. As such, in pursuit of rapid product development, Ring didn't limit its access to customers' video data to employees who needed access to perform their jobs before 2017, such as customer support, product improvement, etc. To further development, Ring gave its employees, including hundreds of Ukraine-based third-party contractors, full access to every customer video, regardless of whether they needed that access to perform their job function. Unfortunately, this meant Ring violated the privacy of both Ring customers and other workers using Ring products. To prove such abuse happened, the FTC listed several cases where hacked to sexually harass and spy on women, stalk female co-workers who used Ring products, utter racially-charged slurs toward children, and more. Read More: LEGO Will Launch a Remote-Controlled NASA Mars Rover Perseverance Model The FTC also made noted that a former Ring employee accessed customers' Ring videos without their knowledge or consent, thanks to the company's decisions. The employee even took the videos with them when they left the company in Sept. 2019 without customers' consent or knowledge - even Ring didn't know that something was amiss until a whistleblower revealed the employee's actions. Furthermore, the government agency claims that Amazon failed to address Ring's privacy breaches after buying the company in 2018, allowing the issues from at least 2016 to persist until 2020. Amazon's Response To The Lawsuit While Amazon paid $5.8 million to settle the lawsuit and resolve the issue out of court, Ring spokesperson Emma Daniels said that the company does not agree with the FTC's claims, saying that Ring already addressed the issues the government agency stated in its lawsuit years ago, well before it began its inquiry. "While we disagree with the FTC's allegations and deny violating the law, this settlement resolves this matter so we can focus on innovating on behalf of our customers," Daniels said. A federal court must approve Amazon's proposed settlement before the company and Ring can formally settle the case. Ring also posted a statement regarding its proposed settlement; the company refuted each of the points the FTC made in its lawsuit. The FTC's lawsuit is the government agency's first action against Amazon since Chair Lina Khan took over the agency in 2021, per the Los Angeles Times. Related Article: UK's CMA Launches Merger Inquiry of Amazon-iRobot Acquisition Answer of the Russian Ambassador to the USA A.I.Antonov to the media question : Dear Anatoly Ivanovich, how could you comment on the military assistance announced by the USA on May 31 to Ukraine? A.I.Antonov: We fix the persistence of the administration in the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis. Local authorities are again proudly talking about providing financial assistance and another batch of military products to their crazed Kiev puppets . At the same time, they are inciting European satellites to fetter Russias technological development with additional trade barriers. And this is right after a series of terrorist attacks by US proteges in Moscow and the Moscow region . Instead of calling the Zelensky regime to account, Washington is demonstratively showing indifference to the crimes of Bandera. Public statements by the White House that they allegedly do not support the attacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the very heart of our Motherland are not worth a penny. The new American assistance package totaling $300 million is a good fuel for the rotten regime in Kiev. Nothing stops the administration. Neither the crisis in the economy, nor the calls of the states of Latin America, Africa, and Asia for assistance in socio-economic development are embarrassing. Numerous questions remain unanswered about the reasons why Washington is not prepared to address the acute migration problems on the southern borders of the United States. The problem of the miserable existence of migrants could be quite simply solved by redirecting at least part of the military aid that burns in the furnace of the conflict in Ukraine to noble goals . However, the American authorities do not want to see the reality . It seems that they are zombified by the desire to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia , by trying to wear down our economy . At the same time , they continue to encourage the reckless actions of their clients, supplying them with ever more lethal weapons. It seems that the lessons that the Russian Armed Forces teach neo-Nazis in the special military operation zone are not enough for the patrons of Kyiv. WtR Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation (31 May 2023) On May 29, as a result of a high-precision strike launched by the Russian Aerospace Forces against a military berth in the port of Odessa, the last of the Ukrainian warships, Yuri Olefirenko was destroyed. In Kupyansk direction, assault detachments, Operational-Tactical aviation, artillery, and heavy flamethrower systems of the Zapad Group of Forces have inflicted fire damage on troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) close to Tabayevka, Molchanovo, Novomlynsk, Berestovoye (Kharkov region), and Novoselovskoye and Stelmakhovka (Lugansk Peoples Republic). Three sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has been disabled close to Timkovka, Sinkovka, and Kotlyarovka. Up to 70 Ukrainian personnel, two armoured vehicles, and four pick-up trucks were neutralised. Moreover, ammunition depots of the 60th Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was destroyed close to Liptsy and Sinelnikovo (Kharkov region). In Krasny Liman direction, aviation and artillery of the Tsentr Group of Forces engaged the units of the enemy close to Makeevka, Chervonaya Dibrova (Lugansk Peoples Republic), Torskoye, Yampolovka (Donetsk Peoples Republic) and the Serevryansky forestry. Over 50 Ukrainian personnel, two armoured fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, one Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, two D-20 howitzers, one D-30 howitzer, and one Grad MLRS system the enemy has lost in this direction. In the Donetsk direction, the fiercest hostilities are taking place near Avdeevka. In the course of active operations by assault detachments of the 1st Army Corps supported by aviation, artillery fire, and heavy flamethrower systems of the Yug Group of Forces, the enemy was dislodged from occupied positions in a number of areas near the settlements of Krasnogorovka and Yasinovataya ( Donetsk Peoples Republic). Operational-Tactical and Army aviation launched strikes to engage AFU units near Avdeevka and Khimik. In addition, a warehouse of rocket and artillery weapons of the 110th Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been obliterated. The 5th Motorised Rifle Brigade and the Akhmat Special Forces Detachment are carrying out successful offensives in Maryinka direction. In this direction, the enemy has suffered losses of over 200 Ukrainian troops, three armoured fighting vehicles, 12 motor vehicles, one D-30 howitzer, and two Grad MLRS vehicles during the day. In South Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, aviation and artillery of the Vostok Group of Forces inflicted fire damage on the AFU units close to Velikaya Novosyolka, Pavlovka, Vladimirovka (Donetsk Peoples Republic) and Malinovka (Zaporozhye region). Up to 185 Ukrainian servicemen, two armoured fighting vehicles, and four motor vehicles have been eliminated in this direction during the day. ?? Moreover, ammunition depots of the 65th Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were wiped out close to Preobrazhenka and Chervonaya Krinitsa (Zaporozhye region). In Kherson direction, up to 30 Ukrainian troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, and two motor vehicles have been destroyed. Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Group of Forces have engaged 103 AFU artillery units, manpower and hardware in 149 areas during the day. Moreover, a command post of the 33rd Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was destroyed close to Trudovoye (Zaporozhye region). A command and observation post of the Skala assault battalion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was eliminated close to Avdeevka (Donetsk Peoples Republic). Air defence forces have intercepted 12 HIMARS MLRS projectiles and one Storm Shadow long-range cruise missile during the day. Moreover, 11 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down close to Verkhnekamenka, Zaliman (Lugansk Peoples Republic), and Pokrovskoye (Donetsk Peoples Republic). In total, 429 airplanes and 235 helicopters, 4,390 unmanned aerial vehicles, 424 air defence missile systems, 9,345 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 1,103 combat vehicles equipped with MRLS, 4,946 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 10,574 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation. WtR MADISON The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is inviting the public to head outdoors for the 11th annual Free Fun Weekend on June 3-4. State park admission fees, fishing licenses and trail passes are waived for all visitors, according to a DNR press release. With 50 state parks, 15 state forests, 44 state trails, 84,000 miles of rivers and streams and roughly 15,000 lakes, the DNR hopes Wisconsinites discover a new favorite park, trail, forest or recreation area, or try a new activity during the weekend. Free Fun Weekend is always a great opportunity for the DNR property crews to welcome summer visitors back, said Steve Schmelzer, DNR director of Parks and Recreation Management. If youve never visited a state park, forest, trail or recreation area, this is the perfect weekend to find your outdoor adventure. It is an opportunity for more residents to visit the parks and to give fishing for food or fun a try. All the waters of the state are open to all anglers. If you havent fished in a while or never fished, (this) is a great chance to give it a try, said Justine Hasz, DNR director of Fisheries Management. If you dont have any fishing gear, no problem. You can check out our tackle loaner sites or join one of the many free events over the weekend, and enjoy your time in Wisconsins great outdoors. Free clinics are held this weekend at state and municipal properties to provide instruction for beginning anglers. Find fishing clinics and more free events by visiting the DNRs events calendar. For a full list of state properties, activities and maps, go to the DNRs website. Reserve a shelter or campsite through the DNRs online booking system. Before heading to a state park, trail or waterbody near you, here are some helpful things to know: State parks Vehicle admission stickers will not be required. All state parks and trails will be open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Programs and events are posted online at the DNRs website. Trails All linear/rail trails will be open to the public, including ATV trails and horseback riding trails. ATV, UTVs and OHMs are exempt from registration requirements. All-terrain vehicle operators do not need a pass for state ATV trails. Fishing Nobody will be required to have a fishing license or trout/salmon stamps. All 2023-24 fishing regulations apply, including bag and length limits. Small and largemouth bass, panfish and northern pike are active this time of year. Boat launches All DNR boat launches are open; locate one near you. Boats must be registered, which can be done either online or via mail. Minimize the spread of aquatic invasive species by removing plants and animals from boats before and after launching, draining all water from compartments, and never move live fish from any waterway. Safety Always wear a life jacket when fishing from a boat, kayak, canoe or paddleboard. Use boat lights after sunset. Never consume alcohol or drugs before or during an ATV ride or while operating a boat. Wear a helmet and protective clothing such as eye protection, gloves, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt while riding an ATV. All children younger than 18 must have a minimum Department of Transportation standard motorcycle or ATV helmet bicycle helmets are not legal. Keep your speed in mind as weather and terrain conditions vary or change. Grab your family and friends and head outdoors this weekend. Take the trail less traveled and head to some lesser known hidden gem properties. Make sure to tag your Free Fun Weekend photos with #OutWiGo. Weather Alert ...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS RETURN THIS WEEK... * Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms will develop each afternoon this week. Storms will be capable of producing frequent cloud to ground lightning, gusty outflow winds, small hail, and heavy rainfall. * If you have events or recreation outdoors this week, be sure to have a storm safety plan. A top priority should be a way to quickly seek shelter in the event that a thunderstorm forms nearby. If a sturdy building is not immediately available, a hard-top vehicle with the windows rolled up is a good option for protection from lightning. If possible, consider completing outdoor activities (hiking, biking, etc) in the morning before afternoon/evening thunderstorms develop. * Streams and mainstem rivers continue to flow fast and cold. Avoid recreating near fast-running and nearly full waterways. Daily showers/thunderstorms will increase the threat of flash flooding. Have a way to receive weather alerts! Get to higher ground immediately if a nearby river or stream rises quickly, if there is debris in the water, or if the water suddenly becomes muddy. Former Reno City Manager Andrew Clinger has been hired as a Senior Advisor to Governor Brian Sandoval. According to a press release obtained by Channel 2, the hiring will be effective on Monday, January 23. The number of ransomware attacks seems to grow in the age of modern technology, and the healthcare sector is no exemption from it. A recent cyber attack resulted in the threat actor accessing the private data of millions of dental patients. Ransomware Attack on MCNA Personal and sensitive data was stolen in the recent ransomware attack against Managed Care of North America (MCNA). The hacker group managed to steal copies of patient information from February 26th to March 7th, 2023. Information such as addresses, driver's licenses, insurance data, and Social Security numbers were included in the theft. According to Engadget, some of the data belonged to people associated with the patients such as parents, guardians, and guarantors. While MCNA has not revealed who was behind the attack on 8.9 million of its clients, reports say that the LockBit ransomware group is the perpetrator, as they have already taken credit for it along with their demands and proof. The hacker group demanded $10 million for ransom, which they claimed the MCNA refused to pay. This resulted in the hacker group publishing the stolen files. Samples have been taken from the said data, which was 700 GB worth, which proves that it was genuine. In response to the attack, the dental insurer offered the affected clients a year of credit monitoring services for free. It also advised the customers to look out for unusual activities in their accounts and protect their personal information. Since the MCNA is the largest insurer for government-backed plans which includes partners in New York and other unions, the incident is now the largest data breach so far this year with millions affected by the cyber attack. The dental insurer has already hired a third-party forensic firm to investigate the incident further and assist in resolving matters in its aftermath, while also stating in their notice that they have discovered certain systems in their network that have been infected with malicious code. Read Also: Worried About Phishing Scams, Email Attacks? 8 Warning Signs You're in Danger, 4 Ways to Stop It What Can You Do If Your Data Was Stolen? There are many steps that you can take to reduce or prevent threat actors from using them for fraudulent activities. If you are among the 8.9 million affected clients and you do take the complimentary credit monitoring services, you should still take measures on your own. The first thing you should do is change the passwords of important accounts. Although digital accounts were not among the data that was stolen, it is still possible for the threat actors to breach them based on your personal data that was stolen. If you can, you should also try signing up for identity theft protection services, especially since the data stolen involved a lot of identification data such as driver's licenses, addresses, and Social Security numbers. Since telephone numbers and email addresses were also stolen during the breach, you will have to be vigilant when it comes to phishing scams. It could come in the form of emails with suspicious internet links or phone calls asking for private and personal information. Related: How to Protect Yourself From Identity Theft Online June marks the official start of the summer season, but retailers are hoping that consumers will cool off with some shopping between their barbecues and beach visits this month. To get their attention, stores mark down prices on a wide variety of items, with many department and chain stores hosting semiannual sales this month. Lots of retailers focus on June for their semiannual sales because in-store traffic can be spotty during that month, says Brad Godwin, head of retail partnership at Shopkick. Retailers do a lot of marketing during the month to try to increase traffic during that time. June also sometimes benefits from spillover deals from the Memorial Day and July Fourth, the big shopping holidays that bookend the month. Toward the end of the month, you might see summer-themed items with additional price drops as retailers start thinking about how to move inventory before back-to-school shopping season. That means you may find deals on smaller summer supplies like sunblock or beach toys ahead of the Fourth of July weekend, says Lisa Thompson, with the savings app Shopmium. But Thompson says to hold off until the end of next month for larger discounts on bigger summer goods like barbecues and patio furniture. One extra date to keep in mind: June 2 is National Donut Day. Dunkin, Duck Donuts and Krispy Kreme have historically distributed free treats in celebration of the day. Heres a look at five additional categories where you shoppers might find better-than-usual pricing this month: Lingerie Category leader Victorias Secret hosts its semiannual sale this month, marking down items for much of the month. To capitalize on increased interest this month, other retailers often also discount undergarments, sleepwear and bathing suits. Where to find deals: Victorias Secret, Fredericks of Hollywood, Soma Potential savings: Up to 60 percent off Workout clothing and gear Its been six months since many consumers made their New Years resolutions to get back in shape, but as bathing suit season arrives, that resolve often resurges. Retailers are happy to help, offering discounts on outdoor-focused workout clothes like running or biking attire as well as smaller-ticket gear such as hand weights, resistance bands, and yoga mats. You typically wont, however, see sales on big-ticket workout equipment like stationary bikes or treadmills. There are semiannual sales in this category in June as well, with retailers like Athleta and Under Armour hosting such promotions in the past. Where to find deals: Nike, Reebok, Target Potential savings: 20 percent to 30 percent off PC Games The biggest discounts on computer games will be on titles that have been out for a while, but newer games see smaller price cuts, says Julie Ramhold, a consumer analyst with DealNews, a comparison-shopping website. The summer sales tend to yield historically low prices on a variety of PC game titles, Ramhold says. If youre shopping for games for your computer, June is definitely a good time to do it. Where to find deals: Steam, Gog.com, Epic Games Potential savings: Up to 80 percent off Like most Americans, I am looking forward to the summer and the opportunity to get out of the house and enjoy the outdoors. As we approach our first summer since the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency, towns and cities across the nation are also bouncing back, focusing even more on the well-being of their people. With AARPs long-standing support for livable communities, we have created several exciting ways to help. Illustration by Michael Hoeweler First, this month, AARPs state offices will announce the recipients of the 2023 AARP Community Challenge grants. These grants provide funding for quick-action projects that can help communities become more livable for people of all ages. We are providing money for efforts to improve public spaces, transportation, housing, civic engagement, diversity and inclusion, and more. In its seventh year, the program is part of AARPs nationwide Livable Communities initiative, which supports the efforts of cities, towns, neighborhoods and rural areas to become great places for all residents, especially those age 50 and older. Since 2017, AARP has awarded more than $12.7 million to over 1,060 projects through the Community Challenge to nonprofit organizations and government entities across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These initiatives range from the creation of a unique outdoor music park in Avoca, Iowa, to the provision of Wi-Fi-enabled tablets and digital literacy training to older public housing residents in Jersey City, New Jersey. This program has demonstrated that by supporting local leaders and organizations as they work to strengthen their communities, we can improve the quality of life for the very young, the very old and everyone in between. A second exciting way AARP is helping communities enhance the health and well-being of their residents is through our community fitness initiative. In 2019, as part of AARPs 60th anniversary celebration, we partnered with the nonprofit FitLot and committed to building AARP-sponsored outdoor fitness parks in every state. Each park is equipped with easy-to-use machines and stations built for people across the fitness and mobility spectrum. The parks are free and open to the public, and locals can sign up for guided classes to make full use of the equipment. These fitness parks are a tangible example of AARPs commitment to local communities and healthy aging. The outdoor exercise equipment encourages people of all ages to get out of the house, meet others and stay fit. Netflix has acknowledged a recent claim by an environmental activist group that the production crew of "Single's Inferno 3" had filmed the show in a marine sanctuary without authorization. Courtesy of Netflix By Woo Da-bin Netflix has issued an apology after controversy surrounding the unauthorized filming of the reality show "Single's Inferno" in an environmentally protected area. On Wednesday, Netflix said it was currently looking into the matter to determine if there were any loopholes in the discussion process between the company and local government authorities prior to the filming. Netflix expressed its commitment to review the incident and rectify any shortcomings they uncover. According to Netflix, "Single's Inferno" seasons one and two were filmed on Saseungbong Island with the express approval of local government officials and property owners. The company said it submitted a request to the Incheon Metropolitan City Government and Ongjin County asking for approval to film the latest show on the same island but claimed to be unaware that the area had been designated as a marine ecosystem conservation zone. Saseungbong Island is a marine sanctuary that has been marked for protection by the city of Incheon. The sandy beach of the island is home to the horseshoe crab, an endangered species according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Temporary structures may only be built on the waters and coastal areas of the island when they have been approved by the local government. Any unauthorized construction may be punishable by up to 3 years in prison and a maximum fine of 30 million won. Netflix emphasized that the temporary structure used in the filming of "Single's Inferno" does not generate any wastewater and that they have removed all construction materials and waste from the site before departing. The company also plans to clear out all remaining construction equipment and materials still left on Saseungbong Island and restore the environment to how it was prior to their arrival. Netflix added that it was determined to address any blind spots that are identified in its business practices. Woo Da-bin (ekqls0642@hankookilbo.com) is a reporter at The Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times. This article, previously published in The Hankook Ilbo, has been translated as part of a news-sharing program. Central Gawler Mill Valued at Over $100m Replacement Cost Adelaide, June 1, 2023 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Barton Gold Holdings Limited ( ASX:BGD ) is pleased to provide an update regarding its ongoing assessment of the Central Gawler Mill for potential future Stage 1 operations. In December 2022 Barton completed a preliminary preservation program at the Central Gawler Mill to assist recommissioning scope and cost estimates, with key equipment disassembled, cleaned and stored. Following these works Barton also commissioned an independent valuation report of the mill and associated site infrastructure. The purpose of this report is to inform the appropriate level of insurance cover to protect these strategic assets while Barton continues its regional development and assessment of potential options to commence accelerated 'Stage 1' operations utilising the Central Gawler Mill. This report has valued the Central Gawler Mill and associated infrastructure at over $100 million on an 'as new' replacement value basis, and over $50 million on an 'as is' indemnity value basis. Commenting on the Central Gawler Mill valuation report, Barton MD Alex Scanlon said: "The Central Gawler Mill is uniquely valuable strategic infrastructure for Barton. Being fully permitted and licensed, it provides considerable leverage to the regional development of gold mineralisation via either (or both of) third party toll milling or accelerated commissioning of 'Stage 1' operations utilising Tarcoola mineralisation. "The mill provides Barton a significant advantage in 'crossing the drawbridge' into operations on a much lower cost-and-risk basis, while potentially generating significant early cash to fund our larger long-term ambitions." About Barton Gold Holdings Limited Barton Gold Holdings Limited (ASX:BGD) is an ASX listed Australian gold exploration company with a total attributable ~1.1Moz Au JORC (2012) Mineral Resources endowment (28.74Mt @ 1.2 g/t Au), a pipeline of advanced exploration projects and brownfield mines, and 100% ownership of the only regional gold mill in the central Gawler Craton of South Australia. Welcome Gonzalo Nava has joined Vincents Hair, Skin & Body. Navas services include Reiki, La Stone therapies and reflexology. A native of Mexico, he began his career in the field of curanderismo, which is a combination of different healing treatments that embraces the whole healing process of the four bodies physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Nava has been in the field for 30 years. In addition to working in Albuquerque, he has worked in London and Manchester, Spain, Mexico and Colorado. PROMOTION Dylan Fuge has been named director of the Oil Conservation Division with the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. For the past two years, Fuge has served as EMRDs general counsel, a role that entails advising the departments secretary and its various divisions on the complex natural resources and regulatory issues that routinely come before the department. Since January, Fuge has served as acting OCD director while also performing his duties as general counsel until the agency fills that position. Fuge came to EMNRD from T-Mobile. Prior to that, Fuge spent six years at the U.S. Department of the Interior where he served as counselor to the director of the Bureau of Land Management and as an attorney adviser in the Office of the Solicitor. His DOI areas of practice included oil and gas development and oversight, renewable energy project development, land use planning and general public lands management. Fuge earned bachelors degrees from Yale University his law degree and a masters degree from Duke University. Shona Martinez has been promoted to vice president of Colliers in the New Mexico-El Paso market. Martinez specializes in landlord representation, tenant representation, market analysis, sales representation, financial analysis, in-depth location analysis, lease negotiation and renewal, and space expansion or consolidation. After attending University College Dublin, Martinez moved to London in 2009 where her career in commercial real estate began. She moved to New Mexico in 2016 and joined Colliers shortly thereafter. Martinez is a very active member of the local business community. She is currently the president of the Womens Council of Realtors Albuquerque, a finalist in Albuquerque Business Firsts Deal of the Year and a member of Commercial Real Estate Womens Network New Mexico. Madeline McMillan has been promoted to marketing coordinator at Sunny505. McMillan has a background in traditional marketing, copywriting, behavioral analysis and social media. She received a bachelors degree in sociology from the University of California, and worked previously as a marketing and communications officer for LA Metro and other communications freelance projects in a variety of fields including local government, childrens development, yoga and holistic wellness. McMillan first joined Sunny 505 in 2021 as a social media management contractor and is now expanding her role as a full-time marketing coordinator. Fred Gallegos has been promoted to front of house manager at Mtuccis Italian Restaurants. He began his Mtuccis career in 2018 as front of house manager at Mtuccis Market, after working at many of the top kitchens in Albuquerque. Prior to his new position, Gallegos served as front of house manager at Mtuccis Moderno and also chef for Mtucccis Catering. APPLAUSE Anne Haines, founder, president and chief executive officer of DreamSpring has received the New Mexico Ethics in Business Awards from Public Service of New Mexico. DreamSpring is a community development financial institution and U.S. Small Business Administration lender which aims to accelerate economic equity and inclusion and has funded nearly 49,000 loans totaling over $538 million to small businesses, who have created and/or sustained an estimated 65,138 jobs across 27 states. ETC. Equal Access to Justice has announced the newly elected board of directors: n M. Karen Kilgore, Cuddy & McCarthy, LLP president n Charles K. Purcell, Rodey Law Firm vice president n Susan Miller, Modrall Sperling treasurer n Dan Akenhead, Miller Stratvert, PA n Sonya Bellafant, New Mexico Legal Aid n Bruce Cottrell, UbiQD Inc. n Sireesha Manne, New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty n Rodolfo D. Sanchez, DNA Peoples Legal Services n Jeanine Steffy, Steffy Law Firm n David Stout, University of New Mexico Law School Tim Van Valen of Van Valen State Tax Law LLC, has been elected as a fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel. Membership is limited to 700 Fellows. College membership is limited to 700 fellows nominated for election by the Board of Regents after a rigorous vetting process. Van Valen is the only Fellow from New Mexico. His legal practice works with New Mexico state and local tax issues, primarily for large and multi-state businesses. Dr. Eileen D. Barrett has been named chair of the Board of Regents of the American College of Physicians. A resident of Albuquerque, Barrett is an internal medicine physician hospitalist as well as a Medical Justice in Advocacy Fellow through American Medical Association-Satcher Health Leadership Institute. Barrett has been an ACP member since 2003 and a fellow of the American College of Physicians since 2011. Board-certified in internal medicine, Barrett earned a bachelors degree from Union College, a masters degree from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a medical degree from Georgetown University. She completed an internship and residency at Oregon Health and Science University Hospital in Portland and Rural Faculty Development Fellowship at the University of Arizona. Adris Samadi from PNC Bank has been appointed to the board of directors for New Mexico Community Development Loan Fund Inc. Samadi is the area sales manager for PNC Business Banking in New Mexico and West Texas. Through his appointment, he aims to support the nonprofits mission to improve the economic and social conditions of New Mexicans through loans for qualifying small businesses, start-ups and nonprofits. BULLETIN BOARD Family Friendly New Mexico will host its virtual workshop titled NEW Federal Protections for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Employees from noon to 1 p.m. June 6 online. The workshop will provide an overview of the new federal protections for pregnant and breast feeding employees such as legal rights of these employees, accommodations employers are required to provide and best practices for employers as well. The cost for the workshop is $25 or $100 for five. To RSVP visit nmfamilyfriendlybusiness.org/events/virtual-workshop. New Mexico breweries keep crushing it at national and international competitions with their craft beer creations and branding concepts. Recently, four local breweries took home medals from the World Beer Cup held May 10 in Nashville, Tennessee. Quarter Celtic Brewpub won gold for its Capri-derhosen in the German-Style Maerzen or Franconian-Style Rotbier category. Silver medals went to Canteen Brewhouse for Work of Heart in the Sweet Stout or Cream Stout category, and to Starr Brothers Brewing Company for its Lampshade Porter in the Strong Porter category. Corrales Ex Novo Brewing Company was awarded bronze for its V for Vienna in the Vienna-Style Lager category. The World Beer Cup is one of the most prestigious beer competitions on the globe. It was developed in 1996 to celebrate the art and science of brewing as well as create consumer awareness about different beer styles and flavor profiles. The event is organized by the Brewers Association, a not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their beers, and the community of brewing enthusiasts, according to the World Beer Cup website. This year, there were 10,213 entries from 2,376 breweries representing 51 countries. Entries in 103 categories were evaluated by 272 judges from 26 countries. A list of winners and more information can be found at worldbeercup.org. On the branding side, Steel Bender Brewyard won two Crushies and Second Street Brewery won three Crushies in the 2023 Craft Beer Marketing Awards. Santa Fes Second Street Brewery received the Global Crushie for Best Bottle Design/7-21 oz. for its Dubstep Donuts Bourbon Barrel Aged Pastry Stout collaboration with Jubilation Wine & Spirits. Second Street Brewery also received a Gold Crushie for Best Can Design/16-20 oz. for its Rods Best Bitter (RBB). The design was created by award-winning artist Mariah Cameron Scee, who is director of art and branding for Second Street Brewery. A Global Crushie was also awarded to Second Street Brewery for Best Can Design/Collaboration (all sizes) for the One for 5 IPA collaboration with Sierra Blanca Brewing Company, Steel Bender Brewyard, Albertsons Market and Admiral Beverage. The design also was created by Cameron Scee. Proceeds from the collaboration beer benefited The Storehouse New Mexico. Steel Bender Brewyard received a Platinum Crushie in the Bigger Than Beer: Cause Related Beer Project or Campaign category for its part in the One for 5 IPA collaboration. Steel Bender also received a Gold Crushie for Best Can Design/Printed Cans (all sizes) for its Manana Hazy IPA design created by Jamie Gross, Ethan Chant and Shelby Chant. The Craft Beer Marketing Awards is a worldwide competition that focuses on excellence in the artistic and creative marketing and packaging efforts of breweries, designers and agencies. This year, there were 304 awards presented to brewers, designers, and marketing agencies from around the world with 89 Platinum Crushie wins, 160 Gold Crushie wins and 56 Global Crushie wins. More information about the competition is available at craftbeermarketingawards.com. Beer enthusiasts can head down south to Las Cruces for an opportunity to sample offerings from 18 New Mexico breweries at Blazin Brewfest. The event takes place from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 3, at Plaza de Las Cruces, 100 North Main St. Ticketholders will receive a commemorative pint glass for sampling or for a full pint purchase. Food trucks and live music also will be part of the event. Advance general admission is $30, $35 at the gate day of the event, and $10 for designated driver entry. For tickets and information, visit nmbeer.org/events. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and the first gentleman, Manuel Cordova, are heading off for a honeymoon in the Caribbean to celebrate their wedding anniversary. They left Wednesday for the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Lt. Gov. Howie Morales will serve as acting governor while Lujan Grisham is out of state. The governor expects to return June 16. She and Cordova were married a year ago in a ceremony officiated by Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington, D.C. It was partly a business trip, as she met with federal officials while wildfires burned on national forest, wilderness and private land in New Mexico. She and Cordova have been together since 2012 and delayed wedding plans at one point due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With uniformed New Mexico State Police officers standing by in support, the family of Jacqueline Vigil faced the man who was convicted of fatally shooting her in her driveway as she tried to leave for the gym in November 2019. Her loved ones asked that Luis Talamantes-Romero, 35, never be allowed to walk the streets of any community again. State District Judge Britt Baca-Miller of Albuquerque sentenced him to life in prison for first-degree murder to be followed by another 26 years for eight other felonies he committed during a crime spree that preceded her violent death. Assistant State Attorney General Greer Staley told the judge Vigil, the 55-year-old mother of two New Mexico State Police officers, was a truly innocent victim. Talamantes declined to address the court. But several Vigil family members walked to the courtroom podium to express their continuing sorrow for the loss of a woman who hoped to become a teacher, regularly sent 60-pound care packages to relatives in Colombia, and took the time to text prayers to her friends every morning. State Police Officer Kevin Dieguez approached the podium, then turned to address the man who killed his mother. This is just for Luis, he began as Talamantes looked straight ahead. Look at me when Im talking to you, Dieguez suddenly commanded. And Talamantes complied. My kids will never get to spend time with the grandmother because of you, Dieguez said, and that hurts me the most. Her husband, Sam Vigil, said his wife was a proud American who was about to receive a two-year-diploma from Central New Mexico Community College and planned to continue her education at the University of New Mexico. She and her son, Kevin, immigrated to the U.S. nearly 20 years earlier. This person should not be allowed to walk the streets of any place on this earth, Sam Vigil said of Talamantes-Romero. You had a chance to walk away, he told him. Real men walk away. Instead , he said, Talamantes committed the most hideous murder. The crime was random, as Talamantes-Romero and a passenger who testified against him at trial drove around Vigils upscale Northwest Albuquerque that morning looking for cars to burglarize. They noticed her getting into her Cadillac and Talamantes-Romero blocked her exit with his Jeep and jumped out and shot her through her drivers side window. The sound of her honking her horn alerted her husband, who ran outside, saw his wife slumped over in the front seat but couldnt open the door because it was locked. Talamantes-Romero fled the scene in the brown Jeep, along with another individual. He then traveled to the home of Elizabeth Talamantes, his sister, where they drove toward San Antonio, Texas, and subsequently destroyed the murder weapon. After Albuquerque Police received tips as to his whereabouts, Talamantes-Romero was arrested weeks later. Federal agents initially detained him due to his immigration status and the FBI joined the investigation after then-President Donald Trump included Albuquerque as part of Operation Legend designed to combat rising crime. Ultimately, he was returned to New Mexico, where he was held in custody until his trial in April. Staley told the judge that Talamantes-Romeros criminal history dates back to 2003 and shows a progression of the severity of his crimes. A Mexican national, Talamantes-Romero has been deported at least three times only to return to the U.S., where he commits new crimes, Staley said. Deportation, prison despite being arrested over and over, nothing stopped him, she added. Just before Jacqueline Vigil was killed, Talamantes-Romero and his passenger, Isaac Ramirez-Soto, were caught burglarizing a car. The burglary shows a brazen attitude, Staley said, adding that Talamantes-Romero didnt flee but instead pointed a gun at the victim. He was undeterred and that was part of his pattern. His defense attorney Kathleen Reinhardt said, We respect the pain and grief (of the Vigil family). This has been a regrettable tragedy. But my client still maintains his innocence. Though he is a Mexican national, Talamantes-Romeros parents brought him to the United States when he was only a couple of days old, said his attorney Peter Menges of Denver in a Colorado immigration case filing back in 2015. He knows no other life than living in America. His family is here; his friends and life are here. Since his mothers slaying, Vigils older son, State Police Lt. Raul Vigil, has retired. Both sons and family members were greeted before and after the sentencing hearing by more than 40 uniformed officers and supervisors. State Police Chief Tim Johnson was also on hand. Sam Vigil thanked them for their support over the past several years. After the sentencing, he told the Journal, Theres some relief. But like other families who have lost someone to violent crime, you never completely heal. We learn how to live with pain. Our souls will never be the same. GRIMES, Iowa (AP) Former President Donald Trump kept up a steady drumbeat of criticism of his chief rival Ron DeSantis on Thursday, jumping immediately on remarks by the Florida governor on the campaign trail to try to highlight his own strength as the leading GOP presidential candidate. Trump, appearing in Iowa as DeSantis campaigned in New Hampshire, made a point of telling about 200 members of a conservative club gathered at a Des Moines-area restaurant that they could ask him questions an offer that came not long after DeSantis snapped at an Associated Press reporter who asked him why he wasnt taking questions from voters at his events. A lot of politicians dont take questions. They give a speech, Trump said to audience members, many of whom wore red Make America Great Again hats espousing his political movement. Trump, throughout the day, also repeatedly pushed back against DeSantis argument that it will take two terms in the White House to implement an agenda a veiled reference to Trump, who can only serve one additional term. Who the hell wants to wait eight years? Trump said, claiming it would only take him six months to unwind President Joe Bidens policies. DeSantis, asked about the former presidents comment while leaving a voter event in Rochester on Thursday afternoon, noted that Trump had already had a chance to fix the nations problems in his first term in office. Why didnt he do it in his first four years? he asked. Their campaign appearances displayed an early tableau of the Republican primary thats just getting underway: Trump hammering DeSantis and promising to use a return to the White House to quickly undo his successors work, while the governor limits his replies and direct critiques, pitching instead to nationalize his aggressive governing style. Both men are portraying themselves as the stronger fighter for conservative causes and their partys best chance to block Biden from reelection next year. Thursday was the first time both were on the campaign trail meeting with voters since DeSantis announced his candidacy for president last week. At all four of his events in New Hampshire, DeSantis left the stage without inviting any questions from voters, which is typically expected of presidential candidates competing in the first-in-the-nation primary state. DeSantis also didnt take any questions on stage from voters in Iowa during his time in the state earlier in the week. While posing for pictures and shaking hands with voters after speaking at his first event in Laconia, DeSantis was asked by the AP reporter why he wasnt taking questions from people in the audience. People are coming up to me, talking to me. What are you talking about? Are you blind? he said. Are you blind? People are coming up to me, talking to me whatever they want to talk to me about. Alan Glassman, treasurer of the state GOP, attended the event and said he was disappointed that the Florida governor didnt include a question-and-answer period. Glassman and his wife decided to skip any subsequent events of the day given that DeSantis wasnt likely to take unscripted questions. This is New Hampshire. The reality here is the vast majority of political people here in New Hampshire, we do our due diligence. We want to know where these people stand. And a lot of that is hearing from them and then asking them questions, Glassman said. Im just hoping that next time the governor does show up here, hell actually be doing some more interaction with the people, Glassman said. In addition to his subtle jabs at Trump, DeSantis in New Hampshire turned his focus to Biden, criticizing him for championing a move to demote the early-voting state from its prominent role picking presidential candidates. He said the president was wrong to back a Democratic National Committee move to have New Hampshire hold its Democratic primary the same day as Nevada as part of a major shakeup meant to empower Black and other minority voters critical to the partys base of support. The Republican Partys calendar is decided separately, but the Democrats changes have irked members of both parties in New Hampshire. Im glad Republicans are holding the line and committed to New Hampshire, DeSantis said. Matt Johnson, a 55-year-old consultant from Windham, New Hampshire, who attended DeSantis third event of the day in Salem, said Trump and DeSantis present voters with a real choice but he liked that DeSantis has proven he actually can get stuff done in government. Trump talked a lot and he got some stuff done but he didnt really get a lot of things done that he probably should have, Johnson said. As for the cult of personality thing, Ive had enough of that. But Walter Kirsch, 64, of Warner, New Hampshire, said Republicans must realize that, despite being gruff at times, Trump will ultimately be the partys nominee in 2024. Warner, who was among several dozen supporters waving Trump flags outside a DeSantis event Thursday evening in Manchester, said he hoped DeSantis will think about what hes doing and bow out of this and give it to the man whos earned it. Ron DeSantis has been doing an amazing job in Florida. He should stay there. I feel he may be destroying his political career, Kirsch said. Seeking to draw a contrast with DeSantis, Trump took questions from voters at all of his Thursday events, which included a breakfast meeting in Urbandale, a Trump team volunteer leadership training event outside Des Moines in Grimes and a private meeting with about 50 pastors at a Des Moines church, though the last event was closed to the media. He later recorded a town hall with Fox News Channels Sean Hannity in the Des Moines suburb of Clive that aired Thursday evening, telling the host DeSantis had had a very bad day today. He got very angry at the press. As Trump and DeSantis make their pitch to GOP voters, the Republican presidential field is shaping up to become even more crowded. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is expected to launch a Republican presidential campaign June 6 in New Hampshire. The next day, both Mike Pence, Trumps former vice president, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum are expected to announce campaigns of their own. U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and biotech entrepreneur and anti-woke activist Vivek Ramaswamy are among the other candidates already in the race. During the town hall, Trump called the ballooning field which critics worry will split the anti-Trump vote a good thing for his candidacy, but wondered why some long-shot candidates are bothering. Whats the purpose? he asked. I dont understand what theyre doing. ___ Price reported from New York and Peoples reported from Laconia and Rochester, N.H. Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in New York and Steve LeBlanc in Salem, N.H., contributed to this report. CAIRO (AP) At least 60 infants, toddlers and older children perished over the past six weeks while trapped in harrowing conditions in an orphanage in Sudans capital as fighting raged outside. Most died from lack of food and from fever. Twenty-six died in two days over the weekend. The extent of the childrens suffering emerged from interviews with more than a dozen doctors, volunteers, health officials and workers at the Al-Mayqoma orphanage. The Associated Press also reviewed dozens of documents, images, and videos showing the deteriorating conditions at the facility. Video taken by orphanage workers shows bodies of children tightly bundled in white sheets awaiting burial. In other footage, two dozen toddlers wearing only diapers sit on the floor of a room, many of them wailing, as a woman carries two metal jugs of water. Another woman sits on the floor with her back to the camera, rocking back and forth and apparently cradling a child. An orphanage worker later explained that the toddlers were moved to the large room after nearby shelling blanketed another part of the facility with heavy dust last week. It is a catastrophic situation, Afkar Omar Moustafa, a volunteer at the orphanage, said in a phone interview. This was something we expected from day one (of the fighting). Among the dead were babies as young as three months, according to death certificates as well as four orphanage officials and workers for charities now helping the facility. The weekend was particularly deadly, with 14 children perishing Friday and 12 on Saturday. This raised alarm and outrage across social media, and a local charity was able to deliver food, medicine and baby formula to the orphanage on Sunday, with the help of the U.N. childrens agency, UNICEF, and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Orphanage workers warned that more children could die, and called for their speedy evacuation out of war-torn Khartoum. The battle for control of Sudan erupted April 15, pitting the Sudanese military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. The fighting has turned Khartoum and other urban areas into battlefields. Many houses and civilian infrastructure have been looted or were damaged by stray shells and bullets. The fighting has inflicted a heavy toll on civilians, particularly children. More than 860 civilians, including at least 190 children, were killed and thousands of others were wounded since April 15, according to Sudans Doctors Syndicate which tracks civilian casualties. The tally is likely to be much higher. More than 1.65 million people have fled to safer areas inside Sudan or crossed into neighboring countries. Others remain trapped inside their homes, unable to escape as food and water supplies dwindle. The clashes have also disrupted the work of humanitarian groups. More than 13.6 million children are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance in Sudan, up from nearly nine million prior to the war, according to UNICEF. As of Monday, there were at least 341 children at the orphanage, including 165 infants between the ages of one and six months and 48 ranging from seven to 12 months, according to data obtained by the AP. The remaining 128 children were between the ages of one and 13 years. Among those at the orphanage were two dozen children who had been sent back from Khartoum hospitals after the outbreak of fighting. The hospitals, where the children received advanced treatment, had to shut down because of lack of power or nearby shelling, said Heba Abdalla, who joined the orphanage as a child and is now a nurse there. Spokespeople for the military, the RSF, the health ministry and the social development ministry, which oversees the orphanage, didnt answer requests for comment about the orphanage. The situation was particularly harrowing in the first three weeks of the conflict when fighting was heaviest. At one point during this time, the children were moved to the first floor away from windows ,to avoid being hit by random fire or shrapnel, said another nurse, known as Sister Teresa. It looked like a prison all of us were like prisoners unable to even look from the window. We were all trapped, she said. During this period, food, medicine, baby formula and other supplies dwindled because caretakers were unable to get out and seek help, Abdalla said. On many days, we couldnt find anything for feed them, Abdalla said. They (the children) were crying all the time because they were hungry. As the facility became inaccessible, the number of nurses, nannies and other caretakers dropped. Many of the caretakers were refugees from Ethiopia, Eritrea or South Sudan who fled the fighting like hundreds of thousands of others, said Abdalla. We ended up have one nanny or two serving 20 children or more, including disabled children, said Moustafa, the volunteer. Children started to die. At first, there were between three to six deaths per week, then the toll increased rapidly, nurses said, The peak came Friday, with 14 deaths, followed by 12 on Saturday. The AP obtained 11 death certificates for children at the orphanage, including eight dated Sunday and three dated Saturday. All certificates listed circulatory collapse as a cause of death, but also mentioned other contributing factors such as fever, dehydration, malnutrition, and failure to thrive. Even before the outbreak of fighting, the orphanage lacked proper infrastructure and equipment, said Moustafa. Twenty to 25 children were crammed into each room, many sleeping on the ground. Babies doubled up in pink metal cribs. The orphanage was established in 1961. Though it gets funds from the government, it depends heavily on donations and assistance from local and international charities. The orphanage made headlines in the past, most recently in February 2022 when at least 54 children were reported dead in less than three months. At the time, activists launched an online appeal for help, and the military sent food aid and other assistance. The government-run facility is in a three-story building with a playground in the Daym area in central Khartoum. The area has experienced some of the fiercest fighting, with stray shells and bullets hitting nearby homes and other civilian infrastructure, according to workers and a freelance photographer working with the AP who lives close to the orphanage. The news of the deaths caused public outcry, with activists appealing for help for the children. Nazim Sirag, an activist who heads the local charity Hadhreen, has led efforts to provide volunteers and supplies to the orphanage. Starting Sunday, food, medicine and baby formula reached the facility, he said. The charity also repaired the equipment, electricity lines and a backup generator. Sirag said the situation remains difficult, and orphanage workers called for the children to be moved out of Khartoum. Otherwise, said, Abdalla, you dont know what will happen tomorrow. L.A.-based French photographer Sophie Gamand poses in front of the portrait of Soju, rescued from a dog meat farm in Korea, at Humane Society International Korea's exhibition "Beyond Prejudice" at Seoul Metro Art Center inside Gyeongbokgung Station in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Humane Society International By Lee Hae-rin French photographer Sophie Gamand still vividly remembers when she first met Soju, a small orange-furred chow chow mix, in September 2019 at a dog meat farm in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province. On that day, she witnessed the transformation of this helpless creature from a dire situation through a rescue mission. Born and raised for human consumption, Soju lived in a small, filthy elevated cage without adequate food, water or care all his life. The operator of the dog farm identified him and other canines by their weight, similar to meat pieces sold at a butcher shop, because that was all he was worth for him. This grim reality saw many dogs lead wretched lives, dying of neglect or being slaughtered for their meat. Thanks to Humane Society International (HIS) Korea, Soju was given a new chapter in life. He was safely rehoused into a transport container and found a loving family through a shelter in Virginia. Soju now lives in Boston, with the new name given by his adoptive owner as a reminder of his Korean origin. His days are now filled with leisurely strolls, especially on snowy days, playing with dog toys and taking naps. HSI employees and volunteers carry dogs out of a farm in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, Sept. 25, 2019. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk Four years later, Gamand returned to Korea to shed light on Soju's story in his birth country. "Beyond Prejudice," an exhibition organized by HSI Korea, features 17 portraits of dogs rescued from dog farms across the country between 2015 and 2020. These canine survivors come from a variety of breeds, including Jindo mixes, Korean Tosas, Pomeranians, Corgis and Golden Retrievers, all of whom have survived and thrived beyond their harsh beginnings. Gamand said she wanted to highlight the dogs' dignity, resilience and individuality and "dispel the myths" that dogs in the meat trade are soulless. "(For) Tosas and Jindo mixes who are traditionally seen as meat dogs, the industry says they are 'soulless' and it's ok to eat them because they are like cattle. With the series, we want to show that's not true. They are just equally as soulful and they have a story and personality, as any other dogs," Gamand said during an interview with The Korea Times at the art center, Monday. The colorful and elaborate collars she crafted symbolize the commitment of a relationship, similar to the wedding rings exchanged between married couples. "When you welcome a dog into a family, you give them a name and the leash, and I thought it was a symbol that we belong together, we're a family now. It's a promise that I'm going to take care of you, give you food and water, love and shelter," she said. Visitors tour at Humane Society International Korea's exhibition "Beyond Prejudice" at Seoul Metro Art Center inside Gyeongbokgung Station in central Seoul, Sunday. Courtesy of Humane Society International DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) A structural engineers report issued last week indicated a wall of a century-old apartment building in Iowa was at imminent risk of crumbling, yet neither the owner nor city officials warned residents of the danger days before the building partially collapsed, leaving three people missing and feared dead. The revelation is the latest flashpoint after Sundays partial collapse of the building in Davenport, where residents have lashed out at city leaders over what they see as an inept response. Do I have regrets about this tragedy and about people potentially losing their lives? Hell yeah. Do I think about this every moment? Hell yeah. Mayor Mike Matson said Thursday. I have regrets about a lot of things. Believe me, were going to look at that. City officials said Thursday that they did not order an evacuation because they relied on the engineers assurances that the building remained safe. The states search and rescue team, search dogs and cameras were used Thursday to continue combing the building for missing people. Matson said crews were also consulting with experts about how to safely bring down the structure, which remains extremely unstable, while being respectful of bodies that could be buried in the debris. The six-story building collapsed shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday. Rescue crews pulled seven people from the building in their initial response and escorted out 12 others who could walk on their own. Later, two more people were rescued, including a woman who was removed from the fourth floor hours after authorities said they were going to begin setting up for demolition. Earlier this week, authorities said five people were missing, but Davenport Police Chief Jeff Bladel said during a media briefing Thursday that two of them have since been accounted for and are safe. City officials named those unaccounted for as Branden Colvin, Ryan Hitchcock and Daniel Prien. The city said all three have high probability of being home at the time of the collapse and their apartments were located in the collapse zone. Bladel said transient people also often enter the building but there is no indication anyone else was inside and missing. People living in the building will be eligible for $6,000 payments from the city and those meeting certain income requirements could get state payments of $5,000. Businesses near the collapsed building will also be eligible to receive payments. City Administrator Corri Spiegel said the building likely is filled with asbestos given its age and the city will develop a plan to protect workers and others when the structure is demolished. The city on Wednesday night released documents, including structural engineering reports, that show city officials and the buildings owner were warned that parts of the building were unstable. A report dated May 24, just four days before the collapse, suggested patches in the west side of the buildings brick facade appear ready to fall imminently and could be a safety hazard. The report also detailed that window openings, some filled and some unfilled, were insecure. In one case, the openings were bulging outward and looked poised to fall. Inside the first floor, unsupported window openings help explain why the facade is currently about to topple outward. Despite the warnings, city officials did not order some 50 tenants to leave the building. Rich Oswald, the citys director of development and neighborhood services, confirmed Thursday that the citys chief building official, Trishna Pradhan, resigned earlier this week in the aftermath of the collapse. Pradhan had visited the building on May 25, and erroneously reported it had passed an inspection in notes in the citys online permitting system, Oswald said. Pradhan attempted to change the inspection result to incomplete on Tuesday after the collapse but a technical glitch instead listed the outcome as failed, he said. Oswald said the incomplete status is the correct status since the repair work was unfinished. Though the error was administrative, Oswald said the magnitude of the situation and the error that was made led to Pradhans resignation. Calls and text messages to Pradhan were not immediately returned. The city clarified later in the day that Pradhan had resigned voluntarily and not in lieu of termination. Under Iowa law, it is a confidential personnel matter and the city is not required to explain the departure. Matson promised to improve inspections and to investigate what happened. Andrew Wold, the buildings owner, released a statement dated Tuesday saying our thoughts and prayers are with our tenants. County records show his company, Davenport Hotel, L.L.C., acquired the building in a 2021 deal worth $4.2 million. As the building deteriorated, tenants repeatedly complained about a host of other problems they say were ignored by property managers, including no heat or hot water for weeks or months at a time, mold and water leakage from ceilings and toilets. City officials gave orders to vacate some individual apartments and tried to address other complaints, but a broader building evacuation was never ordered, records show. City officials ordered repairs after they found seven fire code violations on Feb. 6. They were told three weeks later by building maintenance officials that none of the work was completed, records show. Assistant City Attorney Brian Heyer said hes unaware whether earlier civil enforcement actions to protect residents were considered. Only after the collapse did the city file a civil infraction seeking a $300 fine against Wold for failing to maintain the structure in a safe manner. He will be required to pay for the cost of demolition, Heyer said. Heyer said an enforcement action the city filed that resulted in a $4,500 fine in March for repeated trash overflows came in response to complaints from downtown residents and businesses about the debris. Emails sent to an attorney believed to be representing Wold have not been returned. The documents released Wednesday outline numerous other concerns raised by engineers, a utility company and city officials. Among them, MidAmerican Energy, an electric and gas utility, complained to the city in early February about an unsafe brick wall at the west corner of the building. A city notice dated Feb. 2 said the wall was gradually failing and cited visible crumbling of this exterior load bearing wall under the support beam. The notice also said the exterior brick veneer had separated and allowed rain and ice to cause damage. The notice ordered Davenport Hotel to provide an engineers letter stating this is not an imminent danger and to take immediate steps to repair the problems. A Feb. 8 letter to the city from engineering company Select Structural said an engineer conducted an emergency site visit Feb. 2 and determined the crumbling wall is not an imminent threat to the building or its residents, but structural repairs will be necessary. City inspectors monitored progress at the site and learned Feb. 28 that the west wall has collapsed into the scaffolding. ___ This story has been updated to correct the the name of one of the men still missing. His name is spelled Branden Colvin, not Brandon Colvin. ___ Foley reported from Iowa City, Iowa. Associated Press reporter Summer Ballentine contributed from Jefferson City, Missouri. SANTA ANA PUEBLO About eight months after it was first announced, the new Tesla store located in Santa Ana Pueblo is now open for business. Thursdays grand opening for the 35,000-square-foot facility at 1300 Jemez Canyon Dam was attended by tribal and local officials, and included a tour and test drives for the roughly 200 people in attendance. The Tesla facility, which sits near the Santa Ana Star Casino Hotel, is the second in New Mexico. In 2021, the electric vehicle manufacturer led by Elon Musk opened its first store in the state at a former casino just north of Santa Fe in the Nambe Pueblo. Now that we have our facility up and ready to open (its) doors, its going to provide new opportunities for us not only here within the pueblo but in our surrounding communities, Nathan Garcia, the governor of Santa Ana Pueblo, said. Its an honor to be a part of this thats going to change peoples lives. But the new facility just north of Albuquerque is the first in the state built from the ground up, Tesla officials said. It features a sales and delivery center, a vehicle showroom, customer lounge, 19 service bays and a parts and storage area. New Mexicos two Tesla facilities sit on tribal lands because of a state law that, despite attempts to change it, prohibits vehicle manufacturers from selling directly to consumers rather than through a franchise dealership. Because they are on tribal lands, sales of vehicles from those facilities are not subject to state law. Officials say the new facility will create up to 25 jobs at full capacity. Additionally, tribal members now have direct access to training programs with Tesla a move that pushes the local workforce toward clean energy jobs. Jim Wills of Tamaya Ventures, the business arm of Santa Ana Pueblo, said the Tesla partnership and new facility falls in line with the pueblos belief that development is a generational process and doesnt occur through a narrow, immediate lens. I think this partnership really maps to that, Wills said. We have talented young people who are getting incredible exposure and skills. We have a pathway now for talented young adults to follow their passion and train. And then, of course, we have this incredible facility. The new facility comes as the country has seen an increasing interest in electric vehicles. Companies such as Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co. have plans to ramp up the sale of electric vehicles over the next decade. And last year, auto makers sold more than 800,000 electric vehicles nearly 6% of all vehicles sold in the U.S., according to figures from Motor Intelligence. Locally, the state has made plans to expand the number of charging stations across New Mexico. Sarah Cottrell Propst, cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, said Thursday the state has already completed more than $7 million in EV charging projects and plans to leverage millions of dollars more in federal funding toward additional projects. Specifically, a plan released last year by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams administration calls for EV charging stations to be installed at 50-mile intervals if not closer along New Mexicos three interstate roadways. As things stand today, we have 230 charging stations publicly available across New Mexico ranging from level one chargers to level three, the fast chargers, she said. But with the plans on the table and expected federal funding, we can see a future in which EV charging stations are available roughly every 50 miles around our state with higher density in the more populated areas. Mark Hawes, the president of the Tesla Owners Club of New Mexico and an owner of two Tesla vehicles himself, estimates there are around 2,000 to 3,000 Tesla drivers in the state. But he said he expects that number to grow with the new Tesla facility. I think (this facility) will increase the sales of Teslas and their visibility, Hawes said. We are trying to help foster the adoption of electric vehicles and clean energy thats the ultimate goal. SANTA FE New Mexico Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard signed an executive order Thursday that bans new oil and gas leases on state trust land within one mile of a school, a step she said would help protect childrens health. She also directed her office to review existing leases near schools to assess their compliance with environmental regulations. The immediate impact of the order isnt clear. The moratorium, for example, wont apply to federal, tribal or private lands. But Garcia Richard, a Democrat, said a significant amount of state trust land falls within a mile of a school or educational institution and wont be open to new oil and gas drilling under her order. New Mexico is the nations second-highest oil producing state, behind Texas. Production levels have hit record highs this year even as climate change activists push for enhanced pollution controls. Garcia Richard said Thursdays order demonstrates a commitment to the students of New Mexico today that their health, their access to clean air and water is a right that we should be protecting with our policies. Income derived from oil and gas activity is a vital part of New Mexicos state budget, accounting for perhaps 40% of revenue. Oil and gas producers have repeatedly touted their use of technology to exceed environmental standards. Sen. David Gallegos, a Republican in the oil-rich southeastern corner of the state, said his Eunice home sits about 65 feet from an oil well. It hasnt leaked or caused other problems in the 34 years hes lived there, he said. It feels like this (ban) is just another chance for Santa Fe elites to push policy for political reasons, Gallegos said, instead of looking for input from those living in that area. Jim Winchester, executive director of the Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico, said his organization would support reasonable setback requirements for some sites. But the one-mile buffer zone ordered by the land commissioner is arbitrary and isnt based on any definitive evidence of health impacts, Winchester said. Joe Vigil, a spokesman for the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, said the industry is already subject to extensive regulations but willing to address concerns, improve operational practices, enhance environmental stewardship, and protect public health and safety while providing essential energy to New Mexico. Garcia Richard described the executive order as a first step. She called on state legislators to take broader action to ban oil and gas production around schools. Executive order Elected in 2018, Garcia Richard oversees state trust lands that generate revenue through leases to ranchers, oil and gas producers, and others. Much of the money flows into New Mexicos permanent school fund, which operates like an endowment and helps support public schools and universities. Garcia Richard acknowledged Thursday the importance of revenue generation on state lands, noting that she used to work as a classroom teacher. She is also a former state legislator. But Garcia Richard said she is authorized to withhold tracts of land from oil and gas leases if she believes its in the states best interest. Her executive order covers state trust lands within one mile of a school or other educational institution, prohibiting leases for new oil and gas purposes. It also calls for a review of existing leases to check their compliance with requirements to plug inactive wells, clean up spills and adhere to air quality standards. Up to 119 schools are within a mile of oil and gas activity, according to her office, though that figures includes federal and other leases, not just those involving state land. Garcia Richard cited Lybrook Elementary School near Counselor and Jefferson Elementary School in Hobbs as two schools that operate near oil and gas activity on state trust lands. Litigation Garcia Richard signed the order during a news conference at her office in Santa Fe, joined by Gail Evans of the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental advocacy group. Its shocking, Evans said, to see how many schools are surrounded by oil and gas sites. She called the land commissioners order a really big step for protecting the health of our children. Evans is also the lead attorney on a lawsuit seeking to halt new oil and gas drilling permits in New Mexico until the state meets its constitutional obligation to protect the environment. A spokeswoman for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham last month called the lawsuit misguided and defended the administrations work to regulate the oil and gas industry. Sidney Hill, a spokesman for the state Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, said the agency conducts about 30,000 inspections a year at oil and gas sites. It will cooperate with the land office on the new policy to protect New Mexicos citizens and natural resources, he said. Environment Department spokesman Matthew Maez said the states oil and gas ozone precursor rule requires enhanced monitoring around occupied dwellings. The agency, he said, also supports greater restrictions and scrutiny of industry in close proximity to communities. Cover Images/Daniel Robertson Celebrity Best known for his role on 'That '70s Show', the 47-year-old is facing up to 30 years in prison after being found guilty of drugging and raping two women during a retrial in Los Angeles. Jun 1, 2023 AceShowbiz - Danny Masterson has been found guilty of two counts of rape. Best known for starring on "That '70s Show", he faces up to 30 years in prison after being found guilty during a retrial in Los Angeles on Wednesday, May 31, of drugging and raping two women. The 47-year-old actor was found guilty by a jury of seven women and five men. However, the jury failed to reach a verdict on a third count that alleged Masterson raped a long-time girlfriend. The actor is now set to be held in jail until his sentenced is determined. During the trial, Masterson was accused of raping three women in his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003. The actor was accused of drugging the women before assaulting them. It was also alleged that Masterson, who did not testify, used his links to the Church of Scientology to escape the repercussions for years. The women claimed that they were intimidated, harassed and stalked by the Church. On the other hand, the defence team argued that the acts were consensual. They also questioned the reliability of the witnesses. Philip Cohen, a defence attorney, told the jurors, "If you decide that a witness deliberately lied about something in this case, you should consider not believing anything that witness says." Masterson faced a retrial in Los Angeles after jurors failed to reach a verdict in 2022. Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo declared a mistrial following lengthy deliberations by the jurors. The judge said at the time, "I find the jurors hopelessly deadlocked." The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office said they were "disappointed with the outcome." They said in a statement, "While we are disappointed with the outcome in this trial, we thank the jurors for their service. We also want to give our heartfelt appreciation to the victims for bravely stepping forward and recounting their harrowing experiences." You can share this post! Cover Images/ACE PICTURES Movie The 'Aquaman' actress breaks silence on her new life in Madrid in a quick interview, claiming that she has new film projects while having no plan to move back to America just yet. Jun 1, 2023 AceShowbiz - Amber Heard is not ready to give up on her career just yet. Having been struggling to find a new job since losing the defamation trial against her ex-husband Johnny Depp, the actress says she is moving on and will return with new film projects. In a new interview at her home in Madrid, the Mera depicter in the DCEU broke her silence on moving to Spain while denying that she's quit Hollywood. "How is your new life here in Madrid?" she was asked in a video which was posted on TikTok. She replied, "I love Spain so much." When asked, "Are you going to stay here?" the "Justice League" star responded, "Yes, I hope so. I love living here." She then tried to exit gracefully, saying while waving goodbye, "Well I hope you are well. Thank you, nice to meet you." But the cameraman threw more questions at her. "Do you have film projects?" he was heard asking. Amber took time to answer, "Yes. I move on, that's life," before she went back into her house, ending the quick interview. Amber jetted off to Europe in September 2022 and was traveling across the continent, three months after Johnny won his defamation trial against her on June 1. Earlier this month, Daily Mail reported that the "Aquaman" actress chose to relocate to Madrid with her young daughter Oonagh as she has quit Hollywood for now. A friend of hers told the publication's journalist, "She's bilingual in Spanish and is happy there." Amber's so-called pal went on to note that the Hollywood beauty made the move to raise her daughter "away from all the noise." Still, the source noted that there is a possibility of the blonde beauty making a comeback in Hollywood by saying, "I don't think she is in any hurry to return to work or to Hollywood, but she will probably come back when the time is right, for the right project." You can share this post! Universal Pictures Movie Words on the street are the Dominic Toretto depicter blames the 'Aquaman' star for the movie's bad reviews and the 'Game of Thrones' alum is aware that his co-star is badmouthing him. Jun 1, 2023 AceShowbiz - A potential new feud among stars of the "Fast and Furious" franchise could be brewing at the moment. Having extended an olive branch to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson following their beef years ago, Vin Diesel reportedly resents his new "Fast X" co-star Jason Momoa. A source tells Radar Online that Diesel is blaming Momoa for the movie's bad reviews. The Dominic Toretto depicter, who also produced the film, is allegedly unwilling to accept that he might have played a role in the poor reviews and is throwing the "Game of Thrones" alum under the bus, though Momoa is one of a few aspects that critics praised. "Vin is embarrassed Jason is being branded the only bright spot in the film and stealing his thunder in the franchise he built himself," the source claims. The 55-year-old hunk is said to be not happy with Momoa's "overacting" and "scene-stealing" moments, which he claimed to have undermined his movie. Sources say Momoa has become aware that Diesel is badmouthing him. "Jason knows he's the flavor of the moment and Vin's jealous of him," one of the informants spills. "But he doesn't appreciate Vin trying to poison the public against him. This has the potential to be Hollywood's next biggest feud." The sources add that Momoa makes a "convenient target" for Diesel given the size of the "Aquaman" star's paychecks. "People shouldn't be fooled," a source notes. " 'Fast X' was Vin's baby and he should go down with the ship!" Diesel was previously infamously having a feud with Johnson on the set of "The Fate of the Furious" in 2016. In November 2021, however, he publicly expressed his desire to have his former co-star reprising his role for the franchise's swan song. Despite initially being adamant about not returning to the franchise, the former wrestler returned for "Fast X" in a shocking cameo. He reprised his role as Luke Hobbs in mid-credits scene. You can share this post! Cover Images/Kristin Callahan Celebrity Police have concluded their investigation into an alleged assault in 2017, but the case is dropped 'due to the complexity of the relationship and inability to prove a non-consensual, forcible sexual encounter.' Jun 1, 2023 AceShowbiz - Armie Hammer won't face sexual assault charges after police concluded their investigation into an alleged assault in 2017. The 36-year-old actor was identified as a suspect in the case back in 2021, but Tiffiny Blacknell, the director of the bureau of communications at the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office, has now confirmed that he won't face sexual assault charges. In a statement obtained by PEOPLE , Blacknell explained that the case had been dropped "due to the complexity of the relationship and inability to prove a non-consensual, forcible sexual encounter we are unable to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt." She added, "Sexual assault cases are often difficult to prove, which is why we assign our most experienced prosecutors to review them. In this case, those prosecutors conducted an extremely thorough review, but determined that at this time, there is insufficient evidence to charge Mr. Hammer with a crime. As prosecutors, we have an ethical responsibility to only charge cases that we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt. We know that it is hard for women to report sexual assault. Even when we cannot move forward with a prosecution, our victim service representatives will be available to those who seek our victim support services." The actor has always denied the allegations made against him. However, his accuser, a woman identified as Effie, as confessed to being "disappointed" by the outcome of the investigation. Speaking to CNN, she explained, "I felt a duty to speak out and file a report in order to try to hold Armie accountable for all the harm and trauma he has caused me and in order to protect other women from experiencing similar abuse." You can share this post! Adgully has been turning the spotlight on the entrepreneurs who fought against all odds to bring their dreams to fruition in our special series START-UP STARS. We, at Adgully, wholeheartedly support the Vocal for Local movement and have been featuring numerous local/ homegrown businesses, brands, and Apps in the country launched in the last few years. IGP.com (formerly known as IndianGiftsPortal.com) is one of Indias largest multi-category gifting companies, providing one of the best curated collections of festival merchandise, gifts, fresh flowers, cakes, plants, gourmet foods and personalised products for all occasions and festivals. The firm has a global footprint with customers spanning across 100+ countries and capability to deliver gifts to over 150 countries and 300-plus cities in India. IGP has brought to consumers Indias first ever Gift Discovery platform, taking a massive leap forward in addressing consumers gifting needs. IGP is the exclusive India partner of Interflora, the worlds largest floral gifting company. The company is headquartered in Mumbai and has over 300 employees across its offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Jaipur, Pune, Singapore and California. IGP has been recognised as one of the fastest growing companies in India with FY 2020 revenues of over $30 million. In an interaction with Adgully, Tarun Joshi, Co-Founder IGP, shares the fascinating story of how he has come a long way from designing Indias first fighter aircraft and worlds first biometric ATM to launching IGP, which has become Indias largest D2C platform for gifting and occasions. Please take us through your journey as an entrepreneur. What motivated you to establish the company? I have a technology background and had worked on designing Indias first fighter aircraft and worlds first biometric ATM. Post that I spent over 12 years in two renowned private equity firms (3i and CVCI), where I led and managed investments worth over $500 million in India. Apart from this, I have also invested in startups in various sectors, including E-commerce, Financial Services, Technology, and Consumer businesses. Through my technology and investing experience, I recognised the potential for innovation and creativity in the D2C brands and gifting space, which have a huge untapped potential. I noticed a significant gap in the gifting market for a reliable platform that could offer high-quality and unique products, as well as exceptional delivery experiences. This gap inspired me to explore the income-generating potential of a technology-driven gifting platform that could provide skilled but disorganised artisans living in remote areas of India with new opportunities to promote their handmade products globally. Despite the vast celebration ecosystem in India, only a few companies served it at scale, and they lacked a robust supply chain, transparent last-mile delivery, and personalised options. In response, I founded IGP, which has become Indias largest D2C platform for gifting and occasions, offering a personalised and carefully curated selection of gifts for various occasions, festivals, and special days. I recognised the immense potential for success in the celebratory space and expanded my efforts beyond IGP. In 2017, I launched the Indian chapter of Interflora, an international flower gifting service, and in 2020, I established Join Ventures, a house of D2C brands for celebrations. My vision is to leverage world-class technology to provide Indians across the globe with a convenient and joyful online shopping experience for all their festive needs. What was the need of this brand as per consumers perspective? What is the core business proposition? From a consumer's perspective, the need for a brand like IGP was to help consumers strengthen their relationships via a reliable and trusted platform that provides high-quality, unique, and personalised options for various occasions, festivals, and special moments. The brand addressed the gap in the market for a comprehensive and end-to-end gifting solution that provided a curated catalogue of gifts, a robust supply chain, transparent last-mile delivery, and personalised options. The core business proposition of IGP is to create a technology-driven gifting platform that leverages the talents of skilled. but disorganised artisans living in remote parts of India to offer a vast selection of handmade and unique products for gifting purposes. IGP aims to be the most preferred gifting destination for both Indians and NRIs by providing a personalised and curated selection of gifts for various occasions, festivals, and special days. IGP offers a hassle-free gifting experience to customers by taking care of the entire process, from product selection to doorstep delivery. What have been your key learnings so far? How do you see the company progressing in 2023? I believe some of the key learnings for IGP so far include the importance of having a strong, automated and reliable supply chain, personalised and curated product offerings, and exceptional customer service. In terms of the companys ecosystem progressing in 2023, I anticipate that IGP will continue to grow and expand its reach, both in India and globally. IGPs focus on offering unique and personalised gifting options helps it stand out in the market, and our emphasis on using technology to provide a superior customer experience should continue to drive growth. Furthermore, the increasing demand for e-commerce and online gifting platforms is working in IGPs favour, as more consumers turn to online gifting for variety and convenience. How is digital helping you further your business? We are a digitally exclusive D2C brand. We have leveraged digital technology to transform the traditional gifting experience, making it more convenient, accessible, and personalised for our customers. Through our website and mobile app, we have created a seamless and user-friendly interface that enables customers to easily browse and purchase from our curated collection of gifts for various occasions. We have also incorporated advanced technologies such as AI and machine learning into our platform, allowing us to offer real-time personalisation and recommendations to our customers based on their preferences and browsing history. How did you identify your TG? Did you carry out any feasibility study prior to starting your business? As a founder, I identified my TG by understanding the market gap and studying the consumer behaviour patterns. I realised that the gifting industry in India lacked a reliable, organised, and transparent platform that could offer high-quality products and personalised services for various occasions, festivals, and special days. Hence, I targeted the Indian population, both domestically and abroad, who seek a hassle-free and unique gifting experience. To assess the feasibility of the business idea, we conducted extensive market research and analysis, including consumer surveys, competitor analysis, and demand forecasting. We evaluated the potential of the gifting industry in India and the market trends, as well as identified the key pain points of consumers in the current gifting landscape. This helped us design and develop a business model that could meet the needs and expectations of our target audience, while also generating revenue and growth opportunities for the company. Overall, our feasibility study provided us with valuable insights into the market potential, consumer behaviour, and competitive landscape, which helped us make informed decisions and design an effective business strategy. What were the challenges that you faced in your start-up journey and how did you overcome them? Like any other Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) business in the initial stage, we faced several challenges in our journey. One of the most significant challenges was navigating a disorganised market that required disruption and innovation through proprietary technology. We recognized the potential for technology to revolutionise the gifting industry, but implementing cutting-edge technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning was no easy feat. The next big challenge was solving the supply chain, which required us to create a vertically integrated model starting from rural artisans to doorstep delivery experience to our consumers in over 100 countries. In the early stages of our journey, both D2C as a business model and these technologies were still evolving, which meant that we had to create a proprietary tech solution from scratch. Despite the challenges, we remained committed to our vision and persevered with our efforts. As a result, we were able to introduce the first-ever gift discovery platform with real-time personalization in India through IGP.com. Our focus on developing and integrating innovative technology into our platform and supply chain has allowed us to differentiate ourselves in a highly competitive market, providing a seamless and personalised gifting experience to our customers. What would be your message for budding entrepreneurs? My message to the budding entrepreneurs is that entrepreneurship is all about perseverance and ability to execute. If you get these two right, you can scale up your ideas to create large businesses. During this journey, be open to feedback and collaboration, as no one can succeed alone. Seek out mentors and advisors who can provide guidance and support, and build a strong team that shares your vision and values. Most importantly, dont be afraid to fail. Every failure is an opportunity to learn and grow, and it takes courage to take risks and pursue your dreams. Stay true to your passion and purpose, and believe in yourself and your ideas. Lastly, always remember that entrepreneurship is a journey, not a destination, and it requires hard work and dedication to achieve your goals. Godrej Industries, in partnership with the Bhamla Foundation and Hungama, has undertaken a significant endeavour to raise awareness towards plastic pollution by creating a musical anthem. This musical anthem is part of the three-pronged campaign titled #BeatPlasticPollution. The anthem, "Tik Tik PLASTIC 2.0," is composed by the celebrated artist Shaan, with lyrics penned by Swanand Kirkere, and brought to life through captivating choreography by Shiamak Davar. Launched today to celebrate World Environment Day 2023, the anthem seeks to inspire sustainable solutions through the power of music. The "Tik Tik PLASTIC 2.0" anthem features a star-studded lineup of industry powerhouses and influential artists who have wholeheartedly dedicated their talent to create awareness about plastic pollution. Joining forces in this anthem are renowned figures such as Vidya Balan, Gulzar, Alia Bhatt, Ayushmann Khurrana, Shiamak Davar, Guneet Monga, Shaan, Ricky Kej, Armaan Malik, Neeti Mohan, Raveena Tandon, Stebin Ben, Sonu Nigam and Jannat Zubair & Faisu. The second leg of the campaign will involve a Green Ride Cyclothon - Pedal for the Planet on 4th June which will urge people to pledge their support to make a lasting difference to our planet. The main event, on World Environment Day, will bring together diverse voices such as different artists, policymakers, and environmentalists on a common platform to discuss/address the issue of plastic pollution and form partnerships to drive policy changes at various levels. This collaborative effort has significant support from esteemed organizations such as the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Government of India), G20 India Presidency and the United Nations Environment Programme. The collective alliance emphasizes the global significance and urgency of addressing plastic pollution on a large scale. Notable brands, including Godrej Magic and Godrej L'Affaire, also support this impactful initiative. The release of the "Tik Tik PLASTIC 2.0" anthem ahead of the World Environment Day represents a crucial reminder of our shared responsibility in addressing plastic pollution. It is an impactful step towards making a lasting difference to our planet and nurturing a sustainable future for all. Burjis Godrej, Executive Director, Godrej Agrovet, said,We are delighted to collaborate with the Bhamla Foundation and Hungama Music in the creation of the powerful 'Tik Tik PLASTIC' anthem, an innovative musical initiative aimed at raising awareness about the urgent need to combat plastic pollution. With the support of renowned institutions such as the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the G20 India Presidency, and the United Nations Environment Programme, our collective endeavour will have a profound impact and pave the way for a future free from the scourge of plastic. Our commitment to a sustainable future is further reinforced by our products such as Magic Handwash, which is a great example of a sustainable product. 93% of regular handwashes is water so they transport 93% water while Magic handwash transports only the concentrate and saves the planet. In 2022, over 72 million litres of handwash was consumed in India. If Magic wasnt there, this would have resulted in transportation of over 67 million litres of water. Courtesy of magic, this figure was 62 million. Magic alone helped the planet by preventing the transport of over 5 million litres of water. Asif Bhamla, Chairman, Bhamla Foundation, commented on the association, We are thrilled to collaborate with Godrej, a brand that has consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to environmental consciousness. We have long admired Godrej's philanthropic endeavours and their proactive stance towards sustainability. Their support in our campaign, Tik Tik Plastic, to beat plastic pollution on World Environment Day 2023, is a testament to their dedication in driving positive change. Together, we aim to raise awareness, inspire action, and create a lasting impact in the fight against plastic pollution. We sincerely thank Godrej for their invaluable partnership and look forward to a successful campaign that will contribute towards a greener and cleaner planet. Neeraj Roy, Founder Bollywood Hungama, added, We are proud to be associated with the Tik Tik Plastic campaign on World Environment Day 2023. As a leading entertainment platform, we recognize the power of media in driving positive change. Through our distribution channels, we are committed to spreading awareness about the pressing issue of plastic pollution and inspiring individuals to take action. It is our privilege to support such impactful initiatives that aim to create a sustainable future. On World Environment day, the global campaign event, which would be attended by Bollywood celebrities and government officials, would start at 7:30 PM at Carter Road Amphitheatre, Bandra West. Nova Dairy, one of India's leading providers of high-quality dairy products, joins the global community in honoring dairy farmers on World Milk Day. This annual event recognizes and appreciates the unwavering dedication of dairy farmers all over the world. World Milk Day, celebrated on June 1st, is an opportunity to highlight the critical role that dairy farmers play in ensuring the availability of wholesome and nutritious milk. Nova Dairy recognizes the steadfast efforts and dedication of these farmers who toil nonstop to supply us with this vital staple. Nova Dairy salutes dairy farmers for their unwavering dedication to environmentally friendly practices because they are the true keepers of our food supply. These farmers promote a healthier future for everyone by adopting ethical farming practices and placing a high priority on animal welfare and environmental stewardship. Mr. Sharad Saluja, the Director of Nova Dairy, said, "As we celebrate World Milk Day, we express our sincere gratitude to the dairy farmers who work day and night to bring us the highest quality milk. They truly inspire us with their commitment and passion, and we are honored to be their partner. Nova Dairy is dedicated to assisting dairy farmers by paying fair prices for their milk and fostering alliances that advance development, sustainability, and prosperity. Nova Dairy seeks to empower farmers and support the dairy industry's ongoing success through innovation and collaboration. On this World Milk Day, Nova Dairy pays tribute to the invaluable work of dairy farmers, whose unwavering dedication guarantees that consumers all over the world have access to wholesome dairy products. The success of the dairy industry is largely due to their commitment, and Nova Dairy is committed to assisting them on their path. Kim Yo-jong makes a speech during a national meeting on anti-epidemic measures held in Pyongyang, Aug. 10, 2022. Yonhap The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed that Pyongyang will "correctly" place a military reconnaissance satellite into orbit soon, state media reported Thursday, a day after the North's attempt to launch a spy satellite failed. Kim Yo-jong made the remarks as she slammed the United States for its denouncement of the North's botched launch the previous day of what it claimed to be a "space launch vehicle," according to a statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "If the DPRK's satellite launch should be particularly censured, the U.S. and all other countries, which have already launched thousands of satellites, should be denounced," she said. "It is certain that the DPRK's military reconnaissance satellite will be correctly put in space orbit in the near future and start its mission." DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "We confirmed once again that the enemies are most afraid of the DPRK's access to excellent reconnaissance and information means including reconnaissance satellite and, accordingly, we are aware that we should direct greater efforts to developing reconnaissance mean," she added. Kim, who serves as the vice department director of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party, also called the U.N. Security Council's resolutions that ban Pyongyang's use of ballistic technology as "gangster-like" and "wrong" for violating the North's right to use space. This photo provided by South Korea's Defense Ministry, shows an object salvaged by South Korea's military that is presumed to be part of the North Korean space-launch vehicle that crashed into sea following a launch failure in waters off Eocheongdo island, Wednesday, May 31. AP-Yonhap Scaler (by InterviewBit), one of the fastest-growing tech education startups, today announced the acquisition of a Delhi-based education platform, Pepcoding, for an undisclosed amount to strengthen Scaler's business ecosystem. The acquisition will further accelerate growth and support across various business units, including strategy, product design, B2B enterprise, operations and instructor org. This is the fourth acquisition for Scaler; AppliedRoots, Coding Minutes, and Coding Elements were the other edtech brands acquired over the last two years. With the acquisition of Pepcoding, Scaler aims to bring synergies between the two companies to strengthen its offering in the tech education space. As a strategic move, Pepcoding has merged with Scaler. Its co-founder, Sumeet Malik, has joined the startup as an instructor and content creator to help improve the learner experience, especially in the Low-Level Design (LLD) curriculum. Other Pepcoding employees have joined Scaler as full-time employees working across diverse teams. The Pepcoding team will also play a vital role in developing Scaler School of Technology, a newly launched 4-year residential undergraduate program in Bengaluru. As Scaler opens its doors to the first batch of students this academic year, the team's expertise will play an essential role in the building and execution of the program. Abhimanyu Saxena, Co-founder of Scaler & InterviewBit, announced the acquisition: "We are delighted to welcome the PepCoding team to the Scaler ecosystem. Sumeet's team has demonstrated a unique ability to stay true to its core ability to transform the learning experiences of young engineering students. Their experience with undergraduate students will come in handy to our recently launched residential undergraduate program, the Scaler School of Technology. Pepcoding's diverse talent pool and Sumeet's extensive industry expertise will help accelerate the pace we are working towards achieving our vision and mission." Founded in 2017, Pepcoding had a similar vision as Scaler to democratise tech education. Their goal was to bring in 'The Great Indian Coding Renaissance'. The education platform specialises in Data Structure & Algorithms (DSA), Web Development, Data Science, CORE, CBSE, GATE & Business Analytics. Pepcoding provided a platform for undergraduate students with both offline and online courses that enabled them to improve their coding skills, learn with like-minded people and secure employment opportunities across leading companies. The team has worked with over 5000 learners since its launch in 2017, empowering them to make successful career transitions. Sumeet Malik, Founder and CEO of Pepcoding, said. "We are excited to be a part of one of the fastest-growing tech education companies in India and work towards the shared vision of nurturing future-ready technology talent. Like Scaler, we are excessively focused towards the success of our students and firmly believe that the nation has enough raw talent to one day build products and companies that will dominate the world, similar to what organisations like Google, Microsoft and Uber have done. All they need is the appropriate direction and access to opportunities. This strategic union with Scaler will help us take a step towards revolutionising how India learns and works with technology. " Sumeet Malik holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and has worked with Indus Valley Partners, Avalon Information Systems and Nagarro before laying the foundation of Pepcoding. Federal Office for Customs and Border Security Bern, 01.06.2023 - On June 1st 2023, the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS) launches the first stage of Passar, the new goods traffic system and one of the central elements of the digitalisation and transformation programme DaziT. Passar gradually contributes to the simplification and acceleration of the cross-border traffic of goods. The staged changeover from the previous IT systems to Passar was coordinated with representatives of the economy. The first stage of Passar (Passar 1.0) can be used from June 1st 2023 for the digital processing of the transit and export of goods. The import of goods into Switzerland and other special procedures will be part of the second stage of Passar (Passar 2.0) from the beginning of 2025. The introduction of Passar in several stages and the parallel run with the previous freight systems NCTS and E-dec was decided in close consultation with representatives of the business community in order to minimise the effort and risks involved in the changeover. After a one-time registration in the ePortal, companies can manage their own data independently. One of the most important innovations is that the goods declarations in Passar only become legally binding through so-called activation when the border is crossed. Up to that point, they can be adjusted without restriction. This simplifies the processes, increases flexibility and reduces the administrative effort. To further accelerate border crossing, the already established Activ App is recommended, which enables automated activation. In such cases, goods transports are allowed to use the fast lanes and are only stopped at the border if an on-the-spot control is required. Simultaneously with the introduction of Passar 1.0, Switzerland is implementing the European Union's new reporting model for transit (NCTS Phase 5) on schedule. The systematic simplification and end-to-end digitalisation of all customs and duty collection processes is a key objective of the transformation programme DaziT. The first stage of Passar simplifies and digitalises customs processes within the framework of current law. Further simplifications and benefits for those involved in the processes are planned with the second stage after the revision of the legal basis. Address for enquiries This information is available in German, French and Italian Publisher Federal Office for Customs and Border Security https://www.bazg.admin.ch Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Bern, 01.06.2023 - On 5 June, the head of the FDFA is to be received by Jose Manuel Albares, the Spanish minister for foreign affairs, the EU and cooperation. The two ministers will discuss the development of Swiss-EU relations in the run-up to Spain's presidency of the EU Council in the second half of 2023. Discussions will also focus on the war in Ukraine, the UN Security Council and the excellent bilateral relations between Switzerland and Spain. Mr Cassis' visit is taking place shortly before Spain is due to take over the EU Council's rotating presidency on 1 July 2023. This makes Spain a key partner in terms of the next phase in Swiss-EU relations. During its presidency, Spain will be holding a number of ministerial meetings, which Switzerland is traditionally invited to attend. War in Ukraine and UN Security Council on the agenda During the talks, Mr Cassis will set out Switzerland's commitment to Ukraine as well as its priorities for the Swiss term on the UN Security Council, including an initial assessment of Switzerland's presidency of the Council in May this year. Switzerland and Spain share similar positions and work closely together in multilateral forums. Close ties between Spain and Switzerland Bilateral relations between the two countries are excellent, particularly in the cultural, economic and scientific fields. Around 92,000 Spaniards live in Switzerland (not including dual nationals) and 26,000 Swiss nationals live in Spain. In economic terms, Switzerland is Spain's eighth-largest investor, with annual trade worth around CHF 19 billion. The meeting will also allow the two foreign ministers to discuss the political situation in Spain, whose prime minister has announced early general elections for 23 July. Address for enquiries FDFA Communication Federal Palace West Wing CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55 E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch Twitter: @SwissMFA Publisher Federal Department of Foreign Affairs https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html In a recent study Alabama leads the nation in one encouraging statistic - personal financial responsibility. Forbes Advisor studied 5,001 Americans on fiscal discipline recently, and used the results to rank the states. The survey looked at habits such as budgeting, saving, spending, credit cards, retirement accounts and financial goals, then compared the findings with data from the Federal Reserve. Alabama placed at the top for most responsible, while Idaho ranked at the bottom. Thats interesting when you consider that Alabama ranks near the bottom in median household income, tallying $53,913 a year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. So how did Alabama do it? According to Forbes Advisor, Alabamians rank first for residents who say they always follow their budget, at 82%. Thats better than the rest of the U.S. by far, as only 3 in 10 Americans say that. Alabama also heads the pack in residents who always save a portion of their monthly income. The state ranks third in residents who regularly contribute to a 401(k) or IRA, and fifth for those who pay their credit card balances in full every month. Alabama also had a top 10 finish for residents who have a budget in place. Going against the good news is that Alabama also ranked first in residents who took out a payday loan in the last three years, with 62% answering yes. The state also placed fourth for residents who make small impulse purchases. How did Alabama place so highly? Forbes Advisor points to the fact that Alabama is one of 19 states requiring students to take a one-semester career preparedness course with financial principles as part of it. What else can we learn from the survey? According to Forbes Advisor, men are more likely than women, 47% to 37%, to have at least three to six months of expenses set aside in an emergency fund. And millennials are most likely to pay off their credit card balance in full each month by 66%, while members of Generation Z are most likely to make minimum payments or no payments at all, at 11%. Would-be barbecue specialists - heres your big chance. The owner of a well-loved Jefferson County stopover is looking to sell his restaurant. Cliff Mortimer, 58, the owner of Barbecue Stop at 6633 Old Springville Rd. in Clay, is considering retiring. Hes been in business in Clay for 10 years, after years in restaurants in Georgia and Ohio. In a post on the restaurants Facebook page announcing the move, Mortimer says he would love to train someone so that BBQ Stop can continue to serve the community. Buy the restaurant, and you also get the recipes. There is no word on the asking price for the restaurant. The announcement prompted some interesting responses. Amanda Connell wrote, My pregnancy would be destroyed if you close. Literally the only kind of BBQ I crave while pregnant. Doug Grove said it would be unspeakably tragic to lose the restaurant. I desperately hope someone can step up, and will be truly trainable. Your BBQ is quite literally the best in the world (and Ive compared it to some of the most famous in the world), he wrote. Cliffs wife, Debbie, said he has contemplated retiring for a while. Restaurant work is a lot of hard work, she said. Hes been in food service since he was 22. We could just hand the key over to the landlord, but then, where would everyone be with the food that they love? Anyone interested in buying the restaurant can contact the couple through the restaurants Facebook page. A former police chief working for the Brandon (Miss.) Police Department was shot and killed Thursday during a hostage situation turned standoff. According to WLBT in Jackson, Horren Randy Tyler was the former police chief in Ridgeland, Miss. A second, unidentified Brandon officer was also shot and suffered significant injuries, but is reported in stable condition. The standoff began as a hostage situation, with police summoned to a home in the Crossgates neighborhood of Brandon about 1:30 a.m. Thursday on a report of a domestic dispute between a man and woman. Several hours of negotiation resulted in the womans release, but the man did not surrender himself to police. The first exchange of gunfire happened about 6 a.m., with one officer struck during that exchange, and the second around 9:30 a.m. It was unclear which officer was hit during which exchange. The second exchange also resulted in the suspect being killed, according to the report. According to Madison police, Tyler and other members of the departments Special Response Team were on the scene to assist Brandon police and other law enforcement. When U.S. District Judge Terry Moorer sentenced Jeffery Sikes, the ringleader of a group which set fire to multiple Walmarts in Alabama and Mississippi, to an 18-year prison term, it was double the sentence prosecutors had sought. Two of Sikes co-conspirators were sentenced this week and Moorer wasnt inclined to show them any leniency, either. Brothers Alexander Olson, 23, and Quinton Olson, 22, were sentenced to 15 years and three years, respectively, in federal prison for their roles in the conspiracy. These three defendants deliberately endangered innocent shoppers and destroyed millions of dollars of merchandise when they intentionally and maliciously set fires in four stores in two states, said U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello. Setting fire to a business isnt an economic or political argument, its a serious violent crime that has serious consequences, Costello continued. These criminals were brought to justice thanks to the exceptional work of the men and women of the FBI, who demonstrated persistence, creativity, and professionalism throughout this complex investigation. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the conspirators were residents of Kearney, Neb., but had fled to Lillian, Ala., after Sikes had pleaded guilty to wire fraud in Nebraska. After arriving in Alabama, Sikes, the Olsons and others began planning the Walmart fires, drafting a document they called Declaration of War and Demands for the People, which included threats against Walmart. They distributed copies of the document to media outlets in south Alabama and the Mississippi coast. The conspirators set fire at four Walmart locations, including one on the I-65 Service Road in Mobile, along with locations in Tillmans Corner; Gulfport, Miss.; and Biloxi, Miss. The DOJ noted Alexander Olson was present when each of the four Walmart fires was set. The conspirators were arrested in February 2022. Along with Jeffery Sikes and the Olson brothers, Erica Sikes (Jeffery Sikes wife), Jenna Bottorff, her son Michael Bottorff and husband Sean Bottorff; and Mikayla Scheele were also charged as co-conspirators. During hearings, it was additionally learned Quinton Olson and Michael Bottorff are lifelong best friends and Sean Bottorff had been their youth basketball coach. Each of the accused ultimately pleaded guilty to their respective roles in the conspiracy. Erica Sikes, Jenna Sikes and Scheele are scheduled for sentencing on Friday. Michael Bottorff and Sean Bottorff are set for sentencing on June 12 and Aug. 24, respectively. (Jeffery Sikes) sentence was based on the totality and severity of the defendants actions, said FBI Agent in Charge Paul Brown. Sikes will also be required to pay approximately $7.3 million dollars in restitution to Walmart. This case demonstrates domestic terrorism continues to persist in a variety of forms. The investigative rigor and professionalism of the Mobile JTTF and its partners brought this investigation to a successful conclusion. Just over two years after Nina Cumbest was deliberately run over by a truck driven by ex-boyfriend Terrance McNaughton in a Gautier, Miss., parking lot, a Jackson County jury found McNaughton guilty of 2nd degree murder, prosecutors said. Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Kathy King Jackson sentenced McNaughton to 40 years, without parole, in a Mississippi state prison. Thursdays verdict brought to an end a three-day trial and a long wait for justice for Cumbests family, who stood vigil by her bedside -- first at the University of South Alabama Medical Center, then a nursing home, and ultimately her own home -- as she clung to life for six months after she was hit by the truck before ultimately dying of a traumatic brain injury and other serious injuries. Cumbest was 27 years old. She left behind a young daughter. The jury saw the truth and found Terrance McNaughton guilty of 2nd-degree murder despite the defendants efforts to gaslight them, said Jackson County (Miss.) District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath. Nina had a voice in the courtroom and today justice was delivered. If you or someone you love is a victim of domestic violence, please know that there is help and hope. McNaughton had twice previously been charged with domestic violence for assaulting Cumbest, first in November 2020 and then again in April 2021. It was the second case which prompted Cumbest to end the relationship and obtain a restraining order against McNaughton, prohibiting him from making contact with either her or her then 8-year-old daughter. Four days prior to a scheduled court appearance, however, McNaughton struck Cumbest with his truck in the parking lot of a Gautier Chevron station, hitting her with such force she came out of her shoes before falling and striking her head on the pavement, according to Gautier police investigators. McNaughton was initially charged with attempted murder, but the charge was upgraded after Cumbests death. Cumbests sister, Sarah Cumbest Minor, told Gulflive.com just after Ninas death she believed the justice system had failed her sister. So many people lost a friend, my parents lost their daughter, my brothers and I lost our sister, her nieces and nephews lost their Nene and most important, her daughter lost her mother, Minor said. I never thought that this would be our reality, that my sister would be ruthlessly murdered especially when it could have been prevented had the justice system done their job. Thursday, however, a measure of justice came for Nina and her family. Under Mississippi law, a 2nd-degree murder conviction can carry a life sentence if the jury unanimously agrees to the sentence. In McNaughtons case, the jury could not agree and thus Jackson sentenced him to 40 years -- the maximum allowed when the jury does not impose a life sentence. Prosecutors had praise for Cumbests young daughter, who testified during Thursdays sentencing hearing. Terrance McNaughton stole a beautiful soul who has impacted many, many lives, said assistant district attorney Carolyn Lewis. I am in awe of the strength shown by Ninas daughter who spoke at the sentencing in this case. She demonstrated incredible bravery and poise in facing her mothers killer. A parental rights bill is now headed to Gov. Kay Iveys desk. HB6, authored by Rep. Kenneth Paschal, R-Pelham, prohibits the government from interfering with the fundamental rights of parents unless it is narrowly tailored and there is a compelling state interest. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate Wednesday evening and will now head to Gov. Kay Iveys desk to be signed into law. Iowa and Kentucky passed similar laws earlier this year. Other efforts in North Dakota, Texas, Florida and elsewhere also aim to protect parental rights, but focus on different definitions and topics. The final vote came with little discussion a stark contrast from earlier this month, when House lawmakers delayed a vote after voicing concerns about the bills intent. When you bring God into this conversation, God does not dwell in confusion, Rep. Barry Forte, D-Eufaula, asked Paschal in early May. You sound like this bill is a personal thing with you. Is it or is it not? Read more: Parental rights bill advances: What would an Alabama law do? Paschal repeatedly invoked God and country on the stand this month, calling his bill a proactive bill that is meant to protect the God-given role of parents in their childrens lives. HB6 doesnt establish any new rights or take any away, Paschal said in previous discussions. Instead, he said the legislation is a proactive bill meant to codify existing case law that notes the rights of parents. An amendment would allow exemptions in cases of abuse and neglect. In Alabama we do a great job as far as defense, Paschal said early this month. But if you stay on defense, you lose ground. Critics, however, were quick to allege personal motives behind the bill, ranging from Paschals interest in custody issues to farright party politics. In an earlier discussion of the bill, Paschal said the legislation was sponsored by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal advocacy group that advocates against LGBTQ issues. Parents of transgender teens told The Reflector that they worried the compelling state interest clause of the bill would interfere with their ability to make decisions about their childs healthcare. Some have also raised concerns that the legislation would make it easier for parents to scrutinize classroom curriculum that doesnt align with their values, mirroring recent efforts in other red states. The reason why this bill is important is because the fundamental principle of parental rights is under attack, Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, R-Trinity, said in support of the bill this month, noting current debates about gender-affirming care, which he called chemical castration, and efforts to examine classroom and teacher training material. Parental rights bills have appeared in at least 35 states in the past two years, according to The 19th. Last year, Florida passed a law with similar language aimed at parental rights that restricts certain classroom curriculum and instruction. In a recent interview with AL.com, Ailen Arreaza, executive director of the nonprofit research organization ParentsTogether, said parental rights bills like Alabamas are intentionally vague efforts to distract and divide parents. Behind that vague language, its this political agenda thats all about censoring books and censoring curriculum and censoring what teachers can talk about in the classroom, she said. Which is absolutely not what parents want. As the long-awaited opening date of Mobiles Africatown Heritage House approaches, backers have released new details of the opening and the Clotilda exhibition it will house. Among other significant developments, the History Museum of Mobile has hired a Heritage House manager, Jessica Fairley. Imagine if people come from all over the world just to hear this story, said Fairley, a University of South Alabama graduate with a masters in communication art from Valdosta State University. I want Africatown Heritage House to be the Plymouth Rock for Black people. I want people from all over the world to be able to come here, place their hands on the glass (which will encase remnants of the Clotilda) and connect with their ancestors. Fairley said that attending Mobile schools with students from Africatown, and having a close friend who is descended from one of the captives carried by the Clotilda, makes the material personal for her. This is not my story, she said. This is my friends story. Now Africatown Heritage House is the home of that story and were ready to share it with the whole world. Since plans for the Heritage House were announced, the History Museum of Mobile has been guiding the development of the initial exhibit that will be featured when it opens on July 8. According to recently released information, Clotilda: The Exhibition will focus on the 110 men, women and children carried by the ship. Their stories will be shared through a combination of interpretive text panels, documents and artifacts, including some pieces of the sunken ship scientifically verified to be the Clotilda. A rendering of part of the Clotilda exhibition to be shown at the Africatown Heritage House. (Clotilda.com)Clotilda.com Thats going to give them an experience that theyve never had before and never knew they could have, Fairley said. Africatown Heritage House is a place of hope and pride. Youll come in and see what these people were able to do after they were taken away from their homes and put in a place unknown to them. I dont know what my ancestors went through, but knowing what the survivors of the Clotilda went through gives me a piece of my story. According to the information released this week, descendants of Clotilda survivors will get a private visit before the public opening. The Africatown Heritage House will open to the public on July 8, a Saturday; it will be open Tuesdays through Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibition will have limited capacity, so tickets will be sold in time-block increments and should be purchased in advance at www.clotilda.com. Tickets will be available online later in June. Admission is $15 for adults; $9 for seniors, active and retired military and students 19 and older; $8 for children ages 6-18; and free for children ages 5 and younger. Scheduling for group and school tours will begin in September. The Heritage House is at 2460 Winbush St. in Mobile. Detailed information about the partners supporting the establishment of the museum and its inaugural exhibition, and the curators of the exhibition, also can be found at the site. Related: Sculpture unveiled at Africatown Heritage House as date set for opening After years of delays, signs of progress on major projects in Africatown 3-year agreement approved for lease of Africatown Heritage House ohn Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, is seen answering questions during a daily press briefing at the White House in Washington on May 31, in this captured image. Yonhap North Korea must be held accountable for its failed attempt to launch a military spy satellite, a spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council (NSC) said Wednesday. John Kirby, NSC coordinator for strategic communications, added the launch posed a threat to peace in the entire region despite its failure. "The major concern is that with each and every one of these launches, whether it fails or succeeds, Kim Jong-un and his scientists and engineers, they learn and they improve and they adapt, and they continue to develop military capabilities that are a threat not only on the (Korean) peninsula but to the region," Kirby said when asked why the North's satellite launch may have failed. Kirby added that "is why we are going to continue to work with allies and partners on holding Kim Jong-un and his regime accountable and why we are going to do everything we can to make sure we have the proper military capabilities in the region, including training and readiness to deal with those threats." North Korea fired a space launch vehicle early Wednesday morning (Korea time), but it fell into the Yellow Sea after what Pyongyang called an "abnormal" starting of its second-stage booster. Kirby noted the United States and South Korea already have a mechanism in place to deal with North Korea's nuclear threat, namely the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG), although not as a result of North Korea's botched satellite launch attempt. "This was put in place before they decided to try this launch over the weekend," he said when asked if the North's satellite launch had kick started any elements of the NCG, which was established late last month under an agreement between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden, known as the Washington Declaration. "That said, the (Washington) Declaration and the (Nuclear) Consultative Group was certainly established as a result of the continued provocations by the DPRK over so many, many months here, if not years, and it's a way to help improve our ability to be responsive to whatever threats there might be," said Kirby, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. (Yonhap) Right in downtown Fort Payne is a set of bronze statues to honor country supergroup Alabama, who famously hails from the small northeast Alabama town. And right across the street from them is a huge mural of the towns other superstar, Pete the Cat. In case you havent been around kids in the past decade, let me explain: The Pete the Cat childrens book series is a global phenomenon. There are more than 100 books chronicling the adventures of the calm, groovy cat (and its friends), and it doesnt look to be letting up anytime soon. The books have been on the New York Times Best Sellers list for hundreds of weeks, and theyve been translated into more than a dozen languages. There was even a four-season Amazon Prime Series where Elvis Costello and Diana Krall voiced some of the characters. The beloved cat even has celebrity fans like Leonardo Dicaprio. A painting in Pete the Cat Alley in downtown Fort Payne, Alabama. But what is the famous blue felines connection to Fort Payne? The co-creator and illustrator of the series, James Dean, hails from the mountain town. Read more: Country legends reviving June Jam Dean was born in the area, moved away, and then moved back for his high school years. He graduated from Fort Payne High School (a little more about that in just a sec), and attended Auburn University, graduating with a degree in electrical engineering. (He told Auburn Magazine in 2019 that he favored an art class over engineering classes when he was on the Plains.) He moved to Georgia to take an engineering job with Georgia Power before he struck gold with the Pete the Cat series. A painting in Pete the Cat Alley in downtown Fort Payne, Alabama.Haley Laurence And although Dean still lives in Georgia, he frequently drives over to Fort Payne to show love to his hometown. In August 2022, he painted the huge Pete the Cat mural downtown on the old Sawyer building at the intersection of Gault Avenue North and 4th Street. (Yes, thats right he painted the mural in the Alabama August humidity, bless him.) Its been deemed The Worlds Tallest Pete the Cat Mural by Visit Lookout Mountain, and its perfect for a selfie or two. [To read more good news about Alabama, sign up for our free This is Alabama Newsletter.] And remember what we said about Deans love of Fort Payne High School? He signed the mural, FPHS, Class of 76. Check it out: Author, illustrator and Fort Payne native James Dean signed "FPHS Class of '76" at the bottom of his huge Pete the Cat mural in downtown Fort Payne.Haley Laurence But thats not the only Pete the Cat fun you can find in Fort Payne. The town celebrates Deans success. In 2017, a Pete the Cat alley was developed downtown, according to Fort Payne Main Street Director Connie Fuller. The alley is filled with lots of original pieces of Pete the Cat art that incorporate local institutions, like Dekalb Theatre and Hamiltons Drive-In. (And there may just serendipitously be a stray cat or two that wander around the area, according to Fuller.) A Pete the Cat star in downtown Fort Payne, Alabama. In true Hollywood Walk of Fame style, you can also find a star on the sidewalk near the alley that is devoted to Pete the Cat. And if you are looking for more Pete the Cat goodies, check out Katherines Gallery and Custom Framing. It has plenty of books and other memorabilia. But again, thats not all. The first Saturday of each August, Fort Payne hosts Pete the Cat Day. Since 2017, Dean has driven over to the northeast Alabama town to participate. A limited amount of tickets to meet Dean for an autograph session are given away ahead of time, and there are always plenty of kid-friendly activities on the agenda. At least a thousand people attend every year. According to Fuller, neither Fort Payne Main Street or Dean make any money off the celebration. She explains, He is kind enough to come over here and not charge us, and he does it because he loves Fort Payne. More Alabama small town stories: Why Brewton is small-town Alabama at its best One Alabama small town is among nations most beautiful, according to Architectural Digest This Alabama muralist brings small towns together The Air Force announced the permanent location for many more U.S. Space Force units Wednesday and none of them are in Huntsville, suggesting the service may be moving ahead with at least part of the design it originally sought for the new force before it became entangled in politics. Four more Space Force missions will now be based in Colorado Springs, a notable choice during a larger and now politicized battle over where to locate the permanent headquarters of U.S. Space Command. Colorado Springs, which is housing Space Commands temporary headquarters, was the Air Forces preferred location, but Donald Trump, in the final days of his presidency, selected Alabama instead. While the Pentagon and White House have said the decisions are not directly linked, Alabama has strict anti-abortion laws, and Sen. Tommy Tuberville earlier this year announced he would hold up all military nominations until the Department of Defense rescinds a new policy that would allow female service members to be reimbursed for travel costs if they have to go out of state for reproductive care. Tubervilles office was not immediately available for comment Wednesday evening. The Space Force announcement came as President Joe Biden left for Colorado Springs to speak during Thursdays commencement ceremony at the nearby U.S. Air Force Academy. Colorado Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet said hell be using the presidents visit as another opportunity to press for the command. As President Biden and his administration near a final basing decision for Space Command, we urge them to restore the integrity of this process and make a decision in the interest of our national security to keep Space Command in Colorado Springs, his office said in a statement. Meanwhile, the Air Force has been moving forward with getting fully dug in at Colorado Springs, where more than 20 of the militarys space missions are now based. The Air Force Academy now has a space curriculum and graduates Space Force Guardians alongside its Air Force cadets. Colorado Springs continues to prove itself as the premier location for our nations space defense operations, Colorado Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn said in a statement announcing the selection. The Space Force, founded in December 2019, is the smallest of the military branches, with just under 8,400 personnel. But it has seen its budget rapidly rise as the U.S. has scrambled to defend against a rapid militarization of space, such as North Koreas failed Wednesday launch of a ballistic missile believed to be carrying a spy satellite. The four new missions in Colorado Springs include Delta 15, a headquarters unit for the services space operations command; Space Delta 12, a test and evaluation unit; and two surveillance squadrons. Other locations announced Wednesday as new permanent homes for Space Force missions are in Florida and New Mexico. A 75-year-old man is being held in the Morgan County Jail on $500,000 bond after being charged with sexual abuse of a child. The Morgan County Sheriffs Office said Robert Curtis Harvell Sr., of Somerville, was arrested Wednesday on a grand jury warrant. He has been charged with sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years old. According to the sheriffs office, the charges stem from an investigation by its criminal investigation division, with assistance by the Morgan County Child Advocacy Center and Morgan County DHR. Lawmakers and regulators gearing up to address risks from artificial intelligence technology got another boost this week from experts warning of potential extinction and calling on governments to step up regulations. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., has said he and his staff have met with more than 100 CEOs, scientists and other experts to figure out how to draw up legislation. The National Telecommunications Information Administration, or NTIA, is gathering comments from industry groups and tech experts on how to design audits that can examine AI systems and ensure theyre safe for public use. And former Federal Trade Commission officials are urging the agency to use its authority over antitrust and consumer protection to regulate the sector. More than 350 researchers, executives and engineers working on AI systems added to the urgency Tuesday in a statement released by the Center for AI Safety, a nonprofit group. Among those who signed are Geoffrey Hinton, a top Google AI scientist until he recently resigned to warn about risks of the technology; Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, the company that has developed ChatGPT; and Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic, a company that focuses on AI safety. Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war, the group said. The experts listed eight broad categories of risk posed by AI systems that digest vast quantities of information. Those systems can create text, images and video that are difficult to distinguish from human-created content. The Center for AI Safety says AI systems can help criminals and malicious actors create chemical weapons and spread misinformation, perpetuate inequalities by helping small groups of people gain a lot of power, and deceive human overseers and seek power for themselves. Schumer appears to have heard the message. We cant move so fast that we do flawed legislation, but theres no time for waste or delay or sitting back, he said on the Senate floor on May 18. Weve got to move fast. Schumers office didnt respond to a question about when legislation would be unveiled. Altman himself appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee only two days before Schumers floor remarks, telling lawmakers that regulatory intervention by governments will be critical to mitigate the risks of increasingly powerful models. But Altman, who called on U.S. lawmakers to regulate the technology, balked a week later at the European Unions effort to do so. According to the Financial Times, he told reporters in London that he had many concerns about the EUs proposed AI Act that is still being debated. The EU proposal would categorize AI systems into three buckets: systems that pose unacceptable risk, such as government-run social scoring applications found in China and elsewhere, that violate fundamental rights, including ones doing predictive policing that would be banned; high-risk applications such as those that scan resumes and rank job applicants that would have to meet legal and transparency requirements; and a third category of systems that would be left unregulated. The Financial Times reported that Altman said his OpenAIs ChatGPT could end up being classified as high-risk. The details really matter, Altman said. We will try to comply, but if we cant comply we will cease operating, he said, referring to potentially removing ChatGPT from the European Union, according to the newspaper. The EU rules have yet to be finalized but are expected to go into effect in 2025. Regulators everywhere are trying to figure out how to write rules that wouldnt be too stifling while also ensuring that peoples privacy and safety arent violated, said Ken Kumayama, a partner who focuses on technology issues at the law firm of Skadden, Arps in California. The technology is rapidly changing, and peoples understanding of risks and benefits is also evolving, he said. Its more art than science, Kumayama said in an interview. I think it really is anyones guess whats ultimately going to happen. The U.S. is behind in our thinking and our drafting of rules on artificial intelligence and other aspects, Kumayama said. We are playing catch-up. Lack of clear vision While lawmakers, industry executives and experts in the U.S. agree that we need some regulation, some guardrails, some guidelines, some rules of the road lawmakers in the U.S. dont seem to have any clear vision regarding what that should look like, Kumayama said. One proposal from the 117th Congress, known as the Algorithmic Accountability Act and sponsored by Rep. Yvette D. Clarke, D-N.Y., was backed by 39 other Democrats but failed to advance in the House. That measure, which would have empowered the FTC to assess the impact of AI systems, was a good start, but it applied only to large companies and left out smaller companies that often are the ones that drive innovation in artificial intelligence, Kumayama said. President Joe Biden in April called on tech companies to ensure that their AI systems are safe before making them public. His comments led the NTIA to ask industry groups and tech experts to weigh in. Much as financial audits create trust in the accuracy of financial statements, accountability mechanisms for AI can help assure that an AI system is trustworthy, Alan Davidson, the assistant secretary of communications and information at the NTIA, said at the time. The agency has since received more than 500 comments but plans to make them public only after the comment period ends June 12, Zahir Rasheed, an agency spokesman, said in an email. Amba Kak and Sarah Myers West, two former FTC officials, said in a report published last month that the FTC has existing authority relating to antitrust and consumer harm to regulate the fast-growing artificial intelligence tech sector even without new legislation. The report from the nonprofit AI Now Institute, titled Confronting Tech Power, said the FTC could enforce existing law on the books to create public accountability in the rollout of generative AI systems and prevent harm to consumers and competition. ChatGPT is one example of a generative AI, which refers to a system that can generate text, image or video in response to prompts. Since the FTC is focused on stopping deceptive or unfair acts or practices, some experts argue that irrespective of underlying technologies, if the result or an outcome is illegal or harmful to consumers, you need to stop, Kumayama said. I dont disagree with them. The law is technology-agnostic. ___ 2023 CQ-Roll Call, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Visit cqrollcall.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. A comprehensive measure regulating the sale of vaping devices to young people under 21 - including penalties for those who sell and buy them - is running up against a clock this legislative session, and the supporters say that lives are at risk. Opponents say the legislation could cripple small retailers who sell legitimate smoking cessation products to adults while fueling a rise of tobacco sales in Alabama. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is also weighing in, saying that laws that add penalties against youths is not a best practice, and that Black and Hispanic youths are more likely to be cited for violations. A legislative showdown has already occurred in Montgomery between the bills opponents which includes a unique mix of small business, vape shops, and public health organizations like the American Cancer Society and supporters like school leaders and the Drug Education Council. Optimistic Sen. Vivian Davis Figures (D-Mobile) speaks to a colleague during the first meeting of the Alabama Senate for the 2023 legislative session in Montgomery, Alabama. AL.com/Sarah Swetlik The legislative sponsors from Mobile Rep. Barbara Drummond and Sen. Vivian Figures believe HB319 could get an airing on the Senate floor before the legislative session ends. After Thursday, only one more day remains for any legislation to be considered this year. I am optimistic, Figures said on Wednesday. I always try to keep hope alive until we are done. Figures is also pitching legislation of her own -- SB316, which was approved by the Alabama House Judiciary Committee Wednesday and is viewed as a complimentary bill to Drummonds more comprehensive measure that adds teeth to regulating the sale of vaping devices to youths under 21. The federal government raised the age from 18 to 21 in 2019, for purchasing all tobacco products, including vapes and e-cigarettes. Under SB316, if a minor is found in possession of a vaping device, reasonable efforts will be made to notify a parent or legal guardian. So many times our children are doing things parents dont know about, Figures said. This is bringing it to the forefront so children can get the help they need. Similar language exists in the comprehensive HB319. That bill also adds fines of $50 or eight hours of community service on anyone under age 21 who is found in possession of a vape device. Children under age 18 will be assigned to juvenile court if they are found in possession of vape devices. Vaping is the No. 1 problem in our school systems throughout the state of Alabama, Figures said. Children get addicted a lot easier and quicker than an adult does. Were trying to save their lives. Its become an epidemic. Penalties, education Drummond said the biggest thing behind her legislation HB319 - is that it adds an enforcement arm to the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to assess penalties that are already on the books. It also increases fines against retail outlets advertising products geared toward youths. The legislation also assesses fines on a retailer for selling products that are not listed on a directory, created in 2021, that tracks businesses that sell and manufacture vape cartridges, e-liquids and other alternative nicotine products in Alabama. Additionally, the legislation bans any product containing synthetic nicotine or nicotine derived from any source other than tobacco, making the state the first in the nation to do so. There is bad stuff being shipped and not purchased here in America that is coming in from China and Mexico, said Drummond. This will give ABC and (Alabama Law Enforcement Agency or ALEA) the power and funding it needs to get resources out there and get the stuff off the shelves. The bill also sets aside funding through fines to support vape awareness and educational programs. We came out of the pandemic and saw 8 to 9-years-olds with vape devices, said Virginia Guy, executive director with the Drug Education Council based in Mobile. They reported that they were playing are electronic devices, but its a lot more than just one more electronic device. We want to make sure they know its harmful and they will not possess it. We want to intervene and stop that use before it becomes an addiction. Opposition The bill faced opposition during a committee hearing on May 24, after a group of 28 anti-tobacco and public health organizations submitted a letter requesting lawmakers to not adopt it. One group warned that the legislation, by redefining e-liquids and outlawing synthetic nicotine, would eliminate locally owned vape stores in Alabama within a year. They also warn that the legislation would be a boost to the tobacco industry, because of the restrictions on selling alternative nicotine products. The CDC, in a statement to AL.com, argues that the best approach toward regulations is through comprehensive smoke free laws, tobacco price increases, media campaigns, and flavor prohibitions. According to the Truth Initiative, Alabamas tobacco tax ranks No. 41 in the U.S., and well below the national average. The state is also one of a dozen Southern U.S. states that does not have a comprehensive statewide ban on smoking indoors, although many restaurants and bars have their own policies prohibiting indoor smoking. Gregory Conley, director of legislative & external affairs of American Vapor Manufacturers, said the way the legislation is written, it will ban the sale of nicotine-free vaping products, which are used by many adults on their path to quitting nicotine use altogether. Some lawmakers seem to be under the impression that a registry or a synthetic nicotine ban will somehow address the problem of drug dealers selling illicit vape cartridges containing drugs, Conley said. I will go out on a limb and say that drug dealers are not going to be put off by a tobacco regulatory bill. He added, Instead of putting lipstick on a pig and risking shutting down small businesses with zero benefit to public health, lawmakers should decline to pass HB 319 and develop a workable policy proposal over the interim. But Guy said she believes the vaping industry is doing things she believes is harmful to youths, such as promoting products through social media campaigns. They are putting out ads where kids can do things like take pictures of vaping in English class, or the bus, Guy said. Companies are sending swag. Its disrespectful to our educators and running them ragged. Alabama lawmakers have passed a bill that would increase prison sentences for crimes committed on behalf of a criminal enterprise, defined in the bill as a coalition of three or more people involved in criminal activity. The bill, backed by Attorney General Steve Marshall and law enforcement, has bipartisan support and passed the House 95-6 Thursday after passing the Senate 32-0 a week ago. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey, who can sign it into law. The bill initially used the term gang but was changed to criminal enterprise at the request of some Black lawmakers. The purpose of the bill is not to attack groups, but its to attack groups that engage in criminal activity, Marshall said after the bill passed the House. And I think thats where we saw some of the confusion. We have to be able to define who the criminal enterprise is. And the bill gives that opportunity. But its the next step that becomes what this bill is about. Its that criminal enterprise engaging in criminal activity. This puts Alabama in the majority of states. It gives us a tool to be able to deal with this type of activity. It also creates a very specific disincentive for those who want to engage in this crime to be able to think twice about doing so. Rep. Allen Treadaway, R-Morris, former assistant chief of the Birmingham Police Department, said law enforcement needs more tools to crack down on people who collaborate on violence and drug crimes that repeatedly terrorize neighborhoods. Treadaway is the House sponsor of the bill, SB143, by Sen. Will Barfoot, R-Montgomery. This bill goes a long way toward being able to remove them from the street, Treadaway said. Its no secret that theyre coming back and committing these same crimes over and over. Some Democrats in the House of Representatives today questioned whether the bill would make a difference or would be just a continuation of Alabamas policies of long prison sentences that do not address root causes of crime and easy access to guns. Rep. Patrick Sellers, D-Birmingham, said expansion of social services and mental health care would accomplish more to reduce crime over time than the threat of more time in prison. It saddens me over and over again to see more legislation thats lock-em-up-and-throw-away-the-key . without addressing what the real problems and concerns are within our communities, Sellers said. And thats doing the rehab on the front end and not on the back end. We continue to bring legislation to add Class A felonies, Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, said. I dont know when its going to end. There are enough laws on the books in the state of Alabama to cover any charge that we have for any crime. We need to be bringing legislation to take these guns out of the hands of these young folks that are killing people in mass numbers. And a lot of these kids are not in gangs. Theyre not. Asked about the concerns that longer prison sentences will not reduce the problems caused by gang violence, Marshall said other states, including Florida, have had success with similar legislation. Weve got to be able to attack the problem, Marshall said. What weve seen is organized activity throughout our state is contributing to many of the loss of lives and significant property crime that are occurring. This is a way to be able to aggressively deal with it. We think its going to be successful and weve seen other states be able to do the same thing. Rep. A.J. McCampbell, D-Livingston, who worked in law enforcement, said he was in favor of the bill after changes made by the Senate. Im actually concerned and tired of groups terrorizing the citizens in our community, McCampbell said. And when I say terrorizing, people are afraid to even come forward. They are afraid to come out of their homes. But McCampbell said the Legislature also needs to consider how to reduce the easy availability of military style weapons. Im a Second Amendment person, McCampbell said. I believe in my guns. I have guns. But our assault weapons are weapons of war. And one of the things we need to do as society is look at how prevalent they are in our community. House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, said changes the Senate made in the bill alleviated concerns about unintended consequences. Daniels said he supported the bill. The bill defines criminal enterprise members and would result in enhanced punishments for crimes committed on behalf of a criminal enterprise. For example, a Class A felony would carry a sentence of at least 25 years. Class B felonies would be punished as Class A, and Class C would be punished as Class B. Crimes involving the use of firearms would also carry mandated prison terms. Defendants 16 or older would be tried as adults if charged with any Class A felony or crimes involving use of a deadly weapon, an element of causing of death or serious, or use of a dangerous instrument against police, court officials, jurors, witnesses, or teachers. One of the things weve seen is a significant decrease in the age of those who come together for criminal purposes, Marshall said. And this is again designed to make sure we can not only hold individuals accountable but also to create that deterrence for those who choose to do so. Read more: Alabama legislation removes gangs in favor of criminal enterprises Updated at 2:33 p.m. to say bill received final passage. The Alabama House Wednesday passed a bill that would prevent state entities from contracting with companies that refuse to do business with fossil fuel producers, firearm manufacturers, companies that do not facilitate access to abortion or gender-affirming care and other entities. SB 261, sponsored by Sen. Dan Roberts, R-Mountain Brook, passed on a 76-27 vote. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey. This bill requires companies that contract with the state to certify that they dont boycott other companies based on any purpose other than ordinary business purposes, said Rep. Chip Brown, R-Hollingers Island, who carried the bill in the House. More from Alabama Reflector Brown also said that the bill would prohibit businesses from engaging in boycotts of investment strategies. The legislation is an anti-environmental, social and governance (ESG) bill, one of several pushed by Republican legislators around the nation. ESG aims to encourage companies to consider sustainability in investment decisions, particularly around climate change. Under Roberts bill, companies entering contracts with public entities must verify that they do not engage in economic boycotts. The bill defines economic boycott as refusing to deal with, terminating business activities with, or otherwise taking any commercial action that is intended to penalize or inflict economic harm on a company solely because the company, without violatingcontrolling law or regulation engage in business protected under the bill. There are various activities outlined in the bill that would be protected, such as a companys involvement in fossil fuel-based energy, timber, mining, or agriculture. It also includes companies engaged in the manufacturing, distribution, or lawful use of firearms, as well as those that fail to meet environmental standards or commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the bill includes companies that do not meet corporate employment or board composition criteria, as well as those that do not facilitate access to abortion or sex or gender change-related procedures. Critics argue that such legislation could stifle freedom of expression and limit the ability of individuals and organizations to take a stand on social, political, and environmental issues through boycotts or divestment campaigns. The legislation prevents governmental entities from entering contracts worth more than $15,000 with companies with more than 10 employees engaged in economic boycotts. The proposed legislation seeks to establish clear parameters for economic boycotts, highlighting specific activities and positions that could trigger such actions against companies. Rep. Neil Rafferty, D-Birmingham, said after the bills passage on Wednesday that the bill is anti-diversity, anti-free speech and anti-free market. This is just government interfering into the private affairs of a business, he said. Rafferty said that its good practice for businesses to have multiple viewpoints, which allows businesses to have more comprehensive human resources and services. He said that the bill could also stifle business development, especially homegrown business expansion, if businesses cant tap into new and untouched markets. One thing that we keep talking about as a state it doesnt matter what party you are in is about business recruitment, trying to get more and more businesses and trying to get Alabama to work, Rafferty said. But what were talking about is also blocking those businesses ability to be able to make decisions. A bill to exempt overtime pay from the state income tax was changed on Wednesday and would now save workers a maximum of only $100 a year. The bill, HB217 by House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, is in position to pass Thursday on the next-to-last day of the legislative session. Lawmakers from both parties spoke out in support of the bill on Wednesday, saying it was an innovative way to help workers take home more of what they earn and help businesses by encouraging work in a time when employers are struggling to fill jobs. Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, chair of the Senate education budget committee, proposed capping the amount of overtime pay that would be exempt from the state income tax at $2,000 per year. The state income tax rate is 5%, so the cap limits the maximum savings to $100. The committee adopted the amendment Wednesday. Orr said he was concerned about the loss of revenue to support the education budget. Income taxes go to the Education Trust Fund. HB217 was estimated to reduce revenues to the ETF by $45 million a year. Orr noted that the overtime tax was one of several bills passed or pending during this session that would reduce revenues to the ETF. On Thursday, the Senate is expected to pass a bill to repeal 2 cents of the 4-cent state sales tax on food, which will reduce the ETF by an estimated $300 million. Almost every member of the Legislature has endorsed the bill. Earlier in the session, lawmakers approved expanding tax incentives paid to recruit industry under the JOBS Act, which Orr said would reduce ETF revenues by about $170 million. He mentioned other tax break bills that will take smaller bites out of the fund. The overtime exemption bill, after Orrs amendment, would reduce ETF revenues by an estimated $21.6 million. Were well over half a billion dollars that were giving away, Orr said. HB217 carries a sunset provision, meaning it would expire in January 2027 unless the Legislature extended it. That was intended to allow a chance to gauge the effect of the tax exemption. Daniels and other supporters of the bill said employees would spend the extra take-home pay, putting some of it back into local and state tax revenues through sales taxes. Daniels opposed the cap on the bill. Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, said it will severely limit the benefits of the bill. Singleton noted that without the cap the exemption could have made a big difference for some workers. The overtime exemption would apply to both private and public employees, including state correctional officers and others who work large amounts of overtime. I just think it guts the whole concept of the overall bill when you only put a limit of $2,000 on it, Singleton said. I think that we could have gotten a lot more out of this to be able to get the data on what it really costs, how its really affecting the economy. Whats its going to do for the education budget? How money is going to come back in. And in three years, I think we would have been able to see if we had allowed it to go to full capacity how its really helping workers, to keep people coming back to the workforce. Both the overtime bill and the long-awaited reduction of the grocery tax could be on the Senate floor today as lawmakers wind down the annual session. Officials representing education associations had, like Orr, raised concerns about the cumulative effect of tax cut bills on the ETF. Orr noted that several other proposed tax cut bills, including some that he sponsored, will not pass this session. Authorities are currently on the scene in Ider, where a bear climbed a tree after being struck by a vehicle. Ider Police Chief Stephen Malone said the crash happened near the crossroads of Alabama 75 and Alabama 117. Ider, a town of about 750, is located in DeKalb County in northeast Alabama. The crash, according to Malone, involved the bear. The animal then climbed into a tree at a residence near the crossroads. Then, at about 1 p.m., according to police, the bear either jumped or fell from the tree, and went into a wooded area near the Housing authority. The bear could be seen on video ambling with a visible limp. Ider police and the Alabama Game & Fish Division are closely monitoring the situation, Malone said. Please do not attempt to crowd the area, Malone said on a Facebook post. People in the vicinity are being asked to make sure children and pets remain inside. President Biden flew to Colorado Springs today, delivered a long graduation address to U.S. Air Force Academy graduates and their families in a packed stadium and didnt say a word about the U.S. Space Command headquarters. It was noticed including by the Denver Post, which ran a headline saying Biden, while speaking for about 30 minutes, didnt address future of Space Command. The states two senators, U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper had issued a statement before Bidens arrival urging him to keep Space Command in Colorado Springs. Local Colorado television news had also previewed the visit saying people would be listening for any presidential word about the headquarters. The relatively new military command, created to fight any attacks on Americas space assets or attacks on America from space, began operations in Colorado Springs. It remained there now, while the Air Force followed Pentagon rules that call for an independent ranking of competing headquarters candidates. That system ranked Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville as the best permanent location for the headquarters. The rating compared such factors as housing availability and cost, health care, quality of schools and job opportunities for spouses of serving personnel. U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala) said Colorado Springs finished fifth in the selection rankings. Bidens graduation speech came a day after the Air Force announced four Space Force missions will be located in Colorado Springs. That decision was being read in Colorado as suggesting the service may be moving ahead with at least part of the design it originally sought for the new force before it became entangled in politics, the Associated Press reported shortly after Biden landed. Former President Trump complicated the base selection in 2021 by saying he single handedly chose Alabama to house the headquarters. Looking into history and designing the future 09:26, June 01, 2023 By George N. Tzogopoulos ( China.org.cn Ten years ago, China proposed an interconnectivity mechanism to cement all-round synergies with other countries of the world interested in joining. This is the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which has since then evolved as a dynamic integration model attracting the attention of international scholars. The BRI was inaugurated in Kazakhstan, opening a new chapter in its relations with China but also impacting on the entire region of Central Asia. The parameter of geography was vital. The May 2023 China-Central Asia Summit organized in Xi'an was thus a good opportunity to look at the results of the previous decade and discuss opportunities in the future. Trade between China and Central Asian countries, namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, rose from circa $46 billion in 2012 to over $70 billion in 2022. Among other things, energy has been crucial. The China-Central Asia gas pipeline connects Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and China. Composed of three parallels that were constructed in 2009, 2010, and 2014, respectively, this artery has partly responded to the growing Chinese demand for gas. Another, the fourth corridor of the China-Central Asia gas pipeline, the so-called Line D, is currently underway. Additionally, the Kazakhstan-China pipeline was established in 2004, carrying oil from Kazakh fields to China. In particular, two different lines the Atasu-Alashankou and Kenkiyak-Kumkol are part of the same project. According to official data for 2021, the former transported 10.9 million tons, while the latter carried 6.7 million tons. China's investments in the five Central Asian economies are also significant. Official statistics demonstrate that by the end of 2022, Chinese foreign direct investments in the region will reach nearly $15 billion. In 2021 and 2022, China was the biggest investor in all countries apart from Kazakhstan. In the recent Summit, the Chinese government expressed its commitment to contributing to development in the region by providing approximately $3.8 billion in financial support and grants. Going further, coordination in the sphere of security has been on the agenda. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Turkmenistan is not, but it attended the September 2022 Samarkand Summit as an honored guest. As a result of the Xi'an summit, the five Central Asian states agreed to pursue active cooperation with China on the Global Security Initiative. Challenges remain difficult, stemming inter alia from instability in Afghanistan but going beyond. Relations between China and the five Central Asian countries in the new era are multidimensional, and Beijing is gradually becoming a protagonist in the area. While these relations are evolving at the bilateral level, the multilateral format provides a different framework that might be fruitful in the future. The mirror of history is always useful in planning the future. Xi'an was the capital of the Chinese Empire for more than a millennium at various times as well as a symbol of its glory. It was also the departure point for the ancient Silk Road. Under the Han Dynasty, it functioned as a crossroads for people of China and Central Asia and as a hub of diverse ethnic identities and religious beliefs. In 2023, it is Xi'an again that brings China and Central Asia closer. George N. Tzogopoulos is a columnist with China.org.cn. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) South Korean Ambassador to the United States Cho Hyun-dong speaks while meeting with reporters in Washington, May 31. Yonhap North Korea's failed launch of a spy satellite has violated United Nations Security Council resolutions and the country will face corresponding consequences, South Korea's ambassador to the United States said Wednesday. Amb. Cho Hyun-dong also insisted that the North's provocative actions will only lead to further isolation. "North Korea has said it will conduct a second launch, but any such launch will carry a due price," Cho said while meeting with reporters in Washington. North Korea launched what it claimed to be its first military reconnaissance satellite on Wednesday morning (Korea time). The satellite fell into the Yellow Sea after what Pyongyang called an "abnormal" flight of its space launch vehicle. "South Korea and the United States communicated at various levels of government immediately after the launch. The two governments issued a message condemning North Korea's launch," said Cho, adding, "North Korea's launch only worsens its isolation while strengthening the South Korea-U.S. alliance." In a prebuttal of North Korea's planned launch, the U.S. has said the firing of a space launch vehicle (SLV) would violate U.N. Security Council resolutions that prohibit the North's use of any ballistic missile technology by Pyongyang. "Any DPRK launch that uses ballistic missile technology, which would include SLVs used to launch a satellite into space, violates multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions," a state department spokesperson said earlier, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. A group of students on a school trip checks an emergency alert on their smartphones, which urged Seoul residents to take shelter, at Seoul Station in the capital, May 31. Yonhap A man has been arrested in Georgia in connection with a Friday murder in Jackson County. Sheriff Rocky Harnen said Dima Stevanovich Novikov, 29, was arrested Wednesday in Chatsworth, Ga., by deputies of the Murray County (Ga.) Sheriffs Office. Novikov has been charged with murder in the death of Terry Dewayne Warren, 61. Warrens body was found Friday at about 11:30 p.m. in a residence on County Road 17 in Skyline, dead from apparent gunshot wounds. Novikov will be held in the Murray County Jail pending extradition back to Alabama. According to the Jackson County Sheriffs Office, investigators were aided by numerous tips from the community. The Murray County Georgia Sheriffs Office, Scottsboro and Skyline police, Jackson County District Attorneys Office, Skyline Fire, Highlands Ambulance Service and the Jackson County Coroners Office all assisted in the investigation. The Democrat-controlled Senate has passed a measure that overturns President Bidens sweeping student loan forgiveness plan. The Senate passed the measure 52-46 just days after it cleared the Republican-controlled U.S. House, The Hill reported. Joining Republicans in voting against the measure were Democrats Jon Tester of Montana and Joe Manchin of West Virginia and independent Krysten Sinerma of Arizona. A White House veto is expected with neither chamber being able to muster the two-thirds vote needed to override. This resolution is an unprecedented attempt to undercut our historic economic recovery and would deprive more than 40 million hard-working Americans of much-needed student debt relief, a White House statement noted last month. The Senate vote is the latest stinging blow to Bidens plan, which would cancel up to $10,000 in student loan debt for those making less than $125,000 or households earning less than $250,000. People who received Pell Grants in college are eligible for up to $20,000 in loan forgiveness. READ MORE: When will student loan payments resume if debt ceiling bill is approved? Is forgiveness an option? The measure is currently before the U.S. Supreme Court which is expected to issue its ruling this month. In a statement, Manchin said his vote centered on the impact sweeping loan forgiveness would have on the national debt. Today, I voted to repeal the Biden Administrations student loan cancellation proposal because we simply cannot afford to add another $400 billion to the national debt. There are already more than 50 existing student loan repayment and forgiveness programs aimed at attracting individuals to vital service jobs, such as teachers, health care workers, and public servants. This Biden proposal undermines these programs and forces hard-working taxpayers who already paid off their loans or did not go to college to shoulder the cost. Instead, we should be focusing on bipartisan student debt reforms that reduce the cost of higher education and help all Americans, Manchin said. READ MORE: Student loan forgiveness: Congress considers new repayment start date Bidens debt relief plan is expected to cost taxpayers some $400 billion. Earlier this week, Republicans were able to negotiate a measure to restart payments student loans on hold since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as part of debt ceiling negotiations. The payments are set to begin 60 days after the June 30 deadline, making the latest deadline date Aug. 30. A meeting about the Space Command headquarters last week led to sharp words by Alabamas congressional delegation toward Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, authorized by the White House to determine the permanent home for the command. Congressman Dale Strong, R-Monrovia, described the contentious meeting Thursday in an interview with AL.com. Related: Alabama Rep. Aderholt moves to freeze federal spending on Space Command HQ in Colorado Strong said Kendall informed the delegation that he wanted to re-evaluate a few things regarding the search to identify the best site for Space Commands permanent home. Huntsvilles Redstone Arsenal, of course, has long been determined by multiple reviews as the best site while Colorado Springs, Colo. the seeming rival to Alabamas bid to land Space Command and the site of the start-up command finished fourth and fifth in different evaluations. Its at least the second time in recent months Kendall has alluded to changes in the search process, saying in March that the Air Force was doing additional analysis on the search process. Strong described the reaction in the room to Kendalls announcement of a re-evaluation. He got lit up from every corner from Terri Sewell to Robert Aderholt to Mike Rogers to me, Strong said, referring to Alabama colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives. It looks like Gen. (James) Dickinson (commander of Space Command) and the secretary of the (Air Force) have got their own dice game going on. And it appears theyre trying to put their thumb on the scale. And thats a hard process to beat in my book. But I know one thing, he got his moneys worth from Alabama delegation about the process that theyre intervening in. And it appears that its Gen. Dickinson and the secretary doing it themselves. U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) released this U.S. Space Command headquarters site selection scorecard and data supporting it March 3, 2023 to counter attempts by Colorado to keep the headquarters in Colorado Springs where the command was activated. The meeting deteriorated to the point that Strong said when it ended, he walked out with Rogers chair of the House Armed Services Committee and said, We need to start an investigation right now. Lets see what these text messages and emails between the secretary and the generals (say). Lets find out whats going on because, obviously, theyve got something that theyre doing but no one else has got the same ability. Rogers announced last week that the House Armed Services Committee is launching an investigation into the changing criteria for Space Command HQ. The concern for Alabama lawmakers is that arrangements are being made to bolster Colorado Springs candidacy while the same arrangements are not available for Redstone Arsenal. The fact is, the Air Force already made the correct decision well over two years ago, Rogers, a Republican from Saks, said in a statement last week. That decision was affirmed by the GAO and the DoD Inspector General over a year ago. This decision was based on multiple factors, and Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama was the clear winner in the evaluation and selection phase. I am deeply concerned that the continued delays in making this move final are politically motivated and damaging to our national security. Asked if Kendall shared in the meeting what would go into that re-evaluation, Strong said, He just said that he wanted to get some more information from Gen. Dickinson. And then thats when (comments from the delegation) came from every angle. And then we said, Well, whos making the decision? Are you making the decision or 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? And thats when he said that he would be making the decision. But then also, weve been told multiple times that the decision would be made soon, it will be made. And this is how far this has drug along. The Air Force announced in January 2021 that Redstone Arsenal was the preferred site for Space Command. You can take that in any direction you want to take it, Strong said of the re-evaluation. I dont know what they could possibly re-evaluate, to take the fifth-place site and move it to No. 1. So were just like everybody else. I think that its somewhat baffling for him to say that hes re-evaluating a few things. If theyre going to let Colorado change the process just for them, I think that it is very suspect. And I think it puts a big black cloud over this process. Asked if he believed the re-evaluation process is ongoing to benefit Colorado Springs, Strong said, I think the thing I want to know is if theyre re-evaluating, what is that? Theyre maybe trying to classify some property that they got under lease or something of that nature. And thats why we called for the investigation. Strong said he told Rogers after the meeting that he believed Kendall was dodging questions from the delegation. And you know, when somebody wont look you in the eye, it makes it suspect anyway, Strong said. Updated today, June 1, 2023, at 10:22 p.m. to clarify that Dickinson was invited to the meeting but did not attend. A 28-year-old man was taken into custody Thursday in connection with the fatal shooting of another man in Montgomery on Memorial Day. Juqwarn Hartwell, of Montgomery, is charged with murder in the Monday slaying of 22-year-old Rondarius McQueen. Police were notified about 3:15 a.m. Monday that a gunshot victim showed up at the hospital, said Maj. Saba Coleman. Authorities are trying to identify a suspect in a Memorial Day homicide in Montgomery. (Central Alabama Crime Stoppers) McQueen was pronounced dead a short time later. Coleman said investigators determined the shooting happened on Folmar Parkway. No other details have been released by police. Central Alabama Crime Stoppers earlier this week released store surveillance photo of the suspect, now identified as Hartwell. Hartwell is being held without bond in the Montgomery County Detention Facility. Alabama lawsuits about who owns the extra proceeds of property seized by county governments and sold for back taxes may be impacted by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of a Minnesota property owner facing a similar government seizure. In the Minnesota case, a county seized a 94-year-old womans condo to pay $15,000 in back taxes but sold it for $40,000 and kept the surplus. I think the U.S. Supreme Court makes it clear that these surplus funds do represent property rights, said Attorney Will Hereford who represents several property owners in lawsuits in Alabama that are similar in nature to the Minnesota case decided by the nations high court last week. A surplus that results from property being sold for taxes represents a property right thats to be returned to the owner, said Hereford. One property rights case in Shelby County, and another in Jefferson County, center around the question of whether county governments must give the former property owners any surplus left after back taxes are settled through sales of the seized property. Or can a county pocket the profits? What were focused on are persons or owners who were unable to redeem for one reason or another. Theyre losing their property, or theyve lost their property. They want to recover that surplus amount, said Hereford. Attorneys for the defendants in both cases did not respond immediately to a request for comments from AL.com. Last year the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in favor of the property rights of property owners and stated that the excess proceeds should be returned to them, however that case only applied to properties sold before August 1, 2013 when the state legislature amended the law to require property owners to redeem properties sold at tax auctions to receive the extra proceeds from the sale. The case involves a real estate developer, Shiloh Creek, LLC, that fell behind on $1,882.73 in taxes in 2010. In 2011, Shelby County sold the property at a tax sale, keeping an extra $24,000 of the total sale proceeds of $25,882.73. A few years later, in 2014, Shiloh Creek transferred its rights to redeem the property or claim the surplus sale amount to Jack Investment Partners LLC. In a similar situation in Calhoun County, a real estate investor and principal agent for Strategic Municipal Funding, LLC, James Douglas, failed to pay taxes on two properties in 2008. One sold for $16,939.96 beyond the back taxes owed and the other for $9,185.35 beyond what was owed. Both owners tried to get the excess sale proceeds returned to them, but the counties denied their requests. In 2018, a trial court ruled that the owners were not entitled to the money because of amendments from 2014 and 2017 to state law which required landowners to redeem property to get the excess proceeds returned to them. After the states high court ruled in favor of those plaintiffs last year, the case returned to Shelby County where it is pending while the plaintiffs request to certify a class action suit. According to Hereford, one aim of the existing suits filed by his firm is to create a process by which counties would be required to return surplus funds from tax delinquent sales to property owners, who are often living in poverty and are often elderly. According to the Pacific Legal Foundation, Alabama is one of at least 11 states with laws that, along with Minnesota, allow governments to seize the excess value of properties sold at tax auctions. Hereford said he believes the U.S. Supreme Courts ruling makes it clear that such laws are not constitutional. (The government is) limited to taking property for public use and if they take property from someone, the person has to be fairly compensated for the takings. Update: This story was updated at 7:40 p.m. on Thursday, June 1 A man angry over his water bill was killed by Russell County sheriffs deputies after he fired a round at utility employees at his home before pointing the gun at officers, the sheriff said Wednesday. The man, who was not publicly identified because his family had not yet been notified of his death, had an altercation with Russell County Water Authority employees at his home Wednesday, said Sheriff Heath Taylor. Thats what started the chain of events that ultimately led to a traffic stop of him and him presenting a weapon at the deputies on the traffic stop, Taylor told a press conference. After firing the round at the utility workers, the suspect went to the water works office, Taylor said. Deputies responded to the office when the suspect got into his truck and fled. Thats when deputies followed the suspect for five or six miles before pulling him over at U.S. Highway 431 and Ware Road. The suspect then refused deputies orders to get out of the vehicle. As one of the deputies reached for his stun gun, the suspect pointed a gun at the deputies, who fatally shot him, Taylor said. The sheriff said he does not believe the man fired at the deputies. The State Bureau of Investigation is probing the shooting, as is standard when law enforcement officers fatally shoot a suspect. The deputies are on administrative leave with pay while the probe is ongoing, Taylor said. I want to give them the opportunity to just take a lot of what had just occurred in and be able to relax a little bit. Its easy to say that youre going to take somebodys life when youre working this job its another thing when it actually happens, he said. My guys dont take it lightly. We dont take it for granted. Its the last thing we want to do, but unfortunately in the world we live in it has to be done from time to time, he continued. And unfortunately, today was one of those days. This is an opinion column. I have mixed emotions every year at this time now. Now, when many pause to recognize and remember the slaughter, destruction, a desecration that was the Tulsa Race Massacre. When June 1, 1921, culminated three days of white men crossing the tracks into North TulsaBlack Tulsa in those segregated times. Crossing the tracks and killing countless innocent men, women, and children, and burning to the ground homes and businesses of such prosperity and potential, the esteemed intellectual W.E.B Dubois called the area a place of hope and power. And wealth. Im glad it is recognized and remembered now. For too many years, for generations, it was not. Nobodys fault. Call it a collective conspiracy of silence. Whites who participated, and their descendants, buried italong with the mass graves containing countless bodies of the deadbecause, well, no one was ever prosecuted for the crimes. And they were crimes. Blacks of a generation or two preceding me buried it, too. Maybe for a different reason: Nobody, a Tulsa historian once told me, brags about getting their ass kicked. Those of you who know me know. You know I was born in Tulsa. You know my father was in Tulsa in those days, that he survived the massacre. You know he later owned a business on Greenwood Avenue, the heartbeat of what came to know as Black Wall Street. The Black Wall Street. You may also know my father died when I was 11 years old, so most of what I know about him now and of those days in 1921, Ive gleaned from research. From curiosity. From a passion to know, even if it also pains me. Pains me to know that those eventsand the catastrophic evil that transpired laterjust may have destroyed more Black wealth than any singular episode in American history. I know thats a statement, one dripping with hyperbole. Guilty. Think about it, though. Imagine it. Imagine being there on this day, 102 years ago as embers smoldered just across the tracks from downtown. Embers from the residue of firebombs dropped from airplanes onto the several blocks of businesses and homes comprising one of the most thriving Black communities in the nation. Embers from the souls of lives lost, Black livesmore than were counted. Lives dumped in the nearby Arkansas River. Embers from livelihoods devastated. Because a Black manstop me if youve heard thiswas falsely accused of rape. Because Black men dared defend themselves when their businesses and homes were attacked for three days. This week, the New York Times wrote of Greenwood: The district counted at least 15 doctors, a dozen tailors, seven attorneys, a jeweler, a garment factory, and a skating rink among its more than 150 businesses. Several entrepreneurs were worth at least $500,000 in todays dollars; a few were modern millionaires. The bombs dropped on the innocent people of Greenwood from airplanes commissioned by the governmentimagine the American government dropping bombs on Americans. Oh, wait, you dont have to imagine it because its happened. Not just in Tulsajust 38 years ago. In Philly. The murderous audaciousness that was the massacre was followed by bombs of dismissal by public officials and denial from insurance companies who refused to pay claims for lost property or even lives. They blamed the massacre on the Black residents, Black residents whose geographic sanctuaryborne of the legal segregation of Jim Crow, though it waswas invaded and pillaged. Thats why for decades the massacre was framed as a riot. How the insurance companies justified their egregious denials. Call it a conspiracy of crap. I could be wrong, but the 1921 Tulsa Race massacreand its unjustifiable aftermathmay have destroyed more Black wealth than any singular event in our nations history. Think of it when todays racial wealth gap is in the room. The massacre is just one of a cornucopia of attacks on Black prosperity a century ago in cities across the nation. But Tulsa... Imagine if the claims of those residents had been paid, if survivors had been properly, rightfully, and immediately compensated for their losses. If they had been able to build on the formidable financial foundations they created rather than watch them rise as dust from embers of destruction. Imagine if your familys wealthbe it their home, business, or the wealth that was their hopewas stripped from them a century ago. Stripped without compensation. Without justice. Where would you be now? How passionately would you still be striving for recompense? Imagine. More columns by Roy S. Johnson Are we becoming the land of the bully and home of the nasty? Through faith, former Birmingham news anchor finds unlikely new season as an actor United Methodist member recalls effort in 1970s to merge Black and white congregations Instead of forcing kids to hear the Star-Spanged Banner, they should study it Questioning parenting after youth violence is real, but does not absolve lawmaker inaction Im a Pulitzer Prize finalist for commentary and winner of the Edward R. Murrow prize for podcasts: Unjustifiable, co-hosted with John Archibald. My column appears in AL.com, as well as the Lede. Stay tuned for my upcoming limited series podcast Panther: Blueprint for Black Power, co-hosted with Eunice Elliott. Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter, The Barbershop, here. Reach me at rjohnson@al.com, follow me at twitter.com/roysj, or on Instagram @roysj When Jessica Bernardo found out she was pregnant, it was reason to celebrate. Bernardo and her husband had struggled for two years to conceive, and when their fetus was diagnosed with Down syndrome, they continued to celebrate, naming her Emma, which means whole. Emmas health continued to deteriorate until it became clear she would not survive birth. Bernardo, too, was at riskshe was in danger of developing mirror syndrome, a rare condition in which the fetus has an abnormal buildup of fluid, and the pregnant person has high blood pressure, or preeclampsia. The diagnosis comes with a high fetal mortality rate and maternal morbidity rate. In discussions with their doctor, the word abortion was never uttered. The couple lives in Texas. A request for care under Texas medical emergency exception in the states abortion ban was denied without explanation by the hospitals ethics committee, entities that are notoriously averse to undertaking legal risk. The couple tried to get care in Colorado next, but the wait times were too long. Finally, Bernardo was able to get an abortion in Seattle, where, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights, she was told she was their third patient from Texas that week. Now, represented by the Center for Reproductive Rights, Bernardo is one of 13 women suing the state of Texas over its restrictive abortion ban. The plaintiffs seek clarification of the medical emergency exceptionthey argue that the exception is vague and, coupled with the extreme legal risks that hang over physicians, qualifying for care under the current law is nearly impossible. Current Texas law says abortion care may be provided when there is a life-threatening physical condition aggravated by, caused by, or arising from a pregnancy that poses a serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function. So, too, if a physician provides abortion care and is found to have done so outside of that criteria, they risk being charged with a first-degree felony, which could result in life imprisonment. Recently, exceptions to abortion bans have begun to attract more attention, mostly due to a growing public awareness that the exceptions are difficult for patients and physicians to navigate. I do not think that exceptions are effective broadlyin fact, they seem like something that you would think on face value would be helpful to make sure that, in particular circumstances, people can get care, explains Dr. Kristyn Brandi, an OB-GYN who practices in New Jersey. In real-life practice, exceptions are often unclear, confusing, and create delays in care because physicians have to talk to a lawyer to interpret these laws. It doesnt translate to medicine at all. Since the fall of Roe v. Wade, about half of all states have enacted abortion bans. Exceptionsoften for rape, incest, life of the pregnant person or some combination of the threeserve as an illusory promise of humane care in disastrous circumstances. Twenty-two states with abortion bans have exceptions for the life of the pregnant person, making it the most common exception. The language, however, can vary from state to state. For example, Arizona, Florida, Ohio, Wyoming, and Indiana have exceptions for when there is a serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function. Georgias exception is to prevent substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function. Utah says there can be an exception when there is serious physical risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function. To be sure, in the chaotic post-Dobbs legal landscape, uncertainty reigns supreme. Abortion bans in most states are accompanied by heavy penalties for physicians who perform the proceduregargantuan fines, loss of medical license, and, in some cases, criminal conviction and imprisonment. Katrina Kimport, a research sociologist focusing on reproductive health and author of No Real Choice: How Culture and Politics Matter for Reproductive Autonomy, says that the laws twist physicians role from provider of medical care to gatekeeper of medical care. These are people who are working inside institutions, and those institutions have legal teams, administrators, ethics boards, and all of those entities are really designed and are incentivized to not bring risk on to the institution, on to the hospital, on to the individual practice, Kimport says. Most medical providers, Kimport points out, are not lawyers. Interpreting the law is not their specific skill set, she says. So they may very reasonably be cautious and conservative about offering these kinds of care, because the consequences for offering abortion care outside of these narrow exceptions can be so severe. Brandi, too, says the bans, coupled with their muddy exceptions, directly affect the ability to practice medicine. For her, its very simple: if she has the skills and the tools, its her responsibility to ease suffering immediately. Making a patient wait while she consults a lawyer is unconscionable. It goes against our oath in medicine to wait until someone is sick enoughand what is sick enough? to intervene, Brandi says. Its also simply unrealistic to expect the law to cover something as complex as the human body. Theres a heartbreakingly large number of ways pregnancy can go wrong, Kimport says. Those are going to keep coming up; there is not a way to make a list of all of them. Of course, there are other exceptions besides cases in which abortion is necessary to save the life or physical functions of a pregnant person, including mental health of the pregnant person, lethal fetal abnormalityboth of which are open to the same sort of problematic interpretation that Brandi and Kimport speak ofor rape or incest. The main barrier to obtaining a sexual assault exception is because sexual assault victims often fear shaming or belittling by law enforcement. Some victims may also fear retaliation from their rapist. According to RAINN, for these reasons and more, only 310 in every 1,000 sexual assaults are reported to begin with, meaning that more than 2 out of 3 assaults go unreported in the U.S. In order to qualify for a sexual assault exception, victims must file a police report, which often includes invasive questioning. In some states, fetal tissue is subject to a DNA test to prove the veracity of the assault victims claim. Its just too much for people to go through after having a sexual assaultthese requirements create shame, stigma, and re-traumatization that people dont want to go through. So they not end up getting an abortion because of all of that, and thats really a shame because people should be able to make that healthcare decision and not have to go through these onerous processes, Brandi says. And its creating this false narrative that care will exist for these people with no problem. This photo provided by Korea's Defense Ministry, shows an object salvaged by Korea's military that is presumed to be part of the North Korean space-launch vehicle that crashed into sea following a launch failure in waters off Eocheongdo island, Korea, Wednesday, May 31. Yonhap The International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted a resolution strongly condemning North Korea's missile tests for the first time earlier this week, in a clear message to the reclusive country against its escalating provocations. The resolution, adopted at the 107th session of the IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) in London on Wednesday (local time), denounced the launches as a serious threat to the safety of international navigation and urged compliance with due regulations, including giving prior notice ahead of any missile tests. In a press release, South Korea's foreign ministry stressed that it marks the first time the committee handling maritime safety issues has adopted a resolution on the North's missile provocations, though it has condemned the tests previously. North Korea has escalated its saber-rattling recently, launching what it claimed to be a "space launch vehicle" allegedly carrying a military reconnaissance satellite earlier this week. Official documents adopted by the IMO are classified into resolutions, circulars and decisions, with resolutions considered as the most powerful recommendations to its member states, according to the ministry. We may well be living in a "fake election" era, when legalized ballot fraud, months-long voting, and nonexistent voter identification requirements give the Uniparty insurmountable advantages in "selecting" compliant "representatives" for the people. But voting in the largest numbers possible will continue to highlight the obvious election rigging. If for no other reason than that it makes the fraudsters' jobs that much harder, voting still matters. Force them to explain how precincts can turn out more votes than residents! There's a reason the State-controlled media never point out that Joe Biden supposedly won fifteen million more votes than Barack Obama did in 2012 and more votes than any presidential candidate in history: nobody would believe that reality if forced to confront it. That's why, even as the Pravda press covers up the Biden family's quid-pro-quo crimes and pretends Dementia Joe's gibberish proves anything other than idiotic incompetence, the Baghdad Bobs on TV never trumpet Biden's 80 million votes. To do so, they would have to acknowledge that President Trump won over ten million new votes in his re-election contest and secured more votes than any other candidate in American history (aside from Biden). The vote-riggers were actually forced to make Biden the far and away most popular candidate in American history in order to get over Trump's legitimate vote hauls. It's one thing to pretend an unpopular Biden beat an even more unpopular Trump; it is entirely different for the media to pretend Biden is simply so unbelievably popular that he beat an incumbent president whose own popularity had grown significantly since his first election a feat not achieved for a hundred and thirty years! Vote in big numbers so that the obvious cognitive dissonance pierces the State-controlled media's propaganda. That said, if we're going to vote, we should hold the candidates' feet to the fire and force answers on important issues. Whether running for local dogcatcher or president of the Divided States, any Republican candidate should be asked the following: (1) Do you support America First economic policies that directly benefit the middle class, even when those policies hurt the interests of multinational corporations, Wall Street bankers, and international institutions advancing globalist agendas? Nothing annoyed the permanent Deep State about Donald Trump's candidacy more than his economic nationalism. The Uniparty has spent the last thirty years convincing Americans that it is entirely normal for their jobs to be outsourced to foreign shores, for their real disposable income to continually decline, and for America to produce next to nothing other than financial derivatives. The predictable end results have been impoverished Americans, desolate and destroyed towns, and increased government dependency. Trump's policies sought to stop illegal aliens from placing downward pressure on blue-collar wages, bring industry and manufacturing back home, end complex trade deals that only benefit multinational behemoths, and rapidly raise Americans' standard of living. His rallying cries were "jobs, jobs, jobs" and "drill, drill, drill," and because higher wages and lower gas prices hurt the crony capitalists' bottom lines and the globalists' Green New Deal dreams for a centralized economy, Trump became Deep State enemy number one. Economic security is national security . A strong middle class destroys the need for welfare-inducing government enslavement. A wealthy population drains power and control from the uber-"elite." A nation of doers and builders is a nation with purpose, grit, and unity. For those who wish to divide us, eliminate national boundaries, and place money and power in the hands of the few, America First remains kryptonite. (2) Without verifiable voter identification requirements or trustworthy and transparent vote-counting procedures capable of rendering immediate and reproducible election results, how can America's elections be considered "free and fair"? I'm not suggesting that elections should be nationalized; giving a small coalition of Sith Lords power over all elections is what Obama's Marxist minions desire. What I want is for Republican candidates to verbally acknowledge that numerous instances of statistically improbable results, days-long vote-counting, anonymous mail-in ballot dumps, late-night vote-tally flips, and unbelievable hijinks occurring in Democrat precincts where voting machines inexplicably break down, vote centers randomly flood, and ballots are miraculously "found" all add up to a well organized, well funded, and systemic vote fraud operation that has cheated voters and invalidated many recent elections. Even when it is clear that mass mail-in balloting has enabled Democrat-controlled cities to print enough ballots to throw statewide elections, the Paul Ryan RINO coalition sees nothing. Even when fifty-plus Intelligence Community officers push propaganda and censorship to manipulate election outcomes, Uniparty Republicans see nothing. Nobody should be voting for the willfully blind. (3) While the federal government has persecuted thousands of patriotic J6 protesters for their personal beliefs, why have Republican politicians remained largely silent? Here's the cold hard truth: America has political prisoners. The Uniparty and Pravda press are committed to the lie that the J6 protest for fair elections was an "insurrection" intended to overthrow the federal government, but most people now see their efforts as pure propaganda. Congress, the courts, and the Department of (in)Justice have done everything in their power to imprison Trump-supporters for doing little more than parade through the Capitol. Had J6 been a Black Lives Matter or Antifa "climate change" event, not only would nobody have been jailed, but also the participants would have been celebrated by the news media and awarded millions of dollars in legal settlements from the police departments accused of having violated protesters' civil rights. Instead, undercover agents from multiple agencies appear to have provoked the Capitol breach; police caused mayhem after having unnecessarily fired smoke grenades and rubber bullets into peaceful crowds; and four Trump-supporters lost their lives. As evidence that we now live in a Soviet-like police state inundated with official propaganda, the president and members of Congress continue to perpetuate the lie that Trump-supporters killed law enforcement officers that day. Any Republican not denouncing these lies is endorsing them. (4) Given the accumulation of evidence proving that the federal government is engaging in constitutionally impermissible censorship of Americans' free speech, why have Republican politicians remained largely silent? From the Department of Homeland Security's "Disinformation Governance Board" to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence's "Foreign Malign Influence Center," government agents have taken formal steps to monitor and manipulate the information Americans are allowed to see. A whole new official lexicon now exists to stigmatize unsanctioned ideas as "mis-," "mal-," or "dis-" information. Twitter, Facebook, Google, and other Big Tech platforms actively conspire with the government to undermine Americans' free speech and promote the "official truth." When free speech dies, other freedoms soon follow. How can Republicans remain quiet? (5) Finally, given the tremendous personal and societal injuries caused from the local, state, and federal governments' unscientific, unprincipled, and unconstitutional COVID authoritarianism, will you resolve now to oppose government-sanctioned censorship, medical tyranny, and all other intrusions into Americans' personal rights and liberties illegally justified under the guise of "emergency"? During COVID, Americans got a taste of real tyranny. A cult of false "expertise" was used to eliminate dissent. Media-driven fear was used to justify the government's declaration of perpetual "emergency." Personal rights were quickly discarded, as if they had no legal bearing. Natural liberties were vilified as "deadly" and "selfish." The herd mentality took over, and anybody arguing against the absurdities naturally arising from groupthink was censored, cast aside, ridiculed, and even punished. COVID tyranny was a glimpse into the coming "climate change" tyranny, and both presage the World Economic Forum's planned "Great Reset" and the globalists' heavy-handed new world order. All of this horrifying nonsense must be repudiated. Image: cagdesign via Pixabay, Pixabay License. With Ukraines capital, Kiev, subject to increasing Russian bombardment, and Moscow subject to new drone attacks, the hostility now reflects direct provocation of central government and leadership. Whether you rightly find Russias aggression in Ukraine unacceptable, or like University of Chicago political scientist John Mearsheimer, you also see, pragmatically, a long trail of U.S. and EU provocation and mismanagement in foreign affairs, one thing is fairly obvious: the United States is not interested in pursuing, or trying to broker, a peace deal. Current U.S. foreign policy toward Russia is following a narrow path of strict escalation toward superpower confrontation. Russia is not going to lead a peace effort, nor will Ukraine. Former Undersecretary of State and arms negotiator Eugene V. Rostow, in his Toward Managed Peace, correctly argued that the United States cannot avoid its leadership role in global affairs, and moreover, its highest national security interest involves deploying its government system as a mechanism of peace. Instead, the Biden administration is following precisely the opposite strategy, and has through its own incompetence and incapacity, also left leadership open to other countries. It is a strategy that creates economic and industrial disruption, perhaps even deliberate destruction, including of American government itself. Why would this be? I suggest that there are six reasons that directly serve the Biden administration by this foreign policy of war escalation: The current administrations domestic social policies are so radical that they cannot be implemented (or disclosed) within a normal spectrum of law and government. Its plans require extra-constitutional authority. War provides that authority. A formalized war footing with Russia is presumed an essential path to oil and gas supply disruption, both physical (exploration, production, and refinement, including Arctic claims) and price stability disruption, which presumably will accelerate green energy switching behavior (problem: there is nothing to switch to). In reality, war merely enriches oil and gas, and further consolidates its central energy role. Financial flows, commercial/central banking, and U.S. dollar stability would all be subject to war-time emergency manipulation. The U.S. is not able to absorb over $30 Trillion in national debt obligations under normal economic arrangements and methods. War is also an ideal platform to fully effect political persecution, and the marginalization or complete removal of competitive political parties. The U.S. is already well on its way to a single-party consolidation. A civil or world war seals the deal just as it did in wartime Germany, the Soviet Union, North Korea, and eventually in Cuba and China. The Biden administration has numerous blueprints it can follow from other countries, as the administration is saturated with inexperienced ideologues who both naively admire revolutionaries and at the same time are intellectually incapable of imagining and carrying out actual economic development policy. A fifth reason involves traditional Pentagon motivations in defense spending. Most of the public (and even political class) doesnt acknowledge that the GWOT (Global War on Terror) is still fully operational, but more, its legal infrastructure, formed after 2001 through the Patriot Act, among other legislation and executive orders (hundreds that remain undisclosed or unexamined) can be activated at-will under emergency pretext. Moreover, the GWOT has been turned inward toward Americas own citizens. All that was required was a structured program of terror accusations against a manufactured target: Trump provided that, and now Russia does in a war context. Finally, war unleashes massive disruptions in population, demographics and health risk. The current administration and its supporters, above all else, are ideologues devoted to population control because it is the root cause of global warming. And global warming is the fundamental organizing policy of the Left, even though it has nothing to do with climate, but rather with absolute social control. An unsettling aspect of the Biden administrations foreign policy is that, while it seeks war, it isnt prepared to fight one (especially with a putative civilian commander qualified for 25th Amendment removal): it invites a confrontation with Russia (and to some extent with China) not to win, but in an unprecedented perversion of U.S. national security interests, to lose: it has declared America, Americanism, and a majority of Americans, as its enemy. It will use Russia as a tool for its own domestic transformation which means the attempted dismantling of U.S. constitutional law. The White House wants war, but an effective internal civil war that results in a reconstructed government, legal system, and political order. Biden was installed not just as an Obama proxy, but as a signal of weakness. To appreciate the risk, imagine Israels security interests headed by such a figure, rather than a Netanyahu. Matthew G. Andersson is a law and policy author, former executive advisor in the Aerospace and Defense practice of Booz Allen Hamilton, and worked in Russia and the Former Soviet Union. He studied with White House National Security Advisor W.W. Rostow at the Johnson School of Public Affairs. Image: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine This past Memorial Day weekend was a bloodbath in the streets of Chicago. Over the three-day holiday weekend, 53 people were shot, 11 fatally, as violence continues to plague the Windy City. According to newly elected Mayor Brandon Johnson, "The violence our city experienced this weekend is intolerable. It produced pain and trauma that devastated communities across Chicago, and my heart breaks for everyone affected. That's why as mayor, I am committed to leveraging every single resource at our disposal to protect every single life in our city." Unfortunately, Johnson's words ring hollow for Chicagoans who have been living in abject fear for several years while so-called progressive leaders constantly tout that they are doing all that they can to fight the steep rise in crime that has made the city practically unlivable. Johnson's predecessor, Lori Lightfoot, echoed similar sentiments throughout her tenure as mayor. However, as the record shows, her progressive policies made matters far worse, not better. Consider: over the past four years, according to the Chicago Police Department (CPD), the murder rate has increased by 23 percent, robberies are up by 28 percent, thefts have gone up by 46 percent, and motor vehicle thefts (also known as carjackings) have skyrocketed by an astounding 236 percent. Since Lightfoot became mayor in 2019, Chicago has seen an uptick in criminal complaints every single year. And during Johnson's short time in office, this trend has continued. So far, under Johnson, every single category of criminal complaints has risen, including an 11-percent uptick in murder, a 16-percent surge in robberies, and a mind-boggling 137 percent increase in carjackings. Both Lightfoot and Johnson have clearly stated that they favor defunding the police. For instance, Lightfoot slashed the CPD budget by $80 million in 2021, following national calls for less police funding in the wake of the George Floyd/BLM protests. In 2020, Johnson articulated his stance on police defunding, saying, "I'm absolutely confident that we will be the generation that responds and reacts to the global movement that is calling for redirecting money away from policing and militarizing police forces and directing dollars into job opportunities, transportation, health care and housing for people." Over the past few years, Johnson has doubled down on his defund the police rhetoric, declaring before the election, "I don't look at it as a slogan. It's an actual political goal." Well, actions have consequences. And words carry weight. Since 2019, the CPD has lost 13 percent of its active-duty offices, which equates to 1,700 fewer police officers on the streets. However, one can also surmise that the anti-police propaganda coming from City Hall over the past few years has also emboldened criminals. Like many big cities under decades of Democratic control (Chicago has not had a Republican mayor since 1931), Chicago has not only embraced defunding the police, but become a haven for criminals. Lightfoot and Johnson have a long history of excusing criminal behavior, blaming it on systemic racism, poverty, and a whole host of other preposterous anecdotes. What's more, Chicago's so-called justice system has transformed into a revolving door for criminals. As any Chicagoan can tell you, Cook County attorney general Kim Foxx seems much more concerned with coddling criminals than she is putting them behind bars. No wonder Chicago has become a lawless town, where it is literally dangerous to walk around the city in the middle of the day. Unfortunately, I think things are probably going to get worse before they get better. After four years of Lightfoot's soft-on-crime policies, Chicagoans elected an even softer-on-crime candidate in Johnson. Sadly, the people of Chicago, who by and large are law-abiding, good people, must now suffer through another four years of upside-down progressive policies. However, the onus is on the millions of Chicagoans who desire safety. Next time, don't elect another progressive politician to represent your city, lest you pay the price with four more years of unfettered violence and empty promises. Chris Talgo (ctalgo@heartland.org) is editorial director at The Heartland Institute. Image: Pexels Cottonbro Studios. In what may look like an absurdity of communist central planning, China is digging the world's deepest hole. According to Bloomberg: Chinese scientists have begun drilling a 10,000-meter (32,808 feet) hole into the Earth's crust, as the world's second largest economy explores new frontiers above and below the planet's surface. Drilling for what is set to be China's deepest ever borehole began in the country's oil-rich Xinjiang region on Tuesday, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. Earlier that morning, China sent its first civilian astronaut into space from the Gobi Desert. The narrow shaft into the ground will penetrate more than 10 continental strata, or layers of rock, according to the report, and reach the cretaceous system in the Earth's crust, which features rock dating back some 145 million years. It may look like commie-style gigantism, like creating the world's biggest sausage, but it's not. The hole, which at that depth is very difficult to engineer, will penetrate the superficial layers of the Earth's crust to reach never before breached levels, and for scientists, that can provide information that can be used to determine when earthquakes and volcanic eruptions will occur, as well as identify critical mineral and energy resources, according to the report. The report doesn't say so, but it's known that the prospect of locating "deep oil" is said to be a stunningly important one for China, which not only could be lucrative for the Chinese, but also could yield complete energy independence if it were developed. Meanwhile, the Chinese are also all about locating rare-earth minerals for the electric cars and other devices they sell to the U.S. They seem to be sticking to oil themselves, though. This sounds as though it ought to be another "Sputnik" moment for the U.S. After all, what the heck are we doing of comparable importance? I'm no expert, but I haven't found any indication of anything comparable in this field in the U.S. based on a Google search. That the Chinese are doing this may well be related to this intriguing infographic found on Twitter: Ranking de los paises que mas INGENIEROS "producen" durante los 30 ultimos anos CityGlobeTour pic.twitter.com/y3jMl8rXOe Curro Lucas (@curro_lucas) May 25, 2023 So while wokester education is turning out grads in wimmin's studies, grievance-group studies, political correctness, phony global warming green environmentalism, and public administration at U.S. universities, the Chinese are turning out engineering graduates who are executing projects such as these, effectively making themselves what America once was, coasting in the recent past but in the last few years now falling behind. Something like this ought to be telling us we're getting left in the dust technologically. We've already seen it with Chinese innovations in military technology. Now, when China digs a hole to America, the symbolic meaning is more disturbing, and more real, than the physical one. Something's wrong with this picture, and the U.S. ought to be crying out for leadership to restore this critical technological edge. Image: Pexels, CC0 public domain. In the second broadcast town hall since he declared his candidacy last November, former president Donald Trump will be on FOX News for an hour tonight (June 1). The broadcast, taped before a live audience earlier in the day in Clive, Iowa, will constitute the Hannity program's full hour from 9 to 10 P.M. E.T., with a replay at 11 P.M. P.T. Three weeks ago, in his first town hall appearance of the campaign, Trump chose CNN as the platform. The reviews of that 70-minute show were decidedly mixed, with both the rest of the MSM and fans of Trump dumping on the beleaguered channel. The ratings for CNN's town hall with Trump, with about 3.3 million total viewers, were well below the average number of viewers who watched Donald Trump in his five town halls on FOX News in 2020 and 2021, which ranged from 3.5 to 5.1 million viewers each. President Trump can be expected to get more viewers than CNN tonight on FOX News. Notwithstanding the universal criticisms of CNN's Trump town hall production, its host, Kaitlan Collins, was rewarded with a promotion to her own prime-time program weeknights from 9 to 10 P.M. E.T., scheduled to debut later this month. The 9 P.M. E.T. hour on CNN has lacked a permanent host since CNN's number-one prime-time host, Chris Cuomo, left the channel in December 2021. (Cuomo now hosts a prime-time show on the NewsNation channel.) Tonight, FOX News's venerable host, Sean Hannity, a longtime friend and supporter of Trump, can be expected to give the former president a warm welcome, perhaps modified somewhat by questions from the audience. Having attended a number of presidential candidate broadcast "town halls" since the 1970s, I have observed that most of the audience questions are known and approved in advance by the programs' producers. This week marked the first time since Florida governor Ron DeSantis declared his candidacy on May 24 that both he and Donald Trump were in the same state, Iowa, at the same time, getting closer to the grassroots. Iowa is of major importance to the still-growing, large field of aspirants for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Since 1972, the Iowa caucuses have been the first test of voters' preferences in the lead-up to the November elections. The caucuses will take place next January, but the exact date "may not be firmly set for months," according to the Des Moines Register. Historically, New Hampshire has held the first primary election, although as a favor to President Biden, the Democratic National Committee pushed South Carolina, a state deemed reliably friendly to the incumbent president, ahead as the Democrats' first primary state next year. I will provide a quick review of FOX News's town hall with President Trump on Friday at American Thinker, along with links to the video. Peter Barry Chowka is a veteran journalist who has covered national politics, including a number of presidential races starting in 1972, and the politics and economics of health care, popular culture, and media for over five decades. His web page with links to his work is http://peter.media. Peter's extensive American Thinker archive: http://tinyurl.com/pcathinker. Follow Peter on Twitter at @pchowka. Talk about a bureaucrat from the underworld. According to the Democrat governor who hired her, there were "concerns" with Dr. Karen Johnson's professional performance, so he had to let her go but the details of Johnson's firing make for a spicy spectacle. ("Concerns" doesn't quite fit; "nightmare" seems more appropriate.) In 2020 and under Governor Jay Inslee, Washington State established the brand new Office of Equity (OOE), and in March 2021, Inslee appointed the bureau's first director, Dr. Karen Johnson. After two tumultuous years, Inslee's office fired Johnson sometime around mid-May, and according to one local news outlet, the reasons were budget issues and "high vacancy rates and turnover." However, her firing also came amid a host of (rather ironic) investigative findings. From the Seattle Times: Investigators found Johnson micromanaged and made unreasonable requests to employees, 'was disorganized and lacked adequate structure and process,' 'made inappropriate or insensitive comments to some staff members,' and publicly criticized some workers. The investigation, spurred by claims of Johnson's inappropriate workplace behavior by 'multiple individuals' working in the Office of Financial Management and the Office of Equity, was conducted by MFR Law Group, of Mill Creek. Did I mention that Dr. Johnson is a black woman? Can somebody say "diversity hire"? Less than a week ago, the state published that final report (which began in November 2022) on Johnson and the allegations made against her. Now, I know you'll never believe this, but the very person hired to promote diversity and inclusion seems to hold seriously bigoted views, particularly against certain minorities. From the document: One individual (White) described an incident they perceived to be evidence of bias against Mexicans. During a group discussion, Dr. Johnson said of a staff member who self-identified as Mexican, 'This may take some time for me because I generally distrust Mexican people. Mexican people have the option of being White when it is convenient for them.' Yikes, that's a big oof. The report also asserted that Johnson had reprimanded women in the workplace for failing to wear makeup and chided a "White" staffer for wearing her hair in a braid, accusing the woman of "cultural appropriation." Another outlet reported: According to the investigation, the OOE had an overall attrition rate of 29% since it was created in March 2021. Five employees resigned between 2022 and 2023, and all of them cited Johnson's 'chaotic, overburdened, and disrespectful workplace culture.' In a predictable turn of events, Johnson is apparently considering "legal action," as she claims she was fired for "pushing for accountability at state agencies." Huh, imagine that... Two of my favorite 20th-century thinkers are Dr. Thomas Sowell and Dr. Walter E. Williams (both of whom just happen to be black, like Ms. Johnson), and I believe that it was one of them who, at one point, scrutinized affirmative action in one particular way: the policy is actually more detrimental to the black worker, as white employers are less inclined to hire them. Why? Well, for the exact reason shown above by Dr. Johnson in the event a white employer needs to fire a black employee for entirely legitimate reasons, the employee may just cry "racism!" As Johnson noted: No Black person in their right mind ... wants to be leading this kind of work, convincing [W]hite people they want to do something they have no intention of doing[.] Ah yes, the ol' trusty "race card"! Prior to her very brief tenure as the OOE director, Johnson was the first "Equity & Inclusion Administrator" for the state's prison industrial complex, and her staff biography read, "Dr. Johnson ... teaches weekend intensives on implicit bias and dismantling racism in the public sector." Another oof. Why are these Democrats so bad at governing? A job position that exists to forcibly compel equal outcomes by crippling high achievers is only going to draw a candidate with lax ethics. Does someone maybe want to tell Mr. Inslee that hiring people based on the color of their skin or their "gender identity"/chromosomal makeup rather than the content of their character is a crap shoot? Image: YouTube video screen grab. In 1906, Robert Peary had just returned from an unsuccessful trip to the Arctic. The veteran explorer had hoped to reach the North Pole, but bad weather and dwindling supplies forced him to turn back when he was within 175 miles of his target. Back home, Peary immediately began planning for his next expedition. But before he could do that, he had to find benefactors who would support his expedition financially. Pearys 1906 expedition was partially funded by American businessman George Crocker who gifted $50,000 for the trip. Hoping to extract another healthy contribution from Crocker, Peary decided to name a previously undiscovered island after him. The alleged island was spotted by Peary about 130 miles northwest of Cape Thomas Hubbard, one of the most northerly parts of Canada. Peary mentioned the island briefly in his 1907 book Nearest the Pole, where he claimed to have seen the faint white summits of a distant land from the summit of Cape Colgate, about 2,000 feet above sea level. Map showing the approximate location of Crocker Land. Credit: Brom Bones Books If anyone had cared to inspect Pearys journals then, Pearys claims could have been challenged. On the same date Peary claimed to have made the discovery, the conning explorer had jotted down in his diary No land visible. Decades later, people continue to argue whether Peary's Crocker Land was an innocent mistake caused by a mirage or a deliberate ploy to swindle money out of the businessman. According to some, from the vast distance that Peary reported to have seen the land, it would have been impossible to tell whether the supposed land was a large peninsula, or an island unless the sightings were extremely definite, which only made the lie starker because of the precision with which Peary made the statement. In any case, the efforts went in vain because after the San Franciscos earthquake in 1906, Crockers finances were in shreds and he was unable to spare any amount for any exploration. However, Peary was able to secure funding from the National Geographic Society enabling him to make another attempt to the North Pole. This time, by his own account, he succeeded and on April 6, 1909, he stood on the top of the planet. Robert Peary When Peary returned home, he discovered that Frederick Cook, a surgeon who served Peary on his 1891 North Greenland expedition, was claiming that he had been the first to reach the pole a full year earlier. Peary, who craved for fame at any cost, was distraught. His supporters attacked Cook and sought to discredit the doctor. As debate over the two men's claims raged, Crocker Land became part of the dispute. Cook claimed that on his way to the North Pole, he had traversed the region where Crocker Island was supposed to be but found no such land. One of Pearys backers, Donald Baxter MacMillan, proposed that they go looking for Crocker Land. If the island could be proved to exist, it would vindicate Peary and destroy Cooks reputation for ever. After receiving backing from the American Museum of Natural History, the American Geographical Society and the University of Illinois' Museum of Natural History, the Crocker Land Expedition left Brooklyn Navy Yard in July 1913. The expedition consisted of, apart from MacMillan himself, five other members carefully selected for their expertise in various fields of science. Minik Wallace, the Inuk famously brought to the United States as a child by Robert Peary in 1897, acted as the guide and translator for the expedition. Members of the Crocker Land Expedition. Credit: Wikimedia Hardly two weeks had passed when the ship, the Diana, crashed on the rocks along the Labrador coast by her drunken captain. So the expedition transferred to another ship, the Erik, and continued north, finally reaching northwest Greenland in mid-August. There, the men set up their headquarters with the aid of the local Eskimos, erecting a 35 foot by 35 foot building with eight rooms, an attic for storage, and electricity. After making a number of preliminary trips to place supply caches along the route, MacMillan, Walter Elmer Ekblaw, Fitzhugh Green and seven Inuit set off on the 1,200-mile journey in search of Crocker Land by sled across the frozen land. Ekblaw was the first to turn back. After climbing the Beitstadt Glacier, which took them three days, temperature dropped dramatically and Ekblaw suffered severe frostbite. He returned to the headquarters. One by one, the rest of the party members also turned back. By the time the expedition reached the edge of the Arctic Ocean only MacMillan, Green and two Inuit, Piugaattoq and Ittukusuk, remained. The team sledged across the treacherous sea ice for ten days, until, on a clear morning, Green and MacMillan spotted an immense land on the northwestern horizon. Great heavens! what a land! Hills, valleys, snow-capped peaks extending through at least one hundred and twenty degrees of the horizon, wrote MacMillan in his 1918 book, Four Years in the White North. Route of the Crocker Land Expedition. Credit: Brom Bones Books Excitedly, MacMillan called Piugaattoq, an Inuit hunter with 20 years of experience of the area, and pointed the land to him. Piugaattoq studied the landmass for a few moments and replied, to the stunned MacMillan, that the land was a mirage, a pook-jok. Regardless, the small party pressed onward for five more days, until it became clear that the Inuit was right, and what they saw was an illusion called Fata Morgana that makes ships appear floating in the air and non-existent land appear suddenly before ones eyes. My dreams of the last four years were merely dreams; my hopes had ended in bitter disappointment, MacMillan later wrote. With Crocker Land proved to be a myth, the four explorers began their return journey to the headquarters at Etah. After crossing the sea icewhich they did just in time for the ice began to break as soon as they had stepped on solid landMacMillan sent Piugaattoq and Green to explore a route to the west. The two ran into a storm during which one of the dog teams perished. Green and Piugaattoq began to squabble over which direction to take. When Piugaattoq tried to sneak away with the remaining dogs, Green shot and killed Piugaattoq. Ekblaw would later remark that the murder of Piugaattoq was one of the darkest and most deplorable tragedies in the annals of Arctic exploration. Expedition member Hendrik Olsen with a loaded sledge on the ice of Foiilke Fjord in front of the headquarters. Credit: Wikimedia The remaining members attempted to head home, but the Arctic weather was treacherous and it took them three years and three rescue attempts before all of them could return home. Trapped in ice, the expedition made good use of their time by documenting the culture of the indigenous peoples and studying the natural habitat of the region. The expedition returned with thousands of photographs and hundreds of artifacts, some of which are now displayed in University of Illinois' Spurlock Museum, and at the PearyMacMillan Arctic Museum on the grounds of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. Ironically, back in 1818, exactly one century before, John Ross, a Scottish rear admiral and Arctic explorer, was in search of the elusive Northwest Passage, situated approximately 350 miles south of Etah. However, he decided to turn back upon catching sight of an enormous mountain in the distance. He gave it the name Crokers Mountains, to honor the First Secretary to the Admiralty at the time, John Wilson Croker. As it happened, Crokers Mountains too was a mirage. References: # Fate of the Crocker Land Expedition, Natural History Mag # Crocker Land: The Legendary Arctic Island That Didn't Actually Exist, Mental Floss # Dennis Rawlins: Contributions, DIOI.org This photo shows the building of The Supreme Court of Korea. Korea Times file The Supreme Court on Thursday finalized a ruling in favor of the foreign ministry's decision not to disclose the minutes of the 2015 Seoul-Tokyo agreement on resolving issues from Japan's wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women. The agreement sought to address bilateral diplomatic issues from the World War II sexual enslavement by Japan and a Tokyo-funded foundation was established to support victims. A lawyer in 2016 filed a suit against the Korean foreign minister, demanding the disclosure of the minutes of the bilateral negotiations leading to the agreement. The minutes were about negotiations concerning whether Japan acknowledges the direct involvement of its military and government in mobilizing victims. A district court had initially ruled in favor of the lawyer and ordered the disclosure of the documents, saying the national interest to be protected by keeping them secret is not greater than the public interest and the satisfaction of the people's right to know to be gained when they are made public. An appellate court, however, reversed the first court ruling on the reasoning that the Korea-Japan diplomatic relationship could take a blow if the documents are released. The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the appellate court ruling and dismissed the lawyer's appeal. (Yonhap) The April 2023 patch is now available for Chromecast with Google TV, 9to5google reports. As the streaming market is growing, Google is also putting more focus on its streaming devices to prepare them for the competition. Industry experts predicted that the video streaming market could hit $416.84 Billion by 2030 (via Bloomberg). Google already revealed that over 150 million monthly active devices are running on Google TV and Android TV. Last month, the tech giant promised an update for Chromecast that brings app hibernation. The feature could free up storage on your device by archiving inactive apps. Google also claimed the size of Google TV apps is reduced by 25% through using Android App Bundles. Chromecast with Google TV is now getting an April 2023 patch to become even better and offer a smooth user experience. The update package is dubbed STTE.230319.008.R1 and weighs 140MB. The Chromecast with Google TV 4K is about to get the update, but the HD model might also be eligible for it. So if you have an HD TV, keep your eyed on the available updates. Advertisement Chromecast with Google TV is getting its April 2023 patch According to the changelog entries, the April 2023 patch fixes some bugs and brings performance improvements to Chromecast with Google TV. Additionally, it updates the Android security patch to Apr 2023. The April 2023 update is now available for eligible devices. If you want to check if its rolled out to your device, follow Settings > System > About > System update. Googles timeline for releasing patches for Chromecast is somehow weird. Back in early April, the company rolled out a second January 2023 security patch for Chromecast with Google TV 4K and HD. That package also brought minor performance improvements and an updated Android security patch level. While the Chromecast with Google TV users continues to get updates, Google has just announced the first-generation Chromecast will no longer get any updates. The device was first introduced in 2023 and continued to get updates from the company for almost a decade. We all know that Samsung makes a ton of phones every year, and there are so many different series of phones. If youre outside of India, you may be unfamiliar with the Galaxy F series, but there are phones out there with that branding. According to Sam Mobile, the Samsung Galaxy F54 5G is the first phone in this series to receive four major Android OS upgrades. Last year, Samsung announced that it was going to support its phones for longer than other Android manufacturers (even Google). This involves major four Android OS upgrades along with five years of security updates. Phones launched before that time will not benefit from this new schedule. The Galaxy F54 5G is the first phone in this series to receive four major Android OS upgrades Samsung announced that several of its phones will receive four years of upgrades, but none of them sported the F series brand. This brand line primarily exists in the Indian market, and they cater more toward budget users. Regardless, they still sport the Samsung design aesthetic with the camera sensors jutting from the phone individually. The Galaxy F54 5G has been leaked over the past several weeks, got word that it will receive four major Android operating system updates. This phone could launch in early June, which means that it will hit the market with Android 13 out of the box. So, the Galaxy F54 5G will get Android updates up until Android 17 (or Android X). Advertisement As for this phones specs, the Galaxy F54 5G may have a 6.5-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Powering it could be a Samsung-made Exynos 1380 SoC backed up by 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. For the camera package, were looking at a 108-megapixel primary camera with an 8-megapixel ultrawide camera and a 2-megapixel macro camera. Up front, were looking at a 32-megapixel selfie camera. As for the battery, this phone could have a massive 6,000mAh battery. Thats 20% larger than the battery in the Galaxy s23 Ultra. So, battery life should not be an issue with this phone. The Galaxy F54 5G may launch in the Indian market for INR $35,999 (roughly $435). If youre thinking of getting this phone, keep an eye out for it. Google is removing Assistant integration with third-party lists and notes apps. Youll soon lose the ability to take notes or create lists over Google Assistant voice commands on apps like Any.do, AnyList, and Bring. The company is taking away this convenience on June 20. Third-party lists and notes apps are losing Google Assistant integration Google has been distancing Assistant away from third-party products and services recently. In June last year, the company announced that it will end support for third-party voice experiences on smart displays and speakers in a years time. The move effectively kills Assistant voice apps and games for the Nest Hub and other similar products. As the June 20 deadline approaches, we now know another casualty of this deprecation. Google says on a support page that notes or lists created with Google Assistant using a non-Google list service wont be available after June 20th, 2023. AnyList also recently sent an email to users notifying them about this impending shutdown. The notification states that users will not be able to add items to the app over Google Assistant voice commands. We know many of our customers rely on AnyLists integration with Google Assistant and that the loss of this feature is frustrating and disappointing, AnyList co-founders Jason Marr and Jeff Hunter wrote in a blog post. We are continuing to communicate with Google and hope to be able to support Google Assistant on Android devices again in the future, but we dont have anything to announce at this time. Advertisement This deprecation is because of Google ending support for the Conversational Actions platform that enabled third-party apps to integrate with Assistant. The same platform powered Assistant voice apps and games as well. The company wants developers to add voice command capabilities to their apps rather than relying on integration. Perhaps thats what Jason and Jeff were referring to when they said they hope to be able to support Google Assistant on AnyList again in the future. These apps still work with Siri or Alexa voice assistants Its worth noting that AnyList, as well as other impacted third-party lists and notes apps, still work with other voice assistants like Apple Siri and Amazon Alexa. Of course, the former is not available for Android users, but the latter is. Meanwhile, this change doesnt affect Googles in-house note-taking app, Google Keep. The company confirmed to 9to5Google that the app will continue to function the same way as before. You can download it here. Samsung has begun preparations for the Android 14-based One UI 6.0 update for Galaxy devices. It is updating some of its first-party apps in anticipation of the impending One UI 6.0 release. The company is expected to begin public beta testing of the new One UI version in July or August. Samsung seems to be updating some apps ahead of the Android 14 beta release Twitter user @tarunvats33 recently shared a cropped screenshot allegedly showing an update for Samsungs Calculator app that comes pre-installed on most Galaxy devices. The whats new section states that the app is gaining One UI 6.x support, which naturally brings Android 14 support as well. This indicates that the company is nearing the first public beta release of the big Android update. But as pointed out by SamMobile, there are a couple of things to note here. Firstly, the alleged update for the Calculator app doesnt seem to be available widely. The publication checked on all the devices in the office and didnt find an update on any of them. Its missing on a few Samsung devices we use here at Android Headlines as well. Its unusual for Samsung to roll out such a limited update for its apps. Moreover, the changelog also says that Calculator is gaining a data unit converter, such as kilobytes to megabytes. But the app has had this capability for some time now. This is a bit odd too. That said, it isnt entirely unlikely for Samsung to be updating the Calculator app in anticipation of Android 14. It has done so in the past as well. The update may have come a little too early, though. Perhaps that could explain a limited rollout. The first beta build of One UI 6.0 probably wont go live before July. Samsung released the first One UI 5.0 beta update in early August last year, while One UI 4.0 beta began in mid-September the year before. We will let you know when it officially announced the One UI 6.0 beta program for Galaxy devices. Advertisement The Galaxy S23 series should lead the line for beta updates Samsung should first release the Android 14-based One UI 6.0 beta update for the Galaxy S23 series. It has already begun internal testing of the big update for its latest flagships. The company is also testing the new One UI version for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 foldables internally. If you use any of these Galaxy devices, watch out for a notification on the Samsung Members app. Stay tuned to Android Headlines for all the latest information about Samsungs One UI 6.0 beta program. Motorola has had a rocky few years under Lenovos ownership. But in the past year or so, Motorola has really changed its approach, at least in the US. Motorola has really been focusing on the prepaid market, and cheaper phones. Say, phones under $700. Which is not a saturated market at all, but a big market. That has helped Motorola to become the third largest smartphone OEM in North America. That equates to about 24% of the market share in North America. Now, a big part of this is, LG leaving the smartphone market back in 2020. As well as the ban on Huawei, which is also keeping other Chinese brands out of the US. Though this does put Motorola above the Google Pixel for now. Thats pretty incredible for Motorola, a brand that many thought was all-but dead just a few years ago. And its continuing to push further for more market share. Now having phones in just about every price range from the Moto G, Moto Edge and now the Moto Razr lines. Motorola is the second largest prepaid brand When it comes to prepaid, Motorola is the second largest smartphone maker. Likely behind Samsung. That doesnt sound like a big deal. Since prepaid phones typically have a smaller profit margin and definitely are cheaper. But this does help Motorolas brand. It helps put their name front-and-center, and of course, Motorola has been around forever, so its a name that everyone knows. And thats going to help bring their market share up even more. Advertisement Motorola is also touting being the second largest Android brand in North America. Behind, of course, Samsung. This is good news for Motorola, but it also shows us that the US really needs more competition with phones. Were basically down to four OEMs, which includes Apple, Samsung, Motorola and Google Pixel. Good for Motorola, and maybe they can overtake Samsung in the near future. Atlanta-based dental insurer MCNA (Managed Care of North America) Dental has suffered a massive ransomware attack, compromising the sensitive personal and medical data of nearly nine million people. The company recently revealed that an intruder gained access to its systems between February 26 and March 7, 2023. They could see and take copies of various sorts of information about MCNA Dentals customers. According to an official notice published on the companys website, the compromised information includes the full name, address, date of birth, phone number, email, Social Security number, and ID (drivers license or other government-issued ID). The intruder could also obtain information about the health insurance (plan details, insurance provider, member number, Medicaid-Medicare ID numbers), details care details (dentist name, doctor name, visits, past care, x-rays, photos, medicines, treatment), and bills and insurance claims. Some of the stolen information was for a parent, guardian, or guarantor, who is the person who paid the bill. This suggests that some children were also affected. Overall, this data breach compromised the data of more than 8.9 million people. The company learned about this breach on May 3, more than two months after the intruder first gained unauthorized access to the systems. MCNA Dental has since launched an investigation and also notified affected customers via letters sent to their mailing addresses. Russian ransomware group LockBit breached the MCNA Dental servers While MCNA Dental didnt explicitly say it was a ransomware attack or revealed the identity of perpetrators, Techcrunch reports that the Russian ransomware group LockBit has taken responsibility for it. The group reportedly demanded a $10 million ransom from the company, which it refused to pay. The attackers have now published all of the stolen information on the dark web. The publication has seen a listing on LockBits dark web leak site, which suggests that the ransomware gang stole 700GB of data during this breach. Advertisement The samples provided on the site confirm that the leaked data includes sensitive information about MCNA Dental customers. This poses a serious threat of identity theft to affected people. The company is offering one year of free identity theft protection to them. But if you have been a customer of MCNA Dental, you might want to stay vigilant and keep an eye on your bank accounts. Do not respond to calls, messages, or emails that look suspicious. If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach MCNA Dental on the toll-free number at 1-888-220-5006. The multinational anti-proliferation naval drills held in waters off South Korea's southern Jeju Island is seen in this May 31 photo. Yonhap North Korea condemned anti-proliferation drills in South Korea on Thursday, saying it will regard any attempt by Washington and Seoul to impose a "hostile blockade" on it as a declaration of war against Pyongyang. Kim Son-gyong, vice foreign minister of the North, issued a statement criticizing the latest multinational maritime drills aimed at preventing the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), hosted by South Korea the previous day. Citing the scale of forces and equipment involved in the drills, Kim said South Korea and the U.S. have made "far-fetched" assertions that the exercise was held for the purpose of defense and non-proliferation. "It is quite clear that they are extremely dangerous military exercises ...for perfecting the overall embargo on the export and preparations for preemptive attack on a specified state in contingency," Kim said in an English-language statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency. The North has long decried combined military drills by the South and the U.S. as rehearsals for an invasion against it, and used them as a pretext to test its weapons systems. "If the U.S. and its vassal forces attempt to impose any hostile blockade on the DPRK or infringe upon our inviolable sovereignty even a bit, the armed forces of the DPRK will regard it as a declaration of war against it," he warned. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name. The Eastern Endeavor 23 drills were held in waters off the southern island of Jeju under the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), involving WMD counter-proliferation activities, including on-board search operations. (Yonhap) An anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist has been found guilty of plotting to destroy 5G masts after subscribing to an ideology that they were linked to the Covid-19 vaccine. Christine Grayson discussed getting rid of the mobile phone masts with expanding foam and angle grinders during regular discussions online, a court heard. The 59-year-old was found guilty of conspiracy to commit criminal damage by a jury at Leeds Crown Court. Her co-defendant Darren Reynolds, 60, was cleared of the same charge but convicted of eight terrorist offences. Darren Reynolds was convicted of eight terrorist offences (Counter Terrorism Policing North East/PA) Jurors found him guilty of encouraging terrorism with online comments including calling for MPs to be killed. Reynolds was also convicted of disseminating a terrorist publication by sharing a link to the neo-Nazi White Alexandrias Library. He was found guilty of six offences of possessing material likely to be useful to a person committing an act of terrorism, including a manual on how to build a .50 Browning calibre single shot rifle, and a document called How To Become An Assassin. Opening the case to jurors in April, prosecutor Tom Storey said the defendants knew each other through the social media platform Telegram, which both were regular users of between 2020 and 2022. They subscribed to an antiauthoritarian ideology which involved conspiracy theories, jurors heard. Reynolds discussed armed uprisings and advocated violence towards people he called traitors, also going further and posting extreme right-wing, antisemitic and racist views, Mr Storey said. A crossbow and crossbow bolts found at the home of Christine Grayson (Counter Terrorism Policing North East/PA) When police searched their addresses they found a crossbow and a number of crossbow bolts at Graysons home, while at Reynolds they discovered two replica assault rifles. The police also found copies of documents about how to use assault rifles or manufacture explosive devices on some of Reynolds electronic devices. The court heard both defendants were strongly opposed to the rollout of the 5G network, and regarded 5G masts as pieces of enemy infrastructure. Grayson said she needed a sabotage team to get rid of these 5G bloody near me in a Telegram exchange on August 7 2021. Jurors were told Reynolds openly discussed the use of violence against people he labelled traitors, particularly Members of Parliament. On June 29 2021 he posted: Storm parliament and the Lords, drag them ALL outside and hang them ALL on the spot for treason, sedition insurgency, attempted genocide and crimes against the peoples of Great Britain, the court heard. A replica assault rifle found at the home of Darren Reynolds (Counter Terrorism Policing North/PA) Reynolds described murdered MP Sir David Amess as a traitor and reacted with approval to another users view that Thomas Mair had rightly executed the murdered MP Jo Cox because of her alleged treason. The court heard that in one police interview, Reynolds asked officers: Do I look like a terrorist to you? He then said that terrorists were usually Arabs, or Irish from the 70s. Grayson, of Boothwood Road, York, was convicted of one offence of conspiracy to commit criminal damage and cleared of one charge of encouraging terrorism. Reynolds, of Newbould Crescent, Sheffield, was found guilty of one count of encouraging terrorism, one of disseminating a terrorist publication and six of possessing material likely to be useful to a person committing an act of terrorism. He was cleared of conspiracy to commit criminal damage and two counts of disseminating a terrorist publication. Judge Guy Kearl KC remanded both into custody to be sentenced at the same court on June 5. US actor Armie Hammer says he is very grateful to the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office, following its decision not to charge him over allegations of sexual assault. The 36-year-old said he was looking forward to beginning what will be a long, difficult process of putting my life back together now that his name had been cleared. Hammer faced a series of damaging accusations over explicit messages he allegedly sent on social media and an accusation of rape by a woman in Los Angeles in March 2021. The actor, known for films including Call Me By Your Name and The Social Network, had denied all criminal allegations against him. On Wednesday the DAs office said prosecutors had conducted an extremely thorough review into the allegations, but that there was insufficient evidence to charge Hammer. Tiffiny Blacknell, director of the bureau of communications, said: Sexual assault cases are often difficult to prove, which is why we assign our most experienced prosecutors to review them. In this case, those prosecutors conducted an extremely thorough review, but determined that at this time, there is insufficient evidence to charge Mr Hammer with a crime. Armie Hammer (Ian West/PA) She continued: As prosecutors, we have an ethical responsibility to only charge cases that we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt. We know that it is hard for women to report sexual assault. Even when we cannot move forward with a prosecution, our victim service representatives will be available to those who seek our victim support services. Due to the complexity of the relationship and inability to prove a non-consensual, forcible sexual encounter we are unable to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. In his own post on Instagram following the announcement, Hammer wrote: I am very grateful to the District Attorney for conducting a thorough investigation and coming to the conclusion that I have stood by this entire time, that no crime was committed. I look forward to beginning what will be a long, difficult process of putting my life back together now that my name is cleared. In the caption he added: I would like to say a very special thank you to all of the people who have helped me get through this time. Onwards and upwards. Following the initial allegation controversy, Hammer stepped down from his starring role opposite Jennifer Lopez in comedy film Shotgun Wedding, and was replaced by Miles Teller in the TV series The Offer, a drama about the making of The Godfather. Earlier this year, he broke his two-year silence on the situation, revealing he had considered taking his own life in the aftermath of the allegations. In the interview, given to digital newsletter Air Mail, he claimed he would not undo the past two years and that he was grateful for everything thats happened to me. Im now a healthier, happier, more balanced person. Im able to be there for my kids in a way I never was, he said. Hammer married US TV personality Elizabeth Chambers in May 2010 and the pair share two children. In September, a three-part Discovery+ series titled House Of Hammer, produced by the actors aunt Casey Hammer, showed on-camera interviews with two of Hammers alleged victims in which they detailed some of their alleged abuse. FILE - Ben Roberts-Smith arrives at the Federal Court in Sydney, on June 9, 2021. Australias most decorated living war veteran, Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith, committed a slew of war crimes while in Afghanistan including the unlawful killings of unarmed prisoners, a judge ruled on Thursday, June 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) SYDNEY (AP) Australias most decorated living war veteran unlawfully killed prisoners and committed other war crimes in Afghanistan, a judge ruled Thursday in dismissing the claims by Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith that he was defamed by media. Federal Court judge Anthony Besanko ruled that the articles published in 2018 were substantially true about a number of war crimes committed by Roberts-Smith, a former Special Air Service Regiment corporal who now is a media company executive. These allegations included that Roberts-Smith, who was also awarded the Medal of Gallantry for his Afghan war service, killed a prisoner who had a prosthetic leg by firing a machine gun into the man's back in 2009. He kept the man's prosthetic as a novelty beer drinking vessel. The accusations also included Roberts-Smith had kicked an unarmed, handcuffed farmer off a cliff into a riverbed where an SAS colleague shot the farmer dead in 2012. Reports of domestic violence allegedly committed by Roberts-Smith were found to be unproven and defamatory. But the judge found this would not have further damaged the veterans reputation. Roberts-Smith had made claims of defamation against The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times over their articles. His lawyer Arthur Moses asked for 42 days to consider lodging an appeal to the Full Bench of the Federal Court. Roberts-Smiths legal costs have been underwritten by billionaire Kerry Stokes, executive chairman of Seven West Media where Roberts-Smith is employed. Roberts-Smith is one of several Australian military personnel under investigation from Australian Federal Police for alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. The first criminal charge for an alleged illegal killing in Afghanistan was made in March. Former SAS trooper Oliver Schulz was charged with the war crime of murder in the death of an Afghan who was shot in 2012 in a wheat field in Uruzgan province. British Airways has been fined almost 1 million by the US government over claims it failed to pay refunds for cancelled flights. The US Transportation Department said in a legal document the airline did not provide timely refunds to passengers for abandoned or rescheduled flights to and from the country during the coronavirus pandemic. British Airways said it had acted lawfully at all times after being hit with the 1.1 million US dollar (878,000) fine on Thursday, and refuted the claims. A consent order from the department read: From March to November 2020, British Airways website instructed consumers to contact the carrier via phone to discuss refund options, including for flights the carrier cancelled or significantly changed. However, consumers were unable to get through to customer service agents when calling the carrier for several months during this period because British Airways failed to maintain adequate functionality of its customer service phone lines. There was also no way to submit a refund request through the carriers website during this period. Also, from March to November 2020, British Airways had misleading information on its website which led consumers to inadvertently request travel vouchers instead of refunds. Since March 2020, the Department has received over 1,200 complaints alleging that British Airways failed to provide timely refunds after cancelling or significantly changing consumers flights to or from the United States. British Airways has received thousands more complaints and refund requests directly from consumers. British Airways failure to establish, for several months, a readily accessible method for consumers to request refunds for flights the carrier cancelled or significantly changed caused significant challenges and delays in thousands of consumers receiving required refunds. The department said the fine establishes a strong deterrent to future similar unlawful practices. British Airways is being credited just under 500,000 towards the penalty because in 2020 and 2021 it paid more than 40 million US dollars in refunds to customers with non-refundable tickets. The airline said: Were very sorry that at the height of the unprecedented pandemic when we were unfortunately forced to cancel thousands of flights and close some call centres due to government restrictions our customers experienced slightly longer wait times to reach customer service teams. During this period, we acted lawfully at all times and offered customers the flexibility of rebooking travel on different dates, or claiming a refund if their flights were cancelled. To date, we have issued more than five million refunds since the start of the pandemic. The King is facing a call to apologise for the way LGBT+ people were treated by the armed forces prior to the ban on their service being lifted in 2000. Campaigners are calling for greater compensation and recognition ahead of the publication of a Government-commissioned independent review. LGBT+ forces charity Fighting With Pride and others are calling for the Prime Minister to issue a formal apology on behalf of the Government. Duncan Lustig-Prean, 64, who was an officer in the Royal Navy but was dismissed when his superiors found out, and whose case played an instrumental role in overturning the ban, said the time is right for an apology from the monarch. He was speaking to the PA news agency about his inclusion in a Sky documentary, called Forced Out, which tells the story of LGBT+ veterans experiences in the armed forces prior to 2000, and how key campaigners fought the Government to have the ban overturned, and how it has impacted their lives since. Mr Lustig-Prean told PA: While there have been individual apologies from service chiefs, from individual junior ministers, I want to see the Prime Minister apologise on behalf of the Government. And frankly I think the time is right although its a difficult precedent for them to set for the commander-in-chief himself, His Majesty, to apologise as the monarch, our commander-in-chief. After all, these were people who were prepared to give their lives for him and were treated in that way. He added: It must be made clear that this historic wrong was an injustice, and that His Majesty recognises that these people had sworn their oath to him, to give their lives for him, in the service of their nation, his nation, and that deserves his apology in the light of a more modern society. Mr Lustig-Prean, who gave more than 15 years of service to the armed forces before his dismissal based on his sexual orientation in 1995, said he received significant compensation, of around 119,000, when his case was finally settled in 1999. But he said he wants to see compensation for those who are yet to receive any, and for some to have their original settlements revisited. Mr Lustig-Prean said: There are a whole load of people who remain damaged, who have received nothing. And when you get it so wrong when as a recent service chief commented that this stain on the history of our nation was allowed to continue and defended by the ministers and the services you also need to say sorry for it, you got it wrong. Elaine Chambers, 62, co-founded the campaigning and support group Rank Outsiders in response to her own experience of being forced to resign from her role as a nurse in the armed forces when they found out she was a lesbian. After a lengthy legal battle, she said she received 63,000 in compensation in 2009, but had to give 18,000 to her solicitors. After 14 years of legal battle I had built up debts of nearly that amount. So I ended up with very, very little, she told PA. She wants the review to lead to the Government providing additional compensation for the loss of her career, saying: Ive got to be brutally honest about it. I need and want some form of financial recompense. And I would like to have an Army pension, because I did serve Queen and country voluntarily and I was doing a blooming good job at it, and would have stayed on and would have carried on to fulfil my obligations had I been allowed. Stonewalls director of communications and external affairs, Robbie de Santos, said: For too long LGBTQ+ people in the armed forces were forced to hide who they were or face humiliating inhumane treatment. We must never forget the injustices that LGBTQ+ veterans faced for simply being themselves and urge the Prime Minister to commit to ensure they are fairly compensated for their hardship and for him to personally issue a sincere and genuine apology on behalf of the nation. This must also be backed up by a commitment to ensuring that LGBTQ+ veterans, and their families, are properly supported by existing services. LGBT forces charity Fighting With Prides executive chair Craig Jones and chief executive Caroline Paige said in a joint statement: Veterans continue to live with the devastating impact to this day. An apology from the Prime Minister is a start, a sincere acknowledgement of thousands of lives wrecked when theyd simply wanted to serve their country. They added: Words alone, whoever theyre from, dont heal the wounds caused by fear, shame and brutal treatment because of a soldier, sailor or aviators sexual orientation or gender identity. Proper compensation, wiping unjust criminal records and payment for lost pensions are urgently needed. Weve waited too long. A Government spokesperson said: We are proud of our LGBT+ veterans and grateful for their service in defence of our nation. We can confirm that Lord Etherton has concluded his independent review and submitted his report to the Government. In line with the terms of reference we will carefully consider the findings and respond in due course. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: His Majesty continues to express his support and thanks to all members of the Armed Forces, in his new role as Commander-in-Chief. Forced Out is on Sky Documentaries and NOW from June 8. Climate effects are exacerbating long-term wealth inequality with poorer UK households more vulnerable to temperature shocks and air pollution and flooding, a study has found. Rising temperatures have been found to have statistically significant impacts on all measures of wealth inequality in the long term with this being particularly noticeable between the wealthiest 10% and the poorest 10%. The researchers, from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and institutions from South Africa and Germany, used wealth inequality data from the Office of National Statistics and monthly temperature data from the Met Office. They compared them between the period 2006-2018 and using the year-on-year temperature rise as a measure of climate risk. They used this to gauge the impact of temperature changes and climate shocks, such as extreme heat, between richer and poorer households and found them to have the strongest effect against poorer households because they have less resources to recover and adapt. Climate effects are more pronounced for poorer households in high-climate-risk areas, where exposure to heatstroke or climate-related illnesses are more common, or where droughts and floods can affect food security. Although rich households are not immune to climate change, they are more able to diversify their resources, the researchers said. The study also found that wealth inequality increases significantly between the 20% and 10% richest households compared to those of median wealth, while inequality is reduced between the average household and the poorest. Ways suggested to reduce the widening inequality include providing homes with better insulation to help poorer people cut energy costs and redistributing revenue generated from carbon taxes while mitigating the effects of extreme heat, floods and other climate risks. Lead author Dr Xin Sheng of ARU said: Even within higher-income countries, poorer people can also be more vulnerable to the impact of climate change. The findings highlight the disproportionate increased burden of climate change on households that are already experiencing poverty, particularly households in high-climate risk areas. For example, climate change can pose a serious health threat through food insecurity and increased toxic air pollution. Extreme weather can affect crop production, which can push up food and fuel costs. As such, measures to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change need to be tailored so as not to overburden the poor. A ban on all conversion therapy with no loopholes must be introduced urgently after years of delays and U-turns, a charity has said. The Government first promised to ban conversion practices in 2018. In January, it said it would shortly publish a draft Bill detailing its proposed approach to ban conversion practices on the basis of sexuality and gender identity in England and Wales. At that stage it pledged to ban conversion therapy for everyone including transgender people. Conversion therapy has been the subject of many protests (Yui Mok/PA) The UK Council for Psychotherapy defines conversion therapy as aiming to change a persons sexual orientation or suppress a persons gender identity. When the Government initially announced its consultation into the conversion therapy ban, its universal proposals were intended to protect all LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people. But in March 2022, then-prime minister Boris Johnson dramatically dropped plans for legislation, with a Government spokesman saying at the time that it would look at how the existing law could be applied more effectively and explore other measures. Within hours, a furious backlash forced a hasty retreat and a senior Government source was quoted as saying legislation would be included in the Queens Speech. Mr Johnson was said to have changed his mind after seeing the reaction to the earlier announcement. But he defended the decision not to include trans people, saying there were complexities and sensitivities which needed to be worked through. Critics told the Government to stop making pathetic excuses, protesters took to the streets and so many LGBT+ groups pulled out of the Governments landmark LGBT conference that it had to be cancelled. In January, Michelle Donelan, then-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said ministers recognised the strength of feeling on the issue of harmful conversion practices, adding that it is right the issue is tackled through a dedicated and tailored legislative approach. She said: The Bill will protect everyone, including those targeted on the basis of their sexuality, or being transgender. She described it as a complex area, adding that the legislation must not, through a lack of clarity, harm the growing number of children and young adults experiencing gender related distress, through inadvertently criminalising or chilling legitimate conversations parents or clinicians may have with their children. The British Psychological Society, which also supports a ban, has warned the legislation must make a clear distinction between so-called conversion therapy and normal ethical practice. It added that legislation should not interfere with psychological and medical professionals who are trained and competent in working with trans and gender-questioning young people from engaging in identity exploration or performing clinical assessment of suitability for medical intervention. In anticipation of a Bill being published soon, Stonewall spoke of the five years of delays and U-turns from the Government. The Bill is expected to ban conversion therapy for over-18s who do not consent and who are coerced or forced to undergo the practices. The groups chief executive, Nancy Kelley, warned that the legislation will not be workable and effective and not contain loopholes. She said: We need a comprehensive, enforceable ban on all forms of conversion practices before the legislative clock runs out. Weve had five years of delays and U-turns from the UK Government, and every month that goes by means more LGBTQ+ people abused and exposed to lifelong harm. Weve heard countless stories from people who suffered from conversion therapy in seemingly safe environments such as private prayer and in spiritual practices. When youve been led to believe by your faith leaders people you trust that being LGBTQ+ is wrong, then many do indeed give their consent to the abuse. But it is not meaningful consent. The impact of these abusive practices is always life-changing. It is simple no legislation will be workable and effective if it contains loopholes, whether for consent, religious settings or any other carve-outs. The charity is calling for an effective, comprehensive legal ban, protecting all LGBTQ+ adults and children, in all settings, with no loopholes. It also said targeted support should be provided for survivors of conversion practices as well as guidance for mainstream service providers about identifying and supporting children and adults at risk. Dr Adam Jowett, chair of the British Psychological Societys equality, diversity and inclusion board, said it is right that the Bill is inclusive and protect people of all gender and sexual minorities, including transgender people. He said: It remains crucially important that a ban is implemented as soon as possible, to protect people from the unethical therapies that purport to change or convert sexual orientation or gender identity. Until the Government legislates, people will continue to be subjected to damaging and abusive practices that ruins lives. Its important that people seeking help to explore their sexual orientation or gender identity can continue to have a safe space and the support of trained professionals. Therefore, the new legislation must be crystal clear that it will not stop ethical forms of therapy, which are non-directive and non-judgemental. To avoid professionals concerns about criminalisation, the Government must make a clear distinction between so-called conversion therapy and normal ethical practice. Rishi Sunaks Government could face a legal battle with the Covid-19 public inquiry unless it backs down over a demand to disclose Boris Johnsons private messages and papers. The Cabinet Office has been given until 4pm to hand over diaries, notebooks and a trove of WhatsApp messages or face the threat of a criminal prosecution. The Government had argued that it did not have the messages and notebooks, but Mr Johnson has handed them over to officials and said they should be disclosed putting the Cabinet Office in a difficult position. Retired Court of Appeal judge Baroness Hallett is chairing the public inquiry (UK Parliament/PA) The Cabinet Office has also argued that it should withhold unambiguously irrelevant material, but inquiry chairwoman Baroness Hallett has ruled that everything should be disclosed and she will decide what is or is not necessary for her work. Mr Johnsons decision to publicly confirm he has handed over the material stripping the Cabinet Office of one of its defences and his suggestion that it should be disclosed to the inquiry has heaped pressure on his successors Government. Whitehall officials are concerned about the wider precedent that will be set by handing over swathes of unredacted WhatsApp conversations, with fears that the inquiry will seek similar levels of disclosure from other senior figures including Mr Sunak himself. Mr Johnsons spokesman said on Wednesday: All Boris Johnsons material including WhatsApps and notebooks requested by the Covid inquiry has been handed to the Cabinet Office in full and in unredacted form. Mr Johnson urges the Cabinet Office to urgently disclose it to the inquiry. The Cabinet Office has had access to this material for several months. Mr Johnson would immediately disclose it directly to the inquiry if asked. While Mr Johnson understands the Governments position, and does not seek to contradict it, he is perfectly happy for the inquiry to have access to this material in whatever form it requires. Lady Hallett issued her demand for the material under Section 21 of the Inquiries Act 2005, and failure to comply could lead to prosecution and a potential fine or jail term for an individual found guilty of the offence. The Government could seek a judicial review of her notice, questioning whether the demand for the documents falls within the scope of her inquiry but legal experts have suggested the Cabinet Office would have a weak case given the wide remit set out in Lady Halletts terms of reference. Last-ditch efforts to find a compromise continued on Thursday as the deadline which had already been extended by 48 hours loomed. Lord Saville, who chaired the Bloody Sunday inquiry, backed Lady Halletts approach. Who is to decide what is relevant or not? In my view, prima facie at least, it is Lady Hallett, he told the BBC. She is in charge of the inquiry, one of her duties is to do a thorough job. It is for her to decide whether something is relevant or not. If she looks at something and decides it is not relevant then there is no reason to publish it. A Cabinet Office spokesman said: We are fully committed to our obligations to the Covid-19 inquiry. As such, the Cabinet Office alone has already provided upwards of 55,000 documents, 24 personal witness statements, eight corporate statements, and extensive time and effort has gone into assisting the inquiry fulsomely over the last 11 months. However, we are firmly of the view that the inquiry does not have the power to request unambiguously irrelevant information that is beyond the scope of this investigation. This includes the WhatsApp messages of Government employees which are not about work but instead are entirely personal and relate to their private lives. The deadline for the Government to hand over Boris Johnsons WhatsApp messages, diaries and personal notebooks to the Covid-19 public inquiry has expired. If the Government has failed to comply with inquiry chairwoman Baroness Halletts order to disclose the documents, then it could lead to a court battle and possibly a criminal offence. But ministers could seek a judicial review of her order as the Government has argued it should not have to disclose material which is unambiguously irrelevant to the inquiry. Just 45 minutes before the 4pm deadline, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told broadcasters the Government was still considering its next steps. Former prime minister Boris Johnson (Andrew Boyers/PA) The Prime Minister said the Government was confident in its position, but did not set out how it intended to respond to Lady Halletts demand for the documents to be submitted. Speaking at a summit in Moldova, Mr Sunak said: I think its really important that we learn the lessons of Covid so that we can be better prepared in the future. And were doing that in the spirit of rigour but also transparency and candour. Weve co-operated, the Governments co-operated thoroughly with the inquiry to date, handing over tens of thousands of documents, and we will continue to comply of course with the law, co-operate with the inquiry. Were confident in our position but are carefully considering next steps. The Government had previously argued that it did not have the messages and notebooks, but Mr Johnsons office confirmed he has handed them over to officials. The Cabinet Office has also argued that it should withhold unambiguously irrelevant material, but Lady Hallett has ruled that everything should be disclosed and she will decide what is or is not necessary for her work. Mr Johnsons decision to publicly confirm he has handed over the material stripping the Cabinet Office of one of its defences and his suggestion that it should be disclosed to the inquiry has heaped pressure on his successors Government. Baroness Hallett ordered the Government to hand over the documents (UK Parliament/PA) Whitehall officials are concerned about the wider precedent that will be set by handing over swathes of unredacted WhatsApp conversations, with fears that the inquiry will seek similar levels of disclosure from other senior figures including Mr Sunak himself. Lady Hallett issued her demand for the material under Section 21 of the Inquiries Act 2005, and failure to comply could lead to prosecution and a potential fine or jail term for an individual found guilty of the offence. The Government could seek a judicial review of her notice, questioning whether the demand for the documents falls within the scope of her inquiry but legal experts have suggested the Cabinet Office would have a weak case given the wide remit set out in Lady Halletts terms of reference. German, music and drama are continuing to fall in popularity at both GCSE and A-level, according to the latest provisional exam entry figures for England. Art and design subjects have also shown a drop, but computing has seen a sharp increase, with A-level entries up 15% on last year and up 65% since 2019. The overall number of entries for this summers exams for both GCSE and A-levels has risen, according to figures published on Thursday by exams regulator Ofqual. GCSE provisional entries have increased by 3.6% from 5,349,250 in summer 2022 to 5,543,840 this summer, while A-level entries have risen by 2.3% from 788,125 last summer to 806,410. Entries for German A-level are provisionally down 17%, from 2,675 last summer to 2,210 this summer, and have dropped by almost a quarter (24%) since 2019. (PA Graphics) Spanish and French also appear to be falling out of fashion, with A-level entries for both subjects down 13% year-on-year. Performing arts A-level entries have dropped by almost a fifth (19%), from 1,175 in 2022 to 955 this summer, and are down 12% on 2019 figures. Music and drama have both fallen by 7% year-on-year. The picture is similar at GCSE level, where entries for performing arts are down 16% on 2022 and 26% on 2019. Music and drama GCSE entries are both down 14% on 2019, with music seeing a 12% fall year-on-year and drama down 7%. Entries for art and design subjects are down 3% year-on-year for both A-levels and GCSEs. German entries at GCSE have fallen by a fifth since 2019 and are down 6% from last year, dropping from 36,000 to 33,945. (PA Graphics) But the picture is more positive for Spanish, where GCSE entries are provisionally up 5% since 2022 and up 20% since 2019. Last summer saw English literature fall out of the top 10 most popular subjects at A-level for the first time. Provisional figures for this year show a slight rise of 3% in entries, up to 34,000 from 32,910 last summer, though entries are down 9% since 2019. The boom in computing among A-level students is mirrored at GCSE level, though on a smaller scale: entries are up 12% year-on-year and have risen 13% since 2019. Last year saw more students choose to study computing at GCSE than PE for the first time since the technology-based subject was introduced. This year, entries for GCSE PE are up 5% since 2022, but down 8% on 2019. Another subject enjoying an ongoing rise in popularity is business studies, with provisional GCSE entries up 27% since 2019 and A-level entries up 34%. Ministers are preparing for a high-profile legal battle with the Covid-19 inquiry as the Government seeks to challenge the request for Boris Johnsons unredacted WhatsApp messages and notebooks. Bereaved families and opposition parties hit out at the Government after the Cabinet Office took the highly unusual step of seeking a judicial review of inquiry chairwoman Baroness Halletts order to release the documents, arguing that it should not have to hand over material which is unambiguously irrelevant. It comes as Mr Johnson, in his own letter to the inquiry on Thursday evening, said he was he was more than happy to hand over the requested material directly. The step to launch legal proceedings came after days of public wrangling between ministers and the inquiry, as the Government faced a 4pm deadline on Thursday to hand over the material. But in a letter to the inquiry, released after the deadline had passed, the Cabinet Office said it was bringing the judicial review challenge with regret and promised to continue to co-operate fully with the inquiry before, during and after the jurisdictional issue in question is determined by the courts. That question will centre on whether Lady Halletts probe has the power to force ministers to release documents and messages which the Cabinet Office believes are unambiguously irrelevant and cover matters unconnected to the Governments handling of Covid. Baroness Hallett (UK Parliament) Mr Johnson wrote to Lady Hallett to say that he could see no reason why the inquiry should not be able to satisfy itself about the contents of my own Whatsapps (sic) and notebooks. But it also emerged, in a tranche of documents released as part of the legal proceedings, that WhatsApp messages passed by Mr Johnson to the Cabinet Office are only from May 2021 onwards. Mr Johnson was forced to change his mobile in 2021 after it emerged his number had been publicly available online for 15 years. A spokesman for the former prime minister said that Mr Johnson has absolutely no objection whatsoever to providing content on the phone to the inquiry. He has written to the Cabinet Office asking whether security and technical support can be given so that content can be retrieved without compromising security. The Cabinet Office have long been aware of the status of the phone. The bundle of legal documents released also included a list of 150 questions sent to Mr Johnson by the inquiry in early February, including: In or around autumn 2020, did you state that you would rather let the bodies pile high than order another lockdown, or words to that effect? If so, please set out the circumstances in which you made these comments. He was also asked: Between January and July 2020 did you receive advice from the then Cabinet Secretary that the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock MP, should be removed from his position? If so, why? The clash between Rishi Sunaks Government and the inquiry prompted accusations of a cover-up, as one minister conceded that the Government was unlikely to win the court fight. Science minister George Freeman, during an appearance on BBC Question Time, predicted that the legal challenge would likely fail but argued that it was a point worth testing. Boris Johnson said he is more than happy to hand over his unredacted WhatsApp messages and notebooks directly to the Covid inquiry (Victoria Jones/PA) Labours deputy leader Angela Rayner said: While the rest of the country is focused on the cost-of-living crisis, Rishi Sunak is hopelessly distracted with legal ploys to obstruct the Covid inquiry in a desperate attempt to withhold evidence. After 13 years of Tory scandal, these latest smoke-and-mirror tactics serve only to undermine the Covid inquiry. The public deserve answers, not another cover-up. Liberal Democrats deputy leader Daisy Cooper accused ministers of a cowardly attempt to obstruct a vital public inquiry and said it was a kick in the teeth for bereaved families. Elkan Abrahamson, head of major inquests and inquiries at Broudie Jackson Canter who represents the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group, accused the Cabinet Office of showing utter disregard for the inquiry. Lord Saville, who conducted the inquiry into Bloody Sunday, suggested he might consider quitting if he was in Baroness Halletts position. If I was prevented from conducting a full and proper inquiry, I might seriously consider resigning on the grounds that I was unable to do a proper job, he told Channel 4 News. A spokesman for the Covid-19 inquiry said: At 4pm today the chair of the UK Covid-19 public inquiry was served a copy of a claim form by the Cabinet Office seeking to commence judicial review proceedings against the chairs ruling of May 22 2023. Further information will be provided at the module two preliminary hearing at 10.30am on June 6. German prosecutors have said items seized as part of fresh searches for evidence in the Madeleine McCann case cannot yet be linked with the investigation into her disappearance. A large section of the Barragem do Arade reservoir in Portugal was cordoned off last week, about 30 miles from where three-year-old Madeleine went missing in 2007. Police flattened a specific area of woodland and dug a number of holes near the remote reservoir as part of the three-day hunt for evidence. Prosecutor for the city of Braunschweig, Christian Wolters, said the individual items seized as part of searches would be evaluated over the coming days and weeks. In a short statement, Mr Wolters said the investigation into 46-year-old suspect Christian Brueckner is expected to continue for a long time. He said the co-operation between German, British and Portuguese authorities went excellently and very constructively. Members of the media at Barragem do Arade reservoir, in the Algave, Portugal (Yui Mok/PA) After last weeks searches concluded, Portuguese police said materials had been sent to Germany for testing. Heavy machinery, sniffer dogs and pickaxes were used by personnel during the operation. Police were given the go-ahead to search the area after German prosecutors received certain tips about the case. The operation was carried out at the request of German investigators who believe their prime suspect, convicted sex offender Brueckner, kidnapped and murdered the youngster. He is in prison in Germany for the rape of a woman in Praia da Luz in 2005, and is suspected of further rapes and child sexual abuse committed in the area between 2000 and 2017. He has reportedly denied any involvement in Madeleines disappearance. Personnel clear undergrowth with machinery at Barragem do Arade reservoir (Yui Mok/PA) Madeleine was three when she vanished while on holiday with her parents in Praia da Luz, after they left her and her younger twin siblings asleep in their apartment while they went out to dinner with friends. Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia previously claimed that criminal contacts had told him that Madeleines body was in the reservoir, and in 2008 he raised funds for unsuccessful private searches of the water. The new searches came as the Home Office granted an extra 110,000 in funding this financial year for the Metropolitan Police to assist with finding Madeleine, down from just over 300,000 last year. The total funding given to Operation Grange has been just under 13.1 million since 2011. Jared Leto says he has not cried in about 17 years and suggested he had shed all of his tears while making psychological drama Requiem For A Dream in 2000. The Hollywood actor and musician appeared as a co-host of the Jo Whiley show on Radio 2 on Wednesday. It comes ahead of the release of his band 30 Seconds To Mars sixth studio album, Its The End Of The World But Its A Beautiful Day, in September. The bands recent and upcoming returns to the stage, playing in venues in the US and UK, mark Letos first in four years. They had previously been scheduled to perform at Radio 1s Big Weekend, on Saturday, but were forced to pull out at the last minute due to technical difficulties. The Hollywood actor and musician appeared as a co-host of the Jo Whiley show on Radio 2 on Wednesday (Ian West/PA) It was just like a perfect disaster, and thats touring. Thats life, Leto said. Its full of those kinds of, you know, adventures, to put it politely. Speaking about the emotional responses of those to whom he had played his new music to, Leto was asked if there were songs that moved him to tears. I havent cried in about 17 years, the last time was because I stubbed my toe, he said. Asked why, he replied: Im just like a lizard. I dont think my tear ducts work properly. Maybe I shed them all in Requiem For A Dream or something? I cried so much during the making of that movie. Leto starred in the 2000 drama film, directed by Darren Aronofsky, alongside Ellen Burstyn and Jennifer Connelly. He continued: A wild thing about that film is I remember I had a scene and I was supposed to be very emotional, and then literally when they shot my close-up I got a call. One of my best friends had just been shot in the head and the emotion that came at that moment when I recognised what a brutal loss this was. But I realised what a bad actor I was because it didnt really touch anything that Id done in this scene, and I believe I went back and asked for another take. I shared a little bit of that in the scene and thats whats in the movie when Im talking on the phone. So in a way, you know, (my friend) lives in that scene. Leto has gone on to star in multiple blockbuster films, including the Marvel and DC franchises, and won an Oscar for best-supporting actor for his role in the 2013 film Dallas Buyers Club. He told Whiley that his new album had a lot of bright newness and optimism, having been written during the pandemic. It has a lot of celebration, he said. Of course there are darker sides we explore, as always, too, because, you know, we like to explore a lot of different things. But Im excited for people to hear it. I think for us we feel like were a brand new band really energised and revitalised. The full programme with Jared Leto and Jo Whiley can be listened to now on BBC Sounds. Products featured in this Yahoo article are selected by our shopping writers. We will earn a commission from purchases made via links in this article. Pricing and availability are subject to change. This classic white pair of trainers from M&S are a huge hit among shoppers. (Marks & Spencer) White trainers are a wardrobe staple that marry comfort and style, not to mention can be worn with dresses/trousers/skirts/your attire of choice. There's no shortage of styles to shop on the high street either, but an affordable M&S pair is going straight in our basket. These Lace Up Trainers cost just 25 and boast a minimal design that won't clash with anything you already own. They also come with over 500 five-star reviews from shoppers singing their praises, and are available in classic write or a metallic silver if you want a pop of colour. The perfect year-round shoe, make sure you snap a pair up before they sell out. Why we rate it It's not the first time a pair of M&S trainers have proved popular, in February 2020, the now Princess of Wales stepped out in a similar design with a ribbon detail. She teamed the lace-ups with wide-leg green trousers and a coordinating jumper during a SportsAid event at the London Stadium in east London, and unsurprisingly they quickly sold out. The trainers are a great summer wardrobe staple. (Marks & Spencer) They're available in white or silver, from sizes three to eight. (Marks & Spencer) Shop now Having the royal seal of approval isn't the only reason we're a fan, Yahoo UK contributor Anya Meyerowitz has previously raved about a metallic pair that's similar in a glowing review, describing them as the "ideal spring footwear". The plain white version is currently available in sizes three to eight - half-sizes included - are 100% vegan, and are designed with M&S' Insolia Flex technology, which provides extra support for the ball of the foot. What the reviews say For such an affordable price, it's no wonder these lace-up trainers come with hundreds of five-star reviews. Here's just a snippet of what some had to say: "Wore them around the house for a few days just to soften them up, and their first big day out was a 7.5 mile walk around Prague. Really comfy, no blisters or rubbing on any part of my foot. True to size, Im a 7, the trainers are a 7 and fit perfectly." "Exactly what I was after; plain white trainers to wear with dresses, shorts and jeans. Great style and fit." "I was concerned they might be uncomfortable or sweaty after a while, but I wore them loads in Italy and they were really comfortable, walking lots. Dripped coffee all over them and it washed off no problem." "Great trainers, true to size, hard wearing and comfortable. Really good value for money." "Fantastic simple yet comfortable and wonderful with trainers or dresses." "Comfy and trendy, smart or casual, with a dress fab, shorts, lovely, cropped jeans really smart. And wipeable." Shop now: Lace Up Trainers | 25 from Marks & Spencer 25 at Marks & Spencer Watch: The comfy bra everyone is talking about Babies are born into the world with a number of things. Tiny fingernails. Angelic curls on their head. An endless, burning hunger for milk. And, according to one expert, accents, apparently. TikTok teacher Laurie Knox @knoxstudy shared the theory in a video thats grabbed the attentions of people online and has us pondering whether our babies or friends babies have an accented cry. Knox shares a study conducted by Dr Kathleen Wermke, head of Wurzburg University Clinics Center for Pre-Speech Development and Developmental Disorders, which was reported in the New York Times. The German researcher looked at the cries of 60 newborns 30 were French, the other 30 were German, and she found that the cries of the French newborns typically had a rising intonation, while the cries of the German babies typically had a falling intonation, mimicking both languages. During infancy, babies experiment with a variety of different sounds, gurgles and cries, but this research shows that, even from such a young age, theyre already affected by their parents mother tongue, even from in utero. In 2017, she showed that the cries of Swedish newborn babies had a higher melodic complexity than their German counterparts, explains Knox. This is because Swedish is a pitch-accent language whereas German is a stress-accent language. The team found that Swedish babies had a delightful sing-song cry versus other babies. In 2019, she demonstrated that babies whose mothers speak a tonal language, like Mandarin, exhibit a wider variation in melody than their non-tonal German counterparts, explains Knox. If this isnt concrete evidence that babies are being nosy Nellies in the womb and picking up on and mimicking our voices, I dont know what is. Commenters were quick to chime in on Knoxs video with their hilarious takes, with someone writing, Danish babies crying in A. Someone else agreed with the theory, writing: I'm an English speaker living in Denmark. People told me my babies sounded different. A man who stabbed a young mother to death with screwdrivers, leaving her with 199 separate injuries, has been jailed for life. Nottinghamshire Police found the body of 27-year-old Mckyla Taylor hidden under a duvet on the bedroom floor of a flat in Lowtown Street, Worksop, in the early hours of August 16 2022. She suffered 199 separate injuries to her head and body in what police described as a relentless attack. David Jackson, 68, who had arrived at the scene a few hours later asking if he could get a jumper from his flat, casually mentioned to an officer that he had killed someone upstairs, police said. David Jackson has been jailed for life for murdering Mckyla Taylor (Nottinghamshire Police/PA) At Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday, Jackson, who stayed silent throughout police interviews, was jailed for life with a minimum of 17 years behind bars after pleading guilty to murder. Jackson, who had known Ms Taylor for some time, hid the young mothers body under a duvet, with weights and push bikes stacked on top. They had seen each other during the day on August 15, but Ms Taylors family alerted police when she did not respond to their calls or messages. Her body was discovered by police who forced entry into her flat at around 2am the following day. Ms Taylor was pronounced dead at around 2.30am by paramedics and a post-mortem investigation later revealed the extent of the injuries she had suffered. Forensic evidence showed most of the injuries had been inflicted inside the bedroom by two screwdrivers discovered in the living room. Detective Chief Inspector Clare Dean, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: Mckyla was a young woman who was loved and adored by her family and many friends. Her life was taken away from her in the most brutal fashion by David Jackson, who has shown very little remorse and would not give any account in interview. Mckyla Taylors mother Emma Sentence, pictured with her daughter, said she was a fun-loving girl (Nottinghamshire Police/PA) Detectives carried out a meticulous investigation, with many officers working around the clock to gather the evidence against him. He continued to deny murdering Mckyla until shortly before a trial was about to begin inflicting further pain and anxiety on her loved ones. The attack Jackson inflicted on Mckyla was relentless, causing catastrophic injuries which ultimately led to her death. He has taken away a loving and caring mum, daughter, sister, and friend. Todays sentence will not bring Mckyla back, but it does mean that Jackson will spend a considerable part of his life behind bars, and I hope this gives her family some comfort. In a statement released by Nottinghamshire Police, Ms Taylors mother, Emma Sentence, 45, paid tribute to her daughter and best friend after Jackson was sentenced. She said: Mckyla had a smile that would light up the room and a contagious laugh. She was just a fun-loving girl. I still remember the weekend she was killed as if it was yesterday. We had a lovely weekend sunbathing, listening to music and doing our nails and then she left and that was the last time I saw her. Ms Taylors brother, Callum Taylor, 26, will now be looking after her one-year-old daughter in the same house that Ms Taylor grew up in. Mckyla Taylor with brother Callum and sister Nicole (Nottinghamshire Police/PA) It is like a part of Mckyla is coming home, Mr Taylor said. Mckyla had always wanted to be a mum and was so thrilled when she found out she was pregnant. I just want to do my best to bring up her daughter and give her a normal, loving life. Mckyla was a lovely and loving person. She always put other people first. If she was in a house fire Mckyla was the sort of person who would be the last out. We were really close growing up and went to the same primary school. I can remember the camping holidays we went on as a family which were so much fun. No sentence will ever be enough for what happened to Mckyla. I will never forget waking up that day and hearing she had been killed. I cannot understand why anyone would want to hurt someone that kind. I dont really feel like I have been through the grieving process yet. Ive just wanted to stay strong for others. Ms Taylors older sister, Nicole, 29, described her as the life and soul of the party. She said: She was born on my first birthday and Mckyla, me and Callum were really close growing up. She was always bubbly, always singing, always dancing. I remember going to our grandparents house and we would sing and dance, stand on tables and have fun. They were the best times. Jailing Jackson for life with a minimum of 17 years behind bars, Judge James Sampson said the killer would not be eligible for parole for another 16 years and 135 days, taking into account the 230 days he has already served in custody. Annette Thomas, senior crown prosecutor from the CPS East Midlands, said: David Jackson committed a horrific attack, inflicting nearly 200 injuries on a younger, vulnerable woman after a disturbing pattern of abusive behaviour towards her. Todays sentence reflects the cruelty of that attack, the distress and suffering he inflicted on his victim and his abusive, sordid background. I would like to offer my sincere condolences to Mckylas family and loved ones. South Korea succeeded in a test of a key homegrown missile interceptor under development earlier this week, the third such success out of four tests so far, as it is cranking up efforts to deter evolving North Korean threats. On Tuesday, the state-run Agency for Defense Development (ADD) revealed to the press corps the whole process of the interception test on the Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile (L-SAM) at its Anheung testing site in Taean, 109 kilometers southwest of Seoul, for the first time. The L-SAM is a three-stage structure, including the final-stage "Kill Vehicle." Designed to shoot down an incoming ballistic missile at altitudes of 50-60 kilometers, it is a key element of the country's low-tier multilayered anti-missile shield, called the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD). On a large screen at the testing site, the Kill Vehicle was seen accurately hitting a target missile after the successful separation of its first and second stages a spectacle also watched by government officials and research staff, including Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup. "The L-SAM capability that extends the missile defense to the upper layer of the terminal phase (of a missile flight) will not only improve the capabilities to respond to North Korean missile threats but also contribute greatly to strengthening the missile defense capability of the South Korea-U.S. alliance," Lee said. Since November last year, the ADD has conducted four L-SAM interception tests. Of them, three tests, including the latest, succeeded. The defense ministry said that it plans to complete the L-SAM development by next year, embark on the mass-production phase in 2025 and start deploying the interception system in the late 2020s. South Korea's KAMD program consists of multiple interception systems, including the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile and the Cheongung-II medium-range surface-to-air missile, which are to be employed for interception at altitudes of 40 km or lower. In addition to this, the U.S. Forces Korea operates a THAAD battery in the southeastern county of Seongju, reinforcing the allies' missile defense capabilities. The THAAD system is designed to shoot down hostile missiles at altitudes of 40-150 km. Dozens of the UKs biggest firms whose departure from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) sparked a vote on its future will not be allowed to participate in that vote, it has emerged. Companies which were part of the membership exodus that forced the CBI to set out a new future have told the PA news agency they have not received invitations to next weeks crunch meeting. The CBI said current members including those who have suspended their memberships are invited to the meeting, but those who resigned are not. CBI members are set to vote on Tuesday June 6 on a prospectus which the organisation hopes can draw a line under the biggest crisis in its history. It proposes a new-look board and a series of cultural changes which will be put to members for a vote on the day. The CBI had already promised to make changes following the allegations, but did not promise a major overhaul until dozens of companies said they no longer wanted to be part of the organisation. Now representatives from several companies who asked to remain unnamed said they have not been sent an invitation to the extraordinary general meeting. Today, weve launched our prospectus A Renewed CBI for our Members, our Stakeholders and our People. Outlining how we are working to increase trust with our membership and improve our organisation for the better, ahead of our 6 June EGM. Read it here https://t.co/gqdA8zhVuW pic.twitter.com/00oHSrtmJH CBI (@CBItweets) May 31, 2023 On Wednesday, the CBI set out the new prospectus for the group, which includes appointing a new president and giving members an annual vote on the make-up of its board. It said an external review had found it under-prioritised people management skills, but rejected blanket descriptions of its culture as toxic or misogynistic. Next week members will be asked: Do the changes we have made and the commitments we have set out to reform our governance, culture, and purpose give you the confidence you need to support the CBI? The vote needs more than 50% to pass with members getting one vote each. The problems within the CBI were first revealed in March when the Guardian published allegations that then-director-general Tony Danker had been accused of misconduct. The story opened the floodgates and a month later the paper had been approached by more than a dozen women who claimed they had been sexually harassed while working for the trade body. Two said they had been raped. On April 21, after the second rape allegation was published in the Guardian, dozens of members said they would withdraw from the CBI. By the end of the day the organisation had suspended its membership and policy activities pending the June 6 meeting. Train services are being hit by more strike action this week. Workers who are members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will strike on Friday, while train drivers who are members of Aslef will walk out on Saturday. It comes after members of Aslef walked out on Wednesday, meaning several operators such as Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Northern and Thameslink were running no trains. Here is a breakdown of each operators plan for strike days: Avanti West Coast is among the operators affected (Luciana Guerra/PA) Avanti West Coast Friday: One train per hour will run in each direction between London Euston and each of Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Preston, with a limited service to and from Glasgow. There will be no services to or from North Wales, Shrewsbury, Blackpool, Stoke-on-Trent or Edinburgh, while Macclesfield station will be closed. The first train of the day from Euston will depart at about 8am, and the last will leave shortly after 5pm. Saturday: No trains. c2c Friday: No major impact but 12-carriage trains will not stop at Limehouse, east London. Saturday: Usual timetable. Caledonian Sleeper Friday: All services will be operating via the East Coast Main Line due to engineering works. Services will not be calling at Motherwell, Carlisle, Preston, Crewe or Watford. Saturday: The Caledonian Sleeper does not operate on Saturday nights. Chiltern Railways Friday: Services will be limited to one train per hour from about 8am until 10pm in both directions between London Marylebone and each of Banbury, Oxford and Aylesbury via High Wycombe; and between Amersham and Aylesbury Vale Parkway. No trains will run between Banbury and each of Birmingham and Stourbridge Junction, or between Hatton and Stratford-upon-Avon. Saturday: No trains. CrossCountry Friday: A limited service will operate. No trains will run between Birmingham New Street and Cardiff Central or Nottingham. Saturday: No trains. East Midlands Railway Friday: Services will run between 7.30am and 6.30pm. They will be limited to just one train per hour in each direction between London St Pancras and each of Nottingham, Derby and Corby, as well as a handful of regional routes such as between Leicester and Lincoln. Saturday: No trains. Elizabeth line Friday: The Elizabeth line is not involved in the industrial dispute with the RMT but there will be some alterations to its services. These include no trains between Maidenhead and Reading before 7am or after 7pm, and no trains between Brentwood and Shenfield from 11.30pm. No Elizabeth line trains will serve the National Rail platforms at Paddington before 7am and after 7pm on Friday. These trains will start and terminate at Ealing Broadway. No change to trains which serve the Elizabeth line platforms. Saturday: Usual timetable apart from no Elizabeth line trains will serve the National Rail platforms at Paddington before 7am. Gatwick Express Friday: No trains but Southern and Thameslink will serve Gatwick Airport until early afternoon. Saturday: No trains. Services to Gatwick Airport will be hit (Gareth Fuller/PA) Grand Central Friday: Grand Central is not involved in the industrial dispute with the RMT but there will be minor alterations to its services. Saturday: Strike action will not affect services on Saturday, but there will be an amended timetable due to planned work. Great Northern Friday: A limited service will run and only between 7am and 7pm. There will be no trains between Ely and Kings Lynn. Saturday: No trains. Great Western Railway Friday: A limited service will run and only between 7.30am and 6.30pm. The only open routes will be between: London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads; London Paddington and Didcot; London Paddington and Cardiff; London Paddington and Plymouth; Gloucester and Swindon; London Paddington and Newbury; Greenford and West Ealing; Slough and Windsor; Maidenhead and Bourne End; Twyford and Slough; Reading and Basingstoke; Oxford and Banbury; Reading and Redhill; Oxford and Didcot (replacement bus service; Cardiff and Westbury; and Bristol Temple Meads and Plymouth. The Night Riviera sleeper service is cancelled. Saturday: A limited service will run and only between 7.30am and 6.30pm. The only open routes will be between: London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads; Reading and Didcot; Reading and Basingstoke; Reading and Redhill; Westbury and Swindon; Cardiff and Bristol; Exeter and Barnstaple; Plymouth and Gunnislake; and Penzance and St Ives. The Night Riviera sleeper service is cancelled. Greater Anglia Friday: Trains will run between 7am and 11pm. Some routes will have a reduced frequency, but most will have a normal or near-normal service. But there will be no services between Walton-on-the-Naze and Colchester Town/Colchester, or between Hertford East and London, or between Stratford and Meridian Water. Saturday: A reduced service will run and only from 7am, with last trains earlier than normal. Most routes will be closed, including between London Liverpool Street and Cambridge. Heathrow Express Friday: Usual timetable until 8.40pm. Last train from London Paddington 8.40pm, Heathrow Terminal 5 at 8.42pm, and then Heathrow Central at 8.47pm. Saturday: No trains. Hull Trains All strike days: Usual timetable. London North Eastern Railway (LNER) All strike days: A limited timetable will operate. London Northwestern Railway Friday: A limited service will run and only between 7am and 7pm. The only open routes will be between Birmingham New Street and each of London Euston, Birmingham International and Liverpool Lime Street. Saturday: No trains. London Overground Friday: London Overground is not involved in the industrial disputes but there will be minor alterations to some services. Saturday: Usual timetable, apart from no service between Dundonald Road and Wimbledon on the tram before 6.45am. Lumo All strike days: Usual timetable. Merseyrail All strike days: Usual timetable. Northern Friday: Only a handful of routes will be open, such as between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester; Leeds and York; and Darlington and Saltburn. Saturday: No trains. ScotRail All strike days: Usual timetable. South Western Railway Friday: A reduced service will operate and only between 7am and 7pm. Saturday: Services will be reduced and there will be no trains on the Isle of Wight. Southeastern Friday: A reduced service will operate, with some routes closed. Saturday: No trains. Southeastern will run a limited timetable (Gareth Fuller/PA) Southern Friday: A reduced service will operate and only between 7am and 7pm. No trains will run in a number of areas, including between: Hemel Hempstead and Clapham Junction; London Bridge and Norwood Junction; Southampton Central and Barnham; and Eastbourne and Ashford International. Saturday: No trains. Stansted Express Friday: Services will not start until after 7am. Saturday: Frequencies will be halved to one train per hour in each direction. Thameslink Friday: A reduced service will operate and only between 7am and 7pm. Services will be split north and south, with nothing running between London St Pancras and London Blackfriars. Saturday: No trains. TransPennine Express Friday: A reduced timetable will operate and only between: Manchester Piccadilly and York, Preston and Manchester Airport and Sheffield and Cleethorpes. Saturday: No trains. Transport for Wales All strike days: Transport for Wales is not involved in the industrial disputes but some of its services will be amended. West Midlands Railway Friday: A limited service will run and only between 7am and 7pm. The only open routes will be between: Birmingham New Street and each of Northampton, London Euston, Liverpool Lime Street, Wolverhampton, Rugeley Trent Valley, Lichfield Trent Valley, Redditch and Bromsgrove; between Kidderminster and Whitlocks End/Dorridge via Birmingham Snow Hill; and between Stourbridge Junction and Stourbridge Town. Saturday: No trains. Tesco has urged its 20 million Clubcard customers to cash in their rewards over the next fortnight before they are cut from three times to two times their value. The UKs biggest supermarket announced in March that its Clubcard points will be worth twice their value when customers cash them in, rather than three times as they are now, from June 14. Rewards ordered up to and including June 13 will continue to be valid for one year from the date of issue. The popular scheme enables shoppers to collect points for money spent at Tesco and exchange them for vouchers which can be used in store or for excursions to locations such as Pizza Express, Legoland and Alton Towers. The grocer first introduced Clubcard in 1995 and promptly saw a 28% spending uplift. Tescos chief customer officer Alessandra Bellini said: While we are making a change to how members can use their vouchers with our reward partners, we want to remind millions of Clubcard holders to redeem their vouchers at three times the value until June 13 so they can use their reward partner codes to give themselves and their families a well-deserved treat. We have extended the validity of redeemed codes at the 3x rate, so if swapped before the deadline, they will be valid for a year, instead of six months, to give customers even more time to enjoy them. Customers expressed their disappointment at the change, pointing out it came as the cost-of-living crisis was already placing pressure on household budgets. One shopper posted: Tesco #clubcard now only worth x2 gee thanks #Tesco you really care about your loyal customers not. Maybe time to shop elsewhere. A second Clubcard user wrote: We were always grateful for the @Tesco Clubcard X4 when our kids were younger, it helped out massively on days out, we used our vouchers to buy towards Merlin passes which saved us so much money. We use it now for ourselves and X3 is good, but what an insult #X2 is to customers! A third wrote: Dear @tesco Just got your email re clubcard voucher exchange value changing to 2x, not 3x the value. Really disappointing! Not that long ago they were worth 4x the value. Are you not making enough profit already? One woman tweeted Tesco that its Clubcard scheme had kept me shopping with you but now with your prices soaring and the announcement about the points changes Ill be looking elsewhere. I bet a lot will do the same. It really helped us all out. Disappointed in you Tesco, she added. Sainsburys and Boots also cut the value of their loyalty schemes recently. From May, Boots Advantage Card holders have received 25% less for every 1 they spend in store, earning 3p rather than 4p. In November Sainsburys Bank cut the amount of Nectar points customers could earn by 75%, from two points for every 1 spent to one point for every 2. The mother of a Liverpool teenager fatally shot six years ago said she wants to face his killer, as she spoke of her distress at hearing of other young victims of gun crime. Yusuf Sonko, 18, was one week away from completing his A-Level exams when he was shot in the head in Tagus Street in Toxteth, at about 8.30pm on Friday June 2 2017. On the sixth anniversary of the shooting, charity Crimestoppers offered a reward of up to 20,000 for anonymous information that leads to the conviction of those responsible for Mr Sonkos death. His mother, Khadija Sonko, 45, told the PA news agency: I need to face the person and ask him why. Why me? Why Yusuf? Eighteen years is too early, you dont even let him enjoy his life. Its just wicked. Eight men have been arrested in connection with the killing and remain under investigation, while another man voluntarily attended for interview, but no one has been charged with his murder, a Merseyside Police spokesman said. The shooting was one of five which happened within a week in Merseyside and Mr Sonko was one of three people murdered in Liverpool during June 2017 in unconnected incidents. Last year, there were five fatal shootings in Merseyside including the murder of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, in Dovecot. Mrs Sonko said when she heard of other victims of gun crime in the region it brought her back to the time of her sons murder. She said: I cry for them. Even though I dont know who the mother is, I cry for them because I know what Im going through, it never goes away. Its always there. If I hear somebodys childs been murdered I cry. I say, Again? Again? Why dont they stop? I dont think any mother should be going through what I am going through. Khadija Sonko, whose son Yusuf was shot in Toxteth in June 2017 (Eleanor Barlow/PA) The hair salon owner, who also works for a homeless charity, said she believed there were people out there with information about her sons killer. Appealing directly to them, she said: You know what happened. Why dont you give him justice? Why do you have to make me suffer with my family and keep the secret? This is not snitching. This is a murder case, snitching and a murder case are completely different. If you keep that information to yourself then you are wicked, you have got a wicked heart. Following the death of Mr Sonko, police said he was believed to have been shot as part of a dispute between rival groups of males in and around the Lodge Lane area. But the teenager, who hoped to study business or engineering, is thought to have only appeared on the periphery of one of those groups in the weeks before the attack. His mother added: I need people to give me justice. Im still crying for my beautiful son. Detective Inspector Sarah Wilkinson said: So far eight arrests have been made and our investigation into Yusufs death remains open with a new 20,000 reward from charity Crimestoppers in place until the gunman is found and brought to justice. Our detectives remain convinced there are people living in (postcode area) L8 and beyond who hold vital information that will help us find anyone responsible for Yusufs death. She appealed for anyone who witnessed the shooting, saw groups of young males running in the Lodge Lane area just before 8.30pm on the night, or saw two males on pedal bikes in the area before or after to get in touch. Information can be given to police by calling 101 or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or at crimestoppers-uk.org. The Queen fed a Polo mint to a retired racehorse on a visit to the British Racing School to mark its 40th anniversary. The training centre on the outskirts of Newmarket, Suffolk the headquarters of British horseracing was opened by King Charles in 1983, when he was still the Prince of Wales. On Thursday, Camilla arrived by helicopter to the facility before being driven up to the buildings in a dark-coloured Audi. Wearing a green multi-print dress by designer Fiona Clare and a blue scallop jacket by Bruce Oldfield, she took time to speak to staff and students on a tour of the school. While inside the John Pearce Barn, a 16-horse barn opened last year, she said Ive forgotten my Polos as she stroked the nose of retired racehorse Percy Toplis. Queen Camilla fed a polo to racehorse Percy Toplis (Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA) Foundation Course instructor Deborah Polley, who was accompanying Camilla, then produced some of the mints from her pocket and gave them to her. Camilla, 75, said to the nine-year-old horse are you a Polo donkey?. She then held her hand up to him so he could eat a mint from it, before she smiled and said: happy Percy. Ms Polley said afterwards: She said I normally have a Polo mint on me because shes obviously a great lover of horses and has that understanding. I then always have a Polo mint on me and gave her what was in the packet. She very gently gave Percy the Polos. Queen Camilla strokes a horse called Send Her Victorias during a visit to The British Racing School in Newmarket, Suffolk (Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA) She continued: She was very interested in the course. She was very interested that one of my students was on the Princes Trust last March. She spoke to everyone in turn asking them if they were enjoying the course, what they were up to, had they fallen off, what they liked, what they didnt like. She shook every students hand, which was absolutely beautiful. It meant so much. Camilla saw horses being groomed, and she got into a minibus to be driven alongside horses that they were ridden down the straight gallop by students. Queen Camilla unveils a plaque during a visit to The British Racing School in Newmarket, Suffolk, to mark their 40th anniversary (Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA) As she saw apprentices practicing on balance balls and mechanical equiciser horse simulators, she said: They are putting you through it! Camilla unveiled a plaque at the centre to a round of applause and was presented with a framed watercolour picture of two horses training, before she left by car. The flagship programme of the British Racing School is an apprenticeship for 16-to-25-year-olds called the Foundation Course, which prepares young people for jobs as stable staff, riding and looking after the sports racehorses. To date, some 4,000 young people have successfully completed the course and gone onto work in the industry. This includes some of the worlds top jockeys and every Champion Apprentice jockey from the past 10 years. Queen Camilla meets Hez March a workplace apprentice in the simulator room during a visit to The British Racing School in Newmarket, Suffolk (Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA) The British Racing School is also home to the Newmarket Pony Academy, a community project which uses horses and ponies to positively impact mental health and the wellbeing of children in Newmarket and its neighbouring communities. It is also the base of the Riding A Dream Academy which works to increase diversity and inclusion within the sport. Camilla was originally due to carry out her visit to the British Racing School in March of this year but weather disrupted her travel plans. Her visit on Thursday was the rearranged engagement. A collectable 50p celebrating 75 years of the NHS has been released by the Royal Mint. All net proceeds from the sale of the individual collectable 50p will be donated to NHS Charities Together, an organisation that provides support to NHS staff, patients, and communities, the Mint said. The Royal Mint has estimated that this figure could amount up to 225,000. Ellie Orton (left), chief executive of NHS Charities Together and Amanda Pritchard, chief exective of NHS England holding the NHS 75th Anniversary 50p (Royal Mint/PA) The collectable 50p was created by Alice Lediard, a senior designer at the Royal Mint, and was one of the first 50ps to feature King Charles on the obverse (heads) side of when the design was first revealed in the Royal Mints annual sets in January. The reverse design incorporates words to reflect the nations gratitude towards the NHS and its staff, such as dedication, support and empathy. The design also uses a similar, angled font to the one used by the NHS. Ms Lediard said: It is an honour to have my design selected to appear on a 50p coin celebrating the NHSs 75th anniversary. Like most of the nation, I have a deep-rooted pride and appreciation for the NHS. Both my partner and closest friends are NHS workers and worked on the frontline during the Covid-19 pandemic. The beating heart of the NHS is the staff who work for it, so I wanted to make sure the words encompassed everyone, presented a positive outlook, and summed up decades of healthcare provision to the British public in a personal way that everyone could associate with. This is the first time that the NHS 50p coin has been available for sale as an individual coin from the Mint, and not as part of the set. Rebecca Morgan, director of collector services at the Royal Mint said: The Royal Mint is delighted to announce that all net proceeds generated from the sale of the individual NHS 50p coin will be donated to NHS Charities Together, to help support and continue the incredible work they do daily. The Royal Mint is committed to producing products that celebrate and commemorate Britains most influential individuals, organisations, and institutions and the NHS has played a pivotal role in British society, supporting millions of people every day. As one of Britains most respected and admired institutions, all of us at the Royal Mint have such appreciation for the work and difference that both past and present NHS employees have and continue to make. It is a privilege to be involved in celebrating and marking the NHSs 75th anniversary with an official UK 50p coin. Ellie Orton, chief executive of NHS Charities Together said: NHS charities have been supporting the NHS throughout its 75 years, and the help we provide has never been more important. We are here for everyone who wants to give something back to the NHS and we are so grateful to the Royal Mint for donating the proceeds of this new coin to our charity. Together we can help the NHS go further for its staff and patients and ensure everyone can access the best healthcare possible. The NHS 75th anniversary 50p coin was one of a set to mark key events in 2023 including the Kings 75th birthday and 75 years since Windrush (Royal Mint/PA) The Royal Mint has celebrated previous milestones in the NHSs history on official UK coins over the decades, with a 50p introduced in 1998 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the NHS. In 2020, along with other organisations, the Mint pledged to support the NHS during the Covid-19 pandemic, manufacturing 1.9 million medical visors for NHS staff. The 50p coin celebrating the 75th anniversary of the NHS is available to buy via the Royal Mints website, with prices starting at 11. Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief executive said: We are delighted that the Royal Mint has launched this new coin to celebrate our 75th birthday and recognise the incredible hard work and dedication of our staff, as we mark 75 years of caring for our communities and of the special role that the NHS continues to hold for the public. After some of the most challenging years in our history, from managing the pandemic response to rolling out our world-leading vaccination programme, and now pulling out all the stops to recover services, it is important that we celebrate the achievements of our incredible staff and volunteers and look ahead to the future and the next 75 years of the NHS. Rishi Sunak is seeking to put tackling illegal migration top of the international agenda at a gathering of European leaders in Moldova. The Prime Minister is stressing the need for collaboration on the global issue at a meeting of the European Political Community. While there, he is expected to announce the start of negotiations on a new returns agreement with Moldova to allow the UK to send Moldovans found to be in violation of immigration law back to their home country. However, the value of such a pact would be disputable, as only one Moldovan was recorded by the Home Office as having arrived in the UK on a small boat this year. Only 17 were found to have arrived via unauthorised means between January 2018 and March this year, according to the departments data. It comes as a similar deal with Georgia enters into force. Mr Sunak tweeted: Im meeting European leaders in Moldova today, putting tackling illegal migration top of the international agenda. Weve already made migration agreements with Albania, France and the EU to stop the boats. European leaders at the European Political Community summit near Chisinau (Carl Court/PA) This global issue requires collaboration and the UK is taking the lead. The Times reported that Britain would also target Turkey and Bulgaria as part of efforts to tackle small boats crossing the Channel, with the paper saying Border Force had evidence that Turkey had become a main hub for the manufacture of the dinghies used. Mr Sunak was also expected to announce an increase in bilateral intelligence-sharing with Bulgaria to crack down on criminal gangs involved in illegal migration. The Prime Minister met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who called for Ukraine to be admitted to Nato as he addressed the gathering near his nations border. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a bilateral meeting during the European Political Community summit in Moldova (Carl Court/PA) Mr Sunak was also to meet with his Spanish and Polish counterparts Pedro Sanchez and Mateusz Morawiecki. Europe is facing unprecedented threats at our borders. From (Russian President Vladimir) Putins utter contempt of other countries sovereignty to the rise in organised immigration crime across our continent, the Prime Minister said ahead of his trip. We cannot address these problems without Europes governments and institutions working closely together. In every meeting, every summit, every international gathering like this, the security of our borders must be top of the agenda. The UK will be at the heart of this international effort to stop the boats and defend our national security. In attending the Chisinau summit, Mr Sunak was following in the footsteps of predecessor Liz Truss, who made time to attend the first meeting in the Czech Republic last October during her short-lived premiership. Then-prime minister Liz Truss arriving at the European Political Community summit at Prague Castle last year (Alistair Grant/PA) Spearheaded by French President Emmanuel Macron, the European Political Community is scheduled to be hosted by the UK in 2024. Moldova, which was playing host to nearly 50 European leaders for the summit, has accepted thousands of refugees from Ukraine since the Russian invasion last year. Support for Ukraine and Moldova in the face of Russian aggression was likely to be on the agenda, with Mr Sunak and Mr Morawiecki set to hold a roundtable discussion on security at the summit. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly in March announced UK funding of 10 million for Moldova, earmarked for economic and governance reforms and including the energy sector. A Home Office spokesperson said: We have a close partnership with Turkey when it comes to the shared problem of illegal migration, and we work extensively together to tackle the criminality that enables it. Rishi Sunak said the Government was still carefully considering next steps with just minutes to go before the deadline to hand over Boris Johnsons WhatsApp messages, diaries and notebooks to the Covid-19 inquiry. The Prime Minister said the Government was confident in its position, but did not set out how it intended to respond to inquiry chairwoman Baroness Halletts demand for the documents to be submitted. She has given the Cabinet Office until 4pm to disclose the information she has requested or face the threat of a criminal prosecution. Speaking at a summit in Moldova, Mr Sunak said: I think its really important that we learn the lessons of Covid so that we can be better prepared in the future. Rishi Sunak met Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky in Moldova but could not escape domestic political problems (Carl Court/PA) And were doing that in the spirit of rigour but also transparency and candour. Weve co-operated, the Governments co-operated thoroughly with the inquiry to date, handing over tens of thousands of documents, and we will continue to comply of course with the law, co-operate with the inquiry. Were confident in our position but are carefully considering next steps. The Government had previously argued that it did not have the messages and notebooks, but Mr Johnsons office confirmed he has handed them over to officials. The Cabinet Office has also argued that it should withhold unambiguously irrelevant material, but Lady Hallett has ruled that everything should be disclosed and she will decide what is or is not necessary for her work. Mr Johnsons decision to publicly confirm he has handed over the material stripping the Cabinet Office of one of its defences and his suggestion that it should be disclosed to the inquiry has heaped pressure on his successors Government. Whitehall officials are concerned about the wider precedent that will be set by handing over swathes of unredacted WhatsApp conversations, with fears that the inquiry will seek similar levels of disclosure from other senior figures including Mr Sunak himself. Lady Hallett issued her demand for the material under Section 21 of the Inquiries Act 2005, and failure to comply could lead to prosecution and a potential fine or jail term for an individual found guilty of the offence. The Government could seek a judicial review of her notice, questioning whether the demand for the documents falls within the scope of her inquiry but legal experts have suggested the Cabinet Office would have a weak case given the wide remit set out in Lady Halletts terms of reference. Last-ditch efforts to find a compromise continued on Thursday as the deadline which had already been extended by 48 hours loomed. Rishi Sunak urged European countries to work cooperatively to tackle illegal migration at a gathering of leaders from across the continent in Moldova. The Prime Minister also used the meeting of the European Political Community to call for more support for Ukraine, backing Volodymyr Zelenskys case for his war-torn nation to be part of Nato after talks with the Ukrainian president. Security for Ukraine and Moldova in the face of Moscows aggression dominated the summit held at a castle in the former Soviet republic, but Mr Sunak sought to put the issue of migration top of the agenda too. Im meeting European leaders in Moldova today, putting tackling illegal migration top of the international agenda. We've already made migration agreements with Albania, France and the EU to stop the boats. This global issue requires collaboration and the UK is taking the lead. pic.twitter.com/LoYkdTSREP Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) June 1, 2023 Speaking to broadcasters, he said: Whether its standing up to Russian aggression here in Moldova or in Ukraine, but also tackling illegal migration, are challenges that we can only really solve when we work together with other countries. Ive been having a series of very productive discussions here to strengthen everyones support for Ukraine, but also to work cooperatively to tackle illegal migration, which is one of my five big priorities. Mr Sunak was expected to announce the start of negotiations on a new returns agreement with Moldova to allow the UK to send Moldovans found to be in violation of immigration law back to their home country. However, the value of such a pact would be disputable, as only one Moldovan was recorded by the Home Office as having arrived in the UK on a small boat this year. Only 17 were found to have arrived via unauthorised means between January 2018 and March this year, according to the departments data. It comes as a similar deal with Georgia enters into force, and follows migration agreements with Albania and France. The Times reported that Britain would also target Turkey and Bulgaria as part of efforts to tackle small boats crossing the Channel, with the paper saying Border Force had evidence that Turkey had become a main hub for the manufacture of the dinghies used. Mr Sunak was also expected to announce an increase in bilateral intelligence-sharing with Bulgaria to crack down on criminal gangs involved in illegal migration. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hold a bilateral meeting during the European Political Community summit in Moldova (Carl Court/PA) After talks with Mr Zelensky, who called for a decision on his countrys accession to Nato as he addressed the summit, the Prime Minister said that Ukraines rightful place is in the alliance. The Government has also offered support to Moldova, amid ongoing tensions with Moscow. As the first British Prime Minister to visit Moldova, Im pleased to announce new support to aid them in the face of Russian aggression, Mr Sunak tweeted. Moldova is not alone. European leaders at the European Political Community summit near Chisinau (Carl Court/PA) Moldova, which was playing host to nearly 50 European leaders for the summit, has accepted thousands of refugees from Ukraine since the Russian invasion last year. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly in March announced UK funding of 10 million for Moldova, earmarked for economic and governance reforms and including the energy sector. Mr Sunak was also due to meet his Spanish and Polish counterparts Pedro Sanchez and Mateusz Morawiecki, with whom he held a roundtable discussion on security at the summit. In attending the gathering near Chisinau, Mr Sunak was following in the footsteps of predecessor Liz Truss, who made time to attend the first meeting in the Czech Republic last October during her short-lived premiership. Spearheaded by French President Emmanuel Macron, the European Political Community is scheduled to be hosted by the UK in 2024. Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup speaks during a National Assembly session in this March 23 photo. Korea Times photo by Koh Young-kwon South Korea's Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup will leave for Singapore later this week to attend an annual security forum, his ministry said Thursday, in an effort to rally international support for Seoul's efforts to address evolving North Korean threats. The three-day Shangri-La Dialogue is set to begin in the city-state Friday, amid tensions over Pyongyang's failed yet defiant launch of a space rocket this week and other security quandaries, like the protracted war in Ukraine. Senior security officials from more than 40 countries, including the United States, China, Britain, Australia and Japan, are expected to join the gathering hosted by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. The forum consists of seven key plenary sessions, including those on U.S. leadership in the Indo-Pacific, the building of a stable and balanced Asia-Pacific, and Asia's evolving maritime security order, according to the ministry. During a main session Saturday, Lee plans to speak on Seoul's policy efforts against Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs, and request support and cooperation from the international community. On the sidelines of the forum, Lee is scheduled to hold trilateral talks with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada, as the three sides seek closer security cooperation against the North Korean security conundrum. The meeting is set to discuss ways to expand three-way security drills and establish a system to share North Korean missile warning data in real time, the ministry said in a policy report to parliament. The three countries have been working to flesh out the agreement on the data sharing from a summit that President Yoon Suk Yeol and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Joe Biden and Fumio Kishida, reached during a trilateral summit in Cambodia last November. Lee is also scheduled to hold separate bilateral talks with Hamada as well as his counterparts from China, Canada, the Netherlands and Germany. The talks with Hamada would mark the first bilateral meeting between the countries' defense chiefs since November 2019, as relations had soured over historical spats stemming from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea. Ties have recently warmed following South Korea's decision in March to compensate Korean victims of Japanese wartime forced labor on its own without asking for contributions from Japanese firms. The ministry said the talks are set to discuss measures to resolve bilateral defense issues in a "future-oriented" manner, in a likely reference to an unresolved dispute over Japan's maritime patrol aircraft having conducted an unusually low-altitude flyby over a South Korean warship in December 2018. During talks with his Chinese counterpart, Li Shangfu, Lee is expected to discuss ways to restart high-level and working-level dialogue between the two sides that had been halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the ministry. Lee will also ask China to play a "constructive" role for North Korea's denuclearization and for the stability on the Korean Peninsula, it added. The bilateral talks come as signs of tensions emerged with Seoul moving to align closer with Washington to confront North Korean and other regional and global security challenges amid a hardening Sino-U.S. rivalry. (Yonhap) Thousands more Londoners will be able to swap their polluting vehicles for greener alternatives, the London mayor has announced. Sadiq Khan has expanded the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) scrappage scheme to cover families receiving child benefits and small businesses across the capital from the end of July. Business with fewer than 50 employees can now apply to scrap, retrofit or replace vehicles, not just those with up to 10 staff. The move also means 874,710 London families receiving child benefits can apply for a new vehicle. London charities can scrap or retrofit up to three vans or minibuses, instead of one, under the new rules. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced a major expansion to his 110m ultra low emission zone (Ulez) scrappage scheme (Aaron Chown/PA) The mayor plans to expand the Ulez zone to cover the whole of London on August 29. The scheme to help clear up Londons air currently covers all areas within the North and South Circular Roads and drivers must pay a 12.50 daily fee to drive inside the zone if their vehicles do not meet required emissions standards. If the expansion goes ahead, drivers in outer London will also have to pay the charge and the new Ulez borders will reach Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey. But in April, a High Court judge decided five Conservative-led councils could challenge the plan. Nine out of 10 cars, and around eight out of 10 vans seen driving in the zone on an average day are already compliant, according to the mayor. Applicants with a wheelchair-accessible car or van can get up to 5,000, while drivers of a standard car can receive up to 2,000 to scrap their vehicle. Motorcycle riders can also receive up to 1,000 for scrapping their bike. NEW: Today weve announced more financial support for Londoners affected by the expansion of the ULEZ. This includes: Expanding TfL's scrappage scheme to families on Child Benefit More help for small businesses and charitieshttps://t.co/nh7CvqEOsZ Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) June 1, 2023 Charities, traders and businesses can apply for larger grants to scrap, retrofit or replace a van or minibus. The 110 million scrappage scheme, run by Transport for London (TfL), was launched in January to support London-based small businesses, traders and charities replace polluting vehicles. Sadiq Khan said he understands Londoners concerns about transitioning to a new, compliant vehicle. He said: We already have the biggest-ever scrappage scheme in place to support Londoners on low incomes, London-based micro-businesses and charities and disabled Londoners. But Ive listened to families and small businesses in outer London who want more support and Im pleased to be able to announce today a major expansion to the scheme run by TfL to ensure we can help them. The mayor added: Expanding the Ulez was an incredibly difficult decision for me. But with toxic air damaging the health of millions of Londoners and the need to tackle the climate crisis, I believe the cost of inaction would simply be far too high a price to pay. The Ulez has been proven to work, already reducing toxic air pollution by nearly half in central London. Expanding it London-wide will help ensure five million more Londoners can breathe cleaner air and our bigger scrappage scheme will mean we can help thousands of families and small businesses make the transition to greener, cleaner vehicles. Ukraines rightful place is in Nato, Rishi Sunak has said. The Prime Minister is in Moldova for a gathering of European leaders, with his comments coming after a meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. Kyiv has long called for Ukraine to be admitted to Nato, but allies are divided about when and how any accession might happen as the war with Russia continues. Mr Sunak, speaking to broadcasters at the European Political Community summit, gave little further detail of the UK position on the Ukrainian path to membership. The gathering, on the border of Ukraine, comes ahead of a key meeting of Nato leaders in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a bilateral meeting with the Ukrainian president during the European Political Community summit (Carl Court/PA) I agree with the Nato Secretary General that Ukraines rightful place is in Nato and what we are also talking to Ukraine about right now is making sure they have all the support they need for a successful counteroffensive, the Prime Minister said. He said he was proud of the UKs record in supporting Ukraine, adding: We want to make sure we put in place security arrangements for Ukraine for the long term, so we send a very strong signal to Vladimir Putin that we are not going anywhere, we are here to stay and we will continue backing Ukraine not just now, but for years into the future. The UK has been among the most vocal backers of Ukrainian requests for support in the face of the Russian assault since last years invasion. Mr Sunak, in a tweet, said it was always a privilege to meet Mr Zelensky. He wrote: Were working with international partners to ensure Ukraine has the combat air capability needed to repel ongoing Russian aggression. Always a privilege to meet my friend @ZelenskyyUa. We're working with international partners to ensure Ukraine has the combat air capability needed to repel ongoing Russian aggression. pic.twitter.com/KtZBADdtOb Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) June 1, 2023 The Government has also offered support to Moldova, amid ongoing tensions with Moscow. As the first British Prime Minister to visit Moldova, Im pleased to announce new support to aid them in the face of Russian aggression, Mr Sunak tweeted on Thursday. Moldova is not alone. Christian Louboutin's much-awaited Flamencaba collection, in collaboration with Spanish actress Rossy De Palma, is now here. The designer celebrated the drop with a fete in Los Angeles last night, celebrity guests of which included Avril Lavigne, Tiffany Haddish, Evan Ross, Sara Sampaio, and Dascha Polanco. Lavigne wore a shimmery black long-sleeve top with black-and-blue patchwork pants and white pointy Louboutin heels. Haddish, meanwhile, looked striking in a bright red ruched bodycon dress and black pointed-toe Louboutin pumps. Stefanie Keenan - Getty Images The stars gathered at Carondelet House in looks that highlighted the vibrant collection, which is based on Spain's Flamenco dance and culture. A percentage of proceeds will go to Centro Coreografico Maria Page, an organization that aims to promote dance and Spains cultural heritage to benefit children and adolescents. BAZAAR.com spoke to Louboutin about the collection, which includes a fun tote bag, silky red high heels, and plenty of tassels. How was this collaboration born? Rossy and I are good friends; she's living in Madrid and one day she came to me with one specific idea to create a nice flamenco pair of shoes. We have a common friend who is a great flamenco dancer, Maria Pages, and she has this company of flamenco dancers. She told me, "Flamenco shoes are very specific shoes, you should make a really beautiful version of them." With her company, Maria also helps support young girls with heavy difficulties, so I decided that this collection would also help that foundation. What inspires you about Spain and Flamenco? It's a really beautiful, great country, and in Flamenco there is also the fact that men have always worn heels. That has always been a very inspirational thing for me, because it's really a culture where men have heels, and that is pretty rare in France and everywhere in the fashion industry. After the 18th century, 19th century, every shoe for men became flat, and in America you never had heels for men. Shop Now Flamencaba small $1990.00 christianlouboutin.com There's a bit of a fun, childish element to the little illustration of you and Rossy on the bag that feels like a great contrast to the very sexy, elegant silhouettes in the shoes. Well, when I was a teenager, I remember going to Spain and buying a lot of Flamenco postcards of couplesthe woman in the red dress dancing. So the idea was to introduce that type of tactic on the bag and on the shoe. Ive also never looked so thin [as I do in that illustration]. I needed to mimic Rossys character, her mentality. She's a fun person, so she would only do something if it's for funthough deep down, she's a very serious, really deep, creative person. How was the process of making this collection different from others youve done? Its the first time that I am involving someone else. It was a ping pong scene. We joked: after Nixon in China, Rossy in Paris. You Might Also Like Right up until the end, the White House was exploring contingency plans in case the high-stakes talks with Republicans to raise the debt ceiling and avert economic disaster collapsed. The White House was considering the unprecedented step of bypassing Congress altogether and invoking the Constitutions 14th Amendment, which states that the validity of the public debt shall not be questioned. President Joe Biden worried that there wasnt enough time for the inevitable court challenge to play out if he went down that road. But he took the idea seriously so seriously that the White House counsels office consulted at least two outside legal experts about the 14th Amendment just days before the deal was announced, people familiar with the matter said. A lead House negotiator in the showdown with Biden, Rep. Garret Graves, R-La., told reporters Wednesday that had Republicans spurned negotiations and let the nation default on its debt, it would have resulted in the president trying to invoke the 14th Amendment, as well as a missed opportunity for Republicans to press for spending cuts. But that break-glass option wouldnt be needed. Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., announced a deal Saturday night, and the House passed it Wednesday, capping a 36-day scramble at the White House and on Capitol Hill to avert economic catastrophe ahead of the Treasury Departments deadline of Monday. Senate leaders are working to pass the measure quickly. The House passage was a big hurdle, though its possible there could be turbulence in the Senate. Breaching the debt ceiling would roil the global financial markets. It would wipe out jobs and plunge the U.S. into a recession. Default would shatter the common presumption after World War II that America would always make good on its obligations. There had been two close calls in the Obama presidency, but default had never happened before. This time, there was good reason to worry that the U.S. would tumble over the cliff. After all, months went by before the high-wire talks even took place. Biden refused to meet with McCarthy until House Republicans put forward a budget that would be the basis for negotiations. And then, in April, McCarthy did just that. Surprise in the White House Democratic leaders were stunned. For months theyd been taunting McCarthy, challenging him to unify the fractious Republican caucus and pass a bill. McCarthy had been demanding spending cuts in return for raising the debt ceiling, a necessary step to avoid a catastrophic default. But if he couldnt so much as produce a bill laying out what he wanted, there was nothing to discuss, Democrats argued. What are they going to talk about, the weather? Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., quipped repeatedly in March. Both sides were dug in. Bidens stance was simple if ultimately untenable: He wouldnt negotiate over the debt ceiling. Dusting off a metaphor from the Obama era, he said he wouldnt let Republicans hold the U.S. economy hostage in exchange for concessions. Republicans had to raise the debt ceiling; case closed. Then McCarthy, whod gotten the speakers job three months earlier after a tense 15 rounds of voting, muscled through a debt ceiling bill with just one vote to spare on April 26. The White House reaction, according to three Democratic sources on Capitol Hill, was flat-footed and surprised. Biden had underestimated McCarthys influence in his conference, one said. (A White House aide said Wednesday that Biden and his senior advisers had been conferring with congressional Democrats all along, part of a strategy meant to force Republicans to release a plan of their own. We werent going to negotiate with ourselves, an official said.) Each side looked at the other with suspicion, if not outright contempt. Biden worried that the Houses far-right lawmakers were perfectly happy to see the economy collapse if only to damage his re-election chances. Back when he was vice president, Biden would reach out to an old colleague from his Senate days, Republican leader Mitch McConnell, to cut budget deals. They were the closers. This time, McConnell was sitting it out. It was up to Biden and McCarthy to break the impasse, McConnell maintained. It was time to start negotiating, and Biden knew it. But it wouldnt be easy. Youve got two Irish guys that dont drink, Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., another key negotiator, said of Biden and McCarthy on Wednesday. This account of the fevered negotiations that followed as the nation careened toward default stems from interviews with more than two dozen lawmakers, outside advisers and congressional and White House aides. Many spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the internal strategy surrounding the talks. Everyone in Washington is going to look terrible if we were actually to go over the brink and default, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers said in the days before the deal was reached. Tense days of negotiations To win the speakers job, McCarthy had to placate both moderates and a right-wing faction closely aligned with former President Donald Trump, who called on Republicans to let the country default unless all their demands including the kitchen sink were met. Any one member can force a vote to oust him under the strict terms in which McCarthy was chosen. That gave McCarthy little room for error as he plunged into the most delicate and far-reaching negotiations of his career. He and other congressional leaders met with Biden in the Oval Office on May 9, when anxieties were rising. By that point, the deadline for default was only four weeks away. Biden was dropping his refusal to negotiate, and employed a bit of verbal gymnastics to mask his retreat. He insisted he was bargaining over spending levels not a ransom for avoiding default. But Biden was negotiating in deadly earnest to stave off economic calamity. The key points of the emerging Biden-McCarthy deal were laid out just two days later, on May 11, at a low-key news briefing in the Capitol. Graves told reporters that he saw four main areas where a deal could be reached: reforming how permits are issued, clawing back unspent Covid funds, capping spending and imposing new work requirements on people getting federal aid. Soon afterward, McCarthy tapped Graves to lead negotiations with the White House. Kevin McCarthy and Joe Biden in the Oval Office (Alex Brandon / AP) Biden, meanwhile, deputized several trusted aides to lead the talks on his behalf: senior adviser Steve Ricchetti, legislative affairs chief Louisa Terrell and budget director Shalanda Young, a former congressional aide who hails from the Baton Rouge district Graves represents. The two Louisianans developed a rapport and began cooking up a deal. He said he makes better gumbo than me, so we were really trying to hash that out, Young said as she left a meeting with Graves in the Capitol. She conceded, Graves said later after the deal was struck. Its all about the roux. As both sides inched toward a deal, they faced mounting resentment from inside their ranks. After he left a meeting with Biden on May 16, McCarthy sounded upbeat, predicting that a deal could come together by the end of the week. That worried conservatives who feared that McCarthy would negotiate on the margins rather than insist on sweeping budget cuts or that Republican leaders would use budget gimmicks to forge a deal they could sell to their caucus as the deadline loomed. They agreed they would need to ensure that McCarthy held the line, according to sources familiar with the conversations. A behind-the-scenes player in the bubbling conservative revolt was Russell Vought, who was a budget director in Trumps White House. He had the ear of lawmakers who were skeptical of McCarthys willingness to deliver real cuts, said a person familiar with the talks. Vought was instrumental in leading the fight for speaker that forced McCarthy through so many rounds of votes. Working with budget hawks based in conservative think tanks who view the fight as part of a larger battle within the party over whether cuts to federal spending matter GOP hard-liners ramped up pressure on McCarthy to hold fast. They preferred a deal that would lift the debt ceiling for only one year rather than two, giving themselves more leverage with Biden when he was up for re-election in 2024. Heeding the warnings from conservatives, House negotiators pressed pause on May 19 after, they said, the White House stood firm against budget cuts. They briefly left the negotiating table and returned with a tougher public line. Washington has to spend less. Its as simple as that, McCarthy tweeted. Budget hawks were pleased by the pause. A source familiar with the talks described it as a negotiation tactic and said Republican leaders needed to make sure they shored up members on spending cuts, with 50 to 60 members holding a hard-line position on the issue, the source said. The source said they were still with McCarthy, however, and members maintained that public unity. Graves later said the moment was worrying. We effectively threw them out, he said, referring to the White House negotiators. That was probably a low point. Meetings got pretty tense at that point, language got pretty intense. The pause came roughly overnight in Japan where Biden was taking part in a meeting with the leaders of other advanced democracies. Bidens team, briefing him at odd hours back home because of the 13-hour time difference, viewed the GOPs position as a troubling step backward, according to White House officials. McCarthy was in a tough spot; he needed to appease the far right. The debt ceiling deal would have to pass both the House and the Senate. A Senate conservative, Mike Lee of Utah, warned that he would use every procedural tool to delay a deal that lacked substantial reform. Debt-Limit Deal Heads To House Vote After Clearing Key Hurdle (Ting Shen / Bloomberg via Getty Images) Meanwhile, Democrats fretted that Biden was losing the messaging war. McCarthy was everywhere. He would hold lengthy news conferences at the White House after his meetings with Biden, then moments later do the same thing with reporters in the Capitol. As he walked the halls of the Capitol, hed stop and chat informally with reporters. Biden wasnt nearly as accessible. And unlike President Barack Obama during the 2011 debt ceiling fight, Biden never gave a prime-time address devoted to the crisis. Where the White House failed miserably is in filling the messaging void, a Democratic lawmaker said in the days before the agreement was reached. Kevin [McCarthy] is out there every day. Theres no response. Theres no frame. Theres nothing. Is he [Biden] absent? Is it Weekend at Bernies? Where is the guy? There was a reason for Bidens silence, White House officials countered. His focus was on getting a deal, and he worried that too many speeches lambasting Republicans might jeopardize the talks, aides said. White House advisers characterized his approach this way: Prioritize the win. Meanwhile, House Democratic leaders scrambled. On the evening of May 22, as Biden and McCarthy met at the White House, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., huddled with his top lieutenants in his Capitol office to discuss strategy: They would parry McCarthy with daily news conferences accusing extreme MAGA Republicans of risking a default that would tank the economy. Three days later, nearly 90 Democrats gathered on the floor to excoriate their GOP counterparts for having left town for the Memorial Day weekend without a deal. Still, most Americans didnt appear to grasp the dire stakes. Many seemed to believe a default would be akin to a government shutdown, which the U.S. has been through numerous times in recent years. Default, by contrast, would reverberate worldwide. While people scoured the web more frequently as the talks lurched forward, their searches focused more on government shutdowns than on the consequences of default, according to data gathered by FiscalNotes Predata. Lets be clear, I wasnt sane On the Friday morning before the long Memorial Day weekend, McCarthy and Graves bicycled 10 miles together in Washington, circling the National Mall and points south. It was Graves second workout of the day. Earlier, he told colleagues in the House gym that negotiators were close but still had differences over permitting reform and spending caps. Around midnight, Graves emerged from the speakers suite in the Capitol with a cup of coffee and gummy worms in hand, fortifying himself for the long night ahead. (Asked Wednesday what he did to keep his sanity over weeks of tense talks, he joked: Lets be clear, I wasnt sane. He also confessed that the bike had been stolen, or borrowed, from the police. I did return it, so I feel like its more of a borrow, he said.) The next day, Saturday, McCarthy and his fellow negotiators left the Capitol together to get lunch from Chipotle, bringing back chips and queso for the reporters camped outside the speakers office. Biden was at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, where he consulted with aides and signed off on various offers and counterproposals, a White House official said. The two sides announced the breakthrough Saturday night a deal that neither set of negotiators loved but both could accept. Biden prevailed on one important point: The debt ceiling would be suspended a full two years, meaning he wouldnt need to negotiate all over again as he ran for re-election in 2024. The backlash was immediate. Liberals deemed the cuts and the work requirements to get federal aid from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, too severe; conservatives, too modest. When McCarthy appeared on Fox News on Sunday to say a majority of his conference supported the deal, a House Republican texted a reporter to rebut him in real time. The lawmaker wrote: Thats a lie. Text [of the bill] hasnt even come out yet and I already know of more than that. McCarthys goal was to show confidence and limit Republican defections. They knew the bill would require Democratic votes the aim was to minimize the need for them. McCarthy and his allies sought to arm members with a talking point by leaking a Congressional Budget Office finding conveyed privately to GOP leadership, according to two sources that the legislation would lead to $2.1 trillion in cuts if the six-year targets were met. That was a sleight of hand: Only two years of caps would be binding; the rest were aspirational. GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York hosted a call Monday afternoon in which she repeatedly emphasized the broad ideological mix of lawmakers who were on it to support the bill. In the end, it won 149 Republican votes. Democrats largely played coy, refusing to say how many votes theyd help provide. Progressives vented their concerns in a private call Monday about fossil fuel permitting, work requirements and spending cuts, a source on the call said. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., opposed the bill but proclaimed before the vote that many House progressives have said if they need our vote, well be there. It was emblematic of the party mood. Democrats werent happy, but there was no way they would tank Bidens deal and force a default. (The final tally: 165 Democratic lawmakers voted yes.) After two years in which the White House largely had to negotiate differences between progressives and conservative Democrats like Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, corralling votes for the debt deal required a new approach, focused on a key center-left block. One of the first calls Biden made after the deal was announced was to Rep. Ann McLane Kuster, D-N.H., the chair of the 98-member New Democratic Coalition. As they two discussed selling the deal to fellow Democrats, Kuster said she focused not on what the White House got from the negotiations but rather how we got everything out of the agreement that Republicans had been pushing to enact. On Memorial Day, two days before the big vote, Kuster and her group issued a statement championing the bill. Wednesday morning, White House officials made one final pitch to Democrats for support at a caucus meeting on Capitol Hill. Before Young, the Biden negotiator, made a presentation, she got a standing ovation from the caucus that brought her to tears, a source in the room said. The group also heard from former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who still enjoys great influence in the caucus but has been reluctant to wield it publicly, for fear of undermining the new leadership. Pelosi gave an impassioned plea to the caucus to support the deal, the source said words that resonated all the more because of the relatively low profile she has kept since she relinquished a leadership role. Still, there were clear differences in the room. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., criticized the changes to anti-poverty programs like SNAP and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. She said that Black women are always being disrespected and that you have your foot on our neck with the bill. Pelosi explained that it wasnt the bill we would draft on our own, but that it was the best we could do, another source said. Painful as the standoff was, the House passed the 99-page Fiscal Responsibility Act on Wednesday night in a whopping 314-117 vote. There would be no economic meltdown at least not yet. No other democratic nation except Denmark has a similar debt ceiling. Congress could do away with it if it chose. But lawmakers have preserved it: Republicans like to wield it as leverage when they dont control the White House, and Democrats never found the support to abolish it while in charge. "There will be a Republican president in the future whos going to need to raise the debt ceiling, said Jim Kessler, a co-founder of the center-left think tank Third Way. I dont think Democrats are going to say, Were just going to allow you to do it. Theyll draw concessions, too. Democrats will start playing that card when its their turn." If it gets bad enough, he added, well do the smart thing and repeal this silly law. Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan has spent the last few years lassoing fans in with Western TV shows full of drama, the wild frontier, and cowboys. Of course, we love the cast and characters in the original and all the Yellowstone spinoffs. You simply cannot find a more beloved family on television than the Duttons! But Sheridan's newest project, 1883: The Bass Reeves Story, has a twist that's extra exciting. Season 2 of 1883 will focus on the life of a real-life American cowboy and a pretty famous one at that! You won't find John Dutton III or any of his ancestors in a history book, but you will find Bass Reeves, aka the man who inspired The Lone Ranger. His story is the stuff of American legend, and there are so many facts about his life that make him a perfect fit for the Yellowstone universe. The series is currently filming in Texas with David Oyelowo starring in the title role. While we wait patiently for this guaranteed hit to drop, here's a quick crash course on the man, the myth, the legend! Unknown author - Wikimedia Commons Bass Reeves was born before the Civil War. In July 1838, Reeves was born into slavery. He and his family were owned by a man named William Steele Reeves, then purportedly his son Colonel George R. Reeves. They forced him to join the Confederate army at the outbreak of the Civil War, but he eventually escaped and lived as a fugitive in Indian Territory among the Creeks and Seminoles. He was a true family man. After the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, Reeves relocated to Van Buren, Arkansas, where he bought land, worked as a farmer, and married Nellie Jennie. They started a family together, eventually having 11 children. He was the first black deputy U.S. marshal west of the Mississippi River. According to Britannica, in 1875, Federal Judge Isaac Parker of the Western District of Arkansas commissioned Reeves to be a deputy U.S. marshal. Reeves was recruited to work in the Indian Territory due to his deep knowledge of the area and fluency in the Creek and Seminole languages, mainly responsible for apprehending wanted fugitives. Unknown author - Wikimedia Commons He is reported to be one of the most successful lawmen in the Indian Territory. Bass Reeves served for over 30 years and brought 3,000+ criminals to justice! He killed 14 outlaws and was known for bringing in some of the most dangerous fugitives. Among his most famous catches, Reeves tracked outlaw Tom Story for five years, eventually killing him in a gunfight. Since that period lasted from 1884 to 1889, we might see Tom Story in the new show! During his years as a marshal, Reeves was reportedly never injured, though he did have his belt and hat shot off on separate occasions. He didn't let his past hold him back. Since Reeves was born a slave, he grew up illiterate and remained so his entire life. Regardless, he didn't let his lack of education stop him from being a successful lawman. According to Black Past, Reeves would frequently memorize the warrants that were read to him by federal judges or court officials. As a man of the law, he was noted for his integrity and ingenuity. Reeves was known as a fair and honest agent of the law. On one occasion, he arrested his church minister for selling illegal alcohol. At one point, Reeves arrested his own son after engaging in a weeks-long manhunt to track him down. Despite being shaken by the incident, Reeves had insisted on bringing him to justice. (The son was tried and convicted but later given a full pardon.) According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, Muskogee Police Chief Bud Ledbetter once said that he "never quailed in facing any man." His career as a marshal ended in 1907. In 1907, the state of Oklahoma took on policing duties over Indian Territory, which brought an end to Reeves' career as a U.S. marshal. He wasn't about to retire, though, and at 69, he became a policeman for the city of Muskogee. Bass Reeves eventually died of Bright's disease (nephritis) at the age of 71, but not before he left his mark on history as one of the greatest American frontiersman to have ever lived. You Might Also Like Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino are welcoming babies despite their age. Do men have biological clocks? (Photos: Getty Images) Congratulations are in order for two Hollywood leading men. Al Pacino, 83, is welcoming a new baby with 29-year-old girlfriend Noor Alfallah, while 79-year-old Robert De Niro just introduced the world to his seventh child, his first with decades-younger partner Tiffany Chen. Pacino and De Niro may be able to have children, but their advanced age does make one wonder: do men have biological clocks that impact their fertility? When it comes to fertility, a heavy emphasis is placed on the age of the woman, with studies suggesting that fertility begins to decline in ones 30s, particularly after age 35. Dr. Jamie Grifo, director of NYU Langone Fertility Center and division director of reproductive endocrinology and infertility within the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, previously told Yahoo Life, "Even with reproductive assistance, achieving pregnancy after age 45 is very slim this is because the number of eggs and the quality of those eggs is very low. Yet men who have a younger partner dont have to worry quite as much about their own age when it comes to having a biological child at least, to an extent. Fertility does decline in men as they age, but not as dramatically as it does for women and for different reasons. Dr. Jane L. Frederick, a reproductive endocrinologist, tells Yahoo Life that men over the age of 40 are 30% less likely to conceive compared to younger men under the age of 30. Data also showed that it took older men longer to get their partner pregnant a five times increase compared with men under 25. Male fertility is an under-researched field, yet there are some findings to suggest male biological clocks do have a significant impact on the likelihood of a successful pregnancy. A 2017 study from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, for example, found that the chance of live birth decreased with older men, even if their partners were younger women. While men often can have biological children much older than women can, their fertility is still impacted by age. Age impacts the health of ones sperm, says Dr. T. Mike Hsieh, the director of UCSD Mens Health Center and professor of urology, who notes that increased paternal age is associated with a decline in sperm count, sperm quality, semen volume, testosterone and ability for sexual activity or erectile dysfunction. But one reason for this decline may have to do with how healthy an individual is as a whole, explains Dr. Paul Turek, a urologist and expert on fertility in men. The older a man is, the more likely he is to be exposed to certain environmental factors or develop health conditions that impact fertility by affecting the DNA package of his sperm. Eggs try as hard as they can to fix the DNA early on after fertilization, but if the load of damage is in excess of the eggs capacity to repair it, then there will be no pregnancy or possibly a miscarriage, he says. Wellness, parenting, body image, and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Lifes newsletter. Sign up here. Ashley Biden is President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden's only daughter, but despite being First Daughter, she often shies away from the spotlight. "It took about two years to get into the groove of being in this position," she told Elle earlier this year. "Im doing my work as I always have been, but kind of figuring out the role as First Daughter, and how can I use it in the most positive way, where its not about me, its about Americans. And what Ive learned is, I want to tell the story of othersI want to lift up organizations and share this information." Pool - Getty Images Today, Ashley joined her mom, Jill, at the royal wedding of Crown Prince Hussein and Rajwa Al Saif. She and her mom arrived hand-in-hand to Zahran Palace, where they were greeted by King Abdullah and Queen Rania ahead of the ceremony. Courtesy of the Royal Hashemite Court Here, everything you need to know about Joe and Jill's daughter Ashley: Ashley was born in Wilmington, Delaware. Mark Reinstein - Getty Images She was born on June 8, 1981, the daughter of Joe and Jill Biden. She had older half siblings Beau Biden and Hunter Biden. Growing up, Ashley didn't realize her dad was a Senator. "My family really did keep it super down-to-earth so I didnt know," Ashley said. "I knew Dad took the train and was trying to solve the problems of the world. But as a little girl, hes just Dad." She attended Wilmington Friends School and Tulane University. She attended high school at Wilmington Friends School in Delaware, then got her bachelors degree in cultural anthropology in 2003 from Tulane University. The White House - Getty Images She is a social worker. In 2010, she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy and Practice with a master's in social work. Initially, she thought she wanted to be a therapist, but decided to focus on policy instead. "The only thing my parents always said to me was, 'Follow your passion.' There was never any pressure to go into service, but I saw my mother, a teacher, and my dad, who was working on issues Americans care about," Ashley says of her career. In 2019, she left her job at the Delaware Center for Justice to work on her dad's presidential campaign. She's currently applying for a doctorate in clinical social work at Penn, and one day, she hopes to teach. Ashley married Dr. Howard Klein in 2012. They had an interfaith Catholic-Jewish wedding. Dr. Klein is an otolaryngologist and plastic surgeon at Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals in Philadelphia. You Might Also Like Former Vice President Mike Pence will announce next week that he is running for president, giving a kickoff speech in Iowa and releasing a campaign video on June 7 ahead of a town hall with CNN later that day in Des Moines, a source familiar confirms to ABC News. Pence will be running against Donald Trump in the Republican primary -- setting up a personal battle with the former boss he only broke from in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack. He's expected to have a balancing act ahead of him: pitching himself as the best Republican to take on President Joe Biden while touting the same policy wins as Trump and not ostracizing Trump's supporters amid Trump's repeated criticism of him. The June 7 timing puts Pence on track with his promise to make a decision before late June. His expected announcement will come weeks after a group of conservative allies launched a political group to support his candidacy. That super PAC, Committed to America, hopes to both "reintroduce" Pence to voters -- who, the group believes, don't have a full sense of the former vice president -- and to catch the attention of voters perhaps stuck on other candidates as the list of 2024 hopefuls grows longer. MORE: Pence allies launch super PAC to support potential White House run "People know Mike Pence, they just don't know him well," co-chair Scott Reed told a small group of reporters earlier this month. "This campaign is going to reintroduce Mike Pence to the country as his own man, not as vice president, but as a true economic, social and national security conservative -- a Reagan conservative." The pro-Pence group said it will make significant investments in Iowa, a state critical for Republicans as it holds the first nominating contest next year. "We're going to organize Iowa, all 99 counties, like we're running him for county sheriff," said Reed, who previously managed Sen. Bob Dole's 1996 presidential campaign. Doug Heye, a former communications director for the Republican National Committee, said it would be premature for anyone to count Pence out. "A whole lot can happen -- and certainly when you have the front-runner who's under indictment and facing potential other indictments, that can scramble the field before next November," Heye said. "If there's a scramble, it's not clear where that support then goes. That's why you see so many people getting in. They see a vulnerability with Trump, very clearly. And while he'll certainly have some obstacles, it's clear that Pence knows his weaknesses better than anyone else." Weighing a run in the wake of Jan. 6 In March, during an exclusive interview with ABC News' chief Washington correspondent, Jonathan Karl, Pence said he was giving a run for the 2024 GOP nomination "serious consideration." Pence demurred then on whether he would support Trump if Trump were to win the Republican nomination but said that he believed there would be "better choices." At the time and in the ensuing months, Pence has held voter-facing events in the early states of Iowa and New Hampshire. He also published a memoir, "So Help Me God," in November. "We're getting a lot of encouragement, not only here in Iowa, but all across the country," Pence told Karl in March. "We're giving prayerful consideration to what role we might play." PHOTO: Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks to local residents during a meet and greet, May 23, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa. (Charlie Neibergall/AP, FILE) A loyal ally of Trump while they were in office, Pence has since had a notable falling out with the former president over Trump's resistance to relinquishing power -- climaxing in the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol as Trump called on Pence to try and reject the Electoral College results. A mob of Trump supporters breached the Capitol complex that day, and Pence and lawmakers were moved to secure locations. "We all face the judgment of history, and I believe in the fullness of time that history will hold Donald Trump accountable for the events of Jan. 6, as it will other people that were involved," Pence told Karl. He added: "I also think the American people will also have their say. I mean, the president is now a candidate for office again, he's running for election, but as I go around the country, I'm convinced the American people have learned the lessons of that day." MORE: Mike Pence testifies before special counsel's 2020 election grand jury: Sources Pence told Karl that he and Trump left the White House on good terms but hadn't spoken in the two years since. "We parted amicably and respectfully, but in the months that followed, he returned to that that same rhetoric he was using before Jan. 6, rhetoric that continues much up to this day and that's why we've gone our separate ways," he said. "They know the fact that the president's reckless words endangered people at the Capitol that day, including me and my family," Pence said of the public, "and I believe they'll factor all of that in as they make decisions going forward in this country." PHOTO: In this Aug. 24, 2020 file photo President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence stand on a stage together at the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. (David T. Foster III/AFP via Getty Images, FILE) While Pence has criticized Trump over the insurrection, he has sided with the former president in most other areas he could arguably challenge Trump on. When Trump was indicted by a New York grand jury -- on charges of falsifying business records -- Pence echoed him in calling it "a politically charged prosecution" and "not what the American people want to see." Whereas fellow presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson condemned Trump, Pence sounded similar complaints as the GOP's MAGA wing to try and delegitimize the case. He discouraged the protests the former president called for but noted the First Amendment right to peacefully assemble. "Pence is very methodical and strategic," said Heye. "He's going to take Trump head-on on those things where, politically, he sees the best advantage -- and with an eye to history, as he's obviously trying to do." From Indiana to Washington Pence was born in Columbus, Indiana, to a Roman-Catholic family, one of six children to Nancy and Edward, who ran a group of gas stations and served in the Korean War. He attended Hanover College, where he was chapter president of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, and Indiana University Law School. After a time in private practice and two failed congressional bids, Pence worked as a conservative radio and TV host in Indiana before he was elected to Congress in 2000, ultimately rising to become the House Republican Conference Chair. Following four terms in Congress and one term as governor of Indiana, Pence ended his reelection campaign in 2016 when Trump tapped him as the Republican vice presidential pick. PHOTO: Former Vice President Mike Pence greets guests at a 'Lumber and Lobster' event on May 17, 2023 in Dover, N.H. (Scott Eisen/Getty Images, FILE) It was in college that Pence left the Catholic Church to become an evangelical Christian, which is likely to be a major theme of his 2024 campaign -- with Hutchinson and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott positioning for those same voters. "Trump wasn't and will never be a series of policy positions. He's an attitude. But where the Trump administration can claim success with conservatives, Mike Pence has fingerprints all over that," Heye said. "And he remains very close with the Evangelical community, which is certainly very important in the Republican primary ... It's hard to think of anybody who would have more credibility in that community than Mike Pence." Pence has been married to his wife, Susan, whom he fondly calls "Mother," for 37 years. They met at church and when they moved to Washington, he vowed not to dine alone with another woman. They have three adult children: Michael, Charlotte and Audrey. He will join a fast-expanding field of 2024 GOP candidates: Trump, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Hutchinson, Scott, Larry Elder and Steve Laffey. Chris Christie, who was passed over for Trump's vice president in 2016 when Pence was selected, is expected to announce his own bid next week in New Hampshire, the second state on Republicans' primary calendar. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is also set to announce a bid next Wednesday. Mike Pence announcing 2024 presidential bid next week in Iowa: Source originally appeared on abcnews.go.com A missing Missouri ER doctor who was found dead in an Arkansas lake had suffered an apparent gunshot wound, say officials. Dr John Forsyth, 49, disappeared on 21 May after a shift at a hospital in the Ozarks just days after proposing to his fiancee. His body showed up nine days later in Beaver Lake in Arkansas. A kayaker found the body of the father of seven on Tuesday afternoon in Benton County, the county sheriffs department said in a statement. Investigators have not said if the gunshot wound was self-inflicted or caused by another person and an investigation into the death is underway. Autopsy results are still pending. Forsyths vehicle was found unlocked with his wallet, two phones, a laptop and other items inside, his family have said. Police have said that there were no signs of foul play. Dr Forsyths body was found in a lake on Tuesday (Facebook) The doctors brother, Richard Forsyth, told Fox News Digital that his brother had claimed he was kidnapped and released without harm in February 2022. Theres no way he killed himself, Richard told the outlet. Many times he mentioned he might be in danger. And he added about the claim: It was cold. He was zip-tied. He was made to feel very unsafe and taken on a car ride with some people to a bridge and was threatened. Mr Forsyth said that no police report was ever filed and that he only found out about it from a friend on the night his brother went missing. He did not file a police report because he believed he was in continued danger, Richard Forsyth said. Forsyth had worked as a doctor at the Cassville hospital for about 15 years. The family says that Forsyth had reached a divorce settlement with his wife on 11 May that paid her $19,000 per month in alimony and child support, but stated that the couple had an amicable relationship after their split. Cassville Police Detective Stuart Lombard has said that Forsyth texted his fiancee at 7am saying that he would see her in a little bit and then stopped responding. LADARIO, Brazil (AP) One year ago on a Friday afternoon, Bruno Pereira, an expert on Indigenous affairs, and Dom Phillips, a British journalist, motored along the Itaquai river in far western Brazil, to the settlement of Ladario. The line of wooden houses here marks a boundary between the Javari Valley Indigenous Territory in the Brazilian Amazon, and the non-Indigenous world. They were greeted by the man everyone knows as Caboclo. Pereiras relationship with these river communities had often been tense. He had been the lead official with the nations Indigenous agency, and these non-Indigenous communities were frequent trespassers onto Indigenous land to hunt and fish. He had fought this, confiscating fishing gear. But Pereira now sought a different approach. He was on leave from the government, helping build alternative livelihoods in these remote and desperately poor communities, which receive virtually no support from the government, although they are entitled to it. I told Bruno that by the end of the month, I would harvest 700 clusters of bananas. He said, I will go to Brasilia and come back with a solution for you to sell bananas, Caboclo told The Associated Press. But Bruno would not return. Within 48 hours he and Phillips would be ambushed and shot, their bodies burned, dismembered and buried in a shallow river grave. As the one year anniversary of the murders approached, The Associated Press returned to the Javari Valley to describe the backdrop against which the murders took place, and the ripple effects. Caboclo, who supports five children, did not find a new market for his banana harvest. Instead, the Federal Police accused him of taking part in illegal fishing and took him to a prison run by criminal gangs. Caboclo admits he had fished illegally in the past, but claims he stopped doing so years ago. He spent 124 days in jail without trial, which his attorney, Mozarth Bessa Neto, said is illegal. Upstream, the community of Sao Gabriel is made up of a few wooden houses, five of them empty. There an AP reporter found Maria de Fatima da Costa, 60, knee-deep in the river, cleaning a wooden plank. Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, a fisherman who confessed to the murders and is in prison, is her son. She agrees he must pay for what he did, but tears up recounting that her other son, Oseney da Costa de Oliveira, was also charged in the murders, something he denies. He also has been imprisoned since then. He is innocent. And his house is abandoned, his family is abandoned, everything is falling apart, she said, with tears in her eyes. The AP sent inquiries to the Federal Police but did not receive a response. There is no electricity or plumbing in Sao Gabriel, even though the government promised things were going to be so different here. These river communities date back to the rubber era, which began in the late 1800s. The industrys decline left thousands of families in poverty across the entire Amazon region. Many rubber tapper descendants turned to logging, but when Indigenous lands were legally recognized in 2001, they were no longer permitted into those forests. In 2011, the federal government created a land reform project that on paper, seemed promising: 71,000 hectares of forest (175,000 acres), where traditional, non-Indigenous communities may fish and harvest. It was supposed to bring electricity, rural lines of credit, and assistance for managed fishing and acai growing. But that didn't happen. In the twelve years since, the National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform, or Incra, allocated just $5,100 for the settlement of five families, it said. The governments absence is so profound here that 81-year-old Martins dos Santos, who actually founded the Sao Gabriel community, was unaware that he lives in an official settlement until told by the AP. STATE OF THE CASE Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira was not the only person to confess to the murders. Another fisherman, Jeferson da Silva Lima, did too, and is also in prison awaiting trial. Amarildo claims that military police suffocated him with a plastic bag to get his confession. Documents from a medical exam at the time show the two brothers had minor injuries after they were arrested by Amazonas state police. The department did not reply to questions. A Colombian businessman, Rubens Villar Coelho, stands accused of masterminding the crime, and is also in custody. He financed fishermen who ventured onto Indigenous land on trips that could last weeks. Some people say the crime also exposed how much Brazils Indigenous agency, Funai, was dismantled under far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro, who long opposed the very concept of Indigenous land rights. Experiencing that pressure firsthand in his job at Funai, Pereira requested a leave of absence and was working as an advisor for Univaja, an organization that brings together six Indigenous peoples living in the Javari Valley Indigenous Territory, when he was murdered. It is an area roughly the size of Portugal and home to the worlds largest population of isolated Indigenous groups. Pereiras intention for communities to raise their standard of living through legal activities remains a distant reality now. Recently a local fishermens association reported that police were using harsh tactics against them and managed to secure free federal legal assistance. The police and other officials are entering homes without a warrant and confiscating fishing gear under the justification that they belong to illegal fishermen. Not all fishermen are criminals, but they are being treated as such, it said. ____ 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. Deputy Chairman Jeong Seung-yoon of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission tells a press briefing at the government complex in Seoul on June 1. Yonhap The state anti-corruption agency on Thursday launched an investigation into snowballing allegations that children of senior officials at the National Election Commission (NEC) were employed through favoritism. The election watchdog has come under fire after suspicions arose that children of some senior officials landed agency jobs thanks to the influence of their fathers. The NEC secretary general and his deputy offered to resign last week, though they claimed no wrongdoing. "The investigation was launched on a full scale, as relevant data has arrived after coordination with the NEC," Deputy Chairman Jeong Seung-yoon of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission told a press briefing. Jeong said the scope of the investigation would cover all former and incumbent officials of the NEC for possible irregularities related to the hiring of their children. Dozens of officials will be mobilized for the intensive investigation for one month, which will then be subject for an extension upon review. Amid calls from the ruling People Power Party for him to step down and take responsibility for what it calls the "daddy chance," NEC Chairman Rho Tae-ak said Wednesday the NEC would conduct a joint investigation with an independent outside agency. Jeong, however, clarified that his agency's investigation is independent in accordance with the relevant law, emphasizing it would not be conducted jointly with the NEC. Jeong also emphasized the NEC should not misinterpret the investigation as the violation of its independence guaranteed by the Constitution. "The independence of the NEC does not bear unlimited authority but is only permitted within the boundary of the Constitution of the national sovereignty and the separation of three powers," he said. Meanwhile, the NEC refused an audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection regarding the allegations. "The NEC is not subject to the Board of Audit and Inspection's audit for duties," said an NEC official who requested anonymity. The NEC is currently being audited solely for regular financial purposes by the state audit agency. On Wednesday, the NEC's special audit committee held a meeting and decided to refer four senior officials, including Secretary General Park Chan-jin and Deputy Secretary General Song Bong-sup, for investigation regarding the suspicions. The committee noted circumstances were detected that made it difficult to rule out the possibility that the four individuals had exerted undue influence in the hiring process of their children for experienced positions. Song and Park have consistently rejected the allegations, emphasizing the hiring of their children was done in a fair and transparent manner and that their children received no favors since joining the election agency. (Yonhap) A South Carolina convenience store owner who fatally shot a 14-year-old in the back after falsely accusing him of stealing was involved in at least two prior altercations in which he confronted people he suspected of shoplifting and then opened fire, authorities said. As the owner, Rick Chow, remained in jail awaiting a bond hearing in the death of Cyrus Carmack-Belton, the Richland County Sheriffs Department on Wednesday revealed it had received numerous calls about trouble at the Xpress Mart Shell gas station. In one incident in 2015, Chow fired six times at a car after he tried to stop someone he suspected of shoplifting, it said. Three years later, he shot a man in the leg, department spokesperson Veronica Hill said. Chows conduct in both cases did not meet the requirements under South Carolina law to support criminal charges, she said, adding authorities made that determination because he wasnt the instigator in either incident. Owner opens fire over accusations of stolen beer and peanuts An incident report stated that in May 2015, Chow allegedly tried to stop a woman from stealing two cases of beer and a package of boiled peanuts. Cyrus Carmack-Belton. (via Rep. Todd Rutherford) Chow confronted the woman in the parking lot. The woman, who was not identified in the report, told him that she purchased the items and he said she had not. The woman and Chow began to struggle over the items" and she "began to yell for help from a man seated inside her vehicle, the report stated. The woman allegedly threatened to shoot Chow, Hill said. Chow grabbed the beer and the womans purse, which contained the peanuts, according to the report. The scuffle left Chow with two scratches and a broken glasses, the report said. As the man and the woman attempted to drive away, Chow pulled out a handgun and fired about six shots at the vehicle, according to the report. No one was injured, Hill said. Deputies responded but could not find the man and the woman, the report said. A stolen can of Easy-Off, then chaos Three years later, Chow said he watched a man take a can of Easy-Off cleaner from a shelf, conceal it under his clothes and then leave the store without paying, an incident report stated. Chow followed the man, Alexis Aguilera, 23, out of the store and demanded the item back, it said. Aguilera told him to call the police. Chow said he was unsure of what happened next but was struck in the face and the can of Easy-Off fell to the ground, according to the report. Chow then pulled out his firearm and fired two shots at Aguilera as he fled, the report stated. Aguilera returned to the scene as a deputy arrived, according to the report. He was taken to the hospital and treated for a gunshot wound before being taken into custody in connection with the incident. Aguilera pleaded guilty to a shoplifting charge, court records show, and was sentenced to 30 days or a $300 fine. Publicly listed numbers were not available for Aguilera. Chows attorney declined to discuss the earlier incidents. There were hundreds of calls to the store in the years before teen was fatally shot The shootings were just two examples of prior incidents at the store. During the past five years, the sheriffs department has received hundreds of calls from the store ranging from assaults, larceny and shoplifting to motor vehicle theft, vandalism, robbery and burglary, according to Hill. On Sunday, Chow, 58, fatally shot Cyrus after accusing the 14-year-old of stealing bottles of water. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said the teen did not shoplift anything. We have no evidence that he stole anything whatsoever, he said at a news briefing. Cyrus entered the convenience store around 8 p.m. Sunday. Lott said the teen took four bottles of water from a cooler and then put them back. Hill, the department spokesperson, said Wednesday that there is video showing the teen either setting down the water bottles or putting them back. At some point, the teen got into an argument with Chow and Chows son. Lott didnt detail what led to the dispute but said that Cyrus eventually left the store and took off running. Chow, armed with a pistol, and his son chased the 14-year-old toward a nearby apartment complex, Lott said, adding that the teen fell at one point but got back up. Chows son said Cyrus had a gun, which is when the owner shot the teen in the back as he was running away, according to Lott. Authorities later recovered a gun next to his body, but the sheriff said there was no evidence the teen ever pointed the weapon at Chow or his son. Cyrus was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An investigation determined the shooting was not a bias motivated incident, according to a report from the sheriffs department. Hill said authorities reached that conclusion because investigators have no evidence that suggests racial bias was a factor. Cyrus was Black. Chow is Asian. The shooting has angered some people in the community. Its senseless, Lott said. It doesnt make sense. You have a family thats grieving. We have a community thats grieving over a 14-year-old who was shot. He said that even if Cyrus took something from the store, it didnt warrant a shooting. Regardless, even if he had shoplifted four bottles of water, which is what he initially took out the cooler and then he put them back, even if he had done that, thats not thats not something you shoot anybody over, much less a 14-year-old, Lott said. Democratic state Rep. Todd Rutherford, the attorney for the teens family, said in an Instagram post that what happened wasnt an accident. Its something that the Black community has experienced for generations: being racially profiled, then shot down in the street like a dog. Words cant describe the pain I feel having known this family for decades, he said. Rutherford could not be reached for comment. Some people on social media have called for a boycott of the store and on Monday, a crowd gathered outside to protest. The report stated that several people broke into the store and took items off the shelves. Chow is being held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center on a murder charge. His son has not been charged. The sheriffs department said it has consulted with the Fifth Circuit Solicitor's Office seeking its opinion on whether the son should be charged. The solicitors office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. BEIJING (AP) Chinas Defense Ministry accused the U.S. of interference and surveillance of a naval exercise in the South China Sea ahead of an incident in which a Chinese fighter pilot flew at high speed in front of a U.S. Air Force reconnaissance plane, underscoring the rupture in contacts between their militaries. A statement issued late Wednesday by the Chinese militarys Southern Theater Command said it had organized air forces to track and monitor the whole process, dealt with it according to laws and regulations, and operated professionally. The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said the pilot of a Chinese J-16 fighter had performed an unnecessarily aggressive maneuver while intercepting a U.S. Air Force RC-135 aircraft on May 26, flying directly in front of the planes nose. The RC-135 was conducting safe and routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace, in accordance with international law," the U.S. side said. We expect all countries in the Indo-Pacific region to use international airspace safely and in accordance with international law. Southern Theater Command spokesperson Senior Col. Zhang Nandong was quoted in the statement accusing the U.S. of mixing up black and white and making false accusations in an attempt to confuse the international audience. "We solemnly urge the U.S. to conscientiously restrain the actions of front-line naval and air forces, strictly abide by relevant international laws and relevant agreements, and prevent accidents at sea and in the air," Zhang said. If not, the U.S. will bear all consequences, he said. Zhang did not say what international laws he was referring to. China's claim to virtually the entire South China Sea is not recognized by the U.S. and strongly contested by other countries bordering on the strategic waterway, through which an estimated $5 trillion of international trade passes each year. The nature of the Chinese exercise wasn't clear, nor was it apparent that Beijing had informed other countries of its activities. While Beijing and Washington have signed agreements to handle unexpected events between their air and naval forces, China has broken off communication between the two militaries, largely in retaliation for U.S. support for Taiwan. China claims the self-governing island as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary. China also reacted angrily to the U.S. shooting down earlier this year of a suspected Chinese spy balloon that had traversed the U.S., while Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu is under a U.S. travel ban and other sanctions for overseeing arms transfers from Russia. China has ruled out a meeting between Li and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin when the two men attend a security conference in Singapore over the weekend. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that the plane incident showed the importance of the U.S. and China maintaining dialogue at a senior level. He said it was regrettable that Beijing had rejected Austins request for a meeting with the Chinese defense minister. I think it only underscores why it is so important that we have regular, open lines of communication, including, by the way, between our defense ministers, Blinken said at a news conference at the end of an EU-US trade and technology meeting in Lulea, Sweden. China frequently challenges military aircraft from the U.S. and its allies in the South and East China Seas, and the Taiwan Strait. Similar actions led to a 2001 in-air collision over the South China Sea between a Chinese fighter and U.S. Navy surveillance plane in which the Chinese plane was lost and pilot killed. The damaged U.S. plane landed at a Chinese navy air force base, leading to the detention of the crew and a diplomatic standoff between the sides. In Tuesdays statement, the Indo-Pacific Command said America will continue to fly, sail and operate safely and responsibly wherever international law allows, and expects all other countries to do the same. The breakdown in military contacts reflects an overall sharp downturn in relations sparked by their rivalry for global influence in diplomacy, trade, technology and the gap in outlook between the authoritarian Communist Party and the democratic West. BEIJING (AP) Chinas government criticized the United States' plans to sign a trade treaty with Taiwan and called on Washington on Thursday to stop official contact with the self-ruled island democracy claimed by Beijing as part of its territory. The agreement due to be signed Thursday comes amid increased Chinese efforts to intimidate Taiwan by flying fighter jets and bombers near the island, a global center for high-tech industry. American and European politicians have visited Taiwan in a show of support for its elected government. The Chinese foreign ministry accused Washington of violating agreements on the status of Taiwan, which split with the mainland in 1949 after a civil war. The United States has no official relations with Taiwan but has extensive informal ties and multibillion-dollar annual trade. The United States should stop any form of official exchanges with Taiwan, refrain from negotiating agreements with Taiwan that have sovereign connotations or official nature and refrain from sending wrong signals to the Taiwan independence secessionist forces, said a ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning. Taiwan never has been part of the Peoples Republic of China, but the mainlands ruling Communist Party says the island is obliged to unite with China, by force if necessary. Beijing has threatened to attack if Taiwan declares formal independence or delays talks on unification. American and Taiwanese officials say the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade will increase trade by simplifying customs, investment and other rules. It is due to be signed by employees of the unofficial entities that represent the two governments to each other at a ceremony attended by trade officials from both sides, according to the Taiwanese government. Its no secret that Christopher Nolan made Oppenheimer to be seen on the big screen. But not all big screens are created equal. Thats part of the reason why Universal Pictures has made Oppenheimer tickets available early for over a thousand premium large format (or PLF) screens, with options including IMAX 70mm, 70mm, IMAX digital, 35mm, Dolby Cinema and more. Knowing that even those words can get overwhelming and technical, Nolan went a step further: In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, he offered a guide to his favorite formats, explaining why it matters and even where he likes to sit so that audiences dont feel like they need a film school degree (or one in theoretical physics) before settling on a theater. You rarely get the chance to really talk to moviegoers directly about why you love a particular format and why if they can find an IMAX screen to see the film on thats great, Nolan said. We put a lot of effort into shooting the film in a way that we can get it out on these large format screens. It really is just a great way of giving people an experience that they cant possibly get in the home. In a film about about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the theoretical physicist who oversaw the development of first atomic bomb during World War II, this will be especially pivotal in viewing the Trinity Test, the first detonation of a nuclear weapon. Nolan and his effects teams recreated the blast, with all its blinding brilliance. We knew that this had to be the showstopper," Nolan said. Were able to do things with picture now that before we were really only able to do with sound in terms of an oversize impact for the audiencean almost physical sense of response to the film. Oppenheimer, starring Cillian Murphy, opens in theaters on July 21. THE BIG PICTURE Oppenheimer was shot using some of the highest resolution film cameras that exist. Like Dunkirk and Tenet, Oppenheimer was filmed entirely on large format film stock, meaning a combination of IMAX 65mm and Panavision 65mm (think David Lean/"Lawrence of Arabia"), thats then projected in 70mm. The sharpness and the clarity and the depth of the image is unparalleled, Nolan said. The headline, for me, is by shooting on IMAX 70mm film, youre really letting the screen disappear. Youre getting a feeling of 3D without the glasses. Youve got a huge screen and youre filling the peripheral vision of the audience. Youre immersing them in the world of the film. Nolan has been shooting with IMAX cameras since The Dark Knight. Audiences would regularly gasp at seeing its first shot projected in IMAX 70mm. Though its just a helicopter shot of some buildings in Chicago, it helps explain the ineffable power of the format. On a technical level, the IMAX film resolution is almost 10 times more than a 35mm projector and each frame has some 18,000 pixels of resolution versus a home HD screen that has 1,920 pixels. WHY IS IT SHOT ON 65MM AND PROJECTED IN 70MM? The 5mm difference goes back to when that extra space on the film had to be reserved for the soundtrack. With digital sound, thats unnecessary and it is purely a visual enhancement, Nolan explained. DO THE DIFFERENT FORMATS IMPACT HOW THE FILM IS SHOT? We have to plan very carefully because by shooting an IMAX film, you capture a lot of information, he said. Your movie is going to translate very well to all the formats because youre getting the ultimate amount of visual information. But there are different shapes to the screen what we call aspect ratios. What you have to plan is how you then frame your imagery so that it can be presented in different theaters with equal success. Starting with The Dark Knight, they developed a system that they call center punching the action" so that nothing is lost. Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema is also always aware of the frame lines for the different theaters when looking through the camera. On the biggest presentations, IMAX 1.43:1 (the massive square screen) the screen essentially disappears for the audience. For other formats like 35mm, the top and the bottom get cropped. But, Nolan said, from a creative point of view, what weve found over the years is that theres no compromise to composition. WHY NOT MAKE AN ENTIRE MOVIE IN IMAX? The IMAX cameras are just too loud for dialogue heavy scenes, but Nolan is optimistic about the new cameras being developed. WHATS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE BLACK AND WHITE SEQUENCES? Some of Oppenheimer is presented in black and white for a very specific story reason. I knew that I had two timelines that we were running in the film, Nolan said. One is in color, and thats Oppenheimers subjective experience. Thats the bulk of the film. Then the other is a black and white timeline. Its a more objective view of his story from a different characters point of view. Nolans desire for the black and white portions to be of equal image quality to the rest of the film led to the development of the first ever black and white IMAX film stock, which Kodak made and Fotokem developed. We shot a lot of our hair and makeup tests using black and white. And then we would go to the IMAX film projector at CityWalk and project it there, he said. Ive just never seen anything like it. To see such a massive black and white film image? Its just a wonderful thing." NOLANS FAVORITE THEATRICAL FORMATS For Nolan, the best possible experience to view Oppenheimer in theaters is the IMAX 70mm film presentations. These are also among the rarest, currently set for 25 locations in North America including the AMC Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles, the AMC Lincoln Square in New York, the Cinemark Dallas, the Regal King of Prussia near Philadelphia and the AutoNation IMAX in Fort Lauderdale. The prints span over 11 miles of film stock, weigh some 600 pounds and run through film projectors horizontally. There will also be over one hundred 70mm prints (a fabulous presentation, Nolan said) sent to theaters around the world, with over 77 (and more to come) on sale in North America at major chains and many independent locations like the Music Box in Chicago and the AFI Silver in Washington D.C. The two formats are sort of different and I love them both, he said. The sequences projected in IMAX 70mm really come to life on those screens, and vice versa for the 70mm sequences on those specific projectors. In IMAX theaters, for example, things shot with IMAX film cameras will expand vertically to fill the entire screen. IMAX DIGITAL, LASER AND EXHIBITOR PLF OPTIONS The vast majority of moviegoers in North America will have easier access to digital presentations. These include IMAX digital, which can sometimes mean a laser projected image and other times involves a retro formatted screen, and whats called exhibitor PLF, meaning large format screen and projection systems developed by individual theater chains (like Regal RPX, Cinemark XD and Cineplex UltraAVX). When in doubt, look for an X in the name. But dont dismay: Itll still look great, according to Nolan, whose team has worked for six months to digitize the original film for other formats to ensure the best experience on every screen. This is the exciting thing about shooting an IMAX film: When you scan it for the digital format, youre working with the absolute best possible image that you could acquire, and that translates wonderfully to the new projector formats like the laser projectors, he said. Nolan said the IMAX impact over the last 20 to 30 years has resulted in more theaters paying more attention to presentation, from projection to sound, which has been great for filmmakers. WHERE ARE THE BEST SEATS? Well, that comes down to personal preference but heres where Nolan likes to sit. When Im in a theater thats Cinemascope ratio, I like to be right near the front, middle of the third row, he said. When Im in a stadium, IMAX 1.43:1, then I actually like to be a little behind the center line right up at the middle. So, a little further back. DETROIT (AP) A lawsuit can go forward against a Michigan official who flashed a rifle during a public meeting over video conference, a federal appeals court said Wednesday. Patricia MacIntosh is suing Ron Clous, alleging he tried to silence her right to free speech when he displayed the rifle during a 2021 meeting of Grand Traverse County commissioners. Clous has no governmental immunity at this stage of the litigation, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in a 2-1 opinion. Virtually smirking and displaying a high-powered rifle at someone during a tension-filled public meeting is pregnant with dangerous meaning, said judges Jane Stranch and Stephanie Dawkins Davis. The incident occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic when the county board met over video conference. During the public comment period, MacIntosh urged commissioners to make a statement opposing anti-government militia groups, a few weeks after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. That's when Clous, a commissioner who was participating from home, left the screen and returned with a rifle. In response to the lawsuit, an attorney for Clous argued that displaying the rifle was his own expressive conduct protected by the Constitution. But the appeals court said it could be considered an adverse action. Clous didn't seek reelection in 2022 and is no longer a county commissioner. In a dissent, Judge Jeffrey Sutton said no legal precedent fits to keep MacIntosh's free speech retaliation lawsuit alive. Think of what happened, he said. A side view of Commissioner Clouss lawfully possessed rifle. In that officials own home. For a few seconds. During a virtual Board of Commissioners meeting. With everyone participating from the safety of their own homes. ___ Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwritez With hundreds of people in attendance, friends and family of Scott County sheriffs deputy Caleb Conley praised his personality and strong work ethic at his funeral Thursday. The funeral took place at Scott County High School with friends, family and law enforcement officials showing up to support Conleys family. Several people who were close with Conley spoke at his funeral, including his wife, mother and supervisor. He was an extraordinary man, known for his commitment and dependability, said Capt. Jeremy Nettes with the Scott County Sheriffs Office. He consistently went above and beyond in his service while demonstrating an unwavering sense of integrity and loyalty, both as a family man and as a member of the law enforcement brotherhood. Conley was shot on I-75 near the 127 mile marker around 5 p.m. while conducting a traffic stop on May 22, according to Scott County Sheriff Tony Hampton. Steven Sheangshang, a suspect in several other offenses, is accused of killing Conley, according to arrest records. Conley was rushed to University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Vehicles of law enforcement, friends and family are lined up outside Scott County High School for the funeral service of Scott County Deputy Caleb Conley in Georgetown, Ky., Thursday, June 1, 2023. Conley had served with the Scott County Sheriffs Office for four years and served with the U.S. Army for eight years. He left behind a wife, small children and his parents, Hampton said. Scott County Sheriff's Deputy Caleb Conley was a hero who served our commonwealth and our country, sacrificing everything to protect our people. Kentucky, please join me in praying for Conley's family, community and fellow law enforcement officers as he is laid to rest today. Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) June 1, 2023 Conleys wife, Rachel Conley, thanked those who responded to her husbands shooting and attempted to save his life. There are no words to express my gratitude for your tremendous heroism and response time, Rachel Conley said. I would also like to give a special thank you to the innocent bystanders that stopped to help Caleb and call 911 as well. All of you will forever hold a special place in my heart. Rachel Conley described her husband as a wonderful father and family man who would do anything for his family. He loved his children so much. He would do anything just to see them smile, Rachel Conley said. He would get so down on himself anytime he had to miss any of their events or games because he felt like he was disappointing them, and he didnt like to let them down. Representatives of the Knox County Sheriffs Office ride motorcycles at Scott County High School for the funeral service of Scott County Deputy Caleb Conley in Georgetown, Ky., Thursday, June 1, 2023. Sgt. Robert Tackett, who was Caleb Conleys supervisor, described some of the struggles he had been dealing with since Caleb Conleys death. Tackett said hed asked Conley to work overtime shifts frequently. He apologized to the family for taking time away from them. Then I argue with myself that theres no telling how many lives were saved in this state by Caleb Conley patrolling the streets, Tackett said. Its just one of the struggles Ive had dealing with during these sleepless nights while questioning and trying to make sense of this all. Jolene Conley, Caleb Conleys mother, said her son dreamed of being in law enforcement ever since he was a kid. He was living his dream, Jolene Conley said. Now those dreams are coming to an end, we could not have asked for a better son. He would help fulfill some of our dreams. Rest easy my dear sweet Caleb, your dreams will be carried on through others who love you forever. Law enforcement, friends and family gather at Scott County High School for the funeral service of Scott County Deputy Caleb Conley in Georgetown, Ky., Thursday, June 1, 2023. Conley was killed in a shooting on I-75 in May. Sheangshang was arrested not long after a separate shooting in Lexington that occurred the same day as Conleys death. He faces charges of murder of a police officer, wanton endangerment, evading police, first-degree assault, first-degree robbery, three counts of burglary, two counts of possessing a handgun as a convicted felon and evidence tampering, jail records show. Sheangshang was arraigned in a Scott County courtroom Tuesday. During Sheangshangs hearing Tuesday, Judge Sarah Hays Spedding denied him bond and entered a not guilty plea for him. Reporter Taylor Six contributed to this story. MILAN (AP) The city of Florence on Thursday announced an immediate ban on new short-term private vacation rentals in the Renaissance citys historic center, part of an effort to draw full-time residents back to one of Italys most popular tourist destinations. Mayor Dario Nardella called the ban daring but legally defensible. If we dont try to take politically disruptive actions, no one makes a move, Nardella said, referring to expectations that the Italian government would adopt a plan that so far allows only Venice to cap the number of days a property can be rented out at 120. We are tired of announcements, Nardella said. The problem has become structural. Students in Italian cities, including Florence, Milan and Rome, have been camping out in tents on campuses to protest a lack of affordable housing. At the same time, art cities like Florence and Venice have seen their housing stocks depleted by short-term rentals, defined as covering any period less than 30 days. Nardella said the Florence government would not go after the 8,000 short-term private rentals already operating in the city's historic center, an area under UNESCO protection as a historic treasure that includes the Uffizi galleries and the Ponte Vecchio. The city as a whole has about 11,000 short-term private rentals. Instead, the city plans to offer a tax incentive to property owners who convert their places back to long-term rentals. Under the plan, property taxes on a second home would be canceled for up to three years, potentially adding up to thousands of euros (dollars) in savings. K-pop girl group Oh My Girl performs during "K-Culture Night" at Busan Cinema Center in Busan's Haeundae District, April 5. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul By Ko Dong-hwan A local court recently handed down a five-year prison term to a 25-year-old man for defrauding K-pop fans of money by saying he would give them tickets to concerts that he could not attend. The man, whose name was not disclosed, took a total of 230 million won ($174,000) from September 2021 to June 2022 from teenagers and those in their early 20s who were looking for tickets for K-pop concerts, according to the Seoul Central District Court, Thursday. He told them he had tickets to concerts or fan meetings but could not go and would thus sell the tickets to them. He found the victims on Twitter. The man targeted those with little social experience, including minors or those just out of high school, and abused their desperation for tickets, the court said. It is alleged that he also demanded some victims, who were minors, provide sexual services in exchange for the tickets. "This kind of crime not only causes financial damage to individuals but also creates distrust in online trading which is based on exchanges between strangers," the court said. "We handed him the jail sentence considering he had previous convictions for similar fraud cases and he started to commit this crime from the day he was released from prison for the previous offense." BERLIN (AP) Germany's disease control agency warned Thursday that rising temperatures due to global warming will increase the likelihood of heat stroke, vector-borne illnesses and other health risks in the country. The Robert Koch Institute said lung diseases from forest fires and agricultural dust may become a growing problem, as will skin cancer due to increased ultraviolet radiation as Germany experiences longer periods of cloud-free weather. In the first of the institute's three reports on the impact of climate change in Germany, published in the Journal of Health Monitoring, the authors noted the recent arrival in the country of Hyalomma ticks capable of carrying bacteria responsible for typhus as an example of newly emerging disease threats. The ticks, as well as Asian tiger mosquitoes that can spread dengue, yellow fever and Zika virus, are migrating to new regions that were previously too cold for the species. Another risk comes from Vibrio bacteria that flourish in brackish water above temperatures of about 20 degrees Celsius. The pathogens can enter the body through small breaks in the skin and cause severe illness in people with weakened immune systems unless quickly treated with antibiotics. There have been several cases among swimmers infected with Vibrio bacteria on Germany's Baltic Sea coast in recent years. The biggest threat, however, comes from prolonged heat waves. Scientists say these will become more frequent and extreme as climate change progresses. The Robert Koch Institute said about 4,500 people died during heat waves in Germany last year. ___ Follow AP's coverage of climate issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said he will begin contempt of Congress proceedings against FBI Director Christopher Wray if the bureau does not physically turn over the Biden document alleging a criminal bribery scheme, despite the FBI giving lawmakers access to the information at headquarters. The document in question is an FBI-generated FD-1023 form that allegedly describes a $5 million criminal scheme involving then-Vice President Joe Biden and a foreign national relating to the exchange of money for policy decisions. President Joe Biden speaks at the University of Tampa on Feb. 9, 2023. REPUBLICANS TO HOLD FBI DIRECTOR WRAY IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS OVER BIDEN DOCUMENT Comer had subpoenaed the document and set a May 30 deadline for Wray to physically turn it over to the committee, threatening to hold him in contempt of Congress if the deadline was missed. The FBI did not comply with the subpoena but instead offered assurances that lawmakers could access the information in a secure setting. Comer, Sen. Chuck Grassley and Wray participated in a phone call Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. to discuss the accommodations the FBI could offer for congressional oversight efforts, while maintaining the integrity of bureau investigations. "Today, FBI Director Wray confirmed the existence of the FD-1023 form alleging then-Vice President Biden engaged in a criminal bribery scheme with a foreign national," Comer said in a statement. "However, Director Wray did not commit to producing the documents subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP "While Director Wrayafter a month of refusing to even acknowledge that the form existedhas offered to allow us to see the documents in person at FBI headquarters, we have been clear that anything short of producing these documents to the House Oversight Committee is not in compliance with the subpoena," Comer explained. WHISTLEBLOWER ALLEGES FBI, DOJ HAVE DOCUMENT REVEALING CRIMINAL SCHEME INVOLVING BIDEN, FOREIGN NATIONAL "During todays call, Director Wray offered to provide the Committees Chairman and Ranking Member an opportunity to review information responsive to the subpoena in a secure manner to accommodate the committee, while protecting the confidentiality and safety of sources and important investigative sensitives," the FBI said in a statement. "The FBI has continually demonstrated its commitment to working with the Committee to accommodate its request, from scheduling briefings and calls to now allowing the Chair to review information in person. The FBI remains committed to cooperating with the Committee in good faith." Grassley said that the FBI "continues to treat Congress like second class citizens by refusing to provide a specific unclassified record." "Director Wray confirmed what my whistleblowers have told me pursuant to legally protected disclosures: the FBI-generated document is real, but the bureau has yet to provide it to Congress in defiance of a legitimate congressional subpoena," Grassley said. "This failure comes with consequences." The FBI has repeatedly indicated it will not physically turn over the document to protect confidential human sources and avoid exposing methods. US Republican Senator from Iowa Chuck Grassley is ceremonially sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris for the 118th Congress in the Old Senate Chamber at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, January 3, 2023. The document is being sought after a whistleblower approached Comer and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, alleging that the FBI and the Justice Department were in possession of it and that it would reveal "a precise description of how the alleged criminal scheme was employed as well as its purpose." Last week, Comer attempted to "narrow the breadth of the subpoena" in response to FBI staff criticisms, and the committee determined "additional terms based on unclassified legally protected whistleblower disclosures that may be referenced in the FD-1023 form." The terms included "June 30, 2020" and "five million." WHITE HOUSE INSISTS NO 'POLITICAL INTERFERENCE' IN HUNTER BIDEN PROBE AFTER IRS WHISTLEBLOWER COMES FORWARD The back-and-forth came after Comer and Grassley notified Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland this month about the "legally protected and highly credible unclassified whistleblower disclosures." Comer and Grassley said that based on "the alleged specificity within the document, it would appear that the DOJ and the FBI have enough information to determine the truth and accuracy of the information contained within it." The White House has maintained that the president never spoke to his son, Hunter Biden, about his business dealings and that the president was never involved in them. Officials also say the president has never discussed investigations into members of his family with the Justice Department. Newlyweds Rajwa Alsaif and Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein wave to well-wishers after their wedding ceremonies in Amman, Jordan, on Thursday. (Raad Adayleh / Associated Press) A guest list of glitterati from around the world, including Britains Prince William and his wife, Kate, and First Lady Jill Biden. Elaborate ceremonial events and concerts headlined by top Arab pop stars. An entire capital festooned with flags and banners in anticipation of the big event, with a public holiday announced so that thousands can if only vicariously join the fun. Its all part of the royal wedding fever that has gripped Jordan as this desert kingdom and key U.S. ally in the Middle East celebrates the nuptials Thursday of Crown Prince Hussein, 28, and Rajwa Alsaif, a 29-year-old Saudi architect who finished her studies at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, where she also worked at an architecture firm. In recent weeks, images of the beaming couple have become a ubiquitous sight, adorning cars, buses and buildings all over the country. You can't swing a Hashemite ceremonial sword (like the one presented to Hussein as a gift from his father Wednesday) without hitting a sign bearing the occasion's official slogan, Celebrating Al Hussein, complete with logo with stylized Arabic lettering; the design was even used by airport authorities Thursday as the country's visa stamp. Such extravagance is rare for Jordans royal family, which heads an impoverished country with few natural resources, chronically high unemployment and 11 million people who often complain about government waste and corruption. Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein attends a celebration in Amman on Wednesday, the day before his wedding to Saudi architect Rajwa Alseif. (Royal Hashemite Court) But the event is about far more than the nuptials. Its a massive coming-out party for Hussein two years after his father, King Abdullah II, thwarted an alleged coup plot involving the former crown prince, his own half-brother, Hamzah, who was accused of conspiring to overthrow the monarch and take over the country. Hamzah remains under house arrest, and did not appear at various pre-wedding events Wednesday with other members of the royal family. The alleged plot brought into the open the rivalries that the Hashemite dynasty has assiduously tried to keep behind palace doors. It also spurred a raft of criticism of Abdullah, with many contrasting the popularity of Hamzah and his common touch especially among Jordans all-important tribes with the aloofness of the king. Abdullah had stripped Hamzah of the title of crown prince in 2004, naming Hussein heir to the throne five years later when the boy was only 15. Over the last decade and a half, the king has striven to raise his sons public profile, including taking him to the United Nations General Assembly to speak in 2017. The alleged coup plot in April 2021 only highlighted Abdullah's need to shore up his family's legitimacy and their rule over Jordan's 11 million people. Since then, the promotional campaign for Crown Prince Hussein has gone into overdrive, said Amer Sabaileh, a political analyst based here in Amman, the Jordanian capital. It accelerated after Hamzah so as to end that chapter, he said. Hussein is now a fixture with his father at most public events and often represents Jordan in meetings with other leaders. Hussein has taken an active interest in economic initiatives, and was dispatched by the king to negotiate Jordans 5G rollout with the U.S. and China. A Jordanian security patrol is deployed in preparation for Thursday's royal wedding in Amman, Jordan. (Nasser Nasser / Associated Press) The wedding augurs a more prominent role for Hussein well beyond the constitutional limits of his current position, Sabaileh said. Hes no longer a protocol crown prince. Its clear hes playing for something greater, Sabaileh said, adding that Husseins pre-wedding celebrations have brought him in direct contact with government officials and the army he is supposed to lead in the future. (In Jordan, the king is the supreme commander of the armed forces.) On Wednesday, the royal family joined thousands of officials and dignitaries to watch a traditional dance performance and displays of military might that included aerobatic maneuvers by Jordans U.S.-supplied F-16s. State television has featured nothing but wedding-related content for days, including interviews with the crown prince and his family and live broadcasts of events, all interspersed with constant commentary from guests gushing effusively about the importance of the occasion. The wedding began Thursday afternoon and was scheduled to continue into the evening with some 1,700 people in attendance. Guests invited to the religious marriage ceremony streamed into Amman's Zahran Palace and greeted King Abdullah and his wife, Queen Rania. Biden and her daughter, Ashley, arrived in a pair of black Suburbans. Then came the crown prince in full military regalia, followed by Alsaif, who arrived in a 1968 Rolls Royce built for the mother of the late King Hussein, Abdullah's father. With Abdullah and Alsaif's father, Khaled, on either side of them, the couple exchanged rings as the crowd ululated. Outside the palace, thousands lined the streets of Amman, many of them wrapped in traditional red-and-white scarves. In other cities, giant screens were set up for public viewing of the live broadcast. Posters bearing an image of Crown Prince Hussein have become ubiquitous across Jordan in the run-up to his wedding Thursday. (Nasser Nasser / Associated Press) Hussein's choice of Alsaif as his wife carries potential political benefit for Jordan. Her father leads one of Saudi Arabias largest contracting companies. Her mother is Azza Sudairi, a relative of the mother of Saudi Arabias King Salman. Jordan and Saudi Arabia have had a hot-cold relationship. The Hashemites originally hail from Saudi Arabia and historically competed with the House of Saud for control. In years past, Saudi Arabia was a lifeline, investing and pumping aid into Jordans perennially strapped economy. But that aid has dried up in recent years as Saudi Arabia and other oil-rich states focus on their own development. Jordan hopes to capitalize on Saudi Arabias "giga-projects" colossal developments like the Massachusetts-sized megacity Neom, which includes plans to create links to the Jordanian coastal city of Aqaba and cities in Egypt. The union of Alsaif and the crown prince appears to have been well-received in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. Arab News, the Saudi state-owned English-language newspaper, plastered a picture of the couple on its front page with the headline: The kingdoms bride and joy. It also featured an interview with Jordans ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ali Kayed, who spoke of how the two countries were a model of cohesion in Arab relations. There are no cultural differences between Jordan and Saudi Arabia, Kayed said. They are united by an inherent brotherhood, a similar heritage, and neighborly relations cementing the bonds of love and strength between the two peoples. After his wedding, the crown prince will continue being groomed to take over ruling the country, which faces a host of challenges. The population is growing at a rate that long ago outstripped its meager resources, and climate change is set to exacerbate problems, raising the specter of Jordan soon losing viable sources of fresh water. Hussein will need to show Jordanians that he is up to the task. "You have to be very careful how to market yourself," said Sabaileh, the analyst. "Thats why its a matter of what hell do after the wedding to show real change." This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. NEW YORK (AP) JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has testified that he never heard of Jeffrey Epstein and his crimes against teenage girls and young women until the financier was arrested in 2019, according to a transcript of the videotaped deposition released Wednesday. Dimon said he first heard about it when the story blew wide open. He was arrested, and all the stories came out about all the people he knows. And the reason I remember that is I was surprised that I didnt know about it before. Asked by a lawyer if he'd ever heard the name Jeffrey Epstein before the arrest, Dimon responded, Not that I recall. Dimon made the revelation during a deposition recorded Friday in New York in connection with lawsuits filed against the nations largest bank. The lawsuits on behalf of Epstein victims and the U.S. Virgin Islands in Manhattan federal court seek to hold JPMorgan financially liable for Epstein's decadeslong abuse of teenage girls and young women. The bank, besides denying the allegations, has sued one of its former executives, saying the man hid Epsteins crimes to keep Epstein as a client. Epstein was 66 in August 2019 when he apparently killed himself in a Manhattan federal jail cell where he awaited a federal sex trafficking trial after his application for bail was denied. He had pleaded not guilty to charges that he sexually abused dozens of girls, some as young as 14. According to the lawsuits filed late last year, JPMorgan provided Epstein loans and regularly allowed him to withdraw large sums of cash from 1998 through August 2013 even though it knew about his sex trafficking practices. The 416-page deposition, portions of which were heavily redacted with entire pages blacked out, was released publicly through an agreement among lawyers in the cases. Confronted at the deposition with an email from Epstein's former assistant suggesting that Dimon was scheduled to meet with Epstein as far back as 2010, the president and chairman of JPMorgan insisted it was untrue. I have never had an appointment with Jeff Epstein. Ive never met Jeff Epstein. I never knew Jeff Epstein. I never went to Jeff Epsteins house. I never had a meal with Jeff Epstein. I have no idea what theyre referring to here, he said. After the email from Epstein's assistant asking whether heavy snacks or dinner should be prepared for the meeting, Epstein responded snacks. As Dimon responded to being confronted with the email, a lawyer noted that Epstein did not respond by saying, you're misinformed, Jamie Dimon is not coming. Dimon said, I don't know what he thought at the time. He was obviously misinformed. I never this never took place. I dont think Jeff Epstein ever arranged for me to meet with anybody, to my knowledge, he said. Dimon denied knowing anything about efforts at the bank in 2006 and 2011 to curtail its dealings with Epstein as he faced criminal charges in Florida. After pleading guilty to state charges there, Epstein spent 13 months in jail and paid settlements to victims. After he pleaded guilty to the crime he pleaded guilty to, he we unfortunately continued to bank him, yes, Dimon said, according to the deposition. Epstein had a close relationship with Jes Staley, who ran multiple parts of JPMorgan, including its investment bank and wealth management arm, until Staley left the bank in 2013. Staley went on to become CEO of the British bank Barclays, but had to step down from that job when the Epstein indictment was revealed. JPMorgan is trying to make Staley a defendant in its Epstein legal cases, arguing that he downplayed or hid the issues with Epstein. At one point in the deposition, Dimon agreed that Epstein was a disaster and terrible for the bank. I think what happened to these women is atrocious, and Im horrified at the amount of human trafficking that takes place, he said. And I wouldnt mind personally apologizing to them, not because we committed the crime, we did not, and not because we believe were responsible. But that any potential thing, what little role that we could have eased it or helped catch it quicker or something like that, or get it to law enforcement quicker or get law enforcement to react to it quicker, which they obviously didnt, you know, I would apologize to them for that, yes, he said. Throughout the deposition, Dimon insisted that whether to keep Epstein as a client would have ultimately been left up to the company's general counsel. Dimon was asked, If you had known in 2010 that Jeffrey Epstein was a sex trafficker, that Jeffrey Epstein was a client of the bank, that Jeffrey Epstein was withdrawing tens of thousands of dollars of cash every month, would you, as the chief executive officer of the bank, said, We need to get rid of this guy, regardless of whether the general counsel told you that that was the right thing to do? I think everyone involved, had they known then what is known today, including me, would have taken that position, he answered. Andrew Lester, right, appears in court to answer charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 in Liberty, Mo. (KMBC via AP, Pool) LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) A Kansas City man accused of shooting a Black teenager who mistakenly came to his door last month is scheduled to be back in court Thursday, days after a judge ruled that court documents in the case will be sealed and kept from the public. The hearing for 84-year-old Andrew Lester is to set new dates for future hearings in the case and is expected to be brief. Lester has pleaded not guilty to first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the shooting of Ralph Yarl, who knocked on Lester's door on April 13 while trying to pick up his young brothers, who were at a home a block away. Yarl, who has celebrated his 17th birthday since the shooting, suffered gunshot wounds to his head and wrist and continues to recover at home. Lester remains free after posting $20,000 10% of his $200,000 bond. The shooting drew international attention amid claims that Lester, who is white, received preferential treatment from investigators in the hours after he shot Yarl. President Joe Biden and several celebrities issued statements calling for justice for Yarl. Lester admitted that he shot Yarl through the door without warning because he was scared to death he was about to be robbed by the Black person standing at his door. People attend a rally to support Ralph Yarl, Tuesday, April 18, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) On Tuesday, Clay County Judge Louis Angles granted a request from Lester's attorney to seal the court documents, saying the publicity led to threats against Lester, who his attorney says has been forced to move three times. He also said the publicity has made it more difficult for the case to be heard before a fair and impartial jury. The overwhelming majority of the reporting continues to assert that the alleged actions of (Lester) were racially motivated, which if believed, virtually eliminates the defense available to (Lester) related to the reasonableness of his actions, Angles wrote in the ruling. The judge noted in his order that Lester's personal cell phone number was posted on a public platform after the shooting, leading to several text messages calling him a murderer who should burn in hell. Others threatened to shoot up Lester's home, which has been vandalized since the shooting. Angles also expressed concern that if defense documents were made public, potential witnesses for Lester's defense could be subjected to threats and other intimidation, making them unwilling to come forward or testify in the case. He said redacting the documents would not be sufficient. Prosecutors had argued that legal precedents largely favored keeping court documents open to the public. Yarl made his first public appearance since the shooting on Memorial Day, when he walked in a brain injury awareness event at a Kansas City park. He did not speak to the media, but his aunt, Faith Spoonmore, said he has intense headaches and balance issues. She said he is also struggling with his emotions and the trauma of the shooting. REDDING, Calif. (AP) A California judge on Wednesday dismissed all charges against Pacific Gas & Electric in connection to a 2020 fatal wildfire sparked by its equipment that destroyed hundreds of homes and killed four people, including an 8-year-old. The utility also reached a $50 million settlement agreement with the Shasta County District Attorney's Office, officials from both announced in separate statements. The wind-whipped blaze began on Sept. 27, 2020, and raged through rugged terrain and small communities west of Redding, killing four people, burning about 200 homes and blackening about 87 square miles (225 square kilometers) of land in Shasta and Tehama counties. In 2021, state fire investigators concluded the fire was sparked by a gray pine tree that fell onto a PG&E distribution line. Shasta and Tehama counties sued the utility, alleging negligence. They said PG&E failed to remove the tree even though it had been marked for removal two years earlier. The utility says the tree was subsequently cleared to stay. Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett determined that the company was criminally liable for the fire and charged the utility later that year. Shasta Superior Court Judge Daniel E. Flynn disagreed, and in a tentative ruling ahead of a hearing Wednesday said prosecutors did not present enough evidence to show PG&E engaged in criminal conduct, according to the Sacramento Bee, which obtained a copy of the ruling. The tree was not a known risk prior to the Zogg fire, and there is no evidence to support the Peoples claim in their opposition that it was," the judge wrote. The utility said in a statement that under the agreement with Shasta County, which is subject to court approval, it will fund $45 million in contributions to organizations dedicated to rebuilding and assisting local communities. The company will also pay a $5 million civil penalty to the county. We stand behind our thousands of trained and experienced coworkers and contractors working every day to keep Californians safe. We feel strongly that those good-faith judgments are not criminal, said Patti Poppe, Chief Executive Officer of PG&E Corporation. Bridgett said her goal was always to take PG&E to trial and hold them criminally responsible but that Flynn's tentative ruling changed her position and she agreed to a settlement that includes dropping all charges. I am unwilling to gamble with the safety of Shasta County, she said. "I have a responsibility to the community and needed to secure what I can for all the citizens to prevent future wildfires, prevent future deaths and devastation, and to be as prepared as our county can be if another one occurs. Last week, the California Public Utilities Commission approved a $150 million settlement between Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and the CPUCs Safety and Enforcement Division over PG&Es role in the Zogg Fire. As part of the agreement, the utility will pay $10 million as a penalty to Californias General Fund, and invest $140 million in shareholder funds in new wildfire mitigation efforts, officials said. "Ghost guns" seized by the Oakland Police Department are shown in April 2021. (Stephen Lam / San Francisco Chronicle) In 2020, over the course of numerous investigations, the Los Angeles Police Department recovered more than 700 "ghost guns" weapons often having no serial numbers and built from components sold without background checks by Nevada-based company Polymer80, according to the Los Angeles city attorney's office. Firearms assembled from the company's components were used in the ambush of two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies in Compton in 2020 and in a home invasion and triple murder in Glendale, the city attorney said. In 2021, Los Angeles filed suit against Polymer80, alleging that the company was selling its kits without conducting background checks, a violation of the federal Gun Control Act. The kits allow purchasers to buy gun components that are then assembled by buyers. Now, the company has settled the suit with the city for $5 million and must conform to multiple gun sales standards. This settlement holds Polymer80 and its founders accountable, keeps guns out of the hands of prohibited people, makes L.A. neighborhoods safer and will help law enforcement do their jobs, City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto said Tuesday in a news release. "This is an important step toward preventing unnecessary deaths, especially as Congress repeatedly fails to take action. It is not the first time that Polymer80 has been sued over its products. Last year, Washington, D.C., received a $4-million judgment against the company, which was also barred from selling untraceable firearms in the district. Polymer80 informs customers of the ruling on its website. The company's guns were the most common ghost guns recovered by the Los Angeles Police Department between 2020 and 2023, the city attorney's office said. The lawsuit was set to go to trial Tuesday, but the company settled instead. The lawsuit also alleged that Polymer80 misled customers in its advertising by stating that its products were legal to buy and possess because they were not complete firearms. "But Polymer80s core products gun building kits that are quickly and easily assembled into operable weapons nonetheless fall under the definition of 'firearm' under federal law," the city attorney's office wrote in its complaint. As part of the settlement, Polymer80 must pay $4 million in civil penalties, while its two founders must pay a combined $1 million. Additionally, Polymer80 is prohibited from selling gun kits in the state without serializing parts and performing background checks. The company is also prohibited from providing assistance to customers attempting to assemble ghost guns in California and cannot advertise that its products are legal. Polymer80 did not immediately respond to a request for comment. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) A New Jersey man suspected in a series of sexual assaults in Boston that took place about 15 years ago agreed to waive extradition back to Massachusetts during his initial court appearance. Matthew J. Nilo, 35, who is a lawyer, was arrested Tuesday at his Weehawken home and briefly appeared Thursday in state Superior Court in Jersey City. Jeff Garrigan, the attorney representing him at the hearing, told WABC-TV in New York that Nilo would plead not guilty and fight the charges. Nilo is charged with three counts of aggravated rape, two counts of kidnapping and single counts of assault with attempt to rape and indecent assault and battery in connection with the assaults in Bostons Charlestown neighborhood in 2007 and 2008. Nilo lived in Boston at the time, authorities have said. It was not immediately clear when Nilo would be brought back to Massachusetts or when his next court hearing would be held. Nilo was identified as a suspect with the help of forensic genetic genealogy, which combines DNA analysis with publicly accessible genealogy research and historical records, authorities have said. BEIRUT (AP) Lebanon's military tribunal on Thursday charged five men with the killing of an Irish U.N. peacekeeper in December, a senior judicial official said. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, alleged all five are linked with Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The indictment followed a half-year probe after an attack on a U.N. peacekeeping convoy near the town of Al-Aqbiya in Lebanon's south, a stronghold of Hezbollah. The shooting resulted in the death of Pvt. Sean Rooney, 24, of Newtown Cunningham, Ireland, and seriously wounded Pvt. Shane Kearney, 22. The wounded peacekeeper was medically evacuated to Ireland. Two other Irish soldiers sustained light injuries. The indictment includes evidence from bystanders testimonies, as well as audio recordings and video footage from surveillance cameras, the Lebanese official said. In some of the recordings of the confrontation, the gunmen reportedly could be heard telling the peacekeepers that they are from Hezbollah. Hezbollah has denied any role in the killing, and a spokesperson for the group declined to comment on the indictments Thursday. One of five indicted, Mohamad Ayyad, is currently in custody of Lebanese authorities. The four others facing charges - Ali Khalifeh, Ali Salman, Hussein Salman, and Mustafa Salman - are at large. On the fatal night, Rooney and several other Irish soldiers with the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, UNIFIL, were on their way from their base in the south to the Beirut airport. Two U.N. vehicles apparently took a detour through Al-Aqbiya, which is not part of the area under the peacekeepers mandate. Initial reports said angry residents confronted the peacekeepers, but the indictment concludes that the shooting was a targeted attack. The U.N. peacekeeper vehicle reportedly took a wrong turn and was surrounded by vehicles and armed men as they tried to make their way back to the main road. UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said the indictment was an important step towards justice. Attacks on men and women serving the cause of peace are serious crimes and can never be tolerated, Tenenti told the AP. We look forward to justice for Private Rooney, his injured colleagues, and their families. UNIFIL was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after Israel's 1978 invasion. The U.N. expanded its mission following the 2006 war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, allowing peacekeepers to deploy along the Israeli border to help the Lebanese military extend its authority into the countrys south for the first time in decades. Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon frequently accuse the U.N. mission of collusion with Israel, while Israel has accused the peacekeepers of turning a blind eye to Hezbollahs military activities in southern Lebanon. ___ Associated Press writer Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed to this report. Police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann say they have recovered a number of items from their recent search of a reservoir in Portugal. German authorities last week helped Portuguese crews comb a remote area inland from the Algarve coastal resort where Madeleine went missing from her bedroom during a family holiday in 2007. Follow The Independents live coverage for all the latest updates Madeleine McCann went missing on a family holiday in Portugal in 2007 (PA Media) Prosecutor for the city of Braunschweig, Christian Wolters, said the individual items seized as part of searches would be evaluated over the coming days and weeks. Whether some of the items actually relate to the Madeleine McCann case cannot yet be confirmed, the prosecutors statement read. Last week, police in Portugal undertook a three-day search at the remote reservoir which is located around 31 miles from the Praia de Luz resort- the hotel where Madeleine vanished while her parents were at dinner in a tapas bar with friends around 100 yards away from their holiday apartment. As part of this investigation, police dug holes of around 60cm and the surrounding woodland showed pathways had been cut by heavy machinery, leading to the main flattened 160 square foot excavation area. The fresh search operation took place at the request of German investigators who believe their prime suspect, convicted sex offender Christian Brueckner, 45, kidnapped and murdered the youngster. Kate and Gerry McCann recently marked the latest anniversary of their daughters disappearance (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) German authorities have not revealed what triggered the latest search operation, but Mr Wolters had said they were acting on the basis of certain tips. In a short statement today, Mr Wolters said the investigation into 46-year-old suspect Christian Brueckner is expected to continue for a long time. He said the co-operation between German, British and Portuguese authorities went excellently and very constructively. Teams searched the water for three days (PA) Holes dug apparently for soil samples in the area around Barragem do Arade reservoir, in the Algarve (PA) Brueckner is in prison in Germany for the rape of a woman in Praia da Luz in 2005, and is suspected of further rapes and child sexual abuse committed in the area between 2000 and 2017. He has denied any involvement and is currently behind bars in Germany for raping a 72-year-old woman in the same part of Portugal. Convicted rapist Christian Brueckner is the prime suspect in the disappearace (AP) Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia previously claimed that criminal contacts had told him that Madeleines body was in the reservoir, and in 2008 he raised funds for unsuccessful private searches of the water. The new searches came as the Home Office granted an extra 110,000 in funding this financial year for the Metropolitan Police to assist with finding Madeleine, down from just over 300,000 last year. The total funding given to Operation Grange has been just under 13.1 million since 2011. A girlfriend murder suspect leaves the Seoul Geumcheon Police Station en route to the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office, June 1. Yonhap A man suspected of murdering his girlfriend in revenge after she reported him to police for dating violence was referred to prosecutors Thursday for further investigation and indictment. The Seoul Geumcheon Police Station forwarded the suspect, surnamed Kim, to the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office on six charges, including revenge killing and concealment of a corpse. The 33-year-old has been arrested for stabbing his girlfriend, 47, multiple times with a weapon in the underground parking lot of a shopping mall in Geumcheon Ward, southwestern Seoul, on May 26. Kim fled the scene but was apprehended eight hours later, with the woman's body found in the back seat of his rental car. Leaving the police station, Kim was asked by reporters why he had committed the crime but only said: "I was wrong. I'm sorry." He has reportedly admitted his charges in earlier police questioning, saying he committed the murder out of fury of her reporting him to the police. Kim reportedly killed her about an hour after being released from police questioning on dating violence. (Yonhap) A majority of teachers believe educators carrying firearms on school premises would make students less safe, according to a survey from the RAND Corporation. The survey released Wednesday shows 54 percent of teachers think students would be unsafe with educators carrying guns, 20 percent say carrying guns would make students safer and 26 percent believe it wouldnt significantly impact safety. There have been 36 school shootings in the U.S. during the 2022-23 school year, according to a tracker from The Washington Post. Arming teachers is one solution to the gun violence that has been largely supported by Republicans and opposed by Democrats. States are also split on the issue: 20, run by both Democrats and Republicans, allow educators to carry firearms on campus, with some having more strict requirements than others. In Delaware, educators can carry a gun with no restrictions. In Oregon, teachers need a concealed carry permit to bring a gun on school grounds. At least 17 states dont allow educators to carry guns at all. However, despite the concerns around mass shootings, teachers listed bullying as their top safety concern for students. Even with the unfortunate regularity of gun violence in U.S. schools, which often drives the policy debate around school safety, only five percent of teachers overall selected gun violence as their largest safety concern, said Heather Schwartz, a report author and senior policy researcher at RAND. Despite the prevalence of anti-bullying programs, everyday school violence is a concern for teachers. Bullying, not active shooters, was teachers most common top safety concern, followed by fights and drugs, she added. The survey was conducted in October and November among 974 educators. Its margin of error ranged from 1 percent to 7 percent. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. House Speaker McCarthy walks to the House floor on Capitol Hill ahead of debt ceiling vote in Washington By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Kevin McCarthy earned his stripes as Republican speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, navigating fierce hardline opposition to pass a debt ceiling bill containing federal spending limits that President Joe Biden for months vowed to resist. Six months after he endured 15 humiliating floor votes just to be elected speaker, McCarthy proved capable of dragging Biden into negotiations over spending and other Republican priorities, and then marshalling two-thirds of his often fractious House Republican majority to enact bipartisan legislation. "It's not how you start, it's how you finish," McCarthy told reporters after the vote, repeating one of his comments from the January night he was finally confirmed as speaker. The House approved by a 314-117 margin the bill, which lifts the government's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling in exchange for cutting non-defense discretionary spending and stiffening work requirements in assistance programs. Yet it was a bruising victory for McCarthy. The bill gained 165 votes from Democrats, outnumbering the 149 from members of McCarthy's own Republican party. The bill now goes to the narrowly Democratic-controlled Senate, which must enact it and get it to Biden's desk by June 5 to avoid a crippling U.S. default. Republican Representative Dusty Johnson, a McCarthy ally who helped craft the Republican debt-ceiling legislation that buttressed the speaker in negotiations, said the vote proved wrong Democratic predications that the 58-year-old Californian would have little chance of holding his caucus together. "They said he would never become speaker, and of course they were wrong. They said he would never be able to manage the floor effectively and we haven't had a single bill fail," Johnson said in an interview. "They said he wouldn't be able to cut a deal with the president, and they were wrong about that." McCarthy has so far succeeded in passing the bill without drawing direct verbal attacks from former President Donald Trump, who urged Republicans to push for a default if they were not able to extract sufficient concessions from Democrats. Trump, who is seeking a return to the White House in 2024, had blasted top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell for agreeing to raise the debt ceiling during Biden's first year in office. McConnell largely stayed in the background during these talks, which began to move forward after Biden agreed to one-on-one negotiations on May 9. Avoiding Trump's ire appears to have protected McCarthy's standing with Republican voters nationally, some 44% of whom told a Reuters/Ipsos poll in May that they approve of his job performance, notably higher than McConnell's 29% approval rate. The bill approved by the House on Wednesday would suspend the debt limit - essentially meaning that it no longer applies - through Jan. 1, 2025. That sets the stage for another showdown in the weeks following the 2024 presidential election. APRIL GAMBIT Republican lawmakers and analysts say McCarthy's masterstroke in getting Biden to the negotiating table was his decision to bring a debt ceiling bill to the floor and pass it in April with only the support of his own party members. Up to that point, Biden had refused McCarthy's requests to negotiate over the debt ceiling, insisting that House Republicans enact their own budget for fiscal 2024 as a prerequisite for spending talks. But in getting the April measure passed, House Republicans became the only body in Washington that had acted to raise the debt ceiling. "Once the House passed a bill, 'no negotiations' was a clearly unsustainable place to be," said Rohit Kumar, a former top aide to Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell who is now co-leader of PwC's national tax office in Washington. The White House, for its part, contends that the talks between Biden and McCarthy were not a negotiation on the debt ceiling. "The debt ceiling had to be lifted, and it had to be lifted for a long period of time," White House budget director Shalanda Young told a Tuesday press conference. "You see this bill lift the debt ceiling until 2025. You can call it a negotiation; I call it a declarative statement." House Republicans say McCarthy has succeeded as speaker, because of an inclusive leadership style, cultivating support from a majority of caucus members by working through major party caucuses, known as the "Five Families," a reference to the warring organized crime clans of "The Godfather" movie. "Speaker McCarthy's done an incredible job," said Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a member of the hardline Republican House Freedom Caucus. "And I think he's proved over and over again that he defies the odds, and he also defies people's expectations." McCarthy also expanded his influence through trusted friends and longtime associates such as Representatives Patrick McHenry and Garret Graves, who became his lead negotiators with the White House. POSSIBLE THREAT But McCarthy is not quite out of the woods. After stirring the ire of hardline conservatives who decried the compromise bill as a sellout, he could face the prospect of ouster at the hands of any single member. One of the conditions he agreed to in January to win the speakership was allowing for any one member to call for a "motion to vacate the chair," in essence a vote on whether to depose the speaker. Senior members of the Freedom Caucus have said they would consider next steps in coming weeks. One of their number, Ralph Norman, said McCarthy should have forced Democrats to accept the House-passed bill. "I think it weakens him. Whether it's permanent or temporary, I don't know," Norman said. But Norman said he would not support an immediate effort to oust McCarthy as speaker, adding "To threaten to kick him out now, that's not right." A similar threat triggered the resignation of former House Speaker John Boehner in 2015. "This is where the honeymoon can definitely end," said Republican strategist Ron Bonjean, a one-time aide to former House Speaker Dennis Hastert. Asked this week whether he expects to keep his speakership, McCarthy told a reporter: "What do you think? You guys ask me all the time, and I'm still standing." His allies say they will defend him against any potential threat to his position. "We'll have to deal with the internal politics of a hard-fought fight. Tempers are short and emotions are raw right now. But we'll deal with it," Representative Kelly Armstrong, a McCarthy adviser, told Reuters. (Reporting by David Morgan, additional reporting by Steve Holland and Jason Lange; Editing by Scott Malone and Suzanne Goldenberg) When the City of Miami Beach hired an internationally acclaimed artist to cover the northeast walls of the Miami Beach Convention Center in colorful tiles, it expected a beautiful, permanent public artwork for residents to enjoy. What it got was cracked tiles, shoddy material and falling debris instead, a lawsuit alleges. On Friday, the city filed a complaint in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court against artist Sarah Morris and her company Parallax LLC for breach of contract, along with two contracting companies, Home One Contractors Corporation and Moosally Construction, for over $1,000,000 in damages. The city had paid Morris over $1,110,000 to create and install Morris Lapidus, an expansive abstract tile artwork, on the north and east facing outside walls of the Miami Beach Convention Center. But just months after the work was completed in July 2019, the art became a safety hazard, the complaint said. Tiles were cracking, bulging and falling off the wall. The city eventually installed a protective covering over part of the artwork to prevent tiles from falling onto people. "Morris Lapidus" at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The city says Morris and the contractors she hired are to blame, adding that she was contractually obligated to repair the artwork if need be, according to court documents. Parallax, though, maintains that the artist was not at fault and that the artworks issues stem from when the walls were built. Parallax is prepared to vigorously defend itself against any allegations of wrongdoing and looks forward to the resolution of this matter, the company said through its attorneys, Soto Law Group. Any damage to the artwork Morris Lapidus is a direct result of issues surrounding the design and construction of the Miami Beach Convention Center itself. The citys attorney Michael Kurzman did not respond to a request for comment. Home One declined to comment. Morris, who is based in New York, is a painter and filmmaker with a long list of international art exhibitions and public artwork installations under her belt. Shes the artist behind the Monaco Reflecting Pools in Key Biscayne, which was installed in 2005. (Her website does not mention the Miami Beach Convention Center project.) Several tiles remain missing from "Morris Lapidus" on the north wall of the Miami Beach Convention Center. A two year warranty The saga began October 2016, when the city commissioned Morris to create a site-specific installation at the convention center, which was undergoing a multi-million dollar remodel. The artwork she created was in homage to Morris Lapidus, an architect known for designing Lincoln Road Mall, the Fontainebleau Hotel and the Eden Roc hotel. Somehow there was a lightness in [Morris Lapidus] work because of this treatment of the display or the commercial form, that actually now seems so ahead of his time, Morris said in a video made by Miami Beach Convention Center. They are sort of quintessentially American, but you really see it at its core in Miami. The installation process itself went through several delays, according to the lawsuit. At one point, the tiles were the wrong size and had to be cut by hand, the city said. The project was completed three months late. "Morris Lapidus," an abstract tile artwork by artist Sarah Morris, was installed at the Miami Beach Convention Center and completed July 2019. By October 2020, tiles were falling off the wall, causing a safety hazard, the city said. The contract states that Morris is solely responsible for the quality and timely prosecution, completion and installation of the Artwork and the Project and for directing and supervising the creation of the tiles, according to court documents. The artist was also responsible for examining the walls to make sure it was OK for the project to move forward, the city said. Simply, if MBCCs walls could not support the Artwork, it was Artists contractual duty to notify the City before the Artwork was installed and to design a means of mitigating this issue, the lawsuit says. Artist did nothing, leaving the City to believe that the Installation Site was proper and ready for the Artwork. Under the agreement, Morris needed approval from the Contract Administrator to hire contractors. And, according to the contract, the artwork had to be free from defective or inferior materials and workmanship for two years after the date of final written acceptance. If the artwork needed repairs within that time frame, the artist would fix it at no extra cost to the city, according to the agreement. The artwork did not last two years. Tiles fell off the east wall portion "Morris Lapidus," an artwork by Sarah Morris at the Miami Beach Convention Center. By Spring 2020, there were already signs of deterioration, the lawsuit alleges, like water damage, cracked tiles, issues with the grout and bulging. In April 2020, the city began contacting Morris about the defects, the lawsuit says. And then tiles began to detach from the wall. On October 30, 2020, the city said, 29 tiles fell off the east wall portion of the artwork. A few days later, two sections of tiles fell off. Then, another 20 tiles fell off the wall in one day. Over the course of several months, as the city notified Morris about the artworks defects and safety concerns, she hired two firms to investigate the issues, the lawsuit says. The city hired an engineering firm to do its own investigation, which found that the east wall was so problematic, it recommended that the tiles be removed completely. The plaque for "Morris Lapidus," an artwork by Sarah Morris, remains on the sidewalk in front of the east wall of the Miami Beach Convention Center. The artwork on the east wall was in such poor condition, the city installed a protective covering over it. In several letters to the city, Oscar Soto, Morris attorney, identified who he considered the real culprit for the artworks damage: the construction companies that built the walls of the convention center. Due to the other companies negligence, the walls were never suitable to receive ceramic tiles in the first place, Soto said in a Sept. 9, 2021 letter. Ms. Morris is an internationally renowned artist, whose site-specific artwork has been installed and displayed in leading cities, such as New York, Paris, Zurich, Basel, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Bologna, to say nothing of Miami Beach, Soto said in the letter. CMBs response to the damage to the Morris Lapidus installation is an affront to the artist and to Miami Beachs own standing among the leading cities hosting Ms. Morriss work. Ms. Morris, the artwork, and the City of Miami Beach deserve better. In that same letter, Soto demanded for the city to promptly disassemble the Morris Lapidus installation, as it cannot continue to be displayed in its current condition. The artwork still stands. This story was produced with financial support from The Perez Family Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work. Four Democratic representatives from North Carolina spoke on the U.S. House floor Wednesday to honor Conen Morgan, a political strategist and former president of the Young Democrats of North Carolina, who died Sunday in a boating accident at age 42. Morgan was a prominent political consultant who helped various candidates and causes on the local, state and federal level through his company, Longleaf Agency. State Rep. Abe Jones, a Raleigh Democrat, said in a House committee meeting Wednesday that Morgan had been his campaign manager. Rep. Alma Adams, of Charlotte, was the first to memorialize Morgan at the U.S. Capitol Wednesday. She explained his educational background, comparing him to a Rube Goldberg machine, because of his many different creative endeavors. Conen was an activist, a scientist, Adams said. He was a teacher, a graphic artist, an entrepreneur and occasionally did some politics too. She highlighted Morgans more than 30 years of service to the Science Olympiad and how he gave back to the entire North Carolina community by empowering young minds to explore science and find wonder in the world. His friends, his family, his political colleagues, and the tens of thousands of students he reached will all miss Conens smile, his laugh, his compassion and most of all his faith that if a kid like him could succeed, every kid in our state should have the education and the opportunities they need so they could succeed as well, Adams said. Rest in peace, Conen. Rep. Valerie Foushee, of Hillsborough, said Morgan had been her friend. She called him a steadfast advocate for equity and someone who played a pivotal role in shaping North Carolina politics. He was a remarkable human being and had the unique ability to inspire and touch the lives of everyone he encountered through his kindness, compassion and genuine care for others, Foushee said. Conens leadership, passion and tireless efforts will have a lasting impact and will leave a profound void in many folks across North Carolina that will be felt for years to come. Rep. Wiley Nickel, of Cary, used his time on the floor to speak about Morgans dedication to fairness and equity, saying that Morgan wanted everyone to have access to the American dream. He had an uncanny ability to connect with people from all walks in life, bridging divides and fostering a sense of unity, Nickel said. Rep. Don Davis, of Snow Hill, touched on Morgans hard work, determination and dedication and the positive impact he had on people across the state. Conen was wise beyond his years and known for his knack and insights about our state and nation, Davis said. We will miss his warmth whenever he walked into a room and his infectious smile. North Carolinas three remaining Democratic representatives in Congress did not speak. Rep. Jeff Jackson, of Charlotte, stood with Foushee as she spoke, but chose not to deliver remarks. Reps. Kathy Manning, of Greensboro, and Deborah Ross, of Raleigh, were not present. Ross tested positive for COVID-19 Tuesday morning. Memorial Day accident On Monday, authorities reported a boating accident off the North Carolina coast. Three people were thrown into the ocean after their boat hit a wave. Two survived, but a third succumbed after reaching land, authorities said. The person was identified Tuesday as Morgan. News of his death shook North Carolinas political spheres. Many politicians, operatives and friends mourned Morgans death on Twitter and in interviews with The News & Observer. Sunup to sundown he was always working for people, Courtney Crowder, one of Morgans longtime friends, told The N&O. And I think the reason why this hurts so many people right now is because he was always available for everybody. Before his decades as a political strategist, Morgan was a graduate of Garner High School and N.C. State University. He played a key role in helping further the North Carolina Science Olympiad, first as a competitor and then as an event leader and award emcee. He was a recipient of the Dr. Jason L. Painter Distinguished Service Award in 2016. Nationally, Morgan worked to link the faith community to Joe Bidens presidential campaign, contributing to the presidents victory. He also worked on both of former President Barack Obamas election campaigns. In 1999, The N&O spoke with Morgan for an article on the success of Black students despite systemic challenges. The statistics say I shouldnt be here, he said. But its not who you are, it is what you do that matters. I have decided that I will succeed. Morgans funeral arrangements Representatives of Morgans family announced Thursday that his funeral would be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 6 at the Martin Marietta Center in Raleigh. Morgans family will receive guests starting at 10 a.m. The family has encouraged people to send gifts in Morgans memory to the NC Science Olympiad instead of sending flowers. Morgans friends and family are also invited to share photo memories on his obituary page. Reporter Anna Johnson contributed to this report. Jazper Lu is an intern with NC Insider, The News & Observers state government news service. He is a rising junior at Duke University. NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario (AP) Ontario has charged the Niagara Falls, Ontario, tourist attraction Marineland over the care of its black bears. The Ministry of the Solicitor General said Wednesday charges were laid out on Tuesday. Marineland of Canada, Inc. in Niagara Falls, Ontario, has been charged with three counts of failing to comply with an order related to the care of American Black Bears, said Brent Ross, a spokesperson for the ministry. Ross said the charges have been laid under a section of the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act that allows an inspector to issue an order to help animals that may be in distress. The facility must comply with the order or otherwise face charges. The ministry declined to provide additional details. Marineland said it was working on providing comment. Marineland has previously said it treats all its animals well and exceeds the standards of care as prescribed under the law. The park houses an unknown number of black bears that live together in an enclosure with dens and water. Visitors can feed the bears popcorn. In 2016, when the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals enforced laws against animal cruelty, Marineland was charged with one count of failing to comply with the prescribed standards of care for about 35 American black bears, including failing to provide adequate and appropriate food and water for them. The prosecution later dropped the charges, saying there was no reasonable chance for a conviction. In 2013, OSPCA issued an order to Marineland to build separate habitats to protect bear cubs from being mauled and devoured by adult males. Marineland said it would develop a birth control program, which OSPCA agreed to. The park said it complied with the order. DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) A Syria-backed Palestinian militant group Thursday held a funeral for five fighters who died in a blast under mysterious circumstances. The group has repeatedly claimed Israel was behind the incident. Israel has denied the claim, saying that the blast was an internal explosion in one of the group's facilities. Hundreds gathered at the funeral procession of the five Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command militants at the Yarmouk camp on the outskirts of Syria's capital, Damascus, waving banners and Palestinian flags and holding portraits of the five who died in the blast. The faction accused Israel of launching an airstrike early Wednesday targeting one of their military bases in the eastern Lebanese town of Qusaya near the Syrian border. The Israeli army, in a statement, called the allegation baseless and accused the PFLP-GC of endangering nearby residential areas by stockpiling weapons. Israel frequently targets Iran-backed militants in Syria but rarely strikes in Lebanon, and rarely confirms or denies responsibility for specific strikes. A Lebanese military official on Wednesday told The Associated Press that the blast was within the base and that there was no airstrike, while a member of a Damascus-allied regional group said the blast was due to mishandling ammunition. Both spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not cleared to speak with media. PFLP-GC officials on Thursday insisted that the blast was caused by an Israeli airstrike. Whether or not they admit to it doesn't matter to us, Abu Kifah Ghazi a member of the PFLP-GC's leadership told the AP. Their denial is because they fear a retaliation to avenge the martyrs. Mohammad Jibril, a military official from the group who said he was in Qusaya during the blast, told the AP that an Israeli drone targeted the site. The Lebanese army and Lebanons militant Hezbollah group have not commented publicly on the incident. Associated Press writer Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed to this report. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) City Council members in Portland were considering on Wednesday whether to ban homeless camping during daytime hours in most public places, a move that aims to bring the city into compliance with a new state law and appease the growing number of residents frustrated by a deepening yearslong homelessness crisis. Portland is among progressive West Coast cities moving to adopt stricter rules on camping while grappling with intertwined homelessness, housing, mental health and addiction crises. In Portland, homelessness jumped more than 30% between 2019 and 2022, according to federal data. Homeless people would have to dismantle their camp every morning and remove their belongings and any litter during the day. People who break the rules would receive a warning for the first two violations. After three violations, people could be fined up to $100 or be sent to jail for up to 30 days. The measure would prohibit camping between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. in city parks and near schools, day cares and construction sites and on some sidewalk areas. But while there appears to be an increasing appetite for camping regulations in Oregon's largest city, advocates said the new rules would further burden homeless people and strain nonprofits already working at capacity. Mayor Ted Wheeler said at Wednesday's City Council meeting that his goal is to get enough shelter and housing to eliminate unsanctioned camping in Portland. The City Council voted in November to create at least six large, designated campsites where homeless people will be allowed to camp and gradually ban street camping altogether once the sites are operational. There are currently hundreds of unsanctioned, sometimes dangerous and often squalid homeless camps across all 146 square miles of the city of Portland. These homeless camps ... represent nothing short of a humanitarian catastrophe, Wheeler said. Before testimony got under way, dozens of protesters rallied with megaphones outside City Hall to voice their opposition. At times, advocates inside the City Council chambers cheered those speaking against the measure and jeered people supporting it, including Wheeler, prompting him to threaten to move the meeting online if decorum was not respected. The meeting was expected to stretch for hours into the night with more than 170 people signed up to testify. Asking homeless Portlanders ... to carry their homes on their backs for 12 hours a day, seven days a week, will heighten mental and physical distress, hitting houseless and front-line workers like a punch to the gut, testified Sandra Comstock, executive director of the Portland-based homeless nonprofit Hygiene4All. Business and property owners were among those who testified in support of the ordinance, saying some customers and employees don't feel safe shopping or going to work because of encampments. Councilmembers are expected to vote next week, according to Wheeler's office. Portland already prohibits camping on city property at all hours. But the measure is rarely enforced and could be found to violate a state law that takes effect July 1. The new law codifies a key 2018 federal court ruling that bars local governments from arresting people for sleeping outside when there isn't enough shelter available, but does allow them to have objectively reasonable limits on where, when and how campsites can be set up. Andy Mendenhall, CEO and president of Central City Concern, a homeless services nonprofit in downtown Portland, acknowledged before the City Council meeting that unsheltered homelessness has reached a point of untenability in the city. But he added that implementing a measure that essentially displaces people on a daily basis will be hard to implement. Both the process of enforcement and the referral of homeless folks to limited regional resources will be a challenge, Mendenhall said. In a separate but related development, Portland's City Council also voted Wednesday to approve a settlement in a federal lawsuit brought by people with disabilities who said sprawling homeless encampments prevented them from navigating the city's streets. The federal class action lawsuit, filed in September, alleged that the city violated the American with Disabilities Act by letting tents to obstruct sidewalks, impacting people who use wheelchairs, scooters, canes and walkers. Under the settlement, the city must prioritize removing tents that block sidewalks and clear at least 500 sidewalk-blocking encampments every year for the next five years. Portland, which didn't admit wrongdoing, must also operate a 24-hour hotline for reporting tents blocking sidewalks and create an online reporting portal where people can upload photos. Additionally, the city must devote at least $8 million in the 2023-2024 fiscal year to make sure the settlement conditions are met, and at least $3 million annually for the following four fiscal years. Portland also agreed to pay $5,000 to each of the 10 plaintiffs and reasonable attorney fees. ___ This story has been corrected to show that the city voted to created six sanctioned outdoor camping sites, not three. ___ Claire Rush 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. Russian President Vladimir Putin is speaking out following a drone attack on Moscow, calling the strikes an attempt by Ukraine to "intimidate" his country. The remarks come after eight drones targeted Russias capital early Tuesday before being shot down or diverted with electronic jammers. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the attack caused "insignificant damage" to several buildings and that two people received treatment for unspecified injuries but did not need hospitalization. Residents of two high-rise buildings damaged in the attack were evacuated. "This is clearly a sign of terrorist activity," Putin said Tuesday, adding that Ukraine has chosen a path of trying "to intimidate Russia, Russian citizens and attacks on residential buildings". Putin said Moscow's air defense "worked in a satisfactory way" but added it was "clear what we need to do to plug the gaps" in the system, The Associated Press reported. RUSSIAS PRE-DAWN AIR RAID ON KYIV KILLS AT LEAST 1 WHILE MOSCOW CLAIMS CITY ATTACKED BY DRONES Putin charged that Ukraine launched Tuesday's attack in response to Russia striking Ukraines military intelligence headquarters in Kyiv over the weekend. However, Andrii Cherniak, a Ukrainian intelligence representative, said the Kremlins forces failed to hit the building because its missiles were shot down. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the wider Moscow region, said a few of the drones in Tuesdays incident were "shot down on the approach to Moscow." Ukrainian military analysts, though unable to confirm Kyiv had launched the drones against Moscow, told the AP the attack may have involved UJ-22 drones, which are produced in Ukraine and have a maximum range of about 620 miles. Some of the drone debris hit an area of western Moscow where Putin has a residence, according to Reuters. LINDSAY GRAHAM OFFERS FIERY RESPONSE AFTER RUSSIA ISSUES WARRANT FOR HIS ARREST Residents in Moscow also reported hearing loud bangs followed by the smell of fuel, the news agency added. The drone strikes happened on the same day that Russia launched a pre-dawn raid on Ukraines capital of Kyiv. In that attack, at least 20 Shahed explosive drones were struck down by air defense forces in Kyivs airspace, according to the Kyiv Military Administration via The Associated Press. One person was reported killed and seven were injured. A high-rise building in the Holosiiv district caught fire after being hit by debris from drones or interceptor missiles, the Kyiv Military Administration reported. The buildings upper two floors were destroyed, causing over 20 people to be evacuated and raising concerns that more could be trapped under the rubble. Falling debris also caused a fire in a private house in the Darnytskyi district and three cars were set ablaze in the Pechersky district, according to the military administration. Fox News Landon Mion and the Associated Press contributed to this report. HOUSTON (AP) A revised version of a federal policy that prevents the deportation of hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the U.S. as children is set to be debated Thursday before a federal judge who previously ruled the program illegal. Attorneys representing the nine states that have sued to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, lawyers for the U.S. Justice Department and DACA recipients were scheduled to appear at a court hearing before U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen. In 2021, Hanen declared DACA illegal, ruling that the program had not been subjected to public notice and comment periods required under the federal Administrative Procedures Act. Hanen also said the states seeking to stop it had standing to file their lawsuit because they had been harmed by the program. Ahead of the hearing on Thursday morning, more than 50 people gathered at a park near the courthouse to show their support for DACA. Many of them held up signs that read: Immigration Reform Now, Protect DACA and Immigrant Power Immigrant Rights. The states claimed they incur hundreds of millions of dollars in health care, education and other costs when immigrants are allowed to remain in the country illegally. The states that sued are Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, South Carolina, West Virginia, Kansas and Mississippi. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans upheld Hanens ruling in 2022 but sent the case back to him to review changes made to the program by the Biden administration. The new version of DACA took effect in October and was subject to public comments as part of a formal rule-making process. In court filings, Texas and the other states argued that the updated program is essentially the same as the 2012 memo that first created it and remains unlawful and unconstitutional. The states also argued that the White House overstepped its authority by granting immigration benefits that are for Congress to decide. The U.S. Justice Department argued in court filings that the states failed to show any direct injury because of DACA and that Congress has given the Department of Homeland Security the authority and duty to set immigration enforcement policies. DACA is lawful. DACA is consistent with the many policies of the U.S. government in the past under different presidents, said Nina Perales, with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, who will be speaking before Hanen on behalf of DACA recipients. Hanen has left the Obama-era program intact for those already benefiting from it. But he ruled there can be no new applicants while appeals are pending. There were 580,310 people enrolled in DACA at the end of December, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Hanen is not expected to immediately rule after Thursdays court hearing. But whatever decision he makes is expected to end up before the U.S. Supreme Court for a third time. In 2016, the Supreme Court deadlocked 4-4 over an expanded DACA and a version of the program for parents of DACA recipients. In 2020, the high court ruled 5-4 that the Trump administration improperly ended DACA, allowing it to stay in place. President Joe Biden and advocacy groups have called on Congress to pass permanent protections for Dreamers, which is what people protected by DACA are commonly called. Congress has failed multiple times to pass proposals called the DREAM Act to protect DACA recipients. ___ Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70 Ten Years of the Belt and Road: The Gambia story 09:38, June 01, 2023 By Talibeh Hydara ( People's Daily Online Ten years ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping launched the Belt and Road Initiative, an ambitious global initiative that aims to connect the world via land and maritime networks to boost trade and regional integration. Inspired by the ancient Silk Road, the BRI comprises a Silk Road Economic Belt and a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. In September 2018, The Gambia joined the pack a little over two years after both countries resumed diplomatic ties following a 20-year break. The Gambia had just come out of a brutal dictatorship and needed all the support to forge ahead. China, through the BRI, provided exactly that. Three years later, a region in The Gambia that never had a bridge witnessed the ribbon-cutting of four bridges and three roads, boosting trade and connecting the area with the rest of the country. President Adama Barrow and First Lady pose with the Chinese project team at the inauguration of the URR bridges and roads. (Photo/State House media team of The Gambia) We have the Upper River Region, URR, road and bridge projects funded by the government of China. The project has been completed and benefited the people of URR in terms of boosting trade in the region and linking the region with Southern Senegal and beyond. People in the region can now travel from one point to the other without difficulty in terms of transportation as the roads are in good condition, Lamin Njie, a communications officer at The Gambias Ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure, said. The Gambia is among 151 countries that signed up to the BRI and the benefits have come earlier than expected. The Basse, Fatoto, Suduwol and Chamoi bridges have been constructed together with Basse-Fatoto-Koina roads, attracting trade and investment into a previously neglected rural settlement. The Chinese ambassador to The Gambia at the time, Ma Jianchun, who witnessed the whole project from its signing to completion, was impressed with the pace and quality of the work. The Basse Bridge (Photo/State House media team of The Gambia) The newly-built roads and bridges project includes 51 kilometers of asphalt road, extending from Basse to Koina through Fatoto. The project also includes two major bridges, namely the Basse Bridge and the Fatoto Bridge, with a length of 250 meters and 170 meters respectively, he said. I am deeply impressed and excited by the China speed and efficiency, and the cordial spirit of China-Gambia collaboration. The successful completion and inauguration of this project fully demonstrates the high standards of Chinas design, construction and management, and the immense potential of the China-Gambia cooperation." With the hard efforts and close cooperation of both Chinese and Gambian engineers and workers, we eventually accomplished connection of the last mile in national highway network of The Gambia, and ended the history that there is not even one bridge crossing over the Gambia River in URR," he added. At the same event, President Adama Barrow said, To the credit of the project team, the implementation phase is one of the fastest in the history of project implementation in The Gambia. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the project was completed ahead of the scheduled timeline of 30 months. As a result, I am bound to use this opportunity to thank the Peoples Republic of China, and to reassure them that my government is committed to strengthening our bilateral relations further. In fact, we are exploring new frontiers that include cultural exchanges and expansion of trade and investments on a win-win basis, and we will continue to work together on global and regional issues. President Adama Barrow cuts the ribbon at the inaugural ceremony of the URR roads and bridges. (Photo/State House media team of The Gambia) The ring roads and bridges, which cost at least $80 million, connect URR north and south, finally bringing the countrys eastern end into the national highway network. Dr. Fatou Njie, the director of Asia affairs at The Gambias foreign ministry, said the BRI has linked China to far flung markets through shipping lanes whilst simultaneously using a belt of overload corridors to connect China with Europe, Africa and the Middle East through the use of overland railways, highways and fiber optic cables. This project will tremendously promote free movement of people, cargo and service, and provide great impetus for post-pandemic economic recovery and social development of The Gambia and West Africa sub-region. We firmly believe that this project will lay a solid foundation for the future development of The Gambia and the China-Gambia relationship, Ma Jianchun had said. Talibeh Hydara is assistant editor of The Standard Newspaper in The Gambia. (Web editor: Hongyu, Wu Chengliang) In this photo taken on Sept. 7, 2019, Asiana Airlines flight attendants are seen in uniform, two wearing trousers and one in a skirt as they pass a model airplane at the company's headquarters in western Seoul. Newsis By Lee Hae-rin Calls are growing here for airline companies to allow and encourage female cabin crew members to wear trousers for their benefit and convenience in their inflight safety duties after a viral image showed an Asiana Airlines flight attendant wearing a skirt, which was then criticized as not practical after a recent inflight incident. On May 26, a male passenger in his 30s allegedly opened an emergency exit of an Asiana plane 213 meters above the ground just before landing at Daegu International Airport. He told police that he felt suffocated and wanted to get off the plane. None of the 194 passengers aboard were injured in the incident but 12 onboard passengers were taken to a hospital due to breathing difficulties. Police arrested the man for allegedly violating the Aviation Security Law after questioning him. On Monday, a photo of the incident shared by an official from Daegu International Airport went viral. In it, a female attendant was seen blocking the emergency exit in order to prevent passengers from disembarking through the unsecured exit. The photo triggered reactions online with some saying that the skirts worn by airline staff as uniforms are uncomfortable and unfit for the safety tasks cabin crew members are assigned. The Aviation Safety Act defines cabin crew as "those who board an aircraft and perform duties for the safety of passengers, such as emergency aircraft evacuation." An Asiana Airlines flight attendant in uniform wearing a skirt stands behind a safety bar and blocks the emergency exit with her arms in Daegu, May 26. Yonhap CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met Thursday with China's deputy foreign minister and other top diplomats from the BRICS bloc of developing economies for discussions that included the group's possible expansion to include the major oil-producing nations of Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Ahead of the talks at a luxury oceanside hotel in South Africa, Lavrov cast BRICS an acronym for current members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa as central to the establishment of a "more just" world order. The Russian minister also took swipes at the West for its sanctions and other forms of what Lavrov alleged was "financial blackmail against Moscow, according to a translation of his comments. South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor, who hosted the talks, confirmed that an invitation had been extended to Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend a larger BRICS summit scheduled for August despite Putin being the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant. Thursday's meeting in Cape Town of the foreign ministers of Russia, Brazil, India and South Africa, and Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Ma Zhaoxu, was a precursor to that main BRICS summit in Johannesburg and comes less than two weeks after the world's most advanced economies held their own summit in Japan. Extending sanctions against Russia as punishment for its invasion of Ukraine and finding ways to deal with China's global economic influence dominated the Group of Seven gathering in Hiroshima. Against the backdrop of the West's actions, our countries ... should actively seek universal joint answers to the challenges of our time, Lavrov said. Scrutiny of the West amid the war in Ukraine also came from other quarters, with South Africa's ambassador to BRICS, Anil Sooklal, referring to the West's military aid to Ukraine as a factor that fuels the conflict." Any endeavor that fuels the conflict does not solve the problem, Sooklal said when asked for his reaction to Western attempts to transfer weapons to Ukraine. With Russia and Chinas participation, BRICS is increasingly viewed as an emerging counterpoint to the G-7 and the West, and an expansion of the bloc could strengthen Russian and Chinese political and economic influence. A bloc containing China, Russia and three of the largest oil-producing nations in the world could be seen as a direct challenge to the U.S. and the West, some analysts have said. More than 20 countries have formally or informally requested to join the BRICS bloc, according to Sooklal. Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates each made official requests, he said. Although no decisions were made Thursday, there was a consensus to present a formal document on admitting new members when the leaders of the BRICS countries meet in Johannesburg this summer. We are happy to see that more and more countries expressed their willingness to join us in the BRICS family, Chinas Ma said through a translator. China will welcome the invitation of those countries to join BRICS and we expect more countries to join our big family. Lavrov held bilateral talks with Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on the sidelines of the Cape Town meeting talks Thursday. Foreign ministers from at least 15 countries, some of them those applying to be new members, have been invited to a second set of talks on Friday. As Lavrov attended the meeting, a small group of protesters holding Ukrainian flags and chanting Stop the war stood down the road from the hotel. Amid the statements by Lavrov and others of an unfair world order dominated by the West to the detriment of developing countries, South Africa's Pandor said the current makeup of the United Nations Security Council was one of the key problems because of its lack of permanent African representation. Today, we can see it is failing, she said. So, (it's) absolutely imperative that the U.N. SC is reformed. Pandor, was also peppered by questions from reporters on the possibility of an August visit by Putin, whom the International Criminal Court has indicted for war crimes in connection with the alleged abduction of children from Ukraine. South Africa is a signatory to the treaty of the ICC and is obliged to arrest Putin if he visits. It hasn't stated whether it will. Rather, the South African government has said that it is taking legal advice on its options, a move seen by critics as an attempt to find a way out of its obligation. Pandor was asked if South Africa was fudging its position when it had a clear obligation to detain Putin and hand him over to the international court. The obligations are clear but the answer is not fudged, Pandor said. The answer is that the (South African) president will indicate what the final position of South Africa is. Pando declined to comment on any behind-the-scenes talks between South Africa and Russia to strike some kind of agreement over a Putin visit for the Johannesburg summit. Diplomacy does not take place in front of cameras and microphones so I'm not going to reveal what deliberations we're having, she said. Allowing Putin to travel freely for the summit would likely further strain South Africa's relationship with the West following U.S. allegations that South Africa has provided Russia with weapons for its war in Ukraine. South Africa has denied the allegation. ___ More AP news on the Russia-Ukraine war: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine MOSCOW (AP) A Moscow court on Wednesday set a new date for a hearing paving the way for another trial of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny that could keep him in prison for decades. The Moscow City Court initially scheduled for Wednesday a preliminary hearing to discuss technical issues related to the trial of the Kremlins arch foe but moved it to June 6 without giving a reason. The court rejected a request by Navalnys lawyers for more time to examine voluminous case materials. Navalny has said that the new extremism charges which he rejected as absurd could keep him in prison for another 30 years. He said an investigator told him that he would also face a separate military court trial on terrorism charges that could potentially carry a life sentence. The new charges come as Russian authorities are conducting an intensified crackdown on dissent amid the fighting in Ukraine, which Navalny has harshly criticized. 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 allies said the charges retroactively criminalize all the activities of Navalnys foundation since its creation in 2011. Navalnys associate, Ivan Zhdanov, has said that investigators were revising the charges to link them to a bombing that killed Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky at a St. Petersburg cafe last 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 Navalny's allies of making repeated calls for subversive activities in Russia. 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. Navalny's associates and supporters have accused prison authorities of failing to provide him with proper medical assistance and voiced concern about his failing health. They said last month that Navalny had fallen ill with acute stomach pains and suspected that he was being slowly poisoned. Navalny's team has urged his supporters to rally in Russia and elsewhere on Sunday, his birthday. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) A 29-year-old fitness instructor popular on social media in Saudi Arabia faces charges that could see her imprisoned over her posts, becoming the latest person targeted in a crackdown in the kingdom. The case against Manahel al-Otaibi shows the limits of expression in Saudi Arabia, even for those like al-Otaibi who offer support to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's moves toward liberalizing some aspects of life in the ultraconservative kingdom. Meanwhile, Prince Mohammed has solidified his power in part through imprisoning the country's elite and others who speak out as his father, 87-year-old King Salman, retains formal control. They say they welcome women and that women can wear whatever but at the end what is happening is that its only for Westerners, said Lina Alhathloul, the head of monitoring and advocacy at ALQST, a London-based group advocating for human rights in Saudi Arabia that's followed al-Otaibi's case. Alhathloul's sister, Loujain, remains in the kingdom due to a travel ban following a prison sentence for her own activism. Saudi women are still oppressed, they are still subjected to the male guardianship system and if they speak up they get imprisoned and no one speaks about them. Its sad, everyone is really scared, everyone gets arrested for nothing. Saudi government officials did not respond to a request for comment over al-Otaibi's arrest. Al-Otaibi, who posted fitness videos on Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat, faces charges of defaming the kingdom at home and abroad, calling for rebellion against public order and societys traditions and customs, and challenging the judiciary and its justice, according to court documents seen by The Associated Press. Her posts included advocacy for liberal dress codes for women, LGBTQ+ rights and the abolition of Saudi Arabia male guardianship laws. The documents also accuse her of appearing in indecent clothing and posting Arabic hashtags that include the phrase overthrow the government. It's not immediately clear how many years of imprisonment she could face, though activists fear it could be lengthy. Al-Otaibi has been detained since November 2022. Her case has become prominently known in recent days as activists decided to go public. She faces trial in Saudi Arabia's Specialized Criminal Court, which was established to hear terror cases but now also weighs charges against activists. Al-Otaibi's sister, Fouz, similarly faces charges but has fled Saudi Arabia, according to ALQST. Another sister, Maryam, was arrested and freed on a travel ban in 2017 after 104 days in detention for living independently without her fathers permission and protesting male guardianship rules. Saudi Arabia's male guardianship system requires women to seek their permission for travel, marriage, living arrangements and in legal cases. Several activists have been arrested for denouncing Saudi rules, or following dissidents who do so, on social media. This includes Salma al-Shehab, a former doctoral student at Leeds University who is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence. Another is U.S. citizen Saad Ibrahim Almadi, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison over tweets he posted while abroad. Saudi Arabia freed him in March though he faced a travel ban preventing him from returning home to Florida. GRIMES, Iowa (AP) Former President Donald Trump kept up a steady drumbeat of criticism of his chief rival Ron DeSantis on Thursday, jumping immediately on remarks by the Florida governor on the campaign trail to try to highlight his own strength as the leading GOP presidential candidate. Trump, appearing in Iowa as DeSantis campaigned in New Hampshire, made a point of telling about 200 members of a conservative club gathered at a Des Moines-area restaurant that they could ask him questions an offer that came not long after DeSantis snapped at an Associated Press reporter who asked him why he wasn't taking questions from voters at his events. A lot of politicians dont take questions. They give a speech, Trump said to audience members, many of whom wore red Make America Great Again hats espousing his political movement. Trump, throughout the day, also repeatedly pushed back against DeSantis' argument that it will take two terms in the White House to implement an agenda a veiled reference to Trump, who can only serve one additional term. Who the hell wants to wait eight years? Trump said, claiming it would only take him six months to unwind President Joe Biden's policies. DeSantis, asked about the former president's comment while leaving a voter event in Rochester on Thursday afternoon, noted that Trump had already had a chance to fix the nation's problems in his first term in office. Why didnt he do it in his first four years? he asked. Their campaign appearances displayed an early tableau of the Republican primary thats just getting underway: Trump hammering DeSantis and promising to use a return to the White House to quickly undo his successors work, while the governor limits his replies and direct critiques, pitching instead to nationalize his aggressive governing style. Both men are portraying themselves as the stronger fighter for conservative causes and their partys best chance to block Biden from reelection next year. Thursday was the first time both were on the campaign trail meeting with voters since DeSantis announced his candidacy for president last week. At all four of his events in New Hampshire, DeSantis left the stage without inviting any questions from voters, which is typically expected of presidential candidates competing in the first-in-the-nation primary state. DeSantis also didn't take any questions on stage from voters in Iowa during his time in the state earlier in the week. While posing for pictures and shaking hands with voters after speaking at his first event in Laconia, DeSantis was asked by the AP reporter why he wasn't taking questions from people in the audience. People are coming up to me, talking to me. What are you talking about? Are you blind? he said. Are you blind? People are coming up to me, talking to me whatever they want to talk to me about. Alan Glassman, treasurer of the state GOP, attended the event and said he was disappointed that the Florida governor didnt include a question-and-answer period. Glassman and his wife decided to skip any subsequent events of the day given that DeSantis wasnt likely to take unscripted questions. This is New Hampshire. The reality here is the vast majority of political people here in New Hampshire, we do our due diligence. We want to know where these people stand. And a lot of that is hearing from them and then asking them questions, Glassman said. Im just hoping that next time the governor does show up here, hell actually be doing some more interaction with the people, Glassman said. In addition to his subtle jabs at Trump, DeSantis in New Hampshire turned his focus to Biden, criticizing him for championing a move to demote the early-voting state from its prominent role picking presidential candidates. He said the president was wrong to back a Democratic National Committee move to have New Hampshire hold its Democratic primary the same day as Nevada as part of a major shakeup meant to empower Black and other minority voters critical to the party's base of support. The Republican Partys calendar is decided separately, but the Democrats changes have irked members of both parties in New Hampshire. Im glad Republicans are holding the line and committed to New Hampshire, DeSantis said. Matt Johnson, a 55-year-old consultant from Windham, New Hampshire, who attended DeSantis' third event of the day in Salem, said Trump and DeSantis present voters with a real choice but he liked that DeSantis has proven he actually can get stuff done in government. Trump "talked a lot and he got some stuff done but he didnt really get a lot of things done that he probably should have, Johnson said. As for the cult of personality thing, Ive had enough of that. But Walter Kirsch, 64, of Warner, New Hampshire, said Republicans must realize that, despite being gruff at times, Trump will ultimately be the party's nominee in 2024. Warner, who was among several dozen supporters waving Trump flags outside a DeSantis event Thursday evening in Manchester, said he hoped DeSantis will think about what hes doing and bow out of this and give it to the man whos earned it. Ron DeSantis has been doing an amazing job in Florida. He should stay there. I feel he may be destroying his political career, Kirsch said. Seeking to draw a contrast with DeSantis, Trump took questions from voters at all of his Thursday events, which included a breakfast meeting in Urbandale, a Trump team volunteer leadership training event outside Des Moines in Grimes and a private meeting with about 50 pastors at a Des Moines church, though the last event was closed to the media. He later recorded a town hall with Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity in the Des Moines suburb of Clive that aired Thursday evening, telling the host DeSantis had had a very bad day today. He got very angry at the press. As Trump and DeSantis make their pitch to GOP voters, the Republican presidential field is shaping up to become even more crowded. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is expected to launch a Republican presidential campaign June 6 in New Hampshire. The next day, both Mike Pence, Trump's former vice president, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum are expected to announce campaigns of their own. U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and biotech entrepreneur and anti-woke activist Vivek Ramaswamy are among the other candidates already in the race. During the town hall, Trump called the ballooning field which critics worry will split the anti-Trump vote a good thing" for his candidacy, but wondered why some long-shot candidates are bothering. Whats the purpose? he asked. I dont understand what theyre doing. ___ Price reported from New York and Peoples reported from Laconia and Rochester, N.H. Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in New York and Steve LeBlanc in Salem, N.H., contributed to this report. The birria plate at Saucy Chick Rotisserie/the Goat Mafia has everything you need to build your own birria tacos. This birria recipe has been passed down through four generations, and here it is served with cumin rice, pickled onions and Kernel of Truth corn tortillas. (Oscar Mendoza / For The Times) Juan Garcia, creator of the Goat Mafia pop-up, found his calling as a birriero over a dozen years ago. He grew up in Compton, and his family has origins in Jalisco, Mexico, the birthplace of birria, where making the deeply spiced, long-simmered dish with goat is the rule. He has been able to trace the household birria recipe back to his great-great-grandfather, who shared his secrets so his daughters new husband could earn extra money making it on weekends. Garcias father had inherited the knowledge but didnt pass it along to the next generation before he died. Mix-and-match tacos: rotisserie jeera chicken with mole and handmade tortillas. The jeera chicken comes as a whole, half or quarter chicken rubbed in Indian spices and served with sides such as salsa macha and raita. (Oscar Mendoza / For The Times) With the help of his mother, Garcia began re-creating the steps: steaming the meat first by placing the cuts over a grate in a pot, using chiles for adobo that ripened deeply before being dried (and in some cases smoked), balancing the nuances of ginger, chocolate, cinnamon, garlic, black pepper and juice from the oranges of one of his uncles trees. The first effort was terrible. By the third attempt he had something that matched their memories. Garcia began making birria for parties and family gatherings, and he knew by the joyful reactions that he was on to something. He had worked previously as a telemarketer and a plumber, and had an early, souring experience in the kitchen of a national pizza chain, but making birria propelled him to culinary school, where he met Ivan Flores, who became his business partner. Over the last decade, the two of them have sustained Goat Mafia by making headway into the food events circuit, catering, running a short-lived lonchera, hosting driveway pop-ups in the pandemics worst depths and landing a regular slot at Smorgasburg DTLA. Get a saucy-taco combo plate at the two-pop-ups-in-one, where the Goat Mafia is run by Ivan Flores, left, and Juan Garcia, specialists in birria. (Oscar Mendoza / For The Times) Even in this glowing era of quesa birria when cheese-laced tacos are stained crimson from the broth of birria simmered with beef, a variation popularized in Tijuana Garcia holds fast to his Jalisco heritage. In a town rife with birria, Goat Mafias hard-won masterwork stands out as extraordinary. In the modulating textures and tight harmonies in the spicing, the senses might pick up something different in every bite, though its all uniformly satisfying. And its more available than ever to Angelenos, thanks to an unexpected turn in Goat Mafias trajectory. Late last year, Garcia was approached by Rhea Patel Michel and Marcel Michel. The couple also are Smorgasburg regulars with their pop-up called Saucy Chick Rotisserie, which features roast chicken and sides that express flavors honoring Marcels Mexican roots and Rheas Gujarati lineage. Pibil-marinated chicken is about to go into the oven for roasting, left, while Ivan Flores of the Goat Mafia presses masa into soft, pliable tortillas to order. (Oscar Mendoza / For The Times) Would Garcia be willing to join forces, combining their specialties and menus at a space on West 3rd Street recently vacated by a local chain taqueria? A restaurant with the egalitarian if lengthy name of Saucy Chick Rotisserie/the Goat Mafia came to life. For an example of how their collaborative union at its most successful, start with an intuitive L.A. choice: a mix-and-match plate of tacos. The first choice among fillings should be, of course, Garcias profound goat birria, its chopped mix of ropy-slick textures glinting with spice and bonded to a corn tortilla via melted Monterey Jack. Then look to Saucy Chicks jeera chicken, the bird infused with a marinade that includes ginger, garlic and pureed caramelized onions. Lime-pickled onion slivers, subtly crisp and the color of fruit punch, shroud the meat along with crema, a garlicky green sauce, torn mint leaves and a sprinkling of sev (squiggly chickpea noodles). I prefer this one on a speckled flour tortilla, and I tend to round out the taco trio with a vegetarian option built around roasted, turmeric-stained cauliflower dusted with chile flakes and ground pistachios. Marcel Rene Michel and Rhea Patel Michel are the co-owners of Saucy Chick Rotisserie, a regular pop-up at Smorgasburg with roast chicken and sides that express flavors honoring Marcel's Mexican roots and Rhea's Gujarati lineage. (Oscar Mendoza / For The Times) Add a comforting side of frijoles puercos pintos blasted with chorizo, cheese and olives and whipped to the consistency of porridge to complete a spread that covers the fundamental flavors put forth by the restaurants partners. The common aromatics, herbs and spices, particularly cumin, shared between Mexican and Indian cooking traditions make the contributions of the respective culinary teams compatible as a whole without blurring their distinctions, even when their creations are folded into tortillas and share a plate. No one is dusting off the word fusion here. Its simply a happy marriage. Their space sits in the center of one of those Beverly Grove blocks of unending storefronts, where a wine bar, barber shop, nail salon, smoothie stop, pajama specialist and other restaurants and retailers stand separated only by bearing walls and custom awnings. A small patio painted in welcoming aquamarine and canary-yellow helps Saucy Chick/Goat Mafia grab attention streetside. Dunk crispy birria mulitas into a side of warm, savory consomme at Saucy Chick Rotisserie/the Goat Mafia. The mulitas are topped with pickled onions, salsa and sour cream. (Oscar Mendoza / For The Times) Marcel is often the one taking orders at the counter. He and Rhea were furloughed from their corporate Disney jobs in 2020. Like so many pandemic-era newcomers to the food industry, Rhea and Marcel initially operated out of a ghost kitchen in North Hollywood. Now at a table in their first restaurant, I favor a straightforward approach to diving into their cuisine: ordering a quarter or half bird plate with sides of coconut-flecked cucumber salad; the amazing frijoles, a recipe from Marcels mother; a variation on esquites sharpened with fenugreek, which cuts the corns sweetness; and splashes of the garlicky green sauce and thick tamarind chutney with a nice tartness. There are two chicken options: the jeera (the word means cumin in Hindi) and one inspired by Marcels love of Yucatecan cochinita pibil, ruddy with achiote, orange, garlic and oregano. I'm pulled by the complex warmth of the jeera variation but would happily split both with others. Double-double: Ivan Flores, from left, and Juan Garcia of the Goat Mafia were asked by Saucy Chick's Rhea Patel Michel and Marcel Rene Michel to combine forces in a two-in-one restaurant in Beverly Grove. (Oscar Mendoza / For The Times) There are requisite rice bowl variations, and a mashup of chaat and nachos that appeals as a starter. Burritos filled with either birria or chicken come filled with rice, Mission-style, of which I have eaten more than my professional share. These days Im a devotee of the snug, compact burrito, in the manner of Al & Beas or Sonoratown. Ill stick with Saucy Chick tacos. If its your first time trying Garcias birria, I might also nudge you toward a basic birria plate so you can concentrate on the pure experience. In the last year, he became involved in raising goats, feeding them spent grains from friends in the beer-making community, including Brewjeria Company (which the restaurant serves). Part of his familys time-honored birria method involved laying cuts of pork atop the stew to absorb the goats gaminess, but Garcia finds the goats hes raising have such a mild flavor hes eliminated the step. That said, the cheese in the taco and the even-richer mulita seem to amplify the birrias smokier, brighter tones, so by all means indulge. Saucy Chick co-owner Rhea Patel Michel suggests disassembling the chicken by hand and dipping it into whichever sauce calls to you. (Oscar Mendoza / For The Times) As they settle into cohabitation, both Goat Mafia and Saucy Chick also continue their regular weekend appearances at Smorgasburg. While Flores watches the birria, Garcia often grills cabrito over mesquite, tumbling the cleaved, crackly meat into tortillas. The Michels serve a handsomely proportioned torta de pollo that isnt listed on the Beverly Grove menu. It makes sense that each duo would continue to assert its autonomy. Still, I'm sending a friend to Saucy Chick's stall for chaat nachos while I grab the birria mulitas. The merge clicks in any setting. Order from two menus Saucy Chick Rotisserie's and the Goat Mafia's and pay at one register. Enjoy the tacos, and life. (Oscar Mendoza / For The Times) This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. UNITED NATIONS (AP) U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres implicitly criticized Cambodias upcoming elections Wednesday for failing to be inclusive, after the top opposition party was not allowed to register. The Candlelight Party would have been the sole credible challenger to the governing Cambodian Peoples Party in the July elections, but the countrys Constitutional Council last week refused to overturn a ban on its registration in a decision that cannot be appealed. The secretary-general reiterates that inclusive elections, in which a plurality of views and voter choices is represented, are important to engender confidence in the electoral process and underpin the ability of Cambodias people to exercise their democratic rights," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. As (Guterres) said during his visit to Cambodia last year, it is vital that civic space be open, for human rights defenders to be protected, and for civil society to play a wider role in society, all of which remain critical in preserving Cambodias substantial development gains and consolidation of peace, Dujarric said. He said: The secretary-general reaffirms the commitment of the U.N. to support a peaceful and democratic Cambodia that fully respects the human rights of all its citizens. The entrenched Cambodian Peoples Party has held an iron grip on power for decades and controls almost every level of government. Prime Minister Hun Sen, an authoritarian ruler in a nominally democratic state, has held his position for 38 years. The absence of the Candlelight Party leaves only Hun Sens party, its allies and small parties that lack a national presence to contest the July 23 elections for the 125 members of the National Assembly. Hun Sen's eldest son, army chief Hun Manet, is widely expected to replace his father as prime minister after the polls. Before the Constitutional Council ruling, U.N. independent human rights investigators including Vitit Muntarbhorn, the investigator on Cambodian rights, expressed alarm at the restrictions imposed on the right of political parties to participate in elections, citing the election committees May 16 refusal to register the Candlelight Party. After the Constitutional Council refused to overturn the election committee's decision, the U.S. State Department said it would not send official observers to witness the elections. Contrived legal actions, threats, harassment, and politically motivated criminal charges targeting opposition parties, independent media, and civil society undermine Cambodias international commitments to develop as a multiparty democracy spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement. The Candlelight Party is the unofficial successor to the Cambodia National Rescue Party, which had posed a serious challenge to Hun Sens party before being dissolved by a controversial court ruling before the 2018 elections. Hun Sen's party then swept those elections, winning all the seats in the National Assembly. Western nations declared the 2018 election was neither free nor fair, and imposed mild economic sanctions in response. Most prominent opposition politicians are now in self-imposed exile to avoid being jailed on various charges they say are trumped up and unfair. Natalie Coles will never forget receiving an unexpected phone call in 2020. On the line was Virginia-based Dominion Energy, offering to give money to Wilberforce University, the small historically Black college where she is in charge of fundraising. The companys $500,000 donation went in part toward laptops and hot spots for students when the pandemic shut down the colleges campus outside of Dayton, Ohio. It was like manna from heaven, Coles said. Historically Black colleges and universities, which had seen giving from foundations decline in recent decades, lately are benefiting from an increase in gifts, particularly from corporations and corporate foundations. Some have received a new look from companies amid the reckoning over racial injustice spurred by the killing of George Floyd. But the colleges also have been pitching themselves, emphasizing their ability to deliver returns on the investment in student mobility. Another factor in the giving by corporations has been the influence of their Black employees. At the beverage company Diageo North America, the employee resource group for African Americans shaped a program that has provided almost $12 million to HBCUs, said Danielle Robinson, head of community engagement and partnerships for Diageo. The money has gone toward scholarships at 29 schools to lessen the debt burden on Black graduates. We talked about a lot of different things, but one of the things that kept coming up was the generational wealth gap, Robinson said. The giving to HBCUs is a new trend for corporations, which had largely ignored them before 2020, said Marybeth Gasman, a Rutgers University professor who researches HBCUs. Increasingly, HBCUs have been using the language of business to argue they not only have a high need but also are a good investment, she said. HBCUs often have smaller endowments and lower levels of public funding than other universities. A report released in May found foundation support of HBCUs declined 30% between 2002 and 2019. Data is incomplete for more recent years, but HBCUs have been reporting a sustained increase lately in donations from corporations as well as philanthropic foundations. Delaware State University received $20 million from MacKenzie Scott in 2020, part of the $560 million that the ex-wife of Jeff Bezos gave to HBCUs. The money helped DSU rescue a small college in their county that was closing and invest in their facilities. Foundations have been more receptive when the school reaches out, said Vita Pickrum, the schools vice president of institutional advancement. She said she would like to see foundations shape giving in partnership with HBCUS. Gifts to HBCUs typically are more restricted than those given to predominantly white schools, she said, which she would like to see change. Trust the institutions to be able to address the problem that the foundation is trying to address in the most efficient way that they see fit, she said. While giving to HBCUs has increased lately, better-known schools, such as large private and land-grant universities, have been more likely to receive donations compared with small schools, said Michael Lomax, CEO of the United Negro College Fund. Those small institutions often operate as engines of economic mobility that lift students from poverty to the middle class, Lomax said. Many have near open-enrollment policies, educating nearly any student that wishes to pursue higher education. While HBCUs have produced celebrated entrepreneurs, scientists and doctors, they have also educated an outsize number of teachers, nurses and other jobs that are essential for society, he said. I want to see more of American philanthropy recognizing that those are important, Lomax said. That theyre going to help us ensure that those jobs and those positions are filled, because they are the positions which will ensure a healthy Black America, but really, a healthy America. At Wilberforce University, the donation from Dominion supports scholarships and a lecture series on racial inequality in addition to the technology investments. Its a lot to squeeze out of a half-million dollars, which Coles said reflects the way historically Black colleges and universities stretch their money. I would really applaud my fellow African Americans for really pushing things within corporate America to make certain that the George Floyd incident was a movement, a long-term movement, not just a one-off, Coles said. At Spelman College in Georgia, an increase in donations has allowed the school to expand financial aid and start centers for Black entrepreneurship and the arts. Jessie Brooks, senior vice president for institutional advancement, said the racial justice movement of 2020 offered visibility that allowed HBCUs to make their case to new potential donors. If a donor gives you the resources, and you can show impact in terms of how their gift made a difference, they will continue to give, Brooks said. Whether corporations will stick with funding HBCUs for the long term is still a question for Shawnta Friday-Stroud, vice president of advancement at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. Donations from corporate and philanthropic foundations have almost doubled from last year, when theyd received $2.4 million at this time compared with $5.3 million so far this year. Shes observed that corporate foundations are making funding commitments over multiple years and have expressed interest in partnering with her institution, rather than just giving money and walking away. They have put the money toward scholarships and professional development training. My hope is that that continues, lets say, over the next three, four or five years, she said. And I think thats whats going to be the true test. ___ The Associated Press education team receives support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ___ 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. TOKYO (AP) U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stressed the importance of communication during a stopover Thursday in Tokyo, calling it unfortunate that his Chinese counterpart is refusing to meet him at an upcoming annual security conference in Singapore, which both men are attending. On the way to the annual Shangri-La Dialogue Asian security summit this weekend, Austin held talks with Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada. Noting Chinas increasingly assertive military actions in international airspace and waterways in the region, he told a joint news conference in Tokyo, The provocative intercepts of our aircraft and also our allies aircraft, thats very concerning, and we would hope that they would alter their action. The United States military said Tuesday that a Chinese fighter jet flew aggressively close to a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft over the South China Sea, forcing the American pilot to fly through the turbulent wake. Im concerned about at some point having an incident that could very, very quickly spiral out of control, Austin said. I would welcome any opportunity to engage with leadership. I think defense departments should be talking to each other on a routine basis or should have open channels for communication. Although Beijing said there will be no meeting between Austin and his Chinese counterpart at the security summit, Hamada is expected to attend and meet with Chinese Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu on the sidelines. Japan and China set up a defense hotline in March to improve communication and avoid accidental encounters in the tense region, and Hamada and Li recently held their first telephone talks on the hotline. Washington and Beijing have yet to hold such a talk, and when Austin phoned their crisis line in February, the call went unanswered. We need to strengthen our cooperation of Japan-U.S., and Japan-U.S.-South Korea, Hamada said Thursday. The two criticized North Koreas failed rocket launch Wednesday for using ballistic missile technology that's prohibited under United Nations Security Council resolutions, and affirmed further cooperation between them and with South Korea in case of another launch attempt. Ties between Japan and South Korea have improved rapidly in recent months under Washington's pressure in the face of growing regional threats from China, North Korea and Russia. Tokyo and Seoul are also discussing real-time sharing of North Korea's missile launch data. Austin said the United States stands with Japan and South Korea in the face of Pyongyangs provocations and that the United States will take all necessary measures to secure to ensure the security of our homeland in the defense of our allies. Austin and Hamada agreed to strengthen extended deterrence for Japan, which includes U.S. nuclear weapons. I am here to reaffirm Americas unwavering commitment to Japan. This includes extended deterrence and provided by the full range of U.S. conventional and nuclear capabilities," Austin said. The two ministers also agreed to step up and expand their defense industries and strengthen multinational formats, including with South Korea, Australia, the Philippines and India to reinforce their Indo-Pacific security cooperation. At a meeting later Thursday with Austin, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Japan wants to further strengthen its deterrence and response capabilities by working with the United States, especially focusing on Japan's use of strike capability. Under its new security strategy issued in December, Japan pledged a military buildup that includes strike capabilities and doubling defense spending a break from its postwar self-defense-only principle. In this file photo, President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul, May 23. Yonhap President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to name the new chief of the state Korea Communications Commission (KCC) as early as this week, while also making other personnel nominations in the coming days, officials said Thursday. Lee Dong-kwan, a special adviser to the president and former senior presidential secretary for press affairs under the Lee Myung-bak administration, has reportedly been picked to head the broadcasting watchdog. Lee would replace Han Sang-hyuk, who was dismissed by Yoon earlier this week after prosecutors indicted him on charges of involvement in giving low scores to right-wing cable channel TV Chosun in the process of renewing its broadcasting license in 2020. "The nomination of the new KCC chief will take place as early as this week and no later than next week," a presidential official told Yonhap News Agency. The announcement will likely coincide with Yoon's appointments of a veterans minister and the head of a new government agency tasked with supporting overseas Koreans. The veterans ministry will be upgraded from its current sub-ministry level to full-fledged ministry status next Monday, with current Veterans Minister Park Min-shik already nominated to lead the new ministry. The overseas Koreans agency will also launch next Monday, with Lee Key-cheol, former deputy foreign minister for overseas Koreans, reportedly tapped as its chief. Other personnel nominations have been rumored, as Yoon enters his second year in office and several officials appear to be preparing to run in next year's parliamentary elections. Unification Minister Kwon Young-se, who doubles as a lawmaker of the ruling People Power Party, is widely expected to leave office to run for reelection. (Yonhap) OSLO, Norway (AP) The United States will soon open a small diplomatic mission in Norway that will be its northernmost in the world and only such facility above the Arctic Circle, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Thursday. The move, which Blinken announced at a news conference in Oslo after attending a NATO foreign ministers meeting, comes as competition over the high norths resources with Russia intensifies. Blinken said the U.S. would open what is known as an American Presence Post in Tromsoe, which sits 350 kilometers (217 miles) north of the Arctic Circle. The post will open later this year and be staffed by a single U.S. diplomat with the title of consul. We're here to work with like-minded allies to advance our vision of a peaceful, stable and cooperative Arctic, Blinken said before meeting Norway's foreign minister whose country is preparing to assume the chairmanship of the Arctic Council, which is headquartered in Tromsoe. Norway will take over the eight-nation grouping of countries that border the Arctic after two years of Russian leadership during which the bloc was largely ignored by other members due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The State Department had maintained an office in Tromsoe until 1994 but it was shuttered in a re-alignment of diplomatic facilities after the end of the Cold War. "The United States is a proud Arctic state and takes seriously our role as one of the regions stewards, U.S. Ambassador to Norway Marc Nathanson said in a statement. Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said Norway and the U.S. share a long and proud history of collaboration on Arctic issues. "I welcome U.S. plans to establish a Presence Post in Tromsoe this year, which I am sure will further strengthen our close cooperation, she said. HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP) The largest wildfires ever recorded in Canadas Atlantic Coast province of Nova Scotia continued to grow Thursday, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of more people and prompting air quality warnings in U.S. regions as far south as Virginia and Maryland. In all, there were four wildfires in the province burning out of control on Thursday, including the massive Barrington Lake fire in Shelburne County, which grew to more than 200 square kilometers (77 square miles) despite a constant bombardment of water and fire retardant from a fleet of water bombers and air tankers. A much smaller fire that started Wednesday received immediate attention after it prompted evacuations south of Shelburne, which is home to 1,300 people. Within hours, the local Roseway Hospital was evacuated and residents started preparing to leave. It jumped up pretty quick with the high winds, low (humidity) and high temperatures, Dave Rockwood, a spokesman for the Department of Natural Resources, said Thursday in a briefing. We are hitting it very hard and fast. The fires in Shelburne County have forced more than 5,000 people from their homes and cottages, 50 of which have been consumed by flames. Natural Resources Minister Tory Rushton said the Barrington Lake fire was under a major aerial attack. Meanwhile, municipal officials in Halifax have begun breaking the news to residents whose homes were lost to a fast-moving wildfire after they were evacuated earlier this week from subdivisions northwest of the city. Deputy fire Chief David Meldrum said an audit of damaged and destroyed properties had been completed, but he could not provide the latest numbers. Fire officials said 200 structures, including 151 houses, have been claimed by the fire in suburban Halifax, which has been burning out of control since Sunday, as has the Barrington Lake fire. In all, 16,000 Halifax-area residents have been evacuated from their homes. Earlier in the day, fire officials announced that 50% of the Halifax fire had been contained, and they confirmed it had not grown since Wednesday but it remained out of control. We so far have no reported missing people or injuries, Halifax Mayor Mike Savage said. It is a miracle and a testament to the quick work of first responders. U.S. officials as far south as Maryland, Baltimore, Virginia and Pennsylvania reported being impacted by the Canadian wildfires. The National Weather Service in Wakefield, Virginia, 164 miles (263 kilometers) south of Washington, D.C., issued an air quality alert for Friday for the Richmond, Virginia area due to smoke from wildfires across the northeast and Atlantic Canada. St. Marys County Department of Emergency Services, located about 80 miles (129 km) south of Washington D.C., warned residents in a tweet on Thursday that air quality might be impacted by the fires in southeastern Canada. In Pennsylvania, the Chester County Health Department said Thursday in a tweet that the smoke & haze from wildfires in Canada continue to linger, and warned the air could still be unhealthy for older adults, young children and people with respiratory problems. Similar warnings were issued by the National Weather Service in Baltimore-Washington and the Philadelphia area, including parts of New Jersey, where officials warned sensitive groups to take precautions when going outside. A thick smoke plume was reported over Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In southwestern Nova Scotia, the number of those displaced may not be as big, but the level of trepidation is just as high. Amanda Sutherland, owner of The Coopers Inn in downtown Shelburne, said some of her staff have had to leave the area, and she has a number of evacuees from the Barrington Lake fire staying at the inn. People are checking in on other family members, and every morning at breakfast, theres at least one person crying, she said, adding that her bags are already packed in case an evacuation is ordered. Sutherland said the towns long, narrow harbor has been buzzing with water bombers scooping up water and heading back to the fires. She said she hasnt spent much time worrying about the destruction. Cooler temperatures and steady rain arent expected until late Friday, though the forecast was calling for some spotty showers during the day. WASHINGTON (AP) The White House announced Thursday that it will impose sanctions against key defense companies and people who "perpetuate violence" in Sudan as the warring sides failed to abide by a cease-fire agreement in the northeastern African nation. New visa restrictions apply to officials from the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces and leaders from the former government led by Omar al-Bashir who are responsible for, or complicit in, undermining Sudans democratic transition, according to the State Department. President Joe Biden on May 4 laid the groundwork for the penalties when he issued an executive order that expanded U.S. authorities to respond to the violence and help bring an end to the conflict. These measures are intended to hold accountable those responsible for undermining the peace, security, and stability of Sudan, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement. The Treasury Department said in a statement that four companies were designated: Al Junaid Multi Activities Co. Ltd., which is controlled by RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and his brother, RSF Deputy Commander Abdul Rahim Dagalo; United Arab Emirates-based Tradive General Trading LLC, a front company controlled by RSF Major Algoney Hamdan Dagalo, who also is a brother of the RSF commander; Sudans largest defense company, Defense Industries System; and the arms company Sudan Master Technology, which is linked to the SAF. Tradive has purchased vehicles for the RSF that have been retrofitted with machine guns and been used to patrol the streets of Sudan. Al Junaid, also known as Algunade, operates 11 subsidiaries across multiple economic sectors, including the gold industry and has been a vital source of revenue for the Dagalo family and the RFS. The SAF-connected Defense Industries System has hundreds of subsidiaries that manufacture small arms, conventional weapons, ammunition, and military vehicles. The company uses a complex system to hide its ownership of these subsidiaries and to obtain favorable letters of credit from the Sudan Central Bank and frequently defaults on those loans, according to the Treasury Department. Through sanctions, we are cutting off key financial flows to both the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces, depriving them of resources needed to pay soldiers, rearm, resupply, and wage war in Sudan, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said. The United States stands on the side of civilians against those who perpetuate violence towards the people of Sudan. It remains unclear how the sanctions will impact either force's financing or the trajectory of the conflict, now entering its seventh week. The Biden administration says it is coordinating with the African Union, Saudi Arabia and others in the region, trying to press both parties to end the conflict. Kholood Khair, the founder and director of Confluence Advisory, a think tank in Khartoum, Sudan's capital, said the sanctions will need the support of other regional stakeholders. The U.S. was likely motivated to act because repeat violations are undermining its clout, globally," Khair said. Late Thursday, the United States and Saudi Arabia suspended peace talks that had been taking place in the Saudi city of Jeddah since late May. In a joint statement, the two mediating countries said the decision comes as a result of repeated serious violations of the short-term ceasefire and recent ceasefire extension" on Monday. Sudans military had suspended its participation in talks the previous day. The fighting between the Sudanese military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, broke out in mid-April. The violence has killed at least 866 civilians, according to a Sudanese doctors group, though the actual toll is likely much higher. Washington and Riyadh brokered a cease-fire on May 21, to allow for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and restoration of vital services. There have been seven declared cease-fires since the conflict broke out and all have been violated. The warring generals were the military wing of Sudans democratic transition following the ouster of Islamist leader al-Bashir in 2019, before seizing complete power in a coup in 2021. After agreeing to restore the transition, the pair clashed over the terms of RSFs merger into the army, a disagreement that exploded into open conflict. According to the U.S.-Saudi joint statement, the countries have told both sides what they need to do to "show a meaningful commitment to the Jeddah talks. It also said the RSF and the military have privately informed each other of confidence-building measures they want to see implemented by the other force before resuming peace negotiations. Earlier in the week, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia called out both sides for cease-fire violations, accusing the military of continuing to carry out airstrikes and criticizing the RSF for occupying peoples homes and seizing properties. The fighting has reduced Khartoum to an urban battlefield, with many districts lacking electricity and running water. The conflict has also stoked ethnic violence in the western Darfur region, killing hundreds there. ___ Jeffery reported from Cairo. AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee in Oslo, Norway, contributed to this report. Marilynn Distefano misses feeding the colorful birds in her backyard. These days, she mostly just listens to them through the window of her room in a Fort Myers nursing home, where shes lived since December her latest stop since the state promised to rebuild her hurricane-wrecked home. I miss everything about being at home, and my neighbors, said Distefano, 81. I just want to go home. She cant. As Atlantic hurricane season 2023 opens on Thursday, Distefano is one of thousands of people waiting on the state-run Rebuild Florida program, which was supposed to help low-income residents rebuild their hurricane-ravaged homes. Its been a long wait. Her home wasnt destroyed by Hurricane Ian, which ravaged Southwest Florida last year, but by Irma way back in 2017. The state only got around to demolishing her damaged home in January and its unclear when it might be ready for her to come back. Marilynn Distefano, 81, waits in a Ft. Myers nursing home while the state rebuilds her home, which was destroyed by Hurricane Irma and then further damaged by Hurricane Ian. Tiffany Tompkins/ttompkins@bradenton.com Rebuild Florida launched in September 2018, a year after Irma hit, with a pitch to help the neediest families repair and rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane Irma. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development gave Florida $615 million specifically to help people like Distefano, low and moderate-income, vulnerable people who may not have had insurance to recover from the storm. According to HUD documents, Florida has spent about 75% of the money it was granted for the home repair program. Floridas Department of Economic Opportunity, which runs Rebuild Florida, told the Miami Herald it has repaired and replaced 3,114 homes. Of that total, 145 have been fully demolished and rebuilt, like Distefano is waiting on. The state has replaced 567 mobile homes and made more minor fixes on 2,402 homes. There are more than 1,000 homes remaining on the states list to fix, including some that are already in the pre-construction process. HUD documents list the projected end date of the program as September 2024 so the pace of progress would have to ramp up to get anywhere close to completing the remaining homes. And by 2025, any unused state funds are due back to the federal government, DEO has previously told other news outlets. Rebuild Florida was a popular program in the wake of Irma, with more than 11,000 initial applicants, and the program paid off for some of them. More than 8,000 homes have received damage assessments, one of the earlier steps in the program, and DEO told the Herald on Wednesday it has helped more than 3,100 homeowners. The state also says it doesnt have enough money left to help the remaining participants, and in December 2022 sent a letter to the federal government asking for more funding to cover nearly 1,000 homes in the pre-construction or construction process and 541 other homes left in limbo. The reality is that there are factors not unique to Florida impacting construction project timelines all over the country. These factors include damage from subsequent storms, a burdened supply chain, ongoing pricing challenges, lack of eligible general contractors and complex permitting processes, DEO Director of Communications Rose Hebert wrote in an email. We know Floridians want to get back into their homes we want Floridians back in their homes as quickly as possible. Frustration over delays Still, many applicants like Distefano feel like theyve been given the run-around by the state. The Miami Herald spoke with nearly a dozen Floridians from several counties who all expressed frustration with the years-long delays in fixing their homes. Some dropped out of the program and moved or sold their homes. Others have spent almost a year waiting in state-funded hotels for their homes to be rebuilt. Some retained lawyers. None wanted to be quoted with their names, for fear of the state further delaying the rebuilding process. One applicant told the Herald they were specifically warned by a Rebuild Florida hot line representative not to talk to politicians or the press about the delays. Getting answers about the program has been difficult and not just for the homeowners. The Miami Herald has been asking Floridas Department of Economic Opportunity about the program, and specifically, how many destroyed houses it had actually rebuilt, since 2020 and has yet to receive a specific answer. Many upset residents told the Herald they had filed official complaints over the program with DEO, sometimes multiple. DEO told the Herald in April it has received 168 complaints about the program. In paperwork for similar grants from previous storms, including Hurricane Michael, DEO made note of how many complaints were received every quarter and provided explanations, responses and resolutions for each one. That information does not appear on Irma reports. The issues with the program could extend beyond Irma. The state of Florida could use the same system to respond to Hurricane Ian, the Category 5 storm that devastated Southwest Florida in September. In March, HUD announced that it plans to give Florida almost $3 billion to recover from Ian, including $910 million directly to DEO. The agency, which oversees the states recovery effort from hurricanes, has yet to publicly release its draft plan for how it plans to spend the money, so its unclear if DEO plans to re-use the Rebuild Florida name or choose a different method or running the rebuild process. So far, despite the years-long delays, the problems with the program have largely flown under the radar. The Herald reached out to a number of elected representatives and experts on disaster rebuilding but they were not monitoring Rebuild Florida. But there is an active Facebook group of applicants complaining out delays and difficulties navigating the process. Running out of money What is clear is that the Floridians waiting for their homes are frustrated, and in Distefanos case, financially imperiled by the delays. Her daughter, Lynne Daus, has been the one dealing with contractors and the state through the Rebuild Florida process on behalf of her mother. Over the years, theyve been shunted from case manager to case manager and gone for months at a time with no update. Daus said she doesnt understand what the holdup is. Wheres the money sitting? Whos got this money? Youve had this money for so long, you cant keep using this excuse. Its going on year five, she said. There has to be some internal bureaucratic issue that we have not been told because this does not make sense. It just doesnt make sense. The wait was so long that some applicants had to ride out Hurricane Ian, which arrived five years after Irma, in temporary housing. Distefano had to evacuate her Fort Myers home for Ian. She stayed with one of her other daughters in Cape Coral, but they lost power and running water as the hurricane raged overhead. Distefano has lingering health problems from surviving breast cancer, and Daus said the combination of high heat and low water sent her mother into kidney failure. She was rushed to the hospital and then to rehabilitation, where she stayed through December. But by the time doctors were ready to release her, she had no home to return to. After years of delays, the contractors hired by Rebuild Florida were finally ready to tear down Distefanos house, which they did in December. They promised Daus it would be built in three months, so she found a nursing home for her mom that Medicaid would cover. Construction workers build the outer walls of Marilynn Distefanos home, which was destroyed by Hurricane Irma in 2017 and is part of the states Rebuild Florida program. Tiffany Tompkins/ttompkins@bradenton.com By June 1, the start of hurricane season, the home is still not built. Last week, construction finally began, but rebuilding could take three to four more months. Thats left Distefano with a money problem. While staying in the facility, Medicaid takes most of her fixed income to cover costs, leaving her savings account dwindling with each months mortgage, tax and property insurance payment still due on the empty lot that was once her home. Its put my mother in a financial crisis, Daus said. As of June, Daus said Distefano no longer has enough cash to make the monthly payments, and her home is still not finished, putting her at risk of defaulting on her mortgage. Daus started a GoFundMe to raise money, and she and her boyfriend have pledged to cover the payments as long as they can. Im not going to let my mom lose her house, she said. Correction: A version of this story posted online initially incorrectly reported that DEO had not responded to the Heralds questions about Rebuild Florida. DEOs responses have been added to the story. Taiwan has received a shipment of Stinger missiles and other military equipment originally approved in 2019, as the U.S. works to fulfill a backlog of nearly $19 billion in weapons sales to the island democracy. A State Department spokesperson told The Hill on Wednesday that reports of Stinger missiles arriving in Taipei last week were related to a $223.56 million weapons sale initially approved in July 2019. That weapons sale included more than 250 Stinger missiles an anti-aircraft weapon favored for its light weight and capability to be fired from a soldiers shoulder, which has proven to be a favored weapon for Ukrainian forces battling Russian aggression. The English-language Taipei Times reported on May 27 that a batch of Stinger missiles arrived in Taipei from the U.S., citing a report in the Chinese-language United Daily News. While Taiwans Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said earlier this month that President Biden is expected to announce the first tranche of a $1 billion weapons transfer to Taiwan directly from Department of Defense stockpiles and approved by Congress for 2023 the State Department spokesperson said the Stingers that arrived in Taiwan are related to the earlier approved arms sale. In 2019, we notified a proposed [Foreign Military Sale] case to TECRO [Taipei Economic And Cultural Representative Office In The United States] for this system, the spokesperson said. As such, this case predates authorities included in Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act (TERA) as incorporated into the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have pushed the Biden administration to find solutions to the $19 billion backlog in defense deliveries, which U.S. officials say are related to ongoing COVID-19 supply chain issues and production lines that have gone dormant. The U.S. and Taiwan are alarmed that Chinese aggression towards the autonomous, island-democracy that Beijing claims as part of its territory is a prelude to a wider conflict and are working to outfit the island with defense capabilities they say will deter a Chinese invasion. China regularly violates Taiwanese air and naval space and has conducted live-fire military exercises around the island in response to high-profile meetings between U.S. and Taiwanese officials, such as when former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) visited the island in August 2022 and when Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in California in April. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning responded to the reports of the delivery of Stingers on May 26, criticizing the U.S. as interfering in Chinas internal affairs, calling the weapons delivery extremely wrong and dangerous. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The companies that appear to have swindled supporters of former President Donald Trump out of tens of thousands of dollars by peddling bogus Trump Bucks no longer have active websites just days after their businesses were exposed by NBC News. The websites where the Colorado-based Patriots Dynasty, Patriots Future and USA Patriots companies were selling Official Trump 2024 Gold Cards to Trump Rebate Banking System (TRB) membership cards purportedly issued by Donald Trump himself are no longer active. Similar websites that also promise real patriots will get rich if they buy the products remain active, but they have been disabled by the online retailer ClickBank, which connects the purveyors of the products to potential buyers. This site is no longer in service or has been disabled due to a terms of service violation was the message that popped up when an NBC News reporter tried to make a purchase. Jennifer Beevers, ClickBanks vice president of client and customer advocacy, said it was the right thing to do. Any consumer purchasing these items through ClickBank received a pre-purchase disclosure that they are for commemorative value only and are not legal tender, Beevers said in an emailed statement. Still, ClickBank is concerned to hear that the products were being deceptive marketed elsewhere so we chose to discontinue sales even with our disclaimer. No evidence suggests the alleged scammers are connected to Trump or his re-election campaign. Trump spokesman Steven Cheung has not responded to repeated emails seeking comment about the shady companies selling Trump Bucks using Trumps likeness and aimed directly at some of his most ardent supporters. Representatives for the companies that sell Trump Bucks and TRB membership cards could not be reached for comment, and there are no criminal charges or active investigations against the companies. But word that three of the retailers websites had been shuttered was welcome news to a Florida woman who said earlier that her 77-year-old mother-in-law was fooled into buying tens of thousands of dollars worth of Trump Bucks. It seems, at least, they know now they cant get away with this, said the woman, who lives north of Tampa and asked not to be identified for fear of internet harassment. The Florida woman described her mother-in-law as an ardent Trump supporter who had always been conservative and prone to believe in conspiracy theories. But of late, the woman said, her mother-in-law has been insisting that something big was about to come down related to the Trumps Bucks she had purchased. So maybe this is it, she said. An Alabama grandmother holds one of the coins she bought online in her apartment in Mobile. (Dan Anderson for NBC News) A 75-year-old Alabama grandmother, who said earlier that she became outraged when she discovered that the $1,500 in Trump Bucks she had purchased were worthless, said she, too, was happy the Colorado-based companies had been shut down. Awesome, the woman, who also asked not to be identified by name, texted. Now if they could be arrested and put behind bars! NBC News identified more than a dozen victims and reviewed dozens of social media posts and online complaints and hundreds of misleading ads for products being sold to Trump supporters. In addition to promising that their investments in the products would help propel Trump back into the White House, the ads also falsely suggested that Trump will make the real patriots who support him rich. For example, the ads say, a $10,000 Diamond Trump Bucks bill purchased for $99.99 can be cashed in for $10,000 at major banks like Bank of America and retailers like Walmart, Costco and Home Depot. BofA and all of the companies mentioned in the ads have denied any involvement in the apparent get-rich-quick schemes. So far, just one fraud complaint against Patriots Dynasty has been filed with the Federal Trade Commission, the agency confirmed in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. The complaint was filed in January. But the Better Business Bureau has given Patriots Dynasty, Patriots Future and USA Patriots, which use the address of an industrial center in the Denver suburb of Aurora, an F rating. And dozens of complaints have been lodged against the companies on the BBB site and on consumer ratings sites like TrustPilot. 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. Education Minister Lee Ju-ho, left, who doubles as the deputy prime minister for social affairs, speaks during a meeting with the ruling People Power Party at the National Assembly in Seoul, June 1. Yonhap The government and the ruling People Power Party (PPP) agreed Thursday to set up a state agency aimed at providing support to victims of school violence in their recovery and treatment. The agreement was discussed during a policy consultation meeting between the PPP and the education ministry at the National Assembly, in response to the growing demand for specialized support services for students who experience bullying in schools. "It is crucial for the government to assume significant responsibility, and provide support in treating the trauma experienced by victimized students and enabling their recovery to return to a normal life, to ultimately eradicate school violence," Rep. Lee Tae-kyu, the PPP's executive secretary of the parliamentary education committee, told reporters after the meeting. Details of the road map will be announced by the education ministry at the end of this month. The issue of school violence has gained widespread attention following the cancellation of the appointment of the new national investigation chief, Chung Sun-sin, by the presidential office in February, due to revelations of his son's involvement in school bullying. Additionally, the Netflix revenge thriller series "The Glory," which portrays brutal school violence, gained significant popularity. (Yonhap) YEREVAN, JUNE 1, ARMENPRESS. Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has sent birthday greetings to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, BelTA reported citing the Belarusian presidential press service. I am convinced that your vast managerial experience and professional approach to solving state tasks will enable you to continue to successfully cope with the challenges that Armenia faces in the political, social and economic sectors and achieve all the goals set for the benefit of the Armenian people, the message reads. The President of Belarus added that he looked forward to further constructive dialogue aimed at developing a comprehensive partnership with Armenia, close interaction in the integration associations and strategic cooperation in the international arena. Aleksandr Lukashenko wished Nikol Pashinyan new successes in his responsible activity, good health, happiness, peace and accord. CHISINAU, JUNE 1, ARMENPRESS. President of the European Council Charles Michel has expressed hope that during the upcoming June 1 meeting in Chisinau Armenia and Azerbaijan will once again reiterate political will to normalize relations. This important meeting will take place today, Michel told reporters during the opening of the 2nd European Political Community Summit in Chisinau when asked on his expectations from the Armenia-Azerbaijan summit, where Michel himself will participate together with the German and French leaders. Ive had the occasion to meet with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Brussels a few weeks ago. We had some progress. And I hope this will once again be a chance to reiterate common political will to normalize relations between the two countries, he said. YEREVAN, JUNE 1, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan has said that direct dialogue between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan would also be highly important for Azerbaijan because if the dialogue fails to take place the problem wont be resolved. Asked whether the formation of an international mechanism for dialogue between Stepanakert and Baku is a principled matter for Armenia, given the fact that Azerbaijan doesnt agree to it, Simonyan said: We must reach a point where Azerbaijan starts to speak about it because otherwise there wont be a beneficial situation for Azerbaijan itself, there will be a big gap which it wont be able to fill for years, decades. If Azerbaijan doesnt sit down and speak with the Armenian population living in Artsakh, that wound will someday [open]. He added that international pressure and the international factor have big role. The Speaker said Armenia has success in this direction. The problem wont be resolved without dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert, Speaker Simonyan said. The other option is genocide, which we wont allow. The Azerbaijani authorities should think that this issue is far more important for them than for us, he concluded. Speaking about a possible peace treaty, Simonyan called for guarantees to be in place for implementation of the terms of the agreement. As an example he mentioned the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement, which Azerbaijan is regularly violating while Russia who is supposed to guarantee its implementation fails to give proper response. YEREVAN, JUNE 1, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan has ruled out signing a peace treaty with Azerbaijan that would envisage Armenias sovereign territory to be less than 29,800 square kilometers. He also ruled out providing Azerbaijan with any corridor through territory of Armenia. We rule out signing a peace treaty with a territory less than 29,800 square kilometers. We have voiced the number of 29,800 square kilometers, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia has drawn a red line from the National Assembly rostrum, and we brought the 29,800 square kilometers into the agenda. I can say the same about the corridor, we have numerously said that there wont be a corridor, there cant be such thing, we have excluded that narrative and drawn a red line for us, Simonyan said at a press briefing. Asked whether Armenia considers any specific international actor as guarantor for a peace treaty, Simonyan said that all centers that hosted the talks have expressed readiness to be guarantors. What we will get is another matter, Simonyan said, adding that the possible guarantors should fulfill their functions. He said that he is not satisfied with the 9 November 2020 statement. I am not satisfied with the 9 November statement, and I am sure the people of Armenia are also not satisfied with it in terms of both the statements and actions of our partners, Simonyan said. YEREVAN, JUNE 1, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan is spreading disinformation falsely accusing the Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) Defense Army of breaching the ceasefire, the Defense Ministry of Artsakh warned on June 1. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministrys statement accusing the Defense Army units of opening fire on June 1, around 10:00 at Azerbaijani positions deployed in the occupied territories of the Shushi region of Artsakh Republic is a usual disinformation, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. The Artsakh military added that the Azerbaijan disinformation claiming to have disrupted engineering works in Shushi and Martuni seeks to distort reality and justify the Azeri military gunfire targeting farmers in Artsakh. Lawyer Song Ki-ho, center, speaks to reporters in front of the Supreme Court in Seoul, Thursday, after the court ruled against him, upholding a lower court ruling that justified the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' nondisclosure of the minutes of the 2015 Korea-Japan deal on former sex slaves. Yonhap By Jun Ji-hye The Supreme Court ruled, Thursday, that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took appropriate measures by refusing to disclose the minutes of a controversial Korea-Japan deal on former sex slaves signed in 2015, upholding a decision by an appellate court. The latest ruling is viewed by many as favoring President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been striving to improve the country's relations with Japan that were strained during the previous Moon Jae-in government due to disputes over historical issues, including recognizing and compensating former sex slaves. "The lower court handed down the right ruling and did not misunderstand legal principles regarding information subject to disclosure under the Public Information Act," the top court said in its ruling. On Dec. 28 of 2015, the government signed a controversial deal with Tokyo on the sexual enslavement of Korean women by imperial Japan during World War II. The accord said the two countries would resolve the dispute over the sex slaves in a "final and irreversible" manner. But the deal only complicated the historical row, being criticized by many groups, including Korean victims of Japan's wartime sex slavery, for being hastily signed without reflecting the opinions of victims, while Japan has insisted that Korea should adhere to the agreement. An official at the top court explained that the government's deal with Japan was the result of the foreign ministry's negotiations with the Japanese government. "The top court upheld the lower court ruling that the benefits from not disclosing the contents of diplomatic negotiations, which were carried out behind closed doors, outweighed the benefits of disclosing them," the official said. "The latest ruling reconfirmed the court's cautious attitude towards the disclosure of information regarding diplomatic negotiations," the official added. In February of 2016, Song Ki-ho, an attorney with the local civic group, Lawyers for a Democratic Society, also known as Minbyun, filed a lawsuit against the foreign minister, calling for the disclosure of the minutes of the two governments' negotiations regarding Japan's forced mobilization of Korean women as sex slaves during the war. A district court ruled in favor of the lawyer, saying that protecting national interests through the nondisclosure of the minutes did not outweigh the public's interest that the people could gain by fulfilling their right to know. But an appellate court overturned the ruling, saying that the revelation of information related to Japan's position without its consent would deal a serious blow to bilateral diplomatic relations. "The sex slaves issue has been a very sensitive topic between the two nations. If even a part of the negotiations is disclosed, the whole point of the agreement could be distorted," the appellate court said at the time. The Supreme Court agreed with that view. Following the final ruling, Song claimed that the top court neglected the judiciary's duty of guaranteeing the human rights of victims. "If the judiciary keeps taking a passive attitude simply because it was a diplomatic issue, the country's diplomatic affairs will stray from the rule of law, the people's rights to know and the principle of transparency," he said. The top court ruling is likely to help Yoon's conciliatory gesture toward Japan as he seeks to improve soured relations with the neighboring country. In March, the Yoon administration offered to resolve the Seoul-Tokyo row over wartime forced labor by compensating the Korean victims without asking for contributions from responsible Japanese firms, despite fierce opposition from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and civic groups. Bilateral relations have significantly warmed since then. Know your work partner more to avoid conflict. A recent study revealed that acquiring more knowledge about your partner and their actions influences how quickly and optimally they learn to collaborate. (Photo: ANI) Washington: Everyone shares different goals, which can lead to conflict when working together. A recent study revealed that acquiring more knowledge about your partner and their actions influences how quickly and optimally they learn to collaborate. Previously, most researches touched upon issues where they studied human's ability to coordinate actions with others but a few have addressed how to collaborate when subjected to a situation of conflict. However, a new study designed by Chackochan and Sanguineti, did an experimental task where two participants are assigned to perform different sets of movements but using the same mechanical apparatus at the same time. Basically, putting the people in similar partner situations. When analysed of such a situation, by applying 'Game Theory', it came across that when one person knows more about how the other partner is going to tackle such a situation, they tend to develop optimal strategies that could be fruitful for both the teams. Given less understanding of the other person's action, the other partner develops strategies that minimize the need for that information. Understanding such a mechanism of human to human interaction could aid the development of robots that can interact with people in a more natural, human-like manner. Not just understanding human behaviour, game theory also had a huge impact in fields like economics, political, science, linguistics, and more. "Application of game theory in human joint action may have far-reaching potential, especially in the area of human-robot interaction", said Chackochan. Next, the researchers are planning to explore how they can gain information and represent knowledge about a partner's ongoing actions and goals. Vinil Chackochan and Vittorio Sanguineti of the University of Genoa, Italy, present these findings in PLOS Computational Biology. Alas, President Droupadi Murmu too saw it fit to send a message on the occasion in praise of the Prime Minister In January 1927, the just completed grand structure of the Imperial Legislative Council -- that would, upon Indias independence, serve as the Constituent Assembly and then Indias Parliament -- was opened by the Viceroy, Lord Irwin. As the Crowns representative, he was effectively the head of state, while leading British Indias governmental authority. In Britain, its very different. The monarch as head of state and the Prime Minister as head of government are as distinct as chalk and cheese. The public would likely rise in revolt if the PM tried to be King or Queen even for a fleeting second; or if the monarch sought to usurp power as head of government. Such an eventuality is unthinkable. Not so in India. Here we were witness to a spectacle not envisaged in the Constitution. On May 28, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for all real purposes, assumed for one day the mantle of the Viceroy, or indeed President of India, as we are no longer in colonial times. The PM inaugurated the new Parliament, having earlier performed Vedic rituals in its precincts, conducted by a posse of Hindu priests -- a sight that is alien to the letter or spirit of our Constitution. Indias Parliament has figuratively been called the temple of democracy. In a secular state, it is decidedly not the house of prayer of any religious denomination. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, whose expulsion from Parliament appeared to have been carefully planned by the government earlier, was the first to alert us that something was amiss if the Prime Minister was to inaugurate the new Parliament, not the President. The idea caught on with a large section of the political system. Mr Gandhis party and at least 19 others resolved to stand in defence of the precept of the Constitution, and stayed away from the so-called inauguration. It was not the boycott of an historic event aimed at deepening Indias democracy. The roots of our democracy are embedded in the six-decade anti-colonial mass struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi, and not in any religious movement or uprising. What transpired on Sunday was the anointing of the PM as President for a day by his party and a clutch of others whipped into submission. It was tantamount to usurpation of the Presidents constitutional authority and status. A short Hindu religious mace called the Sengol, said to be a traditional marker of the transfer of authority from one ruler to the next, was extricated from a museum and put in the new Parliament, disregarding the fact that it is the Indian people who are the sovereign rather than an individual, and won their freedom from colonial rule after a long struggle and had established a modern state, not a kingdom. The day will also be remembered for the pusillanimity of the Supreme Court, which is an integral pillar of our democracy but has so often fallen short of expectations. When a petition was brought to question the PMs inauguration of the new Parliament, and to prevent this, the court airily observed it was not inclined to hear it. The people of India are entitled to be dismayed. It may be time for the Supreme Court to turn the spotlight on itself, and weigh its actions in the balance on matters concerning judiciary-executive interactions, and its actions over protection of citizens right and liberties. Why is it a necessity that in keeping with constitutional norms and etiquette, it is the President who should inaugurate the new Parliament building and not any other functionary? There are several reasons: the President is the head of state; is an integral part of Parliament which, besides the Rashtrapati, comprises the two Houses of Parliament; the President is elected by Parliament and the state legislatures, summons Parliament to meet and prorogues it, and is entitled to address both Houses jointly or separately. The PM, in contrast, is only a Member of Parliament, elected by the Lok Sabha to lead the government. The PM has no jurisdiction or control over Parliament. He is not even entitled to dissolve the Lok Sabha without the concurrence of the council of ministers. It is not within the PMs gift to inaugurate Parliament or open any of its sessions. Similarly, the presiding officer of each House (the Speaker and the vice-president of India, who is also Rajya Sabha Chairman) is charged with the conduct of proceedings, as per rules, and nothing beyond this. Yet, what we saw on May 28 was that the President was edged out altogether, the PM held centre-stage, and the Lok Sabha Speaker and Rajya Sabha deputy chairman were practically summoned to be present and perform subsidiary roles. It will be remembered for long that these worthies gave themselves to praising the PM and did little else, like the vice-presidents message read out by the deputy chairman. Alas, President Droupadi Murmu too saw it fit to send a message on the occasion in praise of the Prime Minister, wholeheartedly endorsing the inauguration by the leader of government, showing no awareness that she had been deprived of her constitutional privilege. A sturdy holder of that office could have contemplated taking the government to task, or even withdrawing from the highest office. Theoretically, the President sending a message on this to the two Houses remains a possibility, but the odds of this happening are too remote to consider. To complete the baleful story of the day, the PM held forth for half an hour as only he can -- blasting his audience with full-scale government propaganda, and with the assurance that India will be a developed country in the Amrit Kaal -- that is, in the next 25 years that will mark the hundredth year of Indias Independence. The assurance sits poorly with the record, however. Under the present government, 32 million middle class Indians have been dragged back to poverty and nearly 20 per cent of the country goes to sleep on an empty stomach. Two noteworthy events occurred on the day the PM practised the rituals of his faith in the new Parliament, fuelling communal minds, and then proceeded to inaugurate it at the cringe-inducing invitation of the Speaker whose remit doesnt extend beyond the Lok Sabha. Indias greatest sportswomen (wrestlers), who brought the country laurels in the Olympics, who sat on protest against sexual attack by a BJP MP, were dragged to detention centres by the police when they tried to march to the new Parliament in protest. And, in the middle of intra-group skirmishing in sensitive Manipur, the chief minister claimed that 40 terrorists had been killed. The absence of an Indian ambassador in Doha is not merely a bureaucratic matter. For nearly two months, the position of Indian ambassador in Doha has remained unoccupied, leaving a big void in the diplomatic representation of India in Qatar. After the previous ambassador Deepak Mittal returned to India and joined the Prime Ministers Office (PMO), the appointment of his successor has been eagerly awaited. While speculation points to Vipul, the joint secretary (gulf), as a likely replacement, no formal announcement has been made by the ministry of external affairs (MEA) yet. However, the absence of an Indian ambassador in Doha is not merely a bureaucratic matter. It has real and significant consequences for the individuals directly affected by it. Specifically, the families of eight naval veterans who have been held in solitary confinement in Doha since August last year are feeling an overwhelming sense of helplessness. The lack of an Indian ambassador has made it difficult for them to access information about the wellbeing and legal status of their loved ones. With charges already framed and the trial underway against these veterans under Qatari law, their families are increasingly anxious about their situation. Without a designated point of contact, they find themselves lacking a go-to person who can provide them with clarity and guidance regarding the path ahead. In this time of uncertainty, the MEA needs to recognise the urgency of the matter and promptly appoint a competent and capable ambassador to Doha. The presence of a dedicated ambassador will not only provide a channel of communication for the families of the detained veterans but also enable effective engagement with Qatari authorities to ensure fair treatment and due process for the accused individuals. Women dominate UPSC civil service exams A seismic shift is occurring within the realm of Indian bureaucracy. There is a change in the air. The recent UPSC Civil Services exam results have unveiled a groundbreaking development the top four positions have been claimed by women. Ishita Kishore secured the first rank, followed by Garima Lohia, Uma Harathi and Smriti Mishra. Among the top 25 successful candidates, 14 are women, marking the second consecutive year in which women have dominated the highest ranks. This transformative trend underscores the remarkable progress made by women in civil services, with their representation increasing significantly over time. The ascent of women has been an arduous journey. Women have overcome formidable challenges, from Anna George Malhotra, the first woman to join the IAS in 1951 to the current wave of trailblazing candidates. The remarkable statistics speak for themselves, as over one-third of the 933 recommended candidates this year are women, a substantial increase compared to the mere 20 per cent from two decades ago. By securing leadership positions in the civil services, these accomplished young women bring with them fresh perspectives, empathy and a nuanced understanding of the diverse challenges that governance entails. This surge in womens presence signifies a major shift in the traditionally male-dominated bureaucratic landscape. Their contributions will likely pave the way for a more inclusive and comprehensive governance framework. A boozy conundrum In a move that could spare police personnel of the Prohibition Enforcement Wing (PEW) of Tamil Nadu Police from unexpected dance-offs, the Director General of Police (DGP) C. Sylendra Babu has sent a memo to police personnel to resist the temptation of being deployed on any other duties. The directive has been communicated to all commissioners and superintendents of police across the state. The PEW officers have apparently been pulled in every other direction, assigned tasks that have absolutely nothing to do with their original purpose. Sources have informed DKB that PEW unit officers have been caught in bandobast duties and whatnot, and sometimes compelled to undertake additional work instead of trying to combat the sale of bootleg booze in Tamil Nadu. The DGP has come to their rescue and instructed the PEW department to focus on their real task and the real troublemakers, of which there are quite a few, we learn. It turns out that there have been some truly unfortunate incidents involving illicit liquor. Villupuram and Chengalpattu districts have experienced a series of tragedies, with 24 persons meeting their demise from consuming methanol-laced hooch. Most recently, there was a case in the Thanjavur district, where forensic analysis revealed that two deaths believed to be due to alcohol poisoning, were caused by the ingestion of alcohol laced with cyanide. In the spirit of sobriety and safety, it is hoped that the DGPs directive brings much-needed focus to the PEW officers towards their primary duty. by Sumon Corraya Cases are five times those of last year, with 13 deaths already reported. The Health Ministry is mobilising with prevention campaigns. Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar are among the hardest hit. BANGLADESH Dengue fever outbreak getting worse with around 2,000 cases since January Cases are five times those of last year, with 13 deaths already reported. The Health Ministry is mobilising with prevention campaigns. Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar are among the hardest hit. Dhaka (AsiaNews) The number of cases of dengue fever is up fivefold over last year, this according to Bangladesh Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque.[*] Since January, around 2,000 people have been admitted to hospitals suffering from this mosquito-borne disease, 1,269 people in the capital Dhaka alone, and 631 elsewhere with 13 deaths so far. Minister Maleque spoke about the dengue emergency at a press briefing on COVID-19 vaccinations. Given the increase in cases, Health authorities are taking measures needed to limit the outbreak. Doctors and nurses have been trained on how to identify and treat dengue cases. Meanwhile, the survey on dengue is ongoing, the minister added. In fact, some 2,500 professionals are already involved in the emergency since the start of the year. Maleque explained that hospitals are setting up wards and beds for dengue patients. Steps have also been taken to inform the public about the virus. "We have engaged different people, including teachers, students and military personnel, to make people aware about dengue. Already, steps have been taken to make people aware," the minister said. This is being done through posters, banners and TV ads meant to raise awareness among people. Leaflets have been handed out in all 75 wards covered by the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) whose mayor, Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, inaugurated the mass distribution in the Sabuj Bagh area. However, dengue is not only an urban problem. About 1,066 cases have been reported since 1 January until 23 May 2023 among Rohingya in one of the largest refugee camps in Coxs Bazar. The latter is the hotspot of the outbreak, this according to Health Minister Maleque, who noted that specific measures have been implemented at such locations with health officials making sure that dengue does not spread to areas near the camps. [*] Also spelled Malik. by Arundathie Abeysinghe The economic crisis has pushed many Sri Lankans to migrate. After controls and rejections stopped migration by sea to Australia, the UK became the second choice. The network of smugglers providing forged passports and documents and the testimonies of those trying to get to the UK. Colombo (AsiaNews) - London is appealing to the government in Colombo to cooperate in stopping the irregular migration of Sri Lankans to Britain. Last week the British High Commissioner to the Asian country Sarah Hulton met with Public Security Minister Tiran Alles asking for greater cooperation to resolve the issue. Director of the India and Indo-Pacific Section of the Commonwealth and Development Office Ben Mellor also attended the summit, partly because the issue of illegal immigration is a source of concern for both countries. Speaking to AsiaNews, political analyst Ruwan Malalaskera points out that "the request reflects the British government's commitment to ensuring the integrity of the migration system and the management of departures in accordance with the law." On the ground, however, it is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain UK visas, as Vadivel Karthigesu and Ambiga Selvaratnam from Jaffna and Kankasanthurei in the Northern Province and Mathipalan Pathmarajah and Ganesh Sivarajah from Trincomalee and Batticaloa in the Eastern Province confirm. "In this way," they claim, "people turn to traffickers to obtain false documents" with which to expatriate. It is widely believed that 'the vast majority' of irregular migrants use 'fake passports' to try to reach the United Kingdom, issued by 'agents with years of experience in preparing fake documents' for a 'hugely profitable business'. Arjun Pillamarai, a pro-human rights activist in Colombo, reports that 'between 80 and 85 per cent of people who migrate from Sri Lanka do so using false passports' in the hope of finding work. 'Most of them,' he adds, 'apply for asylum and hope that they will eventually be allowed to work in Britain'. Due to the economic crisis, last year the majority of migrants tried to reach Australia's shores on fishing boats but the navy in Colombo intercepted and turned many of them away. Hence the decision to return overland to the UK, first passing through India, as is evident from the accounts of people waiting to leave. Suresh Sritharan, from Alaveddy in Jaffna, is in the capital waiting to leave for London. "I don't want to go back to Jaffna because I have sold everything, including my house, fields and motorbike. There are many people like me,' he adds, 'who are planning to leave soon. I will learn English, volunteer, whatever I can for the UK. Thivendran and Shobna Aruliah, two children aged nine and six, also from Jaffna but now in a single room in Colombo waiting to travel, hope through migration to give the children 'a better future'. "Here we have only two meals a day. Sometimes, our children go to bed hungry, they cannot go to school because they do not have books, backpacks or shoes. I am sure we can adapt to life [in the UK]. Most of the residents of our village have left for Australia or Canada. We also hope to leave as soon as possible," they conclude.. by Vladimir Rozanskij In the border region between Russia and Western Kazakhstan, celebrations resume after pandemic under the banner of St George the Victorious and war symbolism. The pilgrimage commemorates the rebirth of Russia after the Tatar-Mongolian yoke and the integration of European and Asian Russians. Moscow (AsiaNews) - The traditional Orthodox pilgrimage to the territory of the region of Nizhny Novgorod on the border with western Kazakhstan took place over the past few days, passing through the four provinces of Kupinsk, Cistoe Ozero, Bagansk and Karasuk, the latter being the seat of Bishop Filipp (Novikov) who also bears the title of Ordynsk, "bishop of the Horde". This is in fact an area linked to the reminiscences of the Tatar Hordes, which had settled between the Volga and the Urals to control the territory of occupied Russia. The pilgrimage thus recalls the rebirth of Russia after the Tatar-Mongolian yoke, and also the integration between European and Asian Russians, a particularly topical theme today in the context of Russia's military and imperialist passions, which have direct references to the Kazakh border territories. The eparchy of Karasuk, which in Tatar means 'small river', extends around the banks of the river of the same name, and historically would also have jurisdiction over part of the Kazakh territory, not far from the large republic of Russian Tatarstan. The episcopal see was created while still under Horde rule, to enshrine the alliance between the Asian invaders and the Orthodox Church, the factor that allowed the Rus' to survive. This year, war symbolism also prevailed in Orthodox devotion, and the pilgrimage, resumed after a three-year interruption due to the pandemic, was dedicated to the memory of St George the Victorious, along with the feast of 'Frontier Guards Day'. Bishop Filipp had the group of faithful led by the hieromonac Melkhizedek (Svistelin), the main military chaplain of the diocese, and the prayers were attended by deployed border soldiers, who were given a special blessing. Karasuk is at the extreme edge of the Nizhny Novgorod region, from which it is almost 700 kilometres away, in an area of not only ethnic but also religious mixture: old believers persecuted by the tsars and patriarchs took refuge here, and several pagan cults of Asian origin still survive. The dragon-slaying martyr saint therefore inspired the 'new rebirth of the authentic Orthodox faith', as Father Melkhizedek said, wishing the soldiers 'great strength in the glorious defence of the homeland', which the entire population must join. All soldiers were then given an icon of St George together with an image of Our Lady of Kazan, inspirer of Ivan the Terrible's victory over the Tatars, and the latest issue of the diocesan magazine "Our Eparchy", dedicated to the reasons for the pilgrimage. At the stop in Cistoe Ozero, the 'Pure River', another solemn ceremony was held in honour of a saint of local origin, the monk Ilya of Murom, who died in 1188 at the Lavra of the Kiev Caves. His name is associated with the byline, legendary stories of the bogatyr, the ancient Rus' fighter against all invading peoples, In the village of Blagovescensk ("of the Annunciation"), prayers were addressed directly to Our Lady "victor" of Kazan, and Father Melkhizedek held a wide-ranging conversation with the pilgrims in the town hall, answering questions and explaining the "important things" that are happening in these times of rebirth in Great Russia, assisted in this by the head of the border guards, General Sergei Groskraits. The concluding liturgy of the pilgrimage to Karasuk was presided over by Bishop Filipp, who thanked the border guards, reminding them that "your service requires great professional training, spiritual steadfastness, fidelity to duty and the oath you have taken. You not only express love for your people, but you bear witness to one of the greatest commandments of the Gospel, Blessed is he who lays down his life for his friends'. All the concelebrating clergy wore green vestments, as the celebration booklet explains, "in honour of the traditional colours of the border guards, which are also the colours of the Karasuk municipal flag". In a secret ballot, 123 members of the World Health Organisation voted for North Korea despite the lack of transparency in the way it handled the COVID-19 pandemic, which may still be raging in the country. This is a further sign of the influence North Koreas Chinese ally wields within the United Nations health agency. Geneva (AsiaNews) North Korea won a seat on the executive board of the World Health Organisation (WHO) despite its lack of transparency in managing the COVID-19 pandemic, which may still be raging in the country. What this means is that one of the world's most horrific regimes is now a part of a group that sets and enforces the standards and norms for the global governance of health care, said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, an independent non-governmental human rights group in Geneva. Usually, elections to the WHO executive board are by consensus, but Russia challenged Ukraine's nomination, and so a secret vote was held. About 123 countries voted for North Korea, which got a seat along with Australia, Barbados, Cameroon, the Comoros Islands, Lesotho, Qatar, Switzerland, Togo and Ukraine. A few weeks ago, WHO asked to be exempted from international sanctions against North Korea in order to send 500 oxygen treatment units on the grounds that COVID-19 cases are increasing in North Korea. However, no foreign aid personnel is left in Pyongyang. In its request for exemption, WHO said it would work with local authorities to ensure that the equipment is used for its intended purposes, but local staff is handpicked by the regime. Based on government data from a year ago, 3.3 million people (out of a population of about 26 million) developed fever due to a "respiratory disease" but only 69 died. That is a fatality rate of 0.002 per cent, the lowest in the world. It is presently impossible to know the true extent of the pandemic. Given the lack of vaccines, an estimated 40 per cent rate of malnutrition in the population,[*] and the absence of adequate health facilities, the actual figures are probably much more worrying. Despite the total closure of North Koreas borders in January 2020 and the consequent economic collapse, for two years, North Korea denied that a coronavirus epidemic was underway on its territory. Only on 12 May 2022 did leader Kim Jong-un admit to an outbreak and a few weeks later declared the new disease defeated. For analysts, it may have been a way to strengthen power over an already deeply exhausted population. The World Health Organisation has been repeatedly criticised for its handling of the health crisis and many have blamed North Koreas ally, China and its influence on the international body. The WHO uncritically accepted data from Chinese authorities at the end of 2019, and waited before declaring the spread of the coronavirus a global health emergency. In those initial weeks, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus travelled to China and praised the Chinese leadership for setting a new standard for outbreak control." Early on, China adopted a zero-COVID policy to prevent the spread of the virus. According to some observers, the organisation's problem lies in the fact that it does not have the ability to challenge the data provided by individual states, especially those ruled by authoritarian regimes like Russia, China and North Korea, all countries where information is not freely available. Yet, in 2003, during the SARS outbreak, WHO did criticise Beijing for its lack of transparency in managing the crisis. Subsequently, while the Trump administration reduced US financial contribution to the UN agency, China increased it, boosting its standing within the organisation. Chinas influence has, for example, kept Taiwan out of the WHO Assembly (because its communist regime considers the island nation part of China) even though it is one of the countries that has best managed the COVID-19 pandemic. [*] The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) received an exemption from sanctions last month in order to boost local soybean production and improve nutrition in urban and rural areas. by Nirmala Carvalho Arrested in 2018 and then released on bail, he was acquitted in January 2022 by a Kerala court; however, the High Court has admitted an appeal. I resigned from the post for the sake of the Jalandhar diocese, he says in a video message. The nunciature had asked to do so; now a new bishop can be appointed. Vatican City (AsiaNews) Pope Francis today accepted the resignation of Mgr Franco Mulakkal as Bishop of Jalandhar (India). He had been embroiled in a legal case, after a nun accused of sexual assault in September 2018. A court in Kottayam (Kerala) acquitted the 59-year-old Mulakkal in January 2022, following a trial in which only 39 of the 84 people called to testify appeared. Mulakkal was accused of abusing his dominant position and raping the former superior general of the Missionary Sisters of Jesus on multiple occasions between 2014 and 2016 when he visited the orders convent in Kerala. The case has caused great consternation among Indian Catholics after it came to light in September 2018, when five nuns staged a protest, demanding justice for their fellow religious sister. Since the beginning, the prelate has always maintained that the accusations against him were unfounded and defamatory, and slammed the nun for trying to discredit him out of revenge after he removed her from the leadership of the congregation. Mulakkal served as auxiliary bishop of Delhi from 2009 to 2013 before he was appointed Bishop of Jalandhar (Punjab). He spent three weeks in jail after his arrest in 2018 before he was released on bail. At the time, the Holy See accepted his request to be relieved of his duties as bishop until the matter was clarified, while an administrator was put in charge of the diocese. Last February, Mulakkal met with Pope Francis at the Vatican. In a video message released today on the affair, he says that he informed the pontiff during their meeting of his decision to resign from office. I resigned from the post for the sake of the Jalandhar diocese and the appointment of a new bishop, he said. Expressing gratitude to those who prayed and stood by him, he also offered his tears to bring about the Churchs reform. In a statement, the Apostolic Nunciature in India notes that the High Court admitted an appeal against his acquittal. it also explained that Mulakkal's resignation was requested as 'pro bono Ecclesiae', especially for the good of the diocese which needs a new bishop. Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch testifies before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Nov. 15, 2019, during the second public impeachment hearing of President Donald Trump, which focused on his efforts to tie U.S. aid for Ukraine to investigations of political opponents. Yovanovitch will participate in the Aspen Institutes McCloskey Speaker Series on July 12. President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during an export strategy meeting held in Gangseo District, Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap By Lee Hyo-jin The government will offer tax incentives for the biopharma sector and increase access to public health data, as a part of its efforts to nurture a biohealth cluster modeled after the "Boston Cluster" in the U.S., according to the presidential office, Thursday. During an export strategy meeting held in Magok, Gangseo District of Seoul, Thursday, President Yoon Suk Yeol unveiled a plan to foster innovative firms in high-end industries, including the establishment of a biohealth cluster that will bring together local bio-pharmaceutical firms, universities, think tanks and hospitals. A cluster refers to an industrial complex in which companies, research institutes and think tanks related to a specific industry are gathered in one place to generate synergy. Korea has some 1,800 clusters of 70 different kinds that are currently in operation or being developed. However, many of the existing clusters have struggled to grow internationally due to a lack of networking opportunities between private firms and research centers, strict regulatory measures, as well as a lack of young talent willing to work in clusters located in rural areas. To this end, the government is preparing to implement a set of initiatives to nurture clusters related to high-end industries such as biohealth, semiconductors and secondary batteries three industries that are considered the country's future growth engine. The presidential office views the newly announced biohealth cluster to be a Korean version of the Boston Cluster in the U.S., which is regarded as the center of the global biotech industry, as a number of top pharmaceutical and medical device companies, as well as world-renowned universities such as Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are located there. "The Boston Cluster was formed not just based on MIT, but also based on a fair market and compensation system, which brought together the best talent in the spheres of engineering, medicine, law and finance," Yoon said. "It is not just a territorial gathering of research centers, universities and investment organizations, but a close connection of such facilities which leads to the development of innovative technology and creation of new values." It was the fifth meeting presided by Yoon to boost the nation's export competitiveness, attended by related ministers including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho, Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong and Minister of Science and ICT Lee Jong-ho. During the meeting, the government announced that it will designate certain biopharma technology as the nation's strategic industries, thereby offering a tax incentive rate of up to 35 percent on facility investment. It will also lift regulations barring cluster projects, while offering legal and accounting services to businesses and expanding shared facilities within the clusters for ventures and start-up companies. The government will also push for the disclosure of public biohealth data with an aim to foster the digital healthcare sector. Beginning in the latter half of this year, the health ministry will launch a decade-long plan to collect the clinical, DNA and personal data of a total of one million individuals by 2032. 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 SUV Photo: Benny Kirk/autoevolution XLE Hybrid with front-wheel drive - $44,670; XLE Hybrid with all-wheel drive 46,270; Limited Hybrid with all-wheel drive - $51,060. 2023 Ford Explorer $36,760; 2023 Chevrolet Traverse $34,520; 2023 Hyundai Palisade $35,900; 2023 Kia Telluride 35,890; 2023 Mazda CX-90 $39,595 2023 Nissan Pathfinder $35,200; 2023 Honda Pilot $36,300; 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee L $42,030. Toyota has around 1,500 dealerships in the U.S. Soon, one that's close to you will display the 2024 Grand Highlander . Assembled in Princeton, Indiana, this family-orientedhas minivan interior space and efficient powertrains. Parents will want to see it in action! It wants to fill that empty space in your garage, but let's see if you will be inclined to order it.There are ten versions, and the lowest MSRP is available for the exclusively gas-powered Grand Highlander, which can be ordered with different equipment levels. These are XLE, Limited, and Platinum.The XLE gets you 18-inch wheels, a black grille, heated side mirrors, roof rails, power, and heated front seats, second-row sunshades, a 12.3-inch infotainment, a seven-inch driver's display, a wireless phone charger, a power liftgate, a smart key, and Toyota's Safety Sense (TSS) 3.0.The Limited adds 20-inch wheels, LED fog and daytime running lights, folding side mirrors, leather and ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, a heated steering wheel, a power outlet, ambient lighting, and two 12.3-inch screens. Besides the TSS 3.0, the Limited includes front and rear parking assist.The Platinum brings forward heated and ventilated front and second-row seats, a panoramic moonroof, paddle shifters, a head-up display (HUD), a digital rearview mirror, and the traffic jam assist that works only with a Drive Connect subscription.The version with just a 2.4-liter engine under the hood and front-wheel drive has a price that starts from $43,070. That's the XLE trim. The cost goes up to $53,545 for the Platinum trim, which includes all-wheel drive as standard. The middle option is the Grand Highlander Limited with front-wheel drive with a starting cost of $47,860, while the all-wheel-drive variant adds a $1,600 premium.Moving onto the 2.5-liter hybridized powertrain, we're looking at three options:The most expensive 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander is the 362-hp Hybrid Max which can be ordered in the Limited trim in exchange for $54,040. The Platinum version will set you back $58,125. Both the Limited Hybrid MAX and the Platinum Hybrid MAX include all-wheel drive.Thus, the cheapest 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander will have an MSRP of $43,070. Going for the fully loaded model adds an extra $15,055. Remember that these values do not include tax, shipping, license, and handling fees.This three-row SUV designed in California is now obligated to defeat some rivals who have already gained momentum or have lower starting MSRPs. These are as follows:We'll see if Toyota convinces Americans that it has the best three-row mid-size SUV. If you plan to get one, avoid any unnecessary dealer add-ons and try to negotiate away any other weird fees. SUV PHEV AMG ICE Frankly, suppose you are a true passenger car enthusiast that wants nothing to do with the hype revolving around new or upcoming CUV,, and truck introductions like the 2024 Toyota Tacoma or the early-June introduction of the 2024 Lexus GX and TX. In that case, it's probably game over when you hear a Lambo Revuelto roaring down the Nurburgring Nordschleife. So, after putting that snippet of Lambo greatness and madness now sprinkled with a cultivatedpowertrain, aside, it is time to check out the latest novelties that are worthy of making our garage bucket list.And I really want to talk about the attainable ones not the stuff that's already sold out for more cash than you can make during two lifetimes like the 62 examples of Rolls-Royce Black Badge Cullinan 'Blue Shadow SUVs honoring the bleeding edge of space aka the Karman Line, "the invisible boundary 62 miles (99.77 km) above the Earth's surface, where our planet's atmosphere ends, and outer space begins." And don't say the Aston Martin DB12 doesn't fit the bill as I'm going to have a problem during retirement when I had planned all sorts of road trips in the upcoming Volante version.Anyway, let's start with that one of our explorations of imagined choices. The DB12 is here as an 'all-new' replacement of the DB11 grand tourer as much as the McLaren 750S for its 720S predecessor. It would be best to call them deep refreshes rather than new generations after all, the DB11 has been on the market since 2016, and the grand tourer is basically starting the second part of its life with the arrival of the DB12. Aston Martin insists that it redesigned the exterior, improved the aerodynamics, and even brought new LEDs to the party. At least it rocks a twin-turbo 4.0-literV8 that wipes the floor both with the previous DB11 and even the V12-powered DB11 thanks to a production of 670 ponies enough to hit 60 mph (96 kph) in 3.5 seconds and a max speed of 202 mph (325 kph). Naturally, its main target is making the Ferrari Roma more than a little jealous of its many new talents.I'm not longing for one at the moment I want the Volante for the summer to have the wind in my hair! Next, we have an all-new BMW 5 Series or better said, we have the i5 zero-emissions version to look at if we can. They say that more-powered both gasoline and diesel versions will come soon, including six cylinders and a couple of PHEVs. Still, all we have to look now at are the i5 eDrive40 with 335 hp and the i5 M60 xDrive with dual electric motors and up to 590 hp to make sure non-Plaid Tesla Model S buyers have something to look forward to or laugh about, depending on their POV. You might sense that I am more than a little ironic about the new executive sedan that is longer, wider, and also taller but the best thing you can say about it is that it features a 'restrained' grille design. Unfortunately, the rest of the styling is still controversial. Inside, though, is an impressive high-tech cockpit, and I bet you will soon see Disney's remake of The Little Mermaid when you get tired of playing console-quality games.By the way, has anyone heard that Honda is returning to Formula One as an engine supplier for Aston Martin? That is not even the most bonkers idea, though, as there is one automaker in the United States that is swimming against the MSRP current in the ICE-powered pool Alfa Romeo has cut prices of its Giulia sedan and Stelvio performance CUV (by $1,800) in an effort to fend off the German rivals. Speaking of the latter, Manthey is also helping Porsche with a performance kit for the fabulous 911 GT3 in the United States. Of course, It won't be cheap at $57,300 plus an additional $15,500 for the lightweight forged wheels. But, dear God, that presentation unit made me fall in love with fuchsia! Oh, and has anyone seen that Ford and Tesla are holding hands with the CEOs speaking up for the adoption of EVs on Twitter and Blue Ovals getting access to Superchargers?Last but not least, I finally arrived at my favorite cars of the past few days and they are Cadillacs . Do not laugh; I am not talking about the crossover coupe-SUV dubbed GT4 or the refreshed XT4, although there is nothing wrong with them, either. I am not even discussing the second generation CT6 because unfortunately the full-size sedan is a China-only affair and a massive forbidden fruit in the United States. Instead, I would love to pocket a 2024 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing into my dream garage or the CT5-V Blackwing with 20th-anniversary goodies. Better take a long and hard look at both of them as we might have seen the last of Caddy sedans because of the freaking love for CUVs, SUVs, trucks, and the impending switch to an electric vehicle-focused lifestyle. Now, there may not be any actual gold on the bike shown above, but this doesnt mean that its any less impressive. In its previous life, the creature used to be a rather uninspiring BMW R 100 R Classic from the model-year 1994, and Diamond Ateliers makeover took place in 2015. Their mods created something in between a scrambler and a cafe racer, with elegant lines up high and a brawny appearance down low.As the donor was being taken apart, each and every piece of stock bodywork was shown the door. Tom and Pablo also got rid of the Beemers OEM exhaust, airbox, and lighting hardware, as well as its subframe and awkwardly large seat. In order to achieve a tougher riding posture, they lowered the forks by about three inches (75 mm) and installed a bespoke subframe at the back.The latter is topped with a tailor-made saddle thats been put together in-house, and theres an LED taillight keeping the rear end as clean as possible. In the center, we find the stunning fuel tank of an older airhead replacing the standard R 100 R module. Its a perfect match for the incredibly clean cockpit, where the Munich shop fitted aftermarket clip-ons low down near the bottom triple clamp.These new handlebars come equipped with CNC-machined controls and bar-end turn signals from Motogadget. However, the custom-built top clamp is what really gets our attention, as it features a 0.17-carat diamond above the laser-cut engravement depicting the workshops initials and build number. Thats certainly not something youll see on your average motorcycle!Up north, were greeted by an angular LSL headlight, which stands in stark contrast to the retro styling found throughout the rest of this bike. Dual-purpose Continental TKC 80 tires embrace the wheels, with front-end stopping power coming from dual 320 mm (12.6-inch) floating discs and Brembo calipers. These are actuated by a premium master cylinder via braided stainless-steel hoses.As far as the R 100 Rs powertrain is concerned, the Diamond Atelier duo removed the stock carbs to make way for 40 mm (1.6-inch) DellOrto replacements. Theyre outfitted with K&N air filters and accompanied by a high-grade Akrapovic exhaust at the other end of the combustion cycle. When it came to the paint job, the lads went with a dark grey base for the tank, matte- and satin-black finishes elsewhere, and gold accents all throughout. EV Photo: Electrify America on YouTube A reality check Photo: Electrify America on YouTube Electric Vehicle Never lose hope Photo: Electrify America on YouTube Right now, the largest fast-charging networks in the country belong to Electrify America, Tesla, EVgo, ChargePoint, and Francis Energy. You'll often see these brand names across the country when looking for a plug.But with over 1,700 charging stations (and counting), the Supercharging network is the undisputed champion. The latest available Department of Energy data shows Electrify America has half that many charging locations 839. However, Electrify America is arguably more important than Tesla's Supercharger because everyone with a CCS port can use the former, while the latter is meant for cars with the NACS port. The Magic Dock solves this issue, but it's far from becoming common.Thus, if you buy anthat's not a Tesla and want to fast charge for long journeys or weekly commuting needs, Electrify America will be your best bet. That's why the VW-owned network is vital for the success of automakers that went with the CCS port and, at the same time, may be one of the reasons for which Ford decided to implement Tesla's charging solution.Nothing's happening by chance in this industry, so that was one major red flag for the CCS crowd.Some Electrify America users have trusted the charging network's stalls to work correctly. Still, a couple of unlucky ones lost their cars due to various issues like the charge port overheating. Other troubles like being unable to unplug, seeing sparks or smoke when plugging in, and having their EVs bricked by the charging station have also led to zero-tailpipe emission drivers questioning if they should visit an Electrify America location.Besides all these unfortunate situations, having Tesla fans and investors laugh at what other EV customers must deal with Well, it just added salt to the wound.But the worst thing about relying on a fast-charging network is how it can ruin one's plans when it cannot deliver what it promised. That's what happened to the Out of Spec Motoring team that attempted an EV Cannonball record with a Lucid Air a car capable of sucking the energy out of the grid at a fast rate. It didn't work out in the end because charging hiccups hindered their efforts. This can make many Americans wonder about the reliability of an EV when they might have to drive one on longer journeys. It can also increase frustration in those who have already joined the zero-tailpipe emission lifestyle and did so believing charging would be as easy as filling up with gas.For the success of the EV, Electrify America is paramount in the U.S. That's especially true when we look at the incentives given to states and local communities. The $5 billion NationalInfrastructure (NEVI) plan will put fast chargers along the Interstate Highway System, while the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program will do the same for underserved urban areas and rural communities. They will soon have the money to make fast-charging locations as common as fuel stations.But besides being necessary for the U.S., Electrify America must also ensure it remains profitable for its shareholders. Suppose it misses this giant wave of federal funding. In that case, it may allow Tesla to further cement its championing position. It'll only lead to losing more customers and even the partnerships it has made with various automakers like Hyundai.However, we believe that the charging network born out of the Dieselgate saga will find a way to succeed. And it starts today, with Rob Barrosa taking over as CEO and president.He has 16 years of EV infrastructure experience. Barrosa previously occupied the Vice President of Technology role at the company, where he oversaw the team of engineers and dealt with implementing technical capabilities. One could argue that he wasn't very good at ensuring that everything ran smoothly charging-wise as VP, but becoming CEO with that much knowledge about the company's operations is poised to be at least a tiny bit helpful in overcoming the current challenges.But all that cool professional background isn't what gets me going about Electrify America's new leadership team. It's the fact that Barrosa got into a Hyundai Ioniq 5 and traveled 2,798 miles (4,503 km) from Los Angeles, California, to Reston, Virginia. On his way to the company's headquarters, he met with customers who told him about their issues. Moreover, Barrosa discovered by himself that some stalls were not working during his coast-to-coast trip.He said a dedicated service team is now available and "quickly reacts" to these user-reported issues. However, the man simultaneously admitted that more work needed to be done. Barrosa may have confused the name of the Rivian R1S by calling it "RTS," but he acknowledged that the availability of Electrify America stations must be increased while also eliminating other problems like not charging right as the plug is put into the port. That's what's needed of him anyway.It's the start of a new era at Electrify America, and we couldn't be more excited about the prospect of having one of the nation's largest charging networks go through the right changes. Photo: Iranian State Media Photo: Iranian State Media But to understand how Iran wound up fending for itself in military aviation technology, we need to go back to a time before the Iranian Government was ideologically opposed to the West. In fact, from the mid-1920s until the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the Imperial State of Iran and Western powers like Britain, France, and the United States were positively chummy with one another. Under the rule of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the final Shah of Iran, this cozy relationship with the U.S. Military, in particular, began paying real dividends.Perhaps the first American jet fighter to wear Iranian Air Force roundels was the Northrop F-5 Freedom fighter. A fast, agile, twin-engine light fighter built to tussle with Soviet MiGs, the F-5 could have formed the backbone of the entire Imperial Iranian Air Force had it not been for the two other American jets sold to the IIAF. These would, of course, be the McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom II, and the state-of-the-art, swing-wing Grumman F-14 Tomcat . For the next 40 years, this consortium of American hardware formed the cornerstone of one of the most powerful Air Forces in the Middle East.But there was a big problem. With the fall of the Pahlavi dynasty in the Iranian Revolution of 1979, so too did any semblance of a partnership between the Pentagon and Tehran go up in smoke. Suddenly, a liberal dose of espionage was the only avenue Iran could use to acquire spare parts for its fleet of American jets. It's widely believed an attempt to quell Iranian espionage led to the F-14's premature retirement from U.S. Navy service in 2006. By this time, American F-22 Raptors had already entered service, with Russian and Chinese responses in the Sukhoi Su-57 and Chengdu J-20 following in the coming decade.So what's a cash-strapped pariah state in the Middle East supposed to do to get a leg up in the stealth fighter game? They could always call on their supposed allies in Russia and China to help expedite the process. But no, Iran's gen-V stealth fighter was to be a wholly in-house design under the supervision of Iranian-state assets. A joint partnership between the Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries Corporation (HESA) and Iran Aircraft Industries (SAHA) was in charge of designing this novel jet fighter, soon to be dubbed the IAIO Qaher-313 (F-313). Should the prototype ever reach production, it would be overseen by the state-asset Iran Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO).The static mockup for the design was unveiled in front of the Iranian state media in 2013, with key Iranian Military leaders like the Commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF), Brigadier General Hassan Shah-Safi, being present to watch the F-313 make its global debut. Though official records regarding the dimensions of this novel airplane haven't been released, it's fair to say the F-313 is considerably smaller than an F-22 or even an F-35. In some ways, the F-313 resembles a strange chimera of both American Gen-V stealth fighters Such a design would have been great in, say, a video game. But Iranian media at the time seemed to swear by the F-313's real-world prowess and stealth capability during its global debut. Proudly declaring the jet's radar-absorbent coating and specially designed air inlets prevent the jet from being identified on radar at service altitudes. As for what could power this novel jet? That's another point of contention for Western journalists trying to make sense of Iran's new fighter. It's possible for Iran to cannibalize engines from their fleet of American F-4s, F-5s, and F-14s to power a new era of stealth fighters. But it's more likely that Iran planned to use Chinese, Russian, or even their own domestically produced engines like the TEM Toloue-5 turbojet to propel the F-313.In terms of weaponry, it's believed that Iran planned to use Chinese license-built copies of the Russian Vympel R-77 long-range, air-to-air missile, roughly the equivalent to the American AIM-120 AMRAAM as its primary aerial armament alongside ground attack load-outs carrying two 2,000 lb (910 kg) smart bombs. According to Iranian State media, the F-313's airframe is so stable in flight that it lacks the need for a complex and expensive fly-by-wire system, relying on old-fashioned cables and linkages to maneuver the jet through the air. Yeah, we'll need to see some receipts about all of that.It's not known what form of engine the F-313 prototype used during taxi testing in April 2017. But what is known, despite these tests occurring nearly eight years ago, is that the F-313 has still yet to have its first test flight. This has led many important media figures in the West, primarily from Israel, to declare the F-313 a "hoax." The undoubtedly civilian nature of the avionics inside the jet's cockpit hasn't done anything to quell doubts about the plane's validity. Nor did the apparent lack of an internal weapons bay stop Western observers from shouting from the rooftops that the F-313 probably isn't even stealthy.Finally, ten years after its initial unveiling in February 2023, it was announced by IAIO that the F-313 program would be reorganized into an unmanned stealth drone before it'd even had its first human-crewed test flight. In all but saying so directly, this appeared to be an admission of defeat on the part of the Iranians to field their own domestic stealth fighter. Meanwhile, Iran's new target date for the now un-crewed UAV based on the F-313 is set for the middle of 2024. Whether this test flight will come to pass on time, if at all, is anybody's guess.But what isn't up for debate at all is the questionable integrity of the F-313's design team; it leaves a lot to be desired. Therefore, any ostensible advances in the new UAV's design program will have to be taken with a few grains of salt, if not an entire salt lick. More to the point, with Iran actively supplying Russia with weapons in its disastrous ongoing invasion of Ukraine, it's clear Iranian aero engineers have other concerns beyond their own domestic fighter program to contend with. So, will the F-313, crewed or un-crewed, ever get off the ground at all? Well, we have our doubts for reasons that should be obvious by now.At this stage, it's hard to tell whether Iran will retire its fleet of American jet fighters before its first stealth plane even makes its first flight. But what do you all think? Could the Iranians really be onto something? Or is the F-313 a piece of vaporware rivaled only by the Russian Su-75 ? We have a pretty decent idea of what the response is liable to be. But let us know in the comments down below. But seriously, come on. The thing looks like it was built in an Ace Combat video game. Not long ago, we heard that the worst of Ford traditions might be upheld with the S650 too botching the intended market release date for its most hyped introductions, this time because of supply chain woes which have supposedly pushed back production to September from the initial schedule of early May. If real, that means there's no chance for deliveries to start during the summer, as initially planned.However, from across the pond (aka the Atlantic Ocean), there's good news about the fresh Dark Horse as a well-known socialite (Shmee150) has spotted a crimson example testing like it was nobody's business at the iconic Nurburgring Nordschleife track in Germany alongside the slightly older S550 Mustang Mach 1. Speaking of red Mustangs and the Old Continent, let us return to the parallel universes of vehicular pixel masters for a second.Thus, here is Fatih Mehmet Yelkenci, a Turkish virtual designer using the yelkencidesign moniker on social media, who doesn't play too often with Americana muscle. But when he does, things go thoroughly insane and bonkers and probably make purists start running amok, crying their undying outrage. As such, one of his latest projects revolves around a 2000 Ford Mustang dressed in burgundy and fitted with a custom ultra-widebody kit. So far, that is not unusual, both for real Mustang tunes and imagined bespoke appearances. Not even the thoroughly slammed appearance is all that uncommon. But the rest of the details are for sure.This is because the author's inspiration for everything else came from multiple Ferrari sources, and the hidden secrets make this New Edge Mustang a lot more than the sum of its parts. For starters, the dashboard, steering wheel, and even the wheels were 'stolen' from the mighty Ferrari 458 series! But that is not all, and not at all. Instead, the pixel master continued to explain that what makes this American muscle car tick is actually an Italian symphony of 12 cylinders arranged in a 'V' configuration. More precisely, the 6.0-liter Tipo 140 V12 was borrowed from the 599 and Enzo models! Well, if that's not beyond crazy, I don't know what else qualifies for that label these days - maybe that alternate green minty stance? In this file photo provided by the presidential office, first lady Kim Keon Hee attends a Children's Day event at the former presidential compound of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, May 5. Yonhap First lady Kim Keon Hee on Thursday delivered donations raised from a charity drive to people of national merit, the presidential office said. The donations of about 1 billion won ($756,000) were delivered during a ceremony at the headquarters of the Community Chest of Korea (CCK), with Kim saying she will remember the sacrifice and dedication of "heroes in uniform," and warmly look after the families who have been left behind. She is honorary chair of the CCK. The event was organized to mark the month of appreciation for patriots and veterans. The donations will be delivered to 341 meritorious people and family members of patriots and veterans, the presidential office said. A dozen representatives of recipients attended Thursday's ceremony. (Yonhap) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration EV kWh The only electric vehicle that Jaguar makes nowadays has been recalled to the tune of 6,367 vehicles in the US, namely all I-Paces made for the US from the start of production (June 5, 2018) until May 25, 2023. That's a pretty bad omen for Jaguar's all-electric future, but unsurprising for an electric vehicle.According to documents filed with the, the Coventry-based manufacturer started looking into multiple reports of vehicle fire back in February 2022. The Product Safety and Compliance Committee, together with Engineering, were informed of thermal overload events. Given these circumstances, Jaguar Land Rover contacted the battery's supplier for more detailed analyses.Said high-voltage battery supplier is LG, the South Korean behemoth that agreed to reimburse General Motors a whopping $1.9 billion over the Bolt's battery fiasco. Jaguar and the battery supplier still haven't determined the root cause for the battery fires. No fewer than eight fires have been reported in the US market alone between June 2019 and May 2023.As such, the Recall Determination Committee tasked Engineering with developing a software update for the battery energy control module. Said update is designed to monitor the lithium-ion battery's operational status. If the software determines that something isn't quite right, it limits charging capacity to 75 percent. In case of a warning message, owners are recommended to take their I-Paces to the nearest dealership for diagnosis and/or repair.What kind of repair? If necessary, the dealer will replace the battery and module at no charge. Jaguar will reimburse owners who replaced the battery and module from their own pockets before the issuance of this safety recall. There are no reports of accidents, injuries, or worse as a result of this problem.Dealers will be informed of the recall (number 23V-369) on June 8. Owners will be notified by first-class mail no later than July 21. Affected vehicles were produced for the 2019 through 2024 model years at Manga Steyr's plant in Graz, Austria.Penned by Ian Callum, who left Jaguar in 2019 after two decades with the British manufacturer, the I-Pace is based on the D7e platform. All-wheel drive is standard, and the high-voltage battery is rated at 85net and 90 kWh gross.Range is estimated at 246 miles (396 kilometers) by the EPA, and zero to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) takes 4.5 seconds. The only trim level available in the United States at press time is the R-Dynamic HSE, which costs $72,000. ECU Australia has a pretty active car tuner scene. If you've been following our stories, you probably read about YouTube channel TRC's (That Racing Channel) recent escapade overseas to Australia for the annual GT-R Festival That's not all. The Hoonigan team recently traveled to the continent to capture some raw Aussie racing furry for their popular drag racing series This Vs. That.All that Australian racing action took place in one location, in a little country town (4 hours out of Sydney) in New South Wales that no one knows about; The legendary Cootamundra Airport track.On their recent episode of TRC Australia series, Javier of That Racing Channel featured one of the craziest Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI on the continent, a.k.a Koval Evo VI. It makes a whopping 1,500 hp (1,521 ps) at 11,000 rmp.The Mitsubishi Evolution needs no introduction . It's a rally king and one of Japan's most capable tuner cars. With the right mods, this early 2000s rally car will pull impressive figures on the dyno without breaking the bank.The Koval Evo IV is quite the ripper. It's an internet sensation in Australia and around tuner circles worldwide for single-handedly destroying some formidable contenders at the Sydney Dragway.According to the tuner, Dom Rigoli of TRP Racing, this 6th gen Lancer Evolution packs a turbocharged 4G63T 2.2-liter 4-Cylinder engine dyno'd at 1,500 hp (1,521 ps).The mods include a Precision 885 turbo, Emtron, Direct clutch, and Billet transfer case, among others.'We haven't run it to its potential on this setup. It hasn't really gone faster than the old setup from last year. But it's an absolute darling," Dom of TRP Racing said about his Evo VI build. "So, we're just trying to get the take-off right, but it's spinning the tire a lot, so we are trying to get that sorted before we put it all in," he added.Dom disclosed to Javier that the old turbo helped the setup make about 1,250 hp (1,267 ps), but with the new Precision 885 turbo, it made north of 1,500 hp (1,521 ps) on the dyno."This thing is wild. I mean, we bogged a little bit at launch. So it bogged a little, but it got traction," Javier of That Racing Channel exclaimed after a ride in the Evo VI. "It's not all there; I can see it on Draggy; it's about point four down," Sam of TRP Racing responded.The Koval Evo VI gets down when it's time to bolt. We hope it makes another record in this year's Australian TurboSmart Ultimate Street Car Competition. NHTSA Four months ago, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) showed that annual US pedestrian fatalities returned to the 1982 level. It underlined the regression in this respect by showing that over 7,000 Americans lost their lives in 2021, despite vehicles becoming more intelligent and safer.The preliminary data for 2022 isn't looking good, either. The same source says that pedestrian deaths surged by 5% in the first half of last year and blamed dangerous driving, inadequate infrastructure, and larger vehicles for leading to such deadly conditions. Approximately 19 pedestrians lose their lives every day in America. This is worrying for drivers, people who like or need to walk often, automakers, and public office incumbents.In March, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told state officials to genuinely consider the safety of pedestrians and cyclists when announcing new road projects. But besides urging the right people to take action, Buttigieg also made thecreate a new rule that forces all automakers to enhance their vehicles' standard safety systems.Thus, the proposed rule forces manufacturers to make the AEB standard on all passenger cars and light trucks. Moreover, new models should be able to stop when a pedestrian is detected even at night If implemented according to the current proposal, cars and light trucks should be able to stop and avoid contact with a vehicle or a human in front of them up to 62 mph (100 kph). That is, of course, only if the driver does not apply enough braking force. The system should also be able to complement the driver in stopping the vehicle even when they press the brake pedal but do not put enough pressure.If adopted, the NHTSA's proposed rule will force automakers to install the comprehensive AEB system three years after the final form of the act is published."Just as lifesaving innovations from previous generations like seat belts and airbags have helped improve safety, requiring automatic emergency braking on cars and trucks would keep all of us safer on our roads," said Buttigieg.Lastly, buyers shouldn't worry about cars or trucks becoming even heavier in case this change ends up being implemented industry-wide. A camera-based AEB is not complicated or expensive to implement. It could challenge brands like Subaru, which still needs to make its driver-assist technology work on manual cars.The Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) is attached below, which also contains instructions regarding the comment submitting methods. My source is telling me that Elon witnessed the the very 1st volume production version of the new Model 3 rolling off the lines yesterday. The current plan is single shift around 700-800 cars per day. It will ramp up more shifts in 3 months. WangNextDoor (@WangNextDoor2) June 1, 2023 Elon Musk: I would love to say to everyone that I am very moved by this and I want to tell the world loud and clear that the Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory is not only one of the most productive factories in the world, but also makes one of the best quality cars in the world. pic.twitter.com/xcXoUzagyk Yan Chang (@cyfoxcat) June 1, 2023 With Elon Musk's visit to China and rumors of Project Highland production starting at Giga Shanghai, everybody expected a hot announcement to be made. Some news outlets jumped the gun and quoted a Bloomberg report that claimed Tesla would reveal the refreshed Model 3 during the visit. Instead of that, Tesla China's official Weibo account shared a video from Giga Shanghai showing Musk thanking Tesla employees for their hard work, with a white wall in the background, no production line, and no refreshed Model 3.However, Chinese sources confirm that Musk has indeed seen the first refreshed Model 3 rolling off the production line at Giga Shanghai. According to a tweet by WangNextDoor, the refreshed Model 3 is still kept highly confidential, and no one is allowed to bring in any smartphones. For now, the Phase I (Model 3) line is working single-shift, producing around 700-800 cars per day. The line will add more shifts in the next three months as it ramps up production.Still, even without an official confirmation, there are market signs that things are moving, and Project Highland might be closer than many thought. Two weeks ago, Tesla began what appears to be a Model 3 sell-off in North America, with deep discounts on inventory units. After a $1,350 discount was offered on Model 3 units on May 19, a similar move followed in Canada roughly a week later. Canadians enjoyed a 2,320 CAD price cut which equals about 1,700 USD.As rumors from China keep piling up, Tesla made another price cut for new Model 3 units in the US inventory. This time, Tesla slashed up to $3,020 off the Model 3 units. For instance, the base-version Model 3 RWD with no upgrades can be had for $37,830, a $2,410 discount, and that is before accounting for tax credits and other local incentives. The price cuts don't apply to new orders, as the Model 3 is still listed at $40,240 on Tesla's website, indicating that Tesla is trying to get rid of the cars in its inventory.Tesla Model 3 Project Highland was rumored to start test production in China on June 1 , which appears to have happened on schedule, although Tesla China earlier denied the rumors. The refreshed Model 3 is expected to come with cosmetic improvements and significant technology changes. Recent prototype sightings showed that Tesla would move to a stalkless design, something Tesla customers already said they hate . The first deliveries of the updated Model 3 should not be far away, probably within a month from now. EV Lithium-ion batteries power almost everything that needs electricity away from the grid and are the norm in theindustry. For all their advantages, Li-ion cells also have a significant problem, as they are prone to overheating, which leads to fires that are difficult to extinguish . It's called thermal runaway because once the cell temperature passes a certain point, it accelerates until everything becomes explosive.This poses problems during shipping, considering that a typical cargo ship can hold thousands of EVs. The shipping industry learned this the hard way last year when the Felicity Ace cargo ship sank after electric vehicles onboard caught fire. When the fire started, there were roughly 4,000 cars onboard Felicity Ace, although only a few hundred were EVs. In the aftermath of the disaster, the industry took measures to prevent future fires.One restricts the Li-ion battery state of charge (SoC) to less than 50%, which has been proven to limit the chances of a thermal runaway. Tesla adhered to this practice, and owners reported picking up their new cars with a less-than-ideal SoC. Some said their Tesla had less than 30% battery, forcing them to divert to a Supercharger to top up the battery. Ideally, Tesla delivery centers should charge the battery before pick-up, but this doesn't happen.Tesla may have chosen an easier solution to keep customers happy. Instead of spending time charging the cars before the pick-up time, they started offering new owners complimentary Supercharger miles. This has been revealed by an owner who shared the message received from Tesla in the /teslamotors subreddit. Tesla admits that the charge status may be lower than usual when the customers are scheduled to take delivery of their car. Still, since this is the industry policy, there's not much it can do.The thread starter appears to be a European customer because the message uses the metric system. Considering that many Teslas arriving in Europe are shipped by sea from China, this is probably a measure enforced by the Chinese authorities. New Tesla owners are promised 150 km (93 miles) of free Supercharging, which can be redeemed a few days after delivery in the Loot Box of their Tesla app.Considering the messages on Reddit, customers appear to have mixed feelings about the new policy. Although having some Supercharger sessions reimbursed is nice, many would prefer not to stop at a Supercharger on their first trip home. Some ask Tesla to offer new customers the option of having free Supercharging or waiting for the battery to charge before delivery . We're curious to know what you would choose in this case. Photo: Tiny House Pro Photo: Tiny House Pro Photo: Tiny House Pro Statistics can only confirm the obvious the tiny house market keeps growing everywhere in the world. There are plenty of well-established builders in places like the US and UK, where this alternative housing movement has deeper roots. Still, theres enough room (and demand) for newcomers.Tiny House Pro is one of the youngest companies in this sector. It officially kicked off operations in England just a year ago, with a very attractive product range. Gencaga Vural and Alex Savva joined forces to set up a building business that can help people enjoy all the benefits of top-quality housing at affordable costs while respecting the environment and enhancing mobility.The Essex is the most luxurious design in the Tiny House Pro portfolio, and it shows. In terms of size, it boasts the largest dimensions allowed for it to comply with road legality standards. This means a maximum length of eight meters (26 feet, nine meters/29.5 feet with the drawbar), a 2.5-meter (8.2 feet) width, and a four-meter (13 feet) height. At this size, the Essex offers enough space for a kitchen, a generous living room, and a loft bedroom for one or two people.A lot of tiny houses sacrifice the living area space, but not Essex. When you walk through the door, you'll notice an elegant hallway or lounge area separating the kitchen and bathroom section from the living room. The windows play an important part in making this room highly attractive. You've got three large ones at the end of the house (which also create a lovely look from the outside) and two more on one of the side walls. This translates to abundant natural light, fresh air, and great views.A large, inviting sofa fits in perfectly; there's enough room for additional furniture and a wall-mounted TV. The kitchen is packed with appliances, including a four-burner stove and electric oven. The discrete cabinets and additional storage space incorporated in the staircase keep the area clutter-free and well-organized.Essex raises the bar in terms of bathroom luxury with high-quality materials and a glam design. Having enough space inside a tiny house bathroom for a fancy bathtub is a luxury in itself. Still, the Essex Tiny is flexible enough to integrate a regular shower instead of that if customers prefer so.Flexibility is also important when it comes to upstairs access. The standard Essex comes with a massive staircase that allows generous storage. However, future owners can opt for a simple ladder with three points of contact for added safety. The main benefit is freeing up more space in the kitchen for a longer countertop or even a breakfast bar.Essex makes the most of its main floor, so the loft bedroom stays minimal, with only enough space for a two-person bed and a single window. The layout is basic, but enjoying standing room in a tiny house loft bedroom is the most important thing, in addition to ventilation and light.This beautiful tiny house, inspired by traditional farmhouses, is as welcoming on the outside as it is on the inside. A surprisingly large deck is the outdoor equivalent of its inviting and stylish living room. Large enough for generous seating and even an extra table, it's the perfect spot for socializing and enjoying spending more time with family and friends. After all, downsizing and reducing living costs are also supposed to invite more fun and closeness into our lives.Despite the sophisticated appearance, Essex is a mobile home all the way. It's designed to travel easily and to go off-grid when needed. The off-grid package, which includes solar panels, a composting toilet, and water tanks, adds 20,000 (almost $25,000) to the final price. Still, it's worth it for those who plan to travel frequently or to live in remote locations.Other optional features include underfloor heating and insect window screens. Future owners get to personalize each Tiny House Pro design but to a certain degree. That's because one of the co-founders has experienced tiny living and used that to establish a common foundation for all his designs. The good part is that customers needn't worry about the quality of the materials. This British brand is committed to using only solid timber and plywood and no vinyl or MDF, which is also a plus in terms of durability.As for pricing, the Essex Tiny starts at 59,000 ($73,000), but all the customizations plus the off-grid package can bring that closer to $100,000. Remember that this is the most luxurious option in the Tiny House Pro range, so you'd get the best of everything wrapped up in a house on wheels that looks just as good as a traditional one. Still, there are more affordable options as well because the ultimate goal is to make sustainable living accessible to everyone. The Japanese carmaker confirmed the security incident back in May when it discovered that a database misconfiguration exposed the data of Japanese customers.At that point, Toyota said only drivers in Japan were impacted, but according to a recent statement, Australian customers were affected as well.The carmaker confirmed in a statement that only "a small number of Australian records have been impacted, admitted that the exposed data may include vehicle and personal information, such as names and contact details. On the other hand, no financial details were exposed.Furthermore, Toyota says it found no evidence that the data has been accessed by a third party. According to the initial findings, the Connected service exposed the information, as an online server was left unprotected without a password.Once it became aware of the security blunder, Toyota safeguarded the server, setting up a password to make sure no unauthorized access takes place. It also conducts audits to determine the security protections currently in place on its servers.According to the carmaker, the data was exposed beginning in November 2013. The flaw was eventually patched in April this year when the company became aware of the mishap.The good news is that the exposed information did not include sensitive information, but on the other hand, it's still worrying that a company the size of Toyota failed to detect a security problem for so long. According to Toyota's timing information, the data was left unprotected with a password for close to 10 years before somebody discovered what the carmaker called a human error.At the same time, Toyota determining that customers in other countries were affected by the breach could also raise more questions about whether the exposed data covers more regions. The carmaker says it's already looking for potential security issues on all cloud platforms managed by Toyota Connected in an attempt to determine whether more data might be exposed to third-party access through the misconfigured database.At this point, however, no information has been discovered in this regard, and Toyota insists that it found no evidence of third-party access to the misconfigured server. As such, the company says the likelihood of someone accessing the exposed data is extremely low.At the time of writing, Toyota says customers shouldnt do anything, as the mishap did not expose sensitive information such as credit card details and other financial data. On the other hand, if you believe someone is trying to use the information that might have been obtained from Toyota's server, they are strongly encouraged to reach out to the company for additional information on what to do next. Aliyev made the offer on Sunday while again telling the Karabakh Armenians to unconditionally accept Azerbaijani rule and threatening to take military action against them as well as Armenia. Everyone knows that we can carry out any [military] operation in that territory [Karabakh,] he warned. That is why the [Karabakh] parliament must be dissolved, the element who calls himself the president [of Karabakh] must surrender and all ministers, deputies and other officials must resign. Only then can there be talk of amnesty. The Armenian government and Karabakhs leadership condemned the threats. The Armenian Foreign Ministry said Aliyev not only threatened the Karabakh Armenians with ethnic cleansing but is also preparing the ground for another aggressive action against Nagorno-Karabakhs population. We recently expressed appreciation for Prime Minister Pashinians commitment to peace, and we welcome President Aliyevs recent remarks on consideration of amnesty, the U.S. State Department spokesman, Matthew Miller, said in a statement issued late on Tuesday. Miller at the same time stressed: Aggressive rhetoric can only perpetuate the violence of the past; constructive dialogue -- both public and private -- can create peace, opportunity, and hope. The Armenian Foreign Ministry expressed dismay at the U.S. reaction on Wednesday, insisting that Aliyevs remarks contained clear threats to Armenias territorial integrity and the security of Karabakhs population. Washington should react appropriately to such statements, said a ministry spokeswoman. Aliyev made the threats ahead of his fresh meeting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian scheduled for Thursday. The two leaders will meet together with European Union chief Charles Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the sidelines of a European summit in Moldova. Aliyev and Pashinian apparently made significant progress towards an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty during their May 14 meeting in Brussels hosted by Michel. Pashinian confirmed afterwards that he is ready to recognize Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh. Pashinians stance was hailed by a senior U.S. official but condemned by the Armenian opposition and Karabakhs leadership. Karabakhs parliament said on May 22 that any peace deal ignoring the Karabakh Armenians right to self-determination would be null and void for Stepanakert. The U.S. had backed that right through peace plans jointly drafted with Russia and France before the 2020 Armenian-Azerbaijani war. 1 June 2023 18:00 (UTC+04:00) By Emin Sevdimaliyev The recent political transformations that can be observed in the region are very interesting. Zangazur is becoming a center where the interests of a number of regional players collide. And not only regional ones. For example, quite recently the European Union allocated about 100 million euros for the development of this region, and Iran launched the work of the Consulate General in the region some time ago. And in recent days it has become known that Russia is preparing to open the doors of the Consulate General in Zangazur, which was positively assessed by the Armenian side. But what is the reason for such unprecedented activity? In the end, for more than 30 years since the collapse of the USSR, this place was in limbo and no one remembered this region either in Iran, or in Russia, and even more so, in the EU. And now it is under focus of interest. The reason, if you think about it, is quite simple. All countries "bustled" against the background of expectations that Zangazur will become one of the main transport bridges, which will allow establishing efficient transport links between Europe, Asia, North and South. These transformations were launched by Azerbaijan, which has been preparing to launch a large-scale geopolitical and economic project for several years. The Zangazur corridor will change the economy of several dozen countries, but Armenia continues to oppose it . The problem with Armenia's approach is that it does not take into account the position of major players who seek not only to retain the status of regional powers, but also to become global hegemons. We have already described one of these countries - China. Armenia's position jeopardizes the strategic interests of China, which will certainly not be appreciated in Beijing. We will not repeat the main arguments that we have already offered to our readers, however, we note that the increased interest in Zangazur from the EU, Iran and Russia is fraught with great danger for Armenia. First of all, the rising interest of each country should be carefully observed. And this basic postulate of the world of politics is very bad news for Armenia, since the interests and needs of the EU, Russia and Iran do not necessarily coincide. As well as methods to achieve these goals. If you look at the EU, then the grants pumped into Armenia will metaphorically be as giant as Trojan horse. Armenia will not be able to resist the will of Brussels, as the country will lose significant financial support. Another important question is for what purposes these grants will be used. It is impossible to exclude the possibility that another revolution will be initiated in Armenia. In this context, it should be noted that the necessary developments to achieve these goals have long existed in the West. Suffice it to recall the Bulldozer Revolution in the former Yugoslavia, which ended with the overthrow of Slobodan Milosevic and, later, tensions spread to a number of other countries. On the other hand, Iran's foreign policy, at the same time, is difficult to rationalize, though Iran's power projection methods remain standard and highly predictable. At the first need, Tehran will put pressure on Yerevan, seeking concessions. From the Armenian point of view, the situation is complicated by the fact that Iran's methods are, in essence, based on the basic postulates of Machiavellianism and hard power. Of course, we are aware of the destructive influence of Iran on the countries of the Middle East, where pro-Iranian proxies are cultivated. According to the US State Department, Iran has spent about $16 billion to support its proxies in the Middle East from 2012 to 2020. If we add to this the lack of ability to use soft power and Iran's antagonism to all surrounding countries, then the issue of disagreements between Tehran and Yerevan becomes a matter of time. The last country on this list, but with a very large variety of levers, is Russia. As for the possibilities of the Kremlin's influence, the list is obvious. Armenia is catastrophically dependent on Russia on a wide range of issues, including security and the economy. In the context of political influence, it is necessary to note the membership of Armenia and Russia in a large number of international organizations, which further increases Armenia's dependence on Moscow. Armenia turns into a point of conflict of interests Taking into account the possibilities and different approaches of the countries concerned, it is possible to draw a number of conclusions and observations about the challenges that Yerevan will have to deal with. The first observation is related to the fact that Armenia will have to show considerable dexterity in maneuvering. This is due to the fact that the interests of Russia and Iran, on the one hand, and the EU, on the other hand, are opposite. Brussels sees in Armenia a country that helps Russia avoid sanctions, as we wrote about earlier. The situation in which Armenia finds itself means that the EU, Russia and Iran will have more reasons to be dissatisfied with Armenia. In other words, Armenia will be at the center of a collision between the three political forces. Not everything is so simple in relations between Iran and Russia. Again, the transactional nature of international politics must be kept in mind, and even between Tehran and Moscow there will be disagreements. The big question is how Armenia will evade pressure in this situation. At the moment, it is difficult to determine any mechanism that will allow Armenia to pursue an independent policy in the event of such a situation. The second observation follows from the first. Armenia's sovereignty is facing a more serious threat than previously thought. The reason lies in Armenia's inability to oppose anything to the mutually exclusive interests of the three countries. In such a situation, there is a high probability that Yerevan will have to sacrifice its interests in order to appease large forces. The state of Armenian diplomacy does not give grounds to assume that the country will be able to find a way out of such difficult situations by finding a mutually beneficial solution. In other words, Armenia will become a pawn in the geopolitical game of big countries with a very dubious outcome for it. Point number three is the weakening of opportunities for negotiations with other countries on any issues. The root of this problem, again, lies in the clash of interests of major players, and Yerevan's position on major issues will have to reflect the interests of foreign states. Given their large number, as well as their mutually exclusive interests, the pool of possible solutions to different solutions for Armenia will be very limited. This will make her a weak player in potential negotiations. As a result, Yerevan will face a wide range of challenges, many of which Armenia does not have an answer to. It is clear that a lot of pressure will be exerted on Armenia very soon on the issue of unblocking transport links and launching the Zangazur corridor. And Armenia itself will be to blame for this, which has been resisting the implementation of the obligations under which it has signed for so long. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 June 2023 13:00 (UTC+04:00) Rena Murshud Read more A meeting is being held today in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, where the heads of state and government come together, and at the same time the main issues of energy, transport and security are discussed. The Armenian side also participates in the meeting, but the news from Yerevan still remains within its outdated mode. It has already become an axiom that whenever the Armenian leadership starts a new trip, the other landlord in Yerevan do what they know. It can even be attributed to Armenia's traditional provocative policy, double standards or attitude of disregard towards prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Now let's get down into the details... It is interesting that a few hours before Pashinyan's arrival in Moldova, the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, Armen Grigoryan made an absurd and irrelevant claim about the presence of illegal separatist forces in Karabakh. According to him it is not the Armenian army that is in Karabakh, but the army of the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh republic. First, by using this expression, he defends a terrorist group that exists in the territory of another state - which can also be seen as overstepping his bounds. The second one shows the opposite position of the secretary of the Armenian Security Council against the statement made by (recognition of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity within 86.6 thousand square kilometers) his Premier. So, the traditional question arises - either Pashinyan is a gamer, or his officials are just wrapping him around their little fingers... Second, let's get back to the fact that Armenians still call our land 'Nagorno-Karabakh', despite the abolition of the Status Quo. Looking back in history, on November 26, 1991, the administrative-territorial unit of the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region was abolished by the law of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Under this law, the historical names of many cities in this area were liberated from occupation. And also, on November 9, 2020, the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, who won the Patriotic War, again refreshed the memory of Armenians who did not want to reconcile with reality. On the contrary, the Yerevan administration, which identifies itself as the government, shamelessly violates the laws in such matters and continues to do so. Hence it seems that the talks by Armenia on peace and Armenian PM's recognition of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is a complete load of baloney. However, looking at past meetings, the Armenian side has repeatedly stated that "the so-called "Nagorno-Karabakh" issue is not in Yerevan's agenda". Even Pashinyan himself admitted that the Yerevan authorities are not responsible for the separatist groups in Karabakh. But what Grigoryan is talking about - this is really more like kindergarten than politics. This is literally a shameful act, worse than double standards. The result once again shows that it is not only the separatist forces that have brought disaster to the Armenian minorities living in Karabakh, but also the Yerevan authorities, who give them support. This is also a disaster written on the bad luck of Karabakh Armenians. By leaving their security in the hands of Yerevan, they leave themselves at the edge of the abyss. First of all, the Yerevan authorities should understand that the problems of Karabakh, within which the 86.6 thousand square kilometer sovereign territory of Azerbaijan it recognized, and the problems of the Armenian minorities existing in this territory are an internal issue of Azerbaijan. No international law can allow them to interfere in this matter. As for the safety of the Armenians in Karabakh, Grigoryan should understand that this kind of senseless intervention by Yerevan can endanger not only the lives of the Armenians of Karabakh but even Armenians in Yerevan. It would be good for Armenia not to bring up these already discussed issues again and better to stand by the words it manifested in the previous Moscow meeting. Armenia has already lost its reputation in the international political arena with its failure and denials of truth. If Armenia can even come to Brussels, Moscow and Chisinau to participate in the meetings, tomorrow it may completely lose these privileges. Yerevan sees the growing influence and power of Azerbaijan and understands how unshakable Europe's trust in Azerbaijan is. At a time when Armenia served the principles of occupation for 30 years, Azerbaijan strengthened its economy incredibly. It is an undeniable fact that today Azerbaijan is known as one of the leading energy sources of Europe. The special invitation of Azerbaijan to the meeting with the participation of the leading European heads of state in Chisinau is not precisely because of discussing the pointlessly dragging problems related to Armenia, but rather because of the discussion of energy and transport, as well as security issues that can change the future of Europe. Pashinyan and his circle should understand that the old era is left behind. Armenia can no longer force some factions in Europe to get what it wants. The Chisinau meeting also marks the beginning of a new era in Europe's political space. This also clearly demonstrated that the OSCE Minsk Group, which was once famous for its frail and biased activities, has become completely paralyzed. The new era in European politics is no longer based on Armenian politics and fantasies, but on the economic prospects of Azerbaijan, which is rapidly advancing. --- Rena Murshud is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @RenaTagiyeva Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Officials from the North Gyeongsang Provincial Government pose in front of a hotel in central Seoul, May 7. The municipal authority announced on the same day they will introduce at least 2,000 fuel-cell hydrogen buses in the province by 2026. Courtesy of North Gyeongsang Provincial Government By Ko Dong-hwan The central and local governments and state-run agencies in Korea are speeding up their green initiatives, with the number of government-owned clean-emission vehicles in 2022 hitting a record high. According to the Ministry of Environment on Thursday, in 2022, of the 8,072 vehicles purchased or rented by governmental bodies and agencies, almost 80 percent were emission-free vehicles those powered by fuel cells, electricity or hybrid technology. When considering vehicles operating on liquefied natural gas and gasoline that met the national standards for low emissions, over 90 percent of all vehicles fell under the broader "low-emission vehicle" category. The survey, jointly conducted by the ministries of environment and trade-industry-energy, showed an increase of 881 hydrogen and electric vehicles compared to the previous year. Initiated in 2021, the annual survey offers a glimpse into how the 769 governmental organizations are conforming to the country's updated Clean Air Conservation Act and the Enforcement Decree of the Act on Promotion of Development and Distribution of Environment-Friendly Motor Vehicles. Both laws mandate that starting from 2021, all governmental entities and relevant organizations should ensure that their vehicle fleet is fully composed of low-emission vehicles with at least 80 percent emission-free. The legislation forced national authorities and agencies to purchase or rent more environmentally-friendly vehicles, if necessary, to meet the new standards. The Clean Air Conservation Act stipulates a maximum fine of 3 million won ($2,300) for those who fail to comply with these requirements. The survey revealed the effectiveness of these laws. In 2022, 92 percent of all organizations complied with the environmental standards, representing an increase of 8.3 percentage points and 102 organizations from the previous year. The survey also identified the organizations whose heads are setting an example by personally driving eco-friendly cars with this figure rising to 207 in 2022, from 120 in 2021. Despite the progress, the survey indicates that 82 organizations are yet to meet the necessary standards. The government plans to encourage these organizations to revise their purchase plans to meet the required low-emission ratio, while the environment ministry imposed fines on organizations that failed to achieve the mandatory ratio in 2022. Park Yeon-jae, head of Air Quality Policy Bureau under the environment ministry, noted that the current 80 percent minimum standard for low-emission vehicles is anticipated to be elevated to 100 percent this year through an additional legal revision. "The efforts to steadily increase the number of clean-emission vehicles are contributing to the national goal of carbon neutralization in the country's transport sector," the director said. 1 June 2023 08:30 (UTC+04:00) Elnur Enveroglu Read more The ongoing processes are beginning to shape a new political reality in the European Political Space. In this sphere, which has been observed to emerge from Reykjavik to Baku, the name of Azerbaijan has also been present from the very beginning, and it is a specially invited party to this format. Currently, when looking at the European space, it is clearly seen that the OSCE is in a completely paralyzed state and does not have any role in the issue of European security. On the other hand, although many issues are discussed within NATO and the EU, these organizations cover certain states. In other words, there is no institution that can play the role of a discussion platform within the general European framework. Currently, the European Political Union is in the process of its formation and serves as an important platform for conducting open and informal discussions between the states at the level of leaders. At the meeting in Chisinau attended by the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev based on a special invitation, discussions are continued at the level of working meetings as well as general plenary meetings at the level of leaders and top diplomats. It should be noted that, as in the first meeting held in Prague, three main directions were defined in the meeting held in Moldova: energy, transport links and security. There is no doubt that the participation of the head of state of Azerbaijan in this meeting is not limited only to the issue of security in Armenia and the South Caucasus. The fact that Azerbaijan hosted an international event called Baku Energy Week a day before the event shows that it has wide economic opportunities. Especially in the meeting of Moldova, Azerbaijan is active in issues related to energy and transport. Here, relevant working groups and President Ilham Aliyev personally participate in open and useful discussions with state and government leaders. As mentioned earlier, Azerbaijan is already putting aside the deliberately extended problems related to Armenia in the South Caucasus. Prolonging the conflict issues in the region in a meaningless way and fruitless discussion does not benefit any party. Even the Western partners who have taken the initiative in these issues understand that negotiating with a state like Armenia is a waste of time. As the top leaders of the European Union have noted, Azerbaijan, the most reliable partner, is seen as an attractive party in the discussions of more large-scale energy projects today. A new model of the European Political Union As for the future prospects of the European Political Union, what form it will take and finally its formation as an organization that can have a new pan-European character - this is a topic of discussion for the future. Currently, there is no unified opinion among the states on this issue, but such prospects are possible in the future. It should be noted that over time there was a concept within the framework of the OSCE that would go from Vancouver to Vladivostok, but as we can see now, a new reality, i.e., a political concept, covering a political space from Reykjavik to Baku is being formed. The transformation of Azerbaijan into the energy capital of Europe As mentioned earlier, political motives are beginning to change in the European space. The ongoing situation in Ukraine and the emerging economic necessity have become the driving factors for all these processes. Europe sees Azerbaijan as a door of hope and has unlimited confidence in its vast potential. This is not an exaggeration - indeed, the international event called Baku Energy Week, attended by President Ilham Aliyev a day before his visit to Moldova, clearly described everything. Today, in such a situation, the leading states of Europe, as well as the Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and the Baltic states, which are seriously affected by the war in Ukraine, give great priority to economic values. And finally, the participation of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in the second summit of the European Political Union organized in the capital Chisinau based on the invitation of the President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu and the President of the Council of the European Union Charles Michel can be noted as an important meeting with many points. It is of note that Azerbaijan's political and economic relations have developed at a high level not only with European countries, but also with Moldova. There is a high-level dialogue between the two countries, and these mutual relations continue to develop in the spirit of friendship and cooperation today. Within the framework of his visit to Moldova, President Ilham Aliyev also met with Moldovan President Maya Sandu and Prime Minister Dorin Recean, and during the discussions, the parties brought up the prospects of economic cooperation in agriculture, energy, and investments in large-scale projects. It is also significant to noted that diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Moldova have been going on for 31 years. Back in 2005 and 2009, when President Ilham Aliyev visited Moldova, 63 documents were signed between the two countries. Note that since 2004, the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation has been operating between the two countries. The commission has held 4 meetings so far, and the last meeting was held in October 2022. Today, 23 investment companies belonging to Moldova operate in Azerbaijan mainly in the fields of industry, transport, trade, and services. It is no secret that Moldova has invested 3.8 million US dollars in Azerbaijan (mainly non-oil and gas sector). Meanwhile Azerbaijan has invested USD 13.8 million in Moldova (non-oil and gas sector). In addition, in 2022, the total trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Moldova amounted to 23.85 million USD, which is a 3.79 times increase compared to 2021. At the same time, Azerbaijan's humanitarian aid to Moldova once again clearly shows the existence of mutual and warm relations between the two countries. Back in 2020, during the height of the pandemic, humanitarian aid worth 455,428 manats (about 268,000 USD) was sent from Azerbaijan to Moldova to support the fight against the coronavirus. In order to meet the needs of Ukrainian IDPs who moved to the territory of Moldova since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the state of Azerbaijan provided 29,12 tons of medicines, and humanitarian aid worth of USD $ 1 mln was sent to Moldova on April 15, 2022. Along with all this, cultural relations between Azerbaijan and Moldova are also developing. It should be noted that with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, a Culture and Education Center was built in Ceadir-Lunga, Gagauzia Autonomous Territorial Authority of Moldova. In addition, the President of Moldova Maia Sandu personally participated in the event held in Chisinau this year on the occasion of the Independence Day of the Republic of Azerbaijan on May 28 and the 100th anniversary of National Leader Heydar Aliyev. --- Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews deputy editor-in-chief, follow him on @ElnurMammadli1 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 June 2023 11:20 (UTC+04:00) The Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov made opening speech at the 28th Baku Energy Forum, Azernews reports, citing the Azerbaijani Energy Ministry. In the speech, it was mentioned that this international energy cooperation platform, which came to existence thanks to the oil strategy of the founder of our energy independence, National Leader Heydar Aliyev, has become a historical chronicle of Azerbaijan's energy achievements. Emphasizing the formation of a new global energy landscape based on the diversification of sources and routes of safe, stable energy supply, especially the development of green energy, the Minister said that our country is entering this new stage with initiatives that will strengthen its strategic position in energy security on a regional and European scale. The expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor, participation in the Solidarity Ring project, as well as our projects on the development and supply of renewable energy sources are clear indicators of this. The necessity of increasing the transmission capacity of infrastructures for additional gas supply, coordinated activities and clear position of partner countries for this purpose was emphasized. "Our position was clearly expressed by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev. And this is because we plan projects not only from a commercial, but also from a strategic point of view. The development and export of all types of energy resources of the Caspian Sea to World Markets has always been carried out in parallel. Azerbaijan itself has always been the main locomotive of energy routes projects, and this constant line of our energy policy is still relevant today, the Minister added. Absheron, Karabakh, Umid (Stage II), Babek, Azeri-Chirag-Deepwater Gunashli (ACG) and green energy projects are listed as important sources to provide additional gas. It was stated that more than 1 bcm of gas will be saved due to wind and solar power plants with a capacity of 1800 MW, which are planned to be commissioned by the end of 2026. It was noted that in 2030 another 5 GW of green production capacities will be put into operation, and 4 GW of these volumes will be exported to Europe via the Black Sea at the initial stage, and 1 GW through Nakhchivan to Turkiye and Europe. The minister said that the transformation of Azerbaijan into a green energy country has already begun. Based on the technical potential of offshore renewable energy of 135 GW and onshore 157 GW, today our country is implementing large-scale projects related to the production and export of green energy: "Currently, we are cooperating with Masdar, ACWA Power, bp and Fortescue Future Industries on more than 25 GW of "green energy" projects. Within the Baku Energy Week, we will sign cooperation documents with international energy companies on renewable energy projects for an additional 3 GW. Azerbaijan is determined to realize its strategic goals for its development as a green energy country. The will and determination of the President of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev is our strategic guide in the implementation of this next major energy mission. The Minister also participated in the discussions on New Energy order in the period of energy transition. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 June 2023 12:43 (UTC+04:00) "Azerbaijan has increased gas exports to the European energy market up to 40%. Therefore, we express our gratitude to the Azerbaijani side." According to Azernews,this word said by Cristina Lobillo Brerro, Director of the European Commission Energy Platform Working Group, during her speech at the 28th Baku Energy Forum. "Azerbaijan is one of the main partners for the EU. This figure is very important to us. This is also important in the context of prices. We are participating in the transition to green energy. In this regard, we all assumed obligations. There is a great partnership between us in connection with the transition to green energy. We highly appreciate all projects. We believe that energy security for the EU consists of two stages. First of all, the diversification of gas, as well as the acceleration of the energy transition process. We cannot do all this in free form. Therefore, we need strong cooperation with our international partners, the director said. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 June 2023 11:55 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more Spectacular concert has been held at the State Philharmonic Hall to mark the 100th anniversary of National Leader Heydar Aliyev as part of the "Youth Support" project. Chief teacher of the Azerbaijan National Conservatory, musicologist Narmina Abdullayeva informed the audience about the main goals of the project, Azernews reports. Initiated by the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Hall, the Youth Support aims at discovering and supporting young talents in Azerbaijan and is led by the director of the State Philharmonic Hall, People's Artist of Azerbaijan Murad Adigozalzada. Numerous concerts organized within the project have always been met with great public interest. The concerts, which are traditionally held several times a month, feature a wide range of music styles from classical to jazz music. Over the past years, the Youth Support project has joined many festivals and competitions such as the New Way International Summer Festival 2019 in Germany, and the 2020 World Harmony International Contest of Young Performers Laureate of international competitions, pianist Jalal Samadov performed a concert program, accompanied by the Azerbaijan State Orchestra of Folk Instruments under the baton of artistic director and chief conductor, People's Artist Agaverdi Pashayev. The program included works by Vasif Adigozalov, Fikret Amirov, Musa Mirzoev, Modest Mussorgsky and Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Each composition evoked thunderous applause and sincere admiration from the audience. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 June 2023 16:43 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijan and Lithuania Health Ministries have agreed on expanding cooperation. Speaking at the meeting, Azerbaijan Health Minister Teymur Musayev stressed the successful cooperation between the two countries in many areas, including in the field of health and medical science, Azernews reports. The Minister noted that since 2021, the full implementation of compulsory medical insurance (CMI) has stared in the country. "CHI is a social project aimed at improving the quality of medical care for the population and based on the principles of solidarity, he said, stressing that the Ministry of Health supports the CHI implementation," said the minister, The plan for the introduction of compulsory medical insurance provides for the gradual inclusion of medical modules in the social package. The basis of all reforms is the digitalization of the healthcare system, and the introduction of compulsory health insurance is part of this system. Along with this, important issues are the introduction of advanced medical technologies in the healthcare system and ensuring citizens' access to medical services. Necessary steps are being taken in these directions in the country. The Director General of the State Health Insurance Fund under the Lithianian Health Ministry Gintaras Kacevicius thanked for the warm welcome and expressed support for the reforms carried out in the Azerbaijani healthcare system. He also noted that Lithuania is ready to share its experience with Azerbaijan on the effective implementation of the health insurance system. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 June 2023 14:49 (UTC+04:00) Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who arrived at the second summit of the European Political Community in Moldova, fled from Azerbaijani journalists who approached him with questions. Azernews reports citing local media, he refused to answer questions, and when he heard that the journalists were from Azerbaijan, he quickened his pace and left. Here is the footage showing Armenian PM how pretends not to see the Azerbaijani journalists: --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 June 2023 15:09 (UTC+04:00) On June 1, at 09:10, the units of the Armenian armed forces opened fire on the positions of the Azerbaijan Army in the direction of the Esrik Jirdakhan settlement of the Tovuz region from their positions located in the direction of Chinarli settlement of Tovuzgala district, Azernews reports, citing MOD. Around 10:00 a.m., the positions of Azerbaijani Army located in the direction of Shusha region were fired upon by the members of the illegal Armenian armed groups in the territory of Azerbaijan, where the Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed. Adequate response measures have been taken by our departments in the mentioned directions. In addition, the members of illegal Armenian armed groups tried to expand and repair and restore the dirt road in order to build a security road to the combat positions in the direction of Shusha and Khojavend districts by involving engineering equipment under the name of agricultural works. As a result of urgent measures taken by units of the Azerbaijani Army, the works were immediately stopped. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 June 2023 17:00 (UTC+04:00) The Office of the Commissioner for Azerbaijani Human Rights (Ombudsman) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) jointly organized a seminar on "Implementation of international humanitarian law at the national level," Azernews reports, citing the Office of Ombudsman. The purpose of the seminar was to increase awareness of the implementation of international humanitarian law, to study international experience and to exchange views on the perspectives of joint cooperation in the direction of overcoming the difficulties encountered in this field. Sabina Aliyeva, the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman), and Dragana Kojic, the head of the Representation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Azerbaijan, made an opening speech at the seminar, which was also attended by the experts of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and wished success to the work of the seminar. During the speech, the Ombudsman said that Armenia, which has been occupying the Azerbaijani lands for nearly thirty years, committed war crimes, ecological and landmine terrorism both during the First and Second Karabakh War, and in the post-conflict period, and grossly violated the norms of international humanitarian law. Sabina Aliyeva said that as a result of the explosion of mines and military ammunition in these areas, there were victims among both the civilian population and our soldiers, and that Armenia is not interested in ensuring peace in the region. At the event, international experts who made presentations in accordance with the program, gave information about international experience in relevant fields and exchanged ideas with the participants. During the discussions, the employees of the Office gave extensive information about the Ombudsman's mandate and activities. It was noted that in order to investigate the facts related to violations of the norms and principles of international humanitarian law by Armenia during the war and post-war period, the Ombudsman carried out fact-finding missions and carried out on-site investigations and prepared reports and statements based on the obtained factual materials and sent them to the relevant international human rights institutions. At the seminar, experts also exchanged views on the prospects of future cooperation with the Ombudsman institution within the mandate of the International Committee of the Red Cross. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 June 2023 17:12 (UTC+04:00) A roundtable on energy security has been held as part of the 2nd European Political Community Summit in Chisinau, Moldova. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the event. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 June 2023 21:47 (UTC+04:00) President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has had a meeting with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in Chisinau, Moldova. The sides shared their views on the Azerbaijan-Ukraine bilateral relations and touched upon President Ilham Aliyevs visit to Ukraine in January 2022 and discussions held as part of the visit. They expressed satisfaction with development of Azerbaijan-Ukraine bilateral relationships. President Ilham Aliyev noted that the new ambassador to Ukraine had been appointed and would assume his duties shortly. President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked for and hailed Azerbaijans humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, care for Ukrainian children and arrangement of their visit to Azerbaijan. During the conversation, both leaders expressed satisfaction with the fact that Azerbaijan and Ukraine support each others territorial integrity and sovereignty within international organizations. x x x President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a guest book of the Mimi Castle. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Kim Ae-ran One day in 2002, while strolling around winding paths in a field, a certain melody came to my mind. Then, I kept singing the resounding melody again and again. In this way, I composed my song entitled "Journey of Trials." The title of the song originated from a book by Fr. James Alberione, the founder of our religious congregation. As I kept singing, I realized that all of us are undergoing the same journey, which comprises various trials and tribulations in some form or other. Truly, we are constantly going through a process of ups and downs in many ways. Since then, I sang "Journey of Trials" from time to time on special occasions. Now, when I go on mission trips to Canada, especially after Communion, during Mass in the Korean Catholic communities, I sing this song while playing the guitar. And I see many people appreciate the meaning of the song and they are touched by the lyrics. The story of "Journey of Trials" is as follows: Just as Jesus needed 30 years, just as the Israelites needed 40 years, we also needed a long time. All of this was the providence of God. At one time, no matter how I looked at it, it seemed like I was walking in place. So, I wanted to sit down without thinking. But looking back, it was all a gift from God. A journey of trials that we must go through. Now Christ will live in me. When we meet again, I will ask one another. How much do you resemble Jesus? How much did you love with all your strength? Many people shed tears while appreciating it. I am also always touched by this song whenever I sing it. Recently as I sang it at eight o'clock Mass on Sunday in the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Toronto, and I could not help but have a lump in my throat. Our lives are filled with amazing graces that lead to the theme of a popular allegorical poem titled "Footprints in the Sand." It tells a story of a person who sees only one pair of footprints in the sand. One night I dreamed a dream. As I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, One belonging to me and one to my Lord. After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints. This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it. "Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, You'd walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, you would leave me." He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you Never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you." The author is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul. Please feel free to visit her blog "A piece of sunshine" at mtorchid88.blogspot.com. 1 June 2023 22:07 (UTC+04:00) Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of May 28 - Independence Day, Azernews reports. The letter reads: To His Excellency, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Your Excellency, On behalf of the Georgian people and my own, I would like to extend to You my sincere congratulations on the occasion of the national holiday of the Republic of Azerbaijan Independence Day. The strong friendship and ties between our people can be traced back to our common past. 105 years ago, our countries declared their independence almost simultaneously, and since the our good neighborly and brotherly relations have been constantly strengthening, which now has established itself as a firm strategic partnership between our countries. Today, Georgia attaches special importance to the further deepening and strengthening of the strategic partnership with the Republic of Azerbaijan. Your Excellency, I reaffirm my deepest respect, wish you success in service to your country, and to the friendly Azerbaijani people peace, health and prosperity. Sincerely, Salome Zourabishvili, President of Georgia --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 June 2023 22:33 (UTC+04:00) Amir of the State of Qatar, Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of May 28 - Independence Day, Azernews reports. The letter reads: His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Your Excellency, The people of the State of Qatar join me in extending to you and to your brotherly people, on the anniversary of your country`s Independence Day, our sincere greetings and felicitations, coupled with our best wishes for Your Excellency`s good health and well-being, and further prosperity and progress for the Azerbaijani people as well more strength of the cordial relations between our two countries in the years ahead. With my highest consideration. Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 June 2023 22:05 (UTC+04:00) The next trilateral meeting between President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan with the participation of President of the European Council Charles Michel will take place in Brussels on July 21. Azernews reports, citing Trend that Charles Michel told reporters on Thursday following a five-sided meeting among President Ilham Aliyev, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, President of the European Council Charles Michel, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron in Moldova. "We had the opportunity to touch on all the topics that we discussed in Brussels in May. We discussed connectivity issues, border delimitation, a peace treaty. This meeting was a very good preparation for the next meeting, which will be held in Brussels on July 21. This means that we We are working hard and intend to support all positive efforts towards the normalization of relations. I also announced my intention to invite President Ilham Aliyev, Prime Minister Pashinyan, Chancellor Scholz and President Macron to a meeting on the sidelines of the next summit of the European Political Community, which will be held in Spain. This means that we will do everything on the part of the EU to help make more progress possible towards the normalization of relations," he said. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 June 2023 23:47 (UTC+04:00) Deputy Amir of the State of Qatar, Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Thani has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of May 28 - Independence Day, Azernews reports. The letter reads: His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Your Excellency, On the occasion of the anniversary of your countrys Independence Day, I want to express to you my warm greetings and congratulations, coupled with my best wishes of continued well-being and success to Your Excellency and further prosperity and progress to your brotherly people. With my highest consideration, Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Thani Deputy Amir of the State of Qatar --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 June 2023 09:30 (UTC+04:00) Turkmenistan and Latvia to discuss the development of the TRACECA international transport corridor, Azernews reports, citing Trend. This was reported to President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov by the Director of the Agency for Transport and Communications under the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan Mammetkhan Chakiyev at a government meeting held on May 26, 2023. According to him, preparations are currently underway for the next meeting of the Turkmen-Latvian working group on cooperation in the transport sector, which will be held on June 12 through 16 this year in Latvia. He noted that during the meeting it is planned to consider a wide range of issues related to the prospects for the development of a sustainable transport system between Europe and Central Asia. After hearing the report, Berdimuhamedov stated that the development of mutually beneficial partnerships with foreign countries is one of the priorities of Turkmenistan's foreign policy. Stressing that Turkmenistan takes an active part in the effective use of the existing transport corridors, the President addressed the head of the agency with instructions on solving the tasks in this area. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 June 2023 10:20 (UTC+04:00) The republican scientific-practical conference on the topic Development strategy of the Republic of Azerbaijan: potential opportunities and new challenges dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Great Leader was held at the Military Institute named after Heydar Aliyev. Along with the officers, and teaching staff of the Military Institute named after Heydar Aliyev, the conference was attended by the representatives of the Defense Ministry, the Military Scientific-Research Institute, ANAS Management Systems Institute, Academy of the State Security Service named after Heydar Aliyev, the Heydar Aliyev Center, the Academy of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Academy of the State Customs Committee, Higher Military School of Internal Troops, the Academy of the State Border Service, Azerbaijan State Marine Academy, National Aviation Academy, Baku Eurasian University, Azerbaijan University, Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University, Azerbaijan University of Languages, Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University, Azerbaijan Technical University, Western Caspian University, Baku Business University, Azerbaijan Cooperation University, Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction, and CBM Engineering LTD. The monument to the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev, erected in front of the headquarters of the Military Institute, was visited and roses were laid on it. The memory of the National Leader and Shehids (Martyrs) who sacrificed their lives for the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan was honored with observing a minute of silence. The National Anthem of the Republic of Azerbaijan was performed. Rector of the Military Institute named after Heydar Aliyev, Major General Fizuli Salahov welcomed the conference participants and delivered a report on the topic Heydar Aliyev and the Army development. Then a presentation of a video film dedicated to the life and activities of the Great Leader was held. The speakers at the conference spoke about the outstanding political figure Heydar Aliyev and army construction, the development strategy of modern Azerbaijan, as well as the dynamics of development in the fields of education, science, economy, and military. It was noted that the main purpose of the conference was to discuss various directions of the development strategy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, set by the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev, the dynamics of development, as well as to study scientific and theoretical foundations of new approaches and prospects in army development according to the requirements assigned to the Azerbaijan Army by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mr. Ilham Aliyev. After the plenary session, the conference continued its work in five sections, scientific reports of participants were heard and discussions were held. In the end, a photo was taken. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 June 2023 12:00 (UTC+04:00) By News Center On May 28, which was described as the "Election of the Century", Turkiye preferred the candidate of the People's Alliance, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan, who left his mark on Turkish and world politics in the last 20 years as Prime Minister and President, won the Presidential Election with a great victory in return for his services. Erdogan, who made Turkiye the strongest country in the region in energy, transportation, trade, agriculture, health, defense, tourism, education and social services, received a five-year mandate from the nation for the Century of Turkiye. The projects signed between 2002-2022 have the infrastructure to prepare Turkiye for the new century. Turkiye has a five-year period of stability that will increase added value with more investments. Thanks to the successful projects produced in the defense industry and developed within the scope of the national technology move, Turkey got rid of foreign dependency. With projects such as National Combat Plane, Hurjet, Bayraktar TB3, TCG Anadolu, Turkiye has become the country that is admired in the world. Turkiye's 61-year-old domestic automobile dream has come true with the innate electric Togg developed with domestic and national resources. Country's wealth increased with the infrastructure revolution Mega projects such as Osmangazi Bridge, Yavuz Sultan Selim, Eurasia Tunnel and Marmaray, which are laid between East and West, came to life as the most concrete examples of the infrastructure revolution that took place in Turkiye. Investments, which facilitate both access to the West and access from the Caucasus to Central Asia, brought Turkiye rapidly towards its goal of creating a middle line outside of international corridors. Investments realized in all areas such as railways, highways, ports, tunnels, air transportation, technology infrastructure, among the 2023 targets, play an important role in many areas from trade to tourism, from country welfare to increasing exports in the Century of Turkiye. Export target in defense $6bn The speed of the products that Turkiye put forward on the defense industry cannot be kept up. Almost every week, there is a new development that will change the balance at sea, in the air and on land. The National Combat Aircraft and Hurjet aircraft, which were implemented by TAI under the leadership of the defense industry, left the hangar and successfully completed the taxi tests on the runway on March 18. Work on the Kzlelma project, Turkiye's first unmanned fighter aircraft, continues at full throttle. The world's first armed unmanned aerial vehicle (SIHA) ship and Turkiye's largest military ship, TCG Anadolu, on which Turkey's first unmanned warplane Kzlelma will land, has also entered the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces. Thus, Turkiye became one of the 12 countries in the world with ships of this scale. Defense and aerospace exports exceeded $4bn in 2022, reaching the highest level in history. The defense industry, which continues its rise with more than 750 ongoing projects, has an export target of $6bn for 2023. Bridges, Viaducts, Tunnels and routes are shortened While the products developed one after the other in the field of defense industry give upper hand for Turkiye in the global arena, there were a hundred years of initiatives in the transportation sector. In recent years, Turkiye has implemented multiple bridges and tunnels connecting Asia and Europe. Canakkale Bridge, which reduces the passage of the Bosphorus to 6 minutes, is among the few projects in the world, while the Eurasia Tunnel, the world's first two-storey highway tunnel, was opened to traffic in 2016, 8 months ahead of schedule. Osmangazi Bridge, which reduces the distance between Istanbul and Izmir to three hours, has saved Turkiye TRY6.6bn ($320m) since the day it was opened. As of 2007, the routes started to be redrawn with the growing Mersin International Port. Turkiye's second longest road tunnel, the Ovit Tunnel, which was included in the 1880 Development Plan of the Ottoman Empire, was also put into service in 2018. City hospitals, the proud of Turkiye City hospitals, which President ErdoGan calls my dream, are healing citizens all over the country. Kocaeli City Hospital, with a total bed capacity of 1,218, was put into service on April 15 with a ceremony attended by Erdogan. Ankara Etlik City Hospital also provides services with 4,050 beds. With a total bed capacity of 29,348, 20 city hospitals, the construction of which has been completed, become an ointment for the wounds of the patients. Aydn City Hospital, which was included in the 2020 investment program of the Ministry of Health in order to provide more qualified health services, and the construction of which started in the central district of Efeler in November 2021, is counting the days to enter service. The Ministry of Health will serve with a total of 33 city hospitals upon the completion of the ongoing investments. Thus, the bed capacity will exceed 43 thousand. Turkiye is the 8th in the world in high speed train transportation Having invested a total of TRY347bn ($17bn) in railways in 20 years, Turkiye ranked eighth in the world and sixth in Europe in high-speed train transportation. After Ankara-Eskisehir, Turkiye's first high-speed train opened in 2009, Ankara-Konya in 2011, Konya-Eskisehir in 2013 and Ankara-Istanbul and Konya-Istanbul lines in 2014 were opened. In addition to this transportation network, the Ankara-Sivas High Speed Train Line was recently put into operation. The 3.3-kilometer-long AKM-Gar-Kzlay Metro Line, built by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure in Ankara, was inaugurated on April 12. Thanks to the AKM-Gar-Kzlay Metro Line, direct metro transportation from Kecioren to Kzlay was provided. Again, the 6.2-kilometer Basaksehir-Pine and Sakura City Hospital-Kayasehir Metro Line, built to strengthen Istanbul's transportation infrastructure, was put into service on April 8 with a ceremony attended by President Erdogan. Europe's most advanced flight club The Istanbul Airport project, which changed the aviation rules in the world with its location at the intersection of Asia and Europe, continues to carry passengers to 333 locations in the world, with the distinction of being the 1st airport in Europe with a timely departure since 2018. Istanbul Airport, which further strengthens Turkiye's strategic position as one of the largest airports in the world, draws attention with its innovative and powerful information infrastructure that is compatible with smart technologies. Serving its passengers with a 1,400,000 square meter main terminal building under a single roof, Istanbul Airport currently has an annual passenger capacity of 90 million. Istanbul Airport has hosted more than 170 million passengers in total in the 4 years since it was put into service. Eurasia tunnel contributed $1.2bn Projects that have been implemented on the transportation side in recent years continue to make Turkiye's name known in the world. The Eurasia Tunnel is one of these projects. The project, which connects the European and Asian sides of Istanbul with a road tunnel that passes under the sea for the first time, is located on a route of 14.6 kilometers in total, with a 5 kilometer long two-storey tunnel and connection roads passing under the seabed. With the project, the route of 14.6 kilometers between Kazlceshme on the European side and Goztepe on the Anatolian side, where vehicle traffic is heavy, decreased from 100 minutes to 15 minutes. As of February 2023, the Eurasia Tunnel, which was used by a total of 100 million vehicles, contributed $1.2bn to the country's economy in 6 years and covered its investment costs. The highway network has grown 3 times Land transportation, which is of great importance in the development and welfare, constitutes an economic activity in itself. Turkiye uses 60 percent of its transportation and communication investments of over TRY1.7tr ($0.082bn) for road works. Between 2003 and 2022, TRY995.9bn ($47.9bn) were invested for highways. In the last 20 years, the length of divided roads on the highways has increased from 6,100 kilometers to over 28,790 kilometers. The length of the highway increased from 1,714 kilometers to 3,633 kilometers, and the tunnel length increased from 50 kilometers to 663 kilometers. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 June 2023 20:45 (UTC+04:00) On Thursday, Moldova will host the second summit of the European Political Community (EPC), an EU-led platform established at the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron in 2022, Azernews reports, citing TASS. The summit will bring together 47 national leaders to discuss peace, security and energy, a high-profile EU official told reporters in Brussels on Wednesday. According to a Brussels-based European diplomat, the summit, which is to be held in Bulboaca, a village outside of the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, is meant to send a signal to Moscow that the participants in the event are standing behind Moldova and demonstrating a united front amid the backdrop of the conflict in Ukraine. Kirill Logvinov, Russias acting Permanent Representative to the EU, told TASS on Wednesday that the summit would be yet another attempt by Brussels to build an anti-Russian coalition and prevail upon other countries to join the campaign of sanctions against Russia. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 June 2023 21:15 (UTC+04:00) Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration - Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov stated this at a working meeting chaired by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in Odesa region, Ukrinform reports citing the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine (Ministry for Restoration) on Facebook, Azernews reports, UKRINFORM. "The enemy continues to create difficulties for the work of Ukrainian ports. Russians are actually blocking the work of the largest Ukrainian Black Sea port Pivdennyi. As a result, at least 10 countries are not receiving enough food. We plan to increase the throughput capacity of the Danube Port Cluster to mitigate the damage," Kubrakov said. In addition, the meeting focused on strengthening the protection of port infrastructure and developing alternative logistics routes for the export of Ukrainian agricultural products. This included the development of rail and road infrastructure on the western borders and near Ukrainian ports. They also discussed issues of ensuring port security, ensuring stable civilian navigation in the Black Sea, and the development of the Danube port cluster. The ministry reminds that since August 2022, when the grain initiative was launched, more than 30 million tonnes of food have been exported from the Ukrainian ports of Pivdennyi, Chornomorsk, and Odesa. As Ukrinform reported, on March 18, 2023, Ukraine, the United Nations, and Turkiye agreed to extend the Initiative for the Safe Transportation of Agricultural Products through the Black Sea. The agreement was extended for 120 days, but the Russians claimed that the agreement would be valid until May 18, 2023. On May 17, Kubrakov said that the agreement would be in effect until July 18, 2023. On May 21, the Ministry of Restoration stated that the Russian side in the Joint Coordination Center had been blocking the work of the Pivdennyi port for almost a month. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 June 2023 22:10 (UTC+04:00) Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan reiterated on Thursday the Kingdoms commitment to supporting regional and international efforts aimed at finding a political resolution to the war in Ukraine during a meeting with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Azernews reports, citing Al Arabiya. Prince Faisal, Lavrov, and other top diplomats from several countries are currently in South Africas Cape Town to participate in a BRICS meeting. Prince Faisal and Lavrov also reviewed aspects of friendship and cooperation relations between both countries and peoples, and ways to strengthen and develop them in all fields, in addition to discussing the consolidation of bilateral and multilateral action on many files of common interest, the Saudi foreign ministry said on Twitter. The two sides also discussed the most prominent topics raised at the BRICS Friends Ministerial Meeting, which is held under the theme Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Inclusive Multilateralism, the ministry added. Prince Faisal also held a meeting with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, during which they reviewed the longstanding relations between Saudi Arabia and India, the ministry said. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Seoul residents alarmed by false alert For half an hour early Wednesday morning, Seoulites got a sense of what life is like for their counterparts in Kyiv, Ukraine. It started with a siren at 6:32 a.m. Many residents of the capital woke up surprised and some early birds stopped on their way to work. They turned on the TV or accessed the internet. There were no emergency news broadcasts and Naver was out of service due to heavy traffic. At 6:41 a.m., nine minutes later, people received a mobile phone alert telling them to prepare to evacuate, prioritizing the elderly and children. There were no reasons given explaining the evacuation alert or instructions on where to seek refuge. Soon, broadcasters aired the news that North Korea fired what it claimed was a rocket carrying a satellite. Still, confusion continued as people did not know what to do. At 7:03 a.m., the interior ministry retracted the alert, saying the metropolitan government sent it by mistake. At 7:25 a.m., City Hall officially canceled its alert. That meant the previous alert was not a false alarm. It was a mess for 31 minutes, from the siren to the retraction of the alert. "I thought a war finally broke out here, like in Ukraine," a housewife said on the evening news of one television network. "If it had, we all might have died." Who could refute her? Fortunately, what North Korea claimed to be a space launch vehicle ended up falling into the Yellow Sea after an abnormal flight, the military said. However, if the projectile had targeted Seoul, it could have reached here in two minutes, less than a quarter of the nine minutes. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon later apologized to citizens for the fuss. But he refused to acknowledge it was a false alarm, claiming it is better to err on the side of safety. Oh might want to blame the poor linkage starting from the military and the interior ministry. But he can hardly criticize others after throwing 10 million citizens into panic for half an hour. Oh must know many people still think the tragic crash in Itaewon last year was due to joint failures of the ministry and the city. However, all responsibility comes down to the presidential office and the National Security Council. Pyongyang might have won more than it lost from the failure, watching the South's poor state of preparedness. President Yoon Suk Yeol reassured people about security, vowing to retaliate a hundred or a thousand times against any attacks from the North. Yet, perfect defense should precede strong counterattacks. People do not trust a government that talks the talk, but does not walk the walk. Yoon also must know the best security guarantee is letting people sleep in peace. It was noteworthy that North Korea, besides the International Maritime Organization, informed Japan of the scheduled launch. One should not read too much into it as Japan coordinates navigation areas in this region. Or Pyongyang was driving a wedge between Seoul and Tokyo. However, the move came after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida uttered the possibility of a bilateral summit, and the North responded in kind. Underneath the harsh rhetoric, Tokyo has had close talks with Beijing. It may take a similar approach with Pyongyang, leaving Seoul in the cold. The U.S., while rebuking the North, also said the diplomatic door was not closed. Unfortunately, we see no signs of the Yoon administration preparing for a sudden detente in this part of the world. The North should have told Seoul first about its moves in a normal situation. Then, the government could ask the Chinese and Russian governments to dissuade Pyongyang. However, Beijing made clear Seoul should not seek any cooperation from it earlier in the week. Moscow may even fan Pyongyang. The only area two-facedness is allowed may be diplomacy. Yoon must hurry. Despite the international community's urging, Pyongyang will retry the launch as soon as possible. Regrettably, there are no effective ways to stop it. Should South Koreans just hope they can evacuate more effectively, then? After living a year with this "diplomatic" president, that is a sad but unavoidable reality. 1 June 2023 23:50 (UTC+04:00) Iran's accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will be completed in July, the countrys Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Thursday, Azernews reports, citing TASS. "We will become a full-fledged member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in July, when the next summit of the association is to take place," he said as quoted by the Tasnim news agency saying. On September 15-16, 2022, Samarkand hosted the SCO summit, which was attended by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. The Islamic Republic signed a memorandum of commitment to obtain the status of a member state of the association. The next summit will be held on July 4 under the chairmanship of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a virtual format. As the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India announced on Tuesday, all members of the organization will take part in the summit. Iran, Belarus and Mongolia were invited as observers. In addition, Turkmenistan is invited as a guest. Bakersfield, CA (93308) Today Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. High near 85F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Isolated thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 62F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%. Bakersfield, CA (93308) Today A mix of clouds and sun early followed by cloudy skies this afternoon. High around 85F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. By Donald Kirk We're accustomed to two basic stories from North Korea. First is the North's nuclear and missile programs. Kim Jong-un is forever ordering missile tests, and he may also be considering the North's seventh nuclear test which would be its first since September 2017. The other story revolves around hunger, starvation and disease. One might think the North had learned enough of a lesson from the experience of the 1990s when famine wiped out as many as 2 million of its people. But no, even as Kim was declaring he will soon put a spy satellite into orbit, we were getting reports that North Korea has quite a distinction. The North, while plunging into another period of widespread hunger, ranks first on the Global Survey Index conducted by Walk Free, an Australian outfit that's doing what it can to wipe out slavery all around the earth. That's quite a tall order, which Walk Free undoubtedly will not accomplish, but meanwhile, it's putting out fascinating statistics on the levels of slavery in 160 countries. The closest challenger to North Korea in terms of the percentage of people in slavery is Eritrea. In North Korea, slightly more than one out of 10 people are slaves. In Eritrea, the percentage is slightly less than one out of 10. They both rank well ahead of third-placed Mauritania. However, what does the high level of slavery have to do with famine and disease? The answer is that North Korea desperately needs people to work in the farms, fields and mines while others are too ill and sick to do the job. The solution for the otherwise-impoverished country is to force about 2.6 million people to work for nothing. Those numbers include hundreds of thousands in prison, caught up in ordinary jails or in the gulag system reserved for those who will never go free. They will, instead, work until they drop. Others may toil outside the walls and wire fences of a gulag but will always have to work for nothing other than the rations that will keep them alive for another day's work. North Korea's record of cruelty to its people is hardly news considering it's been a fact of North Korean life throughout the history of the Kim dynasty, beginning with the rise of Kim Jong-un's grandfather to power after his return to the North on a Soviet vessel in 1945. Still, it comes as a bit of a shock to learn, in this Global Slavery Index, that North Korea ranks ahead of all the Arab states and Russia, which ranks in the top 10. Asia Press, run by Koreans in Japan and also South Korea, reports extensively on the mounting hunger. "People are too weak to engage in wage labor," says the report, based on surreptitious conversations on mobile phones sneaked into the North from China. "People are dying." Amid such suffering, North Korea has difficulty finding enough people to enslave. Slave workers cannot slave when they are too weak to pick up the tools needed to till the fields or hack coal out of mines. In Washington, the State Department regularly excoriates the North for its human rights record, but some ask why we keep beseeching the North to enter "dialogue" while failing to make human rights an absolute condition for talking. The answer might be that of course North Korea will just go on denying the grossest violations of human rights and will also never give up its nukes and missiles. Given the dismal failure of all previous efforts at getting the North to engage in reform, why not stop trying? There may be no other choice, but in the end millions more North Koreans will suffer. Besides forcing 2.6 million people to work or endure some form of servitude, the North has about 1.2 million people in its armed forces. That means about 3.8 million North Koreans are basically working for nothing. The report by Walk Free is not the only report showing how conditions in North Korea are worsening even as the penalties imposed by the regime are, if anything, harsher now than a few years ago. A State Department report on religious freedom tells us that increasing numbers of North Koreans face execution for the sin of having been caught with bibles in their possession. We've been hearing for years that worship of Christianity is a capital offense regardless of the phony congregations that appear at the Catholic and Protestant show churches in Pyongyang at services staged for the benefit of foreigners. In North Korea, the story only gets worse. Donald Kirk (www.donaldkirk.com) writes from Seoul as well as Washington. He has visited North Korea nine times, most recently in 2012. H.B. 246 Revise Pharmacy Benefits Manager Provisions: This bill restricts the use of preferred pharmacy networks and mail-order pharmacies and implements mandatory dispensing fees. Bill opponents argue this would undermine pharmacy benefit managers' ability to control drug costs and manage their pharmacy networks, increasing prescription drug costs for consumers and reducing quality. Specifically, they argue, the bill mandates payment levels that would incentivize higher drug costs, increases dispensing fees by upwards of 1,000%, and removes the ability to reimburse pharmacies based on quality and outcomes. H.B. 649 Ensure Timely/Clinically Sound Utiliz. Review: This bill weakens the utilization review and prior authorization processes that insurers use to monitor cost and quality of care. Bill opponents argue this leads to increased costs and has the potential to reduce quality of care by removing a process to ensure services are both medically necessary and priced appropriately. H.B. 450 Pharmacist Provided Health Care Services: This bill would impose a mandate requiring that pharmacists be reimbursed at the same rate as advanced practice medical professionals for performing equivalent healthcare services. Bill opponents argue this would mean bigger profits for pharmacy chains and higher costs for patients. The bill also requires reimbursement for out-of-network services provided by pharmacists, which undermines networks used by health plans to deliver lower costs. H.B. 654 Pharmacists/Vaccine Admin./Test and Treat: Similar to H.B. 450, this bill would also require insurers to reimburse pharmacists regardless of whether they are part of the insurer's network, which opponents argue will likely lead to increased drug costs. H.B. 560 Diagnostic Imaging Parity: This bill would mandate that millions of dollars be added to the healthcare system and encourage misuse and overuse of tests. For example, breast MRIs are more expensive for patients and more profitable for providers. The bill also goes against the recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. H.B. 680 Improved Access to SMI Prescription Drugs: This bill would remove a health plan's ability to conduct reviews to ensure the safety and affordability of prescriptions for severe mental illness (SMI). The reviews are used to help prevent adverse drug events and medication errors that could harm patients. The reviews also ensure patients receive the best value for their healthcare dollar by helping guide them to equally effective options when available. House Bill 680 would allow pharmaceutical companies to push new branded products that may not have any better value or appropriateness than the unrestricted alternatives. This post appears here courtesy of the Carolina Journal . The author of this post is Alex Baltzegar On Tuesday, the House Health Committee will consider several bills that critics say are likely to raise insurance costs for consumers.North Carolina ranks among the most expensive states in the country for healthcare. The Tar Heel state is one of eight in the United States where the average potential cost of healthcare surpasses $8,000 annually, according to a report from The Commonwealth Fund.North Carolina is among the states with the highest healthcare costs as a percentage of median income, tied with Georgia for the sixth highest out of 50 states. Average potential healthcare costs in the state amount to 13.8% of the median North Carolina income.The following bills are awaiting approval from the House Health Committee, several of which will be voted on Tuesday morning:Peter T. Daniel, executive director of the North Carolina Association of Health Plans, argues that these bills increase the cost burden on small businesses and consumers.said Daniel.House bills 649, 654, and 680 were filed within eight days of the filing deadline. The bill proponents aim to get the House to vote on their proposed bills before Thursday, May 4, which is the deadline for the bills to be sent to the Senate. However, before the bills can be voted on, they must first be heard and discussed in their appropriate committees they pass through.Jordan Roberts, director of government affairs for the John Locke Foundation, also argues that these bills will increase consumer health insurance costs.said Roberts.Pharmacy Benefit Managers, or PBMs, areaccording to a definition from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.Roberts argues that PBMs often deserve scrutiny, but this does not mean lawmakers should increase regulations on private businesses.said Roberts.Rep. Wayne Sasser, R-Stanly, a lead sponsor on several of the bills, argued that some regulation on PBMs is necessary because of spread pricing, noting that PBMs made many billions of dollars last year from this practice, the biggest of which he said made $14.4 billion in 2022.H.B. 246Sasser said.Sasser said the bill also regulates the rebates PBMs charge the drug manufacturer to get their drugs on the formulary.Sasser said.Sasser does not think that House Bill 246 would lead to increased prices for prescription drugs.Sasser said.Sasser also said that House Bills 450 and 680 are unlikely to move and that H.B. 654 has turned into H.B. 712, which he said has no opposition.In 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-0 against PBMs in a case where a group of PBMs argued that states should not be allowed to regulate them, opening the door for states to impose these types of regulations. Now that the public is allowed to know the truth regarding the Hunter Biden Laptop Scandal, after more that 2 1/2 years of deception by the corrupt Corporate Media Kabal, propropagandidats all, and the discredited Deep State, we have NOW learned that the infamous laptop is far less about the Biden Boy's fetish for pornography, narcotics and Russian whores, and far more about Hunter's pivotal role in the Biden Crime Syndicate's selling of deep access to our foreign adversaries, and to what extent it has compromised our national security: What is your opinion about this possible coordinated Treason? It is imperative that we know the truth of what may be the greatest scandal in our Republic's history, and all aforementioned parties prosecuted for their crimes against the People. Currently, our Two Tiered Justice System is constructed to protect all Democratic Socialists, their corrupt "Journalist" spokes-sheople, and their Deep State enablers ... so why bother. It is Donald Trump's fault. The Thirst For Truth Big Picture Explanation of What Happened in the Past 15 Years That Flipped the Social, Cultural, Media, Leftist and Govt Relationship May 27, 2023 | Sundance | 861 Comments (You will want to check out the comments) Last night I participated in a conversation. This article is written as an outcome of that conversation, as requested by those who participated. Essentially, the framework of the conversation, as I initially listened, is best described as a series of questions amid a group of smart intellectual types who are very understanding of the nature of our current situation. In various forms they were asking each other the same question. What happened in the last several years that caused Democrats, leftists and the traditional political left to switch positions on their advocacy? Liberalism literally went from railing against Big Govt, to embracing corrupt Big Govt. Why and how did this happen? In short, it was the same line of questioning I have seen asked by Tucker Carlson, Glenn Greenwald, Tulsi Gabbard and various traditionally liberal people as well as people on the right side of the continuum. Why and how did traditional liberalism so suddenly flip from being, big picture anti-government, to suddenly embracing corrupt government enterprise, and supporting the intelligence apparatus, federal govt (writ large), institutional oppressive law enforcement and FBI etc.? What happened? After listening to this conversation quietly, as I am prone to do, my remarks -with citations and examples- silenced the room. At the conclusion of my remarks, everyone asked me if I had ever written about this, and if not why not? I did not have an answer, so consider this a promise fulfilled. Perhaps you might find value. In the 50 years that preceded 2008, traditional leftists, media activists, left-wing community organizing agencies, Democrats, liberals, progressives, or whatever label you want to assign, essentially railed against the U.S. government and all that it represented. However, now, if you were to look at the issues from the 30,000-foot perspective, those same groups currently support the oppressive & weaponized system of government they formerly despised. In the 50 years that preceded 2008, those same groups had an approach of distrust toward government, and the media apparatus had a very distinct supportive and cynical outlook, favorable to the leftist anti-government perspective. Now, all of that has reversed seemingly flipped. In the 50 years that preceded 2008, media pushed a one-way narrative in defense of those who were targeted by the institutions and mechanisms of government. As the activists railed against the regime, the media framed narratives to excuse the transparently guilty. Now, that entire dynamic has reversed. Now we see the media pushing a narrative in support of weaponized government targeting, and heres the kicker framing the transparently innocent. The activists went from accusing government of wrongdoing and defending the transparently guilty to aligning with government, excusing government wrongdoing, and helping to attack the transparently innocent. As some continue to say with jaw agape, WTF happened? The answer why is not complicated. not complicated at all. In 2008, the activists took control of government. In January of 2009, the leftists, community organizers and activists took control of the systems they had opposed for the preceding 50+ years. In January of 2009, and inflection point took place; an inflection point that no one realized in forethought, scale or consequence. Starting in 2009, all of the systems of federal government were now under the control of the people who previously fought against the systems of federal government. Everything since is an outcome of that inflection point; thats why everything flipped. All of it, and I do mean every scintilla of the thing; every single granular detail and example you can put in front of me can be traced back to that moment when the activists were no longer outside government railing against the corrupt system they hated. Starting in January of 2009, the activists took power over the United States government, and every outside institution, including media, necessarily and ideologically followed that inversion. Starting in 2009, the systems and institutions of the U.S government now came under the control of the radical activists. In the eight years that followed, the mission of every institution was changed. Government was weaponized on behalf of the leftist activists who now took control of it. Everything thereafter is a consequence of this change. When I use the word suddenly, it is only for understanding the inflections point that came as a consequence. In actuality, the severity of change inside each institution took place over several years. Thats why the intensity of the weaponized and corrupt systems became worse over time. As each institution was infiltrated to become more aligned with the mindset of the activists, the institutions became more radical in their targeting and weaponization. The activists went from being outside government to being inside government. Suddenly, the left-wing supportive media changed mission priority from railing against corrupt government, to defending the corrupt weaponization of govt. Suddenly, the FBI went from targeting domestic threats, to targeting only the domestic threats defined as against the interests of the left-wing activists. Suddenly, the outside activists went from being defined as social elements creating turmoil, to social elements now being defended and even promoted. This is why we see outside activist groups like the Dream Defenders, New Black Panthers, Black Lives Matter, Occupy Wall Street and more recently ANTIFA, as protected and supported by the activists inside government now in control of the systems and institutions. All of the social, cultural and political dynamics that changed traditional liberalism are easily understood once you realize and accept that activists took control of the power centers of the U.S. government. Everything that followed, including our current state of social and political turmoil, is simply a natural conclusion of that fundamental change. The radical activists are now in control of the institutions of power. This core shift is what created the dynamic of a very visible two-tiered justice system. Each institution was weaponized and continues to be weaponized against those who are not aligned with the activist ideology. The Dept of Justice has been weaponized against people who are not in alignment with the radicals. The federal police, known as the FBI, have been weaponized against We The People. The Intelligence Community is now under the control of the radical activists. The mission priorities change accordingly. When Tucker Carlson, Glenn Greenwald, Tulsi Gabbard or any other person posits the question about why the ideology of the left and media has shifted so suddenly, there is your answer. It is not a complicated understanding. Once you accept this fundamental change took place, everything seemingly falls into place. . At least thats what the ah-ha audience told me. Chinese Ambassador renews call for cooperation with Myanmar in cracking down on telecoms fraud 09:46, June 01, 2023 By Liu Caiyu ( Global Times Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Chen Hai meets with Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister of Myanmar Soe Htut on May 31, 2023. Photo: Chinese Embassy in Myanmar Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Chen Hai met with Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister of Myanmar Soe Htut for the second time in two months on Wednesday to further coordinate their positions on cracking down on telecom fraud, which frequently lures Chinese citizens with promises of highly paid work. The Chinese ambassador said that initial achievements have been seen in specialized crackdowns on illegal activities including telecom fraud along the Myanmar border. China appreciates the actions, Chen said. More effort and actions should be taken to root out these illegal activities that pose harm not only to the public, but to broader society, Chen told Soe Htut, according to a statement released by the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar. The ambassador said China will continue to work together with Myanmar and neighboring countries, and is committed to bringing criminal forces and personnel to justice and leaving no space for them to seek safe harbor. At the same time, they will rescue those who were trapped and deceived so as to respond to public concerns and safeguard China-Myanmar cooperation. On March 23, the Chinese ambassador met with Soe Htut to discuss how to beef up crackdown on cross-border crime. He then said recent incidents of Chinese nationals crossing the border to Myanmar are all related to online fraud, gambling and other illegal activities in Myanmar, and he expressed the hope that Myanmar will attach great importance to the seriousness and harm of relevant activities. The frequent meetings between the Chinese ambassador and the deputy prime minister of Myanmar show that crackdowns on cross-border illegal activities need to overcome certain difficulties, Song Qingrun, a research fellow from the School of Asian Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Wednesday. The fight against transnational crimes along the borders of Myanmar, close to the "Golden Triangle" area known for rampant cross-border drug dealing and other crimes, has been spread across the region for quite some time. It cannot be solved overnight. Challenges brought by continuous new technologies to commit crimes also toughen the fight, Song noted. Great efforts have been witnessed from the Myanmar side, Song said, calling for more joint efforts from neighboring countries like Thailand and Laos. During a visit to Myanmar from May 2 to 5, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang also urged Myanmar to crack down on crimes linked to internet fraud along the border, which he described as having seriously infringed on the interests of Chinese citizens. In meeting with Chen on Wednesday, Soe Htut said that Myanmar attaches great importance to China's concerns. Myanmar has strengthened crackdowns and launched joint campaigns with China and other relevant countries. Despite difficulties, Myanmar will step up coordination with concerned countries and continue the crackdowns to further deter those forces and safeguard the interests of peoples in the two countries. Chen and Soe Htut also exchanged views on joint crackdowns on drug-dealing and gambling, with agreements reached on both issues. The Chinese Embassy did not reveal the specific content of the agreements. In recent years, online gambling and telecom fraud have caused social problems in Myanmar, including murder, kidnapping and human trafficking. Some people are lured to Myanmar by the promise of high salaries. This transnational crackdown will play a positive role in combating these serious crimes. In April, the Chinese Embassy rescued a Chinese national who was smuggled into Myanmar and forced to engage in telecom fraud. The person was lured by a criminal organization and smuggled into Tachilek city in Shan State to engage in the criminal activity of telecom fraud, and was beaten and detained, with his life being threatened. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) By Park Jung-won At the core of President Yoon Suk Yeol's diplomatic strategy is a shift away from strategic ambiguity toward values-based diplomacy. This is an inevitable choice imposed on South Korea by the current security environment defined by the new Sino-American Cold War and the worsening nuclear threat of North Korea. A dual structure of trilateral alliances between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan on the one hand, and North Korea, China and Russia on the other, has emerged in Northeast Asia over the issues of the Korean Peninsula and Taiwan. Evaluation of Yoon's presidency in its first year in office is varied and polarized. Unlike domestic economic and social policy arenas, diplomatic and national security are matters that can more immediately and decisively affect the fate of a country. Both advocates and critics of the Yoon government in this regard are so obsessed with their own political and ideological interests that they do not approach debate on these issues with the protection of the overall national interest at heart. The divisions in South Korean society, wrought by its turbulent history, (which has witnessed war, revolution, coups, rapid economic growth, democratization and economic polarization) have eradicated any common ground that could unite all members of its political community. In addition to the mundane South Korean politics of chronic division and "all or nothing" arguments, the media environment also fuels and deepens this polarization. Any differences that may have existed between traditional public and commercial ("mainstream") broadcasters and new media such as YouTube and other social media platforms have virtually disappeared; instead, they are merely competing with each other for attention. These media outlets, perhaps looking after their commercial interests, tend to select guests for debates on current affairs who are known for their political biases and polemical stances. A recent radio panelist who is a supporter of the current opposition party and has regularly opposed the idea of South Korea obtaining its own nuclear weapons abruptly criticized the Yoon administration for giving up South Korea's possible nuclear armament after the Washington Declaration was announced. This ridiculous episode is but one example of many in South Korea's increasingly polarized media environment. South Korean society's prevailing biased and distorted perceptions on diplomatic and national security matters are well illustrated by the vastly different attitudes toward the problem of North Korea's nuclear threat and the building of constructive relations with Japan. Above all, pro-opposition party commentators do not seem to perceive North Korea's nuclear threat as imminent or serious. Jeong Se-hyun, the former unification minister during the Roh Moo-hyun government who often appears in progressive-oriented YouTube videos, says that South Korea should not bet everything on cooperation with the U.S. and Japan to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, given its long history and complicated power relations in Northeast Asia. However, he fails to address what should be done about China and Russia, both of which have stubbornly refused to cooperate with the U.N. Security Council on sanctioning North Korea. At the same time, pro-ruling party panelists only praise Yoon's sophisticated manners, friendliness, and a speech delivered in English to the U.S. Congress during his state visit, while not addressing his drastic miscalculation in giving up the country's right to possible nuclear armament, let alone his failure to revise the nuclear energy pact with the U.S. so that South Korea could reprocess nuclear fuel, as Japan does. They seem to ignore the distinction between a more positive stance toward engagement with the U.S. on security matters, which is no doubt a good thing, and concessions that could lead to an effective U.S. takeover of South Korea's national security capabilities. In regards to Japan, no matter how much the Yoon administration has tried to explain that it frames its diplomatic policy in the spirit of the 1998 Kim Dae-jung-Keizo Obuchi joint declaration in order to build future-oriented mutual relations, pro-opposition party panelists will never acknowledge it. The president's role is one in which he must face "reality" from the moment he takes office and he bears great responsibility for state affairs. A president is, after all, the public servant of the people and should look forward rather than backward. It does not make sense for historical conflicts to prevent the president from engaging in close cooperation with Japan in the present on such important issues as security and economic affairs. Pro-opposition panelists, however, dismiss such efforts to improve ties with Japan as mere shameful and subservient diplomacy. The third-party reimbursement plan endorsed by Yoon's government may not be a perfect solution to compensating the victims of forced labor under Japanese colonial rule, yet it might be the best way available for South Korea, in light of international law. Meanwhile, pro-Yoon commentators fail to point out that the Yoon administration and the ruling party were hasty in handling this third-party reimbursement plan and did not do enough to win broader domestic public support. The proliferation and deepening of biased perceptions of polarized factions according to partisan rather than national interests have had a detrimental influence on the formation of public opinion, even in areas of diplomacy and national security. This presents a serious challenge as internecine bickering can cause society to overlook issues of greater importance in dealing with the harsh geopolitical conditions facing South Korea today. Even if the "existential determination of thought" may be an unavoidable limitation that affects us all, as the sociologist Karl Mannheim argued, the current flood of biased and distorted ideas in South Korea's media can still be diluted by the spread of voices of intellectuals who are encouraged to be as objective and neutral as possible. There should at the least be a certain level of bipartisan consensus on diplomatic and national security matters. Otherwise, the prognosis for the political community called the Republic of Korea cannot be good. Park Jung-won (park_jungwon@hotmail.com), Ph.D. in law from the London School of Economics (LSE), is a professor of international law at Dankook University. Here are three physicians who have had their medical licenses suspended or restricted, as covered by Becker's since May 11: Brian Gullett, DO, was sentenced to six months of prison for illegal opioid prescription. He surrendered his medical license and his DEA certificate of registration and agreed not to apply for re-registration to dispense Schedule II controlled substances upon his sentencing. Former Modesto, Calif.-based physician Sawtantra Chopra, MD, pleaded guilty to three counts of illegally prescribing opioids. Mr. Chopra surrendered his medical license in 2020 as the case was pending. Former Washington physician Mendel Gordin, MD, surrendered his medical license after he was accused of making inappropriate comments to several patients and misdiagnosing one of them. Amish Oza, MD, medical director of Marion, Ohio-based Midwest Internal Associates, has purchased an 8,500-square-foot medical office building that formerly housed Midwest Spine & Pain for $1.85 million, according to a June 1 report from Columbus Business First. Dr. Oza plans to open a family practice called Concierge MD in the office building, which is located in New Albany, Ohio. It will provide adult preventive care, pediatric care, urgent care, IV hydration therapy, weight loss management and functional medicine. Dr. Oza has already hired three physicians, a receptionist and nursing staff for the practice, according to the report. He plans to start with eight full-time employees and possibly grow to 10 based on demand. Dr. Oza hopes to fill a gap in pediatric care that appeared after Rainbow Pediatrics, a care center in the region, closed last year after 40 years in business. Renovations on the office building are ongoing, and it is expected to open in August. Health systems across the country are expanding their outpatient portfolios and forming joint ventures to develop more ambulatory surgery centers as care continues to migrate from inpatient to outpatient settings. Cincinnati-based Bon Secours Mercy Health System is the latest health system to partner with an ASC operator. The 48-hospital system has teamed with Compass Surgical Partners to develop more than 30 ASCs across multiple states. Compass will work with the health system to develop ASCs throughout its footprint, which includes Kentucky, Ohio, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, New York and Florida. The network could expand into other states, such as North Carolina. "Our view, over time, is that more complex procedures will come out of the hospitals," Compass President Sean Rambo told the Triangle Business Journal. "Health systems are wanting to catch up and use this strategy to expand outside of hospital walls." In April, Columbus-based OhioHealth inked a similar deal with Nashville, Tenn.-based Surgery Partners which has more than 180 outpatient facilities and 4,600 physicians to grow ASC joint ventures across Ohio. The partnership will use a phased approach for growth, beginning with expansion opportunities within the 50 counties OhioHealth serves, followed by an opportunity review of the remaining 38 counties. It will also foster relationships with top surgeons in the state and support physician independence "To support our organization's desire to grow beyond our traditional geographic areas, to meet patients where they are in their health journey, and to partner with surgeons across the state, we needed the right management partner," said Brian Jepson, president of OhioHealth's central market. Surgery Partners, one of the largest ASC chains in the U.S., also signed a collaboration agreement with Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Health to manage the system's existing ASCs in Utah and Idaho and the development of surgery centers in other markets. Intermountain currently has five ASCs across Utah and plans to open more over the next year. This collaboration agreement will accelerate those efforts. "Combining [Surgery Partners'] expertise and experience with ours will add significant value for our surgery patients and caregivers and will establish an operating model upon which we can build as we continue to expand outpatient care at other locations," said Mike Clark, Intermountain's executive lead of ASCs. After COVID-19 exacerbated instances of patient boarding in Minnesota emergency departments that some say reached "unprecedented levels" the Minnesota Medical Association and the state chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians have outlined a direction for change related to psychiatric patients. Boarding happens when a hospital lacks bed availability and patients are instead held in the emergency department while they wait for a bed to become available, something that can quickly become an issue for overwhelmed staff in a fast-moving, critical area of the hospital. In Minnesota specifically, instances of this have repeatedly happened with pediatric patients. In some cases, children needing mental health services were held in the emergency department for hours or even days, waiting. In the report from the two medical groups, physicians listed multiple recommendations for inflow factors, stalling, outflow factors and more. Ten of the recommendations from the report are: Support the creation of a Minnesota ED Boarding database. Develop a strategy to improve the size, distribution, and diversity of the state's mental healthcare workforce. Expand telehealth use for mental health services. Financially support 988 call centers throughout Minnesota. Explore the option of transport diversion to hospital emergency departments that have appropriate inpatient mental health beds. Develop and evaluate other options for emergency facilities for patients who have a psychiatric diagnosis and are waiting on disposition. Boost the number of designated mental healthcare workers in emergency departments. Increase the number of inpatient mental health hospital beds statewide. Reduce corporate foster care's use of emergency department boarding. Increase the number of residential treatment beds in Minnesota. Ultimately, the crisis of ED boarding is one that "is complex and requires a multitude of interventions from various stakeholders," the report states. According to The Joint Commission psychiatric patient boarding is a safety risk that should not last longer than four hours. It also notes that at the root of the nationwide problem is "lack of funding for community mental health clinics, intensive outpatient programs, community crisis stabilization units, respite services, and inpatient psychiatric units/ beds," according to a 2021 blog post. The board of trustees at Madera (Calif.) Community Hospital which has been closed since the start of the year says the state's $150 loan program for financially distressed hospitals is not enough to reopen the hospital, The Sun reported May 30. California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Distressed Hospital Loan Program into law May 15. The legislation had been anticipated as a lifeline to support hospitals on the brink of closure or that have recently closed by providing zero-interest cash flow loans. To receive a loan, hospitals must submit a plan showing how they plan to maintain long-term financial viability. State Sen. Anna Caballero has said the hospital has not submitted a long-term plan or the financial documents needed to comply with the loan program, but Madera hospital board members claim audited financial documents were provided to the senator's office earlier this year. They also said while the loan program could help initially restabilize the hospital, it would be back in the same situation without increased Medi-Cal reimbursement rates. "What good is a $150,000,000 loan program now to prop up many California rural hospitals so they continue [to] operate at a loss as they careen toward a fiscal cliff in a few short years? The real problem has to be fixed," Deidre da Silva, board chair of Madera Community Hospital, told the news outlet. "MCH knows all too well that a band aid approach just postpones the problem." Compass Medical, a chain of six medical clinics south of Boston, abruptly closed May 31, according to a Boston 25 News report. Compass previously partnered with Steward Medical for 10 years but the partnership ended in lawsuits filed over financial issues last year. Compass was found guilty of fraud and Steward was awarded $16.4 million, which remains unpaid and has grown to $25 million in the interim, according to Steward's attorney. "It is with our deepest regret and great sadness to inform you of our imminent plan to close our practices. After a steady stream of challenges, we were ultimately forced to make the devastating decision to close all offices of Compass Medical PC, effective immediately. There is no good way to share this news. We are heartbroken and truly sorry as we know the unprecedented impact on our valued patients," reads a statement posted on the Compass Medical website. The Massachusetts Attorney General is investigating the closure, according to a report from News 7. Boston Children's Hospital has begun onboarding its new prompt engineer who will focus on working with large language models such as ChatGPT, Mashable reported June 1. John Brownstein, PhD, chief innovation officer of Boston Children's, told the publication that the health system has begun making significant strides with large language models, and that it has begun onboarding an "incredible" prompt engineer. This news comes after Dr. Brownstein spoke to Becker's stating that the hospital was looking to hire a prompt engineer to be a part of its Innovation and Digital Health Accelerator team. The new engineer would be responsible for designing and developing prompts to effectively gather data from generative AI programs and refine the models for healthcare-specific applications. The new hire, according to Dr. Brownstein, will help Boston Children's to build out some of these tools internally, identify use cases for the technology and train its workforce on the most appropriate use of these new tools. President Joe Biden is likely to tap North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen, MD, to head the CDC after Rochelle Walensky, MD, departs June 30, according to The Washington Post. Dr. Cohen specializes in internal medicine and has been the secretary for the North Carolina health department since 2017. She also previously served as the chief operating officer and chief of staff for CMS. According to the Post, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra has already been in contact with Dr. Cohen to congratulate her ahead of the official announcement, which is expected to come from President Biden's office formally June 2. A TV screen shows an image of North Korea's rocket launch during a news program at Seoul Station in Seoul, Monday. AP-Yonhap This is the first in a two-part interview series with experts regarding the validity of South Korea's aim to become a real player in the burgeoning space sector after the successful placement of small satellites into geosynchronous orbit on May 25 during the third launch of the locally-developed rocket Nuri, also known as KSLV-II. _ ED. 'S. Korea has opportunities for satellite design, components and integration in global space ecosystem' By Kim Yoo-chul Washington has persistently shown concerns about Beijing's technological rise. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was huge both for the U.S. and China, from a supply chain perspective. China's lockdown hugely affected key industries in the U.S. as China is largely responsible for producing materials and parts vital to the operation of U.S. factories. Such factors have led top policymakers in Washington to raise the necessity of reexamining the degree of connectivity that exists between U.S. companies and Chinese suppliers, pushing them to thoroughly consider the balance between cost and the risk of single-sourcing. With growing geopolitical concerns regarding Taiwan Strait issues and North Korea's evolving nuclear threat, the Joe Biden administration is taking detailed steps to protect against supply chain disruptions with full assistance from its key like-minded allies in East Asia: South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Stephane Lagut, Ernst & Young's global aerospace and defense sector leader / Courtesy of EY Washington previously identified semiconductor and battery industries as strategically important areas. During the period when the semiconductor supply chain recovered from the effects of the pandemic, the U.S. designated China's rise as a threat to its national security. Top Washington officials say the Biden administration wants to stymie Beijing's attempts to attain foundational technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing by cutting off access to the advanced data-processing power required. In this regard, the recent diplomatic developments between Seoul and Tokyo are welcomed by the Biden administration, which believes the improved relationship will help respond to China's challenge to the rules-based order, improve security cooperation on the Korean Peninsula and keep the tech supply chain strong, according to intelligence officials and think tanks in Washington. Like semiconductors and batteries, the space ecosystem plays an important role in advancing global security priorities. The space industry sector is at an inflection point, and given the country's advantages in manufacturing, South Korea is positioned to become a player in the space sector but only when based on the close collaboration with its allies. A local newspaper showing file images of the Sohae Satellite Launching Station in Tongchang-ri, North Korea, is displayed in Seoul, Tuesday. North Korea launched what it claims is its first military spy satellite, Wednesday, describing space-based reconnaissance as crucial for monitoring the United States' "reckless" military exercises with South Korea. AP-Yonhap Speaking to The Korea Times, Stephane Lagut, a senior executive at Ernst & Young (EY), a global consultancy firm, advised South Korea to seek an expanded partnership with the U.S., Japan and its allies in the EU if it wants to become a player in the burgeoning space sector. "By its very nature, the space exploration industry is outward looking, if South Korea is serious about becoming a player in the space sector, then it needs to think beyond its borders. Collaboration is key; think of the semiconductor industry as a model to copy," Lagut, EY's global aerospace and defense sector leader, said in a recent interview. "I would encourage the sector in South Korea to think beyond the longest-established players. The U.S., Russia and China are the major powers in the sector. However, South Korea should also consider private partners, as well as space sectors in Japan and Europe," said Lagut. South Korea ambitiously set its plans to land a spacecraft on the moon by 2032 and Mars by 2045. It recently launched multiple commercial satellites aboard a made-in-Korea rocket, Nuri, for the first time. A few days after the launch, North Korea launched what it calls a satellite, too. While weapons analysts say the successful launch of the KSLV-II Nuri rocket has helped the country get a technological advantage, and North Korea has been quick to develop and launch long-range rockets that could carry satellites, the two Koreas are still far from having a complex network of spy satellites. "Leveraging alliances is certainly an easier path there. In terms of playing to its strengths, South Korea would have a wider range of opportunities for satellite design, components and integration," the senior executive answered. "South Korea has the established and much-envied expertise in high precision manufacturing, electronics, semiconductors and research and development (R&D) that would be required and could be built upon. It has powerful integrated industrial groups and the ability to attract and mobilize capital, which are also strong factors," he assessed. A Long March rocket carrying a crew of Chinese astronauts in a Shenzhou-16 spaceship lifts off at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, Tuesday. AP-Yonhap Omar Lateef, DO, is what one could call a physician's physician. A pulmonary and critical care medicine specialist, he completed his fellowship at RUSH University Medical Center in 2005. Today he leads the entire Chicago-based enterprise as CEO. "My career was never about eventually becoming a healthcare leader," Dr. Lateef tells me on a Monday in May. We're in his office on RUSH's campus, where his desk is remarkably organized and colorful drawings from his children are tacked up behind his computer. He went for a drive with his teenager the night before, acknowledging it as one of the few activities that gets a teen to put down the cell phone. Face time sans phone is important to Dr. Lateef. He loves practicing medicine, and believes time with patients at the bedside is what made him grow up as a person. The physician's physician went on to become the homegrown CEO of the entire RUSH system, which includes its academic medical center, medical school and partner hospitals, in July 2022. Before then, he served as president and CEO of the flagship RUSH University Medical Center for three years. Before then, he served as the hospital's chief medical officer. RUSH is a short name for a special place. It has been part of Chicago's healthcare landscape longer than any other institution with a history spanning more than 185 years. RUSH Medical College was Chicago's first medical school, established two days before the city itself was chartered. It educated Dr. David Jones Peck, the first Black person to earn a degree from an American medical school in 1847. RUSH's flagship hospital is a 14-story, 671-bed facility constructed after 9/11 fit for bio-threats, pandemics and other full-scale disasters. Its unusual white, butterfly-shaped tower is visible from the Eisenhower Expressway, a central route into and out of downtown Chicago. From this location, RUSH finds itself in the middle of a 16-year gap in life expectancy. Two miles east of its campus is Chicago's Loop, where the life expectancy is 85 years. Two miles west of its campus is the city's West Garfield Park neighborhood, where residents live to an average age of 69. RUSH physician David Ansell, MD, MPH devoted a book The Death Gap to uncovering such neighborhood racial life-expectancy disparities. "Look, this is terrible," said Dr. Lateef. "If you're born on Michigan Avenue, you'll live 16 years longer than if you're born five subway stops west. We can do better. We have to do better." RUSH was a bit ahead of its peers when it adopted a health equity strategy in 2016 to address the life-expectancy gaps in its primary service area. The strategy is built on a handful of pillars, including naming racism and poverty as root causes of poor health and creating wealth-building opportunities for its nearly 10,000 employees. The system, as one of the largest employers on Chicago's West Side, established an anchor mission to hire, purchase, invest and volunteer locally. In 2019, RUSH set a goal to reduce the life expectancy gap between the Loop and West Side by 50 percent by 2030. The strategy would strongly inform the system's approach to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the virus moved into Chicago, RUSH worked with many safety net hospitals to transfer critically ill patients in many of whom required advanced critical care for COVID-19. It launched one of the city's first mobile COVID-19 testing teams, which tested vulnerable individuals in homeless shelters, nursing homes and the county jail. It established an isolation center for COVID-19-positive houseless people. It partnered with the city to create a hub for all data related to the virus and its spread. At the onset of the pandemic, Dr. Lateef was still CEO of RUSH University Medical Center. He was hard to miss throughout this trying time and cemented a reputation for being visible, present and leading by example, according to those who work closely with him. The hospital drew recognition for its COVID-19 response, including a medal of honor from former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. "For me, the pandemic was a harsh lesson in the reality of leadership," Dr. Lateef said. "I hope and pray that the things we did during the pandemic were the right things for the organization, for the city, for the people that we serve." While the de-escalation of COVID-19 is welcomed worldwide, the camaraderie and collaboration the crisis brought with it is something Dr. Lateef finds worthy of bottling and scaling. He said one of the best things about Chicago is how it can come together as a community; he wishes it happened more regularly. "When the pandemic came, I would argue that the city of Chicago did a phenomenal job of sharing resources, load balancing across the city in conjunction with the government, the local and the state government to mount a phenomenal response because we did work together," he said. "I would love to see it not dissipate as the pandemic goes away, because there are new pandemics that aren't COVID. There's new pandemics that are behavioral health. There's new pandemics that are inequity. How do we share our resources to solve them?" Right now, Dr. Lateef sees a great need for healthcare organizations to move beyond the analysis of data that illustrates disparities and instead act to narrow them. He expressed some healthy impatience with inertia around health equity work. Less talk, more walk, essentially. "As a nation we are still continuing to fund study after study to show healthcare disparities," he said. "I think we should accept that disparities exist, and fund program after program to solve them." RUSH's service area of Chicago's West Side is made up of 10 different neighborhoods and 600,000 residents more than the population of Atlanta. In 2021, the health system established the RUSH BMO Institute for Health Equity, anchored by a $10 million gift from BMO Financial Group. The health system aims to raise at least $70 million more for the institute, which is focused on education and workforce development, community engagement, health equity research and community-based clinical practices, including church-based screenings and health centers in partnership with Chicago Public Schools. When Dr. Lateef talks about another of healthcare's most pressing problems its staffing shortages he does so without a hint of surprise. For years, national projections have shown sweeping deficits of physicians, nurses and other medical professionals. "Basic math tells you if there's more people retiring than are graduating and more people are getting old, that's not a good trend," Dr. Lateef said. "We knew that pre-pandemic." The U.S. faces a shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians by 2034, including deficits in primary and specialty care, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. The country may see a shortage of anywhere from 200,000 to 450,000 nurses by 2025, according to McKinsey. These figures are staggering, and only compound other thin spots throughout the healthcare system where demand exceeds supply, including designated mental health professional shortage areas and the exodus of nursing home workers that is forcing facilities to limit new patient admissions. Dr. Lateef acknowledges shortages exist, but he tries to spend more energy on the people who are working today, right now, right here. "Look, I think that staffing shortages are a challenge. I think the real challenge is the staff that's there how do you reward them for the incredible work that they put in day to day? I think what we need to do is maybe stop talking about the shortages and value the people that are in it right now, the frontline staff who are heroes every day. The nurses, therapists, physicians. It's been an incredible period, where the demands on healthcare were out of proportion to what we could provide, and yet everybody did it. "We have to figure out how to value them. There is a net need for more healthcare providers in this country. I think what we have to work on is making coming to work so enjoyable that people can't wait to get back into the field." The Becker's Hospital Review website uses cookies to display relevant ads and to enhance your browsing experience. By continuing to use our site, you acknowledge that you have read, that you understand, and that you accept our Cookie Policy and our Privacy Policy A number of bills in the Pennsylvania Senate, including one designed to bar for-profit hospitals, are seeing the light of day after being previously shelved, according to a May 29 report from radio station WHYY. Other proposed bills involve a minimum severance in the case of mass layoffs and more notice for the state's attorney general on proposed transactions. All three bills were revived now that Democrats are in the majority in both the state House and Senate. The four Delaware County senators, who reintroduced the bills, want to halt what they term the "financial looting of Pennsylvania hospital systems by private equity and for-profit companies." The bills up for discussion come amid an ongoing dispute between legislators and Los Angeles-based Prospect Medical Holdings over the closure in late 2022 of Upland, Pa.-based Crozer Health's Delaware County Memorial Hospital. Crozer Health is owned by the for-profit group. Similar bills are expected to be drawn up in the state House, the report said. Members of the Michigan Nurses Association have voted to authorize a strike at McLaren Lapeer Region Hospital. The union represents about 250 nurses at the hospital, according to a June 1 news release from the MNA. McLaren Lapeer Region is part of McLaren Health Care, a Grand Blanc, Mich.-based health system with 28,000 full-, part-time and contracted employees. All voting union members voted in favor of authorizing a strike, according to the union release. The vote does not mean a strike will occur. However, it gives the MNA the option of calling one. The union would provide a 10-day notice to McLaren executives before any strike begins. Management has been in negotiations with the MNA for three months, according to the union release. Tim Vargas, McLaren Lapeer Region president and CEO, said in a statement shared with Becker's that the hospital is focused on bargaining for a fair and sustainable contract. Currently, the nursing contract has added benefits including market-competitive wages and benefits, shift differential and premiums, and on-call pay, he said. "We have worked with the union prior to and during negotiations to ensure we have safe staffing, competitive wages and great working conditions," said Mr. Vargas. He added: "A strike is unnecessary to reach an agreement. The hospital has signaled its willingness to enhance wages, staffing and practice processes without any job actions, and is not asking for concessions from the union." The union contends that the hospital is putting "profits before patients" and has not accepted nurses' proposals to have an accountability mechanism to ensure executives follow contractual staffing ratios. "We are fighting for the future of our community hospital," Chuck Johnson, RN, said in the union release. He added: "We are fighting for the right to be able to work under conditions that allow us to provide the highest quality of care to our neighbors, families and loved ones. We know that it's possible to make McLaren Lapeer better, and we won't rest until we've done so." Negotiations are slated to resume on June 5. Members of the New York State Nurses Association are set to begin an open-ended strike on June 12 at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in New York City if a contract agreement is not reached with the hospital by that time. The union represents about 1,250 nurses at the hospital, according to a May 30 news release from the NYSNA. NYP-Brooklyn Methodist is part of NewYork-Presbyterian. Union members voted to authorize a strike earlier in May. The contract for nurses at NYP-Brooklyn Methodist ended on April 30, and negotiations have been ongoing for months, according to the union release. The hospital, in a statement shared with Becker's, said: "We respect and value our nurses, who play a central role in delivering the exceptional care our hospital is known for. We're hopeful that union leadership shares our dedication to reaching a fair and reasonable contract agreement, and we will continue to bargain in good faith." The union contends that not enough progress has been made in negotiations and that safe staffing remains the key sticking point. "We don't want to go on strike, but we will if NYP gives us no other option. Nurses refuse to accept staffing cuts or compromise the care for our Brooklyn community in any way. We hope that NYP comes back to the table in good faith to deliver a contract with safe staffing that respects nurses and our patients," NYSNA member leader Sharonda Green-Carter, RN, said in the union release. "While a strike notice does not necessarily mean a strike will occur, we must always prioritize our patients and their care. We have made the necessary preparations to ensure that they will continue to receive the same high-quality care, without interruption," the hospital's statement said. Physicians from Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic and data scientists from Palo Alto, Calif.-based Stanford Health Care are coming together to advance artificial intelligence in healthcare. Chieh-Ju Chao, MD, and Chia-Chun Chiang, MD, a married couple of Mayo physicians, will be the new program's first visiting scholars at Stanford. Dr. Chao, a cardiologist, intends to research the use of AI to augment echocardiography, while Dr. Chiang, a neurologist, plans to study how AI might predict which medications will stave off debilitating migraines. Right now it's a trial-and-error process, where we start with one medication and wait three months to see if it helps," she said in a May 30 Stanford news release. "I'm hoping to be able to apply advanced machine learning technologies to the Mayo Clinic's established headache database to help predict good matches or to develop personalized treatment plans for patients with migraine." She will also work with Nigam Shah, PhD, chief data scientist at Stanford Health Care, to analyze EHR data to identify migraine patients at risk of stroke or cardiovascular disease. The University of Central Florida College of Medicine joined a NASA-funded mission to research how space flight affects the health of space travelers. Scientists are planning to study motion sickness, changes to eye and brain health and changes in cognitive function during space flight, according to a May 31 news release from the Orlando-based university. In partnership with the Translational Research Institute for Space Health, UCF is supporting Axiom's Mission 2, which launched on May 21 headed for the International Space Station. TRISH is funded by NASA and Houston-based Baylor College of Medicine, the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. Emmanuel Urquieta Ordonez, MD, chief medical officer at TRISH and assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine, said he hopes the research will provide "high-value data" regarding physiological changes like sensory-motor data, cognitive performance, study motion sickness, changes to eye and brain health during space flight. "One way we do research is by collecting samples including blood, saliva, stool and skin swabs three times before flight and three times after spaceflight," Dr. Urquieta Ordonez said in the release. TRISH chose to partner with UCF due to its proximity to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. In April, the Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation in Nutley, N.J., announced a similar partnership with Axiom to learn how microgravity affects humans and to advance care for healthcare concerns including cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, David Perlin, PhD, chief scientific officer and executive vice president of the CDI, told Becker's. While some hospital associations maintain that facility fees are key to the financial well-being of hospitals, legislators across the country are taking action to clamp down on facility fees with the aim of reducing healthcare costs. Here are three states where politicians are looking to regulate facility fees that Becker's has covered this year: A New Jersey oncologist pleaded guilty to using her medical license, and allowing others to use it, to purchase prescription oncology medications to sell for profit. Anise Kachadourian, MD, was recruited by an individual who owned a pharmacy and two other businesses that were wholesale distributors of prescription drugs, according to a May 31 press release from the Justice Department. Working with this individual, Dr. Kachadourian used her medical license to purchase expensive prescription drugs including cold-chain biologic infusion medications typically used to treat cancers and autoimmune diseases that were sold through the two businesses. The businesses were not permitted to purchase the drugs, according to the release. In exchange for providing the medications, Dr. Kachadourian received $5,000 per month. By purchasing the drugs, Dr. Kachadourian made false and misleading representations to the pharmaceutical manufacturers and authorized distributors that the drugs would be used to treat her patients and not resold, when in reality the two businesses sold them to their customers. Dr. Kachadourian was paid more than $170,000 for using her license to purchase millions of dollars of prescription drugs between October 2016 and January 2019. Dr. Kachadourian is the third physician to plead guilty in connection to the scheme. In her plea agreement, she agreed to make restitution for the full amount of any loss resulting in her offenses. She is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 6, 2024. Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, Detroit Medical Center and Vanguard Health Systems have agreed to pay $29.7 million to the federal government to resolve a whistleblower's allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by providing kickbacks to referring physicians. Six things to know: 1. DMC operates eight hospitals in the Detroit area. In 2013, Tenet acquired Vanguard owned-and-operated hospitals and outpatient facilities including DMC for $4.3 billion. 2. From Jan. 1, 2014, through Dec. 31, 2017, prosecutors alleged that Sinai Grace Hospital and Harper University Hospital, part of DMC, provided the services of DMC-employed mid-level practitioners to 13 physicians at no cost or below fair market value in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute. 3. According to the Justice Department, the physicians were selected because of their large number of referrals to the two hospitals and the arrangements were allegedly used to induce the physicians to refer more Medicare patients to DMC facilities. 4. The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering, paying, soliciting or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare and other federally funded programs. The statute is designed to ensure providers' judgments are based on the best interests of their patients and not compromised by improper financial incentives. 5. The settlement resolves allegations brought under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Jay Meythaler, MD, a former employee of Wayne State University Medical School, which is affiliated with DMC. Dr. Meythaler will receive $5.2 million as part of the settlement. 6. The settlement is not an admission of any wrongdoing by Tenet, DMC or Vanguard. "Once we became aware of the allegations, Tenet and DMC fully cooperated with the government throughout its investigation," a Tenet spokesperson told Becker's. "The matter was resolved fully to avoid the expense and operational distraction. We remain committed to full compliance with all state and federal healthcare program requirements and providing high-quality care to serve our community." A seen from a short film "Fantastic Night Rhapsody," which was shot using a Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics Film shot using Galaxy S23 hits 250 mil. views in China By Baek Byung-yeul Samsung Electronics has lost ground to Chinese rivals and Apple in China, the world's largest smartphone market, but the maker of the Galaxy smartphone series is trying to keep its foothold there by strengthening marketing efforts toward young consumers, according to the company, Thursday. The company said that it has begun to engage younger consumers in China via various cultural marketing efforts, including movies and art. As part of its efforts, Samsung partnered with Shanghai Disneyland and released a short film on May 20. The movie, titled "Fantastic Night Rhapsody," was entirely shot with Samsung's latest high-end smartphone Galaxy S23 Ultra. Samsung said the short film has been well-received in the Chinese market, surpassing 250 million views within just 10 days of it being released. The 27-minute film, starring actress Jin Chen and produced by filmmaker Chen Cheng-Tao, utilized the Galaxy S23 Ultra's 20-megapixel ultra-high-definition camera and its Nightography feature to vividly capture character movement details, even in dark settings, Samsung said. A poster of the short film "Fantastic Night Rhapsody," which was shot using a Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics The FDA is deciding whether to temporarily allow the importation of chemotherapy drugs from unapproved manufacturers outside of the U.S. as the nation grapples with a shortage of key cancer drugs, a spokesperson with the agency told CNBC June 1. Last summer, the agency took a similar action to address the baby formula shortage. "In these cases, we very carefully assess the overseas product for quality, making sure that its [sic] safe for U.S. patients," a spokesperson told the news outlet. Physicians and patients have been especially concerned about a shortage of cisplatin and carboplatin, which has in some cases led oncologists to ration the widely used cancer drugs and delayed patient treatment. "Things have been getting worse on the ground. Something has to happen and change immediately," Abdul Rafeh Naqash, MD, a lung cancer specialist at the OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center in Oklahoma City, told CNBC. The cisplatin shortage began in early February. Since then, resupply dates have been pushed back four times. Drugmakers have said they anticipate their supply to return to normal levels in June. Oncology groups anticipate potential eased import restrictions would help further stabilize supplies after June, according to CNBC. More than a year after launching an in-house travel staffing agency, UPMC is adding a new regional approach to the effort. Maribeth McLaughlin, MPM, BSN, RN, chief nursing executive for the Pittsburgh-based health system, told Becker's the approach provides a new option for nurses and surgical technologists who desire to travel. "Our overall travel program, when you travel for us, you travel across our hospitals in New York, Maryland and Pennsylvania," she said. "And now we are launching a regional travel strategy where some staff can choose to travel only within certain regions." UPMC initially announced in December 2021 that it had created UPMC Travel Staffing, a new in-house travel staffing agency to address a nursing shortage and to attract and retain workers. Through the agency, nurses and surgical technologists earn $85 an hour and $63 an hour, respectively, in addition to a $2,880 stipend at the beginning of each six-week assignment. Ms. McLaughlin said the rate is lower about $60 an hour for those who opt for the regional approach. As of June 1, UPMC has hired more than 700 staff into the in-house travel staffing agency, with 60 percent of those workers being external hires, according to Ms. McLaughlin. And there have been fewer workers leaving UPMC to go to other travel agencies. "One of my goals since I've taken this role is to really look at building in as many flexible programs as I could for staff," said Ms. McLaughlin, who has served in her current role since August 2022. "I think as we came out of the pandemic, it's clear to me that work-life harmony means something different to staff today than it maybe meant when I was a young staff nurse years ago, and that we need to have as much flexibility and as many different programs as we can." She said UPMC Travel Staffing has delivered this flexibility and allowed the health system to cancel about 90 contracts with external travel agencies. Additionally, some external travelers have now moved into UPMC's in-house agency. Ms. McLaughlin expects more to join the in-house agency now that UPMC has launched the regional approach. "We're launching a win-back program where we're going out and trying to see some of the people who we know we lost and see if they're interested in coming back closer to home and traveling closer to home," she explained. Still, she acknowledged some of the challenges along the way. "Our IT department built us an app to be able to manage all of this because, as you can imagine, we have external travel, internal travelers, core staff and at times it could get a little confusing," said Ms. McLaughlin. "So we've been able to build that to be able to figure out the best ways to assign the staff where the greatest needs are." Another challenge she noted is that shifts for workers from external travel agencies are often 12 weeks, while shifts with UPMC Travel Staffing are six weeks. She said this is a purposeful move because those in UPMC Travel Staffing receive benefits and are considered UPMC employees, rather than receiving an hourly rate. "Overall, it's been a really successful program for us because it's allowed us to look at things in a different way," said Ms. McLaughlin. "It's a central function. It's not something we did and farmed out to every hospital to administer themselves. We did it as a system and as a core, which I also think is important." Now, she said she's excited about the new regional approach and the opportunities it presents for recruiting and retention. "We're growing our own students, we're bringing in all these students, and we're not saying, 'You have to just work here.' We're saying, 'You can work for us at UPMC, and here are all the options. You can even be a traveler with us,'" she said. From artificial intelligence to increased consolidation, five surgeons told Becker's what they think the orthopedic industry will look like 10 years from now. While some surgeons are hopeful for the future of the specialty, others are not so sure. Question: What will the orthopedic industry look like in 10 years? Thomas Schuler, MD. Spine Surgeon, Founder and CEO at Virginia Spine Institute (Reston): Patients have a bright and hopeful future. In this biocentury, where genomics is vastly improving medical outcomes, technological advances in implants and surgical navigation are multipliers for even more exciting improvements in healthcare. The use of regenerative medicine will obviate the need for many procedures as we use the body's own healing potential to avoid or delay many traditional treatments. Innovative implants, especially in the spine, are already changing treatment paradigms. Artificial discs are rewriting the treatment algorithms for the wise and open-minded spine surgeons. This will continue to drastically improve patients' lives. Robotic surgery and augmented reality will further reduce surgical trauma, thus reducing iatrogenically induced disruption and accelerate recovery. All of these technologies will continue to improve and rapidly evolve over the next decade, thereby improving the lives of millions through improved outcomes and better quality of life. The future is exciting for our patients. Industry will struggle with insurance and government commoditization of healthcare, but it will survive to provide essential life improving products to our patients. Praveen Mummaneni, MD. Neurosurgeon at University of California San Francisco: On the spine side, there is already a push for degenerative diseases to be treated minimally invasively in outpatient settings. That push will continue due to finances. The inpatient side will be dominated by complex spine surgery for revision fusion, deformity and tumor as these types of surgery are not amenable to outpatient treatment. Neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons need to be familiar with minimally invasive approaches so they will be ready for the upcoming shift to outpatient settings for probably half their cases. Lali Sekhon, MD, PhD. Neurosurgeon at Reno (Nev.) Orthopedic Center: The optimist in me says the following: 1. More outpatient surgery 2. Value-based care actually getting rewarded 3. Greater cost consciousness 4. Continued incremental advances in materials, technologies, robotics etc. with price sensitivity 5. Patient remote monitoring becomes more standard to assess recovery via GPS and motion tracking 6. Consolidation of industry (especially spine) where smaller companies offering generic products will find it harder to compete 7. Complete transparency on cost and outcomes at every level The pragmatist/realist in me says the following: 1. Dwindling reimbursement 2. Hospitals push CMS to make some codes inpatient only to breathe life into their bottom line 3. More employed physicians 4. Private equity seen for what it is, but more ownership of practices by hospital systems 5. Two streams of practice: the sick or big surgeries done in hospitals and the healthy and well-insured in ASCs 6. Foggy transparency of costs and outcomes at every level Issada Thongtrangan, MD. Orthopedic Surgeon at Microspine (Scottsdale, Ariz.): I predict that there will be more private equity-owned and -managed practices. Doctors will be just employees. There will be more utilization of "advanced" healthcare providers as it is more cost/effective and likely to make more profit for the employer." We will see more movements from "big" companies such as Walmart, Amazon, etc. in the healthcare sector. Who knows if one day we may see hospitals and or ASCs run by these companies. We will see AI and ChatGPT involved in electronic health records and may be decision-making clinically. I am sure that all the commercial payers are looking at AI to beef up the authorization process for all kinds of necessary studies and surgeries. We will see more denials. More surgeries will be performed in the surgery center as it is cheaper than the hospital. Adam Bruggeman, MD. Orthopedic Surgeon at Texas Spine Care Center (San Antonio): I think the current trajectory suggests that the industry will be highly consolidated into vertically integrated systems where orthopedic surgeons are increasingly employed or controlled by insurance companies that also control the spectrum of care from primary care through hospitals. The political environment has provided significant advantages to insurance companies while at the same time discouraging private practice. I don't think these chapters have been written and there is opportunity to redirect the trajectory, but it will take all aspects of medicine grouping together to fight the corporatization of healthcare. US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland Joe Kennedy III says the Top 100 reflects the diversity of the economy here and the importance of US firms As US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs, I congratulate everyone who has contributed to the success of Northern Irelands Top 100 Companies. From globally recognised brands to indigenous firms, each company reflects the wide diversity of employers who generate prosperity and opportunity right across Northern Ireland. As the largest foreign direct investor in the region, its especially encouraging to see a number of US businesses on the list, spanning diverse sectors like manufacturing, financial services and software. The fact that 70% of Northern Irelands 1,200 international companies opt to reinvest in the region speaks volumes about your world-class research universities, competitive wage levels, skilled workforce, and the best telecommunications infrastructure per capita in Europe. In April, I joined President Biden as he addressed local entrepreneurs and emerging leaders at Ulster University. In that impressive new campus, the President reminded us of our responsibilities to the next generation in Northern Irelands case, one of the youngest populations in Europe. It was heartening to see young entrepreneurs from local groups like Young Enterprise so well represented at the event. The following week, I led a Presidential Delegation to Queens University to mark the 25th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. To many Americans, the Agreements legacy as a foundation for political and economic stability remains an inspiration to the wider world. Since its signing, local and foreign investment has helped generate over 200,000 new jobs, bringing Northern Ireland towards almost full employment. Over the last decade, the region has drawn almost $2bn in new investment from the United States alone. These two events in April provided an opportunity for retrospection and a chance to celebrate hard-won gains. Yet the Presidents narrative was firmly rooted in the future. He talked about young people who once left for opportunities overseas, now seeing their futures firmly rooted in Northern Ireland. He also described their energy and dynamism as well as their capacity to meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving world. Similarly, discussions at the culmination of the Queens University conference were not only about the past, but about capitalising on opportunities that lie ahead. I left Northern Ireland in April sensing an energy and a desire to secure an even more prosperous next chapter. I am honoured and excited to join with you in that work ahead, and there is much to do. First, there is a great opportunity in Northern Ireland for existing firms to expand their footprint. Most of Northern Irelands top 100 organisations are fulfilling their potential because of strategically grounded decisions to reinvest and expand. In an economy dominated by small-to medium-sized enterprises, many more Northern Ireland businesses now have a genuine capacity to upscale and expand globally. An essential component to that success is building connections and articulating the economic benefits of investing in Northern Ireland to new US partners. Central to this is my work with stakeholders in Northern Ireland to help advance their 10X Economic Vision. Its an ambitious but focused plan, homing in on strategic clusters where economic growth is most viable. Its been a pleasure getting to know the Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service Jayne Brady and the dedicated professionals on her team. While current political circumstances present challenges, Northern Ireland is in a strong place because of her leadership and deep conviction in Northern Irelands economic potential. To the credit of officials in Brussels, Belfast and London, complexities around implementation of Brexit have given way to a unique set of trading arrangements that can provide real opportunities for more inward investment and trade growth. Local business leaders often remind me that the Windsor Framework places Northern Ireland in a truly unique market position in protecting the regions place within the United Kingdom while providing privileged trade access to the European Union. Despite this opportunity, no government or business leader is oblivious to our shared, current challenges. Global economic headwinds, an accelerating climate crisis, and geopolitical impacts are forcing us all to think differently and creatively. Internally, the challenges to Northern Irelands productivity and the deep-rooted structural reasons behind them are acknowledged by every local leader. Moreover, as many of the businesses listed in this report will testify, Northern Irelands internal market is not large enough to generate the level of growth to fully rebalance its economy. To thrive, local businesses must be encouraged to look beyond conventional borders and their traditional markets. As a friend, the United States will continue to make the case that the restoration of the Assembly and Executive will give Northern Ireland greater control over economic policy and demonstrate stability to global investors. Many US executives are already aware of Northern Irelands strong economic proposition and its potential for market access. But they also need clarity and certainty. Local politicians, accountable to those they serve, are best positioned to build a vibrant Northern Ireland economy that will benefit everyone. The challenges confronting Northern Ireland while difficult are not unique. My own country is no stranger to polarised politics and systematic inequality. In recent decades a shifting global economy left many working Americans and their communities behind. The belief by some that economic gains would be naturally dispersed often served to exacerbate the very worst dyna.mics of economic inequality. When President Biden took office, he pledged to confront this while fully integrating our domestic policy and foreign policy. His belief was that every action taken in our conduct abroad must be done with American working families in mind. Central to this strategy is a fairer, more inclusive, and more durable global economic order. Whether its in Boston or Belfast, economic priorities built solely on innovation-driven growth will at best, bring limited success. Conversely, building a culture of inclusive innovation will help us confront stark social inequalities and bring benefits to us all. President Kennedy is often associated with the saying the rising tide lifts all boats. His contention was that an improving economy, if harnessed correctly, can and should reach every participant. While possible, that success is not inevitable. It demands intervention, attention and care. As we seek to address shared goals and mutually beneficial opportunities, no-one from any community or neighbourhood should ever be left behind. Congratulations again to every member of staff who has been a part of the continued success of Northern Irelands Top 100 companies. From boardrooms to production lines, your contribution to Northern Irelands upward trajectory is to be applauded. I look forward to working with you as an advocate and partner as Northern Ireland embarks on its next, exciting chapter. Joe Kennedy III was appointed US Special Envoy for Economic Affairs in December 2022 Americas interest in procuring a deal in Northern Ireland could become even stronger if an Executive gets back in place in Stormont, says Grant Thorntons Paul Prenter Last year, 2022, was a record one for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in Northern Ireland, with Experian reporting 267 transactions across the 12 months. While activity has increased to its highest ever level, so too has the level of scrutiny being applied by buyers. As a result, transactions are at times taking longer, with negotiations drawing out on key items, and the agreement of earn-outs or completion accounts. The matter was high up the agenda at the excellent Real Deal conference that took place recently in Kildare. From talking to business owners and entrepreneurs who have gone through the exit process there is a clear message. First of all, if anyone ever thought it was, they are finding that due diligence is definitely not easy. You should always trust your instinct, prepare as early as possible, and of course, its key to have the right advisers in your corner. It should be noted that the level of activity in Northern Ireland is somewhat at odds with a reported fall off in global M&A activity, particularly at the larger end of the deal spectrum where there are certainly fewer of those mega deals, over $5bn. Instead, a greater number of smaller deals are happening, relatively speaking. That fits the Northern Ireland market well and activity is across multiple sectors with significant traction in healthcare and life sciences, manufacturing, energy, technology and beyond. Our corporate finance team, now numbering 50 across Belfast and Dublin, is receiving new instructions and enquiries on an almost daily basis. We are seeing deals that involve a strong mix of local and international entities, and we are working with many business owners who have come through Covid and are now considering their succession plans. Many of our largest corporates continue to look outside the UK and Ireland to make acquisitions and drive growth, and their ambition is fantastic to see. On the local front, Northern Ireland retains an exceptionally competitive banking network which, in contrast to other regions, still has a significant number of players. As such, for good opportunities, the banks are very much open for business. So, what is the reason behind the increased level of scrutiny in transactions? A lot of companies obviously did very well coming out of Covid, so there is an element that buyers want to be sure that those increased earnings are sustainable into 2023, 2024 and beyond, and not simply the result of a Covid-bounce. As a consequence, we are getting a lot of buyers focusing in on quality of earnings when it comes to due diligence. The reward, however, is worth it and our view is, theres never been a better time to invest in Northern Ireland. Thats exactly what were telling prospective buyers when were marketing on the sell-side for Northern Ireland entities, highlighting the unique proposition of this region particularly with regards to access to the GB and EU markets. For European and UK investors, that is resonating. We are also increasingly working on deals involving a US angle, whether that be on behalf of Northern Ireland-based companies expanding into the US market and requiring support to do so, or carrying out due diligence work for US clients on transactions they are making in the UK and Ireland. Perhaps they were listening when US President Joe Biden recently remarked that American entities were queuing up to invest in Northern Ireland. US President Joe Biden addressed an audience at Ulster University's new campus in Belfast at an event marking 25 years since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement During his address in Belfast, the President suggested American companies could treble the $2bn already invested here. The opportunities are clearly there, and (as President Biden was less than subtly hinting) could undoubtedly multiply with the greater certainty that would come with the reformation of the Northern Ireland Executive. As always however, if the proposition presented by the business is right, there will remain high levels of interest from credible buyers and investors with ready access to funds. Seeking professional advice at the earliest opportunity to ensure youre best prepared to take your offering to market is vital, especially in the current climate of increasingly strict due diligence. Paul Prenter is a director of corporate finance at Grant Thornton. Keeping up with changes to international taxation law is a challenge to business, says Jonathan Megaw, head of large corporate and international tax at Grant Thornton The relative ease with which businesses can access the worlds markets could not be more starkly contrasted than with the complexities of navigating the resulting international taxation. The tax regimes governing international trade can only be described as transient, both domestically in the UK and on the international stage. Evolving global guidance, new legislation, and developing (sometimes conflicting) interpretation by the courts is exacerbating the challenges to businesses as they seek to minimise tax risk, maximise tax efficiency, and remain legally compliant. For those operating in Northern Ireland, there is the added challenge of doing business in the only part of the UK that has a land border with a country offering a lower corporate tax rate that is without mentioning the unique intricacies that come with the Windsor Framework. Navigating the complexities of international tax necessitates a clear understanding of the current position of your business and its strategy for the future, whether you are part of a global enterprise already or seeking to expand outside the UK as part of your growth plan. Take transfer pricing as an example. Pillar 2 is the most significant change to the international tax landscape in recent years. The Pillar 2 international tax rules (announced in the Spring Finance Bill 2023 for accounting periods commencing on or after December 31, 2023) will introduce a new global minimum tax of 15%. Effectively, groups within the scope of Pillar 2 (essentially, consolidated revenue over 750 million per annum) will need to calculate and report an effective tax rate in all the jurisdictions in which they operate. If the effective tax rate is under 15% (regardless of local tax rates and reliefs), a top-up tax liability may arise. Businesses below the Pillar 2 threshold are not exempt from new rules either, as UK transfer pricing documentation requirements are increasing this year, further magnifying administrative burdens. Since April 1, it has been a requirement that key transfer pricing documentation (i.e. Master File, Local File and Summary Audit Trail documents) must all be prepared in advance of a company filing its UK corporation tax return and provided to HMRC on request within 30 days. Elsewhere, international financing is receiving considerable attention by HMRC, and most worldwide tax authorities are both adding to and bolstering their anti-avoidance measures. Cross-border financing is a necessary staple of almost all international enterprises, however, the UK legislation governing this type of financing is incredibly complex (as it includes tests on form and motive, rules restricting interest deductibility and numerous anti-avoidance measures to name a few). The need for meticulous intergroup finance planning has never been higher given the heightened risk of huge tax inefficiencies and being subject to a range of legislative challenges by tax authorities. On top of numerous legislative challenges, the UK Government now compels large corporates (and certain individuals they employ) to assure their tax position via tax risk management regimes. Subject to certain thresholds, there are requirements for businesses to publicly publish their tax strategy, adhere to the corporate criminal offence legislation and appoint a senior accounting officer (who is responsible for maintaining appropriate tax accounting arrangements and can incur personal fines if there is a failure to comply with the necessary obligations). We are increasingly working with our large corporate clients because, although the requirements are convoluted and burdensome, compliance is essential as failure to adhere to the obligations can carry significant penalties. All of this is of significance as HMRC seeks to invest greater resources to tax investigations, so it is more important than ever to remain compliant. After scrutiny from the National Audit Office about the lack of tax investigations, HMRC has been decisive in recruiting over 2,000 additional staff and moving resource previously deployed on Covid schemes to frontline investigations. On top of that, HMRC continues to invest heavily in sophisticated data mining technology and new sources of information, meaning HMRC is improving how it profiles for errors (whether careless or deliberate). In certain risk areas, HMRC will also seek to deploy more of their tools and resource. For example, HMRC recognises transfer pricing as a key risk area, as it has returned large tax collections from transfer pricing enquiries. Therefore, HMRC conducted a UK-wide recruitment drive to build up their senior transfer pricing and international tax expertise. With more staff, better profiling, and greater information resources, the probability of an enquiry has never been higher. When you couple that with the complexity and ever evolving nature of international tax, and the punitive measures imposed on businesses that fail to comply, now more than ever is the time to invest in ensuring your tax affairs are in order. Jonathan Megaw joined Grant Thornton in 2023 to lead the large corporate and international tax team in Belfast. Previously, he worked for over 10 years at HM Revenue and Customs, where he specialised in complex international tax issues, led UK corporation tax compliance checks and prepared international tax cases for litigation Ex-Newsline host is claiming gender, age and disability discrimination against the broadcaster Former BBC Newsline presenter Donna Traynor was told she would have to split her duties between radio and TV in what her legal team has said amounted to diminishing her duties. Ms Traynor, once one of the most high profile BBC presenters, is taking a discrimination case against the broadcaster, claiming age, gender and disability discrimination. The first day of the hearing heard that she felt she was being bullied and coerced by the BBC management into presenting the two hour Evening Extra radio show, two to three days a week. In opening remarks Ms Traynors legal team said she was subjected to bullying and harassment after she raised a grievance about a plan to change her role at the corporation. During the first morning of evidence in the employment tribunal taken by Ms Traynor against the BBC, Paddy Lyttle KC claimed that his client had her role diminished unfairly. Ms Traynor is taking an industrial tribunal against her former employer and its Northern Ireland director, Adam Smyth. Both Ms Traynor and Adam Smyth were present at the fair employment hearing in south Belfast for the first day of the tribunal, being heard in front of a three person panel headed up by Vice Chair Maxine Orr. BBC NI Director Adam Smyth The case was taken by Ms Traynor following a proposal to move her to a radio position in 2019. The barrister said the plan was presented to Ms Traynor on her 55th birthday which she said made her the oldest female presenter working for the BBC in Northern Ireland. Ms Traynor dramatically quit her job at the corporation in November 2021. She has previously been nominated twice for the Royal Television Society award for presenter of the year. Once one of Northern Irelands most high-profile broadcasters, the tribunal heard that she joined the BBC in 1989, presenting radio news bulletins, before moving into television. In August 2006 she was offered a two-year contract presenting the flagship 6.30pm Newsline programme, five days a week. In 2008, the three-person tribunal was told that she was given a permanent contract. Mr Lyttle said that his client had been engaged specifically to work on Newsline five days a week. He said that she had yearly appraisals that graded her work to a high standard and that during her time as the programmes presenter, audiences continued to grow. He also said that Ms Traynor had been assured that her role would not be diminished by Mr Smyth during an annual appraisal held in December 2018. Addressing the age discrimination portion of her case, Mr Lyttle KC claimed that a voluntary redundancy scheme was a ploy to get rid of the old crop. The scheme was available to anyone who presented a TV or radio programme more than 30 minutes in length. The tribunal heard that veteran journalists Noel Thompson, Seamus McKee and Wendy Austin took up the redundancy offer along with Karen Patterson. Three were in their 60s, possibly 70s, no one of a more junior ranking, or younger age, could apply, Mr Lyttle claimed. Frank ODonoghue KC, who is representing the BBC and Mr Smyth, challenged the assertion that the scheme was not a true redundancy but intended to move on older presenters. He said there is nothing to suggest that this was not a true redundancy process. The tribunal heard that Ms Traynor was told that under restructuring, she would be sharing the presenting of Newsline with BBC colleague Tara Mills, alongside a male presenter who was to be recruited. She would also be expected to extend her duties to present the Evening Extra programme on Radio Ulster. It was said that at the time the BBC was trying to get more female presenters onto their radio output. Mr Lyttle referred to a meeting where Ms Traynor said she was being used to settle a gender imbalance issue at Radio Ulster. The barrister said that the BBC should have been working on using good presenters and not in terms of gender, a practice he said went out with the ark. Mr Lyttle added that Ms Traynor stated in one BBC meeting about Mr Smyths plans: If I was called Donald Traynor, he wouldnt be moving me to radio. Continuing with his opening remarks, Mr Lyttle said that his client had a deaf ear, something she had developed following a childhood illness. He quoted from a doctors report that stated she suffered from profound single sided deafness. He said she had learned to work with her disability in her TV role by following visual cues from colleagues and because of the scripted nature of the Newsline show. It was a job he said she had carried out for many years to a high standard. However, he said that the freewheeling and unstructured nature of the two hour Evening Extra show would present a challenge to her. Any mistake would be in front of hundreds of thousands of people, he added. Mr Lyttle said that during the course of the tribunal they would challenge the details of correspondence dated March 15, 2021 when a member of the BBC Human Resources department said that they had only recently learned about her hearing loss. Thats not true, he said, adding that it had been included in an employment record dating back to 2006. He added that the difference in wearing an ear piece for half an hour for her TV duties and wearing headphones for the two hours of radio concerned her as she was keen to protect the hearing in her right ear. A reasonable accommodation would have been to let her stay on as a TV presenter, a duty she had fulfilled for 30 years, he said. The fact that it wasnt considered at all was clearly discriminatory, he added. He said that his client felt bullied that she was continually asked to perform a radio trial run after she explained she was unable to do radio work. He said that due to her hearing loss she was concerned that people with poor diction would be difficult to make out on radio and that if she missed words that would be professionally embarrassing. Mr Lyttle said an internal grievance process carried out by the BBC in 2020 was a complete whitewash, adding: It was not a genuine hearing of the grievance, it was protecting Mr Smyth. The tribunal is expected to last over a week. Jared Leto says he has not cried in about 17 years (Ian West/PA) Jared Leto says he has not cried in about 17 years and suggested he had shed all of his tears while making psychological drama Requiem For A Dream in 2000. The Hollywood actor and musician appeared as a co-host of the Jo Whiley show on Radio 2 on Wednesday. It comes ahead of the release of his band 30 Seconds To Mars sixth studio album, Its The End Of The World But Its A Beautiful Day, in September. The bands recent and upcoming returns to the stage, playing in venues in the US and UK, mark Letos first in four years. They had previously been scheduled to perform at Radio 1s Big Weekend, on Saturday, but were forced to pull out at the last minute due to technical difficulties. The Hollywood actor and musician appeared as a co-host of the Jo Whiley show on Radio 2 on Wednesday (Ian West/PA) It was just like a perfect disaster, and thats touring. Thats life, Leto said. Its full of those kinds of, you know, adventures, to put it politely. Speaking about the emotional responses of those to whom he had played his new music to, Leto was asked if there were songs that moved him to tears. I havent cried in about 17 years, the last time was because I stubbed my toe, he said. Asked why, he replied: Im just like a lizard. I dont think my tear ducts work properly. Maybe I shed them all in Requiem For A Dream or something? I cried so much during the making of that movie. Leto starred in the 2000 drama film, directed by Darren Aronofsky, alongside Ellen Burstyn and Jennifer Connelly. He continued: A wild thing about that film is I remember I had a scene and I was supposed to be very emotional, and then literally when they shot my close-up I got a call. One of my best friends had just been shot in the head and the emotion that came at that moment when I recognised what a brutal loss this was. But I realised what a bad actor I was because it didnt really touch anything that Id done in this scene, and I believe I went back and asked for another take. I shared a little bit of that in the scene and thats whats in the movie when Im talking on the phone. So in a way, you know, (my friend) lives in that scene. Leto has gone on to star in multiple blockbuster films, including the Marvel and DC franchises, and won an Oscar for best-supporting actor for his role in the 2013 film Dallas Buyers Club. He told Whiley that his new album had a lot of bright newness and optimism, having been written during the pandemic. It has a lot of celebration, he said. Of course there are darker sides we explore, as always, too, because, you know, we like to explore a lot of different things. But Im excited for people to hear it. I think for us we feel like were a brand new band really energised and revitalised. The full programme with Jared Leto and Jo Whiley can be listened to now on BBC Sounds. People wait in line to try In-N-Out Burgers at its one-day-only pop-up store in southern Seoul, Wednesday. Newsis By Kim Jae-heun In-N-Out Burger, a major U.S. hamburger franchise based in California, opened a pop-up store in southern Seoul, Wednesday, for the first time since 2019, drawing a long line of people eager to taste the American burger, according to industry officials. The store sold burgers for only four hours from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., but the line was formed hours before its doors opened. "I waited two and half hours from 10:30 a.m. to try In-N-Out Burger. The burger tastes exactly the same as one I had in the United States. It was worth it," a 30-year-old man surnamed Cheong said. A visitor takes a photo of In-N-Out's Double-Double burger at its one-day pop-up event held in Gangnam, southern Seoul, Wednesday. Newsis Preparations are under way for Northern Irelands leading outdoor electronic music festival once again. This year's 9th annual AVA Festival promises to bring together a mighty plethora of talent across the first weekend in June. This year the events organisers are debuting a new Pump House stage, an impressive stage that allows visitors to truly embrace the music at the festival. The pumphouse will be a new enclosed warehouse area with an emphasis on audio-visual production provided by Visual Spectrum. The events main organiser, Sarah says this years AVA will be a festival everyone can enjoy. "We are an electronic music festival and this year we have broadened it out - hip hop as well. So we cater for a lot of music styles but also for someone that isnt interested in that music there is also like the atmosphere, the crowd and the energy. "Obviously we have the sunshine and the beautiful site so its also just a really good fun festival. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys festivals and wants to get out and have fun. She feels there are a few acts that will really impress the crowd over the weekend. Some of the things Im looking forward to are Overmono playing our new stage, the Pump House. Im really excited for that and Or:la and Sally C closing on the Saturday and Peggy Gou close on the Friday, she said. AVA supports local artists with a platform along with some of the worlds most celebrated musicians, Sarah feels that the festival truly celebrates the talent Belfast has to offer. I think because we support so many artists from Belfast lots of people have followed them over the years and they come to see those artists every year. "Obviously people are coming to see the headliners like Central Cee and Peggy Gou but I think a lot of people come for the Belfast artists, she added. The AVA Festival will be running tomorrow (Friday 2 June) and Saturday 3 June from 1-11pm. There will also be a range of after parties happening across Belfast city centre to celebrate the festival. A west Belfast DJ has said he is completely buzzing to be signed by Atlantic Records, joining the likes of Ed Sheeran, Cardi B and Coldplay as one of the global labels artists. Pearce Kelly (24), who works as a classroom assistant, said the news has yet to sink in after he learned in March that the prestigious record label was interesting in joining forces with him. It doesnt feel real. I just cant wait until [the news is] out and everyone knows, then I think it will properly sink in, he said, speaking exclusively to the Belfast Telegraph ahead of the announcement. Born and raised in west Belfast, Pearce, who is a resident DJ at Thompsons Garage, Belfast, for over a year, has been interested in DJing and electronic music since he was 12 and got his first set of decks at age 14. My dad was really into the rave and electronic scene in the 1980s and 1990s. He used to go to all these heavy, hard trance raves, so I was always brought up around dance music, he recalled. When I was 12, thats when I found dubstep, and then I took an interest in actually DJing. When I got my decks at 14, I didnt have a clue and ended up doing a course to help me. Then I started a SoundCloud account. It started getting some good traction, but I actually got deleted because of a copyright issue around my stage name, he said, laughing. I started a new one, which took about a year to take off. I released a song called Over Now, which just blew up and I started to get a following off it. Pearces deal with the US-based Atlantic Records came about through chance after someone at the label discovered a track Pearse initially released via SoundCloud under a different name. I produced a track which wasnt the type of song I usually would make, so I posted it on a separate page with a couple of friends. But I started to gain lots of traction, he added. Then, randomly one day, I get this message on Instagram. Pearce said the message was from a VP at Atlantic Records who said they were interested in speaking with him about a possible signing. Surprised, he initially thought it was a scam. I genuinely thought it was someone messing about, [but] then next thing I know Im on Zoom meetings with these people. They said they really liked my work and were really interested in the music coming out of Northern Ireland. Pearces new record deal is for four singles, which he will produce and create under Atlantic Records. The first is due to be released at the end of June. However, Pearce is not betting everything on his new professional DJ career just yet. Ive told the school I work in and theyre fine with it. Ive actually just confirmed to go back, but Im going to see how the summer goes with everything, he added. A Co Down businessman was ordered today to stand trial accused of a multimillion-pound international Bitcoin cryptocurrency fraud. Holywood-based company director Jawad Yaqub (45) is accused of frauds against organisations in the US and Australia. The string of charges also include one of falsely claiming he had a PhD from Queens University Belfast. Appearing at Newtownards Magistrates Court, Yaqub confirmed he understood the 25 charges against him and that he did not object to the case being returned to the Crown Court for trial. The charges cover a time span between February 2016 and October 2018. Yaqub, from Ben Vista Park in Holywood, faces 19 charges of converting criminal property and four counts of fraud by false representation. He faces single charges of fraudulent training and theft. While the alleged facts surrounding the charges have not been opened in court, the charge sheets reveal that, according to the Crowns case, Yaqub was a director in Razormind Limited but carried on his business for a fraudulent purpose. It is alleged the fraudulent purpose was to defraud participants in the DeOS crowdsale. The fraud-by-false-representation charges allege that Yaqub claimed Razormind Limited is a world-leading information technology services company providing a wide range of services to a substantial and diversified client base including corporations, financial institutions, governments and high-net-worth individuals. Yaqub is alleged to have made false representations to a list of firms and organisations including Bank Of America, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Chubb, Deutsche Lufthansa, Farmers Mutual Group, Health Partners, Telefonica O2 and Texas Public Schools. Yaqub also allegedly falsely claimed that he had obtained an MPhil and PhD from Queens University Belfast. Meanwhile, the theft charge alleges that Yaqub stole 397.504 Bitcoin belonging to Razormind Limited. At current market value, that would equate to Bitcoin worth more than 8.5m. Prosecuting counsel submitted there was a case for Yaqub to answer, which was conceded by his defence solicitor. Freeing Yaqub on continuing bail, District Judge Mark Hamill returned the case to Downpatrick Crown Court, but did not specify a date for the arraignment. A man and a woman from Co Down pleaded guilty to possessing drugs with intent to supply and possessing criminal property. A man and woman have been sentenced after police seized drugs worth over 22,000 during searches in Co Down. At the time, police said that the arrest and search operation was connected to the West Belfast UDA organised crime gang. Mark Matthew Magowan (43), of Seamount Parade, Holywood, Co Down, was jailed for 10 months with a further 18 months on supervised licence following his release from custody. Julie-Anne Knell (46), of Ballyvester Grove, Bangor, Co Down, received a 22-and-a-half-month sentence suspended for two years. Both had pleaded guilty to charges of possessing cocaine and cannabis with intent to supply and possessing 16,100 of criminal property. Magowan further pleaded guilty to a charge of storing the cutting agent benzocaine in his static caravan which was capable of committing further drug offences. The couple were arrested on October 22, 2019 by officers from the Paramilitary Crime Task Force (PCTF). Downpatrick Crown Court, sitting in Belfast, heard that on that date, PCTF officers assisted by colleagues from the Tactical Support Group and District Support Team carried out a search of the couples home at Ballyvester Court in Bangor as part of proactive searches into the supply of drugs in the North Down area. A prosecution barrister said a small quantity of cannabis resin along with a sum of cash was located at the address. Police requested that a set of keys to a static caravan in Millisle be handed over which were surrendered by Knell. A search of the caravan was carried out and around 200g of cocaine, 500g of suspected cutting agent benzocaine, 785g of cannabis resin and approximately 735g of herbal cannabis were found in the master bedroom. Various sums of cash were recovered totalling 16,100. There were dealer lists with names and figures and weighing scales. The court heard a police drugs expert valued the total of the drugs to be worth between 14,220 and 22,370. Both were questioned by police four times and made no comment to the seizures. At her fourth interview, Knell told police: One paramilitary group put me out of Portavogie five years ago and the other one gave me protection. Defence counsel Neil Connor KC for Knell said she was led into this offending by her association with Magowan. He said that one of her partners had viciously assaulted her and is due to be sentenced this summer at Downpatrick Crown Court. Mr Connor added that if both defendants were jailed, the eight-year-old child she shares with Magowan would be left without a parent. Defence barrister Richard McConkey for Magowan said he suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after his brother-in-law was murdered and the defendant was also injured during the attack. Judge Geoffrey Miller KC said Magowan and 127 previous convictions, with eight entries on his record for possessing Class A, B and C drugs. In this case, the quantities of drugs seized were significant. One-and-half kilos of cannabis and together with a little less than a quarter kilo of cocaine, and a cutting agent which would considerably increase that amount. Dealer lists and weighing scales indicate that this was but the tip of the iceberg. Following sentencing, Detective Sergeant Pyper of the PCTF said: Searches of properties, one in Bangor and one in Millisle, took place on October 22, 2019. Various drug-related paraphernalia and fireworks were also seized, along with cash totally just over 16,000. Earlier this year, as a result of a PCTF proceeds of crime investigation, Belfast Magistrates Court awarded the forfeiture of this money, 16,100 in total, in favour of the Police Service. DS Pyper added: We, along with our partner organisations, remain committed to pursuing those groups who make a living from crime. These people exercise a regime of violence and control, bringing nothing but harm to their own communities. They dont care about the devastating effects of illegal drugs; and they care nothing for the lives and relationships broken along the way. Im grateful for the support of the local community and would encourage anyone with information, or concerns, to contact us on 101. Derrylin fire: Jury sworn in for trial of man accused of murdering family of four Hugh Callaghan, one of the Birmingham Six, who was wrongly jailed for IRA bombings has died at the age of 93. Mr Callaghan passed away in a London hospital last Saturday after suspected heart trouble. Originally from Belfast, he was jailed for life along with the five other men for the explosions in Mulberry Bush and Tavern pubs in the centre of Birmingham on 21 November, 1974, which killed 21 people and injured 182. The Birmingham Six were Irish men living in England who were rounded up after the IRA bombings. Police beat and brutalised the men. They put alsatians in Callaghans cell and obtained false confessions that led to life sentences. When the men later tried to prove their innocence, judges sided with police. A campaign led by the Labour MP Chris Mullin paved the way to eventual exoneration and freedom in 1991 after 16 years in jail. Police also claimed to have found traces of explosives on the men, but these tests were later discredited. The Birmingham Six case became notorious for the "appalling vista" comment made by a British judge when he ruled against the men's civil action against the police over their ill treatment in custody. Turning down their action in 1980, Lord Denning commented that the consequence for the English legal system of accepting that police officers were lying was such "an appalling vista" that every sensible person would reject further legal action. The six men were eventually freed in 1991 after years of campaigning on their behalf. A statement from the Mulready family, who became friends with Callaghan after Sally Mulready joined the campaign for his release and co-wrote his 1994 autobiography, Cruel Fate, described him as a man with astonishing strength of character. They added: Despite the profound injustice he endured, he was not bitter or angry, but joyful and always ready to sing. His party piece was Danny Boy, and his voice was magnificent and strong right to end, with the last day of his life spent with his beloved Adeline, singing to the nurses in hospital. In 2020, Mr Callaghan spoke of how singing helped him get through the coronavirus lockdown in the same way it helped him survive prison for 16 years. He was among guests from a London pensioners' club who told RTE's Morning programme how music helped them pass the days since the lockdown was introduced in March just as it had done when he was in jail. After blasting out a strong voiced rendition of Danny Boy for the listeners, Mr Callaghan explained how a prison officer, upon hearing him sing in his cell, invited him to take part in a concert. It was a move that was to change the way he was treated by other inmates until he was freed in March 1991 after the murder convictions against him and the five other innocent men were quashed by the Court of Appeal. One man, aged in his 30s, was arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon in a public place and threats to kill. Police investigating a report of a disturbance in the Cregagh Estate area of east Belfast on Wednesday have charged a man. The 37-year-old has been charged with threats to kill and possessing an article with a blade or point in a public place. He is due to appear before Belfast Magistrates Court tomorrow morning (Friday). As is usual procedure, all charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service. Earlier, police confirmed two people were arrested following a fight in east Belfast. The PSNI responded to a report of an ongoing fight in the Cregagh Estate area shortly before 7.10pm on Wednesday evening. Inspector Lowry said: One man, aged in his 30s, was arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon in a public place and threats to kill. He remains in police custody at this time. The woman, aged in her 20s, was arrested on suspicion of offences including disorderly behaviour. She was issued with a penalty notice. Inspector Lowry continued: Enquiries are ongoing, and we are appealing to anyone with any information which could assist us, to contact police on 101, and quote reference number 1922 of 31/05/23. Alternatively, information can be provided to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org Another shot of firefighters attending to a large fire at a building in Samuel Street in Belfast city centre on Wednesday morning. Photo: Press Eye General view of firefighters attending to a large fire at a building in Samuel Street in Belfast city centre on Wednesday morning. Photo: Press Eye Firefighters deal with the blaze at Samuel Street in Belfast city centre. A man has been released on police bail pending further questioning following an arrest in connection with a major blaze in Belfast city centre. The cause of the fire, which destroyed a listed building at Samuel Street in the early hours of Wednesday morning, remains under investigation. The man was arrested around the same time as the fire broke out, and remained in custody overnight. The operation to douse the flames included six fire engines, two aerial appliances and 40 firefighters. Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Group Commander Gerry Clifton said: "We can confirm that the fire at a derelict building on Samuel Street, Belfast is now over. "The cause of the fire remains under investigation and we will continue to work with the Police Service of Northern Ireland and our other partner agencies during the course of the investigation. NIFRS received the initial call at 2.40am. "At the height of the incident, there were 40 firefighters and eight officers involved in the firefighting operation. Six fire appliances from Central, Whitla, Springfield, Westland and Cadogan, a Command Support Unit from Lisburn and two aerial appliances from Springfield and Knock attended the incident. "Our firefighters worked tirelessly throughout the duration of the incident to ensure that the fire was brought under control and prevented the spread to nearby premises in Belfast city centre. "We would like to thank the public for their patience whilst we dealt with the incident." Smoke continued to rise from the building on Wednesday afternoon as firefighters attended to the remnants of the fire. Another shot of firefighters attending to a large fire at a building in Samuel Street in Belfast city centre on Wednesday morning. Photo: Press Eye NIFRS Group commander David Harbinson previously said the cause of the blaze was undetermined at this stage as surrounding roads were closed in case of further hotspots within the building. It will be subject to an investigation with our colleagues in the PSNI, he added. We have now extinguished the fire. Once weve closed the incident, were going to try to bring a bit of normality back to the city centre. "A fire of this significance is very challenging for crews to deal with. The crews have done an excellent job in preventing the fire from spreading to adjoining properties, where we could have had a more serious fire even though the one we were dealing with was quite serious. We did have a wee bit of a challenge in the area with water supplies, thats normal. Our colleagues in Northern Ireland Water did boost the water for us. Mr Harbinson said the fire service worked closely with other agencies like the PSNI and Belfast City Council. Its very much been a multi-agency approach in dealing with this incident, he added. A command support unit and two aerial appliances were sent to incident. Local residents were requested to keep windows closed. The PSNI earlier closed North Street, Millfield, Union Street, Royal Avenue, Gresham Street and Winetavern Street as a result of the fire and had asked motorists to avoid the area and seek an alternative routes for journeys. The building at 166-174 North Street is a B2-listed site with an estimated construction date of 1899, making it a Victorian-era build, according to the Ulster Architectural Society. The site, neighbouring the CastleCourt shopping centre, close to the Cathedral Quarter, was once used as an art school as well as for offices, warehouse and shops, but had become derelict. Several buildings in Belfast city centre have been hit by fires in recent years. General view of firefighters attending to a large fire at a building in Samuel Street in Belfast city centre on Wednesday morning. Photo: Press Eye In April a blaze at the sight of a former nightclub in the Mays Meadow area was treated as a deliberate ignition by the PSNI. The listed Old Cathedral Building in the Cathedral Quarter less than half a mile from the fire at North Street was gutted by fire in October 2022. A number of buildings in the North Street area are listed for their architectural importance. Ani Kanakaki-Ainsworth, head of marketing and communications at the Linen Hall, the oldest library in Belfast, said the loss of a Victorian-era building was "very, very sad". "Landmarks of our city, they are connected with the histories, with the people. People will remember them since they were young children, walking about to see all these landmarks gone, it's devastating," she said. The Linen Hall, which was founded in 1788, remains open to the public. Ms Kanakaki-Ainsworth said the number of fires in historical buildings in Belfast is a concern. "It's a big, big concern. In our organisation we're lucky enough... we didn't have an incident (of a fire) in many, many, many years," she said. "But it doesn't make it any less sad or any less worrying for everybody else." Apprentice Boys of Derry say no return to Stormont until Protocol issues resolved The Orange Orders official newspaper has said the recent council election results must be a wake-up call for unionism after an unacceptably low turnout. An editorial in the Orange Standard said the result has thrown up challenges for the main unionist parties about getting their voters out and managing vote transfers to other parties. Unionist parties need to examine how support for unionism can be cultivated, it said, by recognising that new votes may well need to come from those who do not share their view on important religious, moral and social matters. Unionist parties need to reach out and connect with younger voters in the same way Sinn Fein and the Alliance Party have, the editorial suggested. The need to significantly reduce apathy amongst the unionist voter base was one of the issues that came to the fore. In some areas with a unionist majority the turnout of eligible voters was as low as 40%, it said. A significant piece of work must be carried out to enhance unionist engagement with the political process and in particular when it comes to elections. As a unionist community we must stand up and be counted when it really matters. The ongoing bullish attitude of Government ministers and officials, combined with the dismissive attitude of the press and other parties regarding the genuine concerns of unionists, has led to further community frustration, the paper said. The DUPs boycott of the Assembly was defended, with the paper suggesting the party has been unfairly blamed for current issues with the health service and teachers pay. While the election should have been about local council services and facilities, it was equally about Northern Irelands future place in the United Kingdom. Given the current attitude of the Conservative government towards unionists, we should not assume that they will refuse nationalisms demand. The paper continued: The main challenges to Unionism are the continued coalescence of the Nationalist community around Sinn Fein and all they stand for; the mobilising of the young vote by non-Unionist Parties; the unacceptably low turnout in traditionally unionist areas and the lack of strategic co-operation and transfers between unionist candidates to maximise representation. Rather than languish in self-pity and talk up the inevitability of a border poll, the current situation must be a wake-up call to everyone who considers themselves to be a unionist. There can be no surrender to republicans who now may well assume that the unionist community is a demoralised and beaten one who will eventually quietly disappear. "With a general election on the horizon, we must use the current disappointment as a catalyst to urgently identify and address the electoral challenges we face. Meanwhile, the Apprentice Boys of Derry (ABOD) have said the Northern Ireland Protocol remains damaging to the Union through the continued dominance of EU law and regulations across manufacturing, processing, and trade. The cost of doing business and the reduction in consumer choice will increase everyday prices and NI will be left paying for the arrogance of London, Brussels and Dublin, according to ABOD. It suggested the Windsor Framework has done little more than reduce the number of boxes to be ticked on the forms required by the EU for what ought to be routine trade transactions within the UK. A statement signed by General Secretary William Moore and Governor Graeme Stenhouse concluded: Unionist parties in Northern Ireland ought to be holding the Westminster Governments feet to the fire. "There should not even be a thought about returning to Stormont before the outworking of the Prime Ministers kowtowing to the EU is fully understood. While some might laud extra cash for the Northern Ireland budget as an excuse to return to Stormont, that will not make one jot of difference to the implementation of the Protocol. It should go without saying that the Union is not for sale. The PSNI is set to ground one of its three helicopters as part of the cost-cutting response to a "grim" budget, the Chief Constable has said. DUP MLA Joanne Bunting has now called on the Secretary of State to stand up for policing amid warnings that the number of neighbourhood officers across Northern Ireland could be slashed by 60% because of PSNI budget pressures. Chief Constable Simon Byrne told the Policing Board that future PSNI recruitment rounds were also set to be paused as the organisation grappled with a 107m shortfall. Addressing the monthly meeting of his oversight body, Mr Byrne warned of a dramatic reconfiguration of neighbourhood policing services, with fewer officers deployed on local beats. The PSNI has previously had 700 officers involved in neighbourhood policing teams. Mr Byrne said the figure was now set to drop gradually to as low as 250. The region's most senior officer has initiated a 90-day review to examine potential savings. This will include consideration of closing some stations to the public and reducing opening hours at others. However, Mr Byrne told board members that he was not following the move taken by the Metropolitan Police in London to stop responding to non-life-threatening, mental health callouts. "The budgetary outlook this year is bleak," Mr Byrne said in his monthly update to the board. He said moves to pause recruitment and several other immediate cost-cutting steps would reduce the funding gap from 107m to 43m. "Quite how we realistically address this gap at the moment is unclear given the wider cost savings we have already agreed or introduced," he added. "The reality is that this funding will lead to cuts in resources and directly impact the frontline services to communities." Mr Byrne warned of "difficult choices" ahead as he said it was "extremely difficult to see how costs can be maintained within this budget at the same time as keeping people safe". From September, Met Police officers in London will stop attending the majority of mental health incidents and only respond to mental health 999 calls involving an immediate threat to life. "We're anxious (about) announcing an immediate withdrawal because our fear is it is contrary to some of our values and ethos around care, community policing, etc," Mr Byrne told board members. "And equally, just to withdraw now, against a system that's already broken, I don't think it's going to necessarily solve the problem, it will just put on more pressure. "I was only yesterday talking with somebody whose experience of A&E, frankly, was quite horrendous and if we sort of walked out and just added to that pressure, I just think will present sort of unmanageable problems for health colleagues." Mr Byrne said there was room to improve how the PSNI triaged certain mental health related calls. Policing Board member Ms Bunting said financial pressures facing the PSNI are unprecedented and the Chief Constable has been forced into the unenviable position of having to choose between balancing the books and ensuring he can deliver on his duties to tackling crime and keeping the public safe. Ms Bunting said the latest budget imposed by the Northern Ireland Office is entirely inadequate for policing and this will be catastrophic for confidence in communities across Northern Ireland. Difficult decisions have already been taken to pause recruitment and put on hold repairs to the PSNI fleet. This is only storing up problems for the future. For every year in which officer numbers plummet, it will take another three to undo the damage. That is the stark reality Simon Byrne and his team face in the current climate, she added. The publics expectations need to be managed given the finite resources available and to his credit, the Chief Constable has been open about the likely implications for neighbourhood policing. "The planning assumption today is that without dramatic investment in the police budget, the number of neighbourhood officers in place will nosedive from 700 to 250 in a relatively short space of time. Shifts will get shorter and officers will spend less time on the ground. This will be hugely damaging to police visibility, response and building relationships with local communities. Ms Bunting continued: In any other frontline service, a 60% cut in the workforce would be unthinkable, yet this is exactly the price the PSNI will have to pay for the chronic underfunding of policing over the past decade. "Furthermore, given that the Chief Constable has said repeatedly he wants to prioritise neighbourhood policing when taking these difficult decisions, one wonders how much worse the impact will be in other departments. It is a sad indictment on the Government that the PSNI is now having to countenance using funding set aside to address the security threat in Northern Ireland to plug gaps in grassroots policing. This creates a new series of problems and is not sustainable. The Secretary of State needs to realise that the PSNIs finances have reached breaking point. In order to protect service delivery, defend the most vulnerable and improve staff morale, we need to see a short-term cash injection in policing as well as a strategic review of how public services in Northern Ireland are funded. A Northern Ireland Office spokesperson said the UK Government fully supports the excellent work the PSNI undertakes to keep people in Northern Ireland safe, often in exceptionally challenging circumstances. Policing in NI, and police funding, are primarily devolved matters. However, it was with regret that in the absence of an NI executive, the Secretary of State had to set a budget for 23/24 for Northern Ireland. "We allocated 1.2bn to the Department of Justice the third highest amount outside health and education. It is for the Department of Justice to prioritise police funding from within those resources. "In addition, the UK Government is providing more than 30m this year to support the PSNIs ability to tackle the terrorist threat," a spokesperson added. Baby panda Fubao eats bamboo leaves at Everland Panda World. Courtesy of Samsung C&T By Kim Hyun-bin There has been a sharp rise in interest in pandas in the country recently with thousands of people visiting Everland, the country's largest theme park, to get a glimpse of its baby panda Fubao and purchase panda-related accessories, according to Samsung C&T, Thursday. The number of visitors to Everland Panda World, where the baby panda Fubao and her parents Aibao and Lebao live, has been increasing. The average number of visitors on the last day of May was about 7,000, an increase of about 20 percent compared to the first week of May, which included Labor Day and Children's Day holidays. "Panda-related stories have spread through the media both domestically and internationally, and as it became known that the baby panda Fubao will have to return to China to find a mate in about a year, there has been a continuous influx of visitors who want to see the panda family," an Everland official said. On May 24, on a TV program Kang Cheol-won, a zookeeper at Everland who is famous as Fubao's "grandfather," appeared and talked about his memories with Fubao and the reasons why she has to go to China. "Fubao is scheduled to leave for China next year when she reaches the age of maturity to meet her mate," Kang said. Reflecting the nationwide interest in Fubao, panda videos have also been gaining popularity on social media platforms recently. On the official YouTube channel of Everland, where you can watch Fubao videos, and on a popular YouTube channel, the number of panda-related video views in May reached approximately 25 million. Furthermore, it was revealed that 1 out of 10 visitors to Everland purchase various panda-related goods such as dolls and headbands as souvenirs. Everland Panda World, which opened in 2016, is currently the only dedicated space in Korea where you can experience pandas. It is home to a panda family consisting of Aibao (female), Lebao (male), and Fubao (female), who was the first panda born in Korea through natural breeding in July 2020. PSNI has said it aims to ground one of its helicopters as a cost-cutting measure (Paul Faith/PA) The police are set to ground one of their three helicopters as part of a cost-cutting response to a grim and bleak budget, the chief constable has said. Simon Byrne told the Northern Ireland Policing Board that future PSNI recruitment rounds were also set to be paused as the organisation grappled with a 107 million shortfall. Addressing the monthly meeting of his oversight body, Mr Byrne warned of a dramatic reconfiguration of neighbourhood policing services, with fewer officers deployed on local beats. The PSNI has previously had 700 officers involved in neighbour policing teams. Mr Byrne said the figure was now set to drop gradually to as low as 250. PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne at the Northern Ireland Policing Board meeting (Liam McBurney/PA) The regions most senior officer has initiated a 90-day review to examine potential savings. This will include consideration of closing some stations to the public and reducing opening hours at others. However, Mr Byrne told board members that he was not following the move taken by the Metropolitan Police in London to stop responding to non-life-threatening, mental health callouts. The budgetary outlook this year is bleak, Mr Byrne said in his monthly update to the board. The PSNI has three helicopters in service (PA) He said moves to pause recruitment and several other immediate cost-cutting steps would reduce the funding gap from 107 million to 43 million. Quite how we realistically address this gap at the moment is unclear given the wider cost savings we have already agreed or introduced, he added. The reality is that this funding will lead to cuts in resources and directly impact the frontline services to communities. Mr Byrne warned of difficult choices ahead as he said it was extremely difficult to see how costs can be maintained within this budget at the same time as keeping people safe. From September, Met Police officers in London will stop attending the majority of mental health incidents and only respond to mental health 999 calls involving an immediate threat to life. Were anxious (about) announcing an immediate withdrawal because our fear is it is contrary to some of our values and ethos around care, community policing, etc, Mr Byrne told board members. And equally, just to withdraw now, against a system thats already broken, I dont think its going to necessarily solve the problem, it will just put on more pressure. I was only yesterday talking with somebody whose experience of A&E frankly was quite horrendous and if we sort of walked out and just added to that pressure, I just think will present sort of unmanageable problems for health colleagues. Mr Byrne said there was room to improve how the PSNI triaged certain mental health related calls. An Alliance Party MLA has hit out after Nazi-style recruitment posters with links to an extremist group in Scotland were put up across Downpatrick. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he trusts UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to keep Ireland informed in any negotiation to encourage the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to return to powersharing. The two leaders met for a brief engagement on the margins of a European Political Community summit in Moldova. Mr Varadkar said Ireland and the UK were working to get Northern Irelands political institutions up and running by September but added there were no guarantees. I want to see them up and running, so does the Prime Minister, so do majority of people in Northern Ireland. Lots of problems being faced by people in Northern Ireland that are best solved by the politicians in that place, working together. And were here to support that in any way we can. The DUP is blocking the powersharing institutions in protest at post-Brexit trading arrangements. Asked if Mr Sunak had given an indication as to what measures the UK Government is preparing to encourage the return to powersharing, Mr Varadkar said he trusted the UK Prime Minister that Ireland will not be caught off guard over any assurances to the DUP. Weve said we would just like to be aware of that so were not caught off guard or by surprise, and that theres nothing that would concern us in terms of the integrity of Good Friday Agreements, and I fully trust the prime minister in that regard. He said that it would make sense for a financial package to be put in place if the Executive is re-established. Theres a big budget deficit there, lots of challenges in healthcare, housing, education, public pay. Mr Varadkar added: Too many executives have failed or fallen, we want this one to last its term and be a success. And as Ive indicated before, the Irish Government is willing to make a contribution to particular projects to help with that. For example, he said Ireland is willing to contribute to the A5 road upgrade, Narrow Water Bridge and the Ulster University Magee Campus. Ms Benoit hopes to raise awareness for asexuality at the NYC Pride event (Sophia Paget/PA) A model and activist from the UK has said she is hoping to make a really great statement and help more Pride events to be blatantly inclusive as the first asexual grand marshal at New York Citys Pride March. The march takes place on June 25 and Yasmin Benoit, 26, from Reading, aims to help more asexual people feel as though they are part of the LGBT+ community. The grand marshals get to open Pride, we pretty much get to sit on the back of a convertible and wave our way around the route, Ms Benoit told the PA news agency. Yasmin Benoit will be the first asexual grand marshal at the New York City Pride March (Sophia Paget/PA) Youre leading the procession, youre opening it, and for them to intentionally choose an asexual activist to do that at a time where people are still debating whether asexual people should be at Pride, I think is very powerful. Im going to make a really great statement and hopefully set the motions in gear for more prides to be blatantly inclusive. What is asexuality and when did you come out? Ms Benoit described asexuality as experiencing little-to-no sexual attraction towards anyone, regardless of their gender. I realised I was asexual when everyone realised they werent, so pretty much early puberty, she said. The main thing that was kind of confusing was that all the information seemed to exist on one corner of the internet and all seemed to be coming from pink-haired teenagers on Tumblr. Ms Benoit said she realised she was asexual when others realised they were not (Sophia Paget/PA) I was thinking: if this is a legitimate orientation, then why isnt it in schools, why isnt it on TV, why is it just these British and American teenagers talking about it? It seemed a little suspicious. I tried to identify as it but nobody believed me because theyre not really used to seeing black asexual people and so I kind of went back into the closet and didnt really use (asexuality) or identify with the community that much. While modelling, she decided to use her platform to raise awareness of asexuality. And then people started believing me and that was how I successfully came out (in 2017). What are some of the misconceptions about asexuality? Ms Benoit said one misconception is that asexuality is some new Gen Z thing that was made up on the internet and its just for kids that want to feel special. She added: [This] isnt true. Ms Benoit said she is often an easy target for hate against the asexuality community (Sophia Paget/PA) Ive heard a lot of other strange things, like its some kind of physical disorder or personality disorder, or you think youre too good for anybody, or youre a prude. To help dispel these assumptions, she started the campaign #ThisIsWhatAsexualLooksLike in 2019. I started the (campaign) because my whole life, people told me that I didnt look asexual and thus they did not believe I was asexual, she said. When I started working with the media, there was a kind of preference in terms of how it was represented and I felt it was just kind of reinforcing stereotypes, so I wanted to do a campaign so that asexual people could represent themselves. Just by typing that in, you can see more diversity that exists within the community that just isnt seen as often. Ms Benoit is on the board of the Asexual Visibility and Education Network and co-created International Asexuality Day, which falls on April 6. Have you faced any online abuse since coming out? Its something I encountered early on in my activism Im a pretty easy target as someone whos quite public, she said. Plus if the person happened to not just be discriminatory towards someones sexual orientation, but they were also sexist and racist, then Im a particularly easy target. Ms Benoit hopes to make a great statement at the NYC Pride March (Sophia Paget/PA) She added that she often gets comments on her choice of clothing and sort of thought that as a society we were beyond being like, hey, if youre wearing this, that means that you want sex'. On June 25, she will literally fly the flag for those who are asexual by having the asexuality flag blowing in the wind as she rides through New York. How can people be an ally to those in the LGBT+ community? Ms Benoit said there needs to be a continued conscious effort to expand the conversation about the LGBT+ community beyond the groups that are more well-known. I feel like the best way to be an ally is to look a little deeper and just try and learn more about the different orientations that are the ones that people take for granted, she said. Ms Benoit hopes there are continued efforts to help make asexuals feel included in the LGBT+ community (Sophia Paget/PA) I always say if youre discussing sexuality and asexuality isnt included, then youre really getting half the story. Youre not getting the full scope of human sexuality if youre not being inclusive and so theres a huge gap in your knowledge of queerness as well. The long-running hunt for missing Madeleine McCann returned to headlines last week, during a three-day search of a Portuguese reservoir. Acting on tip-offs, police searched the remote Barragem do Arade reservoir in Portugal last week, an area that prime suspect Christian Brueckner frequented from 2000 to 2017. Although police are remaining tight-lipped about the details they did confirm materials collected had been sent to Germany for analysis in the ongoing mystery of Madeleines disappearance on May 3, 2007. And a relevant clue was found during the police operation in the Algarve last week, Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha reported. Police flatten area of woodland and dig holes in Madeleine McCann searches Separately, investigators are set to widen the search again after photographs belonging to 43 year-old Brueckner were also said to have revealed clues. With help from Portuguese police, and with Scotland Yard detectives watching on, German investigators scoured the beauty spot 16 miles from Silves, near the southern coast of the country. Starting on Monday last week, investigators sealed off a mile-long peninsula jutting into the reservoir and set up tents as an operations base. They then spent three days digging with shovels, cutting back swaths of undergrowth and using rakes and pickaxes to sweep the banks of the reservoir, leaving behind piles of rubble. At the main 160sq-ft excavation area, they flattened a concentrated area of woodland with heavy machinery, and dug holes 2ft deep. Using sniffer dogs to hunt the surrounding grassland for clues, detectives in a rigid-hull inflatable boat also examined the water. A no-fly zone in place in the skies overhead allowed police drones to survey the region undisturbed. A track leading to the search area was cordoned off with police tape and marked vehicles from Portugals National Republican Guard. What appeared to be evidence bags were removed from the scene. The dam, which is 31 miles northeast of the Praia da Luz coastal resort from which Madeleine disappeared, was built in 1955 and is fed by the Arade river. Specialist divers had previously searched the reservoir in 2008, paid for by Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia, who claimed to have been tipped off by criminal contacts that Madeleines body was there. Two other areas near Praia da Luz could also be searched by police, The Sun reported. Investigators looking through more than 8,000 photographs belonging to Brueckner said they had yielded more clues. Brueckner, who denies any connection to Madeleine, is in jail in Germany for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman two years before the three-year-old vanished at the same resort. German prosecutor Christian Wolters said the investigators were looking for a body, as well as anything that could help the investigation, such as clothing. Their investigation will be continuing out of the public eye, he added. As such, Madeleines parents will have to wait several weeks to find out the results of the analysis of the materials found as their 16-year wait for answers continues. An Irish UN peacekeeper stands next to the coffin of his comrade Private Sean Rooney (Hussein Malla/AP) Lebanons military tribunal on Thursday charged five men with the killing of an Irish UN peacekeeper in December, a senior judicial official said. The official said all five are linked to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The charges follow a six-month investigation after an attack on a UN peacekeeping convoy near the town of Al-Aqbiya in the south of Lebanon, a stronghold of Hezbollah. The shooting resulted in the death of Private Sean Rooney, 24, of Newtown Cunningham, Ireland, and seriously wounded Private Shane Kearney, 22. Private Sean Rooney was killed (Hussein Malla/AP) The wounded peacekeeper was medically evacuated to Ireland. Two other Irish soldiers sustained light injuries. The charges include evidence from bystanders statements, as well as audio recordings and video footage from surveillance cameras, the Lebanese official said. In some of the recordings of the confrontation, the gunmen reportedly could be heard telling the peacekeepers that they are from Hezbollah. Hezbollah has denied any role in the killing, and a spokesman for the group declined to comment on Thursday. One of the five charged, Mohamad Ayyad, is in the custody of Lebanese authorities. Private Sean Rooney (Defence Forces/PA) The four others facing charges, Ali Khalifeh, Ali Salman, Hussein Salman, and Mustafa Salman, are at large. Private Rooney and several other Irish peacekeepers were on their way from their base in the south to Beirut airport. Two UN vehicles apparently took a detour through Al-Aqbiya, which is not part of the area under the peacekeepers mandate. Initial reports said angry residents confronted the peacekeepers, but the charges conclude that the shooting was a targeted attack. The UN peacekeeper vehicle reportedly took a wrong turn and was surrounded by vehicles and armed men as they tried to make their way back to the main road. UNIFIL spokeswoman Andrea Tenenti said the charges were an important step towards justice. Attacks on men and women serving the cause of peace are serious crimes and can never be tolerated, she told the AP. We look forward to justice for Private Rooney, his injured colleagues, and their families. UNIFIL was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after Israels 1978 invasion. The UN expanded its mission following the 2006 war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, allowing peacekeepers to deploy along the Israeli border to help the Lebanese military extend its authority into the countrys south for the first time in decades. Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon frequently accuse the UN mission of collusion with Israel, while Israel has accused the peacekeepers of turning a blind eye to Hezbollahs military activities in southern Lebanon. Made Satri places a basket of yellow rice offerings on a small bamboo shrine at the edge of her rice fields in Tegallalang, Indonesia, May 21, 2023. Made Satri walks to the edge of her rice field, places a basket of yellow rice offerings on a small bamboo shrine and prays to the Hindu goddess of rice and fertility, Dewi Sri, for a bountiful harvest. Satri, 60, and her husband are among the last holdouts working the land in Tegallalang, a district on the Indonesian island of Bali famous for its emerald-green rice terraces and swings that offer tourists panoramic views of the landscape below. Around them, concrete structures are slowly gobbling up the greenery cafes, restaurants and pools, where visitors sip coffee or swim while taking in the view. We will never sell, no matter how much money they offer, Satri said of her rice field, which is 4,500 square meters (1.1 acres) and located north of the tourist hub Ubud. Their story reflects the dilemma facing Bali as it tries to balance economic development with cultural heritage and the environment. The island has long attracted travelers from around the world, but mass tourism has brought challenges overcrowding, pollution, land conversion and an erosion of traditional culture. Stories of unruly visitors flouting local customs regularly capture headlines on the predominantly Hindu island, and once-pristine green zones are increasingly dotted with garish villas. Many locals are fed up. Its getting out of control, said I Wayan Wilyana, who runs a travel agency in Bali. Tourism is no longer as promising as it once was. One of the most distinct features of Balis landscape is an irrigation system called subak, a cooperative network that regulates water distribution among rice fields. The system also reflects Balis Tri Hita Karana philosophy that draws together the realms of the spirit, the human world and nature. Five rice terraces and their associated temples one of which is in Tegallalang using the subak system were recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2012. But as tourism encroaches on the natural environment, that heritage, which dates back to the 9th century, is at risk of fading away. Tourists walk near rice fields irrigated by a traditional terrace system called a subak in Bali, Indonesia, April 18, 2022. [Tatan Syuflana/AP] Paving paradise Development and population growth is putting severe strain on water resources, an issue made worse by resource mismanagement, academics and environmentalists said. And according to local government data, 2020 saw the largest loss of farmland in Balis history, with about 1,200 hectares (2,965 acres) converted for other uses. A 2018 report published by the Transnational Institute, an Amsterdam-based nonprofit, estimated that Bali had lost nearly 25% of its agricultural land in the past quarter century, while its population and tourism industry have grown significantly by 66% and 330%, respectively. Tourism has become an issue of agrarian, cultural and social injustice, the report said. In the relatively undeveloped district of Tabanan, I Gusti Nyoman Omardani, a member of the local legislative council, said 3,100 acres of rice paddies would be converted into tourist areas because they have become less productive in recent years because of a lack of irrigation, the Bali Sun reported last year. Many rice fields in the area had already been turned into residential areas, he said. Tegallalang is a prime example of how tourism is transforming the landscape and the livelihoods of Balinese. Made Satya Bhuana, who runs a local cafe offering cultural activities for tourists, said many farmers have rented or sold their land to investors who have built tourist facilities on it. In the past, tourists only played on the swings and had coffee. Now they have swimming pools, too, he said. Despite the proliferation of new attractions, Bali tourism chief Cokorda Bagus Pemayun said the old favorites such as temples and mountains still draw the most visitors. However, he acknowledged that his office had not tracked the illegal construction of accommodations in green areas. We dont have the data, but we have set the rules for where accommodation can be built, he said. The provincial government has called for a halt to hotel development, but it has no authority to stop smaller forms of local government from granting permits, he said. Tourism dilemma Balis tourism industry has expanded rapidly since the 1970s, when a trickle of hippies and surfers were turned on to the islands perfect waves and blend of Hinduism, Buddhism, animism and magical beliefs. Research suggests that tourism directly or indirectly accounted for more than 80% of the islands pre-pandemic economy. But the coronavirus battered the economy, sending visitor numbers plunging and causing losses of up to 9.7 trillion rupiah (U.S. $648 million) a month in early 2020, according to Deputy Gov. Tjok Oka Artha Ardhana. Foreign arrivals recovered to 2.1 million last year, but the figure was a far cry from the 6.3 million foreigners who visited in 2019, data from the Indonesian statistics bureau showed. However, tourist numbers are bouncing back and this year Bali has been straining from an influx of tourists, some of whom have sparked outrage among locals for their disrespectful or illegal conduct. At least 130 foreigners have been deported from Bali this year, according to immigration data. Among them were two Russian bloggers who posed nude at sacred sites, while a German woman who stripped naked and stormed a dance ceremony in Ubud was recently arrested. The bad behavior has prompted the Bali provincial government to issue a list of dos and donts for foreign tourists. As Balis reputation as a bustling holiday spot has grown, many Balinese said their culture was being compromised. Rice fields are seen in Tegallalang, Indonesia, May 21, 2023. [Luh De Suriyani/BenarNews] I Made Sarjana, a researcher at the Center for Tourism Excellence at Udayana University in Denpasar, said that in recent years more farmers have rented or sold their land for villas or other facilities. Once the lease period ends, the land has changed and cant be returned to agricultural land, he said. Balis challenge lies in how to mitigate the negative impacts of tourism on the environment, society and economy, he said. As bad as it is now, Bali can still survive, but without tourism, its impossible, he said at a recent public discussion organized by Balebengong, a citizen journalism outlet in Bali. Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno said the government planned to implement policies that would preserve Balis heritage and benefit the local economy. We are committed to preserving Balis culture and environment in a sustainable and quality way that we believe can create more employment and provide welfare for the people, he said in a statement to the media this week. Even some of Balis most sacred rituals have become rendered profane in the rush to meet tourists demands, said Wilyana, the travel agent. He gave the example of the popular Hindu water-purification ritual known as melukat and barong, a dance that depicts the battle between good and evil. Today melukat is not always about spirituality. Most of my guests do it just for fun, he said. Cambodian opposition figure Sam Rainsy speaks during a press freedom event at the Gran Melia Hotel in Jakarta, May 19, 2023. A visit to Malaysia this week by Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy has strained ties between the two countries. Sam Rainsy, who lives in self-imposed exile in Paris, arrived in Kuala Lumpur with his wife on Monday for a two-day private visit, Malaysian Parliamentarian Wong Chen said. It included a one-hour meeting with three non-executive members of Parliament who are interested in human rights and free and fair elections, but not a visit with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, officials said. The visit angered Hun Sen, Anwars Cambodian counterpart and the longtime strongman in Phnom Penh. Sam Rainsy is one of Hun Sens most prominent critics and rivals. He was head of the disbanded opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, but fled to France in 2015 to avoid a series of charges that his supporters say are politically motivated. Anwar Ibrahim told me clearly that he wouldnt allow Sam Rainsy to visit, and I told him that if he allows Sam Rainsy, the two governments cant work together, Hun Sen said at a bridge inauguration ceremony in Phnom Penh on Wednesday. A pro-Cambodian government website said Sam Rainsy was kicked out of the country but Malaysia-based CNRP activist Morn Phalla said that wasnt true. Wong said that Sam Rainsy made the stopover in Malaysias capital on his way back to France from Indonesia and Australia. We have been close friends for almost six years, the Malaysian MP said. Originally, I had no intention of posting the above as it was a private visit. However, since the matter has garnered some media attention, I hope the above clarifies what actually transpired. Malaysias foreign ministry said Anwar wasnt aware of Sam Rainsys recent trip, and that the two men did not meet. Malaysian Parliamentarian Wong Chen (center) poses with Cambodian opposition figure Sam Rainsy and his wife, Tioulong Saumura, during their recent visit to the country. [Wong Chen/Facebook] Hun Sen also threatened to attack Sam Rainsy with a rocket launcher if he led workers from Thailand into Cambodia. Sam Rainsy boasted that he stepped on Malaysian soil, and now hes boasting about going to Thailand, Hun Sen said on Wednesday. Last week, Sam Rainsy told Radio Free Asia (RFA) that if a new pro-democracy Thai government is formed, he would look into traveling to Cambodia through Thailand. RFA is a news service affiliated with BenarNews. The Thai government cant allow you the non-interference internal policy, Hun Sen said, referring to ASEANs principle of non-interference between its member nations. If you cross the border from Thailand I will shoot you. You dont want to create chaos. Sok Ey San, spokesman for the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party, told RFA that he did not believe that Sam Rainsy would dare to return to the country. He also said he didnt believe that many people would welcome Sam Rainsy either. Why doesnt he come if people are welcoming him? he said. He is conducting political propaganda for his political business. Muzliza Mustafa for BenarNews contributed to this report from Kuala Lumpur. Members of the Philippine Coast Guard wave American, Japanese and Filipino flags during welcome ceremonies for Japanese and American coast guard ships as they dock at Manilas South Harbor, June 1, 2023. The coast guards of defense allies the Philippines, United States and Japan kicked off their first-ever joint drills Thursday in waters adjacent to the South China Sea amid tensions with Beijing in that contested maritime region. The weeklong Kaagapay (Side-by-Side) Exercises 2023 were inaugurated when the respective American and Japanese coast guard ships, the Stratton and the Akitsushima, docked at Manilas South Harbor during the day. The drills, scheduled through June 7, will involve exercises in maritime law enforcement, maritime security and safety, search and rescue, as well as environmental protection, officials said. Most of the exercises will take place in the municipality of Mariveles, along the Bataan Peninsula near the South China Sea, Philippine Coast Guard Vice Adm. Rolando Punzalan Jr. said. The U.S. Coast Guard and Japan Coast Guard have been assisting us in our human resource development program, particularly in law enforcement training. This is a good opportunity to thank and show them what our personnel learned from their programs, Punzalan said in a speech during the welcoming ceremony. Diplomats and officials from the three countries were on hand for the ships arrival. It occurred two days after the American military accused China of carrying out a dangerously aggressive maneuver in the skies above the South China Sea when a Chinese fighter jet flew close and across the flight path of a U.S. reconnaissance plane. The Chinese government has since responded by accusing the U.S. of fanning tensions through provocative actions such as sending reconnaissance flights over the disputed waters. Beijing described these as a threat to its sovereignty and security, according to reports. The unprecedented trilateral drills are happening more than a month after the Philippines and the U.S. held their biggest annual Balikatan joint exercises in the coastal town of San Antonio in Zambales, a province that also faces the South China Sea. The current drills also follow an announcement by Manila and Tokyo that they would boost defense ties. The Akitsushima (PLH-32), a Japan Coast Guard ship, is pictured after it docked at Manilas South Harbor, June 1, 2023. [Jeoffrey Maitem/BenarNews] Kenichi Matsuda, the interim charge daffaires at the Japanese embassy who was on hand, affirmed his governments support for the trilateral drills and underscored what he said was the shared history among the three countries. We will concretely advance cooperation with the Philippines to bolster maritime security capabilities and freedom of navigation, Matsuda said. Japan, as a maritime nation, has a stake to uphold and protect rules-based maritime order, he said. It has been helping the Philippine Coast Guard with its modernization. This includes a loan for the PCGs two capital ships, the 97-meter (318-foot) multi-role response ships BRP Teresa Magbanua and BRP Melchora Aquino, which are among the ships that will participate in the trilateral exercises. This first tri-lateral engagement between the coast guards of these nations will provide invaluable opportunities to strengthen global maritime governance through professional exchanges and combined operations, said Capt. Brian Krautler, the U.S. Coast Guard commander of the Stratton. Together well demonstrate professional, rules-based standards of maritime operations with our steadfast partners to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific. In contrast to remarks from the Japanese and American officials, PCG spokesman Armand Balilo played down the drills, saying these were not meant to deter China. This is a coast guard exercise on maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, thats all, Balilo told reporters. This has nothing to do with the issues in the West Philippine Sea, he added, referring to waters claimed by Manila in the South China Sea. China has competing claims in the South China Sea with the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan and Vietnam. In 2016, an international tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines and against Beijings sweeping nine-dash line, but China has since refused to acknowledge the ruling. The Thailand Provincial Electricity Authority plans to shut off power to neighboring Myanmar on the other side of the border in Mae Sot in Tak province, seen here on Oct. 29, 2020. Thailands Provincial Electricity Authority plans to switch off power supplies in two sections of southeastern Myanmar early next week at the request of the junta government, officials in Mae Sot district told BenarNews. The PEA plans to cut electricity to Lay Kay Kaw and Shwe Kokko, the site of a Chinese-backed U.S. $15 billion real estate and casino mega-project that has become notorious lately as a Burmese bastion of illegal activity, including drug trafficking, amid violence and unrest in post-coup Myanmar. Somchai Trithipchartsakul, the district chief of Mae Sot, in Thailands Tak province, said the agency had notified him about the plan to cut off the power supply for those two locations on the Burmese side of the Thai-Myanmar frontier. The Provincial Electricity Authority in Bangkok has informed the Tak governor to prepare for any impacts after the Myanmar Embassy had told the PEA of the discontinuation of the power contracts with Shwe Myint Thaung Yinn [SMTY] Industry and Manufacturing Co. Ltd., he said, adding the power would be shut off at the beginning of the day on June 6. The Myanmar government did not release the embassys letter or respond immediately to the district chiefs comments. It remained unclear why Myanmars military government made the request to Thailand to switch off the electricity to Shwe Kokko and Lay Kay Kaw. Myawaddy, a township in southeastern Myanmars Karen state, is home to the Yatai Shwe Kokko Special Economic Zone, which was promoted as a way to spur economic growth and deliver material benefits to the local community. Shwe Kokko New City, as the area is called, was funded by Hong Kong-registered developer Yatai International Holding Group in partnership with the Chit Lin Myaing Co. owned by the Karen State Border Guard Force, an ethnic Karen force aligned with the Myanmar military. It includes the Myanmar Yatai Shwe Kokko Special Economic Zone. The area became a hub for illicit activity including casinos because of weak national laws, a diffusion of responsibility, and a lack of development plans, according to a report by the Washington-based Center for Advanced Defense Studies. Apart from drug trafficking, Shwe Kokko in recent months has been a magnet for reported human trafficking and abuse of casino workers. The governor of Thailands Tak province confirmed that the PEA had informed him about the plan to cut power to the neighbors in Myanmar. I havent seen the letter yet, Gov. Somchai Kijcharoenrungroj told BenarNews. I dont have the details and you have to ask the PEA the PEA can cut the power but it has to inform other government agencies about this when we have a meeting. He said the PEA met on May 29 after being contacted by the embassy. The agency did not immediately respond to BenarNews requests for comment. Contracts expired Somchai Trithipchartsakul said the contracts expired on Feb. 28, but the SMTY had requested them to be renewed temporarily. Since 2016, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos have had electricity contracts for 21 power grids in Myanmar, totaling 43,750 kilowatts, according to the PEA database. For Shwe Kokko, the partners signed an 8,000 KW power deal. While aware of the Shwe Kokkos notoriety, Somchai said he could not say if it had any role in the Myanmar request. He said the shutdown likely would not affect the casinos located there. In Shwe Kokko, they have five to 10 power generators, Somchai Trithipchartsakul said, adding 75 percent of the Thai electricity supplies local residents and not the businesses. A source in Myanmars Myawaddy district office who requested anonymity because of security concerns confirmed the reports out of Thailand. Electricity was to be cut to one gambling place in Shwe Kokko and one in Myawaddy, including security gates run by pro-junta Border Guard Forces in Myawaddy, but not the towns where people live, the source told Radio Free Asia, a news service affiliated with BenarNews. Workers in Shwe Kokko said they were aware as well. We heard that the Thai side will cut electricity to two places, the site of Shwe Kokko casino and the Ingyin Myaing Park which has gambling offices near Myawaddy town, the workers said. They requested anonymity over security concerns. The announcement came after a Bangkok criminal court last week approved Chinas request to extradite She Zhijiang, a Chinese investor in Shwe Kokko. The Chinese government wanted She, who obtained Cambodian citizenship and had been convicted of running an illegal lottery business. She Zhijiang has appealed the extradition and has one month to fight the court decision. RFA Burmese contributed to this report. Lotte Duty Free CEO Kim Ju-nam proposes a toast during a roadshow at a hotel in Tokyo, Tuesday. Courtesy of Lotte Duty Free By Kim Jae-heun Lotte Duty Free held roadshows in Tokyo, Tuesday, and in Osaka, Wednesday, along with other hospitality-related group units, asking travel agencies there to promote Korea as an attractive tourist destination, Korea's largest duty free store operator said Thursday. The companies organized the event from 2012 to 2017 to attract more visitors from countries including China, Japan, Vietnam and Thailand. It was the first time since 2017 that Lotte Duty Free jointly hosted the event in Japan with four other Lotte Group affiliates, including Lotte Hotel, Lotte Property & Development and Lotte World. Major executives and employees of Lotte Duty Free and Lotte Hotel, including Lotte Duty Free CEO Kim Ju-nam and Lotte Hotel CEO Lee Wan-shin, joined the roadshow to promote Korea's tourism attractions. "We are seeking various ways to restore the competitiveness of the domestic tourism industry. In addition to our global roadshow, Lotte Duty Free plans to showcase other tourism contents such as producing travel package items and holding VIP invitation events in the near future," Kim said. During the roadshows in Tokyo and Osaka, the company invited 100 Japanese tourism industry workers to each event and introduced Lotte's duty free stores in major tourist cities such as Seoul, Busan and Jeju Island. Lotte Duty Free also promoted package products that link Lotte Group's hotels and other businesses with popular tourism attractions in Korea. Meanwhile, according to the Korea Tourism Organization, the number of Japanese tourists visiting Korea in the first quarter of this year increased more than 60 times year-on-year. Sales generated by Japanese visitors also soared by more than 240 percent in the same period. 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. PITTSFIELD The union representing Pittsfield Public Schools paraprofessionals says the district engaged in union busting, a mere month after negotiating a contentious new contract. The Pittsfield Federation of School Employees has taken its complaint to the states Department of Labor Relations. The complaint, filed in February, accuses the district of violating its contract with the union by using Georgia-based hiring agency BlazerWorks to fill 46 open paraprofessional positions in the district. The union became aware of the issue in October 2022. District administrators told The Eagle that PPS used an existing contract with BlazerWorks from 2019 to begin hiring paraprofessionals, known as paras. Ann Marie Carpenter, the districts director of human resources, diversity and inclusion, said the contracting picked up in August 2022. Paras work alongside teachers to help educate special education students in substantially separate programs, integrated classrooms and kindergarten classrooms. The district pays BlazerWorks between $50 and $55 an hour per employee. BlazerWorks sets the take-home amount for each worker individually, but the district does not know how much each staffer is paid. This contrasts with the going union rates of $17 to $24 an hour. Walter Armstrong, the American Federation of Teachers field representative for the local union, said that decision was a slap in the face to union members. The district, in its response to the unions complaint, doesnt deny using the agency but says that it did so only to provide state-mandated care for special education students and after posting the jobs itself. The complaint process, which has been slowly building since February, boiled over into the public arena this week. Armstrong said that the paras decided to go public with their complaints after mediation between the district and union earlier this month came to loggerheads. The dispute took center stage Tuesday night at the third budget hearing for the Pittsfield City Council. Dozens of members from the union came to the meeting in a show of support as former union President Sandra Amburn and Armstrong spoke to the now adversarial relationship between the union and district. The Pittsfield Public Schools paraprofessional staffing problem isnt part of some national post-COVID event; its the result of two things: low wages and unsafe working conditions, Amburn said. Amburn described a litany of bad behavior spitting, biting, punching, kicking and wrestling that she said paras are subjected to every day. She said that the most recent contract, signed in September 2022, helped to bring wages over the states minimum wage. A data request filed by the union showed that the district started the school year with 46 unfilled para positions. Superintendent Joseph Curtis told the council that the district currently has 67 unfilled positions in the 2023-24 school year. Armstrong said that the district could have solved its staffing crisis with good paying jobs with benefits. He added that if the district had asked the union for help we would have rolled up our sleeves and helped them find a solution. To the paraprofessionals who work hard every day to educate the special needs children in Pittsfield, I say to you that these people do not value the work you do, Armstrong said. Every minute of your life that you give to them is one minute too long. In an interview with The Eagle on Wednesday, Carpenter said we dont want to do it this way either; we would much prefer to hire our own employees. City councilors pushed Curtis to respond to the allegations from the union as part of their decision making over whether or not to give preliminary approval to a $78 million school budget. These folks do incredible work and they need a reasonable wage thats reflective of that at a different standard than what were offering, Curtis said. He told the council that he and district officials were having difficulty settling on a pay raise they felt was sustainable, provided a living wage and attracted candidates to open roles. The superintendent told the council that the district was prepared to roll in an existing $2,000 stipend for special education paras into those staff members salaries and add little more than a dollar increase to the hourly wage to bring the base pay for all paras to $20 an hour. Curtis said the district would pay for the raises with the currently budgeted money and hire fewer paras as a result. Curtis said the offer was not met with warm reception. Councilors encouraged the district to keep working on a compromise with the union before voting 8-3 to give preliminary approval to the districts budget. In a subsequent interview Wednesday morning, Armstrong noted that the union was engaged in what seems to be a lengthy process. The only thing that we have that resonates with the public is that we believe they used that money inappropriately, Armstrong said. They should have at least consulted with the union and told us what they were going to do before they did it. Now, they not only used taxpayer money to violate the law, but theyre using taxpayer money to defend that they violated the law because they paid their lawyer. Curtis said in an emailed statement on Tuesday that the district is actively working with legal counsel to ensure a prompt resolution to this issue. Curtis said he was unavailable for subsequent comment on Wednesday. In its news release on the matter, the union said that it has filed a prohibited practice complaint, or unfair labor practice charge, with the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations. The complaint alleges that the district violated Massachusetts General Law on labor. In particular, the union alleges that the district failed to honor its mandate to bargain collectively in good faith with the exclusive representative: PFSE. Litigation is currently ongoing. Armstrong said Wednesday that the complaint was filed in February and a mediation session was held on May 16. An in-person investigation from the Department of Labor Relations was held on May 8. While both parties entered into mediation, the compromises stalled. The union will proceed with the labor relations process, which could take up to a year and half to resolve, Armstrong said. The union is asking that the state issue a cease-and-desist order to the district, preventing it from contracting with the private firm. Armstrong said that would require all currently contracted staff to end their work in the schools, with the potential to be hired back as full-time employees. Armstrong said the concerns were mostly with the districts decision to spend this money without transparency with the union, and that it was not an efficient use of funds. This is about staffing, Armstrong said. This is about them using the money that theyre given to properly staff their buildings, and I dont think theyre using that money responsibly. The Apostle Paul was a champion of spreading the Gospel message after his radical conversion experience when he encountered Jesus. He traveled to numerous cities and countries, preaching the good news of Jesus Christ. Paul also corresponded with and supported various churches by way of letter. But just how many books of the Bible did Paul write? Thirteen books of the New Testament are attributed to him. The books written by Paul were actually letters he wrote to congregations and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ during his ministry years. Paul began most of his letters with a similar greeting to the one found in the letter to the church of Galatia, Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:3). The thirteen books written by Paul are: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. When Did Paul Write These Books? Paul wrote these thirteen books over the span of his ministry. He wrote to churches and individuals while he was in a variety of circumstances. For example, he wrote while he was on missionary journeys, after completing his travels, or even while he was imprisoned. While staying in Ephesus, Paul wrote to the church of Corinth. After I go through Macedonia, I will come to youfor I will be going through Macedonia. Perhaps I will stay with you for a while, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go. For I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost (1 Corinthians 16:5-8). Information like that has helped scholars piece together when and where Paul was when he wrote the books attributed to him. In his writings, readers gain a sense of Pauls deep love and care for the growing Christian church, and the ways he helped people become saved and grow in their faith. Writing letters allowed Paul to continue urging others on in their faith. From another letter, readers learn that Paul wrote a second letter to Timothy from prison. For which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! (2 Timothy 2:9). Paul described himself as a prisoner in a letter to Timothy. This letter was written near the end of Pauls life before he was sentenced to death and executed. Paul wrote these thirteen letters, which have become part of the New Testament, as early as the year 50 AD, and up until his death when he became a martyr for Jesus. Paul is believed to have died sometime around the year 67 AD. Did Paul Write All These Letters Himself? From the letters themselves, we know that Paul had help from a scribe to write letters to churches or individuals. This was common practice in Pauls time. The scribe would have written as Paul spoke out loud what he wanted to include in the letter. In the letter to the Romans, the scribe identified himself. I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord (Romans 16:22). It is fascinating that the scribe was also a Christian who wanted to relay his greetings to fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. In other letters, such as the one Paul wrote to the church of Colossae, Paul indicated when it was his own hand that wrote the actual words of the letter. I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you (Colossians 4:18). Though Paul worked with scribes to create these letters, we have assurance that regardless of how the letter came to be written down that all Scripture is God-breathed (see 2 Timothy 3:16). Photo credit: Unsplash/Scott Graham Why Are Paul's Personal Letters Considered Scripture? An important part of Pauls ministry was to keep in touch with Christians and churches, to encourage them in their faith and to help them avoid heresy or get persuaded to believe anything other than the true Gospel message that was preached to them. He did this by visiting and writing letters. It remains unclear how many letters outside of the thirteen epistles in the Bible that Paul wrote. However, we do know that Paul wrote letters that did not end up in the Bible. In the first letter to the Corinthians, Paul referenced a previous letter he had written to them. I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people (1 Corinthians 5:9). Though we do not know for sure outside of this letter Paul mentioned, it is possible that Paul wrote other letters to churches and individuals that did not become part of the Bible. However, certain letters were highly circulated, transformative, and became recognized by the early church as holy Scripture. These letters are now part of the New Testament. We know that not every letter Paul wrote became Scripture, such as the letter Paul mentioned that he had formerly written to the church in Corinth. Perhaps this other letter did not have the same level of impact and transferability to congregations beyond Corinth. Ultimately, it remains unknown why this other letter to the Corinthians was not recognized as Scripture. Peter, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus, referenced Pauls writings. Bear in mind that our Lords patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction (2 Peter 3:15-16). This is helpful to know that even as Pauls letters were circulating, it was apparent that they were God-breathed. Peter believed that Pauls letters were in fact holy Scripture and urged others to view them in the same light and with the same reverence. It is no surprise, then, that thirteen of Pauls letters became part of the Bible. Is There a Central Theme of Paul's Letters? Pauls letters had common elements to them, such as an introduction, the writers name and who the letter was addressed to, a greeting or thanksgiving, and the body of the letter which conveyed the reason(s) why Paul was writing and the information he wanted to relay to the readers. Paul usually ended his letters with a farewell. In some of his letters, Paul included lists to demonstrate or expand on what he was teaching. For instance, Paul wrote lists of sinful behaviors (see Galatians 5:19-21 or Colossians 3:5-6), lists of the fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23 or Ephesians 4:2), lists of descriptions (see 1 Corinthians 13:4-8), or how Christians should live (see 2 Corinthians 6:4-10). Pauls letters address many themes and topics, such as marriage, Christian living, sinfulness, righteousness, and grace. Paul wrote about suffering, joy, discipleship, forgiveness, and that Jesus was coming back. Other themes Paul addressed were unity in the body of Christ, dying to the flesh, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Central to all Pauls letters is the overarching theme that we are saved by faith in Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). Paul went to great lengths to declare that Jesus is the Lord and Savior, the promised Messiah, to the Gentiles and the Jews alike. Paul originally rejected the Gospel, persecuted the church, and believed Jesus to be an imposter. When he experienced a conversion, Paul undoubtedly made it his mission to follow the call of Jesus to go and make disciples of all nations. Paul had a passion to make sure that every person knew that one cannot earn salvation, rather it is a gift from God through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Photo credit: Getty Images/Tinnakorn Jorruang What Happened to Paul? During his Christian life, Paul went on missionary journeys, empowered other believers to have faith, rejected heresies and preached the truth of God. Paul corresponded with churches and individuals and wrote letters that eventually were recognized as part of the Holy Bible. In his final years, he was imprisoned in Rome and was sentenced to death. He was a great supporter of many fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and believed that God was with him no matter what he faced (See Romans 8:38-39). The time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that dayand not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing (2 Timothy 4:6-8). Even near the end of his life as he faced death, Paul fully trusted that God was with him and that it had been an honor to serve God. Paul died a martyr for Jesus, one who helped advance the growing Christian church and ultimately, the kingdom of God. A Life Devoted to Christ Paul wrote numerous letters to churches and individuals during his ministry. Though some were just that personal or communal letters others were recognized as Scripture and became part of the Bible. Thirteen books in total are attributed to Paul in the New Testament. Paul wrote about many theological issues and did his best to encourage his audiences to persevere in faith. Pauls passion for Jesus and his love for people is evident in both his writings and that he gave his life to advance the Gospel so that more and more would come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Related articles What Do We Know about Paul before His Conversion? 5 Valuable Lessons from Paul on the Benefits of Giving 6 Things You Didn't Know about Paul in the Bible Photo credit: Unsplash/Clark Young Pamela Palmer is a writer, speaker, and the founder of upheldlife.com, the platform on which she produces devotionals and faith resources to inspire keeping faith at the center of life. She is in pastoral ministry and gets to share in the emotional and spiritual lives of others. She lives and thrives on Jesus, coffee, and music. She is the author of Living a Deeper Faith: Nurture Your Relationship with God and Live a Faith-Fueled Life. Pamela married the perfect man for her and they have two beautiful kiddos. She has been published on herviewfromhome.com, and you can follow her at upheldlife.com or on Facebook.com/upheldlife. On the verge of completing five decades in the biotechnology industry, Mumbai-based HiMedia Laboratories was one of the prominent players during the global fight against COVID-19. After overcoming all the challenges brought about by the pandemic on the nation and on the industrys growth, the company is now set to venture out into new areas towards portfolio expansion and greater opportunities. During a detailed conversation with BioSpectrum, Dr Gangadhar M Warke, Founder, Chairman and Managing Director, HiMedia Laboratories talks about the companys growth plans and the future of the Indian biotechnology sector. In the last two decades, HiMedia has diversified into 7 business divisions that include Microbiology, Cell Biology, and Molecular Biology. What new plans are in store for the companys growth, and what are the revenue projections for FY 23-24? HiMedia ventured into the microbiology services and training sector this year. Our microbiology division has started providing a wide range of services: microbial identification by MALDI-TOF MS, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, quality testing of disinfectants, bacterial endotoxin testing, strain development and improvement, customised media development, etc. We provide training courses for microbial counts, pathogen detection, environmental sampling, water testing, bioburden tests, etc. We have set up our own Gamma irradiation facility to facilitate sterilisation in-house. For Microbiology, with respect to USFDA regulations, there was an acute need for production of Ready Prepared Media (RPM) plates & other liquid media. Our RPM product range is extensive and covers many applications. These products are manufactured in numbers of 1.5 lakh units per day in our state-of-the-art WHO-GMP compliant facilities. For the cell biology division, we are currently focusing on cutting-edge research and new product development for bioinks and bioscaffolds for 3D bioprinting; serum-free media for cultured meat, viral vaccine production platform, cell culture; biosimilars and monoclonal antibodies as anti-cancer therapy; multicompendial biochemicals; and automation. Our latest achievement has been the development of serum-free media for many applications and chemically defined serum- NuSeraTM for reducing the batch-to-batch variation and enabling consistency in the results. Our biosimilars project has been awarded a grant from both NBM-BIRAC (National Biopharma Mission- Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council) and DBT-BIRAC in 2020 for development of serum-free, chemically defined media for monoclonal antibodies-mAbs (produced using CHO cell lines) and non-mAb protein therapeutic molecules. As a new initiative now, we provide Custom Testing Services for drug screening, cell line authentication, scaling up of cells, mycoplasma detection in cell lines, and bioproduction platform (spent media analysis, media development and media optimisation by scaling up). Alongside, we provide teaching and skill development modules for understanding regulatory affairs, in vitro culture, karyotyping, and cytogenetics. Our molecular biology division takes pride in becoming the One-Stop Shop for all the molecular biology products. Lately, we inaugurated an advanced sequencing and bioinformatics facility that provides services for Sequencing (Sanger and NGS for microbial identifications); Genotyping; Omics (Proteomics, Genomics, and Transcriptomics); and Bioinformatics. We have also developed indigenous solutions in complete forensics processes for humans and wildlife. This process involves novel IT software-based on Forensic Human Identification for the increasingly growing Forensics and Molecular Diagnostics Sector in India. We also have begun to provide teaching kits on the basic experiments of various life sciences fields. Revenue projections for FY 22-23 are around Rs 950 crore. Expected growth in new Fiscal year 23-24 is around 25 per cent taking our total revenue to Rs 1200 crore. We have also ventured into an ambitious agro-based project, which may boost the revenue further by approx. 60 per cent. Are you looking at new investments, facility expansions or partnerships to expand your business? As a rapidly diversifying biotech company, we are looking for new investments. As HiMedia has expertise in different aspects of biotechnology, we want to convert this expertise into our service provision segment. As mentioned prior, we have expanded our portfolio by launching various Advanced Services in Microbiology, Molecular Biology, and Cell Biology. Any diversification needs additional capex for facility build-up and investing in advanced instruments and biological resources. We have invested about 10 per cent of the FY-21-22 profit in these new segments such as probiotic innovation facility at Nagpur, genome sequencing service, Maldi-TOF Mass Spectrometry (MS) services for identification of microbes, 3D bioprinting and Liquid chromatographymass spectrometry (LCMS). We are also involved in partnering with academic or research institutions to develop new technologies or processes. Recently, we also got a tech transfer of diagnostic technology from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. We are expanding facilities to increase production capacity and improve efficiency. This involves building new facilities, upgrading existing ones, implementing automation or other technological advancements. We are setting up a C-GMP manufacturing facility at Nashik with the capacity of 20 tonnes per batch of cultured media. One of our recent projects revolves around drug repurposing to deal with genetic diseases like sickle cell anaemia. We are also venturing into pre-biotics, probiotics, and post-biotics for humans, livestock, and agricultural crops. We are also venturing into indigenous agar manufacture in collaboration with CSIR Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar. The Microbiology division had received BIRAC-Biotechnology Industry Partnership Programme (BIPP) grant for developing Bacterial hydrocolloid. What are your views on pushing the concept of 'Make in India' in the biotechnology sector? Since the inception of HiMedia in 1974, it has been practising 'Make in India' to build a strong substitute to the MNCs. We have been successful in many areas till now. 'Make in India' is a continuous process, and we are proud that we are part of this to make India stronger. As we know, India is among the top 12 destinations for biotechnology worldwide and 3rd largest destination for biotechnology in the Asia Pacific. In 2022, Indias Biotechnology industry crossed $80.12 billion, growing 14 per cent from the previous year. The Indian Bioeconomy has witnessed a many-fold increase in valuation in the past ten years; with COVID-19 giving the industry a much-needed push. For me, pushing the idea of 'Make in India' in biotechnology (encompassing Microbiology, Cell biology, Molecular biology and Plant tissue culture) field means making the Indian market a reliable source of various raw materials substituting foreign imports. What are the current challenges facing the biotechnology industry, and what is the way forward? The biotechnology industry faces several challenges, both technological and regulatory. European regulators upgrade their regulatory compliances every year and impose the same on all biosuppliers. These put challenges on biosuppliers and importers in India. Biotech companies often must navigate complex regulatory environments, especially when it comes to getting regulatory approval for their products. The regulatory process can be lengthy, expensive, and unpredictable. Moreover, biotech companies rely heavily on patents to protect their products and innovations. Biotech research and development can be extremely expensive, especially in areas like drug discovery and development. This makes it difficult for smaller companies to compete with larger companies that have more resources. To overcome these, biotech companies can either collaborate with each other or academic and research institutions; to share resources, knowledge, and expertise. This can help to reduce costs and accelerate the pace of innovation. For example, we have been collaborating with two German partners in our Indo-German [IGSTC 2+2] project. ICT-Mumbai is our Indian academic partner. Moreover, biotech companies should continue to invest in research and development to stay ahead of the curve. By embracing new technologies and exploring new areas of research, companies can stay competitive and create new opportunities for growth. In India, government funding agencies are supporting such innovation through significant funding apart from private funding. Biotech companies can diversify their portfolios to reduce risk and increase revenue streams. This can involve expanding into new markets or developing products in different therapeutic areas. Overall, the biotechnology industry faces several challenges. However, by adopting a collaborative, innovative, and progressive approach, companies can overcome these challenges and continue to drive growth and innovation in the field. If we consider the past financial year, pharma exports declined to some extent due to various reasons. This affected HiMedia as well. We foresee that it will improve this year. Dr Manbeena Chawla (manbeena.chawla@mmactiv.com) Tropika's latest TV advert is a trip down memory lane, designed to take viewers back to their childhood, has a strong emphasis on nostalgia. Image supplied. Tropikas latest TV advert is a trip down memory lane, designed to take viewers back to their childhood Currently airing on local TV stations, YouTube, and social media platforms the TVC is part of the South Africa diary fruit juice brands 2023 Smooth Rider campaign. Tropika has a heritage of nearly four decades, making it a unique part of many South Africans lives. We wanted to reignite this nostalgia and the brand love consumers hold dear to their hearts, says Miantha Roux, Clover Beverages business unit head. Extraordinary attention to detail The advert underpins everyday South African quirks with extraordinary attention to detail without feeling garish or kitsch. From the beaded wooden seat massager to the instantly recognisable Hulu dancer bobbing on the dashboard, there are subtle nods to memories we all hold dear. The use of satire through the little roadside shack titled Load Shed followed by the gargantuan potholes which must be precariously dodged at high speeds as if one were a professional circuit driver - something any motorist in South Africa will unreservedly attest to sharing sentiments with. This commercial showcases how Tropika seamlessly fits into everyday reality, making everything just a little smooother, adds Roux. Relevant to todays South African youth With the opening sequence set in a jaundiced tropical roadside oasis with saturated blue skies, palms that breezily sway in the oceanic pulses and a robustly rusty sky-blueFord Sierra this advert transports you to a happier world of smooth Tropika sipping immediately. The clever use of fastidious colours, shapes and iconography gently nudge your perspective in the direction of the skilful nuances that tie back to the brand. Francois de Villiers, ECD at Joe Public says, We needed to make the idea of smoooth relevant to todays South African youth, while still maintaining the brands island roots. So, they put themselves in their shoes or rather, their car seat. We took one of the most daunting experiences they face, their driving test, accompanied by a few other infamous South African challenges, and gave it an island twist. Showing that no matter how rough things get, you can get through it, when sipping onthe smoooth life withTropika. Bryan van Niekerk, Asher Stoltz and Eduan van Jaarsveldt of Team Best, brought the off-beat storytelling, understated humour and laid-back style of the islands to life. (van Niekerk also composed music track.) All-new Tropika Zero The TVC highlights the all-new Tropika Zero, which has zero added sugar, providing the perfect alternative for health-conscious consumers Nigerian publisher and editor, Dr Marcel Mbamalu, has been nominated to participate in the 2023 Jefferson Fellowships, the only representative selected from the continent. Image supplied. Nigerian publisher and editor, Dr Marcel Mbamalu, has been nominated to participate in the 2023 Jefferson Fellowships The publisher and editor-in-chief of Prime Business Africa his selection speaks to the rising profile of Prime Business Africa. Dr Mbamalu was also part of the 15-man global team that covered the US 2020 presidential elections, which produced Joe Biden as President. Mbamalu will join 10 other Fellows selected from news organisations from the USA, Taiwan, and Bangladesh, with two fellows each as well as Fellows from the Philippines, Hong Kong, Pakistan, and Fiji, (one Fellow each). The Fellowship will run for three weeks from 8 to 28 October, in Hawai, Hong Kong and Japan, starting in Honolulu with expert-led sessions on inequality in the US and the Asia Pacific region. The Fellowship theme is Inequality in the US and Asia: Drivers, consequences, and policy responses.. The three-week dialogue, reporting, and hybridised travel programme will contextualise and compare widening disparities of income, wealth, and opportunity within the US and Asia. Understand the distributional consequences The programme will enable journalists to better understand the distributional consequences of technological change, globalisation, and market reforms, which arguably favour skilled over unskilled labor, capital over labor, and urban and coastal areas over rural areas. The journalists will also deliberate on the relationship between inequality and access to education, healthcare, financing and credit, housing, and infrastructure. The discussion will be done in the context of the main drivers of inequality such as gender-related disparities in opportunities as well as racial, ethnic, and nativist discrimination. The three-week parley will also explore the effects of the politicisation of inequality on the disparities in public trust and the ways in which affected countries are responding. Share perspectives from their own countries The inequality situation in the US will form a test case for the Fellows as inequality has risen to a 50 year high despite low rates of poverty and unemployment. The important factors in this irony will come into play, for example, the US states worst and least affected by inequality and the impacts of policies, institutions, and demographics in the disparity. Journalists will additionally share perspectives from their own countries on the drivers, consequences, and policy responses related to inequality through topic papers and presentations. Site visits in Honolulu will also provide opportunities to observe how growing inequity is affecting one of US most racially and ethnically diverse states and how policymakers and grassroots organisations are responding. The asia region The Asia region attracts interest in the programme as inequality has also worsened despite remarkable economic growth as typified by Hong Kong seen as one of the worlds richest and most inequitable cities. On the positive side of inequality, Japan will be a destination for the Fellows, who will study the countrys example as the most equitable developed countries due to income and inheritance tax policies. A substantial grant from The Freeman Foundation The Jefferson Fellowships are powered by a substantial grant from The Freeman Foundation, which is also boosted by contributions from news organisations, foundations, US Embassies, and the East-West Center. In this Sept. 29, 2022 file photo, Lee Jae-woong, chief executive of car-sharing app operator SoCar, leaves as the Seoul court acquitted over illegality of the app-based business. Newsis The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld lower courts' rulings in favor of the ride-hailing service Tada and its former chief executives, putting an end to a long controversy over the legitimacy of the innovative rental car service. The top court approved the lower courts' acquittal of Lee Jae-woong, former head of car-sharing app operator SoCar, and Park Jae-uk, former head of SoCar's subsidiary and Tada operator Value Creators Company (VCNC), on charges of violating the passenger transport service act with their new service. SoCar and VCNC were also acquitted of the same charges. Tada, formally called Tada Basic, was launched in October 2018 offering a ride-hailing service through 11-seat vans and drivers. But local taxi drivers condemned Tada as an illegal taxi service operating without a license and the National Assembly then revised the Passenger Transport Service Act to restrict the outsourcing of drivers of rental vans with 11 to 15 seats to touring purposes only. Despite Thursday's acquittals, Tada cannot offer the same services as before because of the law revision. Lee and Park were indicted in October 2019 for violating the passenger transport law by running the van-hailing service without a license, though they claimed the Tada service was legitimate. The Tada case drew strong media attention due to the possible innovation of the mobility platform industry. Following the legal revision, VCNC ceased to operate the Tada Basic service and has instead been offering high-end and reservation-based riding services within the legal boundary. (Yonhap) Just as two established varietals can come together to create an exciting new wine, so blending two marketing agencies can elevate each other in interesting ways. Techsys Digital and V5 Digital are African at heart, and as such, have the spirit of Ubuntu flowing through their veins. They understand that it sometimes takes a digital village to raise particular projects into something truly innovative. Even though both of these companies think very globally its nice to have a neighbour on the other side of the Orange River to bounce ideas off of. The unique terroir of South African soil and Namibian sand can shape ideas and should not be underestimated. Its never a bad idea to check in with knowledgeable locals when representing a brand beloved in their home country. This is why Andrew Walmsley and Armin Wieland, founders of Techsys Digital and V5 Digital respectively, have a mutually beneficial digital marketing relationship. These two purveyors of digital dopamine have similar goals and desires, that when aligned, enhance the projects they collaborate on. As Andrew Walmsley explains, "At Techsys Digital, we see great potential in emerging technologies such as AI, image recognition, and big data, and we're committed to introducing these services in Southern Africa. We understand that innovation is a team effort, it flourishes through collaboration. Our partnership with V5 Digital is a step towards ensuring these technologies are rolled out effectively and efficiently." In the same vein, Armin Wieland says: Algorythm Labs is the innovation and ideation hub at V5 Digital. Here we create amazing solutions - most often first to market - together with our collaborators and clients. We utilise The Lean Startup Way to rapidly test and learn so that we can consistently create customer solutions that solve real business problems. Deepening our collaboration Partnership with Techsys Digital will allow us to launch innovative solutions faster and at scale. Just as a Bordeaux blend combines different grape varieties to achieve a unique flavour profile, two marketing agencies can bring together their individual strengths to create a more complete and effective marketing strategy. Consulting a like-minded business that recognises and plays to each others strengths can lead to fresh ideas that benefit clients, customers, and consumers. You cant make the worlds most popular red blend with only one type of wine so V5 Digital appreciates that theyve found the Cabernet Sauvignon to their Merlot. Both of these are undeniably great wines but sometimes nothing hits the spot quite like a well-rounded Bordeaux. About Techsys Digital: Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Techsys is a full-service digital marketing agency whose talented team crafts results-driven campaigns and platforms. We provide innovative digital solutions to our portfolio of world-class clients. About V5 Digital: V5 Digital is a leading Digital Marketing Agency based in Windhoek, Namibia - serving Customers around the Globe - from startups in Bio Energy to Blue Chip Financial Services Clients. We partner with Global Customer Success Leaders Salesforce, Constant Contact and Rocketseed. Ogilvy Africa officially launched InfluenceO, its end-to-end influence solution designed for businesses, brands, and creators in Africa. Image supplied. Ogilvy Africa officially launched InfluenceO, its end-to-end influence solution for businesses, brands, and creators in Africa for influencer marketing recently. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies and innovations from around the world and Africa, InfluenceO enables brands and influencers to establish genuine partnerships and drive highly impactful marketing campaigns. Commenting on the launch, Vikas Mehta, CEO Ogilvy Africa, says, "This is an important milestone as we introduce InfluenceO to Africa. Its an award-winning global asset, customised meticulously to the need and nuance of sub-Saharan African countries. It brings world-class functionalities and rich databases to hitherto underserved markets. With InfluenceO, we hope to unleash the vast potential of this continent's content and influence landscape." Key features Key features of InfluenceO include: AI-powered influencer identification: Utilising AI technology, InfluenceO identifies the most influential figures for brands, ensuring an authentic fit with the target audience. It also locates micro and nano influencers who may otherwise go unnoticed. Streamlined onboarding, contracting, and payment processes: InfluenceO incorporates world-class technology to simplify these crucial steps for clients, ensuring creators are recognized and rewarded more reliably. Integration with Ogilvy's proprietary media technology Feed: InfluenceO seamlessly integrates with Feed, Ogilvy's media technology platform, to amplify the impact of influencer marketing through dynamic, effective, and efficient methods. In addition to these features, InfluenceO provides clients with comprehensive analytics and performance metrics. These insights go beyond traditional metrics like clicks and engagement rates, delving into conversion rates and long-term changes in brand sentiment, delivering valuable data on campaign effectiveness. Harnessing the potential of influencer marketing "In today's rapidly evolving landscape, influencer marketing has emerged as a powerful tool for brands to connect with their target audiences. It goes beyond mere reach, allowing them to establish and maintain deep connections with their audience, says Patou Nuytemans, CEO EMEA at Ogilvy. However, the methods of thinking, planning, and executing influencer marketing have fallen behind the pace of its evolution. With the launch of InfluenceO, we now possess the power to transform our approach and fully harness the potential of influencer marketing as a formidable channel," adds Nuytemans. InfluenceO revolutionises the brand-influencer collaboration process while expanding marketers' perspectives on and strategies for influencer engagement. To facilitate transparent and efficient collaboration between brands and influencers, InfluenceO offers a centralised dashboard where both parties can manage campaigns, review content drafts, negotiate terms, and track deliverables. This streamlined approach eliminates communication barriers, enhances efficiency, and ensures mutual satisfaction. Moreover, InfluenceO goes beyond technology by reinforcing Ogilvy's commitment to support creators across sub-Saharan Africa. It aims to assist them in developing their skills, enhancing their profiles, and advancing their careers. Higher education institutions bear the responsibility of empowering their students and setting them on the path to success. This duty must encompass the mandatory provision of dedicated, constructively aligned learning materials. These materials are pivotal, as they enable students to develop the essential knowledge and skills that they require in order to thrive in their chosen fields. This focus on quality learning materials enhances students' educational experience, and it supports their development into successful, self-reliant individuals. Rethinking success in higher education Traditionally, success in higher education has been measured by the attainment of a certificate, diploma or degree. However, this view seems myopic in today's complex, 21st century world. While such qualifications serve as 'packages, 'vehicles' or 'pathways' for learning and act as markers of success, they do not fully encapsulate the fruits of the higher education experience. Higher education equips students for future careers, shaping them into well-rounded, knowledgeable adults with the capacity, agency and autonomy to be successful, impactful individuals. Such education builds upon the foundational knowledge and skills that are acquired during primary and secondary education, so as to equip students with more advanced knowledge and specialised skills in a particular field or discipline. Higher education also promotes personal growth and development, exposing students to new ideas, perspectives and cultures, while encouraging critical thinking and intellectual inquiry. Quality learning materials are instrumental in facilitating this process. They not only foster deeper understanding, critical thinking and active engagement with the subject matter, but they also promote social and emotional growth, assisting students in developing independence, self-awareness and a sense of purpose. Nonetheless, one may ask the following: What defines the baseline 'quality' of an educational experience that best sets students up for success? Defining baseline quality and fostering self-reliance Quality Matters (QM) provides one approach to ensuring the quality of learning materials. QM, which is a leading entity in educational quality assurance, offers a faculty-centred, peer-review process that is aimed at validating the quality of online and blended courses (Shattuck et al., 2014). Its standards, which advocate for measurable competencies, active student engagement, mentorship, interactive strategies, high expectations, authentic assessments, prompt feedback and consistent faculty support, are based on years of educational research and best practice. The fourth general standard of QM (see Figure 1) focuses on instructional materials. It emphasises that materials must align with designated learning objectives, be pitched at the appropriate level, and clarify to students the relationship between objectives and materials. The content should be current, authoritative and cited properly, and it should have sufficient breadth and depth. Additionally, educators should have the flexibility to customise and add content to the course. This standard, which is rooted in comprehensive research and practice, serves as a reliable benchmark for quality in learning materials. Figure 1 Quality Matters criteria for instructional materials Building on this foundation, Edge Education is committed to creating learning materials that not only meet QMs standards, but that also foster self-reliance in students. We believe that the key to student success lies in the mandatory provision of dedicated, constructively aligned, interactive, multimedia-rich and accessible learning materials. Yet, quality extends beyond content; it also encompasses engagement and connection with the material, fellow students and educators around the content. In a resource-limited setting such as South Africa, we must empower students to become self-reliant. This idea may unsettle the purists and watchdogs; however, we are not suggesting that higher education should be an unsupported endeavour. Instead, we propose a baseline of quality support that is grounded in QM's principles. Learning materials that take this into consideration promote engagement and connection, thereby teaching students to learn to learn. By providing students with these robust, self-guided learning materials, we can free up training institutions to focus their resources on delivering vital support to students. The impact of learning materials on student success Learning materials play a crucial role in student success (Smart and Jagannathan, 2018; and UNESCO IIEP Learning Portal, 2023). These resources not only facilitate in-depth exploration of complex concepts, but they also foster deep engagement, which ultimately leads to improved academic performance. In fact, in low-income contexts, quality learning materials have been shown to compensate for factors such as large class sizes and a lack of reading materials at home (UNESCO IIEP Learning Portal, 2023). Despite the importance of these materials, their provision can vary significantly across institutions. For instance, some public higher education institutions have experienced a reduction in the availability of learning materials due to financial constraints or policy changes. This resource deficit can create barriers to learning particularly for students who may not have the means to acquire the necessary materials independently. In contrast, many private higher education institutions (PHEIs) prioritise the provision of dedicated learning materials for all students. While not necessarily causative, there appears to be a correlation between such provision and improved student success rates, suggesting that quality learning materials may enhance student outcomes (UNESCO IIEP Learning Portal, 2023). The contrasting experiences underscore the integral role of quality learning materials in fostering student success. By aligning with established quality frameworks like QM and adopting innovative approaches to learning material design and delivery, higher education institutions can enhance their students' educational experiences. This, in turn, equips students with the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in their fields, thereby setting them on the path to success. Edge Education's CourseBook: A revolutionary approach Edge Education's CourseBook is an innovative content solution for higher education. It is designed to transform the learning experience and prepare students to become economically active and socially engaged citizens. Our comprehensive academic publishing model ensures a commitment to quality that permeates every stage of production. Each phase involves meticulous reviews and quality checks, culminating in a final QA phase. CourseBook is engineered to provide an enriching and empowering learning experience. It enables students to form meaningful connections with the content and their peers, and it offers access to a range of interactive tools, including highlighters, annotations, summaries, multimedia playlists and self-assessment quizzes. These tools facilitate deep engagement with the content, which promotes active learning. Moreover, an embedded community feature enables students to collaborate, discuss and share their ideas with peers and educators, which ultimately fosters a supportive and intellectually stimulating learning environment. By incorporating interactive tools and promoting a sense of community, CourseBook supports personal and intellectual growth. It equips students with the knowledge, skills and experiences that they need in order to navigate the complexities of the world. These graduate attributes prepare students to make meaningful contributions to society, leading to their overall success. In conclusion, Edge Education's CourseBook represents a paradigm shift in higher education. It emphasises the provision of quality learning materials that align with course objectives, engage students and foster self-reliance. By delegating the responsibility of providing mandatory, quality learning materials to Edge, higher education institutions are freed up to focus their efforts on delivering crucial support services to their students. Following quality frameworks like QM and adopting innovative solutions like CourseBook empowers these institutions to deliver learning experiences that truly prepare students for success in their careers and that aid them in becoming impactful members of society. In essence, nurturing successful students in higher education extends beyond merely providing qualifications it also entails ensuring the mandatory provision of quality learning materials and effective student support. South Africa is mulling its options over the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin should he accept an invitation to a BRICS summit in August, a government official said on Wednesday. File Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with government members via a video link in Moscow, Russia 31 May 2023. Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Kremlin via Reuters A member of the ICC, South Africa would theoretically be required to arrest Putin under the warrant issued in March by the court, which accused him of the war crime of forcibly deporting children from Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine. Moscow denies the allegations. However, South Africa had on 25 January already invited Putin to the 22-24 August meeting in Johannesburg of BRICS leaders of emerging economies, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. "There has been no firm decision," said Zane Dangor, director-general of the department of international relations, adding that ministers assigned to the matter would soon meet to consider a report setting out the options. One option gaining traction among South African officials would be to ask the group's previous chair China to host the summit, said a senior government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Asked whether Putin would attend the gathering, the Kremlin said on Tuesday that Russia would take part at the "proper level". Former President Thabo Mbeki, whose views on international relations hold a lot of sway among government officials, said in a 25 May interview with radio station 702 that the summit was unlikely to take place in South Africa. "Because of our legal obligations, we have to arrest President Putin, but we can't do that," Mbeki said. A deputy minister, Obed Bapela, told Britain's BBC on Tuesday that South Africa was planning to pass legislation that would give Pretoria the option to decide whether or not to arrest leaders wanted by the ICC. Bapela did not respond to requests for comment. However, a justice department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said there wouldn't be enough time to get such a law approved by parliament before the summit. South Africa on Monday issued diplomatic immunity to all leaders attending the meeting and a gathering of BRICS foreign ministers in Cape Town this week. The international relations department said this was standard procedure, however, for all international conferences in South Africa. "These immunities do not override any warrant that may have been issued by any international tribunal against any attendee of the conference," department spokesperson Clayson Monyela said. South Africa previously signalled its intention to withdraw from the ICC following protests about its failure to arrest Sudan's former president Omar al-Bashir, wanted on genocide charges, when he attended an African Union summit in Johannesburg in 2015. The governing African National Congress decided in December that South Africa should abandon the process and try to effect changes to the ICC from within. As we mark the one-year anniversary of the historic Feeding Our Future radiothon, Kfm 94.5 and LottoStar proudly look back on the incredible accomplishments and transformative changes made possible by the generous R20m donation to Peninsula School Feeding Association (PSFA). Kfm 94.5 and LottoStar joined forces on 1 June 2022 to host a 12-hour radiothon in aid of the non-profit organisation dedicated to alleviating hunger among schoolchildren in the Western Cape. This monumental amount, the largest ever raised by a South African radio station, within a 12-hour timeframe, fuelled substantial progress in combating hunger among learners across the province. PSFA director Petrina Pakoe says the funding has enabled them to continue feeding thousands of children attending schools and other educational institutions and to expand the programme. Thanks to the radiothon, we have supported 15,350 learners on our school feeding programme. This equates to 5,833,760 daily meals, including breakfasts and lunches served over the past 12 months. PSFA is also guaranteed to serve 7,808 learners for the next three years, equating to 2,967,040 meals. With all our schools being adopted for 2022, we could direct funds towards expanding our collaboration of a nutrition programme on the West Coast concentrating on ECDs. We adopted 12 ECDs onto our programme in August 2022 and continued to expand to 24 ECDs as of the 1st of June, adds Pakoe. Pakoe says more and more schools will be making applications to join the programme as families struggle to survive. Our fieldworkers visit schools every day and continue to report a great increase in the number of learners at some schools needing feeding. Secondly, the increase in food prices and fuel plays a big role in the annual adjustment of what it costs to feed a child two meals a day. "While we appreciate the donation received, the need has not disappeared, and we will need to feed them for many more years to come. We, therefore, ask that donors consider renewing their annual and monthly donations so that we can continue to be proactive in our fundraising. To suppliers, we ask that they try and continue providing stock at the best possible prices so that we can continue feeding school children affected by poverty, because as our motto says, you cant teach a hungry child', adds Pakoe. LottoStar director Tasoulla Hadjigeorgiou, says they are proud of the role they played. A year later, we are filled with gratitude and awe. It has been a year since our historic radiothon. Words fail to express the overwhelming joy we feel as we reflect on how we made history. Not only did we surpass our goal but the outpouring of generosity from businesses and listeners was mind-blowing. Because of their selfless acts, we have been able to make a profound difference in the lives of countless children. The funds raised are still at work, ensuring that they receive two nourishing meals every day, and this will continue until 2026. Thank you, South Africa, for your incredible support. Let us continue to inspire and uplift one another as we strive for a brighter future for all. Kfm Mornings Host Darren Simpson says the radiothon remains a highlight of his radio career. "The success of the radiothon, raising a staggering 20 million rand, is a testament to the incredible generosity and compassion of both big businesses and Kfm listeners, including young kids who selflessly donated their pocket money. The radiothon reminds us all of the immense power we possess when we stand united for a common cause. I am grateful to have been part of such an impactful initiative and humbled by the support we received. Together, we have created a lasting impact that will undoubtedly change lives for the better." Stay tuned to Kfm 94.5 on Thursday, 1 June for a look back on this remarkable day and to revisit some of the key moments that played out on air a year ago. MTN remains dominant as Africa's most valuable brand, with Pick n Pay is the strongest African brand, and Kenya's Safaricom the most valuable non-South African brand. Image supplied. Despite difficult operating conditions, Africa's most valuable brands have demonstrated resilience and growth in 2023, says the latest report by brand valuation consultancy, Brand Finance. The top 200 brands in Africa have seen a combined year-on-year brand value growth of 6%, reaching a total value of $54.4bn. SA a powerhouse of African brands South Africa leads the way as the largest contributor, accounting for over half of the brands in the ranking and 75% ($40.8bn) of the total brand value. "South Africa's remarkable dominance in the Africa 200 ranking is a testament to the strength and resilience of its brands, says Jeremy Sampson, chairman, Africa, Brand Finance. South Africa has firmly established itself as the powerhouse of African brands, underscoring its influential position in shaping the African business landscape, he adds. However, he comments that it is also essential to recognise the significant role played by African brands outside of South Africa, many of which continue to see growth, and which bring further diversity and richness to the continent's economic tapestry. MTN dominant as Africas most valuable brand Telecoms giant MTN (brand value up 8% to $4.4bn) is Africas most valuable brand for the fourth consecutive year. MTNs brand value continued to grow in 2023 and its value is now up 31% from its pre-pandemic level. MTNs brand is worth just less than double the value of the second most valuable brand, Vodacom (brand value up 16% to $2.3bn). To succeed in emerging markets requires resilience and investment. That is certainly the case in Africa where complex challenges have had to be overcome to unlock the significant opportunities. The brands that have managed the challenges and the changes on the continent since Covid-19 are reaping the rewards of their efforts. MTN is an excellent example of this, says David Haigh, chairman, Brand Finance. Although Vodacom is not yet operating on the same scale as MTN, Brand Finances research found it is out-performing it in a number of key metrics surrounding customer satisfaction. These included consideration, usage, reputation, quality, and customer service. Kenyas Safaricom: Most valuable non-South African brand Safaricom (brand value up 14% to $710m) is the most valuable brand from outside South Africa in the ranking. Over the past year, Safaricom has achieved revenue growth, while also growing its Ethiopian operation, a market it hopes it can expand to reach the level of its Kenya operation within 10 years. Safaricom Ethiopia has already penetrated approximately 10% of the population, a positive sign of the uptake for its services from customers in the region. Image supplied. Pick n Pay: Strongest African brand In addition to calculating brand value, Brand Finance also determines the relative strength of brands through a balanced scorecard of metrics evaluating marketing investment, stakeholder equity, and business performance. Compliant with ISO 20671, Brand Finances assessment of stakeholder equity incorporates original market research data from over 100,000 respondents in 38 countries and across 31 sectors. Retail brand Pick n Pay (brand value up 30% to R13.5bn) has become the strongest African brand with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 94 out of 100 and corresponding AAA+ rating. Pick n Pay has seen a 14-point BSI increase since last year to clinch the top spot for brand strength. It is one of nine African brands to achieve the elite AAA+ rating, five of which came from the retail sector. For comparison, only 12 brands achieved AAA+ brand rating in Brand Finances ranking of the worlds top 500 most valuable and strongest brands - the Global 500 2023. Image supplied. Egypts Aman: Fastest-growing African brand Egyptian brand Aman is the fastest growing African brand, up 244% year-on-year to $54m. The Fintech brand has diversified its offering to include micro finance, consumer finance, small and medium-sized enterprises finance, e-payments and a new saving service; AMAN Day-by-Day. This improved line-up has contributed to the brands increased revenue forecast and 17-point Brand Strength Index score increase, both contributing to its exponential brand value growth. Banking most valuable sector African Banking brands have experienced a strong post-pandemic recovery in terms of brand value growth in 2023. With five brands in the top 10 of the ranking, the banking sector is the most valuable in the Africa 200 ranking, representing 26% of the total brand value. This includes 42 banking brands with a combined brand value of $14.4bn. Telecoms is the next most valuable sector, comprising of 23 brands in the ranking with a combined brand value of $11bn. Image supplied Sustainability perceptions value and score As well as being Africas most valuable brand, MTN also has the highest Sustainability Perceptions Value (SPV) of any brand included in the Africa 200 2023 ranking $508m. MTNs position at the top of the SPV table is not an assessment of its overall sustainability performance, rather indicating how much brand value it has driven by sustainability consumer perceptions. Safaricom has the highest Sustainability Perceptions Score at 6.46 out of 10. The brand has particularly focused on leveraging its connectivity, platforms, and technology to partner with others and realise its strategy of transforming Safaricom into a purpose-led organisation by 2025. As part of its analysis, Brand Finance assesses the role that specific brand attributes play in driving overall brand value. One such attribute, growing rapidly in its significance, is sustainability. Brand Finance assesses how sustainable specific brands are perceived to be, represented by a Sustainability Perceptions Score. This is an indexed score that provides a view of the role of sustainability in driving positive brand reputation. The value that is linked to sustainability perceptions, the Sustainability Perceptions Value, is then calculated for each brand. Every year, leading brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance puts 5,000 of the biggest brands to the test, and publishes over 100 reports, ranking brands across all sectors and countries. The worlds top 200 most valuable and strongest African brands are included in the annual Brand Finance Africa 200 2023 ranking. Lee Jae-kwang, chairman of the Korea Federation of SMEs (KBIZ) labor committee, speaks during a forum at the federation's headquarters in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of KBIZ By Park Jae-hyuk More than six out of every 10 owners of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) agree on the need for tougher regulations on migrant workers switching jobs too frequently and urged the government to force E-9 visa holders to work at least three years at their first workplace, according to a recent survey by the Korea Federation of SMEs (KBIZ), Thursday. The federation surveyed 500 SMEs employing migrant workers and found that deportation is the favored solution of employers to deal with foreign employees who work slowly to protest management's refusal to terminate employment contracts so that they can move to other workplaces. These results were disclosed during a forum hosted by KBIZ with labor policy experts and small business owners to propose reforms in the government's policies on migrant workers. At the event, Korea SMEs & Startups Institute's research fellow Noh Min-sun said that 58.2 percent of SMEs were asked by their foreign employees to terminate employment contracts, less than six months after the workers arrived in Korea. Those working under an E-9 visa, who are eligible to stay in Korea for three years and an additional 22 months, have to work at their first workplaces for at least the first three years. But they can change their workplaces in some cases, such as the closure of a company, delays in the payment of wages or when their employment contract is terminated with the consent of the employer. According to Statistics Korea data shown at the forum, 42.3 percent of E-9 visa holders worked less than a year at their first workplaces. In contrast to the common belief that low wages and poor labor conditions prompt foreigners to switch jobs, the most common reason behind requests to terminate employment contracts was to work with their friends employed at other places, accounting for 38.5 percent of the causes of such requests, according to the survey. Noh added that 96.8 percent of SMEs accepted their migrant employees' requests to terminate employment contracts. Among the companies that rejected the requests, 85.4 percent said foreign employees worked slowly, said they were sick or did not come to work. "When migrant workers try to switch jobs without a valid reason, employers should be allowed to take some countermeasures," the researcher said. "If employers did nothing wrong, the government should consider banning foreign workers from switching their jobs for a certain period of time." Foreign workers pour molten metal into casts at a foundry in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, in this 2021 file photo. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho Deus Ex Machina aka God from the machine is actualising before our organic, currently unmodified irises. Would you or a loved one enjoy the novelty of neuralink? Described on their website as follows: Our brain-computer interface is fully implantable, cosmetically invisible, and designed to let you control a computer or mobile device anywhere you go. Its not for me, dear readers. Your author will gladly be left behind, unenhanced, mental faculties intact, and under the sole control of consciousness, the spirit, and good old fashioned neurological brain biochemistry. This is a long overdue article, following on from a piece I wrote on brain-chips and the buzz around legal eagles needing the procedure, lest they get left behind - apparently. Transhumanism and A.I Normalising Brain-chips: The New 'Trans' Nicholas Creed August 31, 2022 It can be challenging to keep up with the dystopic realities, predictive programming pronouncements, and trial balloon articles being floated out there to gauge public reaction to suggestible content. Now we are reaching a new threshold of bizarreness, as science fiction begins to merge with both the possible and the probable; not Read full story Mod cons and safety concerns Imagine a world, where instead of hype around the latest iPhone or operating system, the lemmings salivate over their next upgrade. Firmware and hardware, installed and hard-wired into their skulls. Implants connecting them to the internet of things, the internet of bodies, and a plethora of information, notifications, and stimuli. Always connected. Forever engaged. Never truly present. Neuralink implant - FDA approved for human trials. Before the recent FDA approval for neuralinks human clinical trials was granted, the regulators had some concerns. A report by Reuters in March 2023 outlined safety issues with neuralink: Migrating wires can induce inflammation, impair function in critical areas of the brain and rupture blood vessels, said Victor Krauthamer, a former FDA official for three decades, including a stint as acting director of the office that reviews human-trial requests for brain implants. A migration problem can also erode the devices effectiveness, leading to the risk of surgical removal, he and other experts said. Inflammation, impaired cognition (brain fog?), ruptured blood vessels too? This is Deja vu; a dreamy list of ailments not dissimilar to something else we were told was safe and effective. There are also concerns over the intended lithium battery potentially damaging brain tissue. [Since all those spike proteins crossed over so many peoples blood-brain barriers in mass transhumanist experiment 1.0 - the Covid injections) - it just seems like a free-for-all at this point.] Reuters had previously reported on the body count of animals arising from neuralinks testing as follows: In all, the company has killed about 1,500 animals, including more than 280 sheep, pigs and monkeys, following experiments since 2018, according to records reviewed by Reuters and sources with direct knowledge of the companys animal-testing operations. The sources characterized that figure as a rough estimate because the company does not keep precise records on the number of animals tested and killed. Neuralink has also conducted research using rats and mice. Maryam Henein, writing for Activist Post, covered the monkey trials in great detail: A total of 15 macaque monkeys out of 23 have died at U.C. Davis in a Neuralink-funded project titled Development of a Large-Scale Brain-Machine Interface in Rhesus Macaques. By now the others may be dead too, says Ryan Merkley, the director of research advocacy for the Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine (PCRM). In addition to monkeys, Musks company whose slogan is breakthrough technology for the brain has also implanted Bluetooth-enabled chips in pigs and sheep in order to connect and communicate with computers via a small receiver. Even more startlingly, Henein says she has personally been approached by people who claim they already have nanotech in their brains: I am getting abused. I mean really really bad. I have a lot of tech in me; I have wifi chips in my ear and skull through which they are assaulting me horrifically with 5G, nano, and more. When I probed (no pun intended), he responded: You want definitive proof? Cut this crap out of me. Find someone to cut this wifi chip out of me. Dont shoot the messenger. The goal is to test on humans so why is it so far-fetched to believe theyve already begun? The lure of altruism Heres where it gets tricky to scream into the wind, warning about hackable humans and mind control, whilst placating ethical and moral considerations surrounding life-changing improvements to help the severely disabled become able-bodied. Or at the least, being able to control their environment by using their minds connecting to devices. Who is it for? Taken from neuralink website. Garnering public support for such unchartered territory as we move into the realm of human trials understandably zeros in on helping people with little to no mobility, with the promise of enhancement. Its difficult to argue against withholding such pioneering technology that could change the lives of those suffering a life of immobility. Another incredible story from 26th May 2023, told of a man who had been paralysed for 12 years, is now able to walk again thanks to a brain-spine interface. The story from the Epoch Times via Zerohedge: Put simply, the device restored the neurological link between the brain and the spinal cord, which is typically severed during accidents such as Oskams. The device was implanted into Oskams skull, meaning it is not visible to the naked eye. When Oskam thinks about walking, the implant detects electrical activity in the cortex, the outer layer of the brain, and sends brain waves wirelessly to a computer that Oskam wears in a backpack. The information is then transmitted to a pulse generator inserted into his spinal cord, effectively switching on muscles and allowing him to produce specific movements. As amazing and uplifting it is to read about such a feel-good story, do we think the tech drive for mass adoption would stop there? It is reminiscent of the vax drive from 2021 to date. It starts off with the most vulnerable in society, then on to the next cohort / demographic / age group, and on and on, until we are brain chipping humans straight out of the womb, perhaps? For their safety We havent even touched on Neuro-rights yet, which could warrant a separate piece on this topic alone. Quoting from an article by The Economic Times written in May 2021: according to experts in Chile, who have moved the security debate beyond burglar alarms to safeguarding the most valuable real estate people ever own: their minds. The South American nation is aiming to be the world's first to legally protect citizens' "neuro-rights," with lawmakers expected to pass a constitutional reform blocking technology that seeks to "increase, diminish or disturb" people's mental integrity without their consent. When life imitates art Let us glance at predictive programming from Hollywood, subliminally seducing us into getting augmented. Whether it be a brain-spine implant, our consciousness uploaded to the cloud, or gaining superhuman abilities. This is a well crafted dystopian sci-fi flick, in which the paralysed protagonist is offered the chance to walk again, following a mysterious invitation for a consultation with a tech billionaire. The upgrade is a brain-spine interface that gives the character - Grey - full mobility and physically enhanced fighting abilities with one small catch. The chip comes with a sentient AI that has plans of its own. Other scenes are relevant to forthcoming realities in our real world, such as driverless vehicles being hacked for the purposes of maiming and assassination. There is also a scene depicting bleakly dismal immersion into virtual reality, embraced by emaciated addicts hooked up to intravenous drips, so that they can spend hours or even days in a VR environment - think of Zuckerbergs Metaverse! The title of this film could just as well be transhuman. The plot could be the culmination of every transhumanist envisionment from neuralink to the WEFs fourth industrial revolution. Depps character - Will Caster - uploads his consciousness to the internet after being fatally poisoned with radiation sickness. The most striking (and pertinent?) scenes come towards the end of the film. Will has had a brain-chip interface built into half of the townsfolk, where he has had a huge underground laboratory complex constructed, along with self-assembling nanotechnology-based solar panels on the surface (that can regenerate from being damaged). In the penultimate scenes, a queue of local people stand outside the facility doors - at first we are shown disabled people in wheelchairs, blind people, and other afflicted. Then soon after we see healthy children. The chip cures all disabilities and ailments, gives everyone superhuman strength, as well as the ability to heal / regenerate from any wound. Everyone who takes the brain-chip is connected to Will, who can control them to do his bidding. Transhumanism end game Immortality is the ultimate goal of transhumanism and eugenics. For the elites parasite class. Tinkering with the useless eaters is both for sport and to research the path to realising longevity of life, knowledge, and power. Maybe the mRNA injections were designed to find out what percentage of the public can tolerate repeated boosters and genetic modifications. The public will once again be used as lab rats to be experimented on with the brain-chips, to gauge enhancement potential, then eventually mind control feasibility, persuasion inducement, behaviour, and actions. As James Corbett saliently suggested: The funny thing is that before you show your normie friend that clip they'll call you a barking mad conspiracy loony and dismiss the very idea of brain chips, but after you show them that clip they'll give you fifteen different reasons why brain chips are an obvious and laudable evolution in technology. They will then assure you that there's nothing at all untoward about the concept of WEF-approved tech being implanted directly in your cerebral cortex and that it's perfectly reasonable for Klaus Schwab to be talking about turning the human species into an army of brain-chipped cyborgs. Finally, they will solemnly affirm that they will be the first in line to take the transhuman upgrades as soon as they're commercially available and that you must be an insane wing-nut if you wouldn't jump at the opportunity to be chipped by Klaus and his cronies. Could you count on one hand the number of people you know that would likely take the chip? Would you need more hands? Are homo sapiens soon to be extinct? Virtual coffees and cryptocurrency donations are hugely appreciated. Bitcoin address: 39CbWqWXYzqXshzNbosbtBDf1YoJfhsr45 Monero address: 86nUmkrzChrCS4v5j6g3dtWy6RZAAazfCPsC8QLt7cEndNhMpouzabBXFvhTVFH3u3UsA1yTCkDvwRyGQNnK74Q2AoJs6Pt Borsa Italiana non ha responsabilita per il contenuto del sito a cui sta per accedere e non ha responsabilita per le informazioni contenute. Accedendo a questo link, Borsa Italiana non intende sollecitare acquisti o offerte in alcun paese da parte di nessuno. Sarai automaticamente diretto al link in cinque secondi. Each year, students are elected into the society based on the breadth and depth of their scholarly achievements, desire to experience the world from multiple viewpoints, good moral character, and personal integrity. Professor of Anthropology Krista Van Vleetinterim president of Phi Beta Kappa's Alpha of Maine chapterled the induction ceremony, which took place Friday morning in Studzinkski Hall's Kanbar Auditorium. She was assisted by two fellow officers: Senior Lecturer in Classics and Alpha of Maine treasurer and nominating commitee chair Michael Nerdahl and Bowdoin Museum of Art Codirector and Alpha of Maine secretary Anne Collins Goodyear. Addressing the students who sat before her in the audience, Van Vleet said, "You are being honored today because during your time at Bowdoin you fully engaged in the intellectual life of the College. You embraced the liberal arts, demonstrated intellectual curiosity in the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences, and distinguished yourselves...with your critical and creative thinking, global awareness, integrity, and exceptional academic achievements." President Clayton Rose also praised the students' achievements, which he said "required in equal measures hard work, discipline, creativity, and intellectual nimbleness, all fueled by a love of ideas and knowledge." Nerdahl provided a short history of Phi Beta Kappa. Five students founded the organization in Williamsburg, Virginia, during the American Revolution, in 1776, to advance the Greek motto philosophia biou kybernetes, "love of learning is the guide of life." Bowdoin established the Alpha of Maine chapter in 1825, making it the sixth-oldest in the country. Herman Samuel Dreer, Class of 1910, became the first African American man to be inducted into Maine's organization. In 1973, Donna L. Dionne was the first woman elected to Bowdoins society. Elsewhere, the first African American men were elected at Yale in 1874 and at the University of Vermont in 1877. The first women were inducted at the University of Vermont in 1875 and at Connecticuts Wesleyan University in 1876. The first African American woman was elected at Middlebury College in 1899. Their generosity is a shining example of the critical role that our donors play in moving Bowdoin forward. The idea for the four new chairs emerged from conversations that took place across campus in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in 2020, said Senior Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs Jennifer Scanlon, with a sense there needed to be a public reckoning with the nations history of racial injustice. We felt an urgency to do all we could to do to help our students develop the tools to think through complex problems of race, racism, and racial justice, Scanlon said. Although the College had been engaged in this work for some time, we recognized the need for a renewed, purposeful, and deliberate commitment to the role of higher education in imagining, exploring, and fostering change. Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions chant during a rally in downtown Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap Militant umbrella union loses popularity among younger workers of profitable firms By Park Jae-hyuk The Korean Metal Workers' Union's (KMWU) nationwide strike on Wednesday failed to win support from most of its members, according to the labor ministry, Thursday. The union, which is under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), was able to attract around 30,000 participants to take part in the nationwide strike among its 190,000 members, as unionized workers of Hyundai Motor, Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries declined to join the protest. Amid the poor participation rate, the KCTU also canceled its march at night after its massive rally in downtown Seoul on Wednesday afternoon and dispersed voluntarily at around 8:30 p.m. Seeing as the KCTU also failed last December to convince the unions of major conglomerates to join the nationwide strike by unionized truck drivers, speculation is growing that the militant umbrella union's protest may continue to lose momentum. Before the KMWU went on its latest nationwide strike, the Hyundai Motor and HD Hyundai unions expressed skepticism about the plan. Last month, Hyundai Motor union leader Ahn Hyun-ho warned in a statement that the KMWU's decision will cause conflicts among unions. "None of the former leaders of the KMWU ever decided to strike without consent," he said. "The KCTU's leaders also turned down the proposal to go on a nationwide strike in May." HD Hyundai's union cited its lack of legal right to strike as the reason for its refusal to join the nationwide strike. Hanwha Ocean's labor and management held a ceremony to declare mutual cooperation, a day before the KMWU's strike. When the KCTU carried out an all-out protest last December to support the truckers' strike, unionized workers of the shipbuilders also declined to strike, as they reached agreements with their management in their negotiations concerning wages. Hanwha Ocean's union even tried last year to leave the KMWU, although its attempt ended in failure as only 52.7 percent of its members supported its withdrawal. The shipbuilder's union needs agreements from at least two-thirds of its members, in order to leave the KMWU. Other members of the KMWU, such as POSCO's union, have also sought to withdraw from the umbrella union. In addition, younger workers have been skeptical about the KMWU's method of protest, believing that its actions are purely political in nature, instead of protecting the rights of workers. As a result, some of the young workers have organized so-called MZ generation-led unions, which do not belong to the KCTU. Industry officials expect employees of profitable firms to focus more on negotiations with management for higher wages, rather than political protests against the incumbent administration. "If the KCTU continues to protest on the street as before, it will face difficulties in winning support from the public," said Choi Young-ki, a visiting professor of Hallym University, who previously led the Korea Labor Institute. Hyundai Motor CEO Chang Jae-hoon, fifth from right, poses with Lin Keqing, chairman of Guangdong Provincial Political Consultative Conference and Secretary of the Guangzhou Municipal Committee, sixth from right, along with other government and company officials during the 'HTWO Guangzhou' completion ceremony in Huangpu District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China, Thursday. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Anil Chauhan (centre), Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari (second from left), Chief of Army Staff Gen. Manoj Pande (second from right), Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice Adm. SJ Singh (right) & CEO&MD of BrahMos Shri Atul D Rane during the 'Users' Meet 2023' organised by BrahMos Aerospace on 31st May, 2023 to mark 25 Supersonic Years of Success of the JV programme. NEW DELHI: BrahMos Aerospace the India-Russia Defence Joint Venture (JV) between India's DRDO & Russia's NPOM on 31st May 2023 commemorated 25 Supersonic Years of Success by organising BRAHMOS Users Meet 2023. Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan graced the occasion along with Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Manoj Pande and Vice Chief of Naval Staff (VCNS) Vice Adm. Sanjay Jasjit Singh. Terming the formidable BRAHMOS Weapon System as the Brahmastra of India, Gen. Chauhan, quoting national poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, said, BRAHMOS missile systems in some manner symbolise garal, meaning lethality, and bal, meaning strength. It (the weapon) begets respect and I believe, it is there to promote peace. The global security environment is in a state of flux. This has given way to new alignments, new linkages and partnerships. Most of the nations are reorienting their strategies towards the Indo-Pacific. Our strategic imperatives have increased manifold to sustain our rapid all-round growth and development, the CDS said. The global and regional security environment, hence, necessitates that India must continue to bring comprehensive national power at greater civil-military fusion and attain desired military capabilities to protect as well as promote its national interests, Gen. Chauhan said. While stating that strategic autonomy has always been the cornerstone of Indias foreign policy, he said that strategic capability promotes strategic autonomy. Another way to achieve strategic autonomy is Atmanirbharta (self-reliance). The huge initiative of Make-In-India ushered in by our Honble Prime Minister is a foundation stone for a Sashakt & Swayatt Bharat, the Chief of Defence Staff said. In order to achieve Atmanirbharta (self-reliance), a developing country like India needs to forge partnerships and alliances of different kinds, he stated. BrahMos Aerospace is one such (joint) venture which is a major success story. It (the JV) has led to Atmanirbharta in defence. One of the worlds finest and largest precision guided weapons BRAHMOS has fortified Indias deterrence power in 21st century. The missile system has been successfully operationalised by the three Services and its truly a Brahmastra of its times, the Chief of Defence Staff said. Today, as we move forward in our plans for greater jointness & integration in military operations, the role and scope of BRAHMOS gets widened further, Gen. Chauhan said. BRAHMOS is a weapon of choice for the three Services and it will help us promote inter-operability between the Tri-Services, he said. As our defence indigenisation efforts are gaining momentum under the flagship Make-In-India programme, BrahMos JV has taken decisive leads in this direction. It is, in fact, promoting a large number of tier-I and tier-II (industries) & MSMEs, the Chief of Defence Staff stated. While mentioning about first BRAHMOS export order from the Republic of Philippines, Gen. Chauhan said that from Make-In-India, the JV enterprise has made a successful transition toward Make-for-the-World initiative. The CDS also appreciated the diligent efforts by BrahMos Aerospace to design and build newer, more advanced variants of BRAHMOS, including the BRAHMOS-NG (next-gen). The decision to set up a BRAHMOS (manufacturing) facility in the UP Defence Industrial Corridor is also a significant development, he said. He also applauded the initiatives taken by BrahMos Aerospace to provide life-extension services for the already delivered missiles and also providing after-sales product support and maintenance support at all the facilities. Its an important aspect for any business model, he noted. Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, in his remarks on the occasion, said that BRAHMOS has become the most lethal air combat asset of the Indian Air Force. The air-borne weapon on Su-30MKI fighter has tremendously enhanced the IAFs firepower. Today, the BRAHMOS modified Su-30MKI aircraft are almost across all Squadrons of the IAF, the Air Chief Marshal said. Like the Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers, there is great potential in the BrahMos JV which needs to be tapped fully. I am sure the JV can look at scaling even greater heights as it reaches its 50th anniversary in the 100th year of Indias Independence. This should be our aim, the IAF Chief said. Addressing the gathering, Army Chief General Manoj Pande said that recent conflicts have shown that due to increased vulnerability of manned and unmanned platforms, missiles are emerging as the vectors of choice, especially when it comes to engaging targets at longer ranges or in-depth. And a weapon system like BRAHMOS has become a vital instrument to protect our national interest, he said. The Indian Army remains the largest user of BRAHMOS and the first deployment dates back to 2007. This force multiplier has profoundly enhanced our long-range precision strike ability, Gen. Pande said. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Atul D Rane, DG (BrahMos, DRDO) and CEO & MD of BrahMos Aerospace said that the universal weapons operationalation in the Tri-Services of India has made us the first & only nation in the world to possess a Supersonic Cruise Missile Triad. BRAHMOS has rightfully broken the Fifth-nation Syndrome for us, the BrahMos Chief said while quoting former President, iconic scientist & Missile Man Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. It was the visionary scientist Dr. Kalam who played a pivotal role in giving shape to the BrahMos JV at a time when the lethality, formidability & indomitability of precision guided weapons in modern warfare was becoming evident, Shri Rane said, while adding that Padma Shri & Padma Bhushan Dr. A S Pillai, the founding CEO & MD of BrahMos, led from the front to accomplish what was unthinkable for many leading nations at that point of time. Our supersonic journey of 25 incredible years has resulted in many firsts for India. Over 100 test firings of BRAHMOS have been conducted from Indias ground, ship and air platforms both development trials & user/ acceptance trials with an unbeatable success rate, the BrahMos Chief said. Our strong commitment to be an equal shareholder with our Armed Forces in maintaining the BRAHMOS Weapon System(s) remains our paramount motto, he said. Dr. Sanjeev K Joshi, Deputy CEO of BrahMos, concluded the mega event by thanking the Chief Guest, the Guests of Honour, officers from the Indian Armed Forces, scientists and engineers from DRDO & NPOM and other esteemed guests. Thanks to the Indian Armed Forces for appreciating our after-sales Product Support. We assure best quality product support not only in peacetime, but also in wartime, Dr. Joshi said. MUMBAI (PTI): Vice Admiral Brad Cooper of the US Navy met Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Western Naval Command during which they discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between the two navies to enhance regional maritime security. A statement issued on Wednesday said that an eleven-member United States delegation led by Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, Commander United States Naval Forces Central Command, Cdr Fifth Fleet and Cdr Combined Maritime Forces visited Mumbai from May 29 to 31. A Galway-based company has announced it is to create 50 new jobs as part of a $3 million (2.8 million) investment. Ex Ordo, a scholarly conference management solutions company, said the jobs will be added over the next three years. The firm added the funding will be used to enhance their conference platform and strengthen their sales and customer support teams. Describing scholarly events as the "true social network of academia", the company's chief executive Paul Killoran said the investment will allow Ex Ordo to "accelerate the development of our platform's capabilities, including the development of a powerful open API". He said it will also help them expand their customer-facing teams in North America. Chief executive of Enterprise Ireland, which is part of the investment team, Leo Clancy said the agency is "proud to back" Ex Ordo. Advertisement "It is creating a world-renowned brand in its specific area of focus and has a clear growth path for the coming years. "This growth will support the creation of high-quality, rewarding careers in the West of Ireland and Enterprise Ireland looks forward to being with Ex Ordo on this journey," he added. Chariya Khattiyot has claimed the coveted MasterChef title, after bowling over judges Gregg Wallace and John Torode with flavours from northern Thailand. The master coffee roaster (40) competed against accountant Anurag Aggarwal (41) and toy developer Omar Foster (31) in the final cook-off before being crowned champion of the BBC One competition on Thursday. After many weeks of competition against 44 ambitious contestants, Chariya said of her win: This is unbelievable. It means the world, the sun, the moon and everything to me. I dont think anything can top this. Im so happy. This just proves that if you dream something and you work really hard and you never give up, you can get it. Thats what my grandad said to me never give up. He would be so proud of me. Advertisement MasterChef champion Chariya Khattiyot (Shine TV/BBC/PA) Her winning menu started with a Thai lotus tuille, filled with coconut jelly and fried king prawns which Wallace, 58, described as a delicate little morsel packing a very big punch. Her main course was a traditional Northern Thai khantoke sharing platter which included a Wagyu sirloin steak in hung lay curry sauce and minced lamb in a spicy tomato and shrimp paste. Chariya, who was born in Thailand but lives in Basingstoke in England, finished the menu with her take on strawberries and cream in a nod to the UK and her childhood, when she looked forward to eating strawberries once a year with her grandad. After the tasting, Wallace said: Since the first time you walked into this kitchen, its been dish upon dish of exciting, beautiful food. What I really admire about you is just how hard you work in pursuit of perfection to really uncover new technique, to find bigger and bigger flavour. Do you know who else has those qualities? Top professional chefs. You are the real deal. Youre an amazing cook. The winning three courses (Shine TV/BBC/PA) The episode saw both judges shed a tear after crowning Chariya, who previously said that lifting the trophy would inspire girls who have a hard life to achieve their dreams. Advertisement Torode (57) said: Chariyas food has always been honest and from the heart. Its always exciting, its always unusual and its always been beautiful and addictive. And not just punchy, exciting Thai flavours that we saw at the start, but also exceptional, innovative and exciting technique all the way through. A proper master. From the start of the competition, Chariya was passionate about bringing Northern Thai cuisine to the UK, while making use of local ingredients. She said: Thai food is not just tom yam and pad thai. It has so many flavours, layers and textures and that is phenomenal. In many ways, my dishes are a fusion between South East Asian and western food. I spend hours and hours in the kitchen perfecting my recipes, but I also love to have fun with them. Chariya in the MasterChef kitchen (Shine TV/BBC/PA) Ive loved watching MasterChef for many years and decided to enter the competition so I could showcase Northern Thai cuisine. In some ways Ive been mentally preparing for this for a while. I was initially nervous to cook for John and Gregg, but they were so supportive and they made me want to be the best. Im also very competitive by nature and I think thats helped with my mindset in the competition. Advertisement The amateur chef said she is excited about the future turning this love of cooking into a profession. She added: Long term, my dream is to open a restaurant, and eventually multiple restaurants, where I can showcase the food of my homeland in Northern Thailand, and hopefully work towards earning a Michelin star. I want to show the world that Northern Thai food is amazing, because it really is. I just love to see peoples faces light up when they eat my food. The final week saw the contestants travel to Istanbul, Turkey, for a set of challenges which included working at two-star Michelin restaurant Turk, and the penultimate Chefs Table challenge hosted at Core, the three Michelin starred restaurant run by renowned chef Clare Smyth. Applications for MasterChef 2024 are now open on masterchef.tv. Dublin City Council has said there has been extra pressure on the city's waste management services because of the good weather. It comes after a councillor claimed the city is looking "filthy and manky" as large crowds gather in areas like the Grand Canal. Six extra bins are going to be put in place around Portobello and more staff will be working in the area on Friday evening. Dublin City Councillor Mannix Flynn claims outdoor dining is contributing to the dirt. Mr Flynn told Newstalk: "Publicans refuse completely to clean outside of their pubs, particularly those that have outdoor dining. "You'd want to be taking your life into your own hands in some of the locations where there is outdoor dining. I was down in Baggot Street recently - and I have photographs to prove it - it was absolutely filthy... and again, there's no proper cleaning of the streets." Advertisement The High Court has approved personal insolvency arrangements (PIAs) that will allow a retired couple, one of whom requires the use of a wheelchair, to retain their Co Wexford home. In a judgement approving PIAs in respect of Edward and Nuala McCarthy, who are aged in their 70s, Mr Justice Alexander Owens said the couple had got into financial difficulties in paying their mortgage due to their ill health. Approval for the PIAs was sought by the couple's personal insolvency practitioner, who was represented in the proceedings by barrister Keith Farry BL. The couple reside at their family, a bungalow located at Slaney Ash, Barntown, Co Wexford, which they built after they returned to Ireland from the UK. Their home is valued at 350,000 and was acquired with a mortgage from Ulster Bank DAC. Advertisement Due to Mrs McCarthy's mobility issues, the judge said their home had to be modified. In July 2020, some 42,000, including arrears, was due and owing to the bank on foot of the mortgage agreement, the court noted. Arising out of their financial difficulties they entered into the personal insolvency process in 2020. Under proposed PIAs the couple's debt to the bank would be capitalised and would be paid back in 156 monthly instalments over the next 13 years. Pension incomes Those funds would come from their Irish and UK pension incomes. The bank had wanted the couple to trade down and pay off their liabilities to it, the judge noted. The couple applied to the Circuit Court to have their PIAs, which were rejected by the bank, approved. That court's refusal to approve them was appealed to the High Court. Ruling on the appeals Mr Justice Owens said that the cases raised a number of issues. However, after considering the matter the judge said that he was satisfied that the couple could comply with the terms of the PIAs, and that the costs of allowing them to remain in their home were not disproportionately large. The judge said that evidence established that the debtors dwelling is not extravagant to their circumstances. Advertisement They require two of the bedrooms because of their health problems. A further bedroom is available for visitors, while the fourth bedroom is in fact a box room. "There is nothing disproportionate in the arrangements which permit them to retain this asset" the judge said. The couple, he added, are "not being left with a big house at the expense of their creditors." The value of the house is over five times that of the amount outstanding on the mortgage and there is no question but that the lender will be repaid in full and get a reasonable return on capital in the meantime, he said. The court noted that the accommodation needs of the debtors had been considered by the PIP. The debtors were not willing to consider moving from their home, he said. "They had a good reason" the judge said, adding that their home had been modified to cater for Mrs McCarthy's needs. Various alternatives were considered by the debtors such as trading down, social housing, mortgage to rent, rent a room and moving to rental accommodation, the judge said. He said that none of those options was appropriate. If they were to sell, they would have to find a new single storey residence and modify it for wheelchair accessibility to all rooms, the judge said. Their PIP considered that the debtors needed an adapted ground floor property and that this limited their choice. Ireland Insolvency arrangement approved for separated coup... Read More The judge concluded that evidence establishes that the proposed PIAs were reasonable, and that the personal insolvency practitioner complied with his obligations under the relevant insolvency legislation. The court also concluded that the evidence demonstrates that the costs of the debtors remaining in their home were not disproportionately large. The judge also said that the main cost is the monthly restructured mortgage payment under the proposed PIAs. Those payments to the bank, the judge added, are affordable. The matter will return before the court later this month. China-Thailand railway under smooth construction 11:26, June 01, 2023 By Sun Guangyong ( People's Daily The construction of the China-Thailand railway, a landmark project representing the high-quality construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is currently under full swing. Crossing the most densely populated areas in Thailand, the railway will inject new impetus into the development of the country's economy and transportation. Photo shows a construction site of the first phase project of the China-Thailand railway in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand. (People's Daily/Sun Guangyong) Upon completion, the railway is expected to boost economic development along its route. It will be connected to the China-Laos railway, forming a railroad artery that crosses the Indochina Peninsula and accelerating infrastructure connectivity in the region. Pak Chong district in northeast Thailand's Nakhon Ratchasima province is an important gateway connecting central Thailand and the country's northeastern provinces. The Nakhon Ratchasima province is the terminal of the first phase project of the China-Thailand railway. Currently, the construction of the first phase project is in full swing. At the construction site of the project, piers of viaducts are being erected along the direction of an existing track. To ensure the quality of the construction, Viloth, deputy head of a construction supervising team of the project, takes a boom lift every week to dozens of meters high to inspect the top of the piers. "The Chinese teams have brought advanced philosophies, modern technologies and management experiences to Thailand's railway construction. The building of the railway not only better connects Thailand and China, but also brings the two peoples closer," said Viloth. The China-Thailand railway promotes the idea of green transport and has applied green and low-carbon technologies during its construction. It will be built into a green railway that features technological innovation and ecology-friendly development. Apart from Nakhon Ratchasima province, the construction of the China-Thailand railway has also commenced in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Saraburi and other provinces along the route. Prefabricated beams are installed for the section 4-3 of the China-Thailand railway. (People's Daily/Sun Guangyong) The section 4-3 in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province is the largest one of the project. So far, 1,912 foundation piles have been driven, 106 bearing platforms built and 17 piers erected. Prefabricated beams are neatly placed at the site and will be used for the viaduct construction. "We completed a blueprint for the civil works of the first phase project in July 2019. The civil works currently underway include bridges, roadbeds, tunnels, and station buildings," said Ma Shengshuang, head of the Thai branch of China Railway Design Corporation. The first phase project connects Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima province, and the second phase will extend the track to Nong Khai province, an important town for border trade in northeast Thailand that faces Lao capital Vientiane just across a river. The second phase is expected to connect the railway with the China-Laos railway. The Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal in Bangkok will be made into a transfer station for the China-Laos-Thailand high-speed railway and the Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore high-speed railway. According to Nirut Maneephan, governor of the State Railway of Thailand, 16.72 percent of the China-Thailand railway's first phase project construction had been completed as of mid-January this year, and the railway is expected to be put into operation in 2027. The second phase of the project is expected to start in 2024, and aims to open in 2028, he said. Photo shows the construction site of the section 4-3 of the China-Thailand railway. (People's Daily/Sun Guangyong) Recently, a delegation of Thai railway and customs officials visited Laos to discuss cooperation. The China-Laos-Thailand railway is likely to cut the cost of cargo transport by 30 to 50 percent in the next three to five years. Thailand has stepped up its efforts in the past year to integrate itself into the China-Laos-Thailand railway, including upgrading its domestic transport network and railway facilities, and improving the capacity of cargo warehousing, distribution and inspection in its northeast region. It is believed that the China-Laos-Thailand railway will significantly promote sub-regional development and bring the Indochina Peninsula into an era of high-speed railways. Nirut noted that the high-speed railway network will not only connect regions in Thailand, but also form a railway system of the ASEAN. When all high-speed railway projects are connected as a whole, they will become a gigantic railway network for passengers and cargo that links China, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos and Thailand. Surasit Thanadtang, director of the Thai-Chinese Strategic Research Center under the National Research Council of Thailand, said the railway network is expected to strengthen connectivity among Southeast Asian countries and help them gain more market opportunities. The alignment between the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 and the BRI will further strengthen connectivity, lower logistics costs, and promote personnel exchanges, thus creating more opportunities for countries along the Belt and Road and promoting regional integration. (Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun) Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks to local residents during a meet and greet, Tuesday, May 23, in Des Moines, Iowa. AP-Yonhap Former vice president Mike Pence plans to announce his 2024 White House candidacy next week, challenging Donald Trump for the Republican nomination, U.S. media reported on Wednesday. The 63-year-old Pence will launch his presidential campaign on June 7 with a speech in Iowa, the midwestern state that traditionally kicks off the primary season, NBC News and other outlets said. The 76-year-old Trump announced in November that he was making a third bid for the White House and is the clear frontrunner in an increasingly crowded field seeking the Republican presidential nomination. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, 44, jumped into the contest last week and another high-profile Republican, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, 60, is expected to join the race next week. Nikki Haley, 51, a former governor of South Carolina and Trump's first ambassador to the United Nations, is also seeking to become the Republican standard-bearer, along with South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, who is vying to become the first Black Republican presidential nominee. DeSantis, long viewed as the most formidable challenger to twice-impeached Trump, has distanced himself from his erstwhile mentor while doubling down on Trump's populist "America First" agenda. Christie was a former close associate of Trump but has been sharply critical of the former president over the January 2021 assault on the US Capitol and his refusal to concede the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden. The 80-year-old Biden announced in April that he would seek reelection and is expected to be the Democratic nominee in 2024. Pence, an evangelical Christian and ardent opponent of abortion, has been crisscrossing the country in recent months, speaking in many of the states seen as the most consequential in the Republican nomination race. After years of unwavering loyalty, the former vice president has been at loggerheads with Trump since refusing to go along with his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and remain in power. In remarks at the annual Gridiron Dinner in Washington in March, Pence, a staunch conservative from Indiana, said that history would hold Trump "accountable" for his role in the Capitol riot. Former President Donald Trump sits at the defense table with his legal team in a Manhattan court, April 4, in New York. AP-Yonhap Three British men and a Romanian woman have been arrested on Spains Costa Blanca on suspicion of sending cannabis to Ireland by post. The Civil Guard operation, dubbed Operation Topila, was launched in February after more than 2kg of the drug was discovered in two parcels at Madrid Airport sent from coastal resorts south of Alicante and bound for Ireland. The alleged British leader of the drug smuggling gang was identified as a suspect after another delivery was intercepted at the same airport. And in March in a town near the Spanish capital the same man abandoned a vehicle with 54kg of cannabis inside after a police chase which began when he fled a petrol station fearing he was about to be arrested. Detectives on the Costa Blanca revealed on Thursday they had held three British men and a Romanian woman aged between 23 to 33 on suspicion of drug trafficking and membership of a criminal gang. Advertisement They also published footage of the spectacular armed raids that led to the arrests, which police said have ended with the dismantling of the gang. More than 60kg of marijuana buds, a gun and cash were seized during the operation along with weighing scales and mobile phones. The suspected ringleader has been remanded in custody following a court appearance and the other three suspects released on bail pending an ongoing criminal probe led by a court in the Costa Blanca town of Torrevieja. A spokesman for the Civil Guard in Alicante said on Thursday: As part of Operation Topila a criminal gang who were sending cannabis from San Miguel de Salinas and Orihuela Costa to Ireland in parcels has been smashed. The gang members also sold the drugs in the local area. All the members of the gang have been arrested and the suspected ringleader sent to prison following a court appearance. The investigation began in February when more than two kilos of cannabis was discovered in two parcels at Adolfo Suarez-Madrid Barajas Airport that had come from Orihuela Costa and San Miguel de Salinas and were bound for Ireland. Revealing the second inception of a parcel containing drugs occurred before the March incident which led to the near-capture of the suspected British ringleader, the force added in a statement: In March in Rivas Vaciamadrid in the Madrid region the suspect thought he was about to be arrested and fled a petrol station after confronting officers in a Civil Guard patrol car there. Advertisement During his escape he jumped over several access barriers protecting high-speed train tracks and abandoned a vehicle with four suitcases inside containing 54 kilos of cannabis. It was subsequently discovered he was hiding at an address in San Miguel de Salinas with two compatriots who were responsible for logistical assistance and the sale of drugs to local users. The property was protected with security cameras and three guard dogs. The arrests are understood to have occurred between May 18th and May 22nd, although they were only made public on Thursday. The Civil Guard spokesman said: The detainees are three British men and a Romanian woman aged between 23 and 33. The operation is a different one to that which led to the arrest for alleged drug trafficking earlier this year of a Dublin man facing trial over the love triangle murder of an Irish expat whose body was found near a Costa Blanca motorway. Ireland Spanish police arrest alleged gang members over at... Read More Wayne Walsh was held four years ago on suspicion of killing Carl Carr in a fight with a knuckle-duster before allegedly using bleach to clean up their rented Spanish villa. His arrest followed the discovery of 38-year-old Mr Carrs body by the AP-7 motorway between Benijofar and Algorfa, a 20-minute drive north from where the Irishman was last seen in September 2018. In March it emerged he was back behind bars after a drugs arrest. He was one of four people held in an operation codenamed Operation Fepama after detectives discovered cannabis resin was being sent from Spain to Ireland, the UK and the States using courier delivery firms. A large-multi agency operation involving An Garda Siochana and Interpol was staged last month, targeting human trafficking for sexual exploitation, forced criminality and forced begging. Gardai, in addition to international law enforcement agencies, were involved in Operation Global Chain which was staged between May 8th and 12th, coordinated by Inerpol and led by Frontex, the European border agency. In Ireland, a number of premises were inspected in counties in Monaghan, Louth and Dublin, while monitoring was also carried out at Dublin and Cork airports and Dublin Port where authorities spoke to a number of potential victims of human trafficking. Gardai said a number of women were identified as working in the sex industry and were provided with information on the Organised Prostitution Investigation Unit and the Human Trafficking Investigation and Coordination Unit. Advertisement Gardai said efforts to protect victims of human trafficking will continue, adding the force will continue to work closely with Europol on the matter. The absence of due process and fair procedure by the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc) is evident every day of the week, according to the general secretary of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI), Antoinette Cunningham. The head of Gsoc, chief commissioner Mr Justice Rory MacCabe will tell the Oireachtas Petitions Committee on Thursday the commission does not have the minimum staff and resources necessary to investigate gardai and that these numbers should be doubled. He will also say Gsoc investigates, but does not prosecute, suspend or discipline gardai and that these are decisions for the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Garda Commissioner. Ms Cunningham told RTE radios Morning Ireland that Gsoc had received over 1,800 complaints, but many were admitted and therefore did not require investigation. There was no assurance for the AGSI that increased staff or budget would mean more timely investigations. Advertisement The absence of due process and fair procedure is evident every day of the week in the dealings that AGSI have. Members are simply left out there for years and years and years with no accountability for how long their investigation takes. They're abandoned into a system that doesn't seem to work. There's no oversight of what they do, and now they're seeking further unfettered powers to carry out investigations with no detail of what those investigations will consist of or indeed how long they might take, Ms Cunningham said. Gsoc has never conducted investigations with speed, with some AGSI members remaining under investigation for between four and six years, she added. I've seen members who have had suspensions and returns to work delayed because of inefficiencies in their system. I've seen members of An Garda Siochana abandoned into systems where there's no communication, no updates. Years and years of sitting in limbo. Their professional and private lives, their families affected, their reputations, their mental health and wellbeing all affected because there's no accountability for an investigation that can be opened and simply go on for years and years and years. It's totally unacceptable. It does not allow the constitutional rights that apply to every citizen in Ireland to be applied to An Garda Siochana and the members in our association have suffered greatly because of that, Ms Cunningham said. Asked about reports that she refused to leave Gsoc's offices after a recent meeting, Ms Cunningham said if somebody was suffering because of an unfair system, then representative bodies had to be the voice for those members. If we're not doing that, then we're not doing our job. I did indicate to them that I would not leave there until the information was passed over. I stand over that stance, and that's borne out of simple inefficiencies in a system that doesn't allow communication to go across from one office to the other with no accountability for that, she said. The Taoiseach has said he respects the Dail vote in favour of removing the three-day waiting period for an early term abortion. A People Before Profit bill passed its first legislative hurdle last night after the Government allowed a free vote on the issue. Leo Varadkar concedes it could mean changes to the current abortion laws on a faster timescale than the Government envisioned. But the Taoiseach said he respects the vote and the bill now goes to the Oireachtas Health Committee. Mr Varadkar said: "We brought in the legislation under Minister Harris and set up the service, so now it's available. "I've always said that this shouldn't be a party political issue. It shouldn't be about scoring points or politicians scoring points. It's about women and about children and what's best for them. Advertisement "Everyone should be allowed to have their own opinion on this, and that opinion should be respected." A Government amendment that would have frozen the bill for a year was defeated by 74-59. A number of Government TDs sided with the opposition in the vote. On the bill, the Government was defeated 67-64 with eight abstentions as 11 Government TDs voted with People Before Profit. The bill was put forward by People Before Profit TD Brid Smith. "This is a great day for the movement for choice and for women's healthcare, but it is only the start, said Ms Smith. Well done to all the people who campaigned for this amazing result. We have to keep the pressure on so that this Bill can become law. We can remove the three day waiting period and decriminalise abortion in this country. Women cannot wait anymore for modern reproductive healthcare in Ireland." A military tribunal in Lebanon has formally accused five members of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement of killing an Irish peacekeeper last year, according to a senior Lebanese judicial source. Private Sean Rooney (23) was killed on December 15th in the first fatal attack on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon since 2015. The five accused are among seven already charged by Lebanon's judiciary in January, but a new court document filed on Thursday identifies some of them as members of Hezbollah, the armed group that controls the part of southern Lebanon where the attack took place. Hezbollah's media office did not immediately respond to attempts to reach it. The Amal Movement, which is headed by Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri, declined to comment. The judicial source said the military tribunal judge accused them of conducting a criminal act that led to Rooney's killing and to the attempted murder of three other soldiers. Advertisement The source said the accusation was punishable by the death sentence, adding that the document referred to evidence drawn from camera recordings in which the accused refer to themselves as members of Hezbollah. A second judicial source confirmed that camera evidence was mentioned in the 30-page court document. One of the accused had already been detained in connection with the case in late 2022 by the Lebanese military and charged with murder. He was identified at the time as a supporter of Hezbollah. The other six suspects face charges ranging from attempted murder to damaging a vehicle. None are in custody. Ireland Government determined to see justice over killin... Read More Hezbollah has officially denied involvement in the incident, calling the killing an "unintentional incident" that took place solely between the town's residents and UNIFIL, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon. On December 16th last year, then-minister for foreign affairs and defence Simon Coveney told RTE that he did not accept Hezbollah's assurances that it had no involvement. UNIFIL has operated in Lebanon since 1978 to maintain peace along the border with Israel and was expanded by the UN resolution that halted the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war in southern Lebanon. Pte Rooney was killed when the UNIFIL vehicle he was in was fired on as it travelled in southern Lebanon last year. Corporation tax receipts, plans to redevelop Cork's docklands and the death of a young man in a jet ski accident in Co Clare are covered on the front pages of Thursday's national newspapers. The Irish Times leads with data from the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (IFAC), which found that just three corporate groups are estimated to account for around a third of all corporation tax receipts in the State. Meanwhile, both the Irish Examiner and the Echo report on a go-ahead for plans to redevelop Cork's docklands after an appeal was withdrawn. The Irish Independent's headline reads: 'FAI Cup deal clears 6.5m Delaney sponsorship debt', while the Irish Daily Star reports on the inquest into a murder-suicide in Co Kerry. Good morning. Here is the front page of today's Irish Independent. pic.twitter.com/5x2Gp4eilh Advertisement Independent.ie (@Independent_ie) June 1, 2023 The Irish Daily Mirror reports on the death of a young man following an incident with a jet ski in Killaloe, Co Clare. Finally, the Irish Daily Mail reads: 'Care crisis amid wave of nursing home closures'. In Britain, there is little consensus on the front of Thursdays papers as a wide range of stories battle for attention. Only two titles agree on the main story of the day with the Daily Mail and Daily Mirror both focusing on the continuing drama around ITV's This Morning. The Daily Mail describes the programme as being in meltdown as it says ITV has been forced to order an inquiry into the Phillip Schofield scandal. Daily Mail: Humiliated ITV forced to order Schofield inquiry #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/P0oeLNXo9a George Mann (@sgfmann) May 31, 2023 And the Mirror tells of ITV fury as the company called in a barrister to review the affair. Daily Mirror: ITV FURY OVER PHIL AFFAIR COVER-UP #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/5St4CX86py George Mann (@sgfmann) May 31, 2023 Former UK prime minister Boris Johnsons WhatsApp messages make the front of The Independent, which says he has handed them over unredacted to the Covid-19 inquiry and calls on current UK prime minister Rishi Sunak to force the Cabinet Office to follow suit. Advertisement Indepdendent digital front page: Boris hands over his WhatsApps - Now its over to you, Rishi #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/GWd0alHMhg George Mann (@sgfmann) May 31, 2023 Mr Sunak also features on the front of The Daily Telegraph which says more than 50 Conservative MPs are calling on him to scrap the morally wrong inheritance tax. The front page of tomorrow's Daily Telegraph: Scrap unfair inheritance tax, MPs tell Sunak#TomorrowsPapersToday Sign up for the Front Page newsletterhttps://t.co/x8AV4OoUh6 pic.twitter.com/vvT28SKg6Z The Telegraph (@Telegraph) May 31, 2023 And Mr Sunak is at the centre of The Times front page which says he will target Turkey and Bulgaria as he urges European leaders to tackle immigration. The Times: Bulgaria to help Sunak stop more small boats #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/uuodjCeTdR George Mann (@sgfmann) May 31, 2023 There is more politics in the i, which says Labours new policies would cost the same as a 3p increase in income tax. Thursday's front page: Labour's new policies would cost same as '3p hike in income tax'#TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/JjMgEMHDGJ i newspaper (@theipaper) May 31, 2023 The Metro focuses on leading British politicians and officials being regarded as legitimate targets by Russia due to their support for Ukraine. Advertisement Tomorrow's Paper Today RUSSIA THREAT AFTER MOSCOW ATTACK: UK LEADERS 'LEGITIMATE TARGETS' #tomorrowpaperstoday pic.twitter.com/lJZmoHJUN7 Metro (@MetroUK) May 31, 2023 Ukrainian soldiers feature on the front of The Guardian, but the lead concentrates on university vice-chancellors calling for a review of the broken funding model. Guardian front page, Thursday 1 June 2023: Universities funding model is broken, vice-chancellors warn pic.twitter.com/buxnvymYBw The Guardian (@guardian) May 31, 2023 The Sun turns its attention to Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, who it says will stop appearing in front of television cameras to tell their tale. On tomorrow's front page: Harry and Meghan to stop making tell-all Netflix shows and books after huge backlash https://t.co/SxxAn2cqgA pic.twitter.com/DZ7tGCjbu2 The Sun (@TheSun) May 31, 2023 And there is more royal news on the front of the Daily Star which says Henry VIII was not a wrong un. The Godfather legend is 83, making him 53 years older than his brunette lover #TomorrowsPapersToday https://t.co/MOIZV9RKtS pic.twitter.com/mTe76n02J1 Daily Star (@dailystar) May 31, 2023 The Daily Express looks ahead to Saturdays Derby, saying animal activists are planning to disrupt the race at Epsom. And the Financial Times concentrates on the $7.5 billion-valuation target of the worlds largest natural soda-ash producer when it floats in London. FT UK: Soda-ash group aims to be big fish on FTSE with $7.5bn valuation target #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/kT0PsWkLmm George Mann (@sgfmann) May 31, 2023 Ukraines rightful place is in Nato, Rishi Sunak has said. The UK prime minister is in Moldova for a gathering of European leaders, with his comments coming after a meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Kyiv has long called for Ukraine to be admitted to Nato, but allies are divided about when and how any accession might happen as the war with Russia continues. Mr Sunak, speaking to broadcasters at the European Political Community summit, gave little further detail of the UK position on the Ukrainian path to membership. The gathering, on the border of Ukraine, comes ahead of a key meeting of Nato leaders in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July. UK prime minister Rishi Sunak during a bilateral meeting with the Ukrainian president during the European Political Community summit (Carl Court/PA) I agree with the Nato Secretary General that Ukraines rightful place is in Nato and what we are also talking to Ukraine about right now is making sure they have all the support they need for a successful counteroffensive, the British prime minister said. Advertisement He said he was proud of the UKs record in supporting Ukraine, adding: We want to make sure we put in place security arrangements for Ukraine for the long term, so we send a very strong signal to Vladimir Putin that we are not going anywhere, we are here to stay and we will continue backing Ukraine not just now, but for years into the future. The UK has been among the most vocal backers of Ukrainian requests for support in the face of the Russian assault since last years invasion. The British government has also offered support to Moldova, amid ongoing tensions with Moscow. As the first British Prime Minister to visit Moldova, Im pleased to announce new support to aid them in the face of Russian aggression, Mr Sunak tweeted on Thursday. Moldova is not alone. Australias most decorated living war veteran unlawfully killed prisoners and committed other war crimes in Afghanistan, a judge has ruled. Claims by Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith that he was defamed by the media have been dismissed. Federal Court judge Anthony Besanko on Thursday ruled articles published in 2018 about a number of war crimes committed by Mr Roberts-Smith, a former Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) corporal who now is a media company executive, were substantially true. Mr Besanko concluded Mr Roberts-Smith, a judges son, broke the moral and legal rules of military engagement and disgraced Australia through his conduct. One of the proven allegations was that Mr Roberts-Smith, who was also awarded the Medal of Gallantry for his Afghan war service, killed a prisoner who had a prosthetic leg by firing a machine gun into the mans back in 2009. Advertisement Ben Roberts-Smith committed a slew of war crimes while in Afghanistan, including the unlawful killings of unarmed prisoners, a judge has ruled (Rick Rycroft/AP) He kept the mans prosthetic as a novelty beer drinking vessel. Another accusation was that Mr Roberts-Smith kicked an unarmed, handcuffed farmer off a cliff into a riverbed where an SASR colleague shot him dead in 2012. On another occasion, Mr Roberts-Smith pressured a newly deployed and inexperienced soldier to kill an elderly, unarmed Afghan to blood the rookie, the court found. Accusations that Mr Roberts-Smith, who is 6ft7, bullied and attacked Afghan civilians were also found to be true. Two of six unlawful killings Mr Roberts-Smith was accused of involvement in were not proven to the civil court standard of balance of probability, the judge found. Reports of domestic violence allegedly committed by Mr Roberts-Smith were found to be unproven and defamatory, though the judge ruled this would not have further damaged the veterans reputation. Had such war crime allegations been made in a criminal court, they would have had to be proven to a higher standard of beyond reasonable doubt. Mr Roberts-Smith, 44, denied any wrongdoing. His lawyers blamed corrosive jealousy by bitter people within the SASR who ran a poisonous campaign against him. The veteran, who met Britain's Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in 2011, made claims of defamation against The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times over their articles. Advertisement Arthur Moses, lawyer for Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith, and his legal team walk into court (Mark Baker/AP) Nick McKenzie, one of the reporters responsible for the contentious articles, praised the SASR veterans who gave evidence against the national hero. Today is a day of justice. Its a day of justice for those brave men of the SAS who stood up and told the truth about who Ben Roberts-Smith is a war criminal, a bully and a liar, Mr McKenzie told reporters outside the court. He added: Australia should be proud of those men in the SAS. They are the majority in the SAS and they stood up for what was right and they have been vindicated. Mr Roberts-Smiths lawyer Arthur Moses asked for 42 days to consider lodging an appeal to the Full Bench of the Federal Court. Australian journalists Nick McKenzie, left, and Chris Masters, right, walk with their legal team (Mark Baker/AP) Mr Roberts-Smiths legal costs have been underwritten by billionaire Kerry Stokes, executive chairman of Seven West Media where the veteran works. Mr Roberts-Smith is one of several Australian military personnel being investigated by police for alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. The first criminal charge for an alleged illegal killing in Afghanistan was made in March. Former SASR trooper Oliver Schulz was charged with the war crime of murder after the death of an Afghan who was shot in 2012 in a wheat field in Uruzgan province. The British government could face a legal battle with the Covid-19 public inquiry unless it backs down over a demand to disclose Boris Johnsons private messages and papers. The British Cabinet Office has been given until 4pm on Thursday to hand over diaries, notebooks and a trove of WhatsApp messages or face the threat of a criminal prosecution. The government had argued that it did not have the messages and notebooks, but the former UK prime minister has handed them over to officials and said they should be disclosed putting the Cabinet Office in a difficult position. Retired Court of Appeal judge Baroness Hallett is chairing the public inquiry (UK Parliament/PA) The Cabinet Office has also argued that it should withhold unambiguously irrelevant material, but inquiry chairwoman Baroness Hallett has ruled that everything should be disclosed and she will decide what is or is not necessary for her work. Advertisement Mr Johnsons decision to publicly confirm he has handed over the material stripping the Cabinet Office of one of its defences and his suggestion that it should be disclosed to the inquiry has heaped pressure on his successors Government. Whitehall officials are concerned about the wider precedent that will be set by handing over swathes of unredacted WhatsApp conversations, with fears that the inquiry will seek similar levels of disclosure from other senior figures including Mr Sunak himself. Mr Johnsons spokesman said on Wednesday: All Boris Johnsons material including WhatsApps and notebooks requested by the Covid inquiry has been handed to the Cabinet Office in full and in unredacted form. Mr Johnson urges the Cabinet Office to urgently disclose it to the inquiry. The Cabinet Office has had access to this material for several months. Mr Johnson would immediately disclose it directly to the inquiry if asked. While Mr Johnson understands the governments position, and does not seek to contradict it, he is perfectly happy for the inquiry to have access to this material in whatever form it requires. Lady Hallett issued her demand for the material under Section 21 of the Inquiries Act 2005, and failure to comply could lead to prosecution and a potential fine or jail term for an individual found guilty of the offence. Advertisement The government could seek a judicial review of her notice, questioning whether the demand for the documents falls within the scope of her inquiry but legal experts have suggested the Cabinet Office would have a weak case given the wide remit set out in Lady Halletts terms of reference. Last-ditch efforts to find a compromise continued on Thursday as the deadline which had already been extended by 48 hours loomed. Lord Saville, who chaired the Bloody Sunday inquiry, backed Lady Halletts approach. Who is to decide what is relevant or not? In my view, prima facie at least, it is Lady Hallett, he told the BBC. She is in charge of the inquiry, one of her duties is to do a thorough job. It is for her to decide whether something is relevant or not. If she looks at something and decides it is not relevant then there is no reason to publish it. A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: We are fully committed to our obligations to the Covid-19 inquiry. As such, the Cabinet Office alone has already provided upwards of 55,000 documents, 24 personal witness statements, eight corporate statements, and extensive time and effort has gone into assisting the inquiry fulsomely over the last 11 months. Advertisement However, we are firmly of the view that the inquiry does not have the power to request unambiguously irrelevant information that is beyond the scope of this investigation. This includes the WhatsApp messages of government employees which are not about work but instead are entirely personal and relate to their private lives. The deadline for the UK government to hand over Boris Johnsons WhatsApp messages, diaries and personal notebooks to the Covid-19 public inquiry has expired. If the British government has failed to comply with inquiry chairwoman Baroness Halletts order to disclose the documents, then it could lead to a court battle and possibly a criminal offence. But ministers could seek a judicial review of her order as the UK government has argued it should not have to disclose material which is unambiguously irrelevant to the inquiry. Just 45 minutes before the 4pm deadline, British prime minister Rishi Sunak told broadcasters that his government was still considering its next steps. Former UK prime minister Boris Johnson (Andrew Boyers/PA) The British prime minister said the government was confident in its position, but did not set out how it intended to respond to Lady Halletts demand for the documents to be submitted. Advertisement Speaking at a summit in Moldova, Mr Sunak said: I think its really important that we learn the lessons of Covid so that we can be better prepared in the future. And were doing that in the spirit of rigour but also transparency and candour. Weve co-operated, the Governments co-operated thoroughly with the inquiry to date, handing over tens of thousands of documents, and we will continue to comply of course with the law, co-operate with the inquiry. Were confident in our position but are carefully considering next steps. The UK government had previously argued that it did not have the messages and notebooks, but Mr Johnsons office confirmed he has handed them over to officials. The British Cabinet Office has also argued that it should withhold unambiguously irrelevant material, but Lady Hallett has ruled that everything should be disclosed and she will decide what is or is not necessary for her work. Mr Johnsons decision to publicly confirm he has handed over the material stripping the Cabinet Office of one of its defences and his suggestion that it should be disclosed to the inquiry has heaped pressure on his successors government. Advertisement Baroness Hallett ordered the Government to hand over the documents (UK Parliament/PA) Whitehall officials are concerned about the wider precedent that will be set by handing over swathes of unredacted WhatsApp conversations, with fears that the inquiry will seek similar levels of disclosure from other senior figures including Mr Sunak himself. Lady Hallett issued her demand for the material under Section 21 of the Inquiries Act 2005, and failure to comply could lead to prosecution and a potential fine or jail term for an individual found guilty of the offence. The UK government could seek a judicial review of her notice, questioning whether the demand for the documents falls within the scope of her inquiry but legal experts have suggested the Cabinet Office would have a weak case given the wide remit set out in Lady Halletts terms of reference. Pallets of 155 mm shells ultimately bound for Ukraine are loaded by the 436th Aerial Port Squadron, April 29, 2022, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. AP-Yonhap President Joe Biden has approved a new package of military aid for Ukraine that totals up to $300 million and includes additional munitions for drones and an array of other weapons. It comes as Russia has continued to pummel Ukraine's capital and unmanned aircraft have targeted Moscow. U.S. officials have said there is no suggestion that U.S.-made drones or munitions were used in the Moscow strikes, which the Kremlin blamed on Ukraine but Kyiv has not acknowledged. The Biden administration has said it has made clear to Ukraine that U.S.-made weapons should not be used for attacks inside Russian territory. "We don't tell them where to strike. We don't tell them where not to strike. ... Ultimately President Zelenskyy and his military commanders decide what they're going to do from a military perspective," White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday. But he added that the U.S. has been ""very clear with the Ukrainians privately, we've certainly been clear publicly, that we do not support attacks inside Russia." He said Zelenskyy has given the U.S. assurances that the Ukrainians respect those concerns. The new aid package provides munitions to boost Ukraine's air defense capabilities to fend off Russia's air assaults on Kyiv. It provides munitions for Patriot missile batteries and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well Avenger and Stinger air defense systems, mine-clearing equipment, anti-armor rounds, unguided Zuni aircraft rockets, night vision goggles, and about 30 million rounds of small arms ammunition and an undisclosed amount of other artillery rounds. Moscow was targeted by a rare drone attack on Tuesday that lightly damaged residential buildings. Russian officials say the West, which throughout the grinding war has sought to keep the conflict from expanding beyond Ukraine, has not adequately condemned the attack on Russian soil. Asked about Moscow's criticism that the West is quietly supportive of attacks inside Russian territory, Kirby scoffed that the Russians are "not going to believe anything I have to say" on the matter. He said the U.S. has made clear that it will not change its policy about not enabling or encouraging strikes inside Russia, but added, "I don't think we're going to take it upon ourselves as a burden to privately communicate that to the Russians." Ukrainian officials rejoiced over Tuesday's drone attack but avoided claiming responsibility, a response similar to what they have said after previous attacks on Russian territory. U.S. President Joe Biden arrives at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., Wednesday, May 31. AP-Yonhap US President Joe Biden fell over after giving a speech thanking US air force academy graduates for choosing service over self. He said they now have the great privilege of leading in a world that will only get more confusing in the years to come, and then stumbled on stage after handing out diplomas to graduates. Graduates, you made a noble choice to lead a life of service, Mr Biden told more than 900 cadets at Falcon Stadium in Colorado. Now you also shoulder a great privilege and a mighty responsibility. Leadership, yes leadership. Near the end of the ceremony, the 80-year-old president turned to walk across the stage and tripped. He was helped up by an air force officer and two members of his secret service detail. Onlookers, including some members of the official delegation on stage, looked over in concern before he returned to his seat. Advertisement As he got back on his feet, Mr Biden pointed to the place on stage where he lost his balance. Hes fine, tweeted Ben LaBolt, the White House communications director. There was a sandbag on stage while he was shaking hands. President Joe Biden points to the sandbags on stage (Andrew Harnik/AP) Two small black sandbags were on stage supporting the teleprompter used by Mr Biden and other speakers. Mr Biden has been dogged by questions about his age and his fitness to serve, and his stumbling has become fodder for political rivals as he campaigns for a second term in 2024. He stumbled before going up the stairs and on to Air Force One and he once got caught up in his bike pedals while stopping to talk to reporters near his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. During his speech, the president talked about how the US had rallied western nations to stand behind Ukraine against Russia and efforts to enhance deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region. He also expressed confidence that Sweden will become a Nato member. The academy graduates will become second lieutenants in either the air force or space force. Mr Biden said they made up the most diverse graduating class in the academys history and he called on them to root out the scourge of sexual assault and harassment in the military. Lebanons military tribunal on Thursday charged five men with the killing of an Irish UN peacekeeper in December, a senior judicial official said. The official said all five are linked to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The charges follow a six-month investigation after an attack on a UN peacekeeping convoy near the town of Al-Aqbiya in the south of Lebanon, a stronghold of Hezbollah. The shooting resulted in the death of Private Sean Rooney (24), of Newtowncunningham in Co Donegal, and seriously wounded Private Shane Kearney (22). Private Sean Rooney was killed (Hussein Malla/AP) The wounded peacekeeper was medically evacuated to Ireland. Two other Irish soldiers sustained light injuries. The charges include evidence from bystanders statements, as well as audio recordings and video footage from surveillance cameras, the Lebanese official said. In some of the recordings of the confrontation, the gunmen reportedly could be heard telling the peacekeepers that they are from Hezbollah. Advertisement Hezbollah has denied any role in the killing, and a spokesman for the group declined to comment on Thursday. One of the five charged, Mohamad Ayyad, is in the custody of Lebanese authorities. Private Sean Rooney (Defence Forces/PA) The four others facing charges, Ali Khalifeh, Ali Salman, Hussein Salman, and Mustafa Salman, are at large. Private Rooney and several other Irish peacekeepers were on their way from their base in the south to Beirut airport. Two UN vehicles apparently took a detour through Al-Aqbiya, which is not part of the area under the peacekeepers mandate. Initial reports said angry residents confronted the peacekeepers, but the charges conclude that the shooting was a targeted attack. The UN peacekeeper vehicle reportedly took a wrong turn and was surrounded by vehicles and armed men as they tried to make their way back to the main road. UNIFIL spokeswoman Andrea Tenenti said the charges were an important step towards justice. Attacks on men and women serving the cause of peace are serious crimes and can never be tolerated, she told the AP. We look forward to justice for Private Rooney, his injured colleagues, and their families. UNIFIL was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after Israels 1978 invasion. Advertisement The UN expanded its mission following the 2006 war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, allowing peacekeepers to deploy along the Israeli border to help the Lebanese military extend its authority into the countrys south for the first time in decades. Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon frequently accuse the UN mission of collusion with Israel, while Israel has accused the peacekeepers of turning a blind eye to Hezbollahs military activities in southern Lebanon. Shares inched higher worldwide on Thursday after US lawmakers in the House of Representatives passed a new bill on the countrys debt ceiling. The bill, which suspends the ceiling, passed with both Democrats and Republicans supporting it, and will head to the US Senate for the final approval. The House which is Republican controlled had widely been seen as the bigger hurdle out of the two bodies of Congress. But what is the debt ceiling, and what might have happened if the US had hit it? Below are answers to some common questions. What is the debt ceiling rule? The US introduced the debt limit in 1917 at what today looks like a tiny $11.5 billion. At the time, they set it up to make the process of borrowing money easier until then Congress had to pass new legislation to approve all borrowing. Advertisement By instead putting a limit on borrowing, it allowed the executive branch of the government more flexibility in what and when it borrowed, so long as it did not borrow more than the ceiling. What is the debt ceiling now? The ceiling has been raised many times over the past century since it was introduced taking it to $31.4 trillion. Historically this largely happened without much drama after all Congress gets to vote on the governments spending during the budget negotiations. But from the mid-1990s the US Republicans have on several occasions used the debt ceiling as leverage to pressure Democratic Presidents into making changes to its spending. What did the June 1st deadline mean? The Treasury had originally set a June 1st deadline to raise or suspend the debt ceiling, but last week extended it until next Monday. This deadline is not as inflexible as it might first seem. Instead, it is more like an estimate of when the US might hit up against the ceiling. The debt limit was increased by $2.5 trillion in 2021 to a little under $31.4 trillion, but by January this year US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that the government was set to reach that limit. Advertisement She has since taken measures to make the money last as long as possible, using different tools to avoid a default. This has meant issuing hundreds of billions of dollars of IOUs, using up the hundreds of billions in cash that the government had in its accounts, and also using up the tax money that it collected in the intervening months. The deadline is also not set in stone. If the government can eek out a few more weeks and make its money last until June 15th there will be another injection of tax money into the coffers as another tax deadline approaches. What is needed to raise the debt ceiling? A bill that would raise the debt ceiling would need to get a majority of votes in both the US Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate is controlled by Democrats so any increase that Joe Biden wants to get will more likely pass there. But Republican-controlled House is a bigger hurdle. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is also very weak. It took 15 attempts for him to manage to convince enough Republicans to vote for him to become the speaker. He therefore cannot afford to lose the support of more than a few of his colleagues, including some on the extreme fringe of the party. Advertisement What would have happened if the debt ceiling was hit? The US government would essentially not have enough money to pay all its bills. That does not mean it cannot pay any bills. The evidence suggests that it would pause payments on day one after running out of money, then wait until it had collected enough cash to pay off all of its day one bills, before starting to save again until it can pay off day twos bills, and so on. What would the economic impact be of hitting the debt ceiling? Ultimately much more than can be summarised here. It also would depend on how long the situation goes on for. In early May, Alec Phillips, chief US political economist at Goldman Sachs Research, warned that a delay of any more than a few days would see massive amounts of money being pulled from the US economy and could easily tip the US into a recession. Even coming close to the deadline could create problems. In the 2011 debt ceiling battle, rating agency Standard & Poors downgraded the USs credit rating even though a deal was reached a day before the deadline. On the economic side its not complicated. It would just be bad, Mr Phillips said. Advertisement He said that a brief delay would, from a direct economic perspective, be worth around $10 billion a day. The Congressional Budget Office and the US Treasury Department estimate that any brinkmanship could cost 200,000 jobs in the third quarter of the year, a short default would put half a million out of work while a protracted default would see 8.3 million jobs lost and 6.1 per cent shaved off GDP. The economic impacts will also be felt globally, as so much of the world economy is based on the US financial system. A single number confirms the weakness of the federal officials who discovered they were dudded by one of the worlds biggest consulting firms. It took five years yes, five for some of the most powerful people in Canberra to figure out how to sanction PwC for sharing secret Treasury information in ways that could have cost taxpayers $180 million a year. While the consulting firm raced to help big companies dodge new tax laws, the authorities struggled to expose and punish the deeds. The documents revealing this conduct started to arrive at the Australian Tax Office in late 2017. That is when officials began to see the internal PwC emails that dominated this weeks hearings in Canberra into what transpired. Only in late 2022, however, did the authorities make the firm and its key tax partner, Peter Collins, suffer any consequences. And they did so in such a gentle way that hardly anybody noticed. Illustration: Simon Letch. Credit: More inquiries will uncover further details, but we already know enough to make three broad conclusions about the broken system that is supposed to pursue tax avoidance. First, officials were far too patient in going after a tax partner who breached their trust. Second, the secrecy rules in taxation law stopped federal agencies talking to each other about what to do. Third, the ATO did not have enough power to investigate on its own. We are not afraid to take on the big end of town, the ATO commissioner Chris Jordan told an estimates hearing on Tuesday. The trouble is, every word after that declaration tended to confirm that he and others were hobbled in their pursuit. Jordan has been a capable leader of the ATO for more than a decade after many years at KPMG, making him a classic poacher-turned-gamekeeper who knows the dark paths through the woods. The issue is not the regulators fear but its power. There is no hint in the emails that Collins and PwC had any anxiety about the ability of Treasury or the ATO to stop them. Ever since Bob Katter delivered his viral, snarling rant about crocodile attacks in North Queensland, the veteran MP has become more meme than politician. Bob Katter... More meme than MP, and now #content for Ladbrokes. Credit: John Shakespeare To a certain kind of young-ish white collar urban professional, who might otherwise baulk at Katters real views on things like immigration and LGBT issues, the so-called Father of the House is a funny old bloke in a big hat. And that makes him very marketable content. The latest step in the memeification of BobKatter is brought to you by Ladbrokes, with the member for Kennedy narrating a social media clip on the life and times of Maroons coach and fellow North Queenslander Billy Slater. Dropped just in time for Wednesday nights State of Origin opener (played inexplicably in Adelaide), the video looks an awful lot like advertising for the betting company, although were assured Katter didnt get a cent for his voice-over work. Still, the irony wasnt lost on us that Katters crossbench colleagues and the Liberals are pushing for a crackdown on gambling advertising. Kim Cattrall will reprise her role as Samantha Jones in the season two finale of And Just Like That, Maxs revival of HBOs Sex and the City, in a cameo appearance, according to a report. According to Variety, Cattrall shot her dialogue on March 22 in New York City, without seeing or speaking with the stars of the series, including Sarah Jessica Parker, or showrunner Michael Patrick King. Kim Cattrall as Samantha Jones in Sex and the City. Credit: Getty The 66-year-old will only appear in one scene, and is likely not to be a continuous presence on the show. Upon her temporary return, she will speak to Parkers Carrie Bradshaw over the phone, Variety reports. This follows a text exchange shared with Bradshaw and Jones who had become estranged in the first season of And Just Like That and the finale, when the pair decided to meet and reconcile. Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes, who bankrolled the lawsuit using private funds, said in a statement that the judgment does not accord with the man I know. I havent had a chance to have a discussion with Ben as yet, but I will when he has had a chance to fully absorb the judgment, Stokes said. Nine managing director of publishing James Chessell speaks alongside reporters Chris Masters and Nick McKenzie. Credit: James Brickwood University of Sydney professor David Rolph, an expert in defamation law, said the decision marked a comprehensive victory for the media outlets and was a vindication of the journalism in question. Defamation losses have a chilling effect for the media, particularly for serious investigative journalism, Rolph said. This decision should give media outlets some confidence that they can undertake public-interest journalism and prevail. Australias defamation laws have a reputation for being plaintiff-friendly. This case shows that it is possible, sometimes, for publishers to prevail. The war veterans defamation trial was launched in 2018 against The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, owned by Nine, and The Canberra Times, now under separate ownership, and concluded in July last year after 110 days, 41 witnesses and more than $25 million in legal costs. It is among the largest and most expensive defamation trials ever conducted in Australia and the first to examine in detail allegations of war crimes against members of the SAS. Besanko ruled the media outlets had successfully proven the truth of the vast bulk of the claims. To date, only a summary of his decision has been released publicly, after the Commonwealth sought to review the full decision to protect national security information. Besanko found Australias most decorated living soldier had broken the moral and legal rules of military engagement and was therefore a criminal, and that he had disgraced his country and the army by his conduct in Afghanistan. The media outlets alleged during the court case that Roberts-Smith was involved in the murder of five Afghan prisoners, contrary to the rules of engagement that bound the SAS. They called 20 serving and former SAS soldiers to give evidence. A sixth murder allegation was not further explored in the trial after a former soldier was not compelled to give evidence, and it was not proven. Roberts-Smith denied all wrongdoing. Besanko found four of the five murder allegations had been proven. He also found the newspapers had proven it was substantially true that Roberts-Smith assaulted unarmed Afghan prisoners in 2010 and 2012. The alleged murders In a centrepiece allegation in the case, the newspapers alleged Roberts-Smith kicked an unarmed and handcuffed Afghan villager named Ali Jan off a small cliff in Darwan on September 11, 2012, before procuring soldiers under his command to shoot the villager. Besanko found the murder allegation was proven. Loading In a second key allegation, the newspapers said Roberts-Smith was involved in two murders during an earlier mission on Easter Sunday, 2009, after two Afghan men were discovered in a tunnel in a compound dubbed Whiskey 108. They alleged Roberts-Smith killed one of the men himself and directed a rookie soldier, Person 4, to kill the second man as a form of blooding or initiation. Besanko found this allegation was proven. He also found a fourth murder allegation, which did not appear in the news reports but was part of the newspapers defence, had been proven, relating to directions Roberts-Smith gave via an interpreter for an unarmed Afghan man to be shot by a member of the Afghan Partner Force in 2012. Out of the five alleged murders, Besanko found one had not been proven to be substantially true. Domestic violence allegation The court heard Roberts-Smith had ended a turbulent six-month affair with a woman dubbed Person 17 by the time the first of the newspaper articles was published. Person 17, whose identity was suppressed by the court, gave evidence that Roberts-Smith punched her on the left side of her face and eye following a dinner in Parliament House in Canberra in 2018. Roberts-Smith vehemently rejected the allegation, and a former army officer at the dinner said he witnessed Person 17 fall down the stairs. Besanko was not satisfied that Person 17s evidence was sufficiently reliable to make a finding that the assault had occurred; however, he found the allegation had caused no further harm to Roberts-Smiths reputation after he had been found to be a war criminal. Bullying allegation Roberts-Smith also alleged the newspapers accused him of engaging in a campaign of bullying against a small and quiet soldier. A serving SAS soldier dubbed Person 1 gave evidence for the newspapers and said Roberts-Smith told him in 2006 that if your performance doesnt improve on our next patrol, youre going to get a bullet in the back of the head. He told the court he had interpreted the comment as a death threat. Person 1 alleged Roberts-Smith had bullied and undermined him for years, including pushing him in the chest during a later incident in 2010 and telling him to get out of my way, c---, or Ill kill you. Besanko found the news outlets had established the substantial truth of the bullying allegation. He dismissed Roberts-Smiths lawsuit. The fallout Federal Greens defence spokesman Senator David Shoebridge described the defamation judgment as an important win for fearless journalism in the public interest. Its a tragic fact that private media companies, not any part of the federal government, have taken on the public task of telling the truth about Australias war record in Afghanistan, Shoebridge said. The official silence must now end. Shoebridge called for Roberts-Smiths uniform to be immediately removed from public display at the Australian War Memorial. Ben Saul, a professor of international law at the University of Sydney, said that, subject to appeal, the War Memorial should also remove its dedicated Roberts-Smith display and Roberts-Smith should be stripped of his Victoria Cross medal. A recipient has not been stripped of their Victoria Cross, the nations highest military honour, since 1908. The War Memorial did not respond to requests for comment. Australia Defence Association executive director Neil James said the damning defamation judgment against Roberts-Smith would help clear the air in the public debate about war crimes in Afghanistan. A lot of people have been in denial, promoting the nonsense that because no one has been convicted we cant say whether war crimes occurred, James said. Martin Hamilton-Smith, the national chair of the Australian Special Air Service Association, said: This was a very bad day for Ben Roberts-Smith and the veterans community. Theres no dressing it up. Hamilton-Smith called for the Office of the Special Investigator, which is responsible for prosecutions arising from the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Forces Afghanistan inquiry, to announce any further war crimes charges urgently so that the soldiers in question can have their day in court. To date, one charge unrelated to the Roberts-Smith case has been laid. A criminal court might see things completely differently, he said of the Roberts-Smith defamation judgment. Its a whole different process. Hamilton-Smith said soldiers accused of wrongdoing, as well as those accusing their former colleagues of wrongdoing, were victims of a mismanaged war and poor decisions made in Canberra during and after the fighting. He said any discussion about medals being stripped from soldiers should only take place after they have been found guilty in court. Defence Minister Richard Marles and opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie declined to comment. In his March 2022 appearance at the trial, Hastie declared he was no longer proud of Roberts-Smith and said that he pitied him. This is terrible for our country, terrible for the SAS, terrible for our national security, Hastie said at the time. We do love a bit of wordplay here in Column 8, and Granny knows that a lot of you like to argue over your Latin, so Richard Murnane of Hornsby has sent in something for us all. Sutor, ne ultra crepidam, otherwise shoemaker, [speak not] beyond the shoe is the origin of the term ultracrepidarianism, the expressing of views on matters outside ones knowledge or expertise. Granny, I ask you: Was there ever a word that better described the internet, mass media, or social media, than that one? Thats a question for the Column 8 brains trust to weigh in on. Granny herself is just happily going to add this to her list of favourite tongue-twisting, multisyllabic words and, just for a change, its not German! The late uncle of Alan Wells of Farmborough Heights, who was in the navy during WWII, and then worked as a deckhand (C8) on tugboats in Newcastle, couldnt swim a stroke. Luckily, he was never pushed into the water to save a passenger. He did once, however, fall into the harbour between the wharf and the tug. Peter Wotton of Pyrmont says the only thing that pushing a deckhand into the water (C8) results in is two rescues being required, rather than just one. Who then rescues the two in the water? The master of the ferry, who is required to maintain control of the ferry? All this talk of ferries and deckhands is reminding Granny of that uniquely Australian 90s childrens TV series, Ferry Boat Fred, and of Pete, the pelican deckie. Fork me! Theyre asking from Blackwell to Bowral to Cranebrook, exclaims Suzanne Saunders of Koonorigan. The splayds (C8) go with the fondue forks right at the back of the 70s. No conundrum for Meri Will of Northmead over where to put the splayds in the cutlery drawer (C8). They are in constant circulation. From curry to casserole to risotto to fruit salad, there is no respite for this versatile utensil. A 45-year-old man has been charged with murder after the body of a three-year-old boy was found inside a unit in Sydneys south-west earlier this week. On Friday night, NSW Police said they had arrested Nathan Vitakos at a hospital and charged him with murder. Vitakos allegedly attacked the toddler in a unit in Riverwood on Wednesday afternoon. Police officers spoke to him on the phone just hours before the incident, sources close to the case said. Leading Australian philosophers have waded into the gender wars engulfing university campuses here and the United Kingdom, calling for stronger protection of academic freedom and robust debate of issues relating to sex, gender and gender identity. Writing in response to a boycott campaign by student and trans rights activists against University of Melbourne feminist Holly Lawford-Smith, a group of 20 academics from seven universities backed her right to teach from a gender critical perspective without harassment or interference. A group of fellow academics are backing the right of Holly Lawford-Smith to challenge transgender ideology. Credit: Joe Armao Our support for Lawford-Smiths right to teach and research in this field is neither an endorsement nor a criticism of the substance of her views, the group wrote in a column published this week by The Times Higher Education. But, in relation to this issue, it seems clear that university leaders and academics need to do more to foster climates of genuine academic freedom. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, left, speaks while Taiwan'ss Vice President of the Legislative Yuan Tsai Chi-Chang looks on, during a meeting at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, Taiwan, August 3, 2022. EPA-Yonhap Taiwan and the United States will sign the first deal under a new trade talks framework on Thursday, both governments said, boosting ties between the two at a time of heightened tensions with China over the democratically-governed island. Taiwan and the United States started talks under what is called the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade last August, after Washington excluded Taiwan from its larger pan-Asian trade initiative, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. Taiwan's Office of Trade Negotiations said in a brief statement the first agreement under the framework would be signed in Washington on Thursday morning U.S. time, but gave no other details. The U.S. Trade Representative's office said Deputy United States Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi would attend the event, but also did not elaborate. Last month, the two sides reached agreement on the first part of their trade initiative, covering customs and border procedures, regulatory practices, and small business. After the initial agreement is signed, negotiations will start on other, more complicated trade areas including agriculture, digital trade, labour and environmental standards, state-owned enterprises, and non-market policies and practices, the USTR has previously said. The pact is not expected to alter goods tariffs, but proponents say it will strengthen economic bonds between the United States and Taiwan, open the island to more U.S. exports, and increase Taiwan's ability to resist economic coercion from China. Beijing has denounced the trade talks as it does with all forms of high level engagement between Taiwan, which it claims as its own territory, and the United States. Taiwan strongly rejects China's sovereignty claims, which Beijing has been trying to push on Taipei through repeated military activities including war games around the island. (Reuters) When Charmaine McLeod went to police with allegations her five-year-old daughter had been sexually assaulted, she left upset and feeling she wasnt believed, with an officer accusing her of telling her child what to say. This was the evidence from a witness at an inquest into the deaths of McLeod, 35, and her four children, who were killed in a head-on crash with a truck on the Bunya Highway, north-west of Brisbane, in 2019. Aaleyn, 6, Matilda, 5, Wyatt, 4, and Zaidok, 2 were killed in the crash. The woman, whose name has been suppressed, said McLeod told her she had called police after her daughter Matilda came to her with the allegations, and later went to make a statement to police. In the inquests first day of evidence, the Queensland Coroners Court heard McLeod had alleged she had been raped, and two of her four children had been molested. His SAS troop of a few dozen men had spent the night the eve of Easter Sunday 2009 on a dry, rocky outcrop near Kakarak, a typical Afghan village, with mud-walled compounds ringed by large fields of verdant crops. Crack-thump. Another round whizzed by. The insurgents firing at the SAS knew what they were doing, thought Tilley. They were clearly battle-hardened, bold and well armed. An aerial photo of Whiskey 108 marked up in court by Ben Roberts-Smith during his Federal Court defamation case. As the Australians readied to confront them, Tilley perched on the edge of the outcrop in a sniper position, scanning the crops and compounds for men who appeared and vanished like startled ghosts. Coalition aircraft circled in the sky above. The SAS had been ordered to raid a likely insurgent stronghold they had named compound Whiskey 108, but one of the birds would drop their payload on this target first, a massive bomb obliterating part of the mud-walled structure in a cloud of dust, fire and smoke. It wasnt until the light began to fade that Tilley and his fellow SAS soldiers advanced towards the damaged Taliban hideout. By then, the weather had closed in and the sky was a patchwork of greys, growing darker in the drizzle. Tilleys six-man patrol was responsible for finding the stealthiest path to lead the other small teams of SAS fighters towards the hidden enemy. As the scout of his patrol, Tilley would be the first man forward: the tip of the spear. It was a job the pugnacious soldier with a broad, boyish face relished. He was built like a classic old-school SAS operator: six foot and with a physical presence that belied his lithe build and mischievous grin. Tilley strode towards the insurgent hideout, his mind willing his body towards an enemy he had assessed not just as formidable, but willing to die for their cause. He felt a pang of fatalism, a sensation hed felt on previous missions but which hed usually been able to quickly counter by telling himself: not today. This was different. It felt sharper, more vivid. Today, Tilley found himself thinking, may well be the day ... Before he could further analyse this black thought, he glimpsed an aqueduct splitting the earth between him and the target compounds ahead. Now, he was focused solely on gaining the speed to make it across the lengths of rotting wood the locals had placed over the water and mud below. Loading He leapt, one foot racing after the other, until he felt the relief of hard ground. Glimpsing behind, he watched patrol members follow his path and bolt across the makeshift bridge, then trained his eyes forward and strode into a poppy field. The poppies stood tall and strong. A few metres in, Tilley realised they were also wet, a sea of upright red-tongued snakes surrounding him, soaking his uniform. Blocking out any discomfort, he moved on to a nearby mud-walled alleyway system by the poppy field. He heard a sound and froze. The creak of a door. Was this the moment? Tilley was already on one knee, rifle raised towards the opening door, his finger ready to squeeze. His eyes were focused ahead, but he sensed his comrades behind him halting, a backwards baton relay of danger and unease. The door opened wider and an Afghan walked out. Every cell in Tilleys body was trained on the Afghan, but the man didnt notice the Australian soldier or the gun pointed at him. Tilley counted the seconds 10 ... 20 ... 30 ... as the Afghan walked away from him and into the poppy field, oblivious to the shadow of death stalking him. Only then did Tilley relax his trigger finger, draw breath, stand up and stride onwards. Loading The poppy field, sodden ground and drizzle, mirrored the jungle reconnaissance training Tilley had undergone years before. This was textbook SAS operating environment for the camouflaged line of advancing soldiers, thought Tilley, as he dipped into the aqueduct. This thought didnt last, as the sound of two shots fired from the rifle of one of his patrol members rang out. Tilley felt a fresh rush of adrenalin. With his view obscured by the aqueduct walls, he raced up the mud embankment to find his patrol commander training his weapon in the direction of a dense clump of twisted trees. Before Tilley could settle his breathing, machinegun fire exploded and he plunged forward into the mud and grass, waiting for the pain. But there was no heat, no blood, so he popped his head up and looked behind him. OK that is our gun, he said to himself as he got back to his feet and continued closing in on the suspected enemy stronghold. A few feet out, he dropped again to his knee and scanned the compound walls for any openings offering a glimpse inside. It was then that he noticed the very top of a mans head. It was bobbing above the wall towards a large gap that would soon bring its owner into complete view. He appeared to be carrying something. If the man exited and turned towards Tilley, he would see the Australians and possibly engage them. If he moved the opposite way, Tilley could avoid taking his life. Dont f---ing turn our way, Tilley whispered to himself, heart racing. Dont It was too late. His finger squeezed the trigger and the man fell. Tilley felt his heart pounding as he waited for the body to move, but it lay still. (During a later search of the Afghan, it was found he was carrying a mobile phone, indicating his status as an insurgent.) Tilley calmed himself, taking up a cordon position outside Whiskey 108 as his SAS comrades moved in, guns raised. He watched them silently advancing, and wondered what was waiting for them inside. Minutes ticked by as Tilley scanned the compound perimeter, looking for any sign of an attack from insurgents hiding in the surrounding fields. Ben Roberts-Smith in Afghanistan. There was stillness. As the sky darkened, Tilleys attention was drawn to three Australian soldiers. The trio were part of the assault teams that had entered Whiskey 108. For some reason, they had walked a few feet outside one of the compound walls. As Tilley turned to observe them more clearly, he saw a dark mass being thrown on the ground by the largest of the three Australians. As the shape hit the ground, it made a sound. It was a man exhaling, as if badly winded. That was followed quickly by another much louder sound. Tilley recognised it instantly. The burst of an Australian F89 Minimi machinegun firing. Before the man could rise, the soldier who had tossed him into the mud had fired into his body. Now it was Tilley who felt winded. What the hell? he said to himself. The man had been tossed by the large Australian soldier like a rubbish bag, only to have his body ripped apart by bullets. The soldier who had fired was wearing distinctive camouflage paint and was unmistakably large, strong enough to handle a machinegun with one hand. But it was too dark for Tilley to make out his face. He turned to another soldier within earshot. What the hell? he hissed. He walked over to the man who had been machine-gunned. Lying on his back was an unarmed Afghan with a short, dark beard, flowing robes and a white prosthetic leg. The man with a prosthetic leg who was killed in 2009. We have chosen to blur the image. The mans bloody, empty face confirmed what Tilley already suspected. He was dead. What the hell? The question would stay with Tilley for weeks, and then months, and then years. As time went by, new snippets of information emerged at SAS headquarters, including a claim that the dead man with the plastic leg was actually an armed insurgent who had been shot as hed brazenly raced towards an SAS soldier. That this story was being peddled as truth served only to underline the question he had asked when the Minimi first erupted. What the hell? Not just a friendly chat Not quite a decade later, on October 19, 2018, Tilley sat in the cafe of the East Hotel in Canberra, waiting for the most famous alumni of his regiment to appear. The meeting had been arranged as a friendly catchup. The timing suggested otherwise. Everyone in the SAS knew that Roberts-Smith was rallying his supporters, having sued the newspapers that had written about him, alleging his involvement in war crimes, including two executions on the Easter Sunday mission back in 2009. Days earlier, Tilley heard from Roberts-Smith via an encrypted application. His message was anodyne, flagging that Roberts-Smith would be in Canberra, suggesting a coffee. Tilley had responded and they arranged to meet. No problem, hed texted. The SAS soldiers guard was up, though. Unlike others in the SAS, Tilley had received no defamation threats from Roberts-Smiths lawyers, but he was mates with those who had. He was also one of the two dozen or so witnesses the media outlets wanted to subpoena because they had been on the Easter Sunday mission. Tilley was like most of these soldiers. He didnt want to testify for the media, nor did he want to jump in the box for Roberts-Smith. He wanted nothing to do with the case at all. Roberts-Smith was taking no chances. That morning, he had given an interview to the Murdoch-owned Sky News channel in which hed sharply criticised the newspaper reporters who had implicated him in war crimes and whom he was suing. Their claims were completely untrue, Roberts-Smith had told Sky News. In the interview, Roberts-Smith had also savaged the truth defence the newspapers lawyers had just filed in the Federal Court: We are talking about scenarios of battle that have been twisted and, in many cases, falsified to resemble the allegations that Fairfax are reporting. The filing of the truth defence was what had prompted him to reach out to Tilley. The lawyers had indicated to the court that they intended to call multiple witnesses to testify about executions committed on Easter Sunday 2009. One of them was Tilley. Roberts-Smith wanted to test the loyalty of his old comrade. While the documents filed with the court by the newspapers indicated whom the newspapers wished to call as witnesses, they gave no indication about whether they were actually co-operating. That could explain why Roberts-Smith confidently told Sky News he would be vindicated. Even so, Roberts-Smith needed to know for sure that Tilley would be on team BRS. When Tilley spotted the large soldier, he rose from his seat and extended his hand. Howre you going? The men greeted each other with a strained casualness that continued through a few minutes of small talk. It vanished, overtaken by a frosty formality, when Roberts-Smith brought up the purpose of the meeting. He pulled out a copy of the newspapers truth defence like a prosecutor brandishing a murder weapon before a jury. Tilley had never seen the file before. Im not signing anything mate, he said, momentarily confused. Im not trying to get you to sign anything. I want you to read it. I know its not I know its not you, Roberts-Smith said, before adding: I know we will be all good. Tilley didnt respond, but began scanning the document. The journalists lawyers had placed him as one of a few soldiers with a clear line of sight to the execution of an Afghan prisoner outside compound Whiskey 108 on Easter Sunday, 2009. Someone close to Tilley must have spoken to them. Tilley glanced up at Roberts-Smith and looked him square in the eyes. Well actually thats how I remember it You were pretty loose at Whiskey 108. You did a lot of things in front of the young guys you shouldnt have. Roberts-Smith appeared shocked. You cant get in trouble for perjury if you legitimately dont remember, he told Tilley. Tilley was resolute in his response. If he was subpoenaed to the Federal Court or to the Brereton inquiry into war crimes in Afghanistan, he would be telling the truth. Im not going to lie on the stand. The truth is the only thing that will protect me. The large ex-soldier then changed tack. Tilley couldnt be a witness to something he hadnt actually seen. Your patrol was on the other side of the compound, Roberts-Smith said. But Tilley was in no doubt where he was located on Easter Sunday. He remembered the drizzle in the air, the thickness of the poppy crop that had swallowed him up as he waded through, and the mud and grass hed dived into when a burst of gunfire exploded near him. McKenzies new book will be published in July. The whole mission was seared into his brain because he had expected he was going to be killed and, instead, had taken a life. An Afghan had popped out from a wall and, believing he posed a risk to the Australian soldiers creeping up on Whiskey 108, Tilley had shot him. Tilley also remembered clearly what happened after this, in the fading light. A large soldier with paint on his face who was holding a machinegun had stepped outside the compound walls and thrown a large dark mass to the ground. Tilley later discovered it was an Afghan man with a prosthetic leg. Across the cafe table, Tilley held Roberts-Smiths gaze again. Come on, mate You machine-gunned that guy, he said to him. Ben, theres no way I am going to get up on a stand and lie. And I hope no one else does. Tilley watched his old comrade as silence descended over the table. Roberts-Smith turned to look outside the cafe window. He appeared lost in his own thoughts. The Attorney-Generals Department is reviewing about 850 secrecy offences and non-disclosure provisions, including those that prevented the Australian Taxation Office from sharing its concerns about a PwC tax leak. Earlier this week, the ATO said secrecy offences had hampered its ability to tell Treasury from as early as 2016 that they suspected confidential tax information had been shared. The Australian Taxation Office says it was extremely constrained in who it could tell about its investigation into PwC. Credit: Eamon Gallagher Late last year, the Tax Practitioners Board found Peter Collins, PwCs former head of international tax, shared confidential government briefings on multinational tax reform with PwC partners and clients to help them sidestep the laws. Next week, a Senate inquiry into consulting services will look at the tax leak, including why it has taken so many years for the issue to come to light. Melbourne retiree Brenda Duke and her husband Brian, both 82, despised living in a retirement home. While they were surrounded by people their own age, they couldnt shake the feeling they werent part of a proper community. One where they could easily pop in to say hi to their neighbours or interact with people in their 20s or 30s. Brian and Brenda Duke, 82, recently moved from a retirement home into a build-to-rent development in Caulfield. Credit: Darrian Traynor But instead of snapping up a modest house on a quiet suburban street, the pair opted to rent a two-bedroom apartment two blocks from Monash Universitys bustling Caulfield campus and the local train station. We thought, why bother to buy again when we can rent? Brenda said. We love everything about it. It just felt like home straight away. A family was forced to host a group of tourists in their living room for the night after a travel company wrongly listed their home on its website. About 20 holidaymakers from around the world have descended on Karin Arseniuss house in Greenwich, South East London, in the past month. Karin Arsenius lives in Plumstead, Greenwich. Credit: Alamy It came after Booking.com mistakenly used the postcode for her street for bookings, with her house shown beneath a location pin drop on its online map. Users then booked accommodation which listed the address as a flat in Greenwich, the BBC reported. More than two years after Myanmars military staged a coup detat and plunged the country into a new round of bloody civil war, Australias policy towards the dictatorship is in the doldrums. Diplomatic efforts, from the United Nations to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, have failed to reach a breakthrough of any kind. A record of atrocity: the Myanmar military commemorates the nations 78th Armed Forces Day in March. Credit: AP The junta, the State Administration Council (SAC), is responding to widespread resistance to the coup with increasing levels of violence against civilians using air strikes, forced displacement, widespread arson, including over 60,000 houses torched not seen since the atrocities against Rohingya Muslims in 2017. Thousands have been killed, millions displaced, and more than 17,000 dissidents arrested. The Myanmar army has kept perpetrating the same playbook of abuses against the people since international human rights groups started documenting them in 1987. Latest News Loan arrears rise as interest rates hit borrowers Cost of living adds to serviceability burden Humm hit with an interim stop order by ASIC But the order was revoked a day after it was issued MA Money, a non-bank mortgage lender that specialises in residential and commercial loans, has welcomed an experienced executive to build and execute the companys strategy and drive further volume growth. Alex Brgudac (pictured above) has joined the company, bringing with him extensive financial services industry experience, having previously served in key roles at ASX-listed business lender Prospa Group, Loan Market Group Asset Finance, and IAG. Brgudac has also been an advisory member of the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) as well as the Finance Brokers Association of Australia (FBAA). Chris Wyke, MA Financial Groups joint CEO, said he looked forward to Brgudacs contribution to the continued growth of MA Money. Brgudac has been an integral part of some of our industrys most successful and fastest-growing companies, Wyke said. We see his appointment as a logical step to help lead the MA Money business into the future. Brgudac said he knew the role would bring him the right amount of excitement and challenges that he was looking for in the next chapter of his career. As MA Money continues on its upward trajectory, Im confident I can play an integral role in furthering our growth and push us closer to our goal of being Australias preferred non-bank lender, he said. MA Money is moving forward at a lightning pace, and I knew I wanted to be part of that journey. Im excited to get started right away and implement the long-term company vision. The ASX-listed diversified financial services business has also announced that Melanie de Jager, national sales manager, will move back to Perth to lead the West Australian sales team. The change means that MA Moneys sales function will also be a part of Brgudacs remit moving forward. Got a new appointment in your organisation? Share it with us in the comments section below. Latest News Loan arrears rise as interest rates hit borrowers Cost of living adds to serviceability burden Humm hit with an interim stop order by ASIC But the order was revoked a day after it was issued The MFAA has crowned 18 winners at the Queensland State Excellence Awards the first of five state and territory industry award events to kick off across the country. Held on Thursday, June 1, at Sofitel Brisbane Central, all winners were also entered as finalists in the MFAA National Excellence Awards, which kicks off on July 27. The awards celebrate the achievements of MFAA members and the mortgage and finance broking industry recognising excellence in areas such as customer service, professionalism, ethics, growth, and innovation. MFAA CEO Anja Pannek said the calibre of nominations received this year highlighted the unwavering commitment of MFAA members to professionalism, innovation, and outstanding customer service. As the CEO of MFAA, I am immensely proud to recognise the exceptional achievements of our MFAA Excellence Awards winners and I congratulate all finalists, Pannek said. The winners of the Queensland awards included Kate Sadler (pictured above left), director of The Broker Society, who won both the Newcomer and Young Professional awards; Mark Davis (pictured above centre), director of The Australian Lending & Investment Centre, who was recognised with the Residential Finance Broker Award, and Melissa Wright (pictured above right), director of Zest Mortgage Solutions, who won the Customer Service Award Individual and Finance Broker Business awards. The Queensland awards will be followed by the MFAA state ceremonies for NSW/ACT (June 8), Western Australia (June 15), Victoria/Tasmania (June 22), and South Australia/Northern Territory (June 29). The MFAA said the awards, which are audited by accounting group Hall Chadwick, were judged equally based on excellence and professionalism across all areas of business. The peak industry body thanked its sponsors, including Key Medias Australian Broker and MPA magazine, ANZ, BOQ, Commonwealth Bank, Helia, La Trobe Financial, Macquarie Bank, ME Bank, Mortgage Choice, NAB, Prospa, QBE and Teachers Mutual Bank Limited. The 2023 MFAA Queensland State Excellence Award winners are as follows: According to a LiveMint report, SpiceJet has also been directed to submit an affidavit of assets within four weeks. The high court's ruling comes as a setback to the airline as it comes amid a battle with aircraft lessors on payments. The Delhi High Court, on Monday, directed low-fare airline SpiceJet to pay Rs 380 crore to its former promoter Kalanithi Maran of the Sun Group. Maran sued SpiceJet in 2017 for allegedly causing losses by failing to issue convertible warrants and preference shares to him and his KAL Airways, the report said. SpiceJet witnessed a four-fold increase in its earnings to Rs 106.8 crore in the quarter that ended in December. The court's ruling which came out on Monday stemmed from a long-running battle between the Maran family and the current promoter, Ajay Singh, and SpiceJet, over contractual obligations. We are confident of resolving the same mutually as we have already paid the entire principal amount earlier awarded by an arbitral tribunal,", the report said, citing a SpiceJet spokesman, who also added that the airline is already in discussions with Maran and KAL Airways for a comprehensive settlement. The low-fare airline ended up paying a principal amount of Rs 579.08 crore to Maran after a protracted court fight, but the interest portion was pending. The interest stood at Rs 242 crore in October 2020, which accumulated to Rs 362 crore by February 2023, and finally touched Rs 380 crore. By Carolina Mandl NEW YORK (Reuters) - A big buyer of Nvidia Corp's shares in the first quarter, Australia-listed investment firm GQG Partners, said it has continued to increase its exposure to the company since then and intends to buy more stocks of India's conglomerate Adani. Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based GQG, which manages almost $100 billion in assets, added 8.2 million shares in Nvidia in the first quarter, worth $2.3 billion then, according to a regulatory filing. Since then, Chief Investment Officer Rajiv Jain said in an interview that GQG has "meaningfully increased" its position in Nvidia. The CIO declined to disclose the amount it further invested. Jain also said the asset manager is considering raising its exposure to Adani by participating in capital increases the group announced in May. (Reporting by Carolina Mandl, in New York) Also Read Rajiv Jain's GQG Partners to invest another $1 bn in Adani group stocks Can Adani convince investors to back his capital-hungry businesses? Adani Green Energy to seek board approval to raise up to $1 billion Who is Rajiv Jain, and how he built his $92 billion empire at GQG Partners Why Nvidia is on a bull run on Wall Street despite slump in computer sales UBS revises FY24 GDP growth forecast up by 70 bps to 6.2 pc Pay Rs 380 crore to Kalanithi Maran: Delhi High Court directs SpiceJet Indiabulls HFC eyes to scale up monthly disbursement to Rs 1,200-1,300 cr TeamLease co-founder & executive director Rituparna Chakraborty steps down Meesho becomes world's fastest shopping app to cross 500 mn downloads The DGCA had told the high court earlier it had not rejected the application of Go Firsts lessors for deregistering the aircraft but had kept the process (of deregistration) in abeyance because of the moratorium. A moratorium period is the suspension of all or certain legal remedies against debtor(in this case Go First). The Delhi High Court on Thursday reserved its order on petitions filed by Go First's lessors against the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for the release of their aircraft currently in the possession of the cash-strapped airline. The petitions were filed by Pembroke Aircraft Leasing 11 Limited, Accipiter Investments Aircraft 2 Limited, EOS Aviation 12 (Ireland) Limited, DAE SY 22 13 Ireland Designated Activity Company, SFV Aircraft Holdings IRE 9 DAC LImited, ACG Aircraft Leasing Ireland Limited, and SMBC Aviation Capital Limited. All of them have been clubbed together for hearing. The lessors of Go First had moved the high court against the DGCA shortly after the NCLAT, on May 22, upheld the National Company Law Tribunal(NCLT) Delhi's order. The NCLT had admitted Go First's voluntary insolvency application on May 10. The lessors told the court that according to Rule 30(7) of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, the registration of an aircraft in India to which Cape Town Convention applies, shall be cancelled by the Central government without seeking permission from aircraft holder if an IDERA holder(lessors) gives an application for cancellation of lease. The lessors argued that, according to the Irrevocable De-registration and Export Request Authorisations (IDERA), it was mandatory for the DGCA to deregister the aircraft upon their request. Also Read IAF's first C-295 tactical transport aircraft takes to the skies Defence ministry plans to rope in Indian Cos for care of western aircraft Govt may expedite Bill that assures lessors on repossession of aircraft European cargo airline moves NCLT to acquire 3 Jet Airways aircraft PTC Industries hits 10% upper circuit as arm wins Safran Aircraft order GQG adds more Nvidia, considers increasing exposure to Adani, says CIO UBS revises FY24 GDP growth forecast up by 70 bps to 6.2 pc Pay Rs 380 crore to Kalanithi Maran: Delhi High Court directs SpiceJet Indiabulls HFC eyes to scale up monthly disbursement to Rs 1,200-1,300 cr TeamLease co-founder & executive director Rituparna Chakraborty steps down Accipiter, meanwhile, argued that Go First cannot resume operations as the aircraft is not theirs to fly. "How can they fly the planes when Indian life will be put at risk?," counsel for Accipiter asked. "There is no concept of rejection or abeyance. They(DGCA) have to cancel leases," Senior Advocate Arun Kathpalia, appearing for SMBC Aviation said. The Interim Resolution Professional (IRP) of Go First had told the court on Tuesday told the Delhi High Court that parallel proceedings could not go in the case and that the court could not interfere in the resolution process. Justice Tara Vitasta Ganju of Delhi High Court heard the arguments till 6 pm on Thursday and reserved the order. Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for the IRP, had told the court that a writ court (the high court in this case) should not interfere in the resolution process after the insolvency application had been accepted by the NCLT. This was again reiterated by the IRP in the hearing on May 31. Courts should not interfere in the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) process because the essence of this process is that it is time-bound. Interests start piling up with every passing day on all dues, Salve said. He said there were many Supreme Court judgments that had said this. He argued if the court were to release the aircraft in accordance with the lessors request, the airline would not be able to resume operations and thousands of employees would lose their jobs. The company hopes that the app will help it to scale up its digital business and reach a wider audience. The app is targeted at customers in tier 2 and tier 3 cities. Ma-Money offers a wide range of loans, including personal, business, and consumer durables. It will also offers loans for the healthcare industry, food industry, small-scale industries, school finance to improve infrastructure, car loans, home repair loans, and farm equipment loans, among others. Manappuram Finance said using Ma-Money customers can apply for loans, track their applications, and manage their accounts. For customers in smaller cities and towns, Ma-Money represents a significant step forward in terms of financial inclusion, providing access to a wide range of loans and financial products that were previously unavailable to them, the company said in a statement. "We understand that our customers lead busy lives and want a quick and easy way to access the financial products they need. With Ma-Money, they can do just that, no matter where they are or what time it is. We are always at the forefront in embracing technology to make life easier for our customers," said V P Nandakumar, managing director and chief executive officer of Manappuram Finance. Global hospitality company Radisson Hotel Group on Thursday said it has signed 11 new hotels across brands between January-April this year in key gateway cities and emerging destinations of the country. These new hotels are present across Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ujjain, Raipur, Sonamarg, Manali, Kerala and Visakhapatnam, Radisson Hotel Group said in a statement. The group also announced the debut of its luxury lifestyle brand, Radisson Collection, in India with the signing of the first hotel in Hyderabad while expanding its portfolio across other brands, including Radisson Blu, Radisson, Park Inn & Suites by Radisson, and Radisson Individuals Retreats. With these signings, the group has 110 operating hotels in over 64 locations across the country. "2023 marks a significant milestone for us as we have successfully completed our 25-year journey in the Indian market. To translate our ambitious five-year expansion plan, we have signed 11 new hotels since January and have a strong pipeline ahead for this year. "Our focus remains on strengthening our brand structure while enabling quality hospitality for guests across India, Radisson Hotel Group Managing Director and Area Senior Vice President, South Asia, Zubin Saxena said. Also Read Hospitality industry flocks to Ayodhya as religious tourism gains momentum Indian hospitality sector on a comeback trail with promising growth-report Hospitality industry set for buoyant 2023, cashes India's G20 presidency Hotels, resorts sold out on high demand for Christmas-New Year celebrations As the economy rebounds, India's hotel industry may have its best year ever Aditya Birla Group to invest Rs 1,250 crore into its financial services arm TCS denies strict warning to employees in return-to-office policy Food Corporation of India to conclude recruitment process of 5,159 posts Auto cos post record sales for May amid better chip supply, high SUV demand WhatsApp bans over 7.4 mn Indian accounts in April to prevent online abuse Reliance has two brands in the top ten list of Indian brands, as per a recent report. As per an Interbrand report, Reliance Industries is ranked number 2 and Jio is ranked number 5 in the top ten list of Indian brands for 2023. TCS is ranked at the top, Infosys is ranked number 3, followed by HDFC, Airtel, LIC, Mahindra, SBI and ICICI. The Total List Value is US$ 100 billion with a growth of 167 per cent in the last 10 years. The GDP growth over the decade is 138 per cent. The Total Value of the table has reached US$ 100 billion for the first time ever, Interbrand report said. The brand value of Top 3 brands makes up 46 per cent of the Total Value of top ten brands. Top five brands represent more than a third (40 per cent) of the total value of the Table. For the first time ever in 10 years, there are three Technology Brands in the Top 5. The Total Brand Value of Top 10 brands (INR 4,950 billion) is more than the value of the rest of the table (40 brands: Total Value: INR 3,360 billion) Fastest Growing Sectors over the last decade are FMCG (CAGR 25 per cent), Home Building & Infrastructure (CAGR 17 per cent) and Technology (CAGR 14 per cent). Also Read India's physical rehab market likely to touch $35 billion by FY2028 Combined brand value of Indian companies surpasses $100 bn: Interbrand Global markets remain at make-or-break stage after US Fed's rate hike Important to de-risk global economy in era of volatility, uncertainty: EAM India, UK sign agreement to collaborate on science and innovation TCS set for 'exciting new journey ', says new CEO & MD K Krithivasan Manappuram Finance launches digital lending app to widen reach Edtech major Byju's lenders scrap talks to restructure a $1.2 bn loan Sebi to tighten FPI rules it was forced to dilute for Adani: Congress Toyota logs 2-fold growth with highest monthly sales in May at 20,410 units The Home Building & Infrastructure sector has grown the most (from INR 69 billion to INR 344 billion), followed by Technology (from INR 693 billion to INR 2.5 trillion) over the last 10 years. While the Financial Services sector still has the greatest number of brands, nine, and the Home Building & Infrastructure sector has seen the highest jump in terms of the number of brands with seven brands since 2014. --IANS san/dpb The company is targeting 5,000 MW projects in Nepal by 2030. India's state-owned SJVN Ltd, on Thursday, signed a project development agreement for 669-megawatt (MW) Lower Arun Hydro Electric Project in Nepal, the company said in a regulatory filing. The project will be developed on Boot basis and on completion it will generate 2,901 million units of energy annually. In addition to this, the company is also developing 217 KM long associated Transmission Network for power evacuation and export to India, the company said in a BSE filing. In a regulatory filing, the company said, The project shall be constructed in five years at a cost of Rs 5,792 crore with a levelised tariff of Rs 4.99 per unit. The company won the project through international competitive bidding in February 2021 and the MoU was signed in July 2021. A tail race development of 900 MW Arun 3 HEP project will not have any reservoir or dam and will operate as a tandem operation system with Arun-3 Project. The 669 MW Lower Arun Hydro Electric Project is in Sankhuwasabha and Bhojpur districts of Nepal. Also Read Delayed hydropower projects push up costs by over Rs 30,000 crore Joshimath: A well-engineered calamity Top headlines: India faces high power cut risks, Apple to focus on India NHPC Q4 results: 8% increase in profit after tax at Rs 3,834 crore Sensex leaps 710 pts after a day's hiatus; TaMo, IndusInd rise 5%, PSBs dip Brand discovery platform Magicpin adds 10,000 fashion stores in a year Hyundai's May sales rises 16% to 59,601 units, domestic sales grew 14.91% Reliance's operating performance to remain resilient over 2 years: S&P FAME II subsidy impact: TVS revises IQube prices by Rs 17,000-20,000 Delhi HC orders SpiceJet to pay Rs 380 crore to Sun Group's Kalanithi Maran Presently, the company is executing three hydro projects of 2,059 MW in Nepal. 900 MW Arun3 HEP is in advance stage of construction and 490 MW Arun-4 HEP will be developed in joint venture mode by the company and Nepal Electricity Authority. A TCS spokesperson responded to the reports, telling NDTV that while the company has encouraged employees to work from the office for three days a week, it has not communicated any career or compensation implications for non-compliance. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has denied claims that it issued strict warnings to employees regarding their compliance with their return-to-office policy. Times of India (TOI), which stated that TCS had started sending memos to employees who did not complete a minimum of 12 days of office work per month. According to the TOI report, the memo warned of potential disciplinary action against employees who fail to follow the rostered office attendance. In response, the TCS spokesperson emphasised the company's excitement to see its campuses bustling with energy and expressed the desire for all employees to be part of that vibrant ecosystem. The denial came in light of an article published by the, which stated that TCS had started sending memos to employees who did not complete a minimum of 12 days of office work per month. The spokesperson further explained that TCS has been actively encouraging associates in India to return to the office for three days a week, which has yielded positive results with many employees already complying. The objective is to have all associates working from the office for an average of at least three days per week in a month. However, no connections have been made between office attendance and career advancement or compensation. They, reportedly, highlighted the importance of experiencing the TCS environment for collaboration, learning, growth, and fostering a stronger sense of belonging to the organisation. Also Read TCS Q4 review: Near-term growth to moderate, demand levers intact: Analysts TCS Q4 Preview: Revenue may rise up to 18% YoY; EBIT margin seen at 25% 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% How does outgoing TCS CEO Gopinathan's salary compare to other IT execs? Food Corporation of India to conclude recruitment process of 5,159 posts Auto cos post record sales for May amid better chip supply, high SUV demand WhatsApp bans over 7.4 mn Indian accounts in April to prevent online abuse E-commerce firm Shopsy delivers to 16 mn transacting customers in Q1 2023 NHPC partners Nepalese utility to develop 480 MW Phukot hydro project As we step into the next phase of TCS, we will continue our investments in key and emerging areas like Cloud, cyber security, 5G, IoT, Generative AI etc. with an unrelenting focus on customer relationship and impeccable delivery, he said in an email to TCS employees. K Krithivasan, who on Wednesday took over as the CEO and MD of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), has said he sees an "exciting new journey" for Indias largest IT services firm. Krithivasan, the fifth CEO of TCS since it was founded in 1968, is taking charge at a time the industry is managing the emergence of generative AI and an uncertain macroeconomic environment. I look forward to connecting with you in the near future as I embark on this exciting new journey, he said. I have had the opportunity to work with many of you and built long-lasting friendships, which I cherish the most. I have also had the opportunity to work with many of our key clients across different geographies and build deep customer relationships. I step into this role on the strength of these friendships and relationships, he said. Krithivasan earlier led the companys largest vertical, BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance), and has held roles in delivery, sales, client management, and business management. Also Read How does outgoing TCS CEO Gopinathan's salary compare to other IT execs? A quarter or two might be tough, but growth will be back: TCS CEO designate Here's how K Krithivasan will spend his first six months as TCS CEO Rajesh Gopinathan quits as TCS CEO; K Krithivasan appointed CEO-designate K Krithivasan: A lot riding on TCS CEO-designate's track record Manappuram Finance launches digital lending app to widen reach Edtech major Byju's lenders scrap talks to restructure a $1.2 bn loan Sebi to tighten FPI rules it was forced to dilute for Adani: Congress Toyota logs 2-fold growth with highest monthly sales in May at 20,410 units Bajaj Auto records 29% rise in total sales at 355,148 units for May The industry recorded double-digit growth when lockdowns to slow down Covid-19 boosted demand for digitisation but it now faces subdued expansion. TCSs growth has slowed down and some of its peers such as Infosys have done better. According to a report by ICRA, the growth rate for the sector in FY24 is expected to be in mid-single digits. Growth is slowing also because BFSI, the largest revenue contributor for all major IT services firms, has been under stress due to headwinds in the US and Europe. Unsubscribe to continue This is a subscriber only feature Subscribe Now to get daily updates on WhatsApp A non-bank customer wanting to exchange Rs 2,000 notes is required to provide their name, mobile number, and any of ID proof which can include Aadhaar, PAN, driving licence, Voter ID, NREGA card, passport, or a letter issued by the National Population Register containing details of name and address by several leading private banks like HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank. A non-account holder also can exchange Rs 2,000 notes up to a limit of Rs 20,000 at a time at any bank branch. Even though the central bank has said that ID proof is not needed for exchanging notes, several private banks are asking customers for it and fill a special form or a cash deposit slip for the same. State Bank of India and Punjab National Bankboth state-ownedare allowing even non-account holders to exchange notes without submission of ID proof. How much can one exchange? You must note that the exchange is free of cost. One can exchange Rs 2,000 banknotes up to a limit of Rs 20,000/- at a time. Suppose you have Rs 60,000, you can exchange only Rs 20,000 in a single day from one particular bank. "As per the RBIs recent circular regarding Rs.2000 note, a limit of Rs 20,000 has been imposed only as a matter of convenience. Other than for convenience, as per the Income Tax Rules, a person can deposit up to Rs 50,000 without showing PAN card to the bank. Even in such case, the depositor is not under obligation to notify the Income Tax Department. However, the duty to report to IT Department has been cast on the banks if the total deposit in a savings account exceed Rs 10 lakh in a year or total deposits in a current account exceed Rs 50 lakh in a year," said Shashank Agarwal, an advocate at the Delhi High Court. If you have several Rs 2000 notes to deposit, you need to read this: Also Read PAN-Aadhaar link status: Are your cards already linked? Learn how to check Pan-Aadhaar link online: What happens if cards are not linked by March 31? PAN-Aadhaar Link: A step by step guide to link two cards before deadline PAN-Aadhaar link: Last date to link these two cards extended to June 30 Link PAN-Aadhaar to avoid restrictions on NPS A/C: Step-by-step guide here Explained: What are the tax implications of depositing Rs 2,000 notes? Switched jobs in 2022-23? Consolidate multiple Form 16s accurately Utilise enhanced SCSS limit, but diversify your retirement corpus Beyond the financial system: Will AA framework be a game-changer in India? High expense ratio erodes mutual funds' net return, so monitor cost What this means is that if you have cash deposits that aggregate to Rs 10 lakh, or more, in your savings account a financial year, then banks have to report it under SFT reporting. Banks must adhere to the cash transaction reporting and suspicious transaction reporting requirements under the regulatory framework set forth by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). In fact the RBI in a circular on May 19, 2023, clarified that "deposit of Rs 2000 banknotes into accounts maintained with all banks can be made in the usual manner, that is, without restrictions and subject to compliance with extant Know Your Customer (KYC) norms and other applicable Statutory requirements. The banks shall also be required to comply with Cash Transaction Reporting (CTR) and Suspicious Transaction Reporting (STR) requirements, where applicable." Do I need to submit my PAN to deposit Rs 2,000 notes? For deposits of Rs 50,000 or more in Rs 2000 notes, you will have to furnish PAN Card before the bank since the existing Income Tax requirement of PAN for Rs 50,000 or more deposits in bank accounts will apply to Rs 2,000 notes as well. Last month, the Reserve Bank of India announced the withdrawal of Rs 2,000 from circulation and advised banks to stop issuing Rs 2000 currency notes. They will remain legal tender till September, the RBI said. Here is everything you need to know about why the notes are being withdrawn and what can you do if you still have such notes. Rule 114B of the income tax rules makes it mandatory for an individual to quote his/her PAN if the cash deposit in a single day either with a bank or post office exceeds Rs 50,000 in a single day. However, quoting PAN is not mandatory if the amount deposited does not exceed Rs 50,000 in a single day. Why are Rs 2,000 denomination banknotes being withdrawn? The Rs 2,000 denomination banknote was introduced in November 2016 under Section 24(1) of RBI Act, 1934 primarily with the objective to meet the currency requirement of the economy in an expeditious manner after the withdrawal of the legal tender status of all Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 banknotes in circulation at that time. With fulfillment of that objective and the availability of banknotes in other denominations in adequate quantities, printing of Rs 2,000 banknotes was stopped in 2018-19. A majority of the Rs 2,000 denomination notes were issued prior to March 2017 and are at the end of their estimated lifespan of 4-5 years. It has also been observed that this denomination is not commonly used for transactions. Further, the stock of banknotes in other denominations continues to be adequate to meet the currency requirement of the public. What is the clean note policy? In view of the above, and in pursuance of the Clean Note Policy of the Reserve Bank of India, it has been decided to withdraw the Rs 2000 denomination banknotes from circulation. Does the legal tender status of Rs 2,000 banknotes remain? It is a policy adopted by RBI to ensure the availability of good quality banknotes to the public. Can Rs 2,000 banknotes be used for normal transactions? Yes. The 2000 banknote will continue to maintain its legal tender status. What should the public do with the Rs 2,000 denomination banknotes held by them? Yes. Members of the public can continue to use Rs 2000 banknotes for their transactions and also receive them in payment. However, they are encouraged to deposit and/or exchange these banknotes on or before September 30, 2023. The facility for deposit into accounts and exchange for Rs 2000 banknotes will be available at all banks until September 30, 2023. The facility for exchange will be available also at the 19 Regional Offices (ROs) of RBI having Issue Departments1 until September 30, 2023. Members of the public may approach bank branches for deposit and/or exchange of Rs 2000 banknotes held by them. Is there a limit on deposit of 2000 banknotes into a bank account? Deposit into bank accounts can be made without restrictions subject to compliance with extant Know Your Customer (KYC) norms and other applicable statutory / regulatory requirements. Is there an operational limit on the amount of Rs 2,000 banknotes that can be exchanged? People can exchange Rs 2000 banknotes up to a limit of Rs 20,000/- at a time. Can Rs 2,000 banknotes be exchanged through Business Correspondents (BCs)? Yes, exchange of Rs 2,000 banknotes can be made through BCs up to a limit of Rs 4,000 per day for an account holder. From which date will the exchange facility be available? To give time to the banks to make preparatory arrangements, members of the public are requested to approach the bank branches or ROs of RBI from May 23, 2023 for using the exchange facility. Is it necessary to be a customer of the bank to exchange Rs 2,000 banknotes from its branches? No. A non-account holder also can exchange 2000 banknotes up to a limit of Rs 20,000/- at a time at any bank branch. What if someone needs more than Rs 20,000 cash for business or other purposes? Deposits into accounts can be made without restrictions. The 2000 banknotes can be deposited into bank accounts and cash requirements can be drawn thereafter, against these deposits. Is there any fee to be paid for the exchange facility? No. The exchange facility shall be provided free of cost. Will there be special arrangements for senior citizens, persons with disabilities, etc. for exchange and deposit? Banks have been instructed to make arrangements to reduce inconvenience to the senior citizens, persons with disabilities, etc., seeking to exchange/deposit Rs 2,000 banknotes. What will happen if one cannot deposit or exchange Rs 2,000 banknote immediately? To make the entire process smooth and convenient for the public, a period of over four months has been given for deposit and/or exchange of Rs 2,000 banknotes. Members of the public are, therefore, encouraged to avail of this facility at their convenience within the allotted time. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said huge opportunities for people and businesses will be opened up when the country's goods and services exports touch USD 2 trillion by 2030. In the last two years, he said the country's exports jumped from USD 500 billion to USD 767 billion in 2022-23. India is a USD 3.5 trillion-economy today and will become at least USD 35 trillion- economy by 2047 and "imagine what opportunities it will open up for all the people of India," he said. According to him, by 2030, "we will see USD 2 trillion of exports from India, imagine the opportunities that it will open up". At the Times Network India Economic Conclave here, the minister also said the country's economy is growing at a faster pace and it is clearly reflected from the 7.2 per cent GDP growth in 2022-23. "India is in the mode of stability with a proactive government strengthening every element of the economy in a manner which will hold us in good stead in our pursuit to make India a developed nation by 2047," he said, adding that "this is the work in progress". Also Read Goods and services exports may cross $750 bn-mark this fiscal: Piyush Goyal Countries eager to sign FTAs with India: Piyush Goyal in Rajya Sabha India will aim to achieve $100 bn export target for textiles by 2030: Goyal Union Minister Piyush Goyal pitches for startup database in country Large companies must take responsibility to handhold MSMEs: Piyush Goyal PM SVANidhi scheme's spread among fastest, says Hardeep Puri RBI should continue with pause, change its stance to neutral: CII President GST collection for May up 12% to Rs 1.57 trn despite external headwinds 7.2% GDP growth is historic given the global situation: Piyush Goyal Services exports in April rises by 7.5% on year to $25.84 billion India's exports contracted by 12.7 per cent, third month in a row, to USD 34.66 billion in April due to the global demand slowdown even as the trade deficit reduced to a 20-month low of USD 15.24 billion, according to the government data. The S&P Global India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index rose from 57.2 in April to 58.7 in May, indicating the strongest improvement in the health of the sector since October 2020. India's manufacturing PMI showcased encouraging developments in May, painting a notably positive picture for the sector. This surge in sales paved the way for stronger increases in production, employment and quantities of Demand conditions demonstrated remarkable strength, with factory orders rising at the fastest pace since January 2021. Meanwhile, cost pressures remained historically mild, but demand strength facilitated a solid and quicker increase in output charges. purchases. With supply chain-conditions improving further, companies noted a record accumulation in input inventories. Also Read Karnataka elections 2023: Here's what postal ballots mean on results day Jan manufacturing PMI falls to three-month low as production, exports slow Dec manufacturing PMI at 26-month high of 57.8 as production picks up Improved output pushes India's manufacturing PMI to 3-month high in March Budget 2023-24: Manufacturing sector eyes revised taxations, new PLIs JPMorgan hikes India's FY24 GDP forecast to 5.5%; warns of global slowdown No power can stop India from becoming a developed nation: Piyush Goyal ISMC's semiconductor facility plan in India stalled after Tower-Intel deal Centre allots additional 199,000 houses under PMAY-G to Jammu and Kashmir J'Khand credit-deposit ratio at 45%, plan to increase it to 50% soon: SLBC May data indicated a sharp and accelerated increase in quantities of purchases, with the rate of expansion quickening to the strongest in over 12 years. According to survey members, ongoing increases in new business and efforts to replenish stocks underpinned growth of buying levels. Out of the five PMI sub-components, stocks of purchases showed notable vigour, increasing at an unprecedented pace in May. Monitored companies indicated that better supply-chain conditions and sustained increases in input purchasing boosted inventory growth. Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' on Thursday said huge business opportunities are there for investors and sought Indian investments in various sectors such as mining, manufacturing, agriculture, energy, tourism, infrastructure, information technology and hospitality. He said that abundance of natural resources, large pool of human capital, a promising market with sound policies and regulatory framework makes Nepal an ideal attractive destination for investment. "No countries other than Nepal and India share such an intimate friendship and deep rooted cultural affinity providing an excitingly favourite business environment. Moreover, the two governments are moving ahead with bold decisions to transform the development landscape. This needs to be echoed by the private sector which is a powerful engine of growth," he said here while addressing CII's India-Nepal Business Summit. Opportunities for investments across a wide range of areas including mining, manufacturing, agriculture, energy, tourism, infrastructure and hospitality industry is here. He also said that Nepal's foreign investment policy is liberal and forward looking and it has opened almost every sector for overseas investments. "Nepal is a virgin land for investment. We are still at a nascent stage of industrialisation. Investment in every sector is profitable," the prime minister said, adding Nepal offers low customs duties, simplified tax regime, and full repatriation of income. Also Read Indian hospitality sector on a comeback trail with promising growth-report Indian Embassy, Nepal govt sign MoUs for projects in education, healthcare Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda set to take oath as Nepal's new PM today India's economy already 10% more energy efficient than G20 average: IEA Nepal plane crash: At least 68 dead, rescuers search for 4 missing persons Disinvestment push: Potential buyers buying PSU shares exempt from gift tax FY24 GDP: Spate of forecast hikes; but some economists hold out Huge opportunities will open up when exports touch $2 trn by 2030: Goyal PM SVANidhi scheme's spread among fastest, says Hardeep Puri RBI should continue with pause, change its stance to neutral: CII President "We assure you full protection of investment. We will continue reforming our investment regime. We have put in place an automated route for FDI approval. The Nepal central bank clears the repatriation within 7 days. The investment board of Nepal provides one-stop service for the large scale investments," he said. He also said that modern infrastructure at border areas offers opportunities for cross border investments and industrialisation. Vast investment opportunities are there in the hydro power sector also. An agreement in long-term power trade has been completed and this agreement makes the power trade between India and Nepal more predictable, "thereby encouraging more investments in Nepal in the hydro power sector," he said. The 900-MW Arun-III project with Indian investment is nearing completion and several other power projects will certainly generate fresh momentum in harnessing water resources in Nepal. "We should have to create a new history in our cooperation in this sector. On trade and transit, we are upgrading cross border connectivity infrastructure. The integrated check post, road and rail connectivity are being built to further ease the flow of goods and services," he added. On the aviation sector also, the prime minister said that two new airports are ready including one in Pokhara and "I encourage the airline companies to operate air service between various cities of India and Nepal," he said. Speaking at the event, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said that huge potential is there for MSMEs of both the countries to increase cooperation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart Pushpakamal Dahal 'Prachanda' on Thursday vowed to resolve the vexed boundary dispute under the spirit of friendship even as the two sides signed several major pacts including one on increasing New Delhi's import of power from the neighbouring country to 10,000 mega watt in the next 10 years. In the wide-ranging talks between Modi and Prachanda, the Indian side agreed to the first trilateral power trade from Nepal to Bangladesh through India for up to 40 mega watt of power, a move that is seen as a significant step towards ensuring greater regional cooperation. In total, India and Nepal signed seven pacts which included a revised treaty of transit. The Nepalese leader arrived here on Wednesday on a four-day visit. The country shares a border of over 1,850 kilometres with five Indian states -- Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Land-locked Nepal relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services. The bilateral trade between the countries stood at USD 8.9 billion in 2022-23 as against USD 11 billion in 2021-22. By Muyu Xu SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Russian crude oil imports by China and India in May hit an all-time high as buyers gorged on discounted supplies, reducing demand for oil from the Middle East and Africa, according to preliminary assessments from ship trackers. The jump in Russian supplies comes ahead of a meeting between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies including Russia on June 4. Producers face some pressure to act to support Brent futures which have fallen 5% this week to about $73 a barrel despite an OPEC+ pledge in April to cut more output from May. However, they are unlikely to deepen supply cuts at the Sunday meeting despite lower prices, four sources from the alliance told Reuters. The world's No. 1 and No. 3 crude importers and top buyers of Russian oil imported about 110 million barrels in May, data from Vortexa and Kpler showed, up nearly 10% from the prior month despite U.S. warnings against price cap evasion. Also Read India's Russian oil imports cross 1 million barrels a day in December Podcast: What will guide oil prices in 2023? Russia pulls off revolution in India's overall crude oil basket Oil price cap looks set to keep Russian oil flowing even as war continues Increased Russian crude flows to Asia are redrawing the world's oil map OPEC+ unlikely to extend oil supply cuts at upcoming June 4 meeting India, European Union may hammer out an 'agreeable' solution on ICT levy Wheat procurement breaches 26 MMT mark; surpasses last year's by 7.4 MMT India sees 4% spike in high-net-worth individuals amid sharp global drop UP govt plans to develop Lucknow-State Capital Region on lines of Delhi-NCR Arrivals of Russian shipments in India are assessed to have reached a record high of 8.6 million tonnes (62.8 million barrels) while China received 6 million tonnes, steady from April, according to Vortexa. Data from Kpler showed a similar trend, with India's imports hitting a record of 66.7 million barrels and China's rising to 49.2 million barrels. Indian refiners stepped up purchases of medium sour crude Urals and lighter grades such as Sokol and Varandey, in addition to a steady inflow of ESPO crude exported from the Pacific port of Kozmino, the data showed. In China, refiners are scrambling to cut feedstock costs and improve refining margins amid a slower-than-expected economic recovery. Large private oil refiners started buying Russian oil earlier this year and have increased volumes in recent months. "We see more new buyers from China these days," said an official with a Russian oil company. Private refiner Hengli Petrochemical, which operates a 400,000-barrel-per-day refinery in northeast Dalian, received its first Urals crude cargo of 730,000 barrels in early May and another 2 million barrels arrived on Wednesday night, the shiptracking data showed. Hengli also bought 3.71 million barrels of ESPO that arrived in the same month. Hengli did not immediately respond to a Reuters request seeking comment. "Chinese buyers' increased demand for Russian oil loading in April and beyond was supported by higher profitability of supplies amid softer freight and firmer differentials," said a trader involved in Russian oil marketing. The lumpsum freight rates for tankers carrying ESPO crude from Kozmino to northern China fell to $2.2 million after hitting an all-time high of $2.4 million in mid-March, Simpson Spence Young data on Refinitiv Eikon showed. Spot premiums of July-loading Middle Eastern crude benchmarks Oman and Dubai in May versus April fell by 47% and 41%, respectively. (Reporting by Muyu Xu and Moscow newsroom; editing by Florence Tan and Jason Neely) The Lucknow-SCR - comprising two nodes at Lucknow and Kanpur - will encompass eight districts of Lucknow, Kanpur, Kanpur Dehat, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Barabanki, Sitapur, and Hardoi. Uttar Pradesh is looking to develop the Lucknow-State Capital Region (SCR), on the lines of Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR). According to Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Roshan Jacob, the region will develop Lucknow and Kanpur as world-class modern cities and spur economic development. This is part of the states target to become a $-trillion economy in the next four to five years. The proposed region will entail nearly 34,000 square kilometres (sq. km) and accommodate roughly 29 million population. Meanwhile, the state has started the process of selecting a project consultant for the proposal. A large number of industrial areas will be developed in the vicinity of the two cities, which will generate jobs for the youth, she added. Also Read Granules India ties up with Greenko Group for 'green' pharma zones Govt studying feasibility of setting up industrial parks for space tech TMS Ep413: Non-exec chairman, retail zones, IT stocks, safe harbour rules CAQM invokes Stage III of GRAP as air pollution in Delhi-NCR rises HNIs to drive surge in demand for luxury housing in Delhi NCR in 2023 Centre to approve several chip fabrication plant proposals soon: MoS IT India's economy likely to grow 6.5-6.7% in FY24: CII president R Dinesh Power consumption grows marginally by 1.04% to 136.56 bn units in May Aadhaar to identity proof: All questions answered about Rs 2,000 notes White collar hiring activity flat in May, IT sector's woes continue: Report The SCR will decongest Lucknow by providing lucrative job and self-employment opportunities in the constituent districts, arresting the migration of youth to big cities in search of jobs, a government official noted. The development of Lucknow-SCR will act as a counter magnet area, similar to Delhi-NCR and attract private investment and provide a multiplier effect to the hinterland. Since Lucknow and Kanpur will be linked with a high speed dedicated freight corridor, the SCR will have a ready groundwork to pick up pace, once the roadmap is prepared and implemented. The SCR districts will be provided with better transport, logistics and infrastructure facilities. A large number of districts in UP are already connected with expressways and air routes, which will come in handy for leveraging the local agricultural and traditional industries. Moreover, six regional development zones will also be set up in UP on the model of Lucknow-SCR. These seven zones are Meerut, Agra, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Bareilly and Jhansi. While the UP chief secretary is likely to be the chairperson of the SCR, the respective divisional commissioners will head the regional development zones. The announcement was in line with market estimates, but the quantum is double than what most traders were expecting. The central bank had last conducted a reverse repo for a similar quantum on April 6. The Reserve Bank of India will conduct a 14-day variable rate reverse repo auction worth 2 trillion rupees ($24.46 billion) on June 2, it said on Thursday. But what does the fine print say? Indians have been panicking ever since it was reported that large cash deposits made during the phasing out of the Rs 2,000 notes would likely be notified by banks to the taxman, especially if the deposit is disproportionate to the income reported in the income tax return. Cash deposits in bank accounts have been subject to reporting requirements for a long time After the RBI announced the withdrawal of Rs 2000 notes, the government declared that these notes would continue to be legal tender. The RBI has asked people to deposit or exchange these notes till September 30, 2023. There is no limit for depositing these notes in a bank account, but there is a limit of Rs 20,000 for exchange in one go. Cash deposits in bank accounts have been subject to reporting requirements for a long time, and this is not a new provision in the wake of the RBI's decision to recall Rs 2,000 notes. This policy helps the government monitor any large-scale misuse of the country's financial system. Consequently, in cases where significant cash deposits are made that are inconsistent with the person's usual business operations, banks might report these transactions to the income tax department, which is also reflected in the depositor's 26AS and Annual Information Statement. While there is no cap on the number of Rs 2,000 notes that one can deposit in bank accounts, one should be aware of the Statement of Financial Transaction (SFT) rules. Also Read SC upholds demonetisation, says test of proportionality satisfied How RBI's withdrawal of Rs 2,000 notes is different from demonetisation Biz of moving currency booming, with new revenue streams set to open up Provide adequate infra at branches for Rs 2,000 note exchange: RBI to banks Debit card-based ATM withdrawals up 235% since demonetisation: Report Switched jobs in 2022-23? Consolidate multiple Form 16s accurately Utilise enhanced SCSS limit, but diversify your retirement corpus Beyond the financial system: Will AA framework be a game-changer in India? High expense ratio erodes mutual funds' net return, so monitor cost Thinking of prepaying your home loan? Things you should keep in mind Let's be clear, however, that this reporting protocol is not a new provision sparked by the RBI's recent decision to recall Rs 2,000 notes. In fact, this system has had a long-established presence in our financial regulatory framework for a significant period. This is typically done to prevent money laundering and other illicit activities," said CA Jay Desai. "As per the existing norms, large cash deposits must be notified to the authorities. Banks in India are obligated to report cash deposits over a certain limit to the Income Tax Department. Currently, deposits over Rs 10 lakh for term and savings deposits and Rs 50 lakh for current account deposits in a financial year need to be reported by the banks to the tax authorities. Point to note: The RBI has not mentioned any limit in depositing the withdrawn currency in bank accounts. However, individuals who exceed certain prescribed limits in their deposits may receive notices from the Income Tax Department. "Failing to satisfactorily explain the source of such cash deposits may result in tax at 60 per cent along with penalty. From a readiness standpoint, it is recommended that documentary evidence and records are kept ready justifying the source and availability of cash and matching such narrative with balance sheets and tax returns", said Indruj Rai, Partner at Khaitan & Co. The income tax department uses the SFT statement to check for discrepancies and can issue a notice to the depositor for clarification. How will your deposits be monitored? While the exchange limit has been restricted to Rs 20,000 at a time, if you want to deposit Rs 2000 notes into the bank, you will have to furnish your PAN card if you are depositing cash more than Rs 50,000 in a bank account in a single day, according to Rule 114B of the Income Tax Act. So, does the act of depositing the note make it taxable? "With the PAN card details being provided with the deposit, the depositor or the account holder can be monitored," said Anant Singh Ubeja, Senior Associate, SKV Law Offices. How does one deposit Rs 2000 notes without inviting an income tax notice? "The depositing of a Rs 2000 note is not, in itself, a taxable event. The Rs 2000 note is legal tender and remains as such. Individuals have complete freedom to use such currency, and it's unreasonable to assume that possessing even a single Rs 2000 note indicates the hoarding of black money. Therefore, the deposit of Rs 2000 notes does not, in itself, incur tax. There would be no tax obligations for genuine taxpayers depositing Rs 2000 notes into their bank. They typically hold only a limited quantity of such notes, so they can deposit them without any inconvenience or extra tax implications. However, you might receive a notice from the Income Tax department if large cash deposits, made during the period leading up to September 2023, do not align with your income sources or your business nature," said Ankit Jain, Partner, Ved Jain & Associates. For instance, consider a retailer with an annual turnover of Rs 2 crore who routinely deposits Rs 10 lakh in cash every month. If this retailer were to deposit Rs 12 lakh in cash in a given month, it would not raise suspicion, as it aligns with the nature of their business. However, a different scenario unfolds if a salaried individual, earning Rs 25 lakh annually (all received through bank transfer), were to deposit Rs 6 lakh in cash all at once, explained Jain. "Genuine cash deposits in Rs 2000 denominated notes, being made by the countrymen, in their bank accounts, can very well be explained either out of regular household savings, or out of earlier cash withdrawals, or out of cash gifts from blood relatives (with no limit) and others (with a limit of Rs 50,000) or as gifts received on marriage occasions, or as cash sales in case of the proprietor and other businesses, subject to such claims, being supported by authentic documentary evidence," said Mayank Mohanka, Senior Partner in M/s S M Mohanka & Associates. What about the tax implications for a businessman? The government extensively employs data mining and analytics to identify potential tax evaders. In cases where substantial deposits do not corroborate with income sources or business nature, the tax authorities might likely issue a notice requiring an explanation of the source of cash deposits. Cash sales up to Rs 2 lakh from a person in a single day are allowed per Income Tax provisions. If any businessman is depositing notes, he may have to prove the source of funds. "Either his debtors have paid him, or he has made any cash sale; if he is making cash sales, it should be supported by an invoice. If he is registered under GST, he should issue an invoice charging GST. Similarly, if any household lady is depositing a Rs 2000 note, then she may need to declare the source of such a deposit. At present government has not issued any notification on the post effect of the deposit but any deposit that is unreasonable may need explanation in future," said Bhagat. Moreover, once a businessman has offered his cash sales as his business income, then again, taxing the cash deposits made out of his cash sales as unexplained cash credits amounts to double taxation, which is not permissible, explained Mohanka. "Once the businessman establishes the genuineness of cash sales in Rs 2000 notes, being done on or after May 19 and even after September 30, with all supporting documents like sales invoices, bank statements, confirmations from buyers, GST Returns, co-relation of such cash sales with purchases and stock etc., then the authenticity of making cash deposits out of such cash sales can't be disregarded and rejected by the tax authorities, merely on account of variation in the ratio of cash sales in the current period with that of an earlier period. There can't be a fixed sales pattern in any business," said Mohanka. When can you get a notice from the income tax department? According to the income tax guidelines, the financial activities of individuals may come under the purview of official scrutiny, specifically for those who deposit cash over the threshold of Rs 2.5 lakh. An elevated threshold applies to senior citizens, where cash deposits exceeding Rs 5 lakh may invoke scrutiny. Cash deposits within these limits might be typically exempt from scrutiny, assuming the money is justifiably sourced. What happens if you do get an I-T notice? "The primary tax implication of depositing large amounts of cash into a bank account is the potential for it to be counted as income and thus become subject to income tax. If the depositor cannot adequately explain the source of the cash, the income tax department may treat it as' income from other sources' and tax it accordingly. If you deposit under Rs 2.5 lakh, there should typically be no scrutiny and you should be fine," said Jay Desai. "In terms of Section 68 of the Income Tax Act, if large deposits are made without furnishing justification on the nature of such deposit in the Income Tax return, the same may be treated as unaccounted deposit. In such circumstances, the Income Tax Department may scrutinise the deposits which are suspicious in nature and may also issue notice to the depositor, thereby seeking justification for the such deposits," said Anant Singh Ubeja, Senior Associate, SKV Law Offices. If you get an I-T notice, then the onus is on the taxpayer to establish the source of income and provide documentary evidence. No tax notice if... CA Mahima Vachhrajani sums it up best: As per income tax guidelines, individuals who deposit cash above Rs 2.5 lakh and senior citizens who deposit cash above Rs 5 lakh may be scrutinised. Any amount within the specified limit of Rs 2.5 or 5 lakh will be excluded from scrutiny. The big hurdle and the loophole For businesses, cash sales up to Rs 2 lakh will not be scrutinised once the businessman establishes the genuineness of cash sales in Rs 2000 notes, with evidence like sales invoices, bank statements, confirmations from buyers etc. Citizens of Delhi-NCR are coming together to breathe life back into the ailing Yamuna. A group of concerned citizens is rallying thousands of people to form a 22-kilometre human chain on the banks of the Yamuna on June 4 to draw the attention of the authorities concerned to the sorry state of the river, which is plagued by pollution and degradation. The chain will extend from Wazirabad to Okhla in Delhi, a 22-kilometre stretch that accounts for 75 per cent of the river's pollution load. Twenty-two drains fall into the river in this stretch. This will probably be the biggest such effort to sensitise the people of Delhi and ensure their participation in cleaning the Yamuna, said the members of the "Yamuna Sansad", a campaign launched by environmentalists, conservationists, academicians and researchers working to revive the river. Experts say untapped waste water from unauthorised colonies and jhuggi-jhopri clusters, and the poor quality of the treated waste water discharged from sewage treatment plants (STPs) and common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) is the main reason behind the high pollution levels in the river. The river can be considered fit for bathing if the biological oxygen demand is less than three milligram per litre and dissolved oxygen is greater than five milligram per litre. Also Read BJP leaders protest outside Delhi Assembly over pollution in Yamuna river Delhi govt launches 'I love Yamuna campaign' to boost participation Delhi LG urges to people not to throw garbage directly into Najafgarh Drain NGT gives no objection to installation of Yamuna floodplains lighthouse Delhi, Haryana officials to coordinate over Yamuna clean-up: L-G office Amid surge in airfares, govt analyses routes impacted by Go First crisis Bhojpuri singer Nisha Upadhyay shot at in celebratory firing during show Security tightened ahead of Operation Bluestar anniversary in Punjab Changes in visa rules won't impact undergrad students, says UK minister Atishi gets public relations dept, total portfolios under her rise to 9 "At 6.30 am on June 4, a 22-kilometre-long human chain will be formed on the banks of the Yamuna in Delhi. Around one lakh people will stand hand in hand between Wazirabad and Kalindi, pledging to keep the river clean. The purpose is to sensitise people to work in this direction," said K N Govindacharya, former general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a member of the Yamuna Sansad. Ravishankar Tiwari, the coordinator of the Yamuna Sansad, said it will probably be the biggest campaign so far to sensitise the people of Delhi about the current state of the Yamuna. The Yamuna Sansad will remain active until the river becomes pure, Tiwari said. He added that the campaign has garnered the support of political parties. The campaign calls for a removal of encroachments on the river floodplains, improving the sewer network and STPs in the capital, stopping the direct discharge of industrial effluent into the river in Haryana and Delhi, developing biodiversity parks on the floodplains, ensuring environmental flow and making the polluters pay. Delhi generates around 770 million gallons a day (MGD) of sewage. The 35 STPs located at 20 locations across the city can treat up to 630 MGD of sewage and have been utilising around 85 per cent of their capacity. The rest of the untreated sewage falls into the river directly. Government data shows that only 10 of the 35 operational STPs in the capital meet the prescribed standards for waste water (BOD and TSS less than 10 mg per litre). Together, they can treat 150 million gallons of waste water a day. According to the city government's Outcome Budget, 29 per cent of the sewage generated in Delhi in 2021-22 fell into the Yamuna untreated. It was 28 per cent in 2019-20 and 26 per cent in 2020-21. The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) is upgrading and rehabilitating the existing STPs to be able to meet the prescribed norms and reduce the pollution load in the Yamuna. However, several projects have been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an air pollution-related construction ban and a delay in land allotment and tree-cutting permissions. Sewer networks have been laid in just 747 of the 1,799 unauthorised colonies in Delhi. Multiple reports submitted by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to the Union Jal Shakti Ministry have highlighted that the river cannot be fit for bathing in the absence of a minimum environmental flow -- the minimum quantity of water flow that a river must have in order to preserve its ecosystems and meet the bathing standards. A study conducted by the National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee had in 2019 recommended that 23 cubic metre per second (cumec) water (437 million gallons a day) be released in the river from the Hathnikund barrage in Haryana's Yamuna Nagar district in the lean season for sustaining the downstream ecosystems. At present, only 10 cumecs (190 MGD) of water is released from the barrage. A gap of 13 cumecs (247 MGD) remains. According to the ministry, the water sharing agreement of 1994 among the riparian states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi is due for revision only in 2025. According to the DPCC, an e-flow of 23 cumecs will bring down the level of biological oxygen demand from 25 milligram per litre to 12 milligram per litre and other steps that are being taken will bring it down further. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath laid the foundation stone of a new building of the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) here on Thursday. Speaking on the occasion, Adityanath said due to its large geographical area, Uttar Pradesh throws up numerous challenges. "Previously, around 40 districts in the state were considered affected by floods, but we have managed to confine this danger to only four-five districts now," he said, adding that if a disaster strikes today, people have confidence that the government will provide relief. During the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the five-storey building being constructed on 1.5 half acres of land at a cost of Rs 66.4 crore, Adityanath emphasised on disaster management and public awareness through technology. Pointing out that Uttar Pradesh has nine different climatic zones where the threat of disasters is always present, he said, "Due to the rivers coming from the Himalayas, there is a constant risk of flooding from July to October. Lightning strikes are common in Vindhya and Bundelkhand. Western Uttar Pradesh is located in an area that is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes. The Terai region, adjacent to Nepal, is known for human-wildlife conflicts." In order to provide relief, many areas have been brought under the purview of disaster management for the first time, the chief minister said. "Human-wildlife conflict falls under one of these categories. Additionally, work is underway to install an early warning system for lightning strikes in all districts. Several steps are being taken, such as installing a rain gauge system in every village," he said. Also Read UP govt likely to table supplementary Budget in today's Assembly session Uttar Pradesh delegation to visit US to attract investments for 'Invest UP' Budget Session for UP to begin today, MoS Finance to table Budget on Feb 22 Samajwadi Party holds protest outside UP Assembly ahead of Budget Session 'The Kerala Story' to be made tax-free in Uttar Pradesh, after MP Manipur govt appoints Rajiv Singh as new DGP in bid to control violence Notices to over 60 govt doctors in Bihar missing from duty for years World's first 3D printed Hindu temple being built in Telangana by Apsuja 5.2 mn farmers get Rs 5,500 each under YSR Rythu Bharosa-PM Kisan scheme NCRTC to build dedicated pedestrian bridge at Anand Vihar RAPIDX Station Adityanath released two books, three short films and a radio jingle for public awareness on the occasion and launched the Uttar Pradesh State Disaster Management Plan 2023 and the Flood Action Plan 2023 books. The chief minister also honoured Vinay Kumar, Jitendra Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Kumar Singh, Pushpendra and Manish Kumar from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). A Kiran trainer aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in an open field at a village in the district on Thursday but the two pilots made it out safely after ejecting from the plane before the crash. The training aircraft, which took off from the air force station in Bengaluru, crashed this morning at Bhogapura village. It was good fortune that aircraft hit the ground on barren land and not in the nearby village, a villager said, adding it would have been catastrophic if the plane had crashed into the village. District officials said the pilots, identified only as Tejpal and Bhumika, sustained minor injuries. No casualties were reported. According to the IAF, the pilots were on a routine training sortie when the incident occurred. A court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of accident. "A Kiran trainer aircraft of the IAF crashed near Chamrajnagar, Karnataka today, while on a routine training sortie. Both air crew ejected safely. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident," the IAF tweeted. Senior district officials and an IAF team reached the spot along with the fire and emergency services personnel. Also Read Amid deepening ties, Iran set to buy Russia's Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets In a first, IAF woman fighter pilot to take part in wargames in Japan Nepal-India to hold joint military exercise 'Surya Kiran' from Friday US to control land sales to foreigners within 100 miles of 8 military bases Deve Gowda's daughter-in-law eyes Hassan seat, stirs tensions in JD(S) Medals as protest: Muhammad Ali & Black Power movement to Indian wrestlers McDonalds, Burger King, Jumboking are top burger brands in country: Report Supreme Court has discretion over issuing public interest litigations IAF trainer aircraft crashes in open field in Karnataka, both pilots safe Diary sector should refrain from inter-state competition, says Milma As soon as the plane crashed with a loud noise, villagers rushed to the spot and found the mangled aircraft engulfed in flames and billowing smoke. Besides alerting the local police and the fire brigade, they also rushed to the spot where the two pilots were seen ejecting and coming down with the help of parachute. Villagers noticed the two pilots lying on the ground. Quickly, they created a temporary shed for them. Police officials rushed to the spot, cordoned off the area and put up a makeshift tent for the injured pilots. The district officials in turn informed the IAF authorities in Bengaluru who then rushed to the spot in a special helicopter and airlifted the two injured pilots. According to the Additional Deputy Commissioner of the District Katyayani Devi, one of the pilots sustained injuries in the spine while the other injured her mouth. "The IAF helicopter has airlifted the two pilots to Bengaluru," she added. Panchayat Development Officer Rame Gowda said he was in the office when he heard a blast. "After hearing the sound, I came out and enquired. I got to know that an IAF aircraft had crashed. I rushed to the spot and saw the crashed aircraft in flames. I informed the police and the fire and emergency services department about the incident," Gowda told reporters. According to the Chief Fire Officer of Mysuru P S Jayaramaiah, a senior fire brigade officer, a man by the name Mahesh Prithvi informed them about the crash at about 12.05 pm and soon various teams were rushed to the spot. An eyewitness said when they offered assistance to the pilots, they said they have informed the IAF station along with sharing the GPS location of the crash site to them. Two days ago a Redbird Training Aircraft made an emergency landing in an agriculture field soon after taking off from Sambra airport in Belagavi. The pilots escaped with minor injuries. Amid the unseasonal onset of the rainy season, the health department of the Chandigarh administration has sounded an alert and called for action to minimise illness and deaths from dengue. Due to frequent rainfall in May, water collection and stagnation has been occurring in manmade and natural sources in and around the residential areas of Chandigarh, the department said in a statement on Wednesday. "This can lead to breeding of mosquitoes causing vector-borne diseases, especially the dengue. "All residents of Chandigarh are advised to follow the precautionary measures to protect themselves from the diseases like dengue, chikungunya and malaria," it added. The administration has set up free dengue testing facilities at the PGIMER's Department of Virology, Government Medical College and Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, among other places. --IANS Also Read Delhi recorded 4,469 dengue cases; 9 deaths due to dengue in 2022: MCD Research shows how SARS-CoV-2 virus creates severe Covid-19 causing toxin Dengue virus 'evolved dramatically' in India, is more severe: Study National Dengue Day 2023: Importance, everything you need to Know As mercury plummets, increase in patients with respiratory problems With record rainfall of 184.3 mm pre-season, Delhi gets cool start to June Ahmednagar to be renamed as Ahilyanagar: Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde Set up committee on job reservations: All party meet tells Meghalaya govt Appropriate regulations on data safety, security needed: Rahul Gandhi Delhi records 'coolest' May in 36 years as excess rainfall drops mercury vg/dpb Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena in consultation with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has allocated the public relations department to Cabinet minister Atishi, officials said on Thursday. A notification issued by the General Administration Department (GAD) said, "In exercise of powers conferred under Rule 3 of the GNCTD (Allocation of Business) Rules 1993, the Lieutenant Governor, in consultation with the chief minister, is pleased to allocate portfolio of Public Relations Department to Atishi Marlena, minister in addition to the portfolios she is presently holding." It also said that the move is "subject to the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 promulgated on May 19". Atishi had been holding the portfolios of power, education, art, culture and language, tourism, higher education, training and technical education. The latest addition will raise the number of portfolios held by her to nine. Automakers led by Maruti Suzuki India, Hyundai, Mahindra & Mahindra, Toyota Kirloskar Motor on Thursday reported robust wholesales of passenger vehicles in the domestic market in May riding on strong demand for SUVs. Other manufacturers such as Tata Motors, Kia and MG Motor India also reported increase in their dispatches to dealers during the month. Market leader Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) reported a 15 per cent rise in total domestic passenger vehicle sales at 1,43,708 units as compared with 1,24,474 units in the same month last year. The company's sales of mini cars, comprising Alto and S-Presso, fell 30 per cent to 12,236 units as compared with 17,408 units in the year-ago period, while compact cars sales, including models such as Swift, Celerio, Ignis, Baleno and Dzire, increased 5 per cent to 71,419 units as against 67,947 units in May 2022. On the other hand, utility vehicle sales, including those of Brezza, Grand Vitara and Ertiga, rose 65 per cent to 46,243 units as against 28,051 vehicles in the year-ago month, MSI said. Sales of mid-sized sedan Ciaz last month increased to 992 units from 586 units in the year-ago period, it added. Also Read Automakers to launch six new SUVs in India in next two years: Report Maruti Fronx prices revealed, a better buy than Baleno, Brezza? See details India can be No 1 automobile manufacturer by using lithium reserve: Gadkari Top Headlines: Tax levy on SUVs, tighter service norms for telcos, and more Auto industry body hails GST Council's clarification on definition of SUVs Shivakumar urges Tamil Nadu govt to be big-hearted on Mekedatu project Jaishankar holds meetings with his counterparts from Africa, Saudi Arabia Haryana govt should take up wrestlers' case with Centre: Cong's Bhupinder Neighbourhood criteria will defeat purpose of EWS quota in schools: HC Khap Mahapanchayat: Delegation to meet Prez to seek justice for wrestlers Rival Hyundai Motor India Ltd said its domestic sales grew 14.91 per cent at 48,601 units as compared to 42,293 units in the year-ago month. HMIL COO Tarun Garg said the company's double-digit sales growth in May was fuelled by its SUVs Creta and Venue. The recently launched all-new Verna sedan also received good response, he added. Tata Motors, however, had a moderate domestic passenger vehicle sales growth at 6 per cent posting 45,878 units last month as compared to 43,341 units in May last year. Sales of passenger electric vehicles, including international business, were at 5,805 units as against 3,505 units in the same month a year ago, a growth of 66 per cent, the company said in a statement. Another homegrown automaker Mahindra & Mahindra posted a total passenger vehicle sales of 26,904 units in May 2022. The company's utility vehicles sales last month were at 32,883 units, as against 26,632 units in the year-ago period, a growth of 23 per cent. Sales of cars and vans were at 3 units as compared to 272 units in May last year. "We continue our growth trend, backed by strong demand in SUVs," M&M President, Automotive Division, Veejay Nakra said. He, however, said, "The sales volume for both SUVs and 'Pik-Ups' were restricted by a short-term disruption in engine-related parts at the supplier-end. The semiconductor supply constraints on specific parts like Air Bag ECU, continued during the month too." Automaker Kia India said its total wholesales increased 3 per cent to 24,770 units in May. The company undertook a plant maintenance shutdown from May 15-20. It had dispatched 24,079 units to dealers in May 2022. "Although we faced some production limitations due to our plant annual maintenance shutdown for a week in May, which impacted our numbers, we are confident of strong performance in coming months," Kia India National Head (Sales & Marketing) Hardeep Singh Brar said. In contrast, Toyota Kirloskar Motor posted its highest-ever sales in a month with a two-fold increase to 20,410 units in May. The automaker had dispatched 10,216 units in the same month last year. The company said its domestic wholesales last month stood at 19,379 units. It also exported 1,031 units of the Urban Cruiser Hyryder in May. Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) Vice President of Sales and Strategic Marketing Atul Sood said the company believes that the strong upward trajectory, highlights the company's customer alignment and ever-growing product popularity with the latest launches like Urban Cruiser Hyryder, Innova Hycross and the Hilux that continue to support the strong sales momentum in their respective segments. "As we look forward, given the sustained momentum, we continue to be optimistic for the rest of the year by prioritising the customers' needs," he added. MG Motor India also reported a 25 per cent rise in retail sales at 5,006 units in May compared to the same month last year. The company had sold 4,008 units in May 2022. The company said it remains optimistic about growth and meeting the rising customer demand through various ongoing and planned production and operational initiatives. If you are curious to know how the Mars Rover Opportunity of US space agency NASA, which traversed through the barren land of the red planet and revealed many secrets about it, then head straight to the Space Technology gallery of the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum (VITM) here. The Mars Rover Opportunity model, which was built by the students of Cornell University and kept as exhibit at the VITM, was inaugurated by M Sankaran, Director, UR Rao Satellite Centre of Indian Space Research Organisation on Thursday. The model was initially on display at the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum in Dulles,Virginia, in US, and later exhibited in the US Pavelion during the 2020 World Expo in Dubai. The replica was then received by the American Centre in the US Consulate in Chennai where it was on display from November 2022 to March 2023 before landing at the VITM. US Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Marisa Lago said, "As the United States and India forge even closer cooperation across critical sectors, space provides yet another example of our partnership, with today's dedication ceremony serving as a symbol of our mutual commitment." US Consul General in Chennai Judith Ravin said the arrival of the full-scale replica of Mars Rover Opportunity in India symbolised the longstanding space technology cooperation between India and the United States India is an important partner to the United States in space exploration. Initiated in 2005, the United States and India Civil Space Joint Working Group is the venue for a productive exchange of views and discussion on new and expanded areas for civil space cooperation, she pointed out. According to Ravin, the civil space dialogue between United States and India is framed around four working groups: Earth sciences, space science and exploration, heliophysics, and human space flight. Also Read UAE space agency plans to explore asteroid belt between Mars & Jupiter NASA's Curiosity rover spots first-ever 'Sun rays' on Mars on Feb 2 India-Israel natural allies, share deep resonance of arts-culture: Herzog World's first palm-leaf manuscript museum comes up in Thiruvananthapuram China's first Mars rover may not be able to restart after hibernation For the first time, India setting agenda for G20: Sherpa Amitabh Kant Meghalaya govt sets up expert committee to review reservation policy Parliamentary panel demands immediate govt intervention in wrestlers' issue 62 newly discovered plants may help agricultural lands facing water crisis NCERT cuts periodic table, democracy from Class 10 books to 'reduce burden' "The cooperation between our two countries shows that the technologies developed in support of space exploration have real-world applications that affect all of us, from advancements in telecommunications and satellite navigation to agricultural monitoring and weather forecasting," she said. The Mars Rover Opportunity was operated on the red planet from 2004 to 2018. It sent thousands of pictures to its control station. In an interview with NDTV, Ahmad said that his government has benefitted from Indian students, further stating that the recent visa curbs are only for students who come for one year of research and doctoral studies. UK's Deputy Foreign Minister Lord Tariq Ahmad was recently in India on a four-day visit, during which he clarified that the changes in the visa rules are not aimed at undergraduate students from India. The Delhi government's law department has directed all the top officials for a "strict compliance" of the Centre's ordinance related to services issued earlier this month, officials said on Thursday. In a communication sent to all the additional chief secretaries, principal secretaries, secretaries and heads of departments on May 26, the law department asked for a "strict compliance" of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 issued by the Centre related to services. The move came following a letter from the lieutenant governor's (LG) office to the Delhi chief secretary on May 23, informing him to bring the ordinance to the notice of all the top officials of the city government for a "strict compliance". The ordinance issued by the Centre on May 19 brought back the executive control over matters related to services, including the transfers and postings of Delhi government officers, to its domain. It was issued close on the heels of a Supreme Court verdict on May 11, through which the Delhi government was given the executive control over matters related to services. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi has termed the ordinance "unconstitutional" and said it will challenge it in the Supreme Court. Also Read Centre's ordinance on Delhi services insult to judiciary: Akhilesh Yadav Cong likely to oppose bill to replace Centre's ordinance on Delhi Services Kejriwal meets Uddhav to seek support for fight against Centre's ordinance Contempt of court: AAP on govt's ordinance on control of services in Delhi Centre's ordinance 'unconstitutional', to snatch power from Delhi govt: AAP Govt agrees to power transmission from Nepal to Bangladesh through India Manipur situation 'explosive'; home ministry responsible, says Cong's Moily G20 cleanup: Pragati Maidan slum cluster razed; 40 families lose home G20 Presidency remains focused on economic development issues: Kant Himachal Pradesh taxes and excise department revenue registers 13% growth External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday called on BRICS nations to demonstrate their sincerity in reforming multilateral institutions, including that of the UN Security Council. India has been at the forefront of the UN to push for an urgent long-pending reform of the Security Council. "For two decades, we have heard calls for reform of multilateral institutions, only to be continuously disappointed. It is, therefore, imperative that BRICS members demonstrate sincerity in regard to reforming global decision-making, including that of the UN Security Council," he said in his opening remarks at the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting here. The five-nation grouping BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) brings together five of the largest developing countries of the world. Jaishankar said that at the heart of the problems the countries face is the economic concentration that leaves too many nations at the mercy of too few. "This may be in regard to production, resources, services or connectivity," he said, adding that the recent experiences impacting health, energy and food security, only highlight this fragility. Also Read BRICS countries urged to expand inter-trade instead of with other countries New York visit 'fruitful', chaired UNSC meetings: EAM Jaishankar EAM Jaishankar announces India's candidature for 2028-29 UNSC term Terrorism among key threats to int'l peace, security: EAM at BRICS meet World sees Pakistan as 'epicentre' of terrorism: EAM Jaishankar at UNSC G20: The third meeting of the Startup20 to take place in Goa on June 3-4 SFC carries out successful training launch of Agni-1 ballistic missile Delhi govt directs officials for compliance of Centre's services ordinance Govt agrees to power transmission from Nepal to Bangladesh through India Manipur situation 'explosive'; home ministry responsible, says Cong's Moily He said India, the current chair of the G20, undertook the voice of the Global South exercise to place these issues before the grouping. "We urge that BRICS give it particular consideration and promote the economic decentralisation that is so essential to political democratisation," he said. India has emphasised that it rightly deserves a place at the UN high table as a permanent member. The five permanent members of the UNSC are Russia, the UK, China, France and the United States and these countries can veto any substantive resolution. There are also 10 elected non-permanent members who serve two-year terms. India completed its tenure as a non-permanent member of the Council in December last year. China last month maintained its stance on the UN Security Council reforms, saying there should be more representation for developing countries, especially the small and medium countries, but avoided a direct response to India and other countries' call for its expansion and their inclusion. Jaishankar during his trip to Sweden last month took a dig at those opposing the UN reforms, saying those who are beneficiaries of the old system are resistant to that change as they feel it would "dilute" their positions of privilege. Addressing 'Times Network India Economic Conclave', Kant further said as G20 President, the job of India is to bring consensus on a vast range of issues, including economic and developmental issues, which are impacting the emerging markets of the world. India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant on Thursday said that for the first time, India is setting agenda for G20, and the whole world is responding to its positive and constructive initiatives. "This is the first time that India is setting an agenda for G20, which accounts for about 85 per cent of the global GDP," he said. "If you look back over the years, in the last five or six decades, we have actually responded to an agenda set by the developed world always. "So, we are setting the agenda and the world is responding to that agenda. India assumed the presidency of G20 for one year from December 1, 2022, to November 31, 2023. The G20 Summit will be held in New Delhi on September 9-10. Also Read India leapfrogged 40 yrs of development with DPI: G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant India's G20 priorities to reflect that of the global south: Amitabh Kant Lunch with BS: 'G20 is about thinking and acting big', says Amitabh Kant India's G20 presidency will be decisive, inclusive, says Amitabh Kant Three-day-long G20 event in Kashmir to begin today: All you need to know Meghalaya govt sets up expert committee to review reservation policy Parliamentary panel demands immediate govt intervention in wrestlers' issue 62 newly discovered plants may help agricultural lands facing water crisis NCERT cuts periodic table, democracy from Class 10 books to 'reduce burden' PM Modi to flag off Goa-Mumbai Vande Bharat train virtually on Saturday Responding to a question on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Kant said the war is an important issue for Europe. "And therefore, we picked up a very positive, very constructive development agenda, which takes care of emerging markets, which takes care of the global south and takes care of very human-centric, global development," the former Niti Aayog CEO said. Kant further said the world is facing a crisis of climate action and climate finance. He pointed out that COVID has left 200 million people below the poverty line, 100 million people have lost their jobs, 75 countries in the world are facing a global debt crisis, and 1/3 of the world is in recession. Responding to criticism that India is not on the right side of history as it has not directly condemned Russia, Kant said India looks at the world as a whole. "These are very important issues for emerging markets and developing countries. These issues need to be brought to the centre stage, not just the issue," he emphasised. Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The Russian action has been widely condemned by the US-led West. "We should not end up getting caught in just one issue. It's very important to look beyond this issue to understand what the citizens of the world are confronted with and find a solution to the challenges. The Group of Twenty (G20) is an intergovernmental forum, comprising 19 countries and the European Union. Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the US and the UK are among other members. "If we get just caught up in that one issue, we will be forgetting all the other challenges, which both emerging and developing countries are confronted with," he said, adding that it is very important to focus on all these issues. It was founded, in 1999 after the Asian financial crisis, as a forum for finance ministers and central bank governors to discuss global economic and financial issues. G20 members represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade and about two-thirds of the world population. Chaos reigned at a slum cluster near Pragati Maidan when the authorities along with police demolished over 55 shanties Thursday morning as part of an anti-encroachment drive, displacing more than 40 families. Residents say they woke up to the rumble of JCBs around 4 am and were shocked to see people preparing to take their houses down. Authorities have been conducting anti-encroachment drives across the national capital ahead of the G20 summit to be held in the city later this year. Security personnel were deployed on Bhairon Marg to prevent any confrontation, they said. A makeshift school which was being run by an NGO for the last nine years was also demolished in the drive. "Around 30 students studied in the school. Children of slum dwellers use to attend classes here after their school hours. Children from 5 to 16 years old used to regularly visit the school where they were also trained in arts and skill development," said the residents. They said the notice they were issued did not mention school demolition. Also Read Three-day-long G20 event in Kashmir to begin today: All you need to know Crisis in multilateralism affecting developing nations most: PM at G20 meet Delhi man gets threat message to dislodge Indian flag from Pragati Maidan G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting: Guests welcomed with dance performance G20 foreign ministers' meeting today: Schedule, agenda, other details here G20 Presidency remains focused on economic development issues: Kant Himachal Pradesh taxes and excise department revenue registers 13% growth Terrorism among key threats to int'l peace, security: EAM at BRICS meet Covid lockdowns affected our memory like serving jail time: Research 178,000 farmers attend orientation programme on agriculture schemes in J&K The slum dwellers who were seen sifting through the rubble to salvage any belongings said they had been asking the government to allot them an alternate place somewhere within 5 km radius. "When they want our votes, they come to us and talk about big things but now when we are displaced and have nowhere to go, they couldn't care less...," said angry residents. "We were sleeping in our shanties. It was around 4 am, when these people came with JCB machines and other equipment to demolish our homes. We pleaded with them to not demolish our homes, but they said they had the legal right to do so We lost all our belongings, our furniture, vessels, books of our children we lost it all," said another resident. The slum dwellers say they were given a notice a few months ago about the demolition drive and they were fighting the decision in the court. Their hope that they would not be displaced from their homes where they had been living for years were dashed on Thursday. "Where will we go now? We are out on the street with nowhere to go. Even though we got a notice earlier, we were not told that the authorities would suddenly appear at 4 am in the morning and start demolishing our homes...," said one of the residents, who also lost her shanty in the drive. The residents claimed that the authorities told them to go away from the area since their slum cluster was a "dirt" and it would affect the image of Pradati Maidan. However, the police said they had been living here illegally for many years. A PWD official said, "The drive was carried out by the Special Task Force and it was not a drive by our department. Our officials were present on the spot to assist in the drive. It was carried out on the instructions of the court." The Delhi High Court had last month refused to interfere with the demolition of jhuggis near Pragati Maidan and granted a month's time to its occupants to vacate the land. Justice Prathiba M Singh, who was hearing petitions by residents following a demolition notice issued earlier this year, said authorities may take action for demolition after May 31 and said the petitioners will be provided alternative accommodation in a shelter home. The court had noted that the jhuggis, which were on the side of Bhairon Marg, were not part of a "notified cluster" by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) and therefore, no rehabilitation can be directed. It had also noted that the structures in question were also at "considerable distance" from the recognised jhuggi cluster in the area. In February, the court stayed the demolition of the slum in question and sought the stand of the Centre and Delhi government authorities on the issue. Singh stated that schemes such as Ujjwala for gas connections, Swachhta for female toilets, and Jal Jeevan for tap water in households not only made life easier for women but also gave them a sense of self-confidence and self-esteem. In the last nine years, the Central government has provided "Suvidha, Suraksha, Samman" (convenience, security, and respect) to women, said Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh on Thursday. Justice Yogesh Khanna of Delhi High Court recently issued the order on the execution petition filed by Maran's firm Kal Airways Pvt Ltd. The order rejected the claims of Spicejet and directed them to pay the entire arbitral award to Kal. The court also instructed Spicejet to file an Affidavit of Assets within a specified time frame. Delhi High Court on May 29 ordered SpiceJet to pay Rs 380 crore to its former promoter, Kalanithi Maran of the Sun Group, and asked the airline to submit an affidavit of assets within four weeks. Additionally, Spicejet was directed to pay an amount of Rs. 242 crore within three weeks from September 2, 2020. Spicejet sought to modify this order, but their application was rejected. They then challenged these orders before the Supreme Court, which directed them on February 13, 2023, to encash the bank guarantee and pay the specified amount directly to Kal Airways. Spicejet was also required to pay an additional amount of Rs 75 crore to Kal Airways within three months, as the liability for interest. Kal Airways had argued that Spicejet had failed to comply with the Delhi High Court order of November 4, 2020 by not filing the affidavit of assets. Senior Counsel Sandeep Sethi, representing Spicejet, said that Spicejet had already paid a principal amount of Rs 579.08 crore and had applied to the Supreme Court for a three-month extension to make the payment of Rs 75 crores specifically for the interest. Sethi requested the Delhi High Court to not pass an order to direct Spicejet to deposit the remaining balance amount. Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for KAL, had told the HC that the amount of Rs 75 crores had not been deposited yet, resulting in an increased interest liability of Rs 380 crores. Therefore, KAL had insisted on compliance with the order passed by the Supreme Court, he said. Also Read 'Air travel has come roaring back': SpiceJet net profit rises 160% SpiceJet soars 15% as net profit jumps five-fold to Rs 107 crore in Q3 SpiceJet plans to revive 25 planes as Go First files for bankruptcy SpiceJet tanks 19%, crashes to near 8-year low on heavy volumes SpiceJet approves slump sale of cargo biz, raising Rs 2,500 cr via QIB Indiabulls HFC eyes to scale up monthly disbursement to Rs 1,200-1,300 cr TeamLease co-founder & executive director Rituparna Chakraborty steps down Meesho becomes world's fastest shopping app to cross 500 mn downloads Google's shareholders seek assessment of plans to expand cloud regions Adani terminates deal to acquire Macquarie's toll road portfolio in AP, Guj "The arguments of the decree-holder (KAL) appears plausible as admittedly there is no modification of order dated 13.02.2023 passed by the Honble Supreme Court, hence it need to be followed," the Delhi High Court said. Singh, meanwhile, argued that the timeline for the payment of the interest amount had already been determined by the Supreme Court, and so the Delhi HC has no authority to extend the time limit. "The judgment debtor(Spicejet) had failed to pay an amount of Rs.75.00 crores to decree-holder, hence in terms of para 15(ii) of the order dated 13.02.2023 of the Honble Supreme Court, there is no other alternative except to call upon the judgment debtors to deposit the entire outstanding amount qua interest forthwith, thus so directed. Affidavit of assets be also filed within four weeks from today(May 29, 2023)," the order read. Observing this, the court told Spicejet to deposit the entire outstanding amount of Rs 380 crore. Commenting on the case, a Spicejet spokesperson said, "SpiceJet is already in discussions with Mr. Kalanithi Maran and his firm KAL Airways for comprehensive settlement of the matter. We are confident of resolving the same mutually as we have already paid the entire principal amount of Rs 578 crore earlier awarded by the Arbitral Tribunal. Microsofts Work Trend Index 2023 found that while 74 per cent of Indian employees are worried about AI replacing their jobs, 83 per cent would delegate as much work to it as possible, to help lessen their workloads. As artificial intelligence (AI) threatens to replace jobs, a new report from Microsoft has suggested that Indian employees are caught between a fear of losing jobs and an opportunity to reduce workload by delegating tasks to technology. The report also found that 78 per cent people in India dont have uninterrupted focus during their workday. Moreover, 76 per cent of Indian workers say they dont have enough time and energy to get their work done, and those people are 3.1 times more likely to say they struggled with being innovative. Within Microsoft 365, the average person spends 57 per cent of their time communicating, and only 43 per cent of their time creating. More than three in four Indian workers would be comfortable using AI not just for administrative tasks (86 per cent), but also for analytical work (88 per cent), and for the creative aspects of their role (87 per cent). Meanwhile, Indian managers are 1.6 times more likely to say that AI would provide value in the workplace by boosting productivity than cut headcount. The primary culprit disrupting productivity is inefficient meetings, as reported by 46 per cent of Indian workers who feel that their absence in half or more of their meetings would go unnoticed by colleagues. This reflects the concern that leaders have. The Index found that more than three in four Indian leaders (84 per cent) are concerned about a lack of innovation. Also Read Chennai, Southern cities top in terms of women employment: Report EPFO data shows employment dip Transition to vulnerable employment subsides in recent years: Report With jobs no longer secure, career cushioning is taking centre stage Blue-collar hiring start-up Apna reports 60% jump in job postings in 2022 Committed to enhancing development partnership with Nepal: President Murmu Cong asks Sebi to ensure FPI ownership disclosure, JPC in Adani group case Par panel on finance debates cyber security, rising white collar crimes Farmers back wrestlers: Mahapanchayat in UP, protests in Haryana, Punjab Wrestlers are mentally shattered after police 'manhandling': Sources For this to happen, the Index found that AI aptitude within organisations is a must. As many as 90 per cent of Indian leaders say employees they hire will need new skills to be prepared for the growth of AI. A staggering 78 per cent of Indian workers say they currently dont have the right capabilities to get their work done. As the nature of work evolves, AI promises to be the biggest transformation to work in our lifetimes. The opportunity and responsibility for every organisation and leader is to get AI right testing and experimenting with new ways of working to build a brighter future of work for everyone, said Bhaskar Basu, country head modern work, Microsoft India. While there are many questions about how this technology will really work, theres going to be a fusion of technology with human capability. Its moving into the era of co-pilot. Enterprise digital assistance will democratise access to data, insights and actions, said Merlyn Mathew, head of delivery excellence and talent supply chain at Persistent Systems, a technology services company. However, the good news is that human resource heads believe that AI or generative AI will be a multiplier of human capability. They feel that instead of taking away jobs, it will instead create more jobs. Richard Lobo, executive VP and head of HR, Infosys, cautioned that in this adoption of AI one must not forget the people part. She added that AI is going to be a multiplier of human capability. This will help us unleash a lot more productivity and creativity and bring new skills to work. There will definitely be a transformation of HR processes, which will enhance the way employees experience the workplace, which in turn should boost creativity, said Mathew. We have to fundamentally remember that as a rule, you first have algorithms, then you have investment in technology, and then finally people. We should never forget the people piece. At Infosys we have 350,000 people. It is finally people who will make the difference, he added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart Pushpakamal Dahal 'Prachanda' on Thursday vowed to resolve the vexed boundary dispute under the spirit of friendship even as the two sides signed several major pacts including one on increasing New Delhi's import of power from the neighbouring country to 10,000 mega watt in the next 10 years. In the wide-ranging talks between Modi and Prachanda, the Indian side agreed to the first trilateral power trade from Nepal to Bangladesh through India for up to 40 mega watt of power, a move that is seen as a significant step towards ensuring greater regional cooperation. Modi also said India will continue to strive to take the relationship with Nepal to Himalayan heights. In total, India and Nepal signed seven pacts which included a revised treaty of transit that was described by Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra as "once in a generation kind of an agreement" as it would provide Nepal access to inland waterways of India for the first time and expected to contribute very significantly to expansion of trade and investment linkages. The two sides also firmed up several new initiatives to expand cooperation in areas of hydro-electric power, petroleum infrastructure, railway connectivity, cross-border payment systems and trade and investment as part of a futuristic approach to expand the overall trajectory of bilateral ties. In his media statement, Modi said he and Prachanda took many important decisions to make the partnership between the two countries a "super hit" in the future. Also Read Boundary dispute: Two Maha ministers to visit Belgaum on Dec 6, not Dec 3 Indian Embassy, Nepal govt sign MoUs for projects in education, healthcare China's new envoy vows to further enhance bilateral ties with Nepal HM Amit Shah to meet Maha, Karnataka CMs on Dec 14 over boundary row: NCP Maha-Karnataka boundary row: Legal battle, politics keep the pot boiling Massive landslide in U'khand leaves over 200 Adi Kailash pilgrims stranded Delhi HC dismisses appeal against tax department over SVLDR scheme Former Cricket captain Dhoni successfully undergoes knee surgery in Mumbai Decision to get listed to be taken by shareholders: Future Generali MD WhatsApp bans 7.4 mn bad accounts in April in compliance with new IT Rules "We will continue to strive to take our relationship to Himalayan heights. And in this spirit, we will resolve all the issues, be it boundary related or any other issue," Modi said in his media statement in presence of Prachanda. In his comments, the Nepalese prime minister said he and Modi discussed the boundary matter. "I urge prime minister Modi-ji to resolve the boundary matter through the established bilateral diplomatic mechanism," he said. Ties between the two countries came under severe strain after Kathmandu published a new political map in 2020 that showed three Indian territories -- Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulekh -- as part of Nepal. India reacted sharply, calling it a "unilateral act" and cautioned Kathmandu that such "artificial enlargement" of territorial claims will not be acceptable to it. Asked at a media briefing about the boundary dispute, Foreign Secretary Kwatra referred to the comments by the two prime ministers and said they not only speak of the intent of the two leaders and the two systems, they also speak about the specifics through which they intend this to be carried forward. To a question on whether the China factor figured in the talks, Kwatra said the discussions also covered wider developments and challenges and how the two countries should cooperate to mitigate them. In his remarks, Modi also referred to his priority in strengthening ties with Nepal after he took charge as the prime minister nine years ago. "I remember, nine years ago, in 2014, within three months of taking office, I made my first visit to Nepal. At that time I had given a 'hit' formula for India-Nepal relations -- Highways, I-ways, and Trans-ways," Modi said. "I had said that we will establish such a relationship between India and Nepal that our borders do not become barriers between us," he said. Modi said he was feeling proud to say after nine years that "our partnership has been really a 'hit'". He also said to further strengthen cultural and religious ties, "Prachanda and I decided that projects related to Ramayana circuit should be expedited". Following the talks, Modi and Prachanda remotely unveiled the Kurtha-Bijalpura section of railway line, virtually flagged off a cargo train from Bathnaha (India) to Nepal Customs Yard and inaugurated Integrated Checkposts (ICPs) at Nepalgunj in Nepal and Rupaidiha on the Indian side. They also remotely joined the ground breaking ceremonies for ICPs at Bhairahawa (Nepal) and Sonauli (India), phase-II facilities under Motihari-Amlekhgunj petroleum pipeline as well as kick started the project for construction of the Indian portion of Gorakhpur-Bhutwal transmission line. "Last year we adopted a landmark vision document for cooperation in the power sector. Taking this forward, a long term power trade agreement has been signed between India and Nepal today. Under this, we have set a target of importing 10,000 MW of electricity from Nepal in the coming ten years," Modi said. At present, India imports around 450 MW of power from Nepal. Referring to the revised transit pact, Modi said, "Today Prime Minister Prachanda ji and I have taken many important decisions to make our partnership a super hit in the future. Today the transit agreement has been concluded. In this, along with new rail routes for the people of Nepal, provision has also been made for the facility of India's inland waterway." "We decided to increase physical connectivity by setting up new rail links," he said. In the talks, it was agreed to set up a fertilizer plant in Nepal by India. According to Kwatra, India decided to fund three major transmission corridors in Nepal under the line of credit support of about USD 680 million. In his comments, Prachanda said he and Modi carried out an "extensive review" of the progress in the ties and renewed their commitment to further strengthen the relations and cooperation. The Nepalese prime minister said he appreciated Modi's "neighbourhood first policy". "The relations between Nepal and India are age-old and multi-faceted. This relationship stands on the solid foundation built on one hand by the rich tradition of civilisational, cultural and socio-economic linkage and on the other by the firm commitment of the two countries to the time-tested principle of sovereign equality, mutual respect, understanding and cooperation," he said. He said the two sides discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation in diverse areas including trade, transit, investment, hydro-power, power trade, irrigation, power transmission line, expansion of petroleum pipeline, construction of integrated check post and land and air connectivity. "We are happy to see the remarkable transformation of India's economic and development landscape under the able leadership of PM Modi. I congratulate PM Modi on the completion this week of nine years in government with far reaching achievement in many fronts," Prachanda said. The Nepalese leader arrived here on Wednesday on a four-day visit. Nepal is important for India in the context of its overall strategic interests in the region, and the leaders of the two countries have often noted the age-old "Roti Beti" relationship. The country shares a border of over 1850 km with five Indian states - Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Land-locked Nepal relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services. Nepal's access to the sea is through India, and it imports a predominant proportion of its requirements from and through India. The India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950 forms the bedrock of the special relations between the two countries. India and Vietnam pledged to further strengthen their shared efforts and existing frameworks in areas such as marine scientific research, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), maritime connectivity and maritime security, including Navy and Coast Guard co-operation, maritime law enforcement and capacity building, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday. The 3rd India-Vietnam Maritime Security Dialogue was held in the national capital, New Delhi, on Wednesday. The Indian delegation was led by Muanpuii Saiawi, Joint Secretary (Disarmament and International Security Affairs), Ministry of External Affairs and the Vietnamese delegation by Ambassador Trinh Duc Hai, Vice Chairman, National Boundary Commission. The delegations comprised senior officials from the respective ministries and services concerned with maritime affairs. During the dialogue, the two sides deliberated on ways to sustain a secure maritime environment conducive for inclusive growth and global well-being. They reviewed ongoing cooperation in the maritime domain and avenues of reinforcing international and regional mechanisms for comprehensive maritime security. India and Vietnam also discussed ways to maintain a maritime environment that is secure and supportive of inclusive growth for both nations. "3rd India-Vietnam Maritime Security Dialogue held today in New Delhi. Senior officials from the respective Ministries and Services concerned with maritime affairs participated in the Dialogue," the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi, tweeted on Wednesday. Also Read Vietnam Airline to connect Mumbai with Ho Chi Minh City from May 20 Netflix makes preparations to open Vietnam office after negotiating for yrs Vietnam's economic hub Ho Chi Minh city to revive manufacturing sector Setting up clinics to assess drinking water quality in coastal areas: CMFRI Bengal, Vietnam have much to do to strengthen bilateral trade: Envoy Application to terminate leases of Go First's lessors not rejected: DGCA Akash Ambani, wife Shloka Mehta welcome second child, a baby girl Citizens have right to change their names according to personal will: HC India, China review LAC situation; discuss ways for disengagement Telangana launches State Anti-Narcotics, State Cyber Security Bureaus "Also reviewed maritime cooperation initiatives and avenues of reinforcing international and regional mechanisms for comprehensive maritime security," Bagchi added. Notably, the second India-Vietnam Maritime Security Dialogue was held in April 2021 in the virtual format while the first was held in Hanoi in March 2019. "India and Vietnam held their second maritime security dialogue in a virtual format on 6 April 2021. The consultations involved exchanges on developments in the domain of maritime security, regional cooperation activities and opportunities for cooperation between the two countries," the MEA said in a statement. The two nations share warm and cordial ties. Recently, at the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh. Both leaders discussed various aspects of the partnership between the two nations, including in defence. "Prime Ministers @narendramodi and Pham Minh Chinh held talks in Hiroshima. They discussed different aspects of India-Vietnam friendship, particularly in areas like energy, technology, commerce and defence," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from South Africa and Saudi Arabia during which they exchanged views on the global situation and reviewed the progress in ties. Jaishankar, who is here to participate in a conclave of the five-nation grouping BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa), held talks with both the leaders on the sidelines of the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting. "A warm meeting with FM Naledi Pandor of South Africa. Thank her for hosting us in the Indo-Atlantic city of Cape Town. Reviewed the progress of our strategic partnership and agreed to commemorate the 30th anniversary of our diplomatic ties in a fitting manner," he said in a tweet. The two leaders exchanged views on BRICS, IBSA (India, Brazil and South Africa), G20 and UN where the two sides have a strong tradition of cooperating closely. The BRICS brings together five of the largest developing countries of the world, representing 41 per cent of the global population, 24 per cent of the global GDP and 16 per cent of the global trade. The IBSA is a trilateral forum which brings together India, Brazil and South Africa, three large democracies and major economies from three different continents, facing similar challenges. Also Read Saudi Arabia, Australia ask citizens in Pakistan to limit movement India, Saudi Arabia discuss aspects of enhancing bilateral coordination Saudi Aramco earned profits of $161 bn in 2022 due to high crude oil prices Pakistan gets Saudi Arabia's green signal for provision of $2 billion US court dismisses lawsuit against Saudi prince over journalist's killing Haryana govt should take up wrestlers' case with Centre: Cong's Bhupinder Neighbourhood criteria will defeat purpose of EWS quota in schools: HC Khap Mahapanchayat: Delegation to meet Prez to seek justice for wrestlers Why was excise policy withdrawn if it was good? Delhi HC asks Sisodia MP 'Ladli Behna' scheme: CM gives sanction letters to four women in Bhopal During his meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, Jaishankar had a productive exchange of views on the global situation. "So nice to see FM HH Prince @FaisalbinFarhan of Saudi Arabia. A productive exchange of views on the global situation. Look forward to advancing bilateral cooperation through the Strategic Partnership Council," he tweeted. A Khap Mahapanchayat held here on Thursday decided that a delegation would meet President Droupadi Murmu to seek justice for wrestlers demanding action against BJP MP and outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan Saran Singh accused of sexually abusing female grapplers, farmer leader Rakesh Tikiat said. The mahapanchayat was called by Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Naresh Tikait on Wednesday, a day after he and other farmer leaders managed to dissuade some of India's top wrestlers from throwing their medals in the Ganga river to protest alleged police inaction against the outgoing Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief. Naresh Tikait is the head of the Balyan Khap. The mahapanchayat was attended by khap leaders from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi. At the mahapanchayat, Rakesh Tikiat said the khaps will hold another meeting in Kurukshetra on Friday where more decisions will be taken. "Representatives of the khaps will meet the president and the government in support of the wrestlers and the fight will continue till they get justice," he said. "We will meet the president and the government and if they do not take any decision (on Brij Bhusan Saran Singh), we will take the next step," Rakesh Tikait said without elaborating further. He, however, did not mention when they would meet the president. Also Read PT Usha calls wrestlers' protest indiscipline, who said what so far! HC to decide which court to hear wrestler's plea against WFI chief Women returning to work after break find most demand in telecom, HR sectors Delhi govt supports filing of FIR against WFI chief: Saurabh Bharadwaj Dictionary.com explains why 'woman' was the most searched word of the year Why was excise policy withdrawn if it was good? Delhi HC asks Sisodia MP 'Ladli Behna' scheme: CM gives sanction letters to four women in Bhopal Bengaluru govt museum exhibits complete replica of Mars Rover Opportunity For the first time, India setting agenda for G20: Sherpa Amitabh Kant Meghalaya govt sets up expert committee to review reservation policy Asked to comment on the outgoing WFI chief making statements in the media, Tikait said, "The person who has cases registered against him under the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has been given the liberty to talk while the government is not saying anything." On Tuesday, Olympic medallists Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, and Asian Games gold medallist Vinesh Phogat went to Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar along with their supporters to throw their medals in the Ganga. However, they relented after khap and farmer leaders sought five days' time to address their grievances. The Delhi Police has filed two FIRs against Singh. While the first FIR relates to allegations by a minor wrestler and has been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the second is related to outraging modesty. Singh, who has repeatedly denied all charges against him, said on Wednesday that he would hang himself if a single allegation is proved against him. Goods and Services Tax collections rise 12 per cent to Rs 1.57 trillion in May, according to finance ministry. The Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that the Centre will constitute a panel to probe into the incidents of violence in Manipur headed by a retired judge of the High Court. The Governor of Manipur will head a peace committee with members of civil society. Shah said "I express my condolences to all families who have lost their loved ones in the violence. I have visited several places in Manipur in the last 3 days including Imphal, Moreh, and Churachandpur and held meetings with officials to establish peace in the state. I have met CSOs of Meitei and Kuki communities." Prime Minister Modi will meet Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda at Hyderabad house today. The Nepal Prime Minister is on a four-day visit to India to further strengthen the age-old bilateral ties with India. This is Prachanda's first visit to India since he assumed office in December 2022. He is visiting India on PM Modi's invitation. Terrorism among key threats to international peace and security, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at BRICS meeting.Goods and Services Tax collections rise 12 per cent to Rs 1.57 trillion in May, according to finance ministry.The Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that the Centre will constitute a panel to probe into the incidents of violence in Manipur headed by a retired judge of the High Court. The Governor of Manipur will head a peace committee with members of civil society.Shah said "I express my condolences to all families who have lost their loved ones in the violence. I have visited several places in Manipur in the last 3 days including Imphal, Moreh, and Churachandpur and held meetings with officials to establish peace in the state. I have met CSOs of Meitei and Kuki communities."Prime Minister Modi will meet Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda at Hyderabad house today. The Nepal Prime Minister is on a four-day visit to India to further strengthen the age-old bilateral ties with India. This is Prachanda's first visit to India since he assumed office in December 2022. He is visiting India on PM Modi's invitation. A suspected Pakistani intruder was shot dead by the BSF along the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district on Thursday, officials said. The incident took place near Mangu Chak Border Out Post (BOP) in Samba sector around 2.50 am, they said. What is the Suspension of Operations (SoO) pact? Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on Thursday, said that any further violation by those belonging to groups part of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement would be considered a violation of the SoO agreement and warned that it could lead to the dissolution of the SoO pact signed in 2008. After his three-day visit to the violence-hit Manipur, the home minister addressed the media. According to the pact, the Centre and state governments agreed that the security forces would not launch any operations against these groups. In return, the insurgent groups will also not launch any such operation. The Centre and state government signed the SoO pact to reach an agreement with 25 Kuki insurgent groups in Manipur in 2008. Of these 25 insurgent groups, 17 come under the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), and eight belong to the United People's Front (UPF). The SoO pact further bars these groups from committing any activity that amounts to atrocity or extortion, or any other unlawful operation. The pact also requires these groups to abide by the Constitution of India, the laws of the land and the territorial integrity of Manipur. Also Read As Manipur reels from violence, home minister Shah to visit the state today Tribal protest in Manipur turns violent; curfew imposed, internet suspended Shielding governance failure will not resolve Manipur's problems Manipur violence: Long-standing issue of ST status for Meitei torches state Home minister Amit Shah meets Kuki leaders; victims' kin to get Rs 10 lakh Will not fence cheetah habitats, it is against tenets of conservation: Govt Centre handling issue of protesting wrestlers sensitively: Anurag Thakur Delhi excise scam case: Accused Sharath Reddy turns second approver Planning of Bengal school recruitment scam done at WBBPE office: ED Insurer liable to compensate accident victim's kin irrespective of DL: HC Even though the government made these groups deposit their weapons in a safe room with a double-locking system, they still had arms only to guard their camps. The pact also confined their militant cadres to government-designated camps. The cadres of these insurgent groups living in the camps were given a monthly stipend of Rs 5,000. Under the pact, the government also provided them financial assistance to maintain the designated camps. What is the Kuki conflict? The cadres of these insurgent groups living in the camps were given a monthly stipend of Rs 5,000. Under the pact, the government also provided them financial assistance to maintain the designated camps. In the 1990s, ethnic clashes broke out between the Nagas of Manipur and the Kukis. The Kuki insurgency gained momentum since then over the demand for a Kuki homeland. The Kukis clashed with the Nagas as the land they saw as a part of the "Kuki homeland" overlapped with the Nagas' demand for a "Naga homeland." The Kukis are an ethnic group native to the Mizo Hills in Mizoram and Manipur. The underground insurgent groups have fought with the government since then. What will be the implication of the Centre's withdrawal from SoO? The underground insurgent groups have fought with the government since then. A withdrawal by the Centre from the tripartite can undo all the negotiations reached with insurgent groups until now. Additionally, not all insurgent groups had signed the pact. The state government had already announced its withdrawal from the pact on March 10 after Manipur violence as they believed that two SoO groups-- the Kuki National Army (KNA) and Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA) had a significant role in the escalation of violence. Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpakamal Dahal Prachanda' will visit the renowned Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain and also an IT Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Indore in Madhya Pradesh during his India visit that began on Wednesday, official sources said. Prachanda, along with a high-level delegation, is on a four-day official visit for talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and other leaders to further strengthen the age-old, multifaceted and cordial bilateral ties, they said. After official engagements in New Delhi, Prachanda is scheduled to arrive in Indore on Friday and travel to neighbouring Ujjain district where he will offer prayers at the famous Mahakaleshwar temple, one of the 12 Jyotirlings (major places of worship of Lord Shiva) in the country, the sources said. MP Governor Mangubhai Patel will receive the Nepalese prime minister on his arrival at the Mahakaleshwar shrine, they said. Prachanda will also visit a solid waste management plant in Indore the same day, they said. On June 3, the Nepalese PM will visit TCS and Infosys campuses in an IT SEZ in Indore and leave for New Delhi later in the day, the sources said. Also Read Indian Embassy, Nepal govt sign MoUs for projects in education, healthcare Nepal plane crash: At least 68 dead, rescuers search for 4 missing persons Nepal plane crash: Death toll rises to 70; handover of bodies begins Nepal, China to resume two-way trade via key border points from today Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda set to take oath as Nepal's new PM today We take responsibility for what happened: Bhupender over cheetah deaths India, Nepal vow to resolve boundary dispute under 'spirit of friendship' Massive landslide in U'khand leaves over 200 Adi Kailash pilgrims stranded 68% freelancers in India depend on social media to find work: Report Delhi HC dismisses appeal against tax department over SVLDR scheme Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will host a dinner in honour of Prachanda in Indore on June 2, they said. Earlier, Chouhan chaired a meeting with senior officials in Indore through video-conferencing to review preparations for the tour of the 68-year-old Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist) leader who assumed office in December 2022. The CM directed officials to make adequate arrangements for Prachanda's MP visit during which cultural events will also be organised, the sources added. Meanwhile, BJP MP from Indore Shankar Lalwani chaired a meeting in a hotel here on Thursday to give the final touches to the arrangements being made for the high-profile visit. Senior officials of the Indore division attended the meeting, an official said. It was informed in the meeting that a traditional welcome will be accorded to Prachanda on his arrival in Indore. Nepal is important for India in the context of its overall strategic interests in the region, and the leaders of the two countries have often noted the age-old "Roti-Beti" relationship, which refers to cross-border marriages between people of the two countries. The country shares a border of over 1,850 km with five Indian states Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The land-locked nation relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services and its access to the sea is through India. The NHRC has issued a notice to the railways and the police chief of Jharkhand over electrocution of six contract labourers while they were installing a truss pole to support the overhead railway power lines in Dhanbad rail division, officials said on Thursday. Apparently, the incident, which took place on May 29, amounts to "contributory negligence" of the public servant who "failed to supervise the work of the contractor effectively", and therefore, it is a matter of concern for the Commission, the rights panel said in a statement. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said it has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that six contract labourers were electrocuted while installing a truss pole to support the overhead railway power line near Nichitpur railway crossing, on the Dhanbad-Gaya section in Dhanbad rail division. Reportedly, the contractor had not taken steps to get the power supply blocked before starting the work, it said. The Commission has observed that the content of the media report, if true, amounts to the violation of human rights of the labourers. Accordingly, it has issued notices to the chairman of the Railway Board, and the director general of police of Jharkhand, seeking a detailed report within four weeks, the statement said. It should also include the status of the FIR registered by the police, action taken against the remissness of the contractor and his supervisor as well as compensation if any, granted to the next of kin of the deceased. The Commission would also like to know about the action against delinquent officers for their "supervisory lapse" attributed to the tragic incident, the rights panel said. Also Read Jharkhand Assembly adjourned twice on ruckus over new employment policy Prez Murmu pays obeisance at Ranchi temple, garlands Birsa Munda statue Centre bars tourists at Shri Sammed Shikharji in Jharkhand, amid protests Cong rejigs Jharkhand unit, appoints 11 V-Ps, 35 gen secys and 82 secys Jharkhand Assembly passes Rs 8,534 crore supplementary budget by current FY Nepal PM to visit Mahakaleshwar temple, Indore IT SEZ during MP visit We take responsibility for what happened: Bhupender over cheetah deaths India, Nepal vow to resolve boundary dispute under 'spirit of friendship' Massive landslide in U'khand leaves over 200 Adi Kailash pilgrims stranded 68% freelancers in India depend on social media to find work: Report According to the media report, carried on May 30, the poles were being installed by the contract labourers engaged by the Rail Vidyut Nigam Limited when one of the truss poles slipped from their hands and touched the live 25 KV overhead wire, and as a result, six workers who were holding the pole were charred to death. The Bihar state health department has issued notices to over 60 government doctors across the state for being on unauthorised leave for at least a year or more, officials said on Thursday. A notice containing names of such doctors of different health centers and hospitals in this regard was uploaded on the department's website, they said. The department directed all the 62 doctors in the list to submit an explanation for their unauthorised absence within 15 days or face strict disciplinary action. If no reply is received from the individuals within the stipulated time, it will be construed that he/she has no explanation to offer. In that case the department has the power to initiate disciplinary action against them," said a senior official of the department. "Unauthorised absenteeism invites action, including dismissal, under the provisions of government servant conduct rules, he said. The doctors, who were served the notices, have been abstaining from their duty for a minimum of one year and there were some who had not been coming to work for the past five to six years, the official said. Also Read Demolition of old Patna Collectorate was a mistake, says Bihar BJP MP Centre cutting its share in funding education: Bihar FM Vijay Choudhary Meeting of opposition leaders in Patna post-Karnataka poll: Nitish Kumar Ex-JD(U) president RCP Singh joins BJP, attacks Bihar CM Nitish Kumar Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to skip 'Namami Gange' event chaired by PM Modi World's first 3D printed Hindu temple being built in Telangana by Apsuja 5.2 mn farmers get Rs 5,500 each under YSR Rythu Bharosa-PM Kisan scheme NCRTC to build dedicated pedestrian bridge at Anand Vihar RAPIDX Station Wrestlers' Protest: Muzaffarnagar Khap 'mahapanchayat' to pass a resolution Air Force's trainer aircraft crashes in Karnataka, pilots eject safely "The department had sought explanation from the doctors earlier. However, they did not reply. The doctors who have been served the notices include community health centers and those posted in the district hospitals," he said. Patna has the maximum of 14 doctors who have been served notices for unauthorised absence from their duties for several years. Besides, notices have been served to doctors posted at health centers and hospitals at Buxar, Bhojpur, Rohtas, Jamui and Kaimur among others. In January the Bihar government had dismissed 64 doctors who were posted in different districts and hospitals in the state from service for 'unauthorised absence' from their duties for more than five years. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Before taking the step, the government doctors concerned had been given several opportunities to clear the reason for their absence, but they did not submit their replies, the officials said. At the crack of dawn on Thursday with the city still asleep, excavators made their way into a slum cluster near Pragati Maidan, waking its inhabitants who felt their lives were about to be upended. As imminent demolition loomed, poised to reduce their modest homes to rubble, several residents suddenly found themselves shelterless. Anxiety crept in as they began to think of their bleak future and possibly that of their children. Pinky, a mother of four, said she was distressed about her 18-year-old daughter's future. Having somehow managed to gather enough money to send the teenager to a hostel, Pinky said that her daughter might not be able to complete her studies now that her home has been razed in the anti-encroachment drive. "This displacement affects my livelihood. We somehow managed to save money and send her to a hostel. After this demolition drive, we are worried that she might have to come back," the woman said. "Authorities are more concerned about the rich. They are least bothered about poor people like us," she lamented. Fifty-five shanties were demolished in the slum cluster as part of an anti-encroachment drive, displacing more than 40 families. Also Read G20 cleanup: Pragati Maidan slum cluster razed; 40 families lose home Delhi man gets threat message to dislodge Indian flag from Pragati Maidan HC directs slum dwellers on Yamuna floodplains to vacate in three days Dec 6 forever a black day for Indian democracy, says AIMIM president Owaisi Locals protest over compensation ahead of Joshimath demolition drive CAQM conducted over 2,900 surprise inspections in Delhi-NCR from Jan to May 50 hydropower plants to come up in Arunachal's villages along China border Desilting of drains be completed by June 15: Delhi Mayor to officials Rajasthan received 62.4 mm rain in May, highest for month in over 100 years Sedition law should be retained with certain amendments: Law Commission Sifting through the rubble in a last-ditch bid to save their belongings, the slum dwellers alleged they had been demanding the government to allot them an alternative place somewhere within a five-kilometre radius. Most slum dwellers in the cluster work as scrap dealers and are worried about their financial situation after the demolition drive. Geeta, a mother of two girls, said she was worried about the future of her children as the priority of the family now is to search for a shelter. "I am worried that I will not be able to get my daughters married," she added. A makeshift school being run by an NGO for the last nine years was also demolished in the drive. Neetu Singh, who runs the NGO, alleged she was not given a notice for the demolition of the school. "They can demolish schools but how can they do that without notice? They communicated to us about the evacuation of slums but they should have also given a notice to us. What is more important, making the city pretty or the future of our children," she questioned. The slum dwellers said they were given a notice a few months ago about the demolition drive and were fighting the decision in court. A Public Works Department (PWD) official said the drive was carried out by the Special Task Force on court instructions. "The drive was carried out by the Special Task Force, not by our department. Our officials were present on the spot to assist in the drive. It was carried out on the instructions of the court," he said. The Delhi High Court had last month refused to interfere with the demolition of jhuggis near Pragati Maidan and granted a month's time to its occupants to vacate the land. Justice Prathiba M Singh, who was hearing petitions by residents following a demolition notice issued earlier this year, had said authorities might take action for demolition after May 31. She had also said that the petitioners would be provided alternative accommodation at a shelter home. The court had noted that the jhuggis, which were on the side of Bhairon Marg, were not part of a "notified cluster" by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) and therefore, no rehabilitation could be directed. It had also noted that the structures in question were also at a "considerable distance" from the recognised jhuggi cluster in the area. In February, the court had stayed the demolition of the slum in question and sought the stand of the Centre and the Delhi government on the issue. The cancellation of the train comes in the aftermath of the recently concluded Karnataka Assembly Elections. This has added to the troubles of the passengers who are already frustrated by long-traffic jams, cancellation of app-based cab services to and from the airport, and skyrocketing flight ticket prices. The Memu express trains to and from Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) railway station have been cancelled from June 1. The South Western Railway (SWR) took this decision due to low ridership and an acute shortage of staff. Notably, the occupancy rates fell below 5 per cent as the railways decided to go ahead with the decision. A user wrote, "Japan kept running a train and the railway station because one girl used to board the train to reach her school. If railways will stop trains like this, the confidence of people to use trains for daily commute will go for toss #PublicService (sic)." People affected by the cancellation of this service took to social media to express their disappointment with the decision. There has been an increase in the number of airport passengers at the Bengaluru airport. The Bengaluru airport reported a growth in the passenger count compared with the last financial year and the figure reached 31.91 million passengers, a Moneycontrol report said. At 28.12 million, a majority of these were domestic passengers while 3.78 million were international passengers. The railways informed about the decision to cancel ten Memu express trains through a notification. The discontinued trains include 06531 KSR Bengaluru City - Devanahalli, 06533 Devanahalli - Yelahanka, 06534 Yelahanka - KIA, 06535 Devanahalli - Bengaluru Cantonment, 06536 Bengaluru Cantonment - Devanahalli, 06537 Devanahalli - Bengaluru Cantonment, 06538 Bengaluru Cantonment - Devanahalli, 06539 Devanahalli - Yelahanka, 06540 Yelahanka - Devanahalli, and 06532 Devanahalli - KSR Bengaluru. Also Read Go First airline asks NCLT to pass urgent order on insolvency plea Skyrocketing airfares: GoFirst's absence, thunderstorms, demand to blame Indian civil aviation system jumps to 55th rank in latest ICAO audit: DGCA One year since Tatas took over Air India, here's how the journey has been Aviation ministry lists five-point action plan to decongest Delhi airport Ranchi gets 5 urban health, wellness centres for easy availability of PHCs Adityanath lays foundation of State Disaster Management Authority building Manipur govt appoints Rajiv Singh as new DGP in bid to control violence Notices to over 60 govt doctors in Bihar missing from duty for years World's first 3D printed Hindu temple being built in Telangana by Apsuja There has been a phenomenal rise in the demand in the aviation sector in the country. Reportedly, the domestic sector recorded 85 per cent growth, whereas the international sector registered a 245 per cent growth compared to FY22. Security was beefed up across Punjab on Thursday with the state police carrying out flag marches and deploying adequate number of security personnel at crucial places ahead of Operation Bluestar anniversary on June 6. The army had carried out Operation Blue Star in June 1984 to flush out hiding militants from Golden Temple in Amritsar. The Punjab Police on Thursday carried out flag marches in sensitive and vulnerable areas as a measure to instill confidence among the general public. As many as 110 flag marches were conducted covering 192 vulnerable areas across the state, an official statement said. The exercise was conducted on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav. Special DGP (law and order) Arpit Shukla said commissioners of police and senior superintendents of police were directed to conduct flag marches in their respective districts. Police also apprehended 368 suspicious people during these flag marches. He said the exercise was aimed to boost the confidence of people besides preparing the police personnel to tackle any untoward situation. Also Read Security tightened in Tripura ahead of vote counting, says Official Security of Assam CM tightened after threat call from pro-Khalistanis Punjab police recovers 3 Kg heroin from quadcopter drone in joint operation Operation Sheesh Mahal: Why do BJP and Congress want Delhi CM to resign? Punjab Police doing its job, Amritpal to be nabbed soon: AAP's Saurabh Changes in visa rules won't impact undergrad students, says UK minister Atishi gets public relations dept, total portfolios under her rise to 9 EWS, DG seats in school to go waste on neighbourhood criteria: Delhi HC EAM calls on BRICS nations to demonstrate sincerity in reforming UNSC G20: The third meeting of the Startup20 to take place in Goa on June 3-4 The Punjab Police will ensure peaceful observance of the Operation Bluestar anniversary for which foolproof arrangements are in place and adequate security has been deployed across the state, the officer said. The Special DGP said deployment of police teams has also been intensified at vital places like bus stands, railway stations and other sensitive areas to prevent intrusion of anti-social elements. The Meghalaya government set-up all-party meeting to review the 1972 job reservation policy has proposed the constitution of an expert committee to review the policy. The all-party meeting was held on Wednesday chaired by Meghalaya Law Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh. The meeting proposed the constitution of an expert committee to review the state's job reservation policy, Lyngdoh said. The expert committee should have legal, constitutional and economic background experts that will look at data and evaluation of population, she said. "The (constitution of an expert committee) will be one of the suggestions to be sent to the government by the committee," Lyngdoh told media persons after the meeting with leaders and representatives of all political parties including those of the agitating Voice of the People's Party (VPP) on Wednesday. She, however, said that not all political parties are in agreement to have an expert committee. Also Read Meghalaya polls: Songs, music to motivate voters for Feb 27 election Meghalaya launches shared school bus system, prime tourism vehicles schemes Northeastern Railway cancels all Manipur-bound trains following violence Meghalaya assembly polls: A look at key contests between candidates Indian Railways to launch Bharat Gaurav train to northeast on March 21 Appropriate regulations on data safety, security needed: Rahul Gandhi Delhi records 'coolest' May in 36 years as excess rainfall drops mercury India reports 288 new Covid-19 cases, active infections dip to 3,925 Rajasthan Cong announces 1st 100 units electricity free for all households PM Modi, Nepalese counterpart Prachanda to inaugurate UP's first land port "There are political parties who agreed and there are political parties who did not agree. So we will do our job by sending the minutes to the government that were discussed in the meeting," she added. The minister suggested that all political parties should submit their suggestions in writing on the matter within a period of 15 days. "All political parties are to prepare their suggestions, omissions, cancellations, deletions with substantial legal footings to ensure that there will be no obstruction or scrutiny that will result negatively for the government," Lyngdoh said. Meanwhile, VPP president Ardent Basaiawmoit is on an indefinite hunger strike for more than nine days demanding a review of the 1972 job reservation policy of the state. Basaiawmoit said the agitation will be withdrawn only if the government expresses its readiness to review the 1972 job reservation policy which awarded 40 per cent of reserved jobs to Garos, 40 per cent for Khasi-Jaintia tribes, 5 per cent for other tribes and 15 per cent for general category candidates. "Our stand was made clear to the government. I will not leave the venue (of the hunger strike) till the government agrees to review the job reservation policy", he said. "I will continue with my hunger strike until I receive a notification from the government on the constitution of an expert committee," he said on Wednesday. The VPP leader had rejected the request of the state government for talks and claimed that there was massive support from people and civil society organizations demanding that the 40:40 reservation of jobs between the Khasis and the Garos be reviewed. The VPP chief maintained the 50-year-old reservation policy is "unfair and outdated" considering that the population of the Khasis have outnumbered that of the Garos in the state. According to the 2011 census, over 14.1 lakh Khasis live in Meghalaya while the number of Garo people is a little over 8.21 lakh The VPP leader said the party has also made it very clear that the ratio in terms of the job reservation should be proportionate as per the population structure of the state. Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a high-level security review meeting here on Wednesday night and directed heads of all security agencies to take stern and swift actions against armed miscreants to prevent violence and recover looted weapons to bring back normalcy in Manipur at the earliest. Shah on Wednesday visited two more violence-hit districts -- Tengnoupal and Kangpokpi -- and held a series of peace talks with the leaders of various civil society organisations, influential leaders, and security officials. The Home Minister, who was scheduled to leave Imphal on Wednesday night, would stay back in the strife-torn state and may return to New Delhi on Thursday. In the high-level meeting at Raj Bhavan, where Governor Anusuiya Uikey, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai and top police, paramilitary, and armed forces officials were present, he reviewed the security arrangements taken up by the various security forces to bring normalcy to the state. Shah also visited various relief camps in Imphal, Tengnoupal, and Kangpokpi where people of both Meitei, Kuki and other communities are sheltered since the ethnic violence began in Manipur on May 3. He assured that supply of essential items in hill areas and helicopter services for emergency needs in Churachandpur, Moreh and Kangpokpi would be ensured. Also Read As Manipur reels from violence, home minister Shah to visit the state today Tribal protest in Manipur turns violent; curfew imposed, internet suspended Shielding governance failure will not resolve Manipur's problems Manipur violence: Long-standing issue of ST status for Meitei torches state Manipur violence: Shah speaks to CMs of neighbouring states; holds 2 VCs Sikkim's financial condition improved since SKM came to power in 2019: CM India, Vietnam vow to strengthen marine scientific research, connectivity Application to terminate leases of Go First's lessors not rejected: DGCA Akash Ambani, wife Shloka Mehta welcome second child, a baby girl Citizens have right to change their names according to personal will: HC The Home Minister tweeted: "Visited a relief camp in Kangpokpi and met the Kuki community members there. We are committed to restoring peace in Manipur as early as possible and ensuring their return to their homes. "In Imphal, visited a relief camp where the members of the Meitei community are residing. Our resolve remains focused on leading Manipur back to the track of peace and harmony once again and their return to their homes at the earliest". Shah arrived in Imphal on Monday night and held over two dozen meetings intended to curb the ethnic violence that has ravaged the state since May 3, leaving at least 75 dead and over 300 injured. Moreh, 110 km from Imphal, is one of the oldest international trade points in India along the border with Myanmar, with the city of Tamu on the other side. The India-Myanmar Friendship Bridge connects Moreh to Kalewa in Myanmar's Sagaing Division. Members of many communities, including Tamils, Nepalis, Biharis, Rajasthanis, Bengalis, Punjabis, besides Meitei and Kuki, had been living together here for many years but after the violence began, thousands left it and took shelter in several areas, including inside Myanmar, after their houses were set afire. The border town is one of the most affected areas in the recent ethnic hostilities. During his visit to the two districts, Shah met the affected families and also attended peace talks. Meanwhile, sporadic firing between security forces and suspected militants were reported from different districts. An exchange of fire took place at Litanpokpi village in Imphal East district, leaving a civilian injured in the gun battle. A gunfight between militants and security forces was also reported from Sugnu in Kakching district on Tuesday night. --IANS sc/vd Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, better known as P S Golay, on Wednesday claimed that the financial condition of the Himalayan state has improved since his party Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) came to power in 2019. Addressing a function to celebrate the four years of his government, Golay said revenue collection has increased by 57 per cent since 2019. He said efforts were underway to further boost revenue without burdening the citizens through the adoption of strategic measures with transparency. "We all need to work with the spirit of 'Team Sikkim' to take the state on the path of progress and prosperity," he said, while seeking blessings from people to work for the development of the state. The programme was held four days after the actual date when the SKM came to power in Sikkim as Golay was in Delhi. The CM said he has taken up with Prime Minister Narendra Modi issues such as the reservation of assembly seats for tribal communities like Limbu and Tamang and the demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for 12 communities. Also Read Sikkim to host 2 G20 events to be held next year, says CM Prem Singh Tamang SDF submits memorandum to governor, seeks President's rule in Sikkim Sikkimese feel betrayed as Article 371F violated: SDF chief Chamling Sikkim CM urges his Manipur counterpart to take care of Sikkimeses people Sikkim gorge accident: Bodies of 16 Army men sent home after wreath laying India, Vietnam vow to strengthen marine scientific research, connectivity Application to terminate leases of Go First's lessors not rejected: DGCA Akash Ambani, wife Shloka Mehta welcome second child, a baby girl Citizens have right to change their names according to personal will: HC India, China review LAC situation; discuss ways for disengagement According to a report by Live Law, the plea before the HC is related to an investigation initiated by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in Uttarakhand. The investigation pertains to the alleged "illegal" appointment of 396 employees and officers in the Legislative Assembly between 2001 and 2022 by the previous government and officers. On January 10, the High Court had issued an order that removed certain respondents from the case while issuing a notice. The Supreme Court (SC) rejected a plea that challenged a temporary order from the Uttarakhand High Court (HC) on Wednesday, stating that too many respondents had been included and that the court could delete unnecessary parties in the public interest litigation (PIL). The court also clarified that in PIL petitions, it is at the discretion of the court to decide whom to issue notices to. During the hearing, the court expressed its concerns about including numerous respondents, such as Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) , Members of Parliament (MPs), and the Chief Minister, stating that such a large number of respondents was not permissible. The SC further noted that the High Court had not dismissed the plea but had served notice to two respondents involved in the matter. According to the report, when the petitioner's advocate on record, Ankur Yadav, argued that these parties were involved in the illegal appointment case, the court responded by saying that the petitioner could ask for anything, but it didn't necessarily mean that their request would be granted. Also Read Same-sex marriage in India: What did Supreme Court say in the case? Maharashtra political crisis: CJI Chandrachud refers case to larger bench Hear borrowers before declaring accounts 'fraud': Supreme Court CJI Chandrachud releases latest version of Supreme Court mobile app SC upholds demonetisation, says test of proportionality satisfied IAF trainer aircraft crashes in open field in Karnataka, both pilots safe Diary sector should refrain from inter-state competition, says Milma Manipur violence: What is SoO pact Amit Shah warned of dissolving? Will not fence cheetah habitats, it is against tenets of conservation: Govt Centre handling issue of protesting wrestlers sensitively: Anurag Thakur Honda Cars India on Thursday reported a 43 per cent dip in domestic wholesales at 4,660 units in May. The company had dispatched 8,188 units in the domestic market in May 2022, Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) said in a statement. Exports dropped by 71 per cent to 587 units last month against 1,997 units in the previous year, it added. "Our sales for the month of May 23 were in line with our plan. The Amaze and City continued to perform well and get strong customer preference," Honda Cars India Director (Marketing and Sales) Yuichi Murata said. Also Read Honda Motor announces top management changes its Indian two-wheeler arm Honda names its upcoming SUV 'Elevate', to launch in India next month Honda Motorcycle set to join two-wheeler EV race by March next year Honda's EV roadmap: Dedicated factory, first two e-scooter models in a year Honda's latest midsize SUV to be launched on June 6; check features, price Auto cos post record sales for May amid better chip supply, high SUV demand EV2W prices shocks prospective owners after govt revises FAME II subsidy India clocks robust SUV sales in May, two-wheeler volumes rise Tata Motors posts 1.62% decline in total sales at 74,973 units in May EV firms need 13 mn sq ft real estate space by 2030 to meet output target Japanese automotive giant Toyota has admitted another incident in which data of around 260,000 car owners was exposed to the internet for a decade. Last month, the company issued an apology after it discovered that nearly 2.15 million customers' partial data was made public "due to misconfiguration of the Cloud environment" for a decade. Toyota has now identified another batch of exposed data that was "potentially accessible externally due to a misconfiguration" of its connected cloud service. The carmaker said it would notify customers with a separate apology whose information was exposed. "This incident also was caused by insufficient dissemination and enforcement of data handling rules, since our last announcement, we have implemented a system to monitor cloud configurations," said the company. Currently, the system is in operation to check the settings of all cloud environments and to monitor the settings on an ongoing basis. Also Read Auto Expo returns after 3 years; some prominent firms to skip event Toyota Kirloskar commences 3rd shift at K'taka plant to enhance production Vikram Kirloskar's daughter Manasi takes over as Toyota Kirloskar Motor VC Chinese EV brands expand to global markets as they offer lower prices Toyota Motor's new Innova HyCross priced at Rs 18.30 lakh onwards MG Motor India reported 25% increase in retail sales to 5,006 units in May E2W firms look to rejig prices and features to cope with subsidy cut Jaguar recalls I-Pace electric vehicles due to fire risk in batteries by LG Kia Seltos facelift spotted in X Line variant, check design updates Mahindra is readying an updated five-door Thar, to be launched next year "We sincerely apologise to our customers and all relevant parties for any concern and inconvenience this may have caused," said Toyota. Toyota also confirmed that an unknown number of customers outside of Japan, specifically in Asia, had their personal information exposed between October 2016 and May 2023. Last month, the company sent an apology and notification to the registered email address for customers whose in-vehicle terminal ID, chassis number, vehicle location information, and time may have been leaked. --IANS na/shb/ On Wednesday, the surplus liquidity in the banking system was around Rs 1.76 trillion, while it was approximately Rs 1.35 trillion on Tuesday. The surplus was over Rs 1 trillion in the past few days. Liquidity surplus in the banking system zoomed past Rs 1.75 trillion on the last day of May on the back of higher government spending, latest data released by Reserve Bank of India showed. The surplus liquidity in the system has cooled off the overnight rates, which dropped to 6.15 per cent on Thursday. According to the Clearing Corporation of India data, the weighted average call rate was 6.32 per cent on Thursday as compared to 6.33 per cent in the previous day. The improvement in liquidity conditions by May 31 is likely due to the pick-up in government expenditure, which is the usual pattern given that salary payments, etc. usually take place at month-end. Other factors that have helped ease liquidity pressures in May are reduction in currency leakage with currency in circulation falling by Rs 13,300 crore (May 26 over April 28), said Gaura Sengupta, India economist, IDFC First Bank. In the recent weeks, the RBI has been buying foreign currencies infusing rupee liquidity, which was also reflected by the rise in the foreign exchange reserves. After rising for two consecutive weeks, foreign exchange declined for the week ended May 19. The other reason for the rise in the surplus liquidity could be intervention by the central bank in the foreign exchange market, mainly during the first fortnight of May. Also Read IDFC Ltd to invest Rs 2,200 crore in IDFC First Bank, up its stake to 40% IDFC First Bank to issue 377.5 million share to IDFC Financial Holding Liquidity likely to veer towards neutral after three years of surplus Liquidity slips into deficit; RBI cash injections at over one-month high IDFC twins gain more than 5% on Rs 2,000-crore capital infusion CRISIL upgrades Central Bank rating on improvement in profitability Interest rates on fresh term deposits and loans dip in April, shows data UK-based abrdn offloads remaining 1.66% stake in HDFC Life Insurance Surge in market valuations may give PNB, three other PSBs largecap status RBI mulls lightweight payments & settlements for smooth ops during calamity Earlier this week, State Bank of India Chairman Dinesh Khara said around Rs 17,000 crore worth Rs 2,000 notes were deposited and exchanged by the bank since the withdrawal process started. The central banks decision to withdraw the Rs 2,000 note from the banking system is also expected to have some impact on the system liquidity. The process to withdraw the Rs 2,000 note started from May 23. The Rs 2,000 note was introduced in 2016 after the legal tender status was withdrawn for the then Rs 500 notes and Rs 1,000 notes during the demonetization exercise. About Rs 14,000 crore has been deposited in accounts and Rs 3,000 crore exchanged, Khara said in Ahmedabad on Monday. SBI has a market share of 20 per cent. Sengupta said liquidity conditions were likely to improve, going ahead. On May 29, the RBI announced to withdraw the Rs 2,000 note from circulation citing clean note policy and lack of use. The withdrawal that started from May 23 will continue till September 30. The Rs 2,000 note continues to be a legal tender. We expect liquidity conditions to improve with the government cash surplus improving to Rs 1.3 trillion by May 26 from the temporary deficit in April. Government cash surplus is expected to rise by the end of May post the credit of the RBI dividend, which will support government expenditure in June. The Rs 2,000 note withdrawal is also expected to provide a transient liquidity boost till September by reducing currency leakage as individuals deposit a part of the notes, Sengupta said. In a regulatory filing, the company said, Considering the production for May generally hovers in the range of 40 MT to 48 MT, CIL output surge in current fiscals May was substantial. All the subsidiaries of CIL have listed positive growth. Coal Indias (CIL) production rose to a record high of 60 million tonnes (MT) in May, logging 9.5 per cent growth over the same month last year with an increase of 5.2 million tonnes, the company said in a BSE filing on Thursday. Although the growth logged in May 2022 was higher at 30 per cent, in real terms the production was 54.7 MT, exceeding the 50 MT mark for the first time. Shares of Coal India Ltd, on Thursday, ended over 4 per cent lower at Rs 230.55 on BSE. Progressive production till May 2023 was 117.5 MT increasing by 9.3 MT, citing 8.6 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) growth. Production was 108.2 MTs same period last fiscal. CILs growth in May 2023, in volume and percentage terms came on the back of a very high base. Also Read Power stocks surge as govt orders coal-based plants to run at full capacity Expensive coal imports, logistics may result in higher electricity bills 2023 could be another strong yr for coal as demand may reach record levels Coal India needs to raise prices, but caught between political constraints Targeting to double coal inventory with power plants by March: Coal secy Streamline rapid disembarkation procedures for passenger safety: DGCA 83% Indian employees willing to delegate work to AI to reduce workload Demand for green jobs to rise 15-20% every year in next decade: Report Mumbai's stamp duty revenue rises 14% in May despite higher interest rates Skyrocketing airfares: GoFirst's absence, thunderstorms, demand to blame For April-May 2023 coal off-take was 126 MT clocking 6.2 per cent growth compared to 118.6 MT of same period last year. This increase is 7.3 MT. In May 2023 total supplies rose to a healthy level of 63.7 MT posting 4.1 per cent compared to 61.2 MT of May 2022. For the two-month period till May FY 2024 CIL excavated 346 million cubic metres of OBR registering 32 per cent growth. CILs over burden removal went up sharply to 178.2 million cubic metres in in May logging a robust 35 per cent growth over May 2022 with all the subsidiaries achieving growth. OBR growth bodes well for future coal production apart from stabilising mine geometry. Already deep into summer the domestic coal-based power plants, with bulk of the supplies swelled by CIL, are comfortably stocked with 35 MT of coal as of May end. In an encouraging sign supplies to non-power sector at 22.3 MT posted 29 per cent y-o-y growth ending May FY 2024. This is a jump of 5 MT in a two month compared to 17.3 MT of year ago same period. This is 13.2 MT or 60 per cent higher than 21.8 MTs over May 2022. Coal inventory at CILs pitheads is at 61 MT. Further, coal at private washeries, goods sheds, captive mines, ports and in transit accounts to the tune of 15 MT. Cumulatively, there is sufficient coal buffer of around 111 MT. By Tim Hepher and Aditi Shah PARIS/DELHI (Reuters) - India's fast-growing airline industry faces higher leasing bills and growing hesitation from financiers after foreign lessors were blocked from recovering jets caught up in the bankruptcy of Go First, the head of leasing giant AerCap told Reuters. An Indian tribunal last month granted a request from India's sixth-largest carrier for bankruptcy protection, putting into effect a moratorium on its assets that prevents foreign aircraft lessors from taking planes out for almost a year. In an interview, AerCap Chief Executive Aengus Kelly said the world's largest leasing company had earlier recovered planes from Go First, previously called Go Air, but called the court move "wrong and unfair" and warned of its wider implications. India's bankruptcy rules allow a maximum of 330 days to find a resolution, failing which a court can initiate insolvency. Lessors have argued such rules are only designed to cover assets the airline actually owns. They say the 2001 Cape Town Convention, which India has ratified but not fully implemented, overrides local law - something denied by Indian regulators. Also Read India's airline sector on to a smooth flight despite air pocketsr Go First airline asks NCLT to pass urgent order on insolvency plea Go First locks horns with lessors in a bid to begin bankruptcy hearings Experts for stricter punishment to tackle unruly behaviour on flights Unmanned check-in counters causing congestion at airports, says govt Air India Express, AirAsia India recruit over 800 cabin crew in one year India to be world's most significant new aircraft market: Barclays Public cloud market reaches $6.2 bn in 2022, to reach $17.8 bn by 2027 Members of 22 milk producer cos pledge to boost milk output: NDDB Former MSME Secretary Bidyut Bihari Swain sworn in as UPSC member "The airline doesn't own these assets," Kelly said. "The decision by the courts will cost Indian companies". Aircraft lessors control about half the world's fleet including three-quarters of jets recently delivered to India. AerCap's warnings come days after SMBC Aviation Capital, the world's second largest lessor, warned the stand-off could shake confidence in the world's fastest-growing aviation market. India's aviation regulator has told the Indian tribunal that lessors' requests have been put on hold because local laws prevail over any international treaty signed by India. India ratified the Cape Town Convention in 2008 but has yet to pass a law resolving conflicts with its bankruptcy code. Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told Reuters in April a bill implementing the treaty was "very much in the works". Kelly said new lease rates had already begun rising for airlines in India, which would now face a risk premium. "We know that there are people who have pulled back from the Indian market a little bit in certain instances until they see a resolution of this," Kelly said. "Hopefully, the Indian authorities will realise that this isn't the way forward and they will allow the lessors to take equipment out." KEY MARKET The UK-based Aviation Working Group, which monitors leasing practices, has put India on a watchlist with a negative outlook. Standard Chartered's Pembroke Aircraft Leasing, CDB Aviation's GY Aviation Leasing and BOC Aviation have initiated proceedings to repossess planes from Go First. India is a critical market for lessors, in which sale-and-leaseback deals accounted for 75% of plane deliveries from 2018 to 2022, compared with a global average of 35%, according to analytics firm Cirium. But it has also been a challenging one with Go First following Kingfisher and Jet Airways - both of which went bankrupt over the last decade-plus. There are also growing concerns among some lessors about carrier SpiceJet against which Aircastle has sought to initiate bankruptcy proceedings. SpiceJet has said it is in the process of reviving its grounded fleet and has "no plans whatsoever" to file for insolvency. (Reporting by Tim Hepher, Aditi Shah; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise) Lakhs of dairy farming members of 22 milk producer companies on Thursday pledged to boost milk production for increasing India's share in the global output, NDDB Dairy Services said. On the World Milk Day being celebrated on Thursday across various states, lakhs of dairy farmers and their families committed themselves towards making India the 'Dairy of the World', NDDB Dairy Services (NDS) said in a statement. Out of 22 Milk Producer Companies (MPCs) supported by NDS, 15 have all-women members and all the producer directors on their boards too are women. These 22 MPCs spread across 130 districts in 9 states, have 8.7 lakh members and 71 per cent of them are women. Members of these 22 MPCs pledged to 'Make India Dairy of the World by increasing India's share to the total world production', provide quality milk and milk products to consumers by sourcing milk even from the remotest part of the country, and provide a competitive price to farmer members through a transparent process of milk collection and payments. They also committed to increase milk productivity through breed improvement programmes and better animal management practices. Also Read Milky way: Beyond Amul vs Nandini, dairy brands that dominate their states World Milk Day 2023: Date, Theme, History, Everything you need to Know Podcast: What's behind the rise in milk prices across the country? Sweating over milk: India stares at supply crunch as summer sets in We should achieve target of 330 MMT milk production by 2033-34: Amit Shah Former MSME Secretary Bidyut Bihari Swain sworn in as UPSC member Inter-ministerial meet for new industrial policy underway: DPIIT Secy Online gaming emerging as a viable source of income in India, shows study Coal India's production rises to a record high of 60 million tonnes in May Streamline rapid disembarkation procedures for passenger safety: DGCA Meenesh Shah, Chairman of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and its subsidiary NDS, said, "Our Prime Minister has envisioned that India should become the dairy for the world. We are part of this proud community of milk producers and are working on numerous initiatives for enhancing production and productivity in India towards making the dream of the Prime Minister a reality." According to an official data, total milk production in the country during 2021-22 stood at 221.06 million tonnes. Top five major milk producing states are Rajasthan (15.05 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (14.93 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (8.06 per cent), Gujarat (7.56 per cent), and Andhra Pradesh (6.97 per cent). India is the world's largest milk producer contributing 24 per cent of global milk production in the year 2021-22. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the rollout of solar and wind power installations, which are anticipated to reach 440 gigawatts in 2023, has been boosted by high fossil fuel prices and worries about energy security as a result of Russia's war on Ukraine. The world is on track to add a record amount of renewable energy capacity this year as consumers and governments look to offset high energy prices and benefit from a boom in solar power, a study released on Thursday said. Meanwhile, the world has watched riveted as the two most recent shooting wars Azerbaijans rout of Armenia in 2020 and Russias failure to subdue Ukraine even afte Speaking at an annual gathering of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in New Delhi last week, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh implored captains of the defence industry not for the first time to innovate in futuristic technologies to transform India from (being) a follower to a leader. Demonstrating the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJPs) talent for slogans, Mr Singh observed that Indias population had to be converted from a wealth-consuming entity into a wealth-creating resource. However, it will take more than catchphrases for our defence industry to begin churning out the defence equipment needed to become Atmanirbhar Bharat another much-used government phrase that means self-reliant. Investors are set to pour more money into solar power than in oil production this year for the first time, according to the International Energy Agency. Overall too, for every dollar invested in fossil fuels, about 1.7 dollars are now going into clean energy. Five years ago, this ratio was It aims to grow its renewables portfolio from less than 200 megawatts to 10,000 megawatts by the end of the decade, stated ONGC Chairman Arun Kumar Singh. India will continue to grow in fossil fuel demand until 2040, but at the same time we have to step up our efforts for green energy. We have to do this so that both the worlds can co-exist, he said. A positive consumer sentiment is indeed a good news for players in the FMCG sector -- where margin is thin, and competition stiff. And a player with deep pockets is continuously heating up the competition. Reliance Retail is now consolidating its business-to-business vertical. A few months after starting a price war in the grocery B2B space with large discounts, JioMart is now trying to improve margins. It fired over 1,000 workers in May and has plans to lay off many more soon. So what does the company plan to achieve? And, how will it shape its future? Indian economy grew by 6.1% in the final quarter of financial year 2023 -- nudging the overall growth rate to breach the 7 per cent mark. But what led to this surprise buoyancy in the GDP numbers during the March quarter? And what are the key factors which made this possible? Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has alleged that the BJP government at the Centre was trying to misuse the agencies like Income Tax, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Tamil Nadu just like in other states. The Chief Minister was addressing media persons at the Chennai International Airport early Thursday morning on his return after a nine-day trip to Singapore and Japan. The Chief Minister stated that the Centre was taking revenge on the opposition governments and political leaders. He was responding to questions on the searches by the Income Tax department on the premises of persons linked to the state excise minister, Senthil Balaji. Stalin, when asked about the Sengol (Spectre) installed in Parliament, said that it would have been a matter of pride if the Sengol was of Chola lineage but historians had rejected the claim. The Chief Minister also said that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann were reaching Chennai on Thursday to meet him. He also said that efforts to coordinate the opposition parties were on and added that the DMK was a part and parcel of such a unity move. He said that the date of the meeting of the opposition parties has not been confirmed as the Congress president has requested for a change in date. Stalin added that he also had to travel to open the Mettur dam and hence was also not available. Also Read TN CM Stalin scraps Bill that extended working hours from 8 to 12 Tamil Nadu CM's son Udhayanidhi Stalin sworn in as minister in cabinet Vaiko urges Stalin to fulfil demands of Tamil Nadu's unorganised workers AIADMK gets boost in Tiruchy after AMMK strongman M Sekar joins party Tamil Nadu CM leaves for 9-day foreign trip to attract investments Report on India's transformation under Modi indictment of lost decade: MoS Not seeking any int'l support, our fight is ours: Rahul Gandhi at Stanford Eyeing LS polls, Congress appoints Sunil Kanogolu as advisor to K'taka CM Disqualification from Lok Sabha has given me huge opportunity: Rahul Gandhi Congress leader questions Mahakal Lok idols, BJP minister hits back When asked on the AIADMK leader, Edappadi K. Palaniswami's (EPS) charge that the Chief Minister had embarked on a jolly trip to Singapore and Japan, Stalin said, "He was thinking that others are all like him." The Chief Minister also said that the state Finance minister, Thangam Thenarasu had responded to the AIADMK leader. The Chief Minister also reiterated the position of Tamil Nadu in the Mekedatu dam issue and referred to the statement of the state Water resources minister, S. Duraimurugan on the same. Stalin added that during his trips to Singapore and Japan, several MoUs were signed and added that it would bring investments to the tune of Rs 3,233 crore and would generate employment to 5,000 people in the state. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister had embarked on a two-nation tour on May 23 to scout for investments in the state as a prelude to the Global Investment Meet(GIM) scheduled for January 2024. This was the second foreign tour of Chief Minister Stalin after he assumed office in 2021, the first being to the UAE where he signed contracts worth Rs 6,000 crore. --IANS aal/dpb Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said that he did not imagine his disqualification from Lok Sabha was possible when he joined politics but asserted that it has given him a "huge opportunity" to serve the people. Gandhi, who is in the US for a three-city US tour, made the remarks on Wednesday night in response to a series of questions from Indian students at the prestigious Stanford University Campus in California. The Wayanad (Kerala) Member of Parliament was disqualified from Lok Sabha earlier this year after he was convicted by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remark. In his remarks, Gandhi said that when he joined politics in 2000, he never imagined this is what he would go through. What he sees is going on now is way outside anything that he had thought when he joined politics. Referring to his disqualification from Lok Sabha as a Member of Parliament, Gandhi, 52, said he didn't imagine that something like this was possible. "But then I think it's actually given me a huge opportunity. Probably much bigger than the opportunity I would have. That's just the way politics works, he said. Also Read Lok Sabha adjourned for the day over Rahul Gandhi's democracy remark 42 lost Parliament membership since 1988, maximum 19 in 14th Lok Sabha Germany 'takes note' of Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha Will abide without prejudice to my rights: Rahul on vacating bungalow Rahul attends Parl panel on external affairs, denies anti-India remarks Congress leader questions Mahakal Lok idols, BJP minister hits back We're now aspiring to be world's 3rd largest economy: MoS Chandrasekhar Sought postponement but will surely attend: Stalin on Opposition meet Will implement Advocate Protection Act, says Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah Rahul Gandhi can't digest a common man becoming PM, says Kiren Rijiju "I think the drama started really, about six months ago. We were struggling. The entire opposition is struggling in India. Huge financial dominance. Institutional capture. We're struggling to fight the democratic fight in our country, he said, adding that at this point in time, he decided to go for the Bharat Jodo Yatra'. "I am very clear, our fight is ours fight, he said. But there is a group of young students from India here. I want to have a relationship with them and want to talk to them. It's my right to do it, he said during his interaction with Indian students and academicians of Indian origin at the University here. He also emphasised in his frequent foreign trips like this, he is not seeking support from anybody. "I don't understand why the prime minister doesn't come here and do it, Gandhi asked amidst applause from the audience who had packed the entire auditorium at Stanford. The moderator said that the Prime Minister is welcome to come to Stanford anytime and interact with the students and academicians. Some of the students were denied entry as the auditorium was packed. Students started queuing up two hours before the event started. In the last one and a half years, several Indian ministers have interacted with Indian students. Poll strategist Sunil Kanugolu, who delivered a stupendous victory in Karnataka polls to Congress, has been appointed as the Chief Advisor to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. An order in this regard states that Sunil Kanugolu will be Chief Advisor to the CM and enjoy cabinet rank. Sources in the party said on Thursday that the move is made as per the wishes of the high command to win maximum seats in upcoming Parliamentary elections in the state. The Congress was able to face campaigning blitzkrieg by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and scores of national leaders and emerge victorious in Assembly elections. Sunil Kanugolu strategised and gave a roadmap for the Congress. The party had managed to win only one out of 28 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 general elections. D.K. Suresh, brother of DyCM D.K. Shivakumar, had won from Bengaluru Rural seat on personal capacity. BJP had swept the elections with 25 seats. While Sumalatha Ambareesh had won as an independent candidate from the Mandya seat, Prajwal Revanna, grandson of former PM H.D. Deve Gowda won from Hassan seat. Also Read Deve Gowda's daughter-in-law eyes Hassan seat, stirs tensions in JD(S) Former Karnataka CM Jagadish Shettar joins Congress post exit from BJP Not decided yet, says Ex-Karnataka CM Jagadish Shettar on joining Congress Jagadish Shettar files nomination from Hubli-Dharwad-Central constituency Karnataka Dy CM Shivakumar meets Jagdish Shettar, says Congress with him Disqualification from Lok Sabha has given me huge opportunity: Rahul Gandhi Congress leader questions Mahakal Lok idols, BJP minister hits back We're now aspiring to be world's 3rd largest economy: MoS Chandrasekhar Sought postponement but will surely attend: Stalin on Opposition meet Will implement Advocate Protection Act, says Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah Deve Gowda had to face humiliating defeat by BJP candidate G.S. Basavaraju in Tumakuru seat. Now, with a changed political scenario, the Congress is aiming to bag more than 20 seats in the state, which it won easily in many elections. Sources say that Sunil Kanugolu team had conducted a series of surveys in all 224 Assembly constituencies of the state. The submissions and presentations were made to the Congress. Based on the findings and data of Sunil Kanugolu's reports, the Congress got a push and focused aggressively on organizing the party. The party changed the strategy on campaigning too. Kunagolu also worked towards taking the five guarantees to the voters. He has been working with the Congress for a year. He was born in Ballary and resides in Bengaluru. He had worked for BJP, DMK and AIADMK in the past. --IANS mka/shb/ In his address at the Stanford University, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi clarified he was not seeking any international support and said that 'our fight is ours'. While addressing a gathering at the California-based varsity on Wednesday, Rahul, who is on a six-day trip to the US, was asked about his opinion on many opposition parties across the world seeking international support. To this, the former MP said: 'I'm not seeking support from anyone or anybody. I am very clear that our fight is our fight.' The Congress leader said that he wanted to to speak to a group of young students from India at the Stanford University and build relations with them. Also Read Cong plans mass agitation, to meet Prez Murmu to discuss Rahul's conviction Andaman & Nicobar Cong protest Rahul Gandhi's Lok Sabha disqualification No barter on JPC, Rahul's case is matter of distortion: Jairam Ramesh Rahul Gandhi visits memorials of former Prime Ministers, Mahatma Gandhi Was our economy bigger when we fought the British: Rahul Gandhi slams BJP Eyeing LS polls, Congress appoints Sunil Kanogolu as advisor to K'taka CM Disqualification from Lok Sabha has given me huge opportunity: Rahul Gandhi Congress leader questions Mahakal Lok idols, BJP minister hits back We're now aspiring to be world's 3rd largest economy: MoS Chandrasekhar Sought postponement but will surely attend: Stalin on Opposition meet 'I think it is my right to do it and I don't understand why Prime Minister Narendra Modi doesn't come here and do it. The Prime Minister needs to answer some hard questions,' Rahul said. On a number of occasions, the BJP has attacked Rahul Gandhi for defaming the country on foreign soil. The saffron party had earlier slammed the former Congress president after he met Chinese diplomats during the India-China row. Rahul arrived in San Francisco on Tuesday morning, kicking off US trip during which he is slated to meet American lawmakers, think tanks and also deliver lectures at the Harvard Club. He is currently travelling on an ordinary passport, after he had to surrender his diplomatic passport following his disqualification as a Lok Sabha MP. On Tuesday evening, he interacted with the Indian diaspora here. While in California, he will also meet venture capitalists, tech executives and students at Silicon Valley. --IANS aks/ksk/ Union Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday hit back at the Congress after it shared her "missing poster", saying she was present in her Parliamentary constituency, and if the grand old party were looking for "former Amethi MP" -- referring to Rahul Gandhi, they need to contact him in the US. Irani, the Minister of Women and Child Development, in a reply to a tweet by Congress, said: "O divine political creature, I have just left Sirsira village in Salon assembly constituency of Amethi towards Dhuranpur. If you are looking for former MP please contact in the US." Her remarks came after the Congress from its official Twitter handle shared a poster of Irani that read "missing", while mentioning her Ministry of Women and child Development. Meanwhile, Mahila Congress acting president Netta D'Souza also slammed the Minister, saying: "You are the Women and Child Development Minister, and many young promising daughters are looking for you for months. Now give a visit." D'Souza said this while referring to the silence of the Minister on protesting wrestlers, many of whom had won Olympic medal, were on Sunday forcibly removed by police from their protest site on Jantar Mantar after they tried to march towards the new Parliament House building. --IANS Also Read Will immerse medals in Ganga, fast unto death: Protesting wrestlers Scuffle between protesting wrestlers and Delhi cops: What we know so far Wrestlers Protest: Vinesh, Sakshi reach Haridwar to immerse medals in Ganga Wrestlers back to protest at Jantar Mantar: Everything you need to know Protesting wrestlers to immerse medals in Ganga: A timeline of events PM Modi, Amit Shah, JP Nadda to hold rallies in West Bengal in June In the US, Rahul Gandhi mocks 'specimen Modi'; BJP slams his comment Congress guarantees a hoax, will bankrupt state: PM Modi at Ajmer rally 9 years of BJP at Centre dedicated to welfare of poor: PM Modi in Ajmer Will not allow BBMP to increase tax to fulfil guarantee schemes: K'taka AAP aks/pgh Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief MK Stalin said on Wednesday that he has sought postponement of the meeting of leading Opposition parties in Patna on June 12, as he will be attending an inaugural ceremony on the same date. However, he confirmed the party's participation in the meeting, which is aimed at putting together a grand Opposition alliance against the BJP-led central government ahead of next year's Lok Sabha elections. Addressing a press briefing on Wednesday, the Tamil Nadu CM said, "I will be attending the inaugural ceremony of Mettur Dam on the same date (as the Opposition meeting). It is an important event. Even the Congress president (Mallikarjun Kharge) will be held up at a different event and won't be able to attend the meeting on that day. So, I have asked for the meeting of Opposition parties to be pushed back. However, the DMK will surely participate in the meeting." The DMK chief informed further that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann will hold a meeting with him in Chennai on Thursday to discuss the contours of a grand Opposition alliance against the BJP at the Centre. "Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will be meeting me tomorrow in Chennai. We have already started discussions on the formation of an anti-BJP alliance and we will get there," he said. On his recent visits to Singapore and Japan, the Tamil Nadu chief minister said his official tour was 'victorious'. Also Read Patna police may fine Baba Bageshwar, Manoj Tiwari for traffic violation TN CM Stalin scraps Bill that extended working hours from 8 to 12 NEET PG aspirants seek postponement of exam to May-June to save time SC refuses to entertain pleas seeking postponement of NEET-PG exam As Nitish tries to bring Opposition together, here's a look at his journey Will implement Advocate Protection Act, says Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah Rahul Gandhi can't digest a common man becoming PM, says Kiren Rijiju If Modi wins 2024, only those he wants will fight in 2029: Digvijaya Singh Smriti Irani hits back at Congress for sharing her 'missing poster' PM Modi, Amit Shah, JP Nadda to hold rallies in West Bengal in June "The meetings between Tamil Nadu and Japan went well. Rs 3,233 crore worth of MoUs were signed during my visits to these two countries. 5000-plus new jobs will be created soon in Tamil Nadu. I met with ministers of Singapore and Japan as well as other senior officials there. I held discussions on ways to take Tamil Nadu forward," he said. The CM stated further that Tamil Nadu will play host to a World Investor Meet on January 10 and 11, next year. "I invited the officials of Japan and Singapore to participate in the World Investor Meet to be held in Tamil Nadu next year. I hope they will participate in the event," he added. Earlier, on Wednesday, Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Hemant Soren confirmed his party's participation in the meeting of leading Opposition forces in Patna on June 12. To a question on whether his party would attend the meeting of Opposition forces in Patna, CM Soren said, "Since all Opposition parties have enlisted their participation at the meeting, we, too, would attend it." Earlier, on Sunday, Janata Dal (United) leader Manjit Singh said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will chair a meeting of leading Opposition players in the state capital on June 12. The Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has been spearheading efforts to bring all Opposition parties together against the BJP government at the Centre, with an eye on next year's Lok Sabha polls. As part of the effort to galvanise the Opposition against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, he has already met the likes of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Thursday came out strongly against Twitter for temporarily blocking the accounts of NTK leader Seeman and other functionaries. Stalin in a tweet said, "Virtue is to counter ideas with ideas. Not restricting opinions. Unblock the Twitter handles and allow the social media site function at its best." It is to be noted that the Twitter account of the actor, director-turned-politician, Seeman and 20 other functionaries of his political outfit, NTK were blocked temporarily on Wednesday. Twitter has said that the accounts were withheld as a response to a legal demand. Other than Seeman, the accounts of NTK Spokesperson Idumbavanam Karthik, head of social media Sunandha Thamaraiselvan and IT wing functionary Packiarajan were also blocked. The social media platform also blocked the account of May 17 movement leader, Thirumurugan Gandhi. Sources told IANS that the Twitter handle was withheld as it was considered to have violated the Information Technology Act of 2000. Seeman and his political party, NTK, has been propagating strong Tamil nationalism in the state. Also Read TN CM Stalin scraps Bill that extended working hours from 8 to 12 Udhayanidhi's elevation triggers 'Sunrise vs Sonrise' debate in Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu CM leaves for 9-day foreign trip to attract investments Tamil Nadu CM's son Udhayanidhi Stalin sworn in as minister in cabinet TN districts start survey on guest workers in state after CM seeks info GDP figure exposes lies of Rahul's 'market of hate' against India: BJP Sharing dais with Kerala CM Vijayan in US to cost $50,000: Reports Quarrel in Bihar's Darbhanga BJP: One MLA files FIR against other's son BJP trying to misuse Income Tax, CBI, ED in Tamil Nadu, says CM Stalin Report on India's transformation under Modi indictment of lost decade: MoS --IANS aal/dpb As artificial intelligence (AI) threatens to take away certain jobs, 83 per cent of Indian employees are willing to delegate as much work as possible to AI to lessen their workload, a report showed on Thursday. About 74 per cent of Indian workers are worried AI will replace their jobs. However, over three in four Indian workers would be comfortable using AI not just for administrative tasks (86 per cent) but also for analytical work (88 per cent) and even creative aspects of their role (87 per cent), according to Microsoft's 'Work Trend Index 2023 Report'. Nearly 100 per cent of creative professionals, who are extremely familiar with AI, would be comfortable using AI for creative aspects of their job. Meanwhile, Indian managers are 1.6 times more likely to say that AI would provide value in the workplace by boosting productivity rather than cutting headcount. The data showed that AI is poised to create a whole new way of working and organisations that move first to embrace AI will break the cycle, increasing creativity and productivity for everyone. Also Read Microsoft introduces new AI-powered Bing search engine, Edge browser EU poised to be on forefront of artificial intelligence regulation Hackers exploiting ChatGPT to write malicious codes to steal your data Amazon enters generative AI space with AI startup accelerator Tech giant Microsoft introduces AI-powered 'Dynamics 365 Copilot' WhatsApp launches global security centre to further safeguard users Sony unveils Project Q; next-gen portable gaming device, full details here Amazon adds Echo Pop to India line of Alexa-powered smart speakers: Details Appropriate regulations on data safety, security needed: Rahul Gandhi App Store developers generated $1.1 trn in total billings, sales in 2022 "The next generation of AI will unlock a new wave of productivity growth, removing the drudgery from our jobs and freeing us to rediscover the joy of creation," said Bhaskar Basu, Country Head a" Modern Work, Microsoft India. About 90 per cent of Indian leaders said employees they hire will need new skills to be prepared for the growth of AI. Nearly 78 per cent of Indian workers say they don't currently have the right capabilities to get their work done, said the report. "The opportunity and responsibility for every organisation and leader is to get AI right, testing and experimenting with new ways of working to build a brighter future of work for everyone," Basu added. About 76 per cent of Indian workers said they don't have enough time and energy to get their work done, and those people are 3.1 times more likely to say they struggled with being innovative, according to the report. More than three in four Indian leaders are also concerned about lack of innovation. "The primary culprit disrupting productivity is inefficient meetings, as reported by 46 per cent of Indian workers, who feel that their absence in half or more of their meetings would go unnoticed by colleagues," the findings showed. --IANS na/shb/ According to a report by Adobe that surveyed 13,000 consumers and 4,250 marketing and customer experience professionals worldwide, AI and other breakthrough technologies have made a significant impact on consumer behaviour and online business practices. As consumers become more aware of new technologies and explore virtual and immersive environments, marketers and consumers alike are eagerly embracing artificial intelligence (AI), particularly generative AI (Gen AI). India and APAC consumers show higher demand for digital experiences In the Future of Digital Experiences report, Adobe highlights that although 53 per cent of Indian consumers currently prefer shopping in physical stores, the numbers are expected to drop to 44 per cent within two years. This shift towards digital experiences is more prominent in APAC compared to the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It reflects consumers' growing expectations for brands to expand their digital presence into new formats. The study highlights that consumers and marketers in India, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand are more proactive in embracing new digital experience formats, environments, and tools compared to their counterparts in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. The report also states that 96 per cent of Indian consumers expect to view product videos before making a purchase. Additionally, approximately 91 per cent of Indian consumers express desire for brands to offer new ways to engage in immersive and virtual worlds. Also Read Amazon Kindle 11th gen review: Ease-of-use helps rekindle love for reading Payments firm Worldline and SignCatch to partner for merchant digitisation Stealthy, speedy, precise: What are fifth-generation fighter jets? Myntra launches platform to tap 10 mn new Gen-Z shoppers in 2 years Punjab CM announces digitisation of land records for easy access to people Samsung introduces made in India OLED TVs at Rs 169,990 onwards: Details Apple to announce several new Macs during WWDC on 5-9 June: Report Hackers target US dental insurance firm, steals data of 9 mn patients Meta purges over 33 mn bad pieces of content on FB, Insta in April in India Apple iPhone 16 Pro will feature a 6.27-inch display, says report In contrast, only 32 per cent of consumers in Australia and New Zealand, and merely 13 per cent in Japan, express similar expectations. For example, in India, Malaysia, and Singapore, a significant majority of consumers (81 per cent, 70 per cent, and 66 per cent respectively) expect more personalised and relevant digital experiences, leveraging the data and technologies accessible to brands. Factors driving consumer expectations Similarly, consumers in India, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia anticipate new and innovative ways for brands to engage with virtual or immersive worlds (91 per cent, 87 per cent, 87 per cent, and 83 per cent respectively), compared to 48 per cent in Japan, and 59 per cent and 62 per cent in New Zealand and Australia respectively. This sentiment is particularly strong among younger consumers, with 70 per cent of APAC Gen Zs expressing higher expectations during a downturn, compared to 65 per cent globally. The Adobe report highlighted the impact of the current economic climate on consumer expectations. Approximately 82 per cent of Indian consumers feel that their expectations have risen due to the challenging economic conditions. Generative AI is seen as a powerful tool by Indian marketing and customer experience professionals. Almost 60 per cent of respondents found AI helpful in their work, with 21 per cent describing it as nothing short of a "miracle." Trust assumes greater importance for APAC consumers, surpassing price and selection, with younger consumers placing an even higher premium on trust. How are brands meeting the new demands? It is also anticipated to aid in personalising customer experiences and identifying new audiences and customer journeys. Commentary: Why Washington's rage over China's Micron ban is calling white black Xinhua) 13:33, June 01, 2023 BEIJING, June 1 (Xinhua) -- China's recent legitimate sales ban on the U.S. memory chipmaker Micron has stoked fiery outbursts from some U.S. politicians and media pundits who blamed China over the so-called "economic coercion." Banging on the table or pointing accusing fingers does not justify those allegations. Through their rage, the true face of hypocrisy of those Washington's China hawks has become even clearer. The Micron case shows that China will not sit idly by when its national security is at risk. Beijing does not make the decision without reason. It is Micron's misconduct that has provoked a reaction from the Chinese cyberspace regulator, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), not something unwarranted. What the CAC has announced is that a review found Micron's products have serious network security risks, posing a threat to China's critical information infrastructure supply chains. Therefore, it ordered a ban on the sale of Micron's products to China's key information and infrastructure operators, rather than a complete ban on Micron chips in the Chinese market. The review is necessary in China, and also in any other country in the world. Apart from Micron's security problems, the company has long been behind-the-scenes lobbying for U.S. sanctions against Chinese companies. Media statistics show that from the year of 2018 to 2022, Micron spent more than 9.5 million U.S. dollars lobbying U.S. government officials to crack down on China's data storage manufacturing industry for its own market interests. During these five years, over 170 lobbying documents were submitted to Washington, and 67 percent of the contents are China-related. China is a key market for Micron where it raked in billions of dollars every year. If the company values its market shares in China, it should really reflect on its deeds of disruption and focus on providing risk-free products and services for Chinese customers. While those lying U.S. politicians are busy talking black into white, China itself has been in fact a victim of Washington's coercion over the years. The U.S. government, under the pretext of national security, has put more than 1,200 Chinese companies and individuals on various lists for restrictions without credible evidence of wrongdoing. It also attempted to talk other countries and regions into joining the tech blockade binge. Who is the real "coercer" is quite evident. Facing Washington's bully, China's stance is also clear. It opposes the suppression of Chinese companies by over-stretching the concept of national security or abusing state power. It also has the right to do what is necessary to safeguard the lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies and institutions. China is a country under the rule of law. Businesses operating in the country need to conform with China's laws. China is also a country that is deeply committed to high-level opening-up. Its cybersecurity review does not target any particular country or region, nor does China seek to exclude technologies or products from any specific country. For years, Beijing has fostered a market-oriented, law-based and internationalized business environment, especially in the hi-tech area. Foreign companies as well as their products and services are welcome to do business in the Chinese market with one precondition: abiding by local laws and regulations. A healthy and inclusive business environment can provide opportunities for more participants. It is also essential for the development of hi-tech industries, which will boost overall technological progress for the world community. Those who attempt to disrupt the market rules for their own sake will only face a dead end. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) According to media reports, the platform was fined because it did not delete the banned content, making this its first fine in Russia for such an offence. Meta-owned messaging platform WhatsApp was fined 3 million roubles ($37,080) by a Russian court on Thursday. Also Read Faster Green Card for Indians? All you need to know about the new EAGLE Act India, Canada to step up talks on movement of skilled workers Nearly 81% firms face shortage of skilled tech workers: EY and iMocha Indian nationals bag top spot on UK's skilled worker, student visa tally Blinkit shuts some Gurugram dark stores for good as delivery workers strike Japan police say security flaws allowed attacker to throw bomb at PM Fumio Govt body warns of increased health threats from climate change in Germany Russian minister set for BRICS meet in Africa with war in Ukraine on agenda Will end monopoly on petrol supplies: Nigeria's NNPC after tripling prices Chinese journalists have faced "unfair and discriminatory treatment in India" but in spite of this China is ready to maintain communication with India under the principles of "mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit," the Chinese Foreign Ministry claimed on Wednesday. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a press conference on Wednesday. Her statement came in response to a question about a report published in The Wall Street Journal with the headline, "China, India kick out nearly all of each other's journalists as rivalry escalates". Alleging mistreatment of Chinese journalists in India, Mao Ning alleged that in 2017, India shortened the period of validity of visas held by Chinese journalists in the country. "Chinese journalists have suffered unfair and discriminatory treatment in India for a long time. In 2017, the Indian side shortened the period of validity of visas held by Chinese journalists in India to three months or even one month without any valid reason," Mao Ning was quoted as saying in an official statement released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. She that since 2020 India has refused to review and approve Chinese journalists' applications for stationing in India. "As a result, the number of Chinese journalists stationed in India has plummeted from 14 at the normal time to just one. As we speak, the Indian side still has not renewed the visa of the last Chinese journalist in the country," she claimed. Also Read China takes 'approriate' action, denies visas to 2 Indian journalists Two women sue Elon Musk's Twitter alleging discriminatory layoffs WHO official urges science-based, non-discriminatory Covid-19 restrictions New Jersey firm fined for discriminatory job ads seeking only Indians Tiktok employees 'improperly accessed' data of two journalists: ByteDance Contaminated drugs: USFDA uncovers failures in India's pharma factories US House passes debt-limit deal easing default concerns; Bill now in Senate Mike Pence to launch campaign for US president polls in Iowa June 7 Xi Jinping asks top security officials to brace for worst-case scenarios Pakistan Navy chief calls for innovations in defence technologies Mao Ning claimed further that the number of Chinese journalists stationed in India is about to drop to zero, adding that it will leave the Chinese side with no choice but to take appropriate counter-measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese media groups. She added, however, that "China is willing to maintain communication with India under the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit". The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said further that her country has been actively providing assistance and convenience to Indian journalists working there. "We treat them like friends and family. I believe many of you here know that some Indian journalists have been working and living in China for more than 10 years. The current situation is not what we want to see," she added. Dozens of drugmakers were issued notices and warning letters by the US Food and Drug Administration, which is increasing visits to Indian factories after the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions last year. Inspectors detailed unsanitary conditions in manufacturing plants and poorly trained staff; shredded paperwork and under-investigated customer complaints; and evidence of exporting contaminated drugs to the US. US inspectors have in recent months uncovered wide-ranging lapses at factories run by some of Indias biggest pharmaceutical firms, as the worlds top supplier of cheap medicine faces increased scrutiny after a spate of deadly manufacturing incidents. Those tragedies have prompted renewed calls by public health campaigners for more rigorous oversight and a rethinking of supply chains across the world. The Biden administration has warned about the preponderance of drug supplies from countries like India, and pushed to produce more medicine domestically. The deaths and drug recalls also come at a critical time for Prime Minister Narendra Modis government, which is selling the South Asian nation to investors as an alternative to China for high-quality manufacturing. The expansive lapses detailed in FDA records obtained by Bloomberg News under the Freedom of Information Act suggest that a nearly two-year hiatus in factory audits during the pandemic meant faults were missed in some Indian plants that export to the US. The South Asian nation is the largest supplier of generic drugs to the US and dozens of other countries. The $50 billion sector is under the spotlight after a number of recent scandals linked to smaller, privately-held Indian companies, including the deaths of dozens of children in Gambia and Uzbekistan from adulterated cough syrup, and supplying contaminated chemotherapy drugs to the US. Its like playing whack-a-mole, said Alice Wang, a London-based fund manager at Quaero Capital LLP, which for now has avoided investing in Indian pharma firms. India is still behind China in many significant ways and some investments in the high-value-precision manufacturing spaces may end up needing a reality check. Also Read Scholarships worth Rs 75 cr misappropriated by institutes in UP: ED WHO calls for action to protect children from contaminated medicines HC asks Centre to inform result of consultations to regulate e-pharmacies Afghanistan gets humanitarian aid amid harsh winters from UNHCR, Uzbekistan BJP says Odisha unsafe for women, children; BJD dismisses charges US House passes debt-limit deal easing default concerns; Bill now in Senate Mike Pence to launch campaign for US president polls in Iowa June 7 Xi Jinping asks top security officials to brace for worst-case scenarios Pakistan Navy chief calls for innovations in defence technologies US set to allow GE to make engines in India for New Delhi's military jets Many Indian pharma companies under scrutiny by the FDA said in statements to Bloomberg News that they are addressing the agencys concerns about manufacturing practices. Indian authorities have suspended the licenses of more than a dozen unlisted drugmakers in the wake of the cough syrup deaths, and havent released public details on the process to have them reinstated. In addition, from June 1 its compulsory for cough-syrup makers to send samples to a government-approved laboratory and obtain a certificate of analysis before their products can be exported. The adverse audits, some details of which are being reported for the first time, have also hit company stocks and scared off some investors from the sector. The S&P BSE Healthcare Index, which tracks Indias top industry stocks, has fallen 9.6% since the start of 2022, under-performing the 7.3% gain of the benchmark S&P BSE 100 Index. Multiple Warnings For years, the FDA has raised flags about standards at Indian factories. In 2019, the body told Congress that India at 83% had the lowest percentage of acceptable inspection outcomes at drug manufacturing facilities across the countries it policed. China had the second lowest percentage at 90%, followed by the US at 93%, with the European Union coming in at 98%. The report didnt provide a more comprehensive breakdown. In recent months, the pace of disclosures about lapses has picked up. In February, unlisted Chennai-based Global Pharma Healthcare Pvt Ltd. recalled eye drops and ointment exported to the US. This month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention linked the products to 81 drug-resistant bacterial infections, four deaths and 14 cases of vision loss. Four people also had to have their eyeballs surgically removed because of the drops, according to the CDC. Since the start of 2022, Indian drugmakers were issued nine FDA warning letters, which may lead to a ban of new products into the US. India is tied with Mexico for the most such letters for any overseas nation in that period, according to analysis of the agencys data. Dozens of Indian pharma firms were also served Form 483s, which list potential violations. While many of the recent medicine scandals have been traced to small producers that dont export to highly-regulated European and North American markets, FDA reports and recalls reviewed by Bloomberg News suggest problems also reach the top of Indias drug-making sector. During an FDA review of the firms plant in southern India, inspectors found sterility problems and quality failures in areas where the ointment was being produced. Global Pharma Healthcare didnt respond to a request for comment. In the recall notice, the company ordered retailers and customers to stop selling and using the drops and ointment, citing reports of eye infections, blindness and a death. One only needs to look at the 483 and warning letters, said Thakur, who helped expose issues at Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd., which pleaded guilty to felony charges in 2013 for making and distributing adulterated drugs bound for the US. Dinesh Thakur, the co-author of The Truth Pill: The Myth of Drug Regulation in India and a former pharma executive, said its difficult to name one large Indian generics manufacturer that hasnt been cited by the FDA in recent years. We have taken swift action to comprehensively address all observations and are taking comprehensive measures to ensure compliance with all regulations, a Lupin spokesperson said. The company is committed to maintaining the highest standards of quality and compliance in all our manufacturing processes. At a factory run by Lupin Ltd., one of Indias top five listed drugmakers by market value, FDA inspectors in March said in a report obtained by Bloomberg News through a FOIA request that the sites staff only investigated 48 breakdown notifications out of 1,759 between January 2019 and March 2023. The facility is in Pithampur, in central India. Document Shredding Cipla Ltd., a storied Mumbai-based drugmaker that pioneered the sale of cheap HIV drugs across Africa, received more than 3,000 US patient complaints since 2020 for an unidentified product made at its factory in central India, the FDA found. But the agencys inspectors only discovered the complaints in February when they visited the facility, according to an audit released under FOIA and reviewed by Bloomberg News. The same Cipla plant was also cited for failing to retain original records. Inspectors observed a truck loaded with bags of scrap and documents marked for shredding. In February, the companys shares fell the most in nearly two years after Cipla notified Indian stock exchanges about eight potential violations flagged by the FDA. Nine out of 10 of those were related to the products performance, the inspectors wrote, adding that staff failed to implement effective corrective actions to reduce complaints. The spokesperson added that none of the scrap documents were so-called good manufacturing practice records or contained sensitive information and that an independent party is reviewing Ciplas documentation practices. The FDA inspection record doesnt clarify whether agency personnel halted shredding or simply observed the documents. We have examined all data pertaining to our drug performance and have determined that the products in the market are safe and efficacious for use, a Cipla spokesperson said. In addition, following the audit we have further strengthened our processes and controls to better handle complaints and are working closely with the regulatory authorities on our recommended corrective and preventive actions. Significant Violations One of the most impacted firms has been Sun Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd. the countrys largest drugmaker by revenue. In December, the FDA wrote to billionaire owner Dilip Shanghvi to summarize significant violations at Suns plant in Halol, in western India, where capsule samples failed to meet dissolution specifications. The agency placed the factory under an import alert, meaning US-destined products may be detained without inspection and are subject to heightened scrutiny. Sun Pharma said US supplies from the Halol site accounted for about 3% of consolidated revenue in the year through March 2022 and 14 of their products were excluded from the import alert, subject to certain conditions. Last year, the company said its committed to compliance. On a call with industry analysts at the end of January, Shanghvi said the Halol plant continues to export to other countries. That came after auditors discovered water leaks and equipment used to manufacture drugs that werent adequately cleaned and maintained, according to the letter. One staff member running visual quality checks since 2014 had repeatedly failed to identify defects, according to an earlier audit report reviewed by Bloomberg News. After the inspection, Sun Pharma later recalled batches of injectable medroxyprogesterone acetate, a hormonal birth control, as well as testosterone cypionate injections. In a letter from the FDA to Sun Pharma, which Bloomberg News obtained through a FOIA request, the US agency listed three significant violations at the Mohali factory. The issues highlighted were inadequate investigations into unexplained drug discrepancies; a failure to document or justify deviations from laboratory control mechanisms; and the manufacturing of a drug for chronic angina through 2021 to 2022 despite failing dissolution results. But in April, Sun Pharma notified Indias stock exchanges that the FDA had asked for corrective actions in another one of its plants before exporting products to the US this one in Mohali, in northern India. The firms shares fell the most in four months after the disclosure. We are taking all necessary steps to resolve the outstanding issues as fast as possible, said a Sun Pharma spokesperson. Sun Pharma notified the stock exchanges that it would hire independent manufacturing auditors and temporarily halt shipments to the US. The FDA letter also gives additional information about the timeline: Sun Pharma must seek the agencys sign-off on drug batches the company plans to export for at least 12 months. Beyond safety, the problems could also come with a cost to Indias drug manufacturers and disrupt supplies in the US. Analysts from Nomura Holdings Inc. estimate the affected Mohali factory alone contributes $100 million to $150 million in annual sales to Sun Pharmas US business. After talks with EU officials in Sweden on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the Western partners felt the fierce urgency to act following the emergence of the technology, in which China has been a growing force. The European Union and United States said they expect to draft a voluntary code of conduct on artificial intelligence within weeks with the hope that fellow democracies will sign on. European Commission Vice President Margrethe Vestager added that a draft would be put forward within weeks. The voluntary code would be open to all like-minded countries, Blinken told reporters. Theres almost always a gap when new technologies emerge, Antony Blinken said, with the time it takes for governments and institutions to figure out how to legislate or regulate. She voiced hope to do that in the broadest possible circle with our friends in Canada, in the UK, in Japan, in India, bringing as many onboard as possible. We think its really important that citizens can see that democracies can deliver, she said. Also Read OpenAI CEO plans expansion in Japan after meeting PM Fumio Kishida Microsoft may add OpenAI writing technology to Office, other apps OpenAI to soon monetise ChatGPT platform with a paid professional version Microsoft to add OpenAI's bot ChatGPT in Azure cloud services soon OpenAI launches new tool 'AI Text Classifier' to detect AI-generated text Amazon to pay $31 mn in privacy violation penalties for Alexa, Ring camera Humans exceeded 7 of 9 'safe limits' for life on planet: Research Meta-owned WhatsApp fined by Russia for not removing banned content: Report China's youth faces record high unemployment at 20.4% in April: Report Canada's new process to welcome skilled workers as permanent residents The forum was set up in 2021 to ease trade friction after the turbulent presidency of Donald Trump but has since set its sights largely on artificial intelligence. Sam Altman, whose firm OpenAI created the popular AI-driven ChatGPT bot, took part in the talks of the Trade and Technology Council between the EU and the United States, this year hosted in the northern Swedish city of Lulea. But in order to seize the opportunities it presents, we must mitigate its risks, it said. In a joint statement, the two sides called AI a transformative technology with great promise for our people, offering opportunities to increase prosperity and equity. It said that experts from the two sides would work on cooperation on AI standards and tools for trustworthy AI and risk management. The European Union and the United States reaffirm their commitment to a risk-based approach to AI to advance trustworthy and responsible AI technologies. China has also discussed regulations but Western powers fear that Beijing, with its growing prowess in the field and willingness to export to fellow authoritarian countries, could set global standards without Western unity. The EU has been moving forward on the worlds first regulations on AI which would ban biometric surveillance and ensure human control, although the rules would not enter into force before 2025 at the earliest. Technology leaders, including Altman, in a joint statement on Tuesday warned that AI put the world at risk without regulation. The United States has made no serious effort to regulate AI despite rising calls, including by some in the tech industry. The German government would close four out of the five Russian consulates in the country by revoking their licenses after Moscow limited the number of German officials in Russia, according to the German Federal Foreign Office. The Russian embassy in Berlin, as well as one consulate general, will continue to operate. The measures will take effect from the end of the year, the office said. At the same time, Germany's Foreign Office also announced it is closing down three of its consulates general in Russia, Xinhua news agency reported. Regarding Russia's diplomatic presence in Germany, the "decision applies reciprocally to ensure a balance of the two sides' presence, both in terms of personnel and structure," the foreign office said. On April 22, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it had notified German Ambassador to Russia Geza Andreas von Geyr that the maximum number of German diplomatic staff in Russia would be "significantly" limited in response to Germany's "hostile" actions. Germany and Russia have repeatedly expelled each other's diplomats. However, the situation has worsened considerably since the start of the crisis in Ukraine, which led to massive sanctions against Russia by the EU. Also Read Here's a look at companies leaving Russia and those staying back Russia-Ukraine war cost world economy $1.6 trn in 2022, says study Hockey World Cup final, Germany vs Belgium: Germans out to stop Red Lions G7 nations agree to short-term gas investments amid Russia-Ukraine war Ukraine, World Bank agree on $6 bn recovery programme amid Russia war Lanka central bank unexpectedly cuts rates by 250 bps as inflation eases China's factory activity swings to surprise growth in May: Caixin PMI Investors relieved as US House passes debt ceiling Bill; Senate in focus Here's how a covert relationship with Taliban backfired for US ally Pak Elon Musk again becomes World's richest person as Arnault's LVMH sinks --IANS int/khz/ Former Vice President Mike Pence will officially launch his widely expected campaign for the Republican nomination for president in Iowa next week, adding another candidate to the growing GOP field and putting him in direct competition with his former boss. Pence will hold a kickoff event in Des Moines on June 7, the date of his 64th birthday, according to two people familiar with his plans who spoke on condition of anonymity to share details ahead of the official announcement. He'll also release a video message as part of the launch. His team sees early-voting Iowa as critical to his potential path to victory and advisers say he plans to campaign aggressively for the state's conservative, Evangelical Christian voters. The campaign is expected to lean heavily on town halls and retail stops aimed at showcasing Pence's personality as he tries to emerge from former President Donald Trump's shadow. The week will be a busy one for GOP announcements. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is planning to launch his campaign Tuesday evening at a town hall event in New Hampshire and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum will announce on June 7 in Fargo. Also Read DeSantis starts presidential campaign in Iowa, steps up criticism of Trump Tornadoes strike Arkansas, Illinois, leave 18 dead, dozens injured Appeals court rejects Donald Trump effort to block Pence testimony DeSantis's presidential campaign launch on Twitter plagued with glitches US Senator Tim Scott announces his candidacy for 2024 US presidential run Xi Jinping asks top security officials to brace for worst-case scenarios Pakistan Navy chief calls for innovations in defence technologies US set to allow GE to make engines in India for New Delhi's military jets Out of 343 CEOs in S&P 500 companies, only 20 were women, shows study Singapore Airlines to offer free wifi in all cabin classes from July 1 In the six weeks since the Sudan conflict broke out, more than 1.2 million people were displaced from their homes, UN humanitarians said. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Wednesday that the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) based its tally on preliminary reports from field teams, while additional displaced are likely to emerge as humanitarian access improves, Xinhua news agency reported. "Meanwhile, we and our partners continue to deliver aid wherever and whenever we can," OCHA said. "The World Food Programme (WFP) has started distributions in Khartoum state, reaching some 15,000 people trapped in Omdurman with emergency food." Across Sudan, WFP reached more than 7,82,000 people with food and nutrition support over the past four weeks, the humanitarian office said. The agency also provides emergency telecommunications services to all UN agencies and the wider humanitarian community in Sudan, where basic connectivity remains challenging. Also Read Despite ceasefire, Sudan sees acute shortages of essentials, says UN India supports peace process and capacity building in South Sudan Death toll due to unrest in Sudan reaches 270, over 2,600 injured: WHO Sudan extends airspace closure to June 15 amid continued armed conflict 413 people have died in ongoing Sudan conflict so far, informs WHO N Korean leader's sister slams US for criticising failed satellite launch Sudan extends airspace closure to June 15 amid continued armed conflict Afghanistan's acting FM Amir Khan Muttaqi terms world's sanctions 'cruel' Germany to shut down 4 Russian consulates as Moscow limits German officials Lanka central bank unexpectedly cuts rates by 250 bps as inflation eases The UN Population Fund supplies life-saving medicines and reproductive health supplies to the maternity hospital in Wad Medani in Al-Jazirah state, OCHA said. Medical teams at the hospital also provide reproductive health services to women and girls who have fled from the capital, Khartoum. --IANS int/khz/ More than 300 firefighters from the United States and South Africa are heading to Canada in the coming days to help the country battle an unprecedented wildfire season. Federal officials said on Thursday that at least 100 US firefighters will be arriving in Nova Scotia over the weekend to help knock down out-of-control wildfires that have forced about 21,000 people from their homes since Sunday. Another 200 firefighters arriving from South Africa will likely end up in Alberta, though officials say the wildfire situation in the country is fluid. In Nova Scotia, two major fires that remain out of control one in suburban Halifax, the other in the southwestern corner of the province have already destroyed at least 200 homes and cottages. Still, fire officials announced on Thursday that the fire near Halifax had been 50 per cent contained, and that it had not grown on Wednesday. The latest contingent of arriving international firefighters will be joining hundreds of their colleagues from countries including the United States, Australia and New Zealand who already were in Canada battling fires. Also Read 13 dead in Chile amid struggle to contain over 150 raging wildfires Excessive methane emitted from mega wildfires fuels vicious cycle: Study Canada sets goal to conserve 30% land-water by 2030 for sustainability Globally, wildfires cost $50 bn every year; AI can help fight them: WEF Smoke particles from wildfires can cause erosion in ozone layer: Research US manufacturing dips for seventh straight month in May; employment rises Bernard regains world's richest person title, Musk slips to 2nd place Recession already here, as earnings shrink and Wall St fears worse to come Euro stabalises near two-month low as inflation drops in relief for ECB NATO presses Turkey to drop objections to Sweden's membership as meet nears Officials say the number of fires so far this year is roughly on par with 10-year averages, but the amount of land devoured by those fires approximately 27,000 square kilometers (104,000 square miles) and counting is unprecedented. Officials say firefighters are now dealing with parched conditions, rising temperatures and mounting wind speeds, which will make for a volatile environment for wildfires. The federal government said on Wednesday night it approved the Nova Scotia government's desperate plea for help, and the Canadian Armed Forces is preparing help with logistics and resources to fight fires and hot spots. Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says it is a simple fact that Canada is seeing the impacts of climate change, which can include more frequent and more extreme wildfires. Much of the province experienced a very mild winter with very little snowfall, and there hasn't been any significant rainfall in the past 12 days. As well, April was the driest month on record at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport. There have been no deaths or injuries as a result of the fires. Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' on Thursday urged India to bilaterally resolve the lingering border issues between the nations. He made these comments in a joint statement along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after their bilateral talks in the national capital. "I urge PM Modi, to resolve the border issues with bilateral talks," Prachanda said. The Nepal Prime Minister's comments were in the context of territorial disputes between the two countries over the Kalapani-Limpiyadhura-Lipulekh tri-junction area, over which both the nations claim ownership. He also extended an invitation to Modi to visit Nepal. "I have extended a cordial invitation to Prime Minister Modi to visit Nepal. I look forward to welcoming him in Nepal," Prachanda said during the joint press meet at Hyderabad House in Delhi. Also Read Nepal's PM to expand cabinet, Congress to get key ministerial portfolios Nepal PM Prachanda to embark on 4-day official visit to India on May 31 Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' takes oath as Nepal's new prime minister Nepal seeks to sign electricity deal with India during Prachanda's visit Political turbulence in 2022 turned rivals into allies in Nepal NATO presses Turkey to drop objections to Sweden's membership as meet nears What is HMPV? The infectious respiratory disease spiking this year in US Job search engine ZipRecruiter lays off 20% of global workforce Russian bombardment of Ukraine's capital kills at least 3, wounds others Canada's real GDP grew by 0.2% in April, 0.8% in first quarter this year --IANS ans/kvd Pakistan is proud of its long-standing association and contribution to the UN peacekeeping operations, Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar said. The Minister made the remarks in an event marking the 75th anniversary of UN peacekeeping, organised in collaboration with the UN, in the Pakistani Foreign Ministry, the Ministry said on Wednesday in a statement. Khar paid tribute to the services and sacrifices rendered by UN peacekeepers for advancing the shared goals of peace all over the world and reaffirmed Pakistan's strong commitment to and support for the UN peacekeeping and peacebuilding architecture, Xinhua news agency reported. "Today we are celebrating the more than 80,000 brave peacekeepers -- women and men -- who are carrying out the extremely important task of creating peace around the world," said Knut Ostby, Resident Representative in Pakistan of the UN Development Programme, who spoke on behalf of the UN. Pakistan is among the largest troop-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping with nearly 4,334 military and police personnel currently serving in nine locations around the world, said the Ministry. The event paid homage to the more than 200,000 Pakistani personnel who have served in 46 UN Missions since 1960, including 171 who lost their lives, according to the Ministry. Also Read India major partner in UN's strategy for digitisation in peacekeeping World sees Pakistan as 'epicentre' of terrorism, says EAM Jaishankar Peacekeeping missions should not exist in perpetuity: India to UN Pak PM Sharif, Hina Khar's discussion on US-China tussle leaked: Report Travel to India proved productive for Pakistan: Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari China alleges 'discriminatory treatment' of its journalists in India Contaminated drugs: USFDA uncovers failures in India's pharma factories US House passes debt-limit deal easing default concerns; Bill now in Senate Mike Pence to launch campaign for US president polls in Iowa June 7 Xi Jinping asks top security officials to brace for worst-case scenarios --IANS int/khz/ Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was meeting in South Africa with counterparts from the BRICS economic bloc of developing nations for discussions Thursday that will start with an exchange of views on major geopolitical issues, including the war in Ukraine, South Africa's ambassador to the bloc said. Most of the BRICS countries differ sharply from the position of the US and its Western allies on the war. Speaking ahead of the meeting, the South African ambassador, Anil Sooklal, referred to the West's military aid to Ukraine as one of the things that fuels the conflict. Any endeavour that fuels the conflict does not solve the problem," Sooklal said when asked for his reaction to Western attempts to transfer weapons to Ukraine. We do not know of any global conflict that has been solved though war, he said. All it does is cause more pain and suffering and, as BRICS countries, this is what we are saying: Let's focus on finding a peaceful resolution to the challenges, rather than fuelling the conflict. The BRICS bloc is made of up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The meeting of foreign ministers Thursday is a precursor to a larger BRICS summit scheduled for August in Johannesburg. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been invited to attend the summer summit, but it's unclear if he will. A visit by the Russian leader would put huge diplomatic pressure on South Africa. The country is a signatory to the treaty of the International Criminal Court, which has issued an arrest warrant for Putin on allegations of war crimes for the abduction of children from Ukraine. 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Rather, the government has said that it is taking legal advice on its options, a move seen by critics as an attempt to find a way out of its clear obligation to arrest Putin as a signatory to the international court's treaty. Allowing Putin to travel freely for the summit would likely further strain South Africa's relationship with the West following U.S. allegations that South Africa has provided Russia with weapons for its war in Ukraine. South Africa has denied the allegation. Lavrov had official talks in at least three African countries on his way to South Africa, and his participation was clearly central to the BRICS talks taking place at a luxury Cape Town hotel that looks out over the South Atlantic Ocean. Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who was expected to attend, sent his deputy instead, South Africa's foreign ministry said, but all the other foreign ministers were present. The expansion of the BRICS bloc, and with it a possible strengthening of Russian and Chinese political and economic influence, is also a key topic for discussion, both at the meeting of the foreign ministers and the main BRICS summit in August. Sooklal said that more than 20 countries had formally or informally requested to join the BRICS bloc, among them Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates, who had submitted official requests. A bloc containing China, Russia and three of the largest oil-producing nations in the world could be seen as a direct economic challenge to the U.S., some analysts have said, as well as providing some sort of counter to the Group of Seven advanced economies. With South Africa as the current chair of BRICS, Sooklal said he had prepared a report on possible new members and the process to admit them. That report will go to Lavrov and the other foreign ministers for them to give guidance on how to move forward with any expansion. Foreign ministers from at least 15 other countries from the Global South were invited to a second BRICS meeting in Cape Town on Friday. Sooklal said one of the bloc's stated aims was to address the major fault lines in the geopolitical front and the economic front that was partly caused by an outdated international system. This is what BRICS has been championing since its founding," Sooklal said. That we need a reformed, transformed multilateral system, one that speaks to the current challenges that we are facing and one that is inclusive and that is fair and just and does not marginalize the majority of the global population." The majority of the Global South feels that our institutions need reform and that their voices are also equally heard within this context. US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin stressed the importance of communication during a stopover with talks Thursday in Tokyo, calling it unfortunate that his Chinese counterpart refused to meet him at an annual security conference in Singapore, which both men are attending. On the way to the annual Shangri-La Dialogue Asian security summit this weekend, Austin held talks with Japanese Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada. Noting China's increasingly assertive military actions in international airspace and waterways in the region, he told a joint news conference in Tokyo, The provocative intercepts of our aircraft and also our allies' aircraft, that's very concerning, and we would hope that they would alter their action. The United States military said Tuesday that a Chinese fighter jet flew aggressively close to a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft over the South China Sea, forcing the American pilot to fly through the turbulent wake. I'm concerned about at some point having an incident that could very, very quickly spiral out of control, Austin said. I would welcome any opportunity to engage with leadership. I think defence departments should be talking to each other on a routine basis or should have open channels for communication. Although Beijing said there will be no meeting between Austin and his Chinese counterpart at the security summit, Hamada is expected to attend and meet with Chinese Minister of National Defence Li Shangfu on the sidelines. Japan and China set up a defence hotline in March to improve communication and avoid accidental encounters in the tense region, and Hamada and Li recently held their first telephone talks on the hotline. Also Read North Korea fires missile that may have been a new type of weapon North Korea confirms ICBM test, warns of more powerful steps against rivals China says it successfully conducted mid-course missile interception test Singapore arrivals two-thirds pre-Covid level as Indian visitors surge 350% North Korea tests solid-fuel ICBM to improve nuclear counterattack power Lower emissions during Covid-19 pandemic led to increased warming: Study SaaS platform Zendesk lays off 8% of workforce due to macroeconomic issues 1 in 6 unvaccinated people suffer poor health two years after Covid Meta threatens to block news on FB, Instagram if California bill passes Anti-harassment service 'Block Party' exits Twitter amid API modifications Washington and Beijing have yet to hold such a talk, and when Austin phoned their crisis line in February, the call went unanswered. We need to strengthen our cooperation of Japan-U.S., and Japan-U.S.-South Korea, Hamada said Thursday. The two criticized North Korea's failed rocket launch Wednesday for using ballistic missile technology that's prohibited under United Nations' Security Council resolutions, and affirmed further cooperation between them and with South Korea in case of another launch attempt. Ties between Japan and South Korea have improved rapidly in recent months under Washington's pressure in the face of growing regional threats from China, North Korea and Russia. Tokyo and Seoul are also discussing real-time sharing of North Korea's missile launch data. Austin said the United States stands with Japan and South Korea in the face of Pyongyang's provocations and that the United States will take all necessary measures to secure to ensure the security of our homeland in the defence of our allies. Austin and Hamada agreed to strengthen extended deterrence for Japan, which includes U.S. nuclear weapons. I am here to reaffirm America's unwavering commitment to Japan. This includes extended deterrence and provided by the full range of U.S. conventional and nuclear capabilities," Austin said. The two ministers also agreed to step up and expand their defence industries and strengthen multinational formats, including with South Korea, Australia, the Philippines and India to reinforce their Indo-Pacific security cooperation. Under its new security strategy issued in December, Japan pledged a military buildup that includes strike capabilities and doubling defence spending a break from its postwar self-defence-only principle. By Trevor Hunnicutt, Krishn Kaushik and Rajesh Kumar Singh WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The Biden administration is poised to sign off on a deal that would allow General Electric Co to produce jet engines powering Indian military aircraft in that country, according to three people briefed on the decision. A deal finalizing the joint production of the engines is expected to be inked and announced by the time President Joe Biden hosts Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an official state visit on June 22, the people said on condition of anonymity because the decision has not been made public. The White House, which said in January that it had received the application to jointly produce the engines in India, declined to comment. GE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Washington is working to deepen ties with the world's largest democracy and sees deeper military-to-military and technology ties with the South Asian country as a key counterweight to China's dominance in the region. India, the world's largest arm importer, depends on Russia for nearly half its military supplies, and has bought fighter jets, tanks, nuclear submarines and an aircraft carrier over the decades. Also Read Stealthy, speedy, precise: What are fifth-generation fighter jets? Air India nears historic order for up to 500 jets from Airbus and Boeing Harris to be 1st woman to give commencement speech at US Military Academy Two B1 heavy bomber jets of US to join exercise in India for first time 45 fighter jets including Sukhois, Rafales perform during 74th R-Day Parade Out of 343 CEOs in S&P 500 companies, only 20 were women, shows study Singapore Airlines to offer free wifi in all cabin classes from July 1 Pay packages shrink for the few women who sit atop S&P 500 firms European Union for greater transparency for default swaps on 8 banks China woos Jamie Dimon, elon Musk in search of economic boosters New Delhi has frustrated Washington by participating in military exercises with Russia and increasing purchases of the country's crude oil, a key source of funding for Moscow's war in Ukraine. India's state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) had previously said it planned to use the GE-manufactured 414 engine on a second generation of light-combat aircraft and that it was in talks over domestic production of those engines. The deal is not finalized and also requires notification to the U.S. Congress, according to two of the people briefed on the arrangement. Washington maintains strict controls over what domestic military technology can be shared or sold to other countries. A broader joint partnership between the United States and India announced earlier this year is designed to encourage companies from both countries to collaborate, especially on military equipment and cutting-edge technology. While GE has offered some transfer of technology to HAL, which will produce the engines as a licensed manufacturer, India is pushing for more technology to be shared, according to one of the people with knowledge of the conversations. India is keen to get the know-how to make aircraft engines. Though it can manufacture fighter jets domestically, it lacks the ability to produce engines to power them. HAL is using a lighter GE engine for the 83 light combat aircraft it is manufacturing for the Indian air force. However, India intends to produce more than 350 fighter jets for its air force and navy over the next two decades, which could be powered by the GE 414. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington, Krishn Kaushik in New Delhi and Rajesh Kumar Singh in Chicago; Edited by Heather Timmons and Jamie Freed) Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported an increase in HMPV cases nationwide. Although Covid-19 and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) cases are decreasing, another respiratory virus known as human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, is spreading across the United States. What is HMPV? The organisation said that at its peak in mid-March, nearly 11 per cent of tested specimens were positive for HMPV, a number that's about 36 per cent higher than the average pre-pandemic levels. Why are people talking about HMPV? The HMPV, discovered in 2001, is a paramyxovirus, a type of virus that causes various common infections. Other paramyxoviruses include parainfluenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), measles, and mumps. Also Read H3N2 influenza: Symptoms, spread, prevention, what do experts say? Covid's omicron variant, thought to be milder, can increase diabetes risk India introduces new Covid-19 rules for travellers from six countries Covid-19 cases in India at four-month high: Everything you need to know Centre tells states to conduct Covid mock drills in hospitals as cases rise Job search engine ZipRecruiter lays off 20% of global workforce Russian bombardment of Ukraine's capital kills at least 3, wounds others Canada's real GDP grew by 0.2% in April, 0.8% in first quarter this year US defense chief calls China's refusal to meet during unfortunate Lower emissions during Covid-19 pandemic led to increased warming: Study Virus experts believe the increase in various viruses, including RSV, is the result of Covid-19 lockdowns and masking. Cases of HMPV, like other respiratory illnesses, have been on the rise. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported unusual spikes in cases across the United States last month. What are the symptoms of HPMV? Small interactions with viruses prime our system to handle future virus exposures better. However, after years of masking and social distancing in school, children have fewer biological defences to combat multiple viruses simultaneously. Is HPMV ever serious? The virus, which is most common in the winter and spring, primarily affects the upper respiratory tract, causing nasal congestion, coughing, shortness of breath, and fever. It lasts three to seven days on average, depending on severity. In some cases, it can spread to the lower respiratory tract, resulting in a more serious illness such as bronchiolitis, which causes swelling, irritation, mucus buildup in the lungs, or pneumonia, Monica Gandhi, an infectious-disease expert at the University of California, San Francisco told the Washington Post. Human metapneumovirus is typically mild but can have serious consequences in young children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems. How is HPMV transmitted? According to the CDC, HPMV is spread through airborne particles produced by coughing or sneezing, physical contact with a person who has the virus, or handling contaminated objects and then touching the eyes, mouth, or nose. In one study, asymptomatic human metapneumovirus infections accounted for at least 38 per cent of infections. The virus can spread even when people are asymptomatic. Is a vaccine available? What is the treatment for HMPV? Human metapneumovirus has no vaccine, and treatment is limited to supportive care. Although it is uncommon, Schaffner stated that in severe cases of people having difficulty breathing, "we can put them in an intensive care unit and treat them there," but most people recover independently. "We try to make you feel better and ensure that your breathing is okay while your body fights off the virus," said William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases and preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University. Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged his top national security officials to consider "worst-case" scenarios and prepare for "stormy seas," as the governing Communist Party intensifies efforts to tackle perceived internal and external threats, CNN reported. At a meeting of the party's National Security Commission, Xi said, "The complexity and difficulty of the national security issues we now face have increased significantly," as per the state news agency Xinhua. He added, "We must adhere to bottom-line thinking and worst-case-scenario thinking, and get ready to undergo the major tests of high winds and rough waves, and even perilous, stormy seas." The new stern instructions from Xi come as the country faces a slew of challenges, ranging from a faltering economy to an increasingly hostile foreign environment. Faced with a "complex and grave" scenario, Xi stated that China must accelerate the upgrading of its national security system and capabilities, with an emphasis on making them more effective in "actual combat and practical use". He also urged China to accelerate the development of a national security risk monitoring and early warning system, increase national security education, and strengthen data and artificial intelligence security management. Also Read Scammers target WhatsApp users with phishing calls from foreign shores Dollar steady as volatile markets brace for payroll data, Swiss franc jumps President Xi Jinping, a princeling turned Mao 2.0 in China's 'new era' India needs to start thinking about TSA security at airports: Aviation Secy Jinping says China faces 'new Covid situation', calls for targeted measures Pakistan Navy chief calls for innovations in defence technologies US set to allow GE to make engines in India for New Delhi's military jets Out of 343 CEOs in S&P 500 companies, only 20 were women, shows study Singapore Airlines to offer free wifi in all cabin classes from July 1 Pay packages shrink for the few women who sit atop S&P 500 firms Ever since Xi came to power a decade ago, he made national security a key paradigm that permeates all aspects of China's governance, CNN reported quoting experts. He has expanded the definition of national security to cover everything from politics to economics, defence, culture, and ecology, as well as cyberspace. It includes everything from the deep sea and the polar regions to big data and artificial intelligence. China has implemented a raft of legislation to safeguard itself against perceived dangers under Xi's concept of "comprehensive national security," including laws on counter-terrorism, counter-espionage, cybersecurity, foreign non-governmental organisations, national intelligence, and data security. It recently broadened the ambit of its already extensive counter-espionage legislation from state secrets and intelligence to any "documents, data, materials, or items related to national security and interests." "Everything in Xi's PRC is national security and there is an intensifying focus on better coordinating security and development, with the security side winning out over the economics side it appears," Bill Bishop, a long-time China observer, wrote in the Sinocism newsletter, referring to China with its official name, the People's Republic of China, reported CNN. Beijing implemented a broad national security measure in Hong Kong to quell dissent after massive democracy rallies roiled the city. The idea that security has surpassed economic growth as Beijing's main priority has been exacerbated by a series of recent raids on foreign firms, including American consulting company Bain & Company and due diligence firm Mintz Group. The raids have alarmed overseas corporations at a time when China is attempting to entice foreign investment to help resuscitate a sluggish economy crippled by three years of zero-Covid restrictions. In March, Chinese officials arrested a Japanese Astellas Pharma employee in Beijing on suspicion of espionage, making him the 17th Japanese national jailed in China since the counter-espionage law was enacted in 2014. At Tuesday's meeting, Xi also said that China must proactively shape a "secured external environment" to better maintain the security of the country's "opening up" and "promote the deep integration of development and security," CNN reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took his quest for more arms and support to a sprawling summit of some 50 European leaders in Moldova on Thursday, ending up the focal point of an event that seeks to quell regional conflicts and shore up unity in the face of Russia's war. The meeting of the pan-continental European Political Community, which embraces all European nations other than Russia and Belarus, gathered the heads of state and government from 47 countries but its attention was on the continent's south and east a region pushed to a turning point in its relationship with Moscow because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year. After a day of talks in the Moldovan countryside, Zelenskyy said the best security guarantee for Ukraine was membership in NATO and the European Union, and that any proposed peace plans to bring the war to an end could not take into account Russian concerns. There is an aggressor in this war and there is a victim," Zelenskyy told reporters. A peace plan cannot be prepared by the aggressor. The 27-nation EU hoped to use the summit to reach out to many Eastern European countries that spent decades either within the Soviet Union or under its immediate sphere of influence, and to bolster the continent's unified response to Russian aggression. The choice to hold the summit in Moldova, a former Soviet republic of around 2.6 million people, is seen as a message to the Kremlin both from the EU and the pro-Western Moldovan government, which received EU candidate status in June of last year at the same time as Ukraine. Also Read Moldova protesters want energy subsidies amid cost-of-living crisis US to provide $30 million in aid to Moldova hit hard by war in Ukraine Fans barred from European soccer game in Moldova amid Russian plot fear Romania, Moldova both report mysterious balloon-like objects in their skies Zelenskyy says war with Russia ends with Ukraine's sovereignty restored Debt ceiling deal advances pipeline and tweaks rules, but more work remains Pak's annual inflation rises to record 37.97% YoY in May: Official data Meet with V-P, 16-course meal: Tesla CEO Elon Musk's China diary Russia says US accessed thousands of Apple's phones in a spy plot Reforms must for Sri Lanka's economic recovery: President Wickremesinghe The summit's venue is only 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Ukrainian border, and Moldova's president, Maia Sandu, has warned of plots by Moscow to overthrow her government using external saboteurs. As Europe's poorest country which is cradled by Ukraine on three sides, Moldova aspires to join the EU by the end of the decade, and has consistently signaled its support for Ukraine and taken in refugees fleeing the war. Late in the summit, Sandu said her country was on an irreversible path to joining the European Union, and that she and her European partners had told Zelenskyy that "we will stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes. Zelenskyy was the first foreign leader to arrive at Thursday's summit venue, a 19th-century castle and vineyard around 35 kilometers (21 miles) from the capital, Chisinau. Dressed in his trademark olive green shirt and cargo pants, he sought to dispel doubts about his country's accession to the EU and NATO, and told the assembled leaders that such doubts would be exploited by Moscow. Since the start of the invasion, he said, the limits of security in Europe have in fact been the limits of our determination, our ability to act together for the sake of the interests of our peoples and the whole of Europe. As much as we can reject doubt, we can reject the evil of aggression. Zelenskyy urged a continuation of Western military aid to Ukraine, saying it was saving lives and literally accelerating peace. He insisted that all countries that border Russia should be full members of the EU and NATO, since Moscow tries to swallow only those who are outside of the common security space. When there are no security guarantees, there are only war guarantees, he said. Other summit participants include German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Scholz and Macron joined European Council President Charles Michel for one of the summit's major meetings: discussions with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, two former Soviet Caucasian neighbor nations that have fought wars over a contested territory. Recent negotiations between the two nations over the territorial dispute had raised hopes that a breakthrough could come at the Moldova summit. But following the talks, a new round of negotiations was announced for July in Brussels. Also on the agenda was the recent flareup in ethnic tensions between neighboring Serbia and Kosovo, whose leaders attended the summit. NATO has announced it will send 700 more troops to northern Kosovo to help quell violent protests after clashes with ethnic Serbs there left 30 international soldiers wounded this week. The latest violence in the region has stirred fear of a renewal of the 1998-99 conflict in Kosovo that claimed more than 10,000 lives, left more than 1 million people homeless and resulted in a NATO peacekeeping mission that has lasted nearly a quarter of a century. Speaking to reporters in Oslo on Thursday, U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Kosovo and Serbia to take immediate steps to de-escalate tensions and make a real effort on normalization agreements. We support the process of European integration for Kosovo and Serbia but the current escalation hinders, rather than helps, the efforts in that direction, Blinken said from an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in the Norwegian capital. We're looking for both to act responsibly. Axelspace Corporation (Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Yuya Nakamura), a pioneer in microsatellites, announces its new management structure as of June 1, 2023. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230531006007/en/ New Management Team Members: Front Row, Left to Right: Atsushi Yasuoka (Head of AxelLiner Business Division), Yuya Nakamura (CEO) , Daigo Orihara (CFO), Tatsuhiko Fukasawa (Head of AxelGlobe Business Division). Back Row, Left to Right: Yusuke Nakanishi (CSSO), Ryuichi Kokubo (Co-CTO/Information Technology), Takashi Eishima (Co-CTO/Aerospace Engineering), Makiko Hamada (CHRO), Sasaki (CISO), Yoshihiro Ota (CSO) (Photo: Business Wire) Axelspace announcement URL https://www.axelspace.com/news/20230601/ Background of Transition to New Management Structure Since our establishment in 2008 by a team of three members, our company has built a solid reputation by engaging in the development, manufacturing, and operation of nine microsatellites, including the world's first Arctic sea ice monitoring satellite WNISAT-1, and RAPIS-1, the first project entrusted by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to a space startup from development to operation. Our company's pioneering project, the "AxelGlobe" commercial Earth observation constellation business, the first of its kind in Japan, has expanded to a fleet of five satellites with the launch of four satellites in 2021. We are advancing its utilization in collaboration with over 80 partner companies worldwide, and have provided Earth observation data to hundreds of client companies for various applications. In order to further accelerate the societal implementation of space utilization services using microsatellites, we are exploring the possibility of going public and have overhauled our management structure, effective from our new fiscal year starting on June 1, 2023. Under the new structure, we will focus on driving DX to enable real-time visualization of conditions to allow for informed business decision-making, strengthen our HR functions to support the further expansion of our organization from our current count of over 130 members and to prepare for future overseas expansion, enact proactive security measures that enhance the safety and value of our operations, as well as foster the rapid growth of both AxelGlobe and AxelLiner businesses. Our company will celebrate its 15th anniversary in August of this year. Under the leadership of the new management team, we will continue to work as a unified team to pursue our vision of "Space within Your Reach. Furthermore, co-founder Naoki Miyashita will now be working as a researcher in the Intelligent Space Systems Laboratory of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the University of Tokyo, the same laboratory co-founders Yuya Nakamura and Takeshi Eishima were affiliated with previously, to conduct research on microsatellite architecture, etc. suitable for mass production. Miyashita will continue to be deeply involved in our satellite business as a technical advisor. Axelspace company information Location: Tokyo, Japan President and CEO: Yuya Nakamura Capital: 8,050 million yen (including capital reserve) Main business activities: Earth observation business using microsatellites, the proposal of solutions utilizing microsatellites, design, and manufacture of microsatellites and related components, launch arrangements for microsatellites, and operational support and commissioning. https://www.axelspace.com/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230531006007/en/ Dosti Realty News Summary Dosti Realty, synonymous with excellence in construction and innovation in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, has once again demonstrated its capabilities by launching its latest project - Dosti Greenscapes in Hadapsar, Pune, just 2 mins before Magarpatta city. The new launch involves the development of 10,51,300 sq. ft. of Rera carpet area and is looking at a top-line potential of Rs. 1,100 Crore. His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, today announced $2.7 billion in offtake agreements for the UAEs industrial sector in a move to boost local manufacturing, strengthen supply chains and attract international investors. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230531005894/en/ His Excellency Dr Sultan Al Jaber UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology (Photo: AETOSWire) Addressing the second Make it in the Emirates Forum, HE Dr. Al Jaber said the new set of procurement opportunities would build on the previous forums offtake agreements. One of the key achievements of last years forum was several leading national companies announcing their intention to invest $29.9 billion over the next decade to purchase 300 products from local manufacturers, HE Dr. Al Jaber said. I am pleased to share with you that in the first year alone, 28 percent of these offtake agreements have been implemented, representing a total value of $8.4 billion. HE Dr. Al Jaber also announced plans for more than 30 new industrial projects, representing more than $1.6 billion of investments. These projects include pioneering initiatives such as setting up the first hydrogen electrolyzer plant in the UAE, he said. $1.63 billion of financing solutions for the industrial sector were also announced along with 5,000 jobs for UAE nationals in industry through the Industrialist Program. HE Dr. Al Jaber added: I invite all attendees and participants to explore through this forum the incentives and enablers provided by various economic development departments, industrial and special zones, financing institutions, and national companies. The UAEs industrial exports reached $47.6 billion in 2022, growing 49 percent compared to 2021. The industrial sector's contribution to GDP rose to $49.5 billion in 2022, a 38 percent increase on 2020. The Make it in the Emirates Forum is organized by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) and ADNOC. Twitter: @moiatuae Instagram: @moiatuae Source: AETOSWire View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230531005894/en/ Chinese street food restaurant Noodlee has announced a 3m investment across Cork city and county as they are set to open 15 new stores of chain in the coming months, resulting in the creation of up to 200 jobs. Noodlee offers an extensive array of Chinese dishes that have been slightly modified to appeal to Irish and European taste pallets, with extensive vegan and vegetarian options available. Popular options currently include their famous authentic braised beef noodles and pulled beef noodles which are both served with their own special recipe house broth. Each Noodlee recipe has been created and developed by Chinese chefs and aim to provide a healthy, nutritious, affordable alternative option to the conventional Chinese takeaway options and other fast food outlets in Ireland. The decision to expand the brand further afield comes following the initial success of two of their stores one located in Avenue De Rennes in Mahon, and the flagship store next to UCC on Western Road. Three additional stores in Carrigaline, Fermoy and Mallow will open in the coming weeks. It is expected that Noodlee restaurants will open in Douglas, Ballincollig and Middleton shortly after their newest stores open, followed by an additional three stores in Blackpool, Mayfield and Cobh, with discussions continuing for other locations. Owner Song Ye says that the long-term goal for the brand is to become an international franchise with one Noodlee restaurant already in the UK, located in Nottingham. Noodlee in Chinese culture means Chinese street food and thats exactly what we are pioneering in all of our Cork restaurants," said Ye. "We believe this is the future for Asian and Chinese cuisine both in Ireland and internationally. People have become increasingly more health conscious in recent years and Noodlee represents a healthier and affordable nutritious option for takeaway food." Source: www.businessworld.ie Note: I like using Las Vegas as a measure of recovery for both leisure (visitors) and business (conventions). From the Las Vegas Visitor Authority: April 2023 Las Vegas Visitor Statistics Las Vegas hosted approximately 3,385,500 visitors in Apr 2023, on par with the robust volumes achieved last Apr when pentup demand overtook receding pandemic impacts. Overall hotel occupancy reached 84.3% for the month, similar to last Apr (+0.3 pts YoY). As Weekend occupancy (92.4%) saw a 0.8 pts YoY decline, Midweek occupancy approached 81%, surpassing last Apr by 1.5 pts. Overall ADR reached $171, down 3.3% from Apr 2022 while RevPAR exceeded $144, 3.0% YoY. Click on graph for larger image. The second graph shows convention traffic. Visitor traffic was up 0.1% compared to last April.The second graph shows convention traffic. The first graph shows visitor traffic for 2019 (Black), 2020 (light blue), 2021 (purple), 2022 (orange), and 2023 (red).Visitor traffic was down 4.4% compared to the same month in 2019.Convention traffic was down 30.2% compared to April 2019, and down 2.1% compared to April 2022.Note: There was almost no convention traffic from April 2020 through May 2021. Harare Town Clerk Engineer Hosiah Chisango, housing director Addmore Nhekairo and works director Engineer Isaac Chawatama have bounced back at Town House after having been on suspension since 2020. The trio had been suspended in line with a Ministry of Local Government and Public Works directive that any official with a pending court case be barred from performing council duties until acquitted by the courts. Eng Chisango, Eng Chawatama and Mr Nhekairo, who were all on suspension with benefits, have since been cleared of the criminal cases at court and are now at work. They all confirmed having resumed their duties. Contacted yesterday, Eng Chisango said he had since hit the ground running, focusing on stabilising human resources, revenue maximisation, regularisation, decentralisation as well as water, sanitation and hygiene in the face of the cholera outbreak. On regularisation of settlements, we want to have the council and Government approve settlements that can be regularised to enable beneficiaries to develop standard roads, water and sanitation infrastructure, he said. This will provide security of tenure to the beneficiaries as well as orderly settlements. Incorporating these settlements will increase the citys revenue base. Eng Chisango said on development of SMEs infrastructure, he wanted to champion construction of resilient infrastructure for the small to medium enterprises. I had initiated the construction of structures at the corner of Seke/Dieppe roads, Shawasha Grounds as well as rehabilitation of Mupedzanhamo market, he said. The aim is to decongest Mbare by decentralising markets across the city. Decentralisation this entails resuscitation of districts infrastructure such as workshops and to have functional and empowered teams at district offices so that residents can access all services at their districts. Eng Chisango said focus was also on stabilisation of human resources in view of the events of the last three years. There has been a lot of consternation among employees with accusations and counter accusations and a lot of factionalism, he said. My focus is to meld the groups into one functional administrative family that is focused on the service delivery agenda. Eng Chisango said the city had operated with a semi functional ERP and this resulted in huge revenue losses. It is urgent that the council resolves this issue to enhance integrity in all systems, he said. We were also preparing standard operating procedures for all council operations. The thrust is to finalise these processes. Eng Chisango said water supply, wastewater management and refuse collection were top on his agenda, especially at this time when cholera cases were on the rise as there will be capacitation of all units to ensure timely response to disruptions. He said will also push for critical projects that were being initiated by the mayor such as the rehabilitation and upgrading of Rufaro Stadium and community facilities such as swimming pools and libraries. I will pursue these projects to completion as they have a bearing on the mental health and well-being of our residents, especially the youths in these times of rampant substance abuse, he said. During suspension, Eng Chisango was being accused, along with Mr Nhekairo, of being implicated in the illegal creation and allocation of stands on an open space in Kuwadzana 3 in July 2019 without going through the legal process of changing land use. Mr Nhekairo also stood accused of allocating residential stands in Westlea to undeserving people who included police officers and a prosecutor, who were also arrested and charged. Eng Chawatama stood accused of allegedly failing to utilise $10 million disbursed by the Zimbabwe National Road Administration for roads rehabilitation on time, only to use it when it had devalued. Harare City Councils top brass has since been filled with substantive heads except for the offices of the finance director, chamber secretary and human capital development. Herald 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. 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June 2023 Important Days: Here's the Complete List June 1 - World Milk Day June 2Global Day of Parents June 3 - International Sex Workers' Day June 4 - Telangana Formation Day June 5 - World Bicycle Day June 6 - International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression June 7 - World Food Safety Day June 8 - World Brain Tumor Day June 8 - World Oceans Day June 12 - World Day Against Child Labour June 14 - World Blood Donor Day June 15 - World Wind Day June 16 - World Elder Abuse Awareness Day June 17 - World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought June 18 - Autistic Pride Day June 18 - Father's Day June 19 - World Sickle Cell Awareness Day June 19 - World Sauntering Day June 20 - World Refugee Day June 21 - World Music Day June 22 - World Hydrography Day June 23 - International Olympic Day June 23 - International Widows' Day June 26 - International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking June 26 - International Day in Support of Victims of Torture June 29 - International Day of the Tropics June 30 - World Asteroid Day June 1 - World Milk Day: It is celebrated to recognize the contribution of the dairy sector to sustainability, development, livelihood, and nutrition. June 1 - Global Day of Parents: This day is celebrated to recognize and honor the parents who have relentlessly supported and sacrificed for their children's well-being. June 2 - International Sex Workers' Day: This day is celebrated to raise awareness and advocate for the rights of sex workers worldwide. June 3 - World Bicycle Day: It acknowledges the affordability, environmental friendliness, and versatility of bicycles as a sustainable means of transportation. June 4 - International Day for Innocent Children Victims of Aggression: This day is observed by the United Nations to raise awareness about the physical, mental, and emotional abuse suffered by children worldwide. June 5 - World Environment Day: It is celebrated to address environmental issues and promote ecosystem restoration. June 7 - World Food Safety Day: This day highlights the importance of food safety and reducing the risk of food poisoning on a global awareness day. June 8 - World Brain Tumor Day: It is observed to raise awareness about brain tumors, promote research, and support individuals affected by this condition. June 8 - World Oceans Day: This day aims to safeguard our oceans by reducing plastic waste and promoting sustainable practices. June 8 - National Best Friend Day: This day celebrates the bond of friendship by appreciating and cherishing supportive best friends. The CGPSC Hostel Superintendent Recruitment 2023 Notification has been published on the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission's official website @psc.cg.gov.in. The CGPSC Hostel Superintendent Recruitment 2023 has been issued for the recruitment of 500 Hostel Superintendent Grade D positions. The Interested can fill out the application form for the CGPSC Hostel Superintendent Recruitment 2023, which begins on May 25, 2023, and ends on June 8, 2023. Overview Department/ Organization Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC) Post Name Hostel Superintendent Vacancy 500 Salary/ Pay Level Level-6 Application Mode Online Form Official Website psc.cg.gov.in. Notification To learn more about the recruitment procedure, aspirants should read the CGPSC Hostel Superintendent Recruitment 2023 Notification PDF How to Apply? First and foremost, review the comprehensive details about recruiting by clicking on the departmental advertisement link provided below. Then click on the link to the online form. The official website's main page will be accessible. On the main page, click the CGPSC State Service Prelims Online Form link. A new window will now open in front of you, in which you must fill out your application form. Pay the CGPSC State Service Exam Application Fee (Eligible Candidates). Finally, after you've submitted your work, print it off. Salary The Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC) will appoint candidates as Hostel Superintendent Grade 'D' in the Pay Matrix Level-6. They will also receive various perks under Chhattisgarh Government guidelines. The wait is almost over. Mitsubishi Motors has confirmed that the production version of the XFC Concept will be shown for the first time at... The 2023 Cannes Film Festival wrapped over the weekend, and Flora Anna Budas 27 won the festivals Palme dOr for a short film. Its the first animated short to win the award since Waves 98 did so in 2015. We spoke with Anna Buda before Cannes for the release of the 27 trailer. Explaining where the idea for the film came from, she told us, I was wondering, if I would direct a porn film, how could I cheat a little social sensitivity in the plot? In 27, the films protagonist Alice is celebrating her 27th birthday. An adult by almost any measure, she is suffocating a bit as she still lives with her parents and nosey younger brother. Feeling stuck, she regularly disappears into her dreams to escape her dreary everyday life. After a psychedelic party on a factory roof, she is involved in a serious drunken bike accident. But will a brush with death be enough for her to take control of her life? Buda is an animation film direction graduate of the prestigious Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME) in Budapest. This is Anna Budas second short to impress at a major festival. Her previous film, Entropia, won the Teddy for best short film and was nominated for the Golden Bear at Berlinale 2019, and later scored a special mention at GLAS in 2020. LafargeHolcim Maroc posts 3% advance in 1Q revenue ICR Newsroom By 01 June 2023 Holcim-owned LafargeHolcim Maroc has reported a three per cent uptick in revenues to MAD2131m (US$209.2m) in the first quarter of 2023 from MAD2077m in the year-ago period. Moroccos cement demand declined by 5.3 per cent to 3.248Mt in the January-March 2023 period when compared with the first three months of 2022, when consumption reached 3.248Mt. The companys debts fell by five per cent YoY to MAD4887m at 31 March 2023. Published under Kayasand receives NZD3.5m investment boost ICR Newsroom By 01 June 2023 Kayasand, a New Zealand distributor of sand manufacturing technology, is working to produce more sustainable concrete with up to 20 per cent less carbon emissions. To help achieve its aims, it has received NZD3.5m (US$2.1m) from New Zealand Green Investment Finance and NZD1.8m from private investors. The companys technology removes water and sand mining from the concrete equation, according to the Waikato Times. As a result, the technology can reduce or in some cases eliminate the need for natural sand dredging, according to Dr Bram Smith, Kayasands general manager. It uses by-products and recycled materials such as quarry crusher dust and recycled glass to manufacture sand of such quality that it makes stronger concrete than natural sand when mixed with cement, he says. The technology is based on a New Zealand invention that was developed in Japan and used in over 300 plants across Japan, China, India and Australia. Dr Smith said the companys process is dry, as opposed to the current method that uses water to process crusher dust. The company has set up its first plant in Waikato, New Zealand, which is expected to open next month. Kayasand plans to be operating 40 plants in New Zealand and Australia by 2030. Published under CEMEX upgrades its UK rail network 01 June 2023 CEMEX UK has made a considerable investment into its UK rail network, making improvements at several of its depots across the UK. These developments support CEMEXs efforts to increase the use of rail to move its materials, as part of its Future in Action sustainability strategy. Work was carried out at CEMEXs Dove Holes, Selby and Bletchley depots, with a particular focus on improving health and safety and efficiency through track and walkway upgrades. This work was all completed in partnership with MLP Railway Maintenance Ltd. At Selby in North Yorkshire, upgraded track means the site can take an increased number of wagons per train, and complete turnarounds more efficiently and safely. Meanwhile, at Dove Holes in Buxton, Derbyshire, two reception lines were relayed. This was a significant project which required considerable planning and coordination with Network Rail, as the site runs adjacent to the main line. Finally, the team collaborated with Network Rail again at Bletchley in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, to implement improved walkways, CCTV and a waterproof display screen for offloading. This allows ground staff to watch the process from outside of the discharge area, reducing noise and dust exposure. These three development activities were supported by smaller walkway improvements made at other CEMEX rail depots, including Crawley and Stourton. Published under 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 Chanute Tribune office at 620-431-4100 if you have any questions Musk says Tesla opposes decoupling in meeting with China's foreign minister (People's Daily App) 15:22, June 01, 2023 Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang met with Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Tuesday in Beijing. Qin said a healthy, stable, and constructive China-US relationship is in the interests of both countries and the world at large. Musk said the US and China share intertwined and inseparable interests. Tesla opposes decoupling and is willing to continue to expand its business in China and share the country's development opportunities. (Video produced by He Jieqiong and Di Jingyuan) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) The Tennessee Valley Authority is seeking public comments on its draft Environmental Assessment for proposed remediations to the detention dam at the John Sevier Combined Cycle Plant in Rogersville. The draft EA is available for a 30-day public review and comment period at www.tva.com/nepa TVAs recommended action is Alternative C. TVA would construct a Roller Compacted Concrete Gravity Dam to help address the risk of potential erosion to the earthen embankment dam at the site.The new dam would be constructed downstream of the existing north embankment and will connect to the northern end of the existing concrete overfall spillway. This will require minimal modifications to the current dam.Comments can be submitted through June 30 by email to esmclamb@tva.gov, submitted online at www.tva.com/nepa or mailed to Erica McLamb, Tennessee Valley Authority 1101 Market St., Chattanooga, Tn. 37402. All comments received, including names and addresses, will become part of the project administrative record and will be available for public inspection.The John Sevier Combined Cycle Plant is an 871-megawatt facility that can use natural gas or fuel oil for combustion. It is located on 750 acres beside the Holston River near Rogersville, and began commercial operation on April 30, 2012. A woman on W. 13th Street Court told police she came home to her screen door damaged and mustard all over the door. She also stated that some of her mail was ripped open and damaged. Police observed the glass and screen busted out of her screen door and mustard all over the doorway. Police also observed mail on the ground that had been damaged. The woman believes her neighbors are the suspects, but she has no proof of this. She said that management is going to check cameras to see if they can figure out who the suspects are. Approximate damage total is around $300. * * * Police spoke with a woman on N. Willow Street who was noticeably intoxicated and frustrated. She said a man came to her house and started yelling at her from the front door, and started making threats. However, the specifics of the threats were not detailed due to her intoxication. She said she wants the man trespassed from her residence. Police attempted to find the mans information on Coplink, but nothing came up. * * * A man told police that while he was driving his truck, a trailer that he was towing damaged the bed of his truck and broke his rear window. He said it first happened at MLK when getting off I-24, then again when he turned onto 11th Street from Market Street. The officer saw the damage to his vehicle. * * * Police spoke to a woman over the phone about an incident at 310 Northgate Mall Dr. at Carmike Cinemas. She left her vehicle parked in the lot there while she was at the movies the previous night. She got there around 9 p.m. and was there for a couple hours. She then discovered damage on her car when she got up the next morning to get gas around 10 a.m. Since the damage was on the passenger side, she didnt notice it the previous night when she got out of the movies, but she knows the damage was not there when she got there last night and parked it. The damage was on the passenger side rear door and over the rear tire. It consisted of a dent and scratches and also there was some white paint as well. She considers it to be a medium amount of damage and there are no estimates for repairs yet. * * * A man called police and said he had mailed an envelope from an address on W. 40th St. and the employee said she would seal the envelope, which contained three Amazon gift cards. When the envelope got to its destination on Saturday, the envelope was unsealed and the cards were gone. He's not sure if theyve been used anywhere and he has already reported this to the Postal Inspection Service. * * * Police observed a Chevrolet Impala (TN tag) that appeared to be abandoned on E. 27th Street. All of the tires were flat, it was covered in dirt and its tags have been expired since December of 2019. Police put a notice sticker on the car indicating that it needs to be moved. * * * A man at an apartment on Boynton Drive told police someone from the main offices busted through his door while he was playing his music. He also said his neighbors upstairs are harassing him. He said they are sending lightning bolts down through the floor, causing him to hear voices in his head. * * * A woman on Douglas Street told police she had found a wallet Tuesday night in the parking garage of her apartment complex. She said she found it around 2 a.m. She told police that she gave it to her cousin to turn in, but apparently the cousin did not. She said that she found it under her desk this morning before she went to work. She just wanted to turn it in. The ID in the wallet was for a man who lived in the apartment complex. Police attempted to make contact with him, but were unsuccessful. The wallet was turned into Property. * * * A man told police he was contacted by someone who identified himself as Sgt. Roundtree with the Chattanooga Police Department about a warrant he had for not showing up to grand jury. He said that "Sgt. Roundtree" told him in order to get rid of the warrants he would have to pay him money using gift cards. He said "Sgt. Roundtree" told him to stay on the phone with him while he went to a Circle K or Walgreens to get two PAK gift cards in the amount of $450 each for a total of $900. Then he was told to drive to Hamilton County Court and once he got there he needed to read the numbers off both gift cards to "Sgt. Roundtree". Then he would get a text receipt and he would send an escort down to meet him to escort him to his office. He said that once he got to the courthouse and spoke with security, they told him that this Sgt. Roundtree did not work for CPD, but for Hamilton County Sheriff's Office and that it was a scam. Police added the suspect phone number to the suspect section of the report. The man said that he was going to contact PAK gift cards fraud line to see what they can do about this incident. Nonstop Miami flights return to the Chattanooga Airport on Saturday. The American Airlines flight will depart weekly from Chattanooga at 7 a.m. on Saturday and offer a return service every Saturday evening, arriving at 10 p.m. Passengers can connect in Miami International Airport to more than 90 international destinations across the globe including Central America, the Caribbean, Europe and Latin America. The returned service will also provide easy access to PortMiami the largest passenger port in the world for both cruising and business. Nokian Tyres is honoring Alyssa Barnes and Taylor McCoy, Rhea County High School graduates, as its 2023 Nokian Tyres Scholars. Ms. Barnes and Ms. McCoy will each receive financial support from the company in their freshman year of college Ms. Barnes at UTC and Ms. McCoy at Tennessee Wesleyan. Im normally the only girl in my field, said Ms. Barnes, who plans to major in electrical engineering at UTC. I want to stand out and make a difference, and Nokian Tyres is doing that here in Dayton. Since elementary school, Ms. Barnes has enjoyed taking things apart and putting them back together. Now, she plans to pursue her dream job of managing a power grid in a large city. Ive job-shadowed for electrical engineering, and how it works behind the scenes fascinates me, Ms. Barnes said. Its like a big puzzle. Nokian Tyres core value of sustainability resonates with Ms. McCoy, who plans to major in biology at Tennessee Wesleyan and launch a career as a wildlife biologist. I want to help animals in Southeast Tennessees conservation areas, Ms. McCoy said. It makes a huge difference to have people who are investing in my college career. Ms. McCoys childhood home in Rhea County is next to the forest, and at a young age she fell in love with the areas rich array of wildlife and scenery. She balanced time in nature with a busy calendar as a standout ballerina, softball player, fisher and pageant queen. If youre gonna do something, do it 110 percent, said Ms. McCoy. Juggling a bunch of different hobbies comes with great parents who are willing to go to the ends of the earth for me. Nokian Tyres is proud to support Ms. Barnes and Ms. McCoys collegiate journeys as part of the companys Road to Sustainable Success, through which the global tiremaker: Painting by Tom Farnum Benny Goodman by Maxine Hess deaconbluz aka Dr/ Clark White Previous Next This summer the Jewish Cultural Center is exploring the relationships between Jews, Blues and All That Jazz through exhibitions, a CD release event, a film and concerts. The Jewish Federation is working in conjunction with Barking Legs and the Bessie Smith Cultural Center. Activities begin at the Jewish Cultural Center, 5461 North Terrace Road, on Sunday, June 11, at 2 p.m. There is no cost to attend the exhibition reception and CD release event. The exhibit showcases large works by Tom Farnum. Growing up in Columbus, In., Mr. Farnam spent his early years in the 1950s and 60s observing and drawing from nature. Mr. Farnam studied printmaking at Indiana University and East Texas State University, where he received his BFA and MFA respectively. His natural inclination towards process, discipline, and technique made printmaking a natural medium for Mr. Farnam. His exploration of printmaking not only encouraged, but required him to leave things to chance and explore mistakes. This experimental methodology remains critical to Mr. Farnams aesthetic throughout his work. Transitioning into painting was an organic choice as Mr. Farnam left the academic environment and printing presses essential to printmaking. For the past four decades, he has continued to build on the basic influences that fueled his passion for making art. Small works by Sandra Babb, Anna Boothe, Harriet Goren, Lupina Haney, Maxine Hess, Michael Holsomback, Sherry Hullender, Faye Ives, Janice Kennedy, Cindy Lutz Kornet, Bonnie Stoloff compliment the large pieces. Art works by these artists were selected for their relationship to the theme. Fiber, glass, painting are represented. A special event during the June 11 reception begins 3 p.m. deaconbluz, aka Dr. Clark White, will release his latest CD. CDs are for sale. The six originals songs were written and composed by deaconbluz a/k/a Dr. Clark White. They tell stories about his deep attachment to Chattanoogas history. Dr. White will play and talk about these songs and what inspired him to compose the music and lyrics. One song is The Ballad of Ed Johnson, the innocent black man lynched on the Walnut Street Bridge in 1906. Dr. Whites album was recorded in 2019 at the Baton Rouge, La. studio of famous blues artist Kenny Neal. The summer continues with a screening of The Jews and The Blues at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center (200 East M L King Blvd.) on Sunday, July 9, at 4 p.m. There is no cost to attend. The film is 67 minutes, in English, and is a musical journey. The documentary filmmaker Drew Stone, follows his passion for music and adventure as he travels to Israel and discovers how the blues ties into this incredible mix of cultures. Arab, Ethiopian, Moroccan, all Jewish, all Israeli, united through the universal tie that bids us together.... music. Jazz concerts during the summer are in conjunction with Barking Legs (1307 Dodds Ave.) program Jazz in the Lounge on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. unless otherwise indicated. The cost is $5 for live music. The schedule includes: June 7 - Alan Wyatt Quartet * June 14 - Ben Friberg Trio * June 21 - The Ahleuchatistas (main stage) * June 28 - Dexter Bell & Friends * SPECIAL: June 23 - Aaron Irwin Trio (main stage) * July 5 - Alan Wyatt Quartet * July 12 - Mike Salter Quartet * July 19 - Dexter Bell & Friends * July 26 - Jim Crumble Trio * SPECIAL: July 9 - Monica Shriver (main stage) The Jewish Cultural Center, funded by the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga, offers programs, classes and exhibits, social services, and a preschoolall rooted in Jewish values. The facility enables the Jewish community to raise its visibility, foster relationships, and strengthen its identity in the Chattanooga area. Located at 5461 North Terrace, the Center and its programs are open to everyone regardless of religious affiliation. Lorraine Abernathy Aiken died peacefully on May 29, 2023, at age 94. Born in Madisonville, Tn., she grew up in Lupton City, a Dixie Yarns mill community which she loved. She graduated from City High School and Tennessee Wesleyan College, where she met her husband, William P. Aiken, MD. She was a devoted member of St. Luke Methodist Church and a committed community servant who made the lives of others better. She was loved by all in Rivermont, Dupont and Stuart Heights and was known by many as the mother of the young people in those communities. All were welcome in her home. Her cooking was famous and sought after for many gatherings. She was predeceased by her husband and is survived by her sons, Bill (Ann), Bob (Helen), Mike (Meg) and Jeff and her daughter, Beth. She had eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. The family gives special thanks to Penni Stansell, our cousin, who has been Mother's devoted caregiver. There will be no visitation and there will be a private family burial. Memorial contributions may be made to The Boys & Girls Club of Chattanooga, CHATT Foundation or a charity of your choice. Arrangements are by Hamilton Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 4506 Hixson Pike, 423 531-3975. Victoria Underwood auctions off items during the live auction at the Believe Bash The Seventh Annual Believe Bash Hollywood: The Golden Age James Howard, Kim Carson, Childrens Miracle Network Champion Dalton McPherson, and his mom Kim McPherson Erlanger Foundation Board Chair, Less Lee addresses the Believe Bash attendees and announces the next years co-chair Erlanger President & CEO Jim Coleman, Amy Coleman, Congressman Chuck Fleischmann, Erlanger Board Chair Sheila Boyington, and Dane Boyington Previous Next Erlanger Foundation celebrates raising over $372,000 net, at the seventh annual Believe Bash held at the Chattanooga Convention Center. This years annual fundraising gala, hosted by co-chairs Cynthia and Jay Dale and Lauren and Dr. Peter Boehm, Jr., transported guests, community leaders, and hospital staff back to Hollywood: The Golden Age. The evening included a red carpet cocktail reception with special guests from the likes of May West, Charlie Chaplin, Elvis, and Marilyn Monroe, a gourmet dining experience, a live auction, a meaningful program featuring 2023 Childrens Miracle Network Champion Dalton McPherson, and a giving moment all followed by the after party with live music and dancing from The Atlanta Party Fanatics. We are very grateful to our community and sponsors for continuing to support Childrens Hospital at Erlanger through their generous donations, said Dr. Charles Woods, CEO of Childrens Hospital at Erlanger. It is through their generosity that we are able to further our mission as the regions only childrens hospital. Erlanger Foundation would like to say a special thank you to its sponsors, including the presenting sponsor First Horizon. Event sponsors who helped make the event a success include Delta Dental, Chattanooga Times Free Press, USA Senior Care Network, The Group Savings Organization, Noon Development, Linda Brock Homes, Riley Jacobson, Med-Trans, The Bullard Group Square One Realty, EPB, PEMA, Puckett EMS, TVA, Vincit Group, Vizient, Dr. Peter and Susan Boehm, Sr., Dr. Dane and Sheila Boyington, Dr. Haresh Patel, Ray and Jill Ryan, ACE Anesthesia, Aerocare Adapthealth, Artech Design Group, Baker Donelson, CarePayment, Coca Cola Bottling Co. United, Cognizant, Cortina, DePuy Synthes, DeRoyal, Erlanger Neurosurgery and Spine, Forvis, Husch Blackwell, L Squared Construction, LabCorp, Lee-Smith, Lift Media Group, McGriff Insurance, McKenzie Foundation, OnPoint, Pinnacle, Pointer Management, Pointe Property Group, Refined Looks, Regional Obstetrical Consultants, Revecore, Second Story Real Estate, SmartBank, Tennessee Interventional and Imaging Associates, Urban Story Ventures, University Surgical Associates, Wakefield & Associates, and Holland & Knight. At the conclusion of the special program, Less Lee, Erlanger Foundation Board chair announced the date for the eighth annual Believe Bash scheduled for Saturday, April 13, 2024, and co-chaired by Bob and Shelly Elliott and Guru and Dr. Neha Shah. Mr. Lee said, On behalf of the Foundation, thank you to everyone who supported the 2023 Believe Bash. This years event was the Foundations most successful event ever, raising over $372,000 net in support of Childrens Hospital. The leadership of our co-hosts, combined with the work of our volunteers and the Foundation staff, enabled the event to set records in attendance and funds raised. Our sponsors generosity, coupled with attendees extraordinary philanthropic support, will have a profound impact on the children of our community and the region. Please mark your calendar now for the second Saturday in April for next years Believe Bash; April 13, 2024. As a not-for-profit hospital, Erlanger and Childrens depend on philanthropic support to provide the remarkable care experienced here as well as to advance pediatric services in the future. The communitys partnership to make the Kennedy Outpatient Center a reality truly showcases what is possible when our mission to compassionately care for people is met by a community compassionately caring for us, said officials. To stay up to date on the 2024 Believe Bash, join the Erlanger Foundation Believe Bash Facebook group or visit erlangerfoundation.org/believe-bash. Before his 2023 coronation as the United Kingdoms king, Charles already had a smaller-scale investiture 54 years prior. At the age of just 20, Charles was crowned Prince of Wales. His mother, Queen Elizabeth, planned for her son to take the title in a grand ceremony held in the country he would rule over. However, the royal crown makers, in their haste to finish the Prince of Wales coronet on time, hid a secret object atop Charles crown. King Charles wore a coronet with a hidden object atop it during his 1969 investiture ceremony as Prince of Wales | Anwar Hussein/Getty Images What secret object was hidden at King Charles Prince of Wales coronet? Believe it or not, there was no official Prince of Wales coronet when Queen Elizabeth had one made for her eldest son. Therefore a royal crown maker was commissioned to create a new modern topper for Charles. Louis Osman designed the crown. It marked a radical departure from the traditional royal headwear. The Prince of Wales coronet featured golden arches surrounded by fleurs-de-lis and crosses. The gold inlays came from a Welsh nugget. Rather than being traditionally hammered, elements of the crown were electroplated onto an epoxy resin cast. A purple velvet cap banded with ermine completed the look. A sphere topped Charles coronet and contained a hidden secret. It appeared to be made of gold, but it was not. The circular object prominently displayed atop the crown was a ping-pong ball coated with gold filigree. It was surrounded by a floating constellation of diamonds arranged in the shape of Charless star sign, Scorpio. The ping-pong ball topper was a last-minute addition to Charles coronet The Prince of Wales coronet photographed in 1969 | Central Press/Getty Images Reportedly, Louis Osman began the process of shaping Charles coronet by making a wax mold of the new headgear. The mold was sent to a crown maker specializing in precious metals. However, every time a mold was made, it was so delicate it would break. Finally, after several attempts, the crown was created, but the orb was incorrect. Therefore, a technician who worked with Osman proposed electroplating a ping-pong ball to beat the time crunch to finish the crown ahead of the coronation. Charles wore the finished crown at his investiture in Wales. The event was televised, and over 500 million people watched the ceremony. Charles won over the Welsh people in this manner at his investiture ceremony Twenty-year-old Prince Charles studied at Waless Aberystwyth College in 1969 before his investiture ceremony. This was to learn about the Welsh people by living among them and the complex language as well. Every day, I had to go down to the town where I attended these lectures. Most days, there seemed to be a demonstration going on against me, Charles recalled in an ITV documentary. After nine weeks of studying, Charles was supposed to give the investiture speech in the Welsh language. Not only did the future king of the United Kingdom give an address in seamless Welshbut he also added some pro-Welsh sentiments into his speech, knowing his family would not understand it. Ahead of his crowning as king in 2023 alongside Camilla Parker Bowles as Queen Consort, Charles proclaimed his son, Prince William, as Prince of Wales. However, there was no lavish ceremony upon Williams ascension to that royal rank. Instead, the BBC reported a statement by Kensington Palace. It said Prince Williams aims to deepen his understand of the issues and opportunities of greatest importance to the Welsh people. Elements of this story were first reported by Town & Country, The Guardian, and The Washington Post. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Have you ever rejected someone who wanted to take you out and then proceeded to never hear the end of it? One woman turned down a bullys desperate promposal and continued to be harassed by his friends for it ten years later. Shes 27 years old and attended school in Northern Ireland during her teenage years. At her school, it was customary for students finishing their last year around the age of 18 would be invited to a school formal. The formals were similar to a prom but not as focused on dates, and you werent expected to go with anyone. Therefore, promposals, which are so big in America, werent really a thing at her school in Ireland. Ten years ago, during her final year at the school, she learned some interesting news. A guy from her classes that had been non-stop bullying and stalking her actually had a crush on her and was planning on giving her a big promposal. He had always been a horrendous bully to me, she explained. He would go from calling me hideous and claiming that I would die alone and unloved to stealing my friends phone to get my number. This guys creepy behavior went to the next level when he once snuck up behind her to chop off a piece of her hair and figured out where she lived by looking for her dads car in the driveway. Then all of a sudden, he was ready to confess his feelings for her with a promposal. To make matters worse, he did it publicly. He held up a decorated sign in front of the entire school and asked her to attend the formal with him. Sign up for Chip Chicks newsletter and get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. When thinking about important paleontologists and biologists that have helped us better understand the creatures that came before us, many people begin to think about the men in that field. However, we should also recognize the women who made remarkable discoveries, like Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska, the Polish paleobiologist whose research and work in the Gobi Desert was and is still admired worldwide. Zofia was born in 1925 in Sokoow Podlaski, Poland. She spent many of her childhood years in Warsaw when her father moved their family there for work. Her love for science was ignited when she attended lectures given by Polish paleontologist Roman Kozlowski in his home. She attended the University of Warsaw, earning a masters degree in zoology and a doctorate in paleontology. While at the University of Warsaw, Zofia joined other geologists, paleontologists, etc., on their excavations in Polands Swietokrzyskie Mountains. After earning her masters in 1949, Zofia was hired as an assistant in the University of Warsaws Department of Paleontology. Then, in 1961, she was appointed director of the Institute of Paleobiology in Warsaw, which was part of the Polish Academy of Sciences. In the 1960s, Zofia went on a series of expeditions that would significantly alter her career. Zofia helped organize some of the first Polish expeditions to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. This made her one of the first women to lead a dinosaur excavation expedition. She traveled there several times between 1963 and 1971 and made some fascinating discoveries. In the Gobi Desert, Zofia discovered multiple fossils of dinosaurs and mammals that were alive during the Cretaceous period and were millions of years old. One of the most incredible fossils Zofia and her group found were the ones of a Velociraptor who appeared to have been in conflict with a Protoceratops. Although the trip was successful, it certainly wasnt easy. At one point, Zofia suffered a ruptured ear drum after a sandstorm in the desert. She flew home to have surgery and then returned to the desert to continue her work. Sign up for Chip Chicks newsletter and get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Unsplash/Akira Hojo As 95 Louisiana churches formally disassociated from the United Methodist Church (UMC) on Saturday, the "deep conflict" within the denomination is still having an impact. Over the past four years, relations between Louisiana congregations and the international denomination have been dissolved in close to 40% of cases. The UMC's controlling body for state churches, the Louisiana Annual Conference, called a special meeting to discuss approving the departures for the places of worship. At the meeting held in the sanctuary of First United Methodist Church Baton Rouge's downtown, the ratifications were ratified. The Need to Remember God as Their Shelter According to the article in the Advocate, the Louisiana Annual Conference Bishop Delores Williamston spoke to the delegates just prior to the votes, expressing the need to remember that God is their shelter. She emphasized God's omnipresence, existing not just in their immediate vicinity but beyond the confines of denominations, disaffiliations, affiliations, and various other forms of religious expression. She reassured the audience that God is perpetual with them and will never forsake them. Williamston accepted the damage the disaffiliation had done to his relationships with friends, coworkers, and the community. The departures also meant that locations for important occasions, including baptisms, weddings, burials, confirmations, ordinations, and commissioning services, would no longer be available. The UMC's Book of Discipline was amended in 2019 to include "Paragraph 2553," which required the separation of all departing churches. The policy gives local churches a way out for "reasons of conscience," such as the UMC's position on same-sex marriage and clergy who identify as LGBTQ. Also Read: 83 Iowa Churches Part Ways with United Methodist Church Amidst Rift over LGBTQ Rights 95 Louisiana Churches Cut Ties with United Methodist Church Amid LGBTQ Stance Conflict According to another source, 9 WAFB, the Louisiana Annual Conference at the First United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge accepted the disaffiliation of 95 churches from the United Methodist Church (UMC) during a special meeting on Saturday, May 27. The Louisiana Conference Board of Trustees' recommendations for congregations planning to disaffiliate in accordance with "Paragraph 2553" were the sole reason for calling the conference. Following the decision, Bishop Delores Williamston extended her best wishes to those choosing to leave the UMC. She conveyed her hopes that those who had decided to depart due to disaffiliation would find success in their new missions, as called upon by God. Bishop Williamston also demonstrated her eagerness to concentrate on their goal and move beyond the issue of disaffiliation. Disagreements over a variety of topics, including same-sex marriage and the ordination of LGBTQ clergy, have been at the heart of many disaffiliations. Francis Asbury United Methodist Church, Huff Chapel United Methodist Church, Livingston United Methodist Church, Inc., Mangum Chapel United Methodist Church, Montpelier United Methodist Church, Inc., Pine Ridge United Methodist Church, Tangipahoa United Methodist Church, Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church (Greensburg), and Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church (Ponchatoula) are among the Baton Rouge-area churches whose disaffiliation has been approved. You can see the list of all the churches that were approved in NOLA. Related Article:Judge Allows North Georgia United Methodist Churches to Continue Disaffiliation Process Observers of American religious life have been curious about the potential effects of this upheaval on religious worship ever before the World Health Organization proclaimed COVID-19 a global pandemic three years ago. They have questioned whether the short-term closure of temples and other houses of worship will hasten the steady reduction in attendance. They specifically asked whether those who stopped physically attending religious services due to the epidemic would start again or if the pandemic had any long-term effects. On the other hand, some questioned if the extensive use of virtual services would increase the accessibility of congregations, draw in younger people, and assist them in engaging new audiences. There are some signs that since 2019, before the COVID-19 epidemic, in-person attendance at religious services has slightly decreased. During this time, the proportion of American adults attending religious services at least once a month has declined by three percentage points - from 33% to 30%, according to AP News. Additionally, one in five Americans now attends church less regularly than before the pandemic. The Research on Religious Services Attendance The Pew Research Center has undertaken five polls since the summer of 2020 to examine how many American adults attend religious services. In these polls, participants were asked if they had physically heard religious services within the previous month. They were then asked separately about their virtual engagement (such as watching religious services on TV or streaming online). Also Read: Carolina Churches Facing Low Attendance Available For Sale: Selling Churches are More Complicated Research shows that 41% of adults reported participating in religious services in some way (either in person or digitally) over the previous month in the initial survey conducted in July 2020, when many houses of worship were restricting attendance or closed to physical worshippers. Of those, the majority (27% of all U.S. adults) participated only online. Another 9% claimed to have attended in person and taken part virtually. Only 4% of respondents said they had only physically visited church or other religious services in the month before the July 2020 survey. Decrease in Attendance Since the COVID-19 Pandemic Since then, the overall proportion of American adults attending religious services has stayed consistent, at around 4 in 10. The number of Americans attending virtual worship sessions has been declining as the virus has spread, and numerous religious institutions have welcomed worshipers once more. In contrast, in-person attendance recovered quickly and then came to a standstill. In the most current survey in November 2022, 12% of participants said they had only used virtual methods to participate in the previous month (down from 27% in the pandemic's early phases). In contrast, 16% said they would only attend in person (up from 4% in 2020). Another 12% of respondents claimed to have used in-person and online services. About 40% of our regular parishioners have chosen not to return, Rev. John Ardis said to US News, adding that most parishioners are old people and those attend the service still prefer to wear masks. He added that the pandemic has been a big and continual hit. About six out of ten Americans avoided attending religious service during most of the outbreak. According to the most recent survey, this trend affects roughly 7 in 10 adults under the age of 30 (72%) and approximately 9 in 10 people who do not identify as belonging to any particular religion (including those who identify as atheist, agnostic, or without specific religious affiliation). These results are based on a Pew Research Center poll from November 16 to November 27, 2022, and are part of a thorough investigation of Americans' religious attendance. The survey used data from several earlier surveys and was performed on the nationally representative American Trends Panel. Related Article: Catholic Diocese of Columbus Announces Closure of 15 Churches in Response to Declining Attendance, Other Challenges Pixabay/Pexels A baby girl tragically lost her life after being left by her parents inside their car as they attended a religious service. It was later discovered that the infant had been left alone in the vehicle for several hours. Baby Found Dead Inside A Car More than 1,050 kids have died in hot automobiles nationwide since 1990, including six deaths that have already been reported this year, according to Kids and Car Safety. A report from WTSP stated that on Sunday, May 28, when the Palm Beach Police Department responded at the Evangelical Mount of Olives Baptist Church on Babcock Street, they learned that a baby girl had been left in a car for almost three hours while her parents attended a church service. The baby was discovered unconscious inside the vehicle, so she was taken to Palm Bay Community Hospital, where she was declared dead just a few moments later. Moreover, it has been reported that authorities have not made any arrests since the investigation is underway. They also did not disclose how hot it was inside the automobile where the infant was spotted. However, it was found that the car's temperature is 81 degrees Fahrenheit or 27 degrees Celsius in the southern part of Brevard County. On the other hand, Latin Post reported that although the temperature outside the car was only around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration took the temperature inside the vehicle where the infant was left and reported that it was over 115 degrees Fahrenheit or 44 degrees Celsius. As mentioned, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has urged people not to leave newborns or children in parked automobiles. Still, most individuals ignore the warning or forget about the youngsters they left inside the vehicle. In addition, the government agency in charge of public health issued an advisory that automobiles are capable of reaching dangerously high temperatures in a concise amount of time, particularly when the outside temperature is already high and has the potential to climb by roughly 20 degrees in the space of only a few minutes. They have also distributed helpful tips to ensure people do not neglect their children while traveling in their vehicles, such as checking the vehicle's backseat each time they exit the car. Also Read: Health News: Infant Death Linked to Crib Bumpers Dangerously Increasing Child Hot Car Deaths Mirror News reported a similar incident happened in the state of Washinton a few days ago. On Wednesday, May 24, an infant who was only one year old passed away after being left inside a car for nine hours. Upon arrival at MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital, the baby girl's foster mother allegedly forgot the infant was still in the vehicle. It was claimed that the mother arrived at the hospital at 8:00 in the morning, and when she returned to the parked car at 5:00 in the late afternoon, she discovered the child's dead body. Accordingly, temperatures as high as 75 degrees or 23 degrees Celsius were recorded that day in Puyallup, which is located southeast of Tacoma, where the incident happened, and the temperature inside the car reportedly reached a searing 110 degrees Fahrenheit or 37 degrees Celsius. Furthermore, Noheatstroke.org noted that this marks the fourth case of child heatstroke this year, resulting in death. It was also stated that approximately 38 children die from heatstroke every year. Related Article: Florida News: Six Month-Old Baby Found Dead in Deltona Middle School Parking Lot: Teacher Left Infant in Car on Friday Pixabay/Niek Verlaan The General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Rev. Jerry Pillay, has condemned a violent protest by far-right Jewish activists against an Evangelical Christian event in Jerusalem. The incident occurred on Sunday, May 28, at the Jerusalem Archaeological Park - Davidson Center. Hundreds of Christians, including Evangelical supporters of Israel, had gathered for a prayer rally. Protest Against Evangelical Christian Event According to a report from the Vatican News, the worshippers were met by dozens of far-right Israeli protestors who insulted and spat on them, destroyed windows, and shouted at them to leave. Among the protestors were Rabbi Zvi Thau, the spiritual leader of the far-right Noam Party, the chairman of the Ateret Cohanim organization, Matisyahu Dan, and the deputy mayor of Jerusalem, Arieh King. King reportedly said to the crowd: "Let them pray in their churches, not at the holiest place to Jews, at the south entrance to the Temple." As mentioned, ten of the protestors were arrested by the police. Moreover, the World Council of Churches reported that Pillay said the WCC condemned attacks on Christians and others seeking to exercise their right to freedom of religion in the Holy Land. He added that the WCC has consistently affirmed the long-held understanding that Jerusalem is a shared Holy City of three religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islamand violations of the Status Quo bring division, hardship, and violence. Furthermore, Pillay called on the Israeli government to take action to ensure that such attacks do not happen again and to protect the rights of all religious communities in Israel. He also called on the leaders of all religious communities to work together to promote peace and understanding. Accordingly, the WCC is a global fellowship of churches that seeks to promote Christian unity and work for peace and justice worldwide. The WCC has over 350 member churches in over 110 countries. Also Read: 42 Suspects Detained in Connection with Deadly Jerusalem Synagogue Shooting Recent Violence in Jerusalem's Christian Quarter On Thursday evening, January 26, Israeli settlers attacked an Armenian restaurant near the New Gate in the Christian Quarter of the occupied city of Jerusalem, the Massis Post reported. The radical settlers attacked a group of diners, mostly Armenians, enjoying their meals at the Taboon Wine Bar. Video footage showed the extremist Jewish settlers hurling chairs at the restaurant and diners. Israeli police arrived at the scene one hour later and made no arrests among the attackers. After the assault, Christian leaders in the Holy Land condemned the violence, urged more excellent protection of minority groups, and warned of "radical aggression" by forces determined to impose an exclusively "Jewish character" on the city. On Friday afternoon, January 27, Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa visited the restaurant owners and adjacent shopkeepers, whose businesses were the target of attacks, in a show of solidarity by the church. Meanwhile, The Orthodox Jerusalem Patriarchate asserted that "allowing members of such radical groups to freely march and roam around the neighborhoods of Jerusalem while armed and having declared criminal intentions is considered complicit in the attack and displays unwelcomed leniency with the criminals." The patriarchate also asserted its right to take legal action to prevent future marches by radical forces. Related Article:Jerusalem Church Attack Prompts Call for Global Safeguarding of Holy Sites by Religious Leaders Pixabay/4711018 An 8-year-old girl had been helping to clean the church when she was allegedly sexually assaulted by Father Arul Savari of the Roman Catholic Church of St. John the Evangelist. Fr. Savari was recently arrested for the crime. Thus, Little Grand Rapids's people request that the Indian priest leave their community. Sexual Misconduct of Indian Priest On Saturday, May 27, Superintendent Scott McMurchy of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Manitoba stated that a girl from Little Grand Rapids had been alone with Fr. Savari at the St. John the Evangelist. According to CTV News, McMurchy said, "She was helping him clean the church when he touched her inappropriately. She said, and told our investigators, that when she tried to leave, he forced her to remain in the building." As mentioned, the little girl managed to escape, and she immediately ran home and informed her mother of what had happened that day. Officers of the RCMP opened an investigation, which ultimately led to the priest's apprehension. The 48-year-old Fr. Savari faces charges of sexual assault, sexual interference, sexual exploitation of a kid, luring a child, and forceful incarceration. As of this moment, he is still being held in jail. Additionally, the court has not found sufficient evidence to support the allegations against him. As per CBC News, the RCMP announced on Tuesday, May 30, that more juveniles who are also members of the religious community have already been identified as prospective victims, and there may be yet more victims still struggling to come forward. However, the officers did not disclose the actual number of victims who have come forward up to this point. On the other hand, RCMP Superintendent Scott McMurchy stated that Fr. Savari, born in India but currently resides in Winnipeg, has been in Canada and worked in Little Grand Rapids for six years. The parish priest works for the Catholic Church in Winnipeg under the direction of the Archbishop of St. Boniface. When asked on Tuesday evening, May 30, about whether or not it will continue to have a presence in the neighborhood, the Archdiocese of St. Boniface still needs to respond to the question. Yet, the Archdiocese of St. Boniface issued a statement earlier in the day in which he conveyed their deep sorrow to the girl who came forward, her family, and the entire community. After an urgent investigation, the Archdiocese removed Fr. Arul Savari from all ministerial responsibilities. It is reportedly strictly prohibited for Fr. Savari to interact with his former congregants and their children. Also Read: Catholic Churches in California Face Thousands of Sexual Abuse Lawsuits, Allowed Victims to Sue Up to 40 Years Old Community Demands Father Arul Savari to Leave their Community Based on a report from MSN, during a band meeting that regularly occurred every Tuesday, Chief Oliver Owen of the Little Grand Rapids First Nation brought up allegations of sexual misconduct against the community church priest. He emphasized that the neighborhood has clarified that they do not want that individual to be a part of the community. "We don't want him to come back, and we don't want the church here," they added. Moreover, City News Everywhere reported that in response to the statement made by the RCMP, the Grand Chief of the Southern Chiefs' Organization, offered some thoughts. It was stated by Grand Chief Daniels that on behalf of the Southern Chiefs' Organization, they want to express sympathy and prayers to the kid, the family, and the entire Nation of Little Grand Rapids as they discover the shocking and predatory behavior of a Catholic priest who has been serving the community. He acknowledged that the Catholic church's leaders have a significant amount of responsibility to do in order to mend connections with their respective nations. Furthermore, as part of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, they reportedly made a legal commitment to compensate individuals from First Nations communities with $25 million for efforts aimed at healing. However, they still have not fulfilled this obligation. Related Article:Former Pastor of St. Michael Church Charged With Five Counts of Sex Trafficking, Faces Minimum Prison Sentence of 15 Years Gov. Ron DeSantis kicks off the 2024 presidential campaign in an Iowa church which causes controversy since this is a violation of federal law. DeSantis said his campaign kick-off event is "Our Great American Comeback." Several hundred supporters jammed into Eternity Church in Clive, filling the few seats, and stood along the walls. When Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds welcomed DeSantis to the stage and as he took the podium while cheering masked the music. DeSantis has visited Iowa frequently for several months, despite this being his first visit as an official presidential contender. He compared Iowa's political trajectory to Florida's throughout his address, praising Reynolds and the Republican-led legislature in Iowa. However, Clive's Eternity Church is a non-profit institution, which is subject to a 1954 amendment that Lyndon Johnson, a U.S. senator at the time, sponsored. It states that churches and charities are "prohibited by the terms of their exemption from participating or intervening, directly or indirectly, in any political campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office." Church's pastor, Jesse Newman, tweeted, "Hillary spoke @ churches' AND ." Biden spoke @ churches. They all use churches as venues." Then he tweeted about DeSantis' campaign saying, "They're just using our venue! So haters - be consistent!" Newman tweeted last week that "[The] Johnson amendment DOES NOT stop Pastors from talking politics. And if it did, I would ignore it and preach the whole truth anyway! Our Faith MUST influence our Politics!" Also Read:Presidential Debate Commission Chief Participated In Dialogues With CCP Officials, Influence Groups DeSantis Kick-Off Event Speech "The tired dogmas of the past are inadequate for a vibrant future. We must look forward, not look backwards," DeSantis said, according to the Des Moines Register, during his first public appearance as a presidential candidate. "We must have the courage to lead, and we must have the strength to win, because the stakes couldn't be higher." Unlike many other presidential candidates, DeSantis didn't need to get to know the people of Iowa. His eagerly awaited run for president comes after serving two notable terms as governor of Florida, a state that has recently set the bar for Republican policymaking. Instead of introducing himself, he gave a long, thorough speech focusing on policy issues. He emphasized the several laws he had successfully passed and harshly criticized President Joe Biden's policies on the economy and the border with Mexico. DeSantis regularly compared Florida's conservative laws to those in Iowa, a state that has either considered or adopted many of them, throughout his speech. What Happened During the Church Campaign Newman approached a podium adorned with the phrase "DeSantis for President" at the forefront. He then led the gathering in a prayer dedicated to the Florida governor's presidential aspirations. "As he upholds righteousness and faces the relentless attacks from those with malicious intentions," Newman said, according to the Daily Beast, "I pray that neither he nor his family, his campaign, nor his commitment to truth will be affected." When Newman concluded his prayer, he said, "Can someone say 'Amen'?" He received a loud "Amen" response from the crowd and individuals holding campaign signs. Meanwhile, Reynolds praised DeSantis for supporting a law that forbids most abortions after six weeks. She exclaimed, her voice muffled by the crowd's thunderous applause, "It's the same bill that I took pride in enacting into law back in 2018." The Iowa Supreme Court is considering whether to lift a permanent injunction on the statute, allowing for its enforcement. Related Article: Long-Time Texas Pastor Nominated For SBC Presidential Race As A Candidate Withdraws Pexels/cottonbro studio The FBI office in Omaha has announced a reward for the identity, capture, and conviction of the perpetrators of the two threatening notes discovered at Omaha's religious institutions in December. The notes were found on December 3, 2022, at Christ Community Church and the St. John Paul II Newman Center on the campus of the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO). The messages purported to be from "Jane's Revenge," a radical abortion rights organization. FBI Offers Reward for Leads on Threatening Notes Found in Omaha Churches According to the article in WOWT, the note discovered at the Newman Center was labeled as "threatening" by the Archdiocese of Omaha, but no further details were provided. More information on what was written in the notes was provided by the FBI office in Omaha. Both letters stated that if an abortion ban in Bellevue was passed, the respective centers would be attacked with AR14 rifles. A 1998-2004 tan/silver Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck has been found as a possible connection between these threats and a vehicle of interest by investigators. According to another source, on December 3, 2022, these notes were discovered at the St. John Paul II Newman Center on the University of Nebraska Omaha Campus and at Christ Community Church. According to the Omaha World Herald, the note at the Newman Center read, "Dear... if our right to abortion in Bellevue is taken away due to the attempt to pass an abortion ban and it gets passed we will shoot up your Newman center with our new AR14 rifles. Sincerely, Jane's Revenge." The note found at Christ Community Church issued a similar threat, indicating the church would be shot up with AR14 rifles if an abortion ban went into effect in Bellevue. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $15,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of those responsible for these threats. Individuals with any information pertaining to these incidents are urged to contact the FBI field office in Omaha at 402-493-8688 or to submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. Tipsters have the option to remain anonymous. Also Read:Wisconsin Republicans Introduce New Bill to Define Non-Abortion Procedures, Ensuring Clarity and Legal Compliance Recent Issues on Conflicts Regarding Christianity and Abortion Following many incidents, Shellyne Rodriguez, an adjunct assistant professor in Hunter College in New York City, has come under fire. According to the article in New York Post, she was fired from the institution after it was discovered that she had reportedly destroyed a pro-life display. When Reuven Fenton, a reporter for the New York Post, went to Rodriguez's Bronx house for remarks, Rodriguez allegedly threatened him with a machete, further escalating the situation. Rodriguez chased Fenton and a Post photographer while brandishing the machete and making threats, forcing them to flee. Rodriguez is reportedly alleged to have kicked Fenton as he ran after the pair down the street. The NYPD and the professor's union have not yet responded to the incidents, and Hunter College has not yet made any comments regarding them. The college's decision to dismiss Rodriguez for her protesting the pro-life display shows how seriously they take upholding decorum. A report from the State department was released and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the decline in religious freedom around the world, highlighting China's treatment of Uyghur Muslims in particular. According to the story here in Christianity Daily, the report addressed Beijing's repression of religious freedom and the imprisonment of people for their religious beliefs and challenged China's justification of these acts as counterterrorism measures. Blinken also referred to Russia's transgressions in its territories as well as Iran's stringent religious laws, which sparked protests. Blinken observed some global improvements despite these obstacles, such as initiatives to combat racism and Islamophobia and legal guarantees for religious freedom in Brazil and Belgium. Related Article:Religious Freedom Under Threat: Recent US Report Identifies China, Iran, India as Major Violators The idea of loving one's adversary is one of many deep life lessons found in the Bible, one of the most significant religious books in human history. Even while it would seem difficult, if not impossible, to love those who disagree with us or hurt us, the Bible offers instructions, illustrations, and teachings that inspire believers to practice a radical type of love. This idea challenges social norms and inspires people to live out a transformational love that crosses borders and brings healing and reconciliation. It is based on the central teachings of Jesus Christ. In a world that is frequently characterized by conflict, division, and hatred, the Bible's teaching of loving your enemy is of utmost importance. It offers a way to healing, comprehension, and serenity, acting as a potent counterbalance to the prevalent worldview of vengeance and retribution. We can learn more about the enormous effects of loving our adversaries on people and communities by investigating the Bible's teachings on the subject. This will ultimately change our relationships, our viewpoints, and our world. Jesus' Teachings on Love The words of Jesus Christ form the foundation of the Bible's teachings on loving your enemies. Jesus pushes his disciples to go above cultural standards by extending compassion and kindness to those viewed as enemies in the New Testament. He is credited with saying in Luke 6:2728, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who persecute you," Jesus' teachings highlight that love should cover everyone, even those who may be actively opposed to us. This includes both our friends and relatives. Overcoming Evil with Good The Bible declares that the most effective means of combating evil is to respond to hatred and enmity with love. This viewpoint encourages believers to break the cycle of hostility and vengeance by responding with deeds of kindness and compassion. Romans 12:20-21 states, "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink... Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Also Read: 'Shut Up Devil' Author Shares How To Discern And Resist The Lies Of The Enemy The Example of Forgiveness Many people who showed love and forgiveness to their foes are depicted in the Bible. Jesus himself serves as a striking illustration since he pardoned his executioners by pleading with the Father to "forgive them," saying, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). Another example of forgiveness is seen in the Genesis account of Joseph, who made amends with the brothers who had sold him into slavery. These stories demonstrate the relationship-healing transforming power of love and forgiveness. Loving One's Neighbor The appeal to love your neighbor as yourself intimately relates to the biblical teachings on loving your enemies. Jesus uses the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:2537) to show how even those who are viewed as enemies in society should be treated with kindness and love. This expanded meaning of neighbor calls on Christians to show compassion and love to everyone, regardless of their differences or interpersonal issues. The Ultimate Goal: Reconciliation According to the Bible, the ultimate aim of loving one's enemies is reconciliation. Before presenting presents at the altar, Jesus encourages his people in Matthew 5:2324 to make peace with their enemies. This emphasizes how crucial it is to work toward relationship restoration and reconciliation via actions of love and forgiveness. Should We Forgive Our Enemy? One of the core tenets of the Christian faith is forgiveness. It teaches followers of Christ to show grace and forgiveness to those who have wronged them. Jesus set an example for this by pardoning His executioners. Jesus explains in Matthew 6:1415 that if we extend forgiveness to others, our heavenly Father will do the same for us. Furthermore, Jesus commands His disciples in Matthew 5:4344 to pray for those persecuting them and love their enemies. Although it is difficult, forgiving our enemies has transforming effects. It frees us from the shackles of rage, hatred, and the need for retribution. Forgiveness fosters healing in both our relationships and those with those who have wronged us. It enables us to enjoy the freedom that results from showing kindness and grace. In the end, forgiving others connects us with the nature of God, who pardons our transgressions and urges us to follow in His footsteps. We can end the cycle of hatred and division through forgiveness, fostering peace, and illuminating the transforming nature of God's love. The perspective of the Bible on loving your enemy is a revolutionary and transforming idea that goes against human nature and social standards. Believers can overcome the limits of hatred and resentment by accepting forgiveness, adhering to his teachings, and working toward reconciliation. In addition to being a personal journey, loving one's adversary is a potent example of the transformational power of unconditional love. As we try to uphold these ideals, we help build a society in which harmony triumphs over conflict and love overcomes hatred. Related Article: Bible Teacher Empowers People To Fight The Enemy's Tactics In 'Shut Up, Devil' The story of the Kenyan cult massacre due to false beliefs, has taken the internet by storm wherein a group of people believes that they can go to heaven if they starve themselves. President William Ruto declared that the failure of Kenyan government institutions to stop the hunger deaths of more than 200 members of a cult in the country's coastal area was his fault, Jerusalem Post reports. The head of the Good News International Church, Paul Mackenzie, is accused by authorities of urging his adherents to starve themselves and their children to death so they might enter paradise before the end of the world. Eight of the 201 perished from starvation after being rescued, while the remainder were primarily unearthed from mass graves in Shakahola Forest in Kilifi County in the southeast of the country. One of the deadliest cult-related tragedies in recent memory, with 201 fatalities so far. "It should not have happened when we have all the agencies. We have our intelligence, we have our CID (Criminal Investigations Department), we have chiefs and all the other people in the whole of that ecosystem, " Rotu said, according to Reuters. Mackenzie's operations should not have gone unnoticed, according to Ruto, given the presence of government organizations in the area, such as the police, intelligence services, and the local administration. He was detained earlier this year on suspicion of starving and suffocating two infants to death before being freed on bail. After Mackenzie was released, according to family members of his followers, he went back to Shakahola Forest and changed his estimated end-of-the-world date from August to April 15. Authorities searched the woodland where the church was located and saved 15 individuals who had been starving themselves, Mackenzie turned herself in to police on April 14. A judge denied Mackenzie bail last week. He turned himself in to police last month, but has not yet been asked to make a plea. According to Mackenzie's attorney, George Kariuki, the purported pastor was helping with the inquiry. Ten days ago, Ruto established a task force to evaluate laws controlling religious organizations and a commission to investigate the fatalities in Shakahola. Also Read: Kenyan Tragedy: 47 Victims Uncovered in Probe into Fatal Starvation Cult Past Incidents Last April, 73 bodies suspected to be those of members of a Christian cult who believed they would enter paradise by starving themselves were found by Kenyan police, largely from mass graves in a woodland in eastern Kenya. As exhumations have been conducted, the death toll, which has risen repeatedly, could increase even more. At a tracking and counseling center it has set up at a nearby hospital, the Kenyan Red Cross said that 112 persons have been reported missing. In an 800-acre section of the Shakahola forest, members of the self-declared Good News International Church had been residing in many remote villages. Who is Paul Mackenzie? Paul Mackenzie, once a cab driver, underwent a transformation two decades ago when he claimed to have received a divine calling to become an evangelical pastor and establish his own church, La Monde reports. However, recent investigations have raised suspicions that Mackenzie may have manipulated and influenced over 120 of his followers, leading them to perish due to starvation. These distressing allegations cast a dark shadow over Mackenzie's religious pursuits, leaving authorities concerned about the extent of his influence and the tragic consequences that unfolded. Following a tip-off that suggested the existence of shallow graves holding the deaths of at least 31 of his followers, the cult's leader, Paul Mackenzie, was detained on April 14. Koome said that 14 further cult members were being held by the police. Mackenzie was charged on April 15 in the Malindi Law Courts, where the judge granted the police 14 days to undertake their inquiries while Mackenzie was being held in jail. According to Kenyan media, he is denying himself food and drink. Mackenzie falsely presents himself as a pastor while engaging in criminal activities. Related Article: Religious Leader Connected to Kenya Famine Crisis May Face Terrorism Charges Pixabay/Sang Hyun Cho The person responsible for the murder of town Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour was finally apprehended after several months. The suspect was reportedly a church member at Fire Congress Fellowship (FCF), where the victim previously attended. Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour's Tragic Death In 2021, Republican Eunice Dwumfour defeated a Democratic incumbent and won election to her first term in office, which would be for a total of three years. AP News reported that her coworkers described her as a quiet-spoken devoted Christian who could keep her cool on difficult occasions. However, she was found dead on Wednesday, Feb. 1, at around 7:20 p.m., as stated by the Middlesex County prosecutor's office. She had reportedly been shot several times and was pronounced dead at the site of the crime. At that time, police had not indicated whether they considered the death to have been a random crime, a personal vendetta, or related to political tensions. Moreover, MSN reported that after four months, on a Tuesday morning, May 30, around 11 a.m., Rashid Ali Bynum, age 28, from Portsmouth, Virginia, was brought into prison. According to the police, Bynum knew Dwumfour through their time spent together at Fire Congress Fellowship (FCF), a church that Dwumfour had formerly been engaged with and that is also associated with Champion Royal Assembly Church in Newark, where she used to serve as a pastor. Yolanda Ciccone, the Middlesex County Prosecutor, stated that although investigators may not have a motive for this killing, surveillance footage showed Bynum sprinting away after the shooting. Ciccone claims that information gleaned from Bynum's mobile phone suggests he was in transit between Virginia and New Jersey at the time of the crime. The search history of Bynum also includes inquiries regarding the type of ammo that is compatible with his firearm. Additionally, the suspect matched the description of the shooter that was provided by residents of Sayreville, the town where Dwumfour had been a member of the council for almost one year. Also Read:Auxiliary Bishop David O'Connell of Los Angeles Died at 69 Due to Gunshot Wound Inflicted on the Torso Charges Against the Killer A report from CNN stated that Bynum is facing charges of "first-degree murder, second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun, and second-degree possession of a handgun for an unlawful purpose." According to Ciccone, he is currently waiting to be extradited from Virginia to New Jersey to be charged with these allegations against him. However, there was no schedule provided for the upcoming event. On the other hand, Yahoo News reported that when the arrest was made public, the prosecutors did not answer questions from the press or provide any possible explanation for why the victim was killed. As a result, concerns were voiced by Dwumfour's relatives regarding the absence of results from the police investigation into the slaying of Dwumfour. Attorney General Matt Platkin of New Jersey acknowledged the issue and recognized there had been "a lot of questions" concerning the lack of arrests. As mentioned, Attorney General Platkin made the following statement on Tuesday, May 30: "I want you to know that the folks behind me and the folks in this community and across the state that work tirelessly on this investigation did so to ensure public safety and to ensure that those questions could be answered," Furthermore, the attorney had expressed his hope that the day when he made the statement marks the beginning of the healing process for Dwumfour's family, as well as the beginning of a sense of justice. Related Article: Rev. Autura Eason-Williams Killers Officially Indicted With Multiple Charges Pixabay/Annett_Klingner In a statement released on Wednesday, Pope Francis named Bishop Michael Olson of Fort Worth as his official envoy for the examination of a disputed monastery in Arlington amid mounting disagreements over claims of authority overreach. The Pontifical Commissary, Bishop Olson, represents the Pope in this specific case, according to a statement from the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth. It went on to state that Bishop Olson was and is still in charge of the monastery fully, as has been acknowledged and accepted by the Dicastery. Pope Francis Appoints Fort Worth Bishop to Investigate Arlington Monastery According to the article in WFAA, the papal order was issued in response to Reverend Mother Teresa Agnes, who is the superior of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns monastery in Arlington, challenging Olson's jurisdiction to look into what the diocese has described as "admitted-to" transgressions of the Sixth Commandment and the vow of chastity. The monks sued Olson when he launched the probe, disputing his power over them. The nuns requested a declaratory judgment to establish the parties' legal relationship as well as a temporary restraining order to stop Olson's probe. The Vatican decree, at least in terms of ecclesiastical jurisdiction, vehemently rejected their appeal, nevertheless. Olson was the target of multiple charges in the nuns' complaint. It was claimed in the lawsuit that Olson, the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth's Bishop, and his agents were abusing their authority and causing the plaintiffs and the Sisters moral harm and psychological distress through what was called an illegal, unholy, unjustified, overt, and persistent attack on their sanctity and autonomy. The case also made it clear that Olson and the Diocese of Fort Worth had no control over the monastery because it was an independent religious organization. The monastery's affiliation with the contemplative organization of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, a pontifical organization founded in the late 16th century, was underlined in the lawsuit. The legal attorney for the nuns has also affirmed that Mother Teresa Agnes was extremely medicated in December 2022 and stated that she has never had such a sexual encounter. In the article in Pillar Catholic, the nuns disputed Bishop Olson's "admission" and his canonical authority to take action against the monastery in addition to contesting the "admission" that prompted it. Furthermore, it is unclear what claimed canonical crime Olson is truly looking into or whether he is authorized to do so by canon law. Also Read: Pope Francis Extends Support, Solidarity to Suffering Chinese Catholics Civil Lawyer Criticizes Bishop Olson's Actions as Vengeful Amid Monastery Investigation Following Pope Francis's decision to designate Bishop Olson as his delegate to look into the Arlington monastery, Matthew Bobo, a civil lawyer who represents the monastery and Mother Gerlach, has characterized Bishop Olson's restrictions as an act of retaliation. According to Catholic News Agency, in a statement, Bobo referred to Bishop Olson's most recent activities as an exceptionally intense display of conceit, vengeance, and lack of compassion. He claimed that this was meant at Sister Francis Therese and the other reclusive sisters who, since the 1950s, have dutifully and persistently offered the Divine Office (the Catholic Church's daily universal prayer) for the Church and the world. Bobo disputes the diocese's claims that the Reverend Mother admitted to engaging in adultery with a priest in violation of the Sixth Commandment, which forbids it. He claims that she was affected by painkillers after surgery and that he "has not admitted to any grave misconduct that would warrant his extreme and emotionally harmful measures." Related Article:Vatican Rebukes Bishops Fueling Division on Social Media: Calls for Unity and Responsible Online Conduct In the modern world, growing up as a Christian teen comes with its own set of difficulties. Teenage years are a time of personal discovery, exploration, and value formation. Christian youth work hard to practice their religion and adhere to Christ's teachings during this critical time. It's a path that calls for bravery, tenacity, and a solid support network. Christian teenagers must fight these pressures and maintain their moral integrity in a society that frequently favors quick satisfaction, independence, and moral relativism. They experience peer pressure to fit in, temptations that test their resolve, and inquiries that impair their comprehension of God and His purpose for their existence. However, these difficulties also present fantastic chances for development, spiritual maturity, and a deeper relationship with Jesus. We will explore the experiences, challenges, and joys that Christian teenagers encounter as they grow in their faith in this article. We'll talk about how crucial it is to give kids support and encouragement as they traverse the challenges of puberty while clinging to their Christian identity. Together, we'll look into practical solutions for overcoming challenges, bolstering their faith, and finding comfort and strength in Christ. This article is for you if you are a Christian teen looking for direction, a parent or mentor wanting to help the Christian teens in your life, or if you are just interested in the distinctive experiences of Christian teens. Together, let's go on this journey to learn what Christian kids must have in order to prosper and develop their relationship with God. Also Read:5 Ways to Help Teens Grow Closer to God Tips to Thrive in Your Spiritual Journey As a Christian teenager, the journey takes on an added dimension as you strive to live out your faith and grow in your relationship with Christ amidst the pressures and influences of the world. In this blog, we will explore the importance of encouragement and support for Christian teens, providing insights and practical tips to help you thrive in your spiritual journey. 1. Building a Strong Foundation The adolescent years are a good time to lay a solid foundation for your faith. Start by developing a close connection with Christ via prayer, Bible study, and regular fellowship with other Christians. When navigating the difficulties of adolescence, seeking advice from spiritual mentors or young leaders can be supportive and a source of direction. 2. Surround Yourself with Like-minded Peers Being in the company of other like-minded Christians may be a great source of support and encouragement since, as they say, "birds of a feather flock together." You can meet other teenagers who share your values and views by joining a youth organization or going to Christian camps, retreats, or conferences. These connections can promote camaraderie, responsibility, and shared experiences that will bolster your religion. 3. Strengthening Your Identity in Christ It's critical to establish your identity in Christ in a culture that frequently promotes looks, status, and materialism to youth. You can overcome the difficulties of peer pressure and self-doubt by realizing that your value is determined by God's unconditional love and acceptance rather than by societal standards. As a child of God, embrace your individuality and make an effort to live in a way that pleases God. 4. Cultivating a Healthy Mindset A mind based in truth and grace is necessary for growing up in Christ. Accept that you are a work in progress and that God's grace will cover your shortcomings. Don't compare yourself to others or give in to society's irrational expectations. Instead, put your attention on accepting God's love, growing in self-confidence, and cultivating gratitude. 5. Addressing Doubts and Questions It's normal to question and doubt as you grow in your faith. Accept these worries as a chance for growth rather than repressing them. Investigate the matter through studying the Bible, conversing with experts, and reading Christian literature. Don't be scared to question things; the search for the truth will bolster your faith and expand your knowledge of God. 6. Engaging with God's Word For Christian youth, the Bible is a helpful tool. For whatever circumstance you might run into, it provides direction, insight, and consolation. Establish the practice of regularly reading and reflecting on God's Word. Seek to connect your behaviors with biblical ideas and look for practical implications in your daily life. You will receive direction and support for your path as you interact with the Bible. 7. Prayer and Dependence on God Christian youth can use prayer as a powerful weapon. Make it a habit to talk to God on a regular basis and express your joys, worries, and desires to Him. Pray for His wisdom, strength, and direction. Keep in mind that God is always present and available to provide consolation, confidence, and support. In every situation, rely on Him and have faith that He will provide your needs. Teenagers' Christian upbringing can be joyful and stressful at the same time. To succeed on your spiritual path, it's important to cultivate a solid foundation, surround yourself with encouraging people, and ground your identity in Christ. Accept your individuality, deal with your questions and doubts, study God's Word, and develop your prayer practice. Keep in mind that throughout your adolescence and beyond, God's love and grace are your continuous companions. As you mature in Him, keep your spirits upbeat, ask for help when you need it, and have faith that God has a plan for your life. Related Article:Growing Up in Christ: Encouragement and Support for Christian Teens Pixabay/Daniel Bone Over the weekend, multiple places of worship in Laurens County were vandalized. In connection with this incident, two people have been captured and charged with burglary and intentional destruction of religious property. Malicious Injury on Several Churches at Laurens County The court hearing for Sierra Lynn Smith and Jesse James Hawkins occurred on Monday, May 29. At that point, they were confronted with a room of people belonging to three of the four churches they were accused of breaking into. Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, New Prospect Baptist Church, Reedy Grove Pentecostal Holiness Church, and Ceder Grove Baptist Church are the names of these vandalized congregations. A report from WYFF4 stated that the criminal damage to a place of worship, petit larceny, and arson with an attempt to burn were all charges against Smith and Hawkins. They were also given a bond for $77,125. Moreover, both of them expressed regret for the things that they had done. "I wish I could go back in time and repair everything that they've done," Hawkins remarked. While Smith asserted that "If I could take it back, I would. I wasn't in the right mindset. I barely even remember half of the things that happened that night." On the other hand, for some people, it wasn't satisfactory. Melissa Crenshaw, who serves as the Program Director of the Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, noted that even if the suspects had only attacked one church and shown remorse for their crimes, it would not be possible to conclude that their actions were motivated by regret because they had attacked four churches. However, when they attacked four churches and possibly more, it became clear that those responsible for his activities did not regret what they had done. Instead, the suspects' remorse was brought on by their time spent in jail. Also Read:Canadian Police Arrests Two Men for Causing Fire at Historic Church Church Members Expressed Devastation Over the Acts of Vandalism On Monday, May 29, during the hearing for the bond, members of various churches shared their reactions to the events that took place in their respective churches, Fox Carolina reported. Crenshaw asserted that due to the discovery of the vandalism committed against their fellowship building, the church family members at Mount Pleasant, the oldest church in Laurens County, are filled with utter grief. It was discovered that the windows had been broken, and the church windows had been forcibly opened. They have been reportedly left with tremendous sorrow due to the loss of valuable historical church records. The congregation has realized that these treasured things cannot be replaced. Crenshaw also revealed that Pastor Joshua Harris's office and the sanctuary had been trashed and that the doors and safe had been broken. Furthermore, for 7NEWS to better understand the devastation, Pastor Harris led them through Mount Pleasant Baptist Church. It was reported that several windows had been shattered, a guitar had been taken, a cross had been found inverted, and a safe had been broken into. Documents about the church that date back to the 1700s have vanished. According to Louise Irby, a trustee of Cedar Grove Baptist Church, the individuals responsible for the church vandalism went to tremendous lengths, causing damage to the entire door frame and the internal door. Hoyt Dorn, a board member of Reedy Grove Pentecostal Holiness Church, described the extent of the destruction, saying, "They destroyed a complete door frame and interior door, lit a candle, and threw it into a basket. We're very blessed that it didn't cause a fire or anything of that nature." Related Article: Man Faces Felony Charges for Breaking Into Several Churches at Durham Unsplash/Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona In response to criticism of the 2024 desk calendar that is now being sold on the United Church of Christ (UCC) website, Rev. John C. Dorhauer, president of the UCC, has apologized publicly. The cover image, which shows a white child with blonde hair at the center of a circle of youngsters and adults holding hands while wearing varied skin tones, drew criticism from some quarters. Some claim that this arrangement unintentionally encourages white privilege. Rev. Dorhauer acknowledged the criticism in a letter to UCC members published on the church's website on May 23 and acknowledged the image "failed to live up to our commitments to be an antiracist body." He suggested a slight rotation of the cover image may have better captured the church's commitment to racial equity. United Church of Christ Apologizes for Calendar Image Seen as Insensitive According to the article in Fox News, in his letter in response to the cover photo, he expressed his belief that the overt focus on the person with blonde hair demonstrated the persistence of "whiteness" in societal facets like language, art, and culture. Regarding the continued impact of white privilege in society, Rev. Dorhauer thanked the members who expressed their "disappointment and outrage" and acknowledged their contributions. He promised to make sure that in the future, church images would reflect the UCC's commitment to anti-racism. The UCC, a liberal Christian denomination, places a strong emphasis on diversity and racial justice. Several UCC churches have taken steps to encourage the LGBTQ community, including holding drag shows. Although the UCC declined to comment further on the topic, it did confirm to Fox News Digital that the disputed calendar is indeed the one that is now for sale on its website. The General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ, Rev. John C. Dorhauer, has publicly apologized for what he believes to be a perceived lack of racial justice in the cover art for the 2024 UCC desk calendar, according to the letter posted on the organization's website, The United Church of Christ. The letter claims that the image's unintended attention on a person with blonde hair placed emphasis on whiteness, which is against the church's anti-racism objective. Dorhauer admitted his ignorance and thanked individuals who brought it to his attention while reiterating their commitment to responsibility. In order to further support their anti-racism mission, he committed to revisiting the clearance procedures for graphic design. Dorhauer wants to get closer to a church and culture free of racism and racial privilege. He will keep working toward racial equality and justice as part of their ongoing covenantal accountability. Also Read: Redding Church Takes Proactive Approach to Combatting Racism American Christian Churches Responding to Some Racism According to a study that was conducted and shared in Patheos, 43 statements that denounced the prejudice and showed support for Asian Americans were uncovered in a study that looked at public statements made by US Christian denominations in reaction to anti-Asian racism. Thirty-six of these belonged to Christian groups, including significant ecumenical and diverse Christian organizations. The levels of response, however, differed across religions. Compared to evangelical churches, mainline Protestant groups were more likely to speak out against anti-Asian prejudice. The majority of statements were made after the mass shooting in Atlanta in 2021, demonstrating the impact of prominent events on public debate. Racism was understood and addressed in a variety of ways, with some answers viewing it as a personal sin and others attributing it to societal systems. The suggested solutions likewise ranged from requests for changes in state policy to private, individual initiatives. Notably, many denominations remained silent on the subject, demonstrating American Christianity's profoundly ingrained variety in terms of demographics, theology, and politics. Related Article:Man Disrupts Anti-Racism Concert at New Jersey Church, Shouting 'White Lives Matter!' and Throwing Smoke Bombs This week, an Axios poll found that 62 percent of Americans believe the pandemic is overweeks after the World Health Organization announced that COVID-19 is no longer a public health emergency of international concern. More than three years after the virus first swept the globe and governments around the world shut down businesses, schools, and public venues, we can finally say the pandemic has ended. The WHO estimates the coronavirus killed 20 million people worldwide. Even if the figure is inflated, anything near the ballpark of 20 million is a ghastly toll on humanity. Untold numbers still struggle with debilitating aftereffects made worse by the uncertainty about how long and how serious those aftereffects will be. While COVID-19 will be with us forever, we can celebrate that the state of emergency is over. But some are not in a celebratory mood. In my conversations with students, pastors, friends, and family, I often hear an undercurrent of anger, even bitterness, when the pandemic comes up. Some seem eager to relitigate who said what about masking, social distancing, infection rates, or church closures years after the fact. Now is a good time to declare a pandemic amnesty. As Emily Oster suggested in The Atlantic last fall, lets start assuming each others good faith and forgiving the hard calls that people had no choice but to make with imperfect knowledge. Christians especially can lead the world in an attitude of grace for the things we collectively said and did during a confusing and unprecedented time. The pandemic was hard. Navigating the complex medical, political, legal, economic, theological, and humanitarian concerns was difficult. Few of us were truly knowledgeable about every aspect: The epidemiologist could tell us about the likely course of infections, but not the legal issues involved in lockdowns. The lawyer could tell us about public health law but not about economic tradeoffs. The economists could talk about the effect on GDP growth but could not weigh that against the human cost in either lost lives or prolonged isolation. The theologians could tell us to submit to government but also to protect our churches freedom, and each congregation had to do the balancing act on their own. We got things wrong. Masks were not terribly useful unless you used an N95 and wore it just right. Some public schools stayed closed far longer than necessary. Social distancing was unnecessary outdoors. A lot of disinfection in public places was just hygiene theater. Article continues below Yet it was right to treat COVID-19 as a serious emergency and to act with an abundance of caution. Flippancy about masks and social distancing, especially early on when we did not know much, was unwise. Treating the virus as unimportant or unthreatening was grossly insensitive to older and immunocompromised people who were at extreme risk. As much as we find it easy to criticize governments for the decisions they made in the spring of 2020, they likely could have made the pandemic shorter and less severe had they acted even faster, earlier, and more decisively than they did. Some officials made mistakes in the early days; that should not deter future decision-makers from doing all they can to protect public health in the next emergency. The same is true for our local churches. Churches faced a difficult decision about whether and how long to remain closed. Should they obey the government, or insist on their right to stay open? Should they close for the sake of elderly or infirm congregants most at risk from the virus? Or should they open for the sake of everyone else? Obey Romans 13, or Hebrews 10? Different churches made different choicesand it isnt clear to me that one answer was the right one for every church in every circumstance. Governments have legitimate authority in this field, and on balance, most churches should and did adopt a general posture of deference to the state in matters of public health. Some churches with a larger share of elderly members even chose to stay closed longer than legally required. But churches in jurisdictions with a track record of hostility to religious freedom were justified in viewing pandemic restrictions with suspicion. While few churches had to resort to lawsuits, a few did, and they were almost entirely vindicated. We all benefit from the legal precedents that were established or strengthened from those legal victories. We should recognize that different churches in different places had reason to approach COVID-19 differently. Indeed, that spirit of grace would have made the past three years more bearable. During the pandemic, churches split and pastors quit. Last spring, over 40 percent of pastors said they had given serious consideration to leaving ministry, mostly because of loneliness, isolation, political divisiveness, and stress. Some church members were a burden, not a blessing, to their spiritual leaders by turning their churchs stance on COVID-19 into a litmus test of spiritual faithfulness. Article continues below Such divisiveness was unhelpful thenbut carrying those divisions and hurts into the future would be worse. Lets extend grace to one another. None of us had lived through a once-a-century global pandemic before, and Lord willing, none of us will again (though localized epidemics are likely). That kind of grace requires both humility and patience. Faced with the unknowndo masks really work?it is okay to admit, I dont know. When we must make choices anywayopen or close the church?it is okay to have different opinions. When decision-makers make decisions we think are wrong, our natural desire to hold leaders accountable should be leavened by the grace that comes from knowing how hard leadership is in a confusing and unprecedented situation. Above all, we should remember that love keeps no record of wrongs (1 Cor. 13:5). We can disagree on such matters and still enjoy Communion together. The unity of the body of Christ isshould befar more important. Paul D. Miller is a professor of the practice of international affairs at Georgetown University, a research fellow with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, and a veteran of the war in Afghanistan. His most recent book is The Religion of American Greatness: Whats Wrong with Christian Nationalism. This piece was adapted from Russell Moores newsletter. Subscribe here. In this day of social media mobs and troll-fueled extremism, its not unusual for a politician to be digitally attacked for being too weak and not really one of uson a seemingly infinite number of topics. Even so, one might be surprised to see Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)not known for repudiating the far extremes of his baselabeled on various social media platforms as soft, weak, and compromising. Some even suggested that Cruz was rejecting the Word of God itself. His radically progressive idea? That Uganda shouldnt criminalize homosexuality and execute gay people. Normally, a social media controversy is the most ephemeral of pseudo-events. People who want to be noticed post shocking and even ridiculous things (Yall! Its not just Target thats gone woke; lets boycott Chick-fil-A too!) to get attention, knowing theyll be denounced and quote tweeted, which will amplify their reach. They think that retweets and followers will somehow give them the belonging and significance they crave. Often, the best course is to ignore such things in the spirit of Proverbs 26:4Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him. Sometimes, though, their kind of trolling can lead to two catastrophic ends that should concern those of us who follow Christ: the unjust killing of human beings made in the image of God and, at the same time, the bearing of false witness about what the Christian gospel actually is. At issue is a harsh new law signed by Ugandas president Yoweri Museveni that would not only outlaw homosexuality but also mandate conversion-therapy-type rehabilitation for gay people who are arrested and require a kind of surveillance culture in which citizens are criminally liable for not turning in people they know to be gay. But most chilling of all, the law would impose the death penalty on categories deemed to be aggravated homosexuality. Of course, repressive regimes violate human rights all the time and all around the worldand there are vast limits on how much other nations can do about it. But in this case, many are wondering whether the primary problem is that Uganda is taking the Bible out of context. Some of those sniping at Cruzespecially for his categorization of the Ugandan law as horrific and wrongargue that the senators issue is really with God. After all, they say, doesnt the Bible dictate that if a man has sexual relations with a male as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable [and] are to be put to death (Lev. 20:13)? Article continues below I am an evangelical Christian committed to the verbal inspiration of the Bible, meaning I believe that every word of it is exactly what God intended it to be, by the power of the Spirit. I am also committed to the inerrancy of the Scriptures: that the Word of God speaks truthfully. Jesus view of the BibleScripture cannot be broken (John 10:35, ESV)settles those issues for me. I am also a Christian who agrees with the teaching of both the Scriptures and the churchOrthodox, Catholic, and Protestant, for 2,000 yearswhich is that marriage is a one-flesh covenant between a man and a woman and that sexual expression outside of that covenant is wrong. And yet my repulsion at the Ugandan state violence in this law is not despite those commitments but precisely because of them. One does not honor the authority of Scripture if one obscures its meaning. Leviticus 20 explicitly condemns almost every form of sexual immoralitypremarital sex, extramarital sex, and nearly every other kind of nonmarital sexual expression. Sexual sins are included alongside occultic practices, necromancy, and the cursing of ones mother and father. Of course, this is consistent with the rest of the biblical witness (whatever one thinks of its authority). Yet the penalties of death that come with those violations are situated in a very specific context in redemptive history. God revealed that the theocratic civil code, as well as its punishments, was for a purpose: to separate his people from the rest of the nations to prepare them to enter the inheritance of the land (Lev. 20:26). To cite such passages of the old-covenant civil law as a mandate for a civil state outside that covenant is a misinterpretation that doesnt fit with any historic, apostolic teaching of Christianity. In fact, its in line with those who would argue against any ethical content of the Christian faith by saying, Yeah, well, if the Bibles true, we couldnt eat shellfish either. The moment one hears this, one knows that the arguer either isnt aware of the old covenant/new covenant distinctions in the ceremonial and food laws (which is a major emphasis in the New Testament) or isn't arguing in good faith. The same applies to those who would say, Well, the church in the Book of Acts shared their possessions in common as an argument for the state-imposed communist totalitarianism of Lenin, Stalin, or Mao. Article continues below In the New Testament church, the apostles resolved the question of the Law in a Council at Jerusalem. They did not, as some might argue, wipe away the moral content of the Old Testament Law. For instance, Christianswhether Jew or Gentilewere still to abstain from sexual immorality (Acts 15:20). But the new covenant community was not a reconstruction of the Old Testament code of criminal penalties for violations of holiness. In fact, we have example after example of Jesus and the apostles teaching the opposite. I hold as authentic Scripture the passage in John in which Jesus stops the stoning of an adulterous woman (Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone, 8:7). I know some Christians believe it to be a later textual addition, but even if that were true, Jesus posture toward sinners was consistent throughout the Gospels. In writing to the church in Corinth, the apostle Paul rebuked an example of sexual immorality explicitly mentioned in the text of Leviticus 20having sex with the wife of a family member. Paul also quoted, Purge the evil person from among you (1 Cor. 5:13, ESV) a text that was used in the Old Testament civil law to denote the death penalty (Deut. 13:5; 17:7; 22:21). Yet Paul did not use this language to call for any criminal penalty by the stateand certainly not execution. Instead, he saw the you of the new covenant as applying to the church, not to the state. And the church is not given the power of the sword (Matt. 26:52; Rom. 13:17; 2 Cor. 10:4). Moreover, Paul specifically notes in his letter that the church does not have judgment over outsiders. The local church should remove a sexually immoral personif finally unrepentantfrom membership in their community, but this does not mean they should stop associating with those who do the same things on the outside: What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? (1 Cor. 5:12). The word judge here does not mean to make moral assessments of whats right and whats wrong but rather to identify who is accountable to whom. In other words, the world is not accountable to the church. The church is accountable to the churchand, even then, not with physical or criminal penalties but with the spiritual means of Word and sacrament. Article continues below The revered late Presbyterian biblical theologian Edmund P. Clowney noted the disastrous consequences of those who use the Bible without being able to situate its texts in their redemptive-historical context. In fact, he said that using the Bible as a collection of moral examplesunhinged from the broader story of Gods purpose to sum up everything in the crucified and risen Christleads to a situation in which biblical history is a chaotic jumble. Those who find only collected moral tales in the Bible are constantly embarrassed by the good deeds of patriarchs, judges, and kings, he wrote in Preaching and Biblical Theology. Surely we cannot pattern our daily conduct on that of Samuel as he hews Agag to pieces, or Samson as he commits suicide, or Jeremiah as he preaches treason. Dreadful consequences have ensued when blindness to the history of revelation was coupled with the courage to follow misunderstood examples, Clowney wrote. Heretics have been hewed in pieces in the name of Christ, and imprecatory psalms sung on the battlefields. In the unveiling of his purpose, God did indeed demonstrate his judgment through Samuels sword and Samsons self-sacrifice and so on, but that moment in redemptive history is not where we are situated now. Christ has not now given the sword but the keys to those who are charged with authority in his name, Clowney wrote. The sanctifying of Gods name in spiritual church discipline reflects in our situation the theocratic obedience of Samuel. Misinterpreting this is the equivalent of concluding that one should sacrifice a lamb on the church Communion table during a sermon series on Leviticus. At this time in history, God has commissioned us not to subdue the world with violence but to bear witness to the One he sent: For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:17). Not everything thats a sin is a crime. To equate all sin with crime, without the authority to do so, is itself a sin against Godto take the name of the Lord our God in vain. If the historic Christian vision of marriage and family is true and good and beautiful, as I believe it is, then we demonstrate that truth, goodness, and beauty to our unbelieving neighbors through our witnessnot by threatening to kill them. Article continues below Unleashing the violence of state-ordained execution, imprisonment, and surveillance on gay and lesbian Ugandans is a condemnable act of authoritarianism and a violation of the self-evident and unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. To do such a thing is a matter of power, not of conviction. It demonstrates not a commitment to the Bibles authority but a rejection of it. Call it what you will, but dont for a minute call it Christian. Russell Moore is the editor in chief at Christianity Today and leads its Public Theology Project. First Step Act leader says his faith in God won't let him give up seeking criminal justice reform In 2018, Congress and President Donald Trump passed The First Step Act, a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill that has had mixed reviews since its inception. A recent documentary gives viewers an inside look into the journey of getting the bill passed and one of its leaders, Louis L. Reed, says people of faith should pay attention to this American issue. Reed, the senior director of Membership and Partnerships for the REFORM Alliance has years of experience in government, criminal justice expertise, policy advocacy, public health and personal impact. He served nearly 14 years in federal prison and several years on supervision and is featured in the new documentary The First Step. The First Step, which is now available to stream on Amazon Promo, Vudu, and other platforms, follows Reed as he supports media personality Van Jones on his controversial journey to pass the landmark criminal justice bill. The film reveals an intimate portrait of an activists isolation and internal struggles, and what it takes to make a change in a divided nation, the films description reveals. Republicans at their best believe in Liberty. Democrats at their best believe in Justice. All Americans at our best should believe in Liberty and Justice for All. Not just for the privileged or those who have access to power or influence-for ALL Americans. This makes Justice reform an American issue, Reed shared in a recent interview with The Christian Post. The First Step Act is aimed at providing a pathway for non-violent prisoners to shorten their sentences while also reducing mandatory minimum sentences and recidivism. However, it has been accused by some of also releasing hundreds of violent criminals and sex offenders. Just this week, 2024 Republican presidential candidate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made headlines for seeking to repeal The First Step Act. While on the The Ben Shapiro Show, DeSantis criticized the bipartisan bill and called the legislation basically a jailbreak bill. DeSantis voted for the first version of the bill in 2018 as a member of the House of Representatives, but resigned before the final version of the bill came to a vote. Another controversy have been isolated incidents of recidivism. Joel Francisco was 14 years into a life sentence for selling crack cocaine when The First Step Act gave him his second chance. After his release, however, he was arrested again in 2019 for stabbing to death 46-year-old Troy Pine at a Providence, Rhode Island, hookah lounge. Although a minority occurrence in the estimated 5,000 releases via The First Step Act, the tragedy raised concerns from detractors of the legislation. This case is upsetting but its not a surprise, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said at the time, as quoted by CNN. Letting violent felons out of prison early as the First Step Act did leads to more crime and more victims. Karen Bass, a former Democrat House of Representatives member representing California, said this tragic occurrence should not dictate the progress that the bill could make. If youre looking at reforming the criminal justice system you cannot pick an individual criminal act to then raise the question as to whether or not you do reforms to the system, Bass noted in 2019, as quoted by CNN. Likewise, Reed, who is an example of the power of a second chance, believes all people should back the prison reform initiative. The following is an edited transcript of The Christian Post interview with Reed. CP: Why is The First Act movie important for people of faith to watch? Reed: There are several reasons for people of faith to watch this film, one being my personal journey. I was incarcerated and had an awakening as to the revolutionary thoughts of Jesus. Jesus looked at those who were most disenfranchised and wants us to do the same. When you watch this movie, this movie espouses those principles, to help those who are most forgottenwhich currently are the black-brown population who are disproportionately affected by the justice system. CP: Can you share a little more of your own testimony with us? Reed: I was exposed to the Gospel in the black Pentecostal church, but had an epiphany in my faith during the 14 years I served in federal prison. I was in solitary confinement facing a sentence of more than 70 years. I had picked up a Bible for the first time as an adult, and turned to the book of John and started reading. When I came to the crucifixion of Jesus, I realized I was crying as I would at a funeral of someone I knew, someone I was close to. I looked up to my jail walland this will sound untrue to a non-believerbut I saw my jail wall covered in blood. I saw that as a sign of the redemptive blood of Jesus through the atoning cross. I had an encounter with Jesus. This led to a righteous indignation of the number of black, brown and poor white people in the justice system. When I saw these people, I didnt see them as convicts or felons, I saw them as brothers and sisters in Christ. I saw them as I believe Jesus sees them. I would also attempt to encourage them to see each other from that same viewpoint. CP: Why is this type of reform a bipartisan issue? Reed: Republicans at their best believe in Liberty. Democrats at their best believe in Justice. All Americans at our best should believe in Liberty and Justice for All. Not just for the privileged or those who have access to power or influencefor ALL Americans. This makes Justice reform an American issue. The United States of America makes up five percent of the world's population, but we lead the world by 25% in public incarceration. There are more than 70 million people in the United States with criminal histories. That means they suffer what the American Bar Association calls collateral consequences. There are 46,000 collateral consequences for every conviction. Thats equivalent to 46,000-to-one odds against you to be able to succeed. No one in life wants to be reduced down to the poorest decision they made. CP: The film talked about putting people over politics, can you share the importance of doing that in times that are so hateful? Reed: You cant get to purpose without travailing through pain. It just is what it is. If you consider the hate that is in the world, if love doesnt stand up, if life doesnt break through, if we dont rise to the occasion, then we will be overtaken with that hate. When we were working on this, we chose to look at the opposition as opportunity. Right before you have the greatest opportunity of your life, you have the greatest opposition. On the other side of a breakdown was a breakthrough. CP: How hard was it for you guys to walk that line to try and rally Trump and the Republicans while also keeping the support of the Democrats? Reed: To get this bill over the line, you had to consider the current political landscape. We had a polarizing president in office and when you looked at him and the Republican office through the eyes of someone who is economically disfranchised, being a Republican is perceived as being racist. The hardest part of this project was earning the trust of those being marginalized while also being credible messengers of the First Step Act. It helped that the bill was introduced as bipartisan, with Doug Collins representing the Republicans and Hakeem Jefferies representing the Democrats. These congressmen created a congressional appetite for everyone to work together and get this bill passed. CP: The divide was so real, that people hated the First Step Act just because Trump endorsed it, how did you navigate that? Reed: You have to be mission-focused. While all of these people who didnt like it opposed the bill, those whom the bill was helping do not have social media. The people this bill helped only had the call to action to get on the phone in 15-minute-increments to call their families and get their families to support what we were doing. Other people were concerned with outrage, we were concerned with outcome. We tapped into the 1964 movement of Dr. Martin Luther King that we had to do something to act. CP: Where is the First Step Act now? Reed: On a Federal level, the First Step Act has passed. An extension has also been passed through the compassionate release provision of the act. This newest provision allows those with chronic or debilitating health issues to be released to care for these conditions or to care for their next of kin who have these health issues. Also, there are 12 other bills on a state level that were a version of the First Step Act that also have passed. Finally, the First Step Act is the only law in America that is unimpeachable, It has been affirmed by all three branches of government. CP: What can people do to jump on board with this initiative? Reed: You can follow me on any social media platform at LousLReed. You can follow the film at firststepfilm.com. The website lists ways to get involved in your area. I would like to reiterate that this film is an exercise of faith that refuses to die, similarly to how Christ refused to stay down in the grave, that is what faith is about. It's about not staying where you were and not staying where the devil thought you were. Life is about resurrections. Life is about literally getting up every morning and beginning a new day just like the word says: His Mercies are new every morning. Girl denied transplant over vaccination status receives kidney; lawsuit moving forward A 14-year-old girl in North Carolina whose parents say she was denied a kidney transplant because of her vaccination status has received a kidney as efforts to prevent other families from having the same experience continue to move forward. Yulia Hicks received a new kidney last Thursday thanks to "an amazing live donor," according to the latest update on GiveSendGo's "Kidney for Yulia" fundraising page. Hicks, the adopted daughter of Chrissy and Lee Hicks, received national attention after the family claimed late last year that Duke University refused to conduct her transplant surgery because she was not vaccinated against COVID-19. The update noted the child is "recovering well" and thanked the "entire team at [East Carolina University] Health for everything," describing the doctors and medical staff there as "the most caring and professional team that we have encountered on this journey." The post also expressed gratitude for the attention given to the Hicks situation by conservative and religious media organizations and figures. "Without the media attention, we would not have found our amazing live donor, JJ," the fundraiser maintained. "We are now focusing our attention on Yulia's healing, getting Yulia's law passed, and the lawsuit with Duke," the update reads. Yulia's Law, also known as House Bill 586, is a measure pending in the Republican-controlled North Carolina General Assembly. If passed, it would amend state law regarding "Nondiscrimination in Organ Transplantation" to clarify that "an individual's right to health care is not diminished by a refusal to get a COVID-19 vaccine." The measure would make it "unlawful" for any "licensed provider of health care services" to "deny medical services related to organ transplantation" based on an individual's vaccination status. House Bill 586 passed the North Carolina House of Representatives in a 91-25 vote on May 2, with 20 Democrats joining their Republican colleagues in supporting the bill. All votes against the legislation came from Democrats. The bill awaits approval from the North Carolina Senate, where it has come before the Committee on Rules and Operation of the Senate. Hicks' GiveSendGo fundraiser expressed concern that the proposal was "in danger of not getting passed" and encouraged supporters to "call the NC legislature asking them to pass this law." The lawsuit against Duke University was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina on Dec. 12 and is moving forward in federal court. The complaint asserts that Duke University Hospital violated Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion at places of public accommodation, by declining to perform a kidney transplant on the teenager. The complaint contends that the hospital discriminated against the Hicks family based on its Catholic faith, which it identifies as the primary reason behind the objection to taking the COVID-19 vaccine. The lawsuit states that Duke University Hospital officials informed the Hicks family that the hospital had "availed other, unvaccinated patients of transplant surgeries," insisting that "while Duke University Hospital has performed transplant surgeries on unvaccinated, non-Catholic persons, Duke refuses to even activate" Hicks on its transplant list. The family is seeking at least $5 million in "compensatory damages" due to the "intentional infliction of emotional distress" on the teenager and "punitive damages in an amount to be determined at trial" and "an award of reasonable attorney's fees and costs." Filed before her transplant surgery, the complaint asks a judge to order Duke University Hospital to list Hicks as "active" on the transplant list and prohibit the hospital from "altering, modifying, skipping, blocking, banning, suppressing, changing, or otherwise taking any action that does, could or is otherwise reasonably calculated to result in [Yulia Hicks] receiving the transplant surgery she needs." "The Hicks family adopted Yulia from the Ukraine in January of 2021 knowing that she had a genetic kidney condition that would eventually require surgery," the GiveSendGo fundraiser details. The teenager had undergone 15 months of daily dialysis, the fundraiser added, elaborating on how "the numerous pre-surgery tests, the procedure itself, recovery and the years of regular appointments" was taking a financial toll on the Hicks family. Iowa bans sexual orientation, gender identity instruction in elementary schools Iowas Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed into law a measure banning school officials from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity with young children as part of a push to put parents in the drivers seat regarding their childrens education. Reynolds approved Senate File 496 Friday, one of several education-related bills that came to her desk. The measure declares that a school district shall not provide any program, curriculum, test, survey, questionnaire, promotion, or instruction relating to gender identity or sexual orientation to students in kindergarten through grade six. The legislation also establishes additional requirements for library programs operated by public school districts, specifically that the collection contains only age-appropriate materials. The first violation of the new procedure will result in a written warning to a school districts board of directors or the employee responsible for placing the material in the collection. Subsequent violations may result in the employee in question or the school district superintendent facing a hearing conducted by the state board of educational examiners, which may result in disciplinary action. The legislation stresses that any material with descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act does not meet the definition of age-appropriate material. The bill also orders school districts to publish a list of books available to students in libraries throughout the school district and implement policies enabling parents to review material in teachers individual classroom libraries and other instructional materials. Concerns about sexually explicit material in libraries and school curricula nationwide have led outraged parents and community members to confront school boards at contentious meetings in recent years. The Iowa legislation also prohibits school districts from giving false or misleading information to the parent or guardian of a student regarding the students gender identity or intention to transition to a gender that is different than the sex listed on a students official birth certificate or an equivalent document. Under the new law, schools are required to inform parents if their child requests to go by a name or pronoun that does not align with their given name and biological sex. Failure to keep parents informed about their childrens gender identity can result in a written warning on the first violation and hearings that could result in disciplinary actions for violators in subsequent cases. School districts in other states have faced lawsuits for referring to a child by a name and pronouns that do not align with their biological sex at school while referring to the pupil by their given name and pronouns with parents, thereby keeping them in the dark about their childs social transition. In a statement, Reynolds praised Senate File 496 as part of a newly enacted package of transformational education reform that puts parents in the drivers seat, eliminates burdensome regulations on public schools, provides flexibility to raise teacher salaries, and empowers teachers to prepare our kids for the future. The Republican-controlled Iowa Senate approved Senate File 496 in a 34-16 vote in April, and the Republican-controlled Iowa House of Representatives voted 57-38 to send it to Reynolds desk shortly thereafter. While the Iowa Senate vote fell exactly along party lines, with all Republicans supporting the bill and all Democrats opposing it, four Republicans joined Democrats to oppose the bill in the House. Reynolds approval of Senate File 496 comes slightly more than a year after Florida enacted a similar measure banning discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity for students in kindergarten through third grade, which critics derided as the Dont Say Gay Bill. Earlier this year, the Florida Board of Education voted to expand the prohibition on discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity through 12th grade unless the material is specifically part of a reproductive health course or health lesson that a student can opt out of. Parental rights in education has emerged as a key battleground in American politics in recent years. Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe addressed the topic at a debate with his Republican opponent Glenn Youngkin in 2021, asserting, I dont think parents should be telling schools what they should teach. The backlash to McAuliffes comment is seen as one factor that contributed to his narrow loss to Youngkin in the election. The 1776 Project PAC, a grassroots organization working to elect school board candidates committed to reforming public education by promoting patriotism and pride in American history while opposing the implementation of LGBT ideology and critical race theory into school curriculum, has achieved varying degrees of success in electing its preferred candidates. The group performed very well in elections that took place in Florida and Texas ahead of last years midterm elections while securing success rates of slightly less than 50% in the midterms and in races that took place in the Midwest earlier this year. Not a faith issue: Churches address mental health stigma in the pews during awareness month With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, pastors and church leaders are urging their congregations to shatter the stigma and advising that mental health isn't always a "spiritual issue." Licensed clinical social worker Ryan Albrecht, a private psychotherapist practitioner, preached a guest sermon Sunday at The Experience Vineyard Church in Rockville Centre, New York. In the sermon titled "Emotional Awareness," the 40-year-old social worker who plays guitar and sings for the church's worship team told the Vineyard movement-affiliated congregation that Christians tend to stigmatize mental illness. "[Mental illness] is a stigmatized and an uncomfortable issue for a lot of people," he said. "My experience has been that the big 'C' Church doesn't like going into this realm too much." He said people often assume those struggling with mental illness look a certain way or that people who seem to be living great lives aren't experiencing mental health problems. "If [someone with mental illness] was in this church, you'd be like, 'Hey, he's good, he's not showing outward signs, right?' And that's the stigma we don't want to push," Albrecht preached. Albrecht said the Church needs to actively approach mental illness in a way that does not judge based on what someone has attained in their life or what someone looks like because anyone can have a mental illness. Never would have expected Albrecht shared about a past client he helped who was suffering from a severe suicidal health crisis. But most people would never have expected that person to be in need of mental health therapy because he was a "good looking dude, with a good job, a great house." Albrecht spoke with the client during an emergency therapy session. As he listened, the psychotherapist realized that his client spent the entire day allocating his financial assets to allow his wife access to his money. The client had planned to commit suicide and wanted to ensure his wife had financial support when he was gone, Albrecht said. Before becoming a social worker, Albrecht said he struggled with drug addiction. He urged Christians to seek therapy because Jesus can work through the therapy process. He cited Romans 12:2-3, noting that Jesus wants to partner with anyone starting on a journey of "renewal and healing." "I love the combination of spiritual direction and therapy at the same time because the whole process [involves getting] to understand our heart, our emotions, how our body is responding. We're going to separate trauma, emotional content, family relationships all that," Albrecht said. "And we become kind of segmented, but we have to reintegrate, as well, ideally in the therapeutic process. That's why it takes time. That's why it's a process. You can't just do this stuff. You need to remain accountable. That's why having a relationship you take part in every week with somebody is super important. So start where you are." 'God can miraculously heal you of anything' Lead Pastor Lee Grzywinski at Montclair Community Church in New Jersey told his congregation in a sermon on May 15 that he struggles with what his counselor classifies as "severe anxiety," which he seeks continual therapy for. He told his church that medically diagnosed "anxiety is not sinful." He contends that churches and Christians stigmatize by labeling mental illness "sinful." "If you are concerned about anxiety in your life, I can't stress this enough: please seek professional help. ... This is not a faith issue." "Yes, God can miraculously heal you of anything. I really believe that. But, if I break my leg, I'm going to pray and go to the hospital," Grzywinski preached in a sermon titled "The Spiritual Side of Anxiety (Mental Health from a Biblical Perspective)." 'Not always a spiritual issue' Pastor Dave Hazel of New Life Church of The Nazarene in El Cajon, California, also encouraged churchgoers not to neglect themselves if they are suffering emotionally. In a sermon, he advised Christians with medically diagnosed mental health illnesses to seek Jesus, declaring, "Jesus is the answer to our mental health dilemma." But he also urged the need for some to incorporate therapy and medication into their lives to find healing. "The fact of the matter is, I'm not trying to discount or minimize mental health issues that are ongoing and real, and things that we didn't cause," Hazel, who holds a master of divinity from Nazarene Theological Seminary, said. "Please, don't misunderstand me. Mental health issues are not really always spiritual issues." The pastor said there are many people who are suffering from various issues where their brains are not firing correctly, such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Unlike other serious health problems, he said it can often be hard to people to grasp or see mental health disorders for what they are. He said when people have issues with their heart or other organs, doctors can do scans to show where the abnormalities may lie. Hazel warned that many churches stigmatize mental illness by holding the belief that anyone struggling with mental illnesses needs to get closer to Jesus. "[Oftentimes] we want to make [mental illnesses] spiritual issues [by saying]: 'It's all about Jesus. If you had more faith, if you kind of just pulled up the bootstraps and went to church more, you wouldn't deal with [it],'" Hazel said. "Stop that silliness because there are some real issues that we need to deal with when it comes to mental health. But, I do think there are some truths to some disciplines and habits that God's Word teaches us, [which] give us a healthy balance for our mental health." He believes more Christians would "have a healthier mental health perspective" if they "truly lived for and embraced and experienced the God who ultimately created them." Hazel noted a few spiritual disciplines found in Philippians 4:4-8, when Paul addresses the church at Philippi with instructions on how to live. Verse 4 says, "Rejoice in the Lord always." According to Hazel, Christians are to praise God with joy regardless of their circumstances. He believes doing this can potentially create better mental health outcomes. "I like to say to some people 'if you are happy, you need to remind your face that that's the case.' Because that means that you need to smile every once in a while. Have some joy and rejoice. And [Paul] says: don't just rejoice about just anything. 'Rejoice in the Lord,'" Hazel continued. Hazel said the command to "pray" can be seen in Philippians 4:6-7, which says: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer present your requests to God." "I don't think Paul is instructing us to push emotions away. I think Jesus modeled plenty of emotions as we look in the Gospels. He laughed. He cried. Jesus wept when he looked over Jerusalem. He wept when His friend Lazarus was dead. He got impatient with the disciples and the Pharisees. He turned over tables for goodness sake," Hazel preached. "So, it's not an issue that somehow our emotions are bad or wrong. In fact, they're God-given. [But] showing and expressing our emotions tends to lead to this aspect of worry and fear. And so as a result of that, I think Paul is instructing us to [teach] us that there's a pattern of discipline that you can do that will help you in your worry. And that is the discipline of prayer." LGBT gear at Kohl's: 'Little kids' T-shirt with transgender flag, 'proud' rainbow baby bib Retail store partners with group supporting drag queens at libraries Why is Kohls selling pride clothing for babies? Thats the question being asked by some conservative activists on social media as the chain has become the latest retail outlet to face scrutiny over its LGBT merchandise for young children. The Kohls website has a dedicated pride page with rainbow iconography with the heading "Love is our favorite color: Celebrate Pride Month and a statement reading, We are committed to amplifying and affirming the voices of the [LGBT] community, celebrating the joy that comes from living authentically and unapologetically not just this month, but all year long." The website features a number of pride-themed clothing for kids and toddlers, including a little kids T-shirt featuring the transgender pride flag and a pride baby bib emblazoned with a rainbow and the words PROUD OF MY FAMILY. With images of same-sex couples, the Kohls pride page also has T-shirts with rainbow hearts and the phrases I MY MOMS and I MY DADS. Along with a number of Disney-themed products including a T-shirt with the iconic Mickey Mouse ears and the words BELONG BELIEVE BE PROUD the stores pride page also has links to Kohls partners, such as the Phluid Project, an LGBT-owned gender-free fashion brand." According to its website, the Phluid Projects Phluid Foundation raises money for a number of LGBT initiatives, including the LA LGBT Center, which earlier this month removed itself from an LA Dodgers pride event over the initial of a blasphemous drag troupe. The Phluid Project also supports Drag Story Hour NYC (formerly Drag Queen Story Hour), a controversial nationwide initiative that features men dressed as women reading books to small children at local libraries. As part of its pride month celebration, Kohls is also donating $100,000 to The Trevor Project, an LGBT activist group that claims its research briefs correlate religious beliefs with higher rates of suicide among LGBT-identified people, a claim that has been widely challenged. Since 2019, Kohl's has donated $325,000 to The Trevor Project, according to the Kohls website. Another brand on Kohls pride page is TomboyX, which sells a number of tucking bikini bottoms on its website for men who want to identify as women. The brand, however, does not appear to sell any such products on Kohls website. Several conservative commentators on social media reacted to the Kohls page by asking why such products are being marketed to children, even as "#BoycottKohls" began trending Monday on Twitter. Why is Kohls selling Pride Merch for 3-month-old babies? Turning Point USA commentator Benny Johnson asked on Twitter. The Kohls controversy comes as a number of popular retailers have seen their popularity, and in some cases, their share prices, plunge following social media coverage of its pride-themed merchandise. Targets stock value has taken a hit amid controversy over a collection the company unveiled ahead of so-called Pride month that has ties to a British designer whose brand promotes satanic imagery. The retail chain lost $9.3 billion in market value and the corporation's shares have dropped by more than 12.6% since the consumer backlash began in mid-May. Other companies like Starbucks and Bud Light are also facing economic headwinds over their LGBT advocacy. Adidas used a male model to advertise a womens swimsuit as part of its "Pride 2023" collection. The unidentified male model wearing a product intended for women had stubble and hair on his chest, as well as a noticeable bulge in the crotch area. South African designer Rich Mnisi and Adidas collaborated to release a "Let Love Be Your Legacy" collection, Fox News reported. According to Adidas, its campaign with Mnisi is intended to "encourage allyship and freedom of expression without bias, in all spaces of sport and culture." Most Christians believe churches should provide counseling and care, but most pastors disagree: study While more than half of Christians and nearly 50% of the general population believe churches should be offering care and counseling to their communities, most pastors disagree, according to recent research from the Barna Group. In an analysis of data collected in 2015, 2020 and 2022, Barna researchers measured how pastors, Christians, non-Christians and the general U.S. adult population see the church's role in society today. While only 31% of pastors, 38% of non-Christians and 48% of U.S. adults, in general, believe churches should offer counseling and care in their communities, more than half of Christians (52%) think churches should be offering these services to their communities, the polling suggests. The research on the pastors was collected from 585 online interviews with Protestant senior pastors in the U.S. from September 616, 2022. A majority of pastors believe their main roles in the community are to tell others about Jesus (84%), help Christians grow (75%), practically assist those in need (64%), provide hands-on help to people in need (57%), teach or serve children (55%) and care for the elderly and widows (52%). On several data points, including whether churches should offer counseling and care to their communities, there were clear disconnects between how pastors, Christians, non-Christians and the general U.S. adult population see their role in society. Compared to pastors, Christians place a higher priority on churches offering counseling and care over caring for the elderly and widows (38%), teaching or serving children (46%) and practically assisting those in need (46%). "Clearly, this goes beyond what pastors want for their congregations, what congregants want from their pastors, and what neighbors want out of their local churches. 'The Church' is a broad concept for many, and while it would be impossible to cater to every single expectation this entails, leaders should pay attention to the notable distinctions between what people want from churches and what pastors believe they should be offering," researchers noted in an excerpt from Barna's Resilient Pastor series. The series explores how pastors, Christians and non-Christians say a church should show up in its community. "There are ways for pastors and communities to get on the same page (or at least in the same chapter) about the role of the church in their communities but it's going to take some humility, introspection and, most importantly, open communication to get there." The finding comes as previous studies reported by The Christian Post show how ill-equipped many churches are in ministering to members of their community struggling with their mental health. At the height of the pandemic, Barna and research partner Pepperdine University's Boone Center for the Family found that 58% of U.S. adults and 54% of practicing Christians reported having at least one relational, emotional or mental health issue that impacts their most important relationships. This finding was highlighted in the report "Restoring Relationships: How Churches Can Help People Heal & Develop Healthy Connections." "I have always believed that the Church is a great resource for people to go to receive help with things like anxiety and depression. Though, over the last several years, there's been some separation [in how we care for people] professionals deal with mental healthcare concerns and church people deal with spiritual concerns and I think we've missed volumes of opportunity here," Boone Center Executive Director Sharon Hargrave told Barna President David Kinnaman in an interview. "I believe the Church is very well-suited to help with relationship and mental healthcare concerns, and our programming at the Boone Center for the Family is designed specifically to intertwine theology and psychology in such a way that church and mental healthcare workers can work together." Barna researchers found that as they weathered the COVID-19 pandemic, only three in 10 pastors (30%) reported feeling "very well-equipped" to help their congregants through their mental and emotional troubles. In 2021, for example, a PC(USA) minister survey on mental health issues found that 44% of the 4,507 pastors surveyed reported that they "have not been trained to recognize mental health concerns or how to minister to those individuals and families who face them." Many pastors themselves struggle with their mental health and sometimes become so isolated they have resorted to suicide. Reacting in 2018 to the high-profile suicides of CNN host Anthony Bourdain and iconic fashion designer Kate Spade, suicide survivor Apostle Bryan Meadows, who leads Embassy Church International in Atlanta, warned his followers that they should take steps to care for their own mental health and not treat their pastors like therapists. "Creatives need PASTORS and THERAPISTS!!! Your Pastor is NOT your therapist, and your therapist is NOT your Pastor. While everyone should utilize these resources in their life, for the CREATIVE it's absolutely necessary," Meadows wrote. "When your life is spent processing intense stimuli, emotions and experiences, you have to address emotional and psychological constipation. When you are constantly living to make others happy and inspired, you need to understand how that takes a toll of your emotional and mental health." Data cited by Health.com shows mental illness has risen in the United States "due to the rise in social media, the COVID-19 pandemic, and societal trends that have resulted in smaller family units and less community involvement." About 20% of the population is reportedly experiencing some form of mental illness, equivalent to more than 50 million people. Mental Health in America notes that about 54.7% of adults with a mental illness do not receive treatment. In March, The Rev. A.R. Bernard, leader of New York City's 40,000-member Christian Cultural Center, who has some 45 years of experience in ministry, shared some best practices for optimum mental health during an interfaith meeting on the subject. He suggested the reason some people may still be looking to the church or faith leaders for counseling and care could be the stigma surrounding mental healthcare in society. "When 9/11 hit, I got a call for a gathering of clergy. Because what they found was that the first responders who were being traumatized by what they were dealing with, on a daily basis, it was so intense. They didn't want to meet with a healthcare or mental health professional," Bernard recalled. "They wanted to meet with their imam, their pastor, their priest, a rabbi. That was 22 years ago almost, a lot has changed. One of the reasons why they wanted to meet with their clergyperson is because of the stigma associated with mental health and seeking mental health care," he explained. "Thank you for the millennials, for removing the stigma. So now you can say, 'I'm going to see my therapist,' or like, 'my therapist said to me the other day,' and not have people look at you funny. We've come a long way." Pro-life activists assaulted outside Maryland abortion clinic, suspect remains at large A fundraiser set up on behalf of a pro-life activist beaten outside a Maryland abortion clinic has raised tens of thousands of dollars as the attacker remains at large. Jay Walton, president of the Baltimore County Right to Life, announced in a Facebook post on Saturday that Mark Crosby was viciously attacked" last Friday while praying in front of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Baltimore. Walton included images in the post, which show the area above Crosbys right eye severely swollen and his eye closed as blood streams down the right side of his face. His right eye was also injured and has been bleeding. His T-shirt was also stained with blood from the attack. He and another prolifer were attacked from behind and the thug ran away, Walton explained. Mark is currently in the hospital being treated for the serious injuries he sustained. Walton urged the pro-life community to pray that Mark makes a full recovery and that the thug that did this to him is found and dealt with swiftly. He set up a fundraiser on Crosbys behalf on GoFundMe to help cover the medical expenses. As of Thursday morning, it has raised nearly $41,800, well above the $10,000 goal. Walton posted an update on Monday, explaining that Crosby was back in the ER" and was "bleeding from somewhere behind his right eye. Pro-life activist Jody Ward shared a detailed account on Facebook Monday of the incident, writing that an "angry man" approached Crosby and another pro-life activist named Dick Schaefer and attacked them. Then, as Dicks back was turned, he lifted Dick off the ground and threw him into the plate glass window. Dick fell, knocking over a large planter and striking his head, losing conscience temporarily," Ward wrote. Mark came to Dicks aid. As he approached, the attacker then turned on Mark, punching him in the face. Mark fell to the ground. The assailant then kicked Mark in the head. NBC affiliate WBAL-TV interviewed Schaefer who described the altercation: I leaned down. I was hit by a truck. I dont know what happened but instantly, I was looking up at the sky. The report highlighted that Schaefer, who suffered hand, shoulder and back injuries, credits Crosby for saving his life. A witness and Schaefer maintained that the assailant repeatedly punched Crosby in the face and stomped on him before leaving the scene. Planned Parenthood of Maryland CEO Karen Nelson insisted in a statement to WBAL-TV that Planned Parenthood does not condone any violence and I think its unfortunate that there was an incident that occurred outside of our health center. The Baltimore Police Department put together a profile of the suspect, describing him as a white male in his 20s, with brown hair, a full beard and wearing a gray T-shirt and blue jeans. He remains at large. The violence directed at Crosby and Schaefer is the latest example of attacks on pro-life advocates following the United States Supreme Courts Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organizationdecision, in which the high court ruled 6-3 that the U.S. Constitution does not contain a right to abortion. Similar attacks on pro-life advocates have occurred in other areas of the country. Last year, a pro-life teenager was assaulted as she canvassed on behalf of an ultimately unsuccessful Kansas ballot initiative that would have clarified that the state constitution also does not contain a right to abortion. Similarly, last September, an 83-year-old pro-life activist campaigning against a successful Michigan ballot initiative establishing a right to abortion in the state constitution was shot in the shoulder. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary to investigate 2 trustees for possible misconduct The leadership of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has approved an investigation into two of the Fort Worth, Texas-based institution's trustees over allegations of "possible misconduct." At a special meeting Tuesday, a majority of the SWBTS Board of Trustees approved a motion for board officers to launch "an investigation of possible misconduct" of trustees Andrew Bunnell and Aaron Sligar. At issue, according to the seminary, are allegations made by Bunnell and Sligar that accused SWBTS leadership of financially mismanaging the seminary and lacking integrity. In a motion that reportedly had unanimous support, the board denounced "rumors trafficked by Trustees Andrew Bunnell and Aaron Sligar made against employees of the Seminary" as "unsubstantiated and egregious." SWBTS Board of Trustees Chairman Danny Roberts released a statement shortly after the meeting, expressing his "personal repudiation of the allegations made against my colleagues and me, as well as against staff members of the seminary." "I can state confidently that the board leadership has exercised aggressively its fiduciary duties, with trustees giving collectively thousands of hours of their time in doing so," stated Roberts. "Financial guardrails have been and continue to be researched and put in place. One example is that the chairman is now examining the expense reports of the president and the Seminary Leadership Team on a quarterly basis." At the trustees' April meeting, Roberts said seminary officials "asked Sligar to not raise certain matters that he failed to give proper notice of his intent to raise, some of which were clearly untrue, with others having been inadequately researched, baseless and/or egregiously harmful." "On May 20, Sligar and Bunnell emailed these claims, with the unsubstantiated material becoming public several days later by individuals obviously motivated to bring harm on the institution, the board, and certain staff," Roberts continued. "To send such an email was reckless since it was inevitable that such claims would become public. In today's meeting, the board heard all the facts and has now acted." In addition to the call for an investigation into Sligar, pastor of Little River Chapel in Sutton, West Virginia, and Bunnell, the trustees also passed motions to authorize "the publication of a response to allegations" made by the two trustees and "to publish the audited financials as one comprehensive report for the fiscal years 2003-2022 and examples of presidential expenses as generated by the Task Force review." They also concluded that SWBTS Vice President for Institutional Administration Colby Adams and SWBTS Associate Vice President for Finance Michele Smith were not guilty of "financial mismanagement and misbehavior," concluding that allegations made against them were "without merit." Last week, it was reported that the SWBTS trustees were meeting on May 30, a month after their scheduled gathering, due to a bylaw that allows a majority of trustees to call for a special meeting. At issue, according to Baptist News Global, were questions surrounding the full disclosure of details from an internal investigation into financial irregularities and concerns over Adams helping to establish an entity called "Future Fort Worth" that used Adams' seminary-owned house for its registered address. In recent times, the seminary has faced financial struggles. SWBTS spokesperson James A. Smith emailed The Christian Post a statement last November confirming that the seminary had laid off staff members. "As part of the previously announced intention to implement organizational restructuring, including budget reductions, at the direction of the board of trustees, the interim administration has informed certain staff their employment has been ended," read the statement. "These have been extremely difficult decisions as we seek to address our current challenges. We recognize the disruption that this causes for these staff members and their families. There is certainly no joy in having to make these decisions at this time. Appropriate severance is being offered to affected employees." At their April meeting, SWBTS trustees unanimously elected David S. Dockery as the new SWBTS president to replace former President Adam Greenway, who resigned last September. The institution also elected O.S. Hawkins, president emeritus of GuideStone Financial Resources, to fill the newly created position of chancellor. Greenway came under scrutiny for his administration of the seminary. Baptist News Global reported that SWBTS had a budget deficit of at least $6 million by the time he left office. Target executive tied to LGBT group pushing schools to hide students' gender identity from parents Amid calls for boycotts of Target over its LGBT pride month merchandise, a senior executive for the retail chain also serves as a board member for an LGBT advocacy organization that advises school districts to implement policies that keep parents in the dark if their child is identifying as the opposite gender in school. Carlos Saavedra, the vice president of brand marketing at Target, also serves as a treasurer for the LGBT group GLSEN, formerly known as the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network. Founded in 1990, the organization focuses on integrating "LGBTQ-inclusive" education at the K-12 grade levels. According to Saavedra's LinkedIn profile, he began serving as a GLSEN board member in May 2019 before assuming the volunteer role of treasurer in November 2021. Saavedra has held his current position at Target since January 2021. Under the job description for his previous GLSEN board member position, Saavedra wrote, "Helping create safe spaces in schools for LGBTQIA+ students." Target expresses support for the LGBT organization in the pride section of its online store, which includes pride-themed clothing for adults and children, as well as backpacks and calendars. "GLSEN leads the movement in creating [and] affirming, accessible and anti-racist spaces for LGBTQIA+ students," Target's website reads. "We are proud of 10+ years of collaboration with GLSEN and continue to support their mission." As The Daily Mail reported Monday, the retail chain has reportedly donated $2.1 million to the LGBT advocacy organization. On its website, GLSEN provides a sample district policy for schools, advising them to conceal a student's gender transition from parents or guardians. If a student wants to inform their parents about the transition, the sample policy urges the school staff to discuss with the child first how to share the news. "Staff or educators shall not disclose any information that may reveal a student's gender identity to others, including parents or guardians and other staff, unless the student has authorized such disclosure, the information is contained in school records requested by a parent or guardian, or there is another compelling need," GLSEN's website reads. "This disclosure must be discussed with the student prior to any action." Target did not immediately respond to The Christian Post's request for comment. As CP previously reported, the retail chain has faced scrutiny in recent weeks for a clothing collection the company unveiled ahead of LGBT pride month in June. One of the items that attracted the most controversy was a "tuck-friendly" women's swimsuit for biological men who identify as the opposite sex. Target also sold products designed by the London-based company Abprallen, which has designed items featuring occult imagery. The Abprallen items previously sold by the retail company included a messenger bag that read "Too Queer for Here" and a sweatshirt that stated, "Cure transphobia, not trans people." As The New York Post reported Sunday, Target lost at least $10 billion in market valuation amid calls from conservative influencers to boycott the company. As of Thursday, the Target share price has dropped 17.25% in the last month. Amid pushback, Target removed the Abprallen items from its stores and online market. However, the brand's owner reported a spike in orders despite the public backlash. Abprallen designer Erik Carnell, a trans-identified individual, revealed that she had to temporarily close Abprallen's online store due to a recent spike, according to CNN. "I've been inundated with support," Carnell said, adding that when she's "in a better head space, I know how much that's going to have a positive impact on me." Most of the backlash directed at Abprallen is due to a March 28 Instagram post of a "Satan respects pronouns" design, stating that LGBT-identified people are "often referred to as being a product of Satan or going against God's will, so fine. We'll hang with Satan instead." The statement is printed on an image of Baphomet, the goat-headed idol associated with Satanism. Christian psychiatrist reveals 3 things faith leaders can do to protect their mental health Driven in part by the suicide of her church leader uncle in 2021, Dr. Ayana Jordan, a Christian addiction psychiatrist recommended several things faith leaders can put into practice to ensure they're functioning optimally as they work to serve their communities. Jordan, who is also the Barbara Wilson associate professor of psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at NYU's Grossman School of Medicine, shared her professional wisdom with a group of faith leaders at a mental health faith-based summit hosted by the New York City Mayors Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships at the International Interfaith Research Lab at Teachers College, Columbia University on Thursday. So we are not immune to the social isolation and to the emotional and psychological duress that we are experiencing [during the pandemic], Jordan told the group as she asked faith leaders to think about the soul as the life source within. What are we feeding our life source to make sure that it's functioning optimally? she asked. I think about the essentials of our existence. Our physical, emotional, social, psychological, and spiritual well-beings. We can't just be totally focused on our spiritual well-being if we're not focused on our emotional, our physical. How can you take care of others if you are not fed? she posited. If your diabetes are out of control, if you're depressed, if you are experiencing insomnia? So really understanding our life source has to receive attention in all of those elements. Jordan then explained how practicing gratitude, spending time in nature, and self-compassion can help faith leaders experience better mental health. Gratitude Really waking up every day and having a sense of gratitude, really practicing gratitude and saying out loud, I am so thankful for this. Every single day [works], she explained. It's not just having gratitude for the sake of gratitude, but it actually changes, trains our brain to release negativity, and replace it with positive thinking. And that happens in the limbic system, is structured within a vein on either side of the thalamus that actually allows you to release negative thoughts and focus on the positivity. Spend time in nature Breathing in fresh open air is also quite therapeutic, she added. Really thinking about how can you spend more time in nature, marvel at God's greatness, and the beauty and wonder therein but also really having that time to breathe in the natural oxygen, she said. We don't have to go later into the city to go to an oxygen bar and paying for oxygen. But being in nature and having the opportunity to really breathe in oxygen, allowing our minds to function optimally, allowing our hemoglobin to take the oxygen to places in our organs that we need to thrive. Self-compassion Practicing self-compassion, she added, can help faith leaders and people, in general, avoid burnout. So protecting and myopically focused on making sure those essential elements are balanced the spiritual, emotional, psychological, social and physical is being compassionate with ourselves. Just because we have an hour free doesn't mean it has to be overscheduled, she says. Sometimes I look at my calendar and I remember I start talking with my project coordinator. I said, 'No, I just need a day.' And I used to feel guilty about that. Like, are you kidding me a day for a black woman in America? Yes, to walk around Harlem and look at the birds. Pigeons. And be grateful for it. The Rev. A.R. Bernard, leader of New York City's 40,000-member Christian Cultural Center, who has some 45 years of experience in ministry, was also on a panel discussing the best practices for optimum mental health and he praised Adams for boldly declaring his relationship with faith and the role that faith plays in his life. He also thanked millennials for their work in helping to destigmatize the discussion of mental health in the public square. When 9/11 hit, I got a call for a gathering of clergy. Because what they found was that the first responders who were being traumatized by what they were dealing with, on a daily basis, it was so intense. They didn't want to meet with a health care or mental health professional, he recalled. They wanted to meet with their Imam, their pastor, their priest, a rabbi. That was 22 years ago almost, a lot has changed. One of the reasons why they wanted to meet with their clergy person is because of the stigma associated with mental health and seeking mental health care, he explained. Thank you for the millennials, for removing the stigma. So now you can say, I'm going to see my therapist, or like my therapist said to me the other day and not have people look at you funny. We've come a long way. But it was very real. Because along with many, many clergy, some of you here, we felt the stress the trauma that 9/11 brought. Bernard also drove home the need for pastors to take sabbaticals as a part of their self-care regime. However you arrange your life creates a rhythm. That rhythm establishes a pattern. If that pattern is healthy, good, keep the arrangement. But if that pattern is unhealthy, and causing you deep and profound stress and mental anguish, then you've got to go back to how your life is arranged, he said. The Sabbath was first and foremost, a principle to be practiced before it became a religious identification for people. Because it's during the days of creation that God worked and then rested before there was an Israel. He rested, Bernard explained. If we don't understand the need to rest, then we will arrange our lives, our time, in a way that forces us to rest because work will continue to expand to the time given to it. And if you don't control that, you're gonna burn out, he added. Research conducted by Barna Group in January 2021 and March 2022 showed that more pastors faced with stress, loneliness, political divisions and other worries like their church being in decline considered quitting their jobs. The share of pastors who gave serious consideration to quitting full-time ministry within the last year increased from 29% in 2021 to 42% in March of 2022. Joe Jensen, Barnas vice president of church engagement, told The Christian Post at the time that the growing number of pastors now looking to leave their full-time positions is cause for alarm. This particular stat, this is the highest weve ever seen it, Jensen said, pointing to the burnout he believes many pastors are experiencing in the wake of the pandemic. Weve been tracking this in our State of Pastors report that we did with Pepperdine University in 2016, 2017. We didnt have this exact stat but we were tracking burnout. [And] pastors were feeling burnout and the risk factors involved, Jensen said. In his presentation, Bernard explained that the failure of pastors to properly incorporate rest in the work can lead to unwanted consequences. I've worked with pastors who have burned out, caught some just before they burnt out. One particular church and pastor, he's worked for 30 years, and he took vacations, but he never took a Sabbath. So we actually created a policy and built it into the corporation, the church corporation that requires a Sabbath every seven years, which means that the pastor has to take some time off, not vacation time on a beach, but time to refresh, to renew, to strengthen, which included mental health professional counseling, the Brooklyn pastor explained. And we created a document, and the church had the budget (sometimes a pastor can't afford it) and the church made it a part of the budget. We established that in our church as well. And it's called a sabbatical policy. And sometimes if you don't do it structurally, it's not going to happen. America turning into secular wasteland Thanks to a misreading of the Constitution, America is becoming more and more of a secular wasteland. All sorts of ideas and ideologies are allowed in the public square. But not Christian ones. That exclusion does not comport with what the founders of America intended. I thank God for people like Kirk Cameron, the actor and childrens author, who often presents a library presentation helping children learn about God, instead of promoting things like drag queen story hour. Its become a cliche to say that it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. But Cameron is indeed lighting many candles in the darkness. Foxnews.com wrote recently of Camerons months-long tour across the country to nearly a dozen public libraries to share messages promoting family, faith and country to bring a new story time book hour to families and children. [If interested, you can hear Kirk Cameron discuss with me the need we have today for a new Great Awakening.] But what about the separation of church and state? Indeed, we are often told that the founding fathers intended a strict separation of church and state, by which secularists mean a separation of God and state. But in reality, what the founders said in the First Amendment was, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. By these words, did they intend to banish God from the public arena? At the time they wrote those words, about half of the states had their own established churches something never declared illegal. Just consider a few facts about the founding fathers and religion (or the acknowledgment of God). The very same men who wrote the First Amendment (words that are now being used to keep God, and certainly Jesus, out of the public arena) did the following: Created the system of chaplains for the military and for the legislature. Adopted the Northwest Ordinance, which said that schools should be encouraged in America so that they could teach Religion, morality, and knowledge (in that order). Acknowledged the Christian Sabbath in the Constitution. Article 1, Section 7 includes this statement: If any Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted). Said that God is the source of our rights (in the Declaration of Independence). Had presidents sworn in on the Holy Bible from the very beginning, adding the oath, So help me God in the process. Delivered speeches and wrote documents that mentioned God over and over. Called for national days of fasting and prayer and thanksgiving. And on and on it goes. In fact, consider one instance of the last example. The same men in the First Congress who had adopted the First Amendment (now used to exclude Christianity from the public square) wrote to the first president under the Constitution, George Washington asking him to declare a day of Thanksgiving to God. Washington tells of their request to him to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness. On October 3, 1789, George Washington complied and declared a day of thanksgiving to the Lord to take place on November 26. Later, Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving an annual holiday. The founders did not intend for there to be a separation of God from government. They simply did not want one national denomination holding the reins of power. As my good friend, Bill Federer, best-selling author and speaker, likes to say, you can compare religious liberty in America to a pebble thrown in a pond. For example, in our upcoming special Endowed by Their Creator in the Foundation for American Liberty film series for Providence Forum, Federer makes this observation: When you look at the founding of America, you see how Christians came up with the idea of tolerance, and then, expanded it to others. So, every colony was founded by a different denomination. Its like you drop the pebble in the pond and the ripples go out. First it was tolerance only for the denomination that started the colony. Then it went out to Protestants, then it went out to Catholics, then it went out to Jews, then it went out to [general] monotheism, polytheists, and any religion. Finally went out to the atheists, and the last ones in kicked the first ones out. The founders would well be aghast at what has happened to our country because of the ongoing jihad against God in the public square. As Washington himself noted in his Farewell Address, Religion and morality are indispensable supports to good government and the happiness of mankind. A response to Lord Carey on assisted suicide The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, has told MPs that legalising assisted suicide is "profoundly Christian". He wrote to them as the Health and Social Care Committee continues to take evidence as part of its formal inquiry into the current law. Currently assisted suicide and euthanasia (the former refers to doctors helping patients kill themselves and the latter involves the doctor administering the lethal injection themselves) are illegal across the UK. Lord Carey has been a consistent advocate for assisted suicide. He is an experienced church leader and I admire the stance that he has taken on other issues. But on this one, I must respectfully, but firmly disagree. I believe his position undermines key biblical doctrines. And I worry too that while it comes across as reasonable and compassionate, the reality is the conversation around assisted suicide needs to be much more nuanced: it is not the case that either side of the debate has a monopoly on compassion. Lord Carey's arguments in favour of law change are not new: assisting someone in their suicide, he says, is an "act of great generosity, kindness and human love", looking to end their suffering and release them from pain. The problem with this is that it is a far less compassionate position than it appears. It is built on a shaky assumption: that we could safely pass an assisted suicide law that would allow a small number of people the option of being helped to kill themselves in certain, strictly regulated circumstances. This fails to account for what's happening in places like Canada. There, assisted suicide was legalised in 2016 and a mere five years later, the eligibility criteria had been vastly expanded and key safeguards were quietly dropped as public opinion shifted. One former Paralympian simply wanted a stairlift to be put in her home. In reply, the official sent her a leaflet about assisted suicide. That doesn't sound like a compassionate society to me. People complain that appealing to a hypothetical slippery slope isn't a valid argument; Canada shows that it is not a myth, but a reality. Legalising assisted suicide for terminally ill adults with six months left to live (why should it be only six?), as was proposed by Baroness Meacher recently in the House of Lords, would simply be a first step. Indeed, in an aging society which cannot fund an increasingly bloated health service, there is a danger that a right to die would become a duty to die. Right now, if your relative or friend is terminally ill, you have the assurance of knowing that all the doctors who are helping are legally bound to work for the preservation of life. But if assisted suicide was legal, could we be sure coercion, manipulation or abuses would not take place? After all, the stakes here are as high as it gets! If you can't guarantee such cases wouldn't occur, then I would suggest it's too big a risk to make this law change. I simply cannot agree with Lord Carey that legalising assisted suicide is an act of 'human love', let alone generosity and kindness. True Christian love is sacrificial and focused on others. It will say 'no' when our loved ones request from us help to do something we know is harmful. We live in a society where suffering is viewed an interruption, to be avoided, minimised and prevented at all possible costs. I completely get this view. I'm so aware that you might be reading this and right now, you're watching a loved one fade before your very eyes with a debilitating illness. That is brutal and calls for sympathy and empathy. Lord Carey would say the Bible has nothing directly to say that would prohibit assisted suicide being legalised. While that's true in the sense there's no one verse that explicitly outlaws it, I suggest that actually, if you pull together various biblical teachings, you'd find the Bible not only teaches us that assisted suicide is wrong, but also helps us grapple with the problem of suffering. The Bible teaches that life is a gift from God (Psalm 139, 1 Samuel 2:6) and that human life is beautifully valuable because we're made in God's image, elevated over everything else He's made. It also teaches us that intentional ending of someone else's life is wrong (Exodus 20:6). Surely that includes assisted suicide and euthanasia, where in either scenario, the doctor is facilitating the intentional ending of someone's life. And the Bible offers a far better story for what we're do with suffering than the story our society gives us. In a Biblical worldview, suffering is not meaningless. Often it is in the midst of suffering that we discover more about ourselves and our relationships with others can be incredibly deepened. One story I remember involved a man who secretly recorded audio which suggested doctors had ordered an assisted suicide, when he'd repeatedly asked to live at home. And the Bible also teaches us that God Himself, in the person of Jesus Christ, experienced suffering. In fact, he went through suffering far deeper and greater than any human being will ever endure. We believe in a God who knows what suffering feels like and is well able to walk alongside us and help us. God is called the God of all comfort and the father of compassion, not because He never sends suffering, but because in our suffering, He helps us. From what Lord Carey said to MPs, he thinks that while this teaching works for some, obviously many don't believe it and therefore, for them, we should legalise assisted suicide. In response I'd ask: is killing really the compassionate response to someone's suffering? Surely offering pain relief, psychological support and human companionship is better? Palliative medicine means helping the whole person, addressing their physical and their emotional pain and trauma. For my mind, this is a far more consistent, compassionate and Christian response to suffering than assisted suicide. James Mildred is Director of Communications and Engagement at CARE, which works to bring a uniquely Christian insight to UK law and policy. US Episcopal leader Bishop Michael Curry temporarily hospitalised US Episcopal Presiding Bishop Michal Curry was admitted to hospital last weekend after experiencing some health issues, his denomination has said. Bishop Curry was treated at a hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina, for internal bleeding and an irregular heartbeat, and has since been sent home. "Curry's internal bleeding is under control, and additional test results are expected later this week. He has been receiving treatment for atrial fibrillation (AFib), which was detected in an annual physical," said the Church. "While in the hospital, Curry experienced two other episodes of irregular heartbeat, and he will wear a heart monitor to determine what further treatment is necessary." Although he has been released from hospital, the presiding bishop will stay in Raleigh until he is cleared for travel. In the meantime, he will rest and work from home "on a reduced schedule", his office said. The statement concluded with a request for prayer. "As more information becomes available regarding Curry's health and schedule, his staff will provide updates," it said. "Please pray for a full and speedy recovery and for Curry's medical team as they identify the best course of treatment." Curry has been presiding bishop of the TEC USA since 2015. In 2018, he conducted the wedding ceremony of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Exercises to strengthen feet and ankles was one of the topics discussed during Conmee Townships award-winning Health and Aging Series held in March at the Conmee Community Centre. CRM software provider Zendesk is reducing its workforce by another 8%, citing macroeconomic uncertainty, just six months after the company laid off 300 staffers for the same reason. All this is difficult news to share, but Ive made the decision to reduce our workforce by 8% at Zendesk, CEO Tom Eggemeier wrote in an email to all employees, which was later posted as a blog. The new tranche of layoffs, according to Eggemeier, can be attributed to continued macroeconomic uncertainty and increased competition from rivals. When I joined at the end of November, Id hoped a combination of improving macroeconomic conditions and streamlining costs would help us avoid this moment. Unfortunately, macroeconomic conditions have not improved and we find ourselves in an increasingly competitive marketplace, Eggemeier wrote. In November, Zendesk laid off around 300 staffers from its global workforce of 5,450 employees to reduce operating expenses because the company hired more employees than were commensurate with its growth projections. From 2020 2022, our hiring outpaced our business realities, Eggemeier, who joined the company in November last year, wrote. Zendesks executive team had taken responsibility for the first round of layoffs that came months after it was acquired by a consortium of private equity firms for $10.2 billion. Fareham College (FC) appealed HMRCs refusal to repay 69,757 of VAT, which FC claimed to have overpaid. FC is a further and higher education college which offers courses including catering, hair and beauty and performing arts. Students work in a training restaurant, hair and beauty salon and performing arts centre, operated by FC. FC accounted for output VAT on all supplies made to the public; however, it now considers that the supplies were exempt under item 4, group 6, Value Added Tax Act 1994, on the basis that they were closely related to exempt supplies of education. This follows from the Brockenhurst College decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union. HMRC argued, and the First-Tier Tribunal (FTT) agreed, that item 4 of group 6 to schedule 9 VAT Act 1994 is to be construed as excluding from exemption supplies where the basic purpose of the supply is to obtain additional income for the body through transactions which are in direct competition with those of commercial enterprises subject to VAT. Article 134(b) of the Principal VAT Directive provides for this exclusion but is not written into UK law. The tribunal decided that it was reasonable to imply the words of Article 134(b) into item 4. Therefore, it was for the tribunal to determine whether FCs supplies are excluded from the exemption on the basis that their basic purpose was to generate additional income in direct competition to other businesses. Joyce Materego-Woodall is chief operating officer of the Black Equity Organisation In the wake of George Floyds murder in May 2020 and the ensuing anti-racism protests that took place around the world, some high-profile Black leaders came together to reflect on the state of Black Britain and racial inequalities. Shadow foreign secretary and Labour MP David Lammy convened a work session with individuals including Vivian Hunt, senior partner at McKinsey & Company, to design an organisation in the UK that would have similar aims and, in time, scale as the USs National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People. Some 35 civil society groups and individuals have called the Charity Commissions decision to appoint an interim manager at the Islamic Centre of England politically motivated. In a letter sent yesterday to chair Orlando Fraser, organisations including the Islamic Human Rights Commission and the Scottish Palestinian Society, alongside journalists, academics, and politicians, accused the regulator of perpetrating a vendetta against Muslim charities. They said that the regulators recent decision to appoint a non-Muslim interim manager to run the Centre serves the interest of Islamophobes". Appointment was politically motivated Last month, the Commission appointed Emma Moody of Womble Bond Dickinson as interim manager of the Islamic Centre of England, which has been the subject of a statutory inquiry since November 2022. Previously, the regulator issued an official warning to the Centre after the trustees allowed a candlelit vigil to be held at the charitys West London premises in response to the death of the Iranian major general Qasem Soleimani who had been subject to UK financial sanctions. The signatories to the letter argued that Moodys appointment is politically motivated and serves the interests of Islamophobes who have been targeting this diverse community centre and place of worship. Rather than remaining a neutral arbitrator and serving to address any genuine shortcomings that may exist, you have shown a biased approach and used punitive measures that unfairly penalise Muslim charities, they wrote. Its concerning that the Charity Commission continues to tell religious communities what they can say and who they can invite to their centres. The Commission is not qualified to determine what religious communities should be discussing, its not the business of any state body to tell its citizenry what they can say or believe in their places of worship. Unfair that a Muslim charity is treated in this way The signatories added that choosing to appoint a non-Muslim person shows a clear lack of understanding of the needs of the Islamic Centre and its congregation. To appoint an interim manager who is not from that faith community, not aware of its spiritual and religious needs, nor aware of the specific needs of that particular congregation, shows us that the Charity Commission has yet again failed to protect the best interests of a Muslim religious centre and its congregation. They concluded that such moves could alienate Muslims from their own places of worship and urged the regulator to reconsider its decision. Its wholly unfair that a Muslim charity is treated in this way due to the perception of it not conforming to Western foreign policy interests. Naturally, this behaviour will add to the chorus of voices accusing the Charity Commission of deliberately harassing and hindering the work of Muslim-run charities and adds to the litany of oppressive measures carried out in aid of furthering Islamophobic British state policies and the agendas of politically motivated and divisive pressure groups. Commission: Any suggestion we acted beyond our statutory obligations is misleading The Commission said that its inquiry is ongoing and that it will publish a report once it has reached a conclusion. A spokesperson told Civil Society: The circumstances in which we can appoint an interim manager to any charity under inquiry are set out in the Charities Act 2011, and the Commission must determine when it is considered necessary and proportionate. It is a temporary, protective measure. The Charity Commission is an independent regulator. Any suggestion we have acted beyond our statutory objectives, functions and obligations as a public body is misleading. The Church of England Pensions Board has voted against the re-election of Shell directors over the oil giants lack of progress on climate change. In an online statement , the Board, which is a shareholder in Shell, expressed its dissatisfaction with the company after it showed weakened climate goals and lower investment into renewables and low-carbon energy. The Board said it was concerned by Shells insufficient short and medium-term targets, adding that it can no longer offer its support to the firm. Meanwhile, a recently published annual report shows that the Church Commissioners, the charity investment arm of the Church of England, reported a 5% return in 2022 compared with 13.3% the previous year. A Shell spokesperson said the company strongly disagrees with the positions against Shell voting recommendations taken by the Church of England Pensions Board. Shell has taken a different path The Board said that it has been supporting Shells climate transition plan since 2021, noting the companys commitment to be a net-zero business by 2050. While the plan was not perfect it was positioning Shell as a constructive actor in shaping the long-term transition, the Board wrote in a statement. However, it added that the company has since taken a different path and it has therefore decided to vote against the re-election of all Shell directors. Despite Shell posting record profits in 2022 and having the highest capital expenditure of $25bn among its peers, its capital expenditure into renewables and low-carbon energy is far lower than would be expected by a company seeking to shape a future in the transition. These investments are lower than your most comparable peer, BP. You are investing the most of your European peers in upstream oil and gas production. Short and medium-term goals are insufficient The Board added that Shells short and medium-term goals remain insufficient and said it is prepared to restrict investment in the firm if it does not see a change in direction. It has been widely reported that you are reviewing your plan to reduce oil output during this decade, and the chair of Shell Australia has spoken out against more ambitious climate policy in that jurisdiction. Taken together this is deeply concerning. As a long-term institutional investor our duty is to our pension fund members and their long-term interests as well as the world they will retire into. These interests are not being served by the short-term approach that the company appears to be taking. Shell: The vast majority of our investors remain supportive of our strategy A Shell spokesperson said: We strongly disagree with the positions against Shell voting recommendations taken by PIRC, the LAPF, the PPGM, MN and the Church of England Pensions Board. Our strategy remains unchanged - to become a net-zero energy company by 2050 or sooner. And in the last year weve continued to invest in low-carbon energy and made very good progress towards our targets to reduce emissions. At the start of this year we completed our $2bn acquisition of a leading global biogas company, in the last 12 months we have increased the number of EV charge points we own or operate globally by more than 60%. At the same time, we will continue to invest in producing the energy the world needs today and for the foreseeable future. All of our investments have to provide a rate of return that our investors demand. Were pleased the vast majority of our investors remain supportive of our strategy to become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050. 5% return despite challenging markets Separately, the Church Commissioners posted a 5% return last year despite tough market conditions. Overall, the investment fund it manages on behalf of the Church of England increased from 10.1bn to 10.3bn at 31 December 2022. Over the last decade, the fund has delivered an average return of 10.2% per annum. The Church Commissioners committed to increase support for the Church to 1.2bn over the next three years, a 30% rise compared with the previous triennium. It recorded a total income of 148.4m, 0.3m higher than in 2021, against expenditure of 176.9m (226.4m in 2021). Alan Smith, first church estates commissioner, said: The Church Commissioners has continued to be responsible stewards in a challenging year. The strong and resilient returns over the last decade have enabled us to increase our distributions to the highest level in our history for the triennium ahead. Our successful bond issuance, raising 550m, will enable us to continue to pursue intergenerational equity and to maximise our support for the Church of Englands mission and ministry over the long term. 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, The owners of a business that loaned McClenny Moseley & Associates $3 million to find clients with hurricane-damaged homes and earn fees by submitting damage estimates to insurers has embarked on a new venture: Transporting unauthorized aliens out of Florida. The Florida Division of Emergency Services has decided to award a contract for its Migrant Transportation Program to ARS Global Emergency Management and two other vendors. The company will continue a controversial program launched by Gov. Ron DeSantis; transporting migrants who volunteer to be relocated to other states and arrange for social services when they arrive at their new homes. ARS Global Emergency Management has the same directors, manager and Conroe, Texas address as Access Restoration Services, a company that filed a lawsuit against McClenny Moseley after the disgraced law firm allegedly reneged on a $3 million loan that was supposed to generate millions in profits. ARS claims MMA also owes it nearly $10 million for estimates it provided for its lawsuits. Seventeen former estimators for ARS filed their own lawsuit against ARS this month, alleging that they were not paid overtime wages or promised bonuses after MMAs plan to file thousands of hurricane-damage lawsuits collapsed because of intervention by federal judges. The estimators lawsuit names as defendants Guiseppe Gagliano, co-owner and director of ARS; and Nathan Normoyle, vice president of operations for ARS. Floridas decision to hire ARS and the other vendors for the Migrant Relocation Program was widely reported earlier thismonth, but the vendors connection to hurricane claims was not noted publicly until New Orleans insurance defense attorney Matthew Monson posted a comment on his LinkedIn page on Tuesday. It was Monsons complaints about MMAs tactics that prompted US District Court judges to order a halt to the law firms mass lawsuit filings. Earlier his month, Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon fined MMA and three of its partners $2 million for the illegal insurance scheme. I wonder if anyone in the DeSantis administration knew of these allegations or developments when they decided to award this contract, Monson said in his LinkedIn post. The Claims Journal emailed that question directly to the Florida Division of Emergency Management on Wednesday. The division promised to look into the matter but had not yet responded late Wednesday. Gov. DeSantis transported about 50 unauthorized migrants from San Antonio, Texas to Marthas Vineyard in Massachusetts last September. After critics launched legal challenges, the Florida state legislature transferred the Migrant Relocation Program from the Department of Transportation to the Division of Emergency Management, according to the Miami Herald. Lawmakers appropriated $12 million to the program, which follows a $10 million appropriation made in February. The Emergency Management Division announced that it selected three vendors for the relocation program on May 8. In addition to ARS, GardaWorld Federal Services and Vertol Systems Co. were selected to arrange transportation. The states request for proposals provides few details, but answers to vendors questions that are posted online show that the state expects the vendors to identify the unauthorized migrants who want to be transported out of Florida, provide either air or ground transportation and then arrange for unspecified social services when the migrants arrive at their destinations. On its webpage, ARS Global Emergency Services says that it is hopes to build on a well-earned ethical reputation and promises to report any unethical, dishonest, illegal or criminal activities. At ARS we believe good ethics is good business, the website says. The field inspectors lawsuit suggests just the opposite. The civil complaint, filed with the US District Court in Houston, calls the $3 million loan suspicious because ARS stated in its lawsuit against MMA that it had been promised a $15 million to $17 million return on its investment. Upon information and belief, it appears that ARS was likely using what were in fact inflated in-house property damage estimates for MMA cases to increase the claim values in those cases, the field inspectors lawsuit says. Monson said in a telephone interview that ARSs connection to MMA should give Florida regulators pause. He noted that the estimators lawsuit was filed after the Emergency Management Division announced that it intended to award a contract to ARS. Would this contract have been awarded to the ARS family of companies if they were aware of the allegations in this lawsuit? he asked. Moseley says he has no ill will toward DeSantis. In fact, he said, Ill probably end up voting for the guy if I have the opportunity. Top photo: Carlos Munoz reaches out to hug Larkin Stallings of Vineyard Haven, Mass., as the immigrants prepare to leave St. Andrews in Edgartown, Mass., Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took the playbook of a fellow Republican, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, to a new level by catching officials flat-footed in Marthas Vineyard, Mass., with two planeloads of Venezuelan migrants. The migrants were being moved voluntarily to a military base on nearby Cape Cod, Mass. (Ron Schloerb/Cape Cod Times via AP) SFR Services, a Florida restoration firm made famous by its volume of claims litigation and its charges that United Property & Casualty Insurance Co. had instructed desk adjusters to alter their estimates, now finds itself in some legal trouble of its own. A circuit judge in Lee County recently found that SFR had intentionally concealed and misrepresented material facts during the appraisal process in a Fort Myers-area condominium claim dispute with Tower Hill Prime Insurance Co. after Hurricane Irma in 2017. The firm stuck with an estimate of $233,000 and failed to disclose a contract with a roofing company, which charged less than half of that for the actual work, Judge Michael McHugh wrote in his May 9 order. SFR Services was aware that the cost of the scope of roof work was $99,000, at least as of March 20, 2020, the judge noted. Despite knowing this information, SFR Services continued to present an estimate generated by Elite Claims and continued to represent that the value of the roof replacements for the clubhouse and both gatehouses was more than $230,000, while simultaneously indicating that its overhead and profit fell in line with the industry standard of 20%. Members of an appraisal panel, assigned to resolve differences between two other estimates, said they were unaware of the lower price from Castillo Roofing when they awarded the higher amount on the claim. The judge found that SFR, as an assignee of the condominium association, had violated the concealment and misrepresentation provision of the insurance policy and was tainted by fraud. McHugh ruled in favor of Tower Hill and vacated the higher appraisal award, voided part of the coverage and agreed to Tower Hills request for a new umpire on the appraisal. SFR, based in Stuart, Florida, has already asked Floridas 6th District Court of Appeals to review the decision. Unfortunately we are appealing this egregious ruling, SFRs principal, Ricky McGraw, said in an email to Insurance Journal. We have moved to disqualify the judge presiding over the case. Florida has made it hard for contractors that help their clients. SFRs attorney, Melissa Giasi, asked the judge to disqualify himself, arguing that he was prejudiced by his concerns about McGraws allegedly fraudulent activity; the judge did not hold a jury trial; and he adopted a final order drafted by Tower Hill that contained numerous errors. When that motion failed, Giasi asked the appeals court to step in and prohibit McHughs order. The appeals judges declined. In its answer to Tower Hills 2020 motion in Lee County, which asked the court to vacate the high-end appraisal award, the SFR attorney also argued that Tower Hill had unclean hands, had acted in bad faith and had improperly adjusted the claim amount. Judge McHugh did not see it that way. He also pointed out that the insured, Rookery Pointe Homeowners Association, did not participate in the alleged fraud. In fact, the condo association, through its former president, Debbie Kiel, testified they were so concerned with the estimate provided by SFR Services, they got their own estimates which were in line with Castillo Roofings estimate, the judge wrote. McGraw and SFR Services for years have been thorns in the sides of several insurance carriers in Florida. Court records show that the firm has filed hundreds of lawsuits against insurers over AOB claims in recent years. Most famously, in early 2022 SFR charged in a federal lawsuit that United Property & Casualty had conspired with adjuster firms to systematically deny and underpay thousands of roof claims after Hurricane Irma. The lawsuit, charging anti-racketeering law violations, purported to show copies of text messages by a desk adjuster, sent at the behest of UPC, to field adjusters directing them to avoid estimating roof damages altogether because the insurer planned to issue blanket denials. A federal judge dismissed the suit in October, noting that a federal statute leaves it up to states to regulate the business of insurance, so the federal racketeering law did not apply. Florida regulators this year deemed UPC insolvent and have placed the company into liquidation, likely making claims suits against the insurer a long shot. Meanwhile, SFR has made similar allegations in state court against individuals associated with the insurer. In a suit filed last week in Pinellas County, SFR charges that a number of adjusters, UPC officials and UPC board members engaged in a scheme to underpay claims from Irma, no matter how badly peoples roofs were damaged. The complaint cites deposition testimony from a field adjuster who said that UPC officials demanded that he remove portions of his damage estimates. In the Lee County case, the judge said SFR was the party that engaged in misrepresentation, a judgment that has left some insurance defense attorneys with a strong sense of schadenfreude. They said that the alleged tactics by SFR have not been uncommon in the years of claims litigation against insurers, and have helped drive exorbitant defense costs. The Rookery Pointe case began in 2019, when the condo association signed an AOB agreement with SFR. The restoration contractor initially provided an estimate of $355,759 for replacement of three common-area roofs on the gatehouses and the clubhouse, plus a fourth building that was not clearly identified. SFR contracted with Elite Claims Consulting as its public adjuster on the condos, and in 2020 Elite submitted its own estimate of $314,828, the court explained. The next day, SFR contracted with Castillo Roofing to replace the three roofs for $99,000. McGraw confirmed that in his own testimony during the court proceedings, the judges order said. McGraw also signed a sworn proof-of-loss statement, based on the Elite Claims estimate of $314,828. SFR also directed Castillo Roofing to submit a permit application with a declared value of $233,525, something the judge said was intentionally misleading. In response to Elites estimate, Tower Hill in March 2023 requested that the parties submit their differences to an appraisal panel. The insurer also requested information on any bids by roof contractors on the Rookery Pointe structures. Without question, the Castillo Roofing bid submitted to SFR Services would have been responsive to this request, Judge McHugh wrote. Yet, SFR Services did not approve it, nor did it provide the documentation to Rookery Pointe or Elite Claims to produce to Tower Hill. SFR argued in court that it was not obligated to provide the Castillo bid, because it was party to an AOB agreement: It had been assigned the rights and benefits of the policies, but not the duties or obligations. The judge noted that in years past, court rulings have found that assignees did not have to uphold certain duties of the insured. But that case law was superseded by a 2019 AOB reform law passed by the Florida Legislature. That statute also requires assignees to provide up-to-date and revised estimates of repair work, the judge said. SFR also failed to provide the Castillo price during the appraisal process, the judge wrote, citing a 1999 Florida appeals court opinion that held that there must be a meaningful exchange of information for an appeals panel to accurately arrive at a fair number. But SFRs chosen appraiser for the appraisal panel had testified that he was unaware of the Castillo price and based his conclusions on the higher estimates. Tower Hills chosen appraiser said the same. McHugh acknowledged that Tower Hill on its own could have solicited more estimates. Without the Castillo Roofing invoices and information, there was never a meaningful exchange of information necessary for a proper appraisal, the judge noted. McHugh acknowledged that Tower Hill, on its own, could have solicited more estimates on the work. A Tower Hill representative testified in the trial that the insurer would have paid the Castillo $99,000 price, plus standard overhead and profit, if the company had known about it thus avoiding months of litigation. The attorney for Tower Hill in the case, Michael Monteverde, could not be reached for comment for this article. RENO, Nev. (AP) Water conflicts are nothing new to the arid West, where myriad users long have vied for their share of the precious resource from Californias Central Valley to the Colorado and Missouri rivers. But few have waded into the legal question playing out in rural Nevada: To what extent can local residents, farmers and ranchers claim the water that is soaking into the ground through the dirt floor of an antiquated, unlined irrigation canal? A federal appeals court recently breathed new life into litigation that has entangled the U.S. government and the high-desert town of Fernley ever since a 118-year-old canal burst and flooded hundreds of homes in 2008. This year the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation began work on a plan to line parts of the 31-mile (50 kilometer) canal with concrete. The canal diverts water from the Truckee River, which flows out of Lake Tahoe in the Sierra, sending it to irrigation ditches supporting alfalfa farmers and livestock ranchers about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of Reno. However, farmers and ranchers in and around the town of Fenley said the repairs would stop water from leaking that they have used for a century to help fill their wells east of Reno. The government says locals dont have any rights to the water that belongs to U. S. taxpayers. Government experts say the renovation also willl help guard against future canal failures even though they acknowlege it will prevent leaks into the local aquifer used by Fenleys residents. Completed in 1905, the Truckee Canal was the first major irrigation system in the West under the Newlands Reclamation Act signed by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1902. The act was named after a Nevada congressman who said the project would make the desert bloom and attract settlers to places like Fernley, where annual rainfall averages 5 inches (13 centimeters). Similar projects followed across the arid West many much larger. Construction began in 1903 on the Theodore Roosevelt Dam on the Salt River in Arizona, which Roosevelt himself dedicated in 1911. By then, two dozen projects had been authorized, including one that dammed the Lower Yellowstone River near its confluence with the Missouri to irrigate cropland in Montana and North Dakota. In Nevada, Fernley and surrounding agricultural users eventually became utterly reliant on the government-subsidized water, their lawyers say. Evoking a sort of finders-keepers doctrine as old as western expansion, opponents of the canal renovation have argued in state and federal court that they have a right to the water partly because, before the canal burst, no one told them they couldnt. The bureau, the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District operating the canal and various judges generally have agreed the water belongs to U.S. taxpayers. Fernley is attempting to claim a water right that doesnt exist under state or federal law, irrigation district lawyer Benjamin Shawcroft said in recent Nevada Supreme Court filings. A related, but perhaps unanswerable question is why the City of Fernley is so determined to disrupt a project, the sole purpose of which is to prevent a breach of the canal and flooding of hundreds of homes? he wrote. Fernley lawyer David Rigdon said the town doesnt oppose less expensive alternatives to alleviate the flood risk while still maintaining groundwater recharge. What Fernley opposes is a cure that is worse than the disease, Rigdon wrote in court filings. To fix a problem that affected approximately 500 homes, they have implemented a solution that imperils the primary water supply of all 20,000 city residents. And, to add insult to injury, they now want the very people they are harming to pay for the costs of building the project, he wrote. No one was killed or seriously injured in the 2008 flood, but the irrigation district agreed in 2016 to an $18.1 million class-action settlement with 1,200 people who suffered property damage. Unusual, heavy winter rain put pressure on the canal system, which experts later determined was weakened by decades of rodents burrowing into the sides. The legal battle over the plans to fix the canal followed. Fernley sought relief in state court last year after U.S. District Court Judge Miranda Du threw out its federal lawsuit, which claimed the government failed to adequately consider alternatives required by the National Environmental Policy Act when it approved a $148 million plan to line 12.7 miles (20 km) of the canal. In March, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Dus ruling that concluded the NEPA claims had no legal basis because their interests in the water are economic, not environmental. But the San Francisco-based appellate court also concluded she erred by refusing to allow Fernley to amend its lawsuit to try to prove the harms would be both. Du issued a new order this month giving Fernley until June 12 to file an amended complaint while the Bureau of Reclamation continues work on the first phase lining 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometers) of the canal for $35 million. About $2.5 million of the initial phase is to be recouped from the irrigation district through assessments on water users who depend on the district to meet the demands of a growing community that has doubled in size over the past 20 years. Fernley now wants to show the loss of an aquifer recharge will have dramatic, complicated impacts on the natural environment, as well as farmers wallets. Its going to kill our community environmentally, said David Stix, a longtime rancher and former Fernley mayor. He said hydrological studies predict a drop in the local aquifer will draw water from salty marshes at the nearby Fernley Wildlife Management Area, degrading the communitys water quality. That migration would be very concerning because treating salt in water is way more expensive than treating arsenic, Stix said. Theres all these unknown domino effects. Hes among those who say lining the embankment walls, but not the dirt floor where the water seeps, would accomplish everyones goals at a lower cost without causing domestic wells to start sucking air. Without aquifer recharge from the seepage, he fears the landscape will eventually revert to its pre-canal condition. It was basically desert, Stix said. There was nothing here. Top photo: A man walks amid the flooded area in Fernley, Nev., on Jan. 5, 2008. A U.S. appeals court has breathed new life into a rural Nevadas towns unusual bid to halt government repairs to an aging, federal irrigation canal that burst and flooded nearly 600 homes 15 years ago. The town of Fernley, area farmers and ranchers in the high desert 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Reno say the renovation that finally began this year might help guard against another failure of the 118-year-old earthen canal. (Tim Dunn/Reno-Gazette Journal via AP, File) Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. BEACHWOOD, Ohio -- Matthew Hildebrand has become the second candidate for Beachwood City Council to file petitions with the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. Beachwood voters will be asked Nov. 7 to vote for not more than four candidates for council seats. Hildebrand filed his petitions May 24, three weeks after Councilwoman Danielle Shoykhet filed. Others who have thus far taken out petitions for signature gathering are Councilman Mike Burkons, Howard Darvin, Beachwood Board of Education Vice President Jillian DeLong, Ranjini Ghosh and Lee Janovits. It will be the first time running for office for Hildebrand, 46, who regularly attends council meetings and frequently speaks, often critically, during public portions. Hildebrand, who was raised in Tuscarawas County -- in Dover, south of Canton -- has lived in Beachwood for nearly two years. He also lived a dozen years in the New York City metropolitan area and for a short time in Indianapolis. Im a political person, said Hildebrand, who said he has volunteered on national and state campaigns. I enjoy this sort of thing. I started attending (Beachwood council) meetings at about the time Justin Berns was sworn in as mayor (January 2022) and the new council started. I listened (while at meetings) and then started expressing my views. Hildebrand said he wished more residents would attend meetings. When asked what drove him to run for office, Hildebrand spoke of November 2022, when City Council voted to hire the firm Minc Law to try to determine who sent emails and made social media postings critical of Police Chief Kate McLaughlin and the Beachwood Police Department administration. He called the resultant lawsuit to try to learn the senders identity a violation of the First Amendment. That was the spark for me. That was the ultimate decider for me, Hildebrand said. This idea of us hiring a law firm was just so beyond the pale of what is acceptable for a city. There was no reason to file this lawsuit. They (the city), as the judge said, filed zero evidence. The other part that bothered me was they (council) authorized $25,000 (to hire Minc), even though the police chief, in her own words, said, Im filing this in my personal capacity. She has every right to file this lawsuit, and I have every right not to pay for it. Earlier this month, the lawsuit was dismissed at the request of McLaughlin and the city. Im very vocal about my opinions and I own what I say, Hildebrand said. Hildebrand and his wife, Lori, just celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary. They have a daughter, 12, and a son, 10, who both attend Fuchs Mizrachi School. Hildebrands platform revolves around efficiency in spending. Beachwood is a great community, but pretending that everything we do is perfect and refusing to acknowledge there are serious but correctable issues holds us back from making Beachwood better, he stated. I have been critical of some of the ways the city has spent money, not because I want the city to spend less money, but so they can address more things than just a few. When we spend millions more on a project than is needed, that is millions no longer available for things residents have been asking the city to address for years, like fixing the flooding issues in certain parts of the city, sidewalks on Bryden, better lighting on side streets or better ball fields. There are legitimate pressing needs for our city, Hildebrand said. Being efficient with spending allows us to address more of those faster. Hildebrand is director of regulatory affairs and quality systems for medical device manufacturer Checkpoint Surgical of Independence. If elected, Hildebrand spelled out actions he would like to undertake as a council member. They include: Repealing the Minc lawsuit ordinance, which he calls a stain on our city Requiring all elected officials and director-level city employees to take a class on the First Amendment Requiring all engineering contracts over $50,000 to go out for request for proposal (RFP) Requiring an updated master plan for all aspects of the city, including asset management and new ideas, such as sidewalks for Bryden Road and appropriate side street lighting, and expecting all city departments to execute on this master plan. The time of passing non-emergency spending on a whim is over, he said. Read more from the Sun Press. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Friends of Horseshoe Lake (FOHSL) will now test the waters in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, seeking an injunction against the removal of the Horseshoe Lake dam built by original Shaker settlers in the 1850s. Separate lawsuits were filed Wednesday (May 31) against the cities of Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights, which lease the parkland actually owned by the City of Cleveland. The litigation came after the FOHSL nonprofit sent taxpayer demand letters dated April 20 to the defendant cities, urging them to live up to the terms of the longstanding leases they are accused of violating. Those leases require Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights to preserve the existing conditions encompassing the dam and lake, as well as perform dredging and cleaning, and assume responsibility for any necessary improvements to maintain the park, FOHSL attorney Anthony Coyne stated in a press release. Coyne, with the Mansour Gavin law firm, added that the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer Districts $14 million plan for the proposed destruction of the lake is a blatant violation of several provisions within that lease. He noted that the demand letters also sought a response within 10 days. Unfortunately, the cities sent a joint response that refuted the lease violations, leaving us no choice but to take the next step in our legal plan, Coyne stated in the press release. Reached after filing the lawsuits Wednesday, Coyne said the lake is a historic landmark, important to the community, and one that we believe should be maintained. Representatives from the Friends of Horseshoe Lake, a nonprofit whose members believe the main amenity at the park should be a large body of water, staged an informational picket outside an open house hosted by the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District May 18 at the main library in Cleveland Heights. (Photo Courtesy of Korbi Roberts)Korbi Roberts Since the sewer district announced about two years ago that the 170-year-old stone and earthen dam was failing and needed to be removed, FOHSL formed and hired the TRC engineering firm to develop a Horseshoe Lake Restoration Plan. Sewer district officials and the cities have currently opted for realigning the north and middle branches of Doan Brook and converting the drained lakebed into part of a 60-acre park. We have alternative suggestions, but the cities and sewer district dont want to work with us on preserving the lake in a smaller form and in such a way that in fact improves stormwater management, Coyne said. The concept has been presented to the cities and sewer district several times. Despite this, the sewer district has charged forward with their original plan to destroy the lake, stating publicly that they wont consider any alternative that replaces the dam and restores a lake in the same area, the press release stated. Although some city officials saw them as a precursor to a lawsuit, FOHSL had hoped that the recently issued demand letters would create an opportunity for them, the cities and the sewer district to work together on finding a mutually agreeable plan for Horseshoe Lake. We are asking the courts for necessary injunctive relief to save this treasured asset, Coyne concluded in the press release. He added that separate lawsuits were filed because Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights have different leases with different conditions. In addition to seeking a copy of the actual lawsuit, cleveland.com has also requested the joint letter from the mayors in response to the April 20 taxpayers demands, along with any additional comment from all parties. For an extensive review of up-to-date sewer district plans for the Doan Brook Restoration Near Horseshoe Lake Park, visit https://www.neorsd.org/doan-brook-restoration-near-horseshoe-lake-park/ To learn more about FOHSL, visit www.SaveHorseshoeLake.com. (This is a developing story with a follow-up article planned.) Read more from the Sun Press. HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- The city commemorated Memorial Day Monday (May 29) as it traditionally does, with a ceremony at its veterans peace memorial, located just east of the fire station at City Hall, 5827 Highland Road. This year, the city added a new wrinkle, hosting a luncheon after the ceremony in the fire station rather than the usual gathering at the citys community center. Residents enjoyed hot dogs, pizza, chips and cookies at the luncheon. Live music was provided by the band Voices for Freedom. Speakers at the ceremony included Mayor Chuck Brunello Jr., who placed a wreath in memory of late U.S. Navy veteran Thomas Swanson, husband of Highland Heights former mayor Virginia Swanson, who served from 1987-1995. Each year on Memorial Day, Highland Heights honors a residents veteran family member. About 250 people attended Memorial Day ceremonies at the Highland Heights municipal complex. (Photo Courtesy of City of Highland Heights) Thomas Swanson, born in Carnegie, Pa., in 1926, began his Navy service in World War II after graduating high school in 1943. The father of five died March 14, 1987. Speakers at the event were Brunello; Highland Heights police Sgt. Dennis McGrath, who served six years as a U.S. Marine; and resident Anthony Corrao, who enlisted with the Navy in 1967 and served as an aviation electronics technician. In all, about 250 people attended the ceremony, including members of the Swanson family. The event also included the participation of a color guard, a rifle salute, Boy Scouts of America Troop 461 boys and girls, representatives of the Cleveland Heights Army recruiting station and more. Highland Heights police officers stand at attention during the Memorial Day ceremony. (Photo Courtesy of City of Highland Heights) Read more from the Sun Messenger. UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio A South Euclid man who claimed he was a pedestrian injured in a crash Saturday that killed two people is now facing two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, with police saying he was driving one of the two vehicles involved. Khaleel Johnson, 19, was ordered held in the Cuyahoga County Jail on a $200,000 bond after appearing for a hearing Wednesday in Shaker Heights Municipal Court, according to court records. A news release from University Heights police say the crash occurred just before 4:30 p.m. Saturday near the area of Cedar and Brockway roads. Police say two vehicles, one on top of the other, had crashed into a utility pole and were on fire. NEW YORK A 65-year-old man who fatally shot a man who he says was threatening to rob him is now facing weapons charges, reports say. Charles Foehner was confronted by the suspect, Cody Gonzalez, 32, at about 2 a.m. Wednesday in the driveway of an apartment building in the Queens borough, CBS New York reports. Police tell Fox 5 New York that Gonzalez demanded money and cigarettes from Foehner. Foehner reportedly thought Gonzalez was armed with a sharp object, so he pulled out a handgun he was carrying and shot Gonzalez multiple times, police tell NBC New York. The suspected sharp object turned out to be a pen, reports say. CLEVELAND, Ohio A Bedford man was killed Wednesday in the citys South Collinwood neighborhood. Tallis Moorer, 44, was fatally shot at 9 a.m. in the driveway of a home in the 900 block of East 141st Street, according to police and the office of the Cuyahoga County medical examiners office. The person who lives in the home reported the shooting. COLUMBUS, Ohio Ohio students who were held back from fourth grade due to a state law requiring struggling readers to repeat third grade performed better on English language arts in fourth through eighth grades than peers with similar literacy troubles who were promoted, a new study shows. The Ohio Education Research Center at Ohio State University conducted the study at the direction of Ohio Excels, a group of business leaders who are concerned about improving K-12 education. The group, which includes Greater Cleveland Partnership President Baiju Shah, is trying to convince the state legislature to keep the retention component of the Third Grade Reading Guarantee. State lawmakers are considering dropping the requirement as other studies have shown it hasnt overall improved Ohios literacy scores on the Nations Report Card. On average, between 2.5% and 4% of third graders have been held back each year, although the retention requirement has been on hold for the last three years due to coronavirus-related education disruptions. If lawmakers dont nix the retention component of the Third Grade Reading Guarantee, it will restart next school year. Read: Students must repeat 3rd grade if they dont read proficiently. Some lawmakers want to nix the requirement. The new study looked at third graders in the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 school years and how they performed on standardized English language arts and math tests in subsequent years through the seventh grade. The researchers looked at scores through the 2018-2019 school year, then stopped because the state didnt require standardized tests the following year due to the pandemic. The sample size was 623,000 students who were not retained and 21,000 students who were retained. Researchers compared two groups of students those who were promoted to fourth grade and those who were held back. The students in the two groups were academically similar, but some of them had achieved the promotion score and others had not. Noteworthy is that the promotion score is not the same as the proficiency score on standardized tests in Ohio. The promotion score is lower, which means some kids are promoted to the fourth grade who are not actually proficient in reading. Even more third graders would have to repeat the year if the state were to hold back every child who was not proficient. Its not politically palatable, said Lisa Gray, president of Ohio Excels. The study found the following: -Students who repeated third grade performed better not just in English language arts tests but also in math in every grade studied than those allowed to advance. Kevin Duff, Ohio Excels vice president of policy and research, said that higher scores in math could be in part because the third graders who were retained got another year to master the math. But reading improvements could also contribute to their better math scores. Youre getting into the age where theyre doing word problems, so you need to be able to read proficiently, have good comprehension, he said. -The gap between students who were retained and those who advanced narrowed over the years. The gap was largest in the fourth and fifth grades, when retained students on average scored at least one performance level better than students who were allowed to advance. Performance levels are not displayed on the school and district report cards on the Ohio Department of Educations website, but parents are notified what performance level their kids fall under when they receive their standardized test results. Performance levels are limited, basic, proficient and accomplished, Gray said. But the gap in English language arts and math performance between retained and non-retained students narrowed each year. This could be in part because the students who were not retained still got help to catch up through intensive reading instruction or tutoring, Duff said. You might have some kids that were retained and initially did better, but then faced some sort of other hardships, whether they were facing homelessness or something, he said. Theres a lot of other factors. -Retained third graders improved quickly. Ninety percent increased their score on the English language arts test in the repeated year of third grade. This is significant, the study said, because standardized tests look not only at proficiency but also at growth in scores. Fifty-three percent of retained third-grade students increased a performance level; 21% achieved proficiency. While the study shows the benefits of repeating third grade when struggling with reading, state lawmakers and educators who want to eliminate the retention requirement point to other research that shows the retention policy hasnt resulted in overall significantly better test scores for fourth-grade readers over time. Threatened with the crushing threat of having to repeat the third grade, kids get test anxiety and some perform poorly on the tests sometimes receiving scores that are lower than their actual capabilities. While the study showed the benefits of the retention requirement, the Third Grade Reading Guarantee, isnt improving reading scores overall. A review of 15 years of Ohio literacy scores on the Nations Report Card, also called the National Assessment of Education Progress, showed fourth-grade reading scores barely budged. The review looked at the years 2002 to 2017, which includes years before and after the Third Grade Reading Requirement and its retention requirement went into effect, beginning in the 2013-2014 year. In 2007, 28% of fourth graders reached proficiency, compared to 29% in 2017. Laura Hancock covers state government and politics for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com. South Africa: Progress is being made to resolve national electricity crisis, says President President Cyril Ramaphosa says although South Africa is facing an electricity crisis that appears unrelenting, government is making progress in resolving the challenge. The President was delivering his replies to the debate on The Presidencys Budget Vote in Parliament on Thursday. We have been forthright about the challenges the country faces. The anger and frustration that South Africans feel in the face of sustained load shedding is understandable. At times like this, the electricity crisis appears unrelenting, as if there is no end in sight. Yet, if one considers the work that is being done and the progress that is being made as outlined yesterday by Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa it is clear that we have solid ground for hope. While we have been honest and forthright about the difficult months ahead, we are confident that the measures now in place, including the massive new investment in electricity generation capacity, will enable us to end load shedding and achieve energy security, he said. Operation Vulindlela Turning to matters of cooperative governance, President Ramaphosa said The Presidency is driving collaboration between different government departments, State-owned enterprises (SEOs) and public entities through programmes such as Operation Vulindlela. The latest quarterly progress report on the work of Operation Vulindlela was released earlier this week. It shows that we are moving ahead with reforms that will have a profound effect on the capabilities of our economy into the future, he said. The President emphasised that all spheres of government must work together to better the lives of South Africans. Cooperative governance is a key tenet of the Constitution, and obliges all organs of State to cooperate with one another, consult on matters of common interest and coordinate their actions and legislation. This is not optional, not for national government, or for provinces and municipalities, he said. This cooperation, the President said, is evidenced in the strengthening and implementation of the District Development Model (DDM) geared at placing the municipal district at the centre of an integrated approach to development across the three spheres of government. The [DDM] should assist in addressing some of the problems at local level and better use the powers, capacity and resources of national and provincial governments to ensure effective service delivery, he said. Facing challenges President Ramaphosa emphasised that South Africa has faced some of its most pressing challenges since the sixth administration, which he leads, took office in 2019. Before this administration was a year into its term, a devastating pandemic swept across the world, causing the loss of more than six million lives across the globe and more than 100 000 in our own country. The COVID-19 pandemic triggered what the OECD described as one of the worst job crises since the Great Depression. By some estimates, more than 225 million jobs were lost worldwide, including a substantial number in our own country. Besides the pandemic, we experienced deadly civil unrest in July 2021 that cost over 300 lives and the loss of an estimated R50 billion to the economy. International instability is fuelling higher fuel and food prices, increasing the cost of living for millions of South Africans. On top of all this, we are in the grip of an energy crisis that is many years in the making, the seeds of which were planted more than two decades ago, he said. However, President Ramaphosa insisted that these challenges provide a context and perspective to the work that government has undertook. I state all this not to explain away any of the unresolved challenges we face as a country. I state them because perspective is, as always, critical. Despite the effects of all of these developments, we have been working with determination to fulfil the electoral mandate given to this administration in 2019, he said. The President acknowledged the weaknesses in many parts of the State. We are prepared to own up to our shortcomings and work to correct them; but what we are not prepared to do is to give up. We are not prepared to surrender to pessimism and doubt. We are moving forward with rebuilding, with reform, with recovery and with fundamental social and economic change. These are difficult and painful times. But we will overcome our challenges and we will emerge a better, stronger and more united nation, President Ramaphosa said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2023-06-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. YORK COUNTY, S.C. A 25-year-old South Carolina man was arrested Tuesday after he used a spray-painted Nintendo Duck Hunt video game pistol to rob a convenience store. David Joseph Dalesandro of Sharon, South Carolina, was arrested on charges of armed robbery on May 30. Dalesandro entered the Sharon Kwik Stop at 5:45 p.m. that day and presented the fake gun while wearing a mask, wig, and a hoodie, officials say. After flashing the plastic Duck Hunt pistol in his waistband, Dalesandro demanded money from the cash register and left with approximately $300, according to a York County Sheriffs Office news release. Deputies apprehended Dalesandro shortly after when they found him in the parking lot of a Dollar General down the street from the Kwik Stop. They found the fake gun in Dalesandros pants and thereafter arrested him and booked him into the York County Detention Center, according to the release. Duck Hunt is a 1984 Nintendo video game where players use the gaming pistol known as the NES Zapper to shoot ducks that appear on the screen. The NES Zapper is most commonly sold in a gray color with an orange trigger, while Dalesandros Duck Hunt gaming pistol was spraypainted black. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Starting Monday, Cuyahoga County and Summit County bus riders will be able to travel between the two with ease. The Akron METRO Regional Transit Authority will begin running fixed-route bus service to and from the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authoritys Southgate Transit Center, at 5491 Warrensville Center Road in Maple Heights . It will also make stops at METRO bus stops along Northfield Road in Cuyahoga County. Riders will be able to transfer from one bus authority to the other to reach various destinations between Cleveland and Akron. This is a huge win for residents of Cuyahoga County who may be looking for access to industrial jobs in Macedonia and Twinsburg, and for Summit County residents looking to access the vast opportunities in GCRTAs network, GCRTA Chief Operating Officer Flounsay Caver said in a news release Thursday. The collaboration between GCRTA and Akron METRO RTA provides new mobility opportunities and demonstrates the benefits of regional cooperation. The new Akron METRO RTA routes are numbers 31 and 32. Those routes will run every hour on weekdays and Saturdays, through Hudson, Twinsburg, Stow and Macedonia, continuing on to Northfield and ending at GCRTAs Southgate Transit Center in Cuyahoga County. I appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with Akron METRO RTA in providing integrated and innovative transportation solutions that increase service across the region and enhances the riding experience for our customers, GCRTAs General Manager and CEO India Birdsong Terry said. Akron METRO RTA bus route schedules can be found by visiting www.yourmetrobus.org/bus-schedules.aspx. Riders can also use the Transit app to purchase tickets or plan a trip. CLEVELAND, Ohio The North Shore AFL-CIO announced Thursday that the president of a local musicians union is its new executive secretary, though its recently ousted leader is appealing his firing. Leonard DiCosimo was appointed as the organizations new leader last week, according to a news release from the North Shore AFL-CIO Federation of Labor. DiCosimo has been president of the Cleveland Federation of Musicians, Local 4 AFM, since 2005. He previously served on the North Shore AFL-CIOs board and as the organizations treasurer. The North Shore AFL-CIO Federation of Labor, Clevelands largest labor organization representing about 85,000 members across about 150 unions, removed Dan OMalley from his position as executive secretary in April after a little more than two years on the job. OMalley said Thursday that he is still appealing that decision. About 400 of the federations delegates will vote on whether or not to reinstate him on June 14. DiCosimo was part of the faculty at both Baldwin Wallace University and Lakeland Community College. He has also performed as an associate artists for Cleveland Opera on Tour in Playhouse Square, the Great Lakes Theatre Festival and the Cleveland Playhouse. The North Shore AFL-CIO did not address OMalleys appeal in its announcement. Cleveland.com has reached out for comment. OMalleys ousting centered around his use of the organizations credit card for personal expenses, and reimbursement checks he wrote that initially couldnt be cashed. According to both the North Shore AFL-CIOs board and OMalley, he used the federations credit card for some personal expenses when on business trips, and would write checks to the credit card company to cover his personal costs. The board said doing this didnt violate the organizations credit card policy, because it doesnt have one. But some of OMalleys checks initially couldnt be cashed due to insufficient funds. Because of the bounced checks, the board said OMalley was guilty of not reimbursing the organization and of misappropriating funds. OMalley said he has since paid the organization back for all expenses he owed. Sean McDonnell covers business and consumer topics for cleveland.com. You can reach him at smcdonnell@cleveland.com You can read more Cleveland business stories at cleveland.com/business/. Rotunda Rumblings Gas and go: In the first day under a new legal regime, eight companies applied to the state seeking to drill for oil and gas under state lands, Jake Zuckerman reports. Soon the Ohio Department of Natural Resources will post public notice of the nominations, which triggers a public comment period before the newly formed Oil and Gas Land Management Commission decides whether to allow the drilling. Chronic issue: A newly introduced bipartisan bill in the Ohio House would legalize recreational marijuana for adult use and allow home growing. State Rep. Jamie Callender, a Lake County Republican, said House Bill 168 is similar to a bill he introduced in the last legislative session, however, the timing is different. A coalition of medical marijuana businesses are backing a recreational marijuana initiated statute that could be on ballots in November. Callender said hes working to convince GOP leaders that with his bill, also sponsored by Democratic state Rep. Casey Weinstein of Hudson, the legislature could have control over the details of adult use, Laura Hancock reports. On track: Gov. Mike DeWine has nominated former top aide Dan McCarthy to serve on the Ohio State Racing Commission. As Jeremy Pelzer reports, critics say McCarthy is tainted by his past leadership of a dark-money group that routed money from FirstEnergy to then-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householders political operation, though the longtime Democrat does have past experience owning a racehorse. Special delivery: U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown wants to close a loophole in trade law that exempts packages valued at under $800 from U.S. duties, taxes and fees, Sabrina Eaton writes. More than 2 million of those parcels enter the United States each day, according to Brown. He calls it a backdoor way for Chinese companies to ship goods to the United States without paying tariffs. Art of the deal: U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan spent the evening before a House of Representatives vote on President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthys budget deal urging his reluctant colleagues to support it, Eaton writes. After a cluster of fellow Republicans in the House Freedom Caucus that Jordan co-founded denounced the Fiscal Responsibility Act as a swamp deal that would increase the national debt, Champaign Countys Jordan says he made pitches for the deal to GOP congress members and gave a House Republican Conference meeting a rundown of why he supports it. Checkbooks open: Wondering how to support the campaigns for and against State Issue 1, the proposal to make it harder to amend the Ohio Constitution that will be decided in an Aug. 8 special election? Andrew Tobias reports on the ways both sides of the issue are raising money. Hes out: Port Clinton Republican J.R. Majewski announced on Twitter that hes abandoning his second bid for the congressional seat held by Toledo Democrat Marcy Kaptur due to his mothers health. Last cycle, I lost my father before the primary election and I cant risk not giving my full attention to my family, he wrote. Majewski lost to Kaptur last year after the Associated Press reported he misrepresented his military service and national Republicans canceled ad buys on his behalf. Bundle of joy: The Ohio Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed Senate Bill 39, which would end sales taxes on diapers, strollers, cribs, baby monitors, car seats and other infant items. The bill now heads to the Ohio House, which already passed the tax exemptions in the states two-year budget bill. Gov. Mike DeWines budget recommendations also eliminate the taxes. Sixteen states currently exempt baby products from sales taxes. Budget calendar: For Capitol Square insiders interested in knowing the schedule for the states two-year budget bill, now in the Ohio Senate, Senate President Matt Huffman said a substitute bill with the Senates amendments is expected to be unveiled June 6. He hopes the chamber passes the bill around June 15. That would give the House and Senate the rest of the month to negotiate their differences in the budget. Expect to see tax cuts, school funding changes that he says will be more predictable so districts can better estimate what theyre going to receive for years in advance, and more private school vouchers. Hitting the brakes: Huffman is not a fan of the $1 billion rural highway fund in the Houses version of the two-year state budget bill. In Ohio, the Transportation Review Advisory Council (TRAC) normally helps the Ohio Department of Transportation prioritize highway projects. The state has traffic engineers and planners who have more expertise on where pavement is needed than politicians, he said. The Senates initial version of the two-year budget bill removed the $1 billion, and based on Huffmans remarks, its unlikely to reappear in next weeks Senate substitute bill. The matter will likely be hashed out between the chambers in a conference committee later this month. Croatian caucus: U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce will serve as co-chair of the Congressional Croatian Congress, a bipartisan group that promotes bilateral cultural exchange between the United States and Croatia, seeking to expand the friendship between the two nations by highlighting shared values, engaging in cross cultural cooperation, and advancing business and trade opportunities across the Atlantic. Northeast Ohio is home to roughly 15,000 Americans whose primary ancestry is Croatian, representing the fourth largest concentration of Croatians in the United States, Joyce says. Trash talk: State Sen. Bill Reineke, a Tiffin Republican, has introduced legislation that would change Ohios trash laws in an effort to reduce the amount of out-of-state garbage being dumped in the Sunny Farms Landfill in Seneca County. As Jim Provance of the Toledo Blade reports, Senate Bill 119, if passed, would raise state trash fees from $4.75 per ton to $8.50 per ton, allow Seneca County to leave its regional solid waste authority and regulate its own landfill, and require more local consultation before creating or expanding a landfill. Full Disclosure Five things we learned from the May 15, 2023, financial disclosure form filed by Ohio Senate Finance Committee Chair Matt Dolan, a Chagrin Falls Republican running for U.S. Senate next year. 1. In addition to his Ohio Senate salary of $82,174.20 in 2022, Dolan who comes from a wealthy family that owns the Cleveland Guardians received more than $100,000 last year from one family trust, as well as somewhere between $10,000 and $24,999 each from two other family trusts for which he serves as a trustee. 2. He also reported earning between $50,000 and $99,999 last year as vice president of the 422 Company, Ltd., as well as between $25,000 and $49,999 from his work as a partner at the Cleveland law firm of Thrasher, Dinsmore and Dolan. He also made somewhere between $10,000 and $24,999 as an executive with the Guardians, though he didnt list a specific job title with the team, and somewhere in the same pay range from serving as vice president of 7th Avenue Management, Inc. 3. Not including his primary residence, Dolan owns two pieces of real estate in Geauga County. 4. At some point last year, Dolan owed at least $1,000 to Chase Financial, Subaru Motors, Classic Ford-Lincoln, Infiniti and a Chase Mastercard. 5. For Dolans trip to Israel last year as part of a trade mission, the Bellefaire Jewish Childrens Bureau and Ohio Jewish Communities each gave him hotel accommodations, transportation, meals, drinks, and tour guide services worth a combined $1,508.20. Birthdays Tod Ralstin, Ohio House document services officer Charles Anderson, Ohios 27th governor (1814-1895) Straight From The Source You can say gravity isnt true, but if you step off the cliff, youre going down. And if you teach other people that gravity is not true, you are morally responsible for anything that happens to them if they make decisions based on the information you provided. - Katharine Hayhoe, a political science professor at Texas Tech University, speaking to Dan Gearino of Inside Climate News about Ohios Senate Bill 83, which if passed would prohibit faculty at public colleges and universities in Ohio from teaching that global warming is an indisputable fact. Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. Subscribe to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free. OBERLIN, Ohio Hey America: If youre tired of MAGA anti-woke culture war politics and youd like to see a cultural response from the opposite side of the ideological spectrum, Ohio has an art museum for you: The Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College. Special exhibitions on view now at the Allen explore everything from racism at the St. Louis Worlds Fair in 1904 to the question of how artworks communicate the idea of sexual consent a big topic on college campuses, and in workplaces. These subjects would probably not be discussed in the future at Sarasotas New College of Florida, the states liberal art college, which Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wants to turn into a conservative-leaning school as part of his fight against wokeness and indoctrination. To be sure, art museums across the U.S. have embraced racial justice and cultural diversity with newfound fervor after the police murder of the unarmed George Floyd in Minneapolis in the summer of 2020. Its not unusual now to see exhibitions organized to increase racial equity or diversify a museums audience. But such leanings are nothing new at the Allen Memorial Art Museum. For more than a century, the museum has been a critically important anchor at a small liberal arts college long associated with progressive thought, going back to its 19th-century role as a haven for abolitionist opponents of Black chattel slavery. Distinguished history Since it opened in 1917, the Allens excellent collection has grown to encompass more than 15,000 objects spanning 6,000 years of art history. The museum occupies a beautiful building designed by architect Cass Gilbert, who also designed New Yorks Woolworth Building. Instead of the Gothic style Gilbert used for his New York spire, he shaped the Allen to resemble an Italian Renaissance palazzo stretching out horizontally to echo the Midwestern horizon. Following through on its innovative sensibilities, the museum added an expansion in 1977 designed by architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown. The new wing earned international fame as an early icon of the postmodernist movement in design, known for ironic quotations from pop culture and classical architecture. The architecture also echoes the museums longstanding embrace of cutting-edge contemporary art. But this summer, especially, the museum seems eager to address the culture wars, although its not saying so overtly. The tone of the exhibitions on view is scholarly and above the fray, but theres no mistaking the museums opposition to the current right-wing campaign against the teaching of Black history or the pursuit of rights for LGBTQ persons. A show titled Where Is Consent in Art Museums? asks whether viewing an image of desire or sexual violence somehow implicates the viewer in the power dynamics at play in the artwork. Organized by Hannah Kinney, curator of academic programs, and Sam Adams, assistant curator of modern and contemporary art, the exhibition is on view through August 22. The museums website says the show allows us to think critically about sexual power dynamics that appear throughout art' by juxtaposing images of sexual violence with positive examples of consensual desire by artists utilizing Black, feminist, and queer frameworks.' That kind of framing is exactly what DeSantis would call indoctrination. But heres the great thing: The art on view in Oberlin has the last word, as it always does. You can take or leave the labels. Its possible to imagine how the very same works in the Consent' show, ranging from an ancient Roman sculpture of an adolescent male representing Pothos, a winged god of desire, to a portrait collage by contemporary Black artist Mickalene Thomas, could be combined or recombined to illustrate different views and different arguments. Fighting racism Still, its clear that the Allen is sympathetic to contemporary artists whose politics lean left. One example is a show titled Afterimages (Deflection of a Vision), which focuses on a small group of recently acquired photographic works by the Filipino-American artist Stephanie Syjuco. Syjucos works reproduce vintage photographs she discovered in the archives of the Missouri Historical Society that documented a now-notorious exhibit at the St. Louis Worlds Fair in 1904 in which some 1,000 Filipinos from various ethnic groups were displayed to fairgoers in what is now called a human zoo. In his recent book, The Broken Heart of America, Harvard historian Walter Johnson described the display of Filipinos at the fair as part of the deep current of racism flowing through the history of St. Louis, from Dred Scotts failure to achieve freedom from slavery through the courts before the Civil War to 21st-century redlining. Syjuco printed her reproduced images of the Filipinos on finely-textured gampi paper, which she then crinkled to obscure the faces of the people on display in the zoo, and to express how the Worlds Fair treated them as less than completely human. Of course, artworks such as Syjucos impose todays political and social viewpoints on the past, when different moral beliefs held sway. That approach is also apparent in Like a Good Armchair, an exhibition in the museums 1977 addition that examines how 20th- and 21st-century artists have used chairs, whether empty or occupied, to explore new ways to represent reality. Adams organized the show, also on view through August 22, as an introduction to the museums excellent holdings in modern and contemporary art. He also framed it as a riff on a famous statement by Henri Matisse, who said that art should offer a soothing, calming influence on the mind, something like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue. To the contrary, the shows text panels and labels argue, depictions of seats or sitting can now be read as efforts to expose power dynamics involving privilege and identity from royal court etiquette to Civil Rights sit-ins, disability activism, and manspreading. The point is to highlight what the exhibition calls the racial, ableist, gendered, classist, and ageist politics of who gets to sit, when, and how. This may sound like indoctrination. But in a college setting, its an academic argument. One can agree or disagree. Its up to the viewer to decide whether the shows framing language offers a persuasive context for several dozen works by artists ranging from Pablo Picasso to Andy Warhol. Does Margarita Cabreras 2006 Bicicleta azul platino (Platinum Blue Bicycle), a soft sculpture made of vinyl, foam, string, and wire, refer solely to her experience as a Mexican immigrant growing up in Texas? Or is it also part of the tradition of Pop Art soft sculptures by artists including Claes Oldenburg? Can it be read more than one way? You decide. Is Alison Saars 2001 sculpture Lave Tete, a mixed-media sculpture of a Black woman bent double with a tower of pots and pans rising from her back, simply an image of oppression, or does it embody powerful artistic skills and mastery of materials? Can it be both? Does it match the former description more effectively because it emphatically matches the latter description? Whats clear throughout the show is that Adams wants to complicate the theme of the chair, empty or occupied, as a guiding focus for an exhibition. His show more than meets that goal. Government control Todays culture warriors on the political right are eager to use the tools of big government to police the content of school libraries and classrooms, which sounds like real indoctrination. Widely covered incidents in which conservative speakers have been silenced by hecklers on liberal-leaning campuses are inexcusable. But thats different from the government deciding what can be read or taught. To see what can go awry when the government controls culture its good to turn to another exhibition on view at the Allen, titled, Riding the Strong Currents: 20th and 21st Century Chinese Paintings from the AMAM Collection. Organized by Kevin Greenwood, the curator of Asian art, the show, on view through June 11, juxtaposes examples of government-approved Socialist Realism with traditional Chinese ink paintings, which occupied an ambiguous position under Mao Zedong. During the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, traditional Chinese paintings of forested mountainsides and misty lakes were considered part of a corrupt old culture that Maos followers wanted to erase, violently. Yet the ink-painting tradition survived under the Communist regime, as examples on view in the museum indicate. Socialist Realism, on the other hand, was an aesthetic import from the Soviet Union, imposed by Chinese authorities as the countrys new official style. Examples in the show include Climbing Over the Great Snow Mountain, a heroic tableau by the painter Shen Jiawei depicting the Communist hero Zhou Enlai leading a tattered band of soldiers on the Long March in 1934 when the Communist Red Army escaped pursuit by nationalist forces led by Chiang Kai-shek. The painting is a stirring image of military derring-do on a snowy, wind-whipped mountain pass. But its also the product of a system that told artists what they could and could not paint. Its unthinkable that anything similar could happen in the U.S. Then again, former President Donald Trump signed an executive order in 2020 requiring all new federal buildings would be designed in the classical style. Soviet authorities in the 1930s would have applauded. President Joe Biden revoked the Trump order in 2021. If this summers exhibitions at the Allen leave the impression that Oberlin Colleges art museum is a one-note institution with a political axe to grind over everything it does, that would be false. In recent years the institution has organized outstanding exhibitions on everything from Rembrandt etchings to Japanese Ukiyo-e woodblock prints, and the work of conceptual artist Sol LeWitt, and sculptor Eva Hesse. The Allen is a vital, vibrant institution that has explored art history from a wide range of viewpoints and no doubt will do so in the future. This summer, amid a culture war led by the right, its exhibitions and the guiding principles behind them, are especially resonant. The Allen is raising questions worth asking. And were lucky in Northeast Ohio to have a museum willing to ask them. WASHINGTON, D. C. The U.S. Senate voted 52 - 46 Thursday to rescind a student loan forgiveness program that President Joe Biden announced last year. Ohios U.S. Senators split on the measure, with Cincinnati Republican JD Vance voting to overturn the program and Cleveland Democrat Sherrod Brown voting to to support it. This resolution would just make a broken system worse, said a statement from Brown. You shouldnt have to take on massive debt to get a good-paying job and thats why Ill keep fighting to make education and training more affordable for college, community college, technical schools, and apprenticeships. Cleveland.com has reached out to Vances office for comment. Related Story: Have a student loan? Debt ceiling deal means youll need to restart payments Biden last summer announced plans to cancel up to $20,000 of student loan debt held by the U.S. Department of Education for borrowers who make less than $125,000 per year, or $250,000 for married couples. The potential debt relief has been on hold while the U.S. Supreme Court weighs its legality. Republicans immediately objected to the proposal, saying it would benefit the wealthy and was unfair to people who did not take out student loans and those who paid them off. When taking out debt, borrowers understand they are responsible for paying back what they borrowed, said a statement that U.S. Rep. Bob Latta of Bowling Green released when Bidens plan was announced. This decision signals to future students who decide to take out student loans that they may never have to pay them back. This irresponsible action is a slap in the face to everyone who has already worked hard to pay off their student loans. Disturbingly, todays announcement shifts the responsibility of paying off the remaining debt from the student to all American taxpayers, even if they chose not to pursue a college degree. The House of Representatives last week voted to reject the loan forgiveness by a 218 to 203 margin, with support from all Ohios Republicans and opposition from all its Democrats. The White House says Biden will veto the measure. It did not pass the House or Senate by a sufficient margin to overturn a veto. A statement from the Office of Management and Budget said the student loan forgiveness programs rejection would deprive more than 40 million hard-working Americans of much-needed student debt relief and weaken the middle class. Nearly 90 percent of the relief provided by the Department of Education would go to Americans earning less than $75,000 per year, and no relief would go to any individual or household in the top 5 percent of incomes, the statement said. Americans should be able to have a little more breathing room as they recover from the economic strains associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Sabrina Eaton writes about the federal government and politics in Washington, D.C., for cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. DUBLIN, Ireland Three things I learned in Dublin last week: * Irelands centuries-long struggle for independence from Great Britain, finally successful in 1922, pervades so much in this city its religion, its politics and its culture, and was an ongoing theme throughout my visit. * There are more people of Irish descent around the world than there are people in Ireland. * I never thought I liked Guinness, but Ive been drinking it all wrong. I was set straight on a tour of the Guinness Storehouse in downtown Dublin, and Im a new convert. Never ever ever sip on a pint of Guinness, said the tasting instructor at the Guinness Storehouse, part of the beermakers sprawling production complex in west Dublin, and one of the citys most popular tourist attractions. Instead, he instructed my group to gulp below the foam. The real flavor is found in the dark stout, he said. Ninety percent of the people who dont like Guinness complain about the harsh bitter flavor. If you sip on a Guinness, all you will taste is the bitter nitrogen head. The best way is to not drink the foam at all. Just touch the foam to your lips -- you should be creating a mustache of foam if youre doing it right. I would spend the next week perfecting my technique. It might have been the tastiest lesson, but learning the correct way to drink Guinness wasnt the only memorable activity crammed into 48 hours in Dublin. I took a crash course in Irish music, developed a better understanding of the complicated Irish-British relationship, and learned some of the reasons why millions of Irish have left the island over the centuries. I wandered the cobblestone streets of Temple Bar and strolled through lovely St. Stephens Green, pondered the purchase of a gorgeous wool sweater on Grafton Street and consumed an entire days worth of calories with a full Irish breakfast. Most of all, I developed a deep appreciation for Dubliners and their city, now easily accessible to Northeast Ohio travelers via a new, nonstop flight from Cleveland Hopkins. The overnight flight gets you to Ireland by 8:50 a.m., with a full day of fun ahead. Travel agent Mark Hollywood, with Auroras Travel Connection, told me he anticipated some Clevelanders might use the flight to book long weekends in Dublin. Thats not what I did. My two days in Dublin were the start to a nine-day trip around the island, which included four days along the west coast and two days in Northern Island. Depending on how much you enjoy big cities, two days in Dublin probably isnt enough. If I had one more day, I would have added another museum, some more music and another Guinness (or three). Heres what I did: Tour guide Daragh Fitzgerald, right, talks about Dublin Castle, built in the 1200s by "cowardly" King John of England. Fourteen political prisoners were executed at Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin in 1916, which helped ignite the movement for Irish independence. The iconic Guinness harp at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. Historic walking tour and Kilmainham Gaol The flight landed at just before 9 a.m., I was out of the airport before 10 and was dropping off my luggage at my city center hotel by 10:30 a.m. To orient me to the city this was my first visit I booked a two-hour Historical Walking Tour of Dublin, led by recent Trinity College graduates. The two-hour tour spans thousands of years of Irish history, from the Viking raids to the Norman invasion to British rule. Guide Daragh Fitzgerald, with a masters degree in modern Irish history, set the tone of the tour with this statement: The last 1,000 years of Irish history were shaped by the countrys relationship with England. It was a very one-sided relationship. It was a colonization. That ended in 1922, with the Ango-Irish Treaty, creating the Irish Free State (later, the Republic of Ireland). The tour started at Trinity College, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. The school boasts a long list of literary alumni, including Jonathan Swift, Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker. The latter two were classmates and hated each other, according to Fitzgerald, because Bram Stoker stole Oscar Wildes girlfriend and married her. Catholic students were famously excluded from Trinity for centuries. Even after they were allowed to attend, Catholics were banned by their own church from attending. They said youd be brainwashed if you went there, said Fitzgerald. Despite the historical animosity between Catholics and Protestants in Ireland, Fitzgerald cautioned against seeing the conflict through the prism of religion. Thats too easy, he said. Instead, the conflict was about power. And religion was used to justify it, he said. The tour took us past Dublin Castle, built by cowardly King John of England in the early 1200s, and the centuries-old Temple Bar area, now the citys primary nightlife district, with cobblestone streets and dozens of pubs and restaurants. We stopped for several minutes outside the grand General Post Office, built in 1814, still riddled with bullet holes from the 1916 Easter Rising, the rebellion that ultimately led to Irish independence. It was here, in April 1916, that Patrick Pearse and other leaders of the rebellion read the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, Irelands equivalent of our Declaration of Independence. Its the foundation of our modern republic, said Fitzgerald. (Tour cost is 14 euros; to book: historicaltours.ie.) The walking tour dovetailed well with a tour at Kilmainham Gaol, located about 2 miles west of the post office. The jail famously housed the citys best-known political prisoners, including Pearse and numerous others arrested following the Easter Rising in 1916. The prison, built in 1796, closed in 1924, not long after Ireland achieved independence. It was the execution of numerous political prisoners here that helped secure that independence, said guide Joanne OConnor. Fourteen leaders of the Easter rebellion were executed here, including Pearse, all by firing squad. The prisoners were brought into the yard, blindfolded, their hands behind their back, a white target pinned over their heart, said OConnor. One, James Connolly, severely injured during the rebellion, had to be carried in on a stretcher and tied upright to a chair for his execution, an incident that finally generated widespread support for the rebellion. Up until that point, much of the public was ambivalent toward the cause in part because the rebellion occurred while Irish and British troops were fighting side by side in World War I. You could say it was here, in this yard, that Great Britain lost Ireland, said OConnor. Everything changed here, and it changed forever. Although it is best known for housing political prisoners, Kilmainham housed common criminals as well. In the mid-1800s, during the height of Irelands potato famine, the jail was filled with women and children, jailed for violating the 1847 Vagrancy Act, which made begging illegal. Among the prisoners: 5-year-old Matthew Rossiter, who was imprisoned for two and a half months for stealing a silver chain, most likely to be used to acquire food, said OConnor. (Access to the jail is by reserved tour only; cost is 8 euros; see kilmainhamgaolmuseum.ie.) A memorial to victims of the Great Famine on the River Liffey in Dublin. St. Stephens Green, a 22-acre public park in Dublin's center city. Shopping for sweaters on Grafton Street in Dublin. Being a pedestrian from the U.S. in Dublin presents some challenges. EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum The potato famine figures prominently in the EPIC museum, which opened in 2016 along the River Liffey in Dublins Docklands area, just east of the city center. The museum chronicles the stories, both tragic and triumphant, of the Irish diaspora across the globe. The first half of the museum covers Motivation the reasons for leaving, which include education, missionary work and political persecution, but mostly economic opportunity. Irelands population decreased by 25% following the great famine, when a disease decimated the potato crop for several years in the mid-1800s, leading to mass starvation and migration. More than 1.5 million Irish headed to the United States in the late 19th century. In New York City alone, five out of six police officers were of Irish descent by the turn of the 20th century, according to the museum. The second half of the museum Influence celebrates the many achievements of the Irish diaspora, in literature, sports, science, arts, politics and more, from Tom Brady to Bob Geldof to Mariah Carey and Grace Kelly. Twenty-three U.S. presidents boast Irish heritage, from William McKinley to John Kennedy to Joe Biden, who was treated like a rock star during a visit to Ireland in April to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Peace Agreement. The museum is highly interactive, with videos and on-screen reenactors telling the story of Irish emigrants, both famous and infamous. An exhibit on literature includes a library with books you can pull off the shelves to listen to passages of famous works, including Dracula by Bram Stoker and Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. A WhoDunIt game asks visitors to match the crime to the criminal, comparing the notorious behavior of Ned Kelly and Machine Gun Kelly. And an exhibit on food and drink includes an Irish Pub Quiz, with this true-false question: There are more Irish pubs in the USA than there are in Ireland. The answer true, with 1,700 in the United States compared to 860 in Ireland. Keep in mind, though, that Ireland is roughly the size of Indiana so the island nation certainly has more pubs for its geographic size. I visited at least a dozen of them in nine days of touring, including several in Dublin. Musicians Anthony Bools and Owen Kenny entertain a crowd at the Ha'penny Bridge Inn in Dublin. The Gravity Bar at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. Dublin's famous Ha'penny Bridge, built in 1816 over the River Liffey. Mural on the Irish Rock 'n' Roll Museum Experience in Dublin's Temple Bar neighborhood. Pubs and Guinness and music My introduction to Dublins pubs was at the HaPenny Bridge Inn, where I joined the Musical Pub Crawl, which features two local musicians talking about their craft while playing a variety of Irish tunes. Several dozens of us listened attentively while Anthony Booster Bools, on guitar and vocals, and Owen Kenny, on the uilleann pipes (Irish bagpipes), entertained us with songs and stories of their countrys musical heritage. Much of Irish music has its roots in hardship, said Kenny, a result of British rule that banned books, education and property ownership. The music survived, he said. It was all we had. Bools noted that many people think the Irish sing a lot of drinking songs. He offered this distinction: We have songs about drinking. Theyre all cautionary tales usually written by our wives or our mothers. The music crawl is offered most nights, featuring two musicians in two different locations (you walk to the second location about halfway through). Featured instruments can include the fiddle, banjo, button accordion, harp and the bodhran, a drum that sounds like dancing feet, according to Bools. (Tour cost is 19 euros; information musicalpubcrawl.com). Educated on the basics of Irish music, I needed to be set straight on the basics of Irish beer. I headed to the Guinness Storehouse for that lesson. The Storehouse is located in the brewerys former fermentation plant, which was relocated in 1988. The museum is spread across seven floors, starting with a primer on beers four main ingredients, yeast, barley, hops and water. Its the roasted barley that gives Guinness its signature taste, color and aroma, heated to 450 degrees F (any hotter, it catches fire). Nitrogen was added in the 1950s, which gives the beer its famous surge and settle effect, as well as its smooth, creamy taste. The museum features exhibits on the brewing process, Guinness advertising and historic artifacts, including the 9,000-year lease that Arthur Guinness signed in 1759 when he started the brewery. Its all a bit promotional, but theres a reason this company has been around for nearly 300 years. At the end of the tour, visitors take a tasting lesson and exchange their ticket for a pint at one of several bars, including the penthouse Gravity Bar, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering terrific views of the city. (Tour cost is 26-30 euros; information: www.guinness-storehouse.com/en/home) It was the first of many pints I would consume over the coming days in Dublin and beyond. Daragh Fitzgerald, our walking tour guide, said Guinness tastes different at every pub, based on the way its poured, the age of the bars pipes and other factors. I didnt just take his word for it I taste-tested the beer all over town, at ONeills and Darkey Kellys in the Temple Bar neighborhood, and Patriots Inn near Kilmainham Gaol. Each one was a bit different creamy, smooth, mellow and delicious -- always gulped, never sipped. Pedestrian-friendly shopping in the Grafton Street area of Dublin. The Harding Hotel in Dublin. If you go: Two days in Dublin Where to stay: Dublin hotels are expensive, especially on weekends. I stayed at the Harding Hotel, a three-star hotel in a historic building in a terrific location adjacent to the Temple Bar neighborhood. I paid about $250 a night. What I didnt do: For time considerations, I omitted what is one of the top sites in Dublin, the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript containing the four Gospels of the New Testament, an exquisite example of medieval artistry crafted by Celtic monks around 800 AD. The manuscript is located in the Trinity College library, accessed by advance reservation. Two pages are typically displayed, under glass, surrounded by a crowd of visitors. The tour also includes an exhibit explaining the importance of the work. For information: visittrinity.ie/book-of-kells/ From the airport to the city center: We opted for the Dublin Express, an express bus with regular departures from the airport to numerous spots along the riverfront in Dublins center city. Cost was 10 euros roundtrip if purchased in advance. Information: dublinexpress.ie More information: visitdublin.com Read more: First flight on Aer Lingus: Go to sleep in Cleveland, wake up in Dublin Coming later this summer: Exploring Irelands west coast, from Dingle to Donegal, the Cliffs of Moher and Achill Island Two days in Northern Ireland, including Belfast, the Titanic museum and Giants Causeway Sign up for our newest newsletter, Travels with Susan, delivered to your email inbox every Thursday. The newsletter features the latest from Travel editor Susan Glaser, plus favorite stories from the past few years. Sign up at cleveland.com/newsletters The eight best teams in college softball will battle to be crowned national champion in Oklahoma City starting on Thursday, June 1 with the 2023 Womens College World Series. The double-elimination tournament wraps up with a best-of-three series beginning Wednesday, June 7 to decide the national champion. WATCH EVERY GAME LIVE FOR FREE: Fubo.tv (free trial); DirecTV Stream (free trial); Hulu + Live TV (free trial). Also, Sling TV (promotional offers) and ESPN+. Headlining the field is two-time defending national champion Oklahoma, which comes into the WCWS as the top seed with a record of 56-1 this season. Among the teams trying to deny Oklahoma a third consecutive national title is No. 3 Florida State, which is 55-9. What: 2023 Womens College World Series. When: Thursday, June 1-Friday, June 9, 2023. Where: USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium, Oklahoma City (13,000). TV: ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. Cable channel finder: AT&T U-Verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DIRECTV, Dish, Verizon Fios, WOW. Live streams: Fubo.tv (free trial); DirecTV Stream (free trial); Hulu + Live TV (free trial). Also, Sling TV (promotional offers) and ESPN+. Here is Thursdays schedule for June 1 (Eastern time): No. 4 Tennessee vs. No. 5 Alabama, noon (ESPN) No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Stanford, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN) No. 3 Florida State vs. No. 6 Oklahoma State, 7 p.m. (ESPN) No. 7 Washington vs. No. 15 Utah, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN) Check out the full Womens College World Series schedule online, including TV listings. For team hats, shirts or other gear: Visit Fanatics, Lids, Champs Sports, Dicks Sporting Goods or New Era. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff told CNBC's Jim Cramer on Wednesday that artificial intelligence will be and already is a boon for the cloud software company, especially when it comes to one of its recently acquired products, messaging application Slack. "My dream is that all that data that's inside Slack, well, as we work on our own [large language model], that Slack is almost going to like wake up and become intelligent itself," Benioff told Cramer. "It's going to be an incredible revelation for our customers, that they've got intelligence by their side with Slack." Slack announced earlier this month that it plans to add a whole host of generative AI features to the program, including "Slack GPT," which can summarize messages, take notes and even help improve message tone, among other things. "It means that Slack is going to be my assistant, my partner, my copilot, it's helping me to run my company, just as Salesforce GPT is going to let me, be my copilot in running all of my customer relationships," Benioff continued. He added that Salesforce's use of AI has already started to benefit its clients, from New York's Northwell Health hospital group to luxury retailer Gucci, which used Salesforce's AI products to enhance their call center employees' performance. Benioff stressed that Gucci's case shows that AI will enhance workers, not make them obsolete. "We thought it's just going to make them much more productive in handling cases," Benioff said. "It actually transformed the call center agents into sales agents, into marketing agents, it gave them capabilities they did not have, it augmented them." Salesforce reported a decent quarter on Wednesday after the market's close, with profits up 68% year to date by the market's close. First-quarter revenue was $8.25 billion, comfortably exceeding the $8.18 billion estimate. Salesforce (CRM) topped expectations in the first quarter of its fiscal year 2024, while providing strong guidance for the second quarter and raising its margin outlook for the rest of the year once again proving that this is a transformed company balancing profitable growth at scale. Revenue for the three months ended April 30 grew 11% year-over-year, to $8.25 billion, exceeding analysts' forecasts of $8.18 billion, according to estimates compiled by Refinitiv. Non-GAAP* earnings-per-share (EPS) of $1.69, beat the $1.61-per-share EPS predicted by analysts, Refinitiv data showed. Operating margins came in at 5% on a GAAP basis, and 27.6% on non-GAAP basis, compared with expectations of 6.5% and 25.9%, respectively, according to FactSet. Operating cash flow increased 22% from the previous year, to $4.49 billion, beating estimates of $3.76 billion, FactSet data showed. Free cash flow of $4.25 billion outpaced the $3.55 billion forecasted by analysts, according to FactSet. However, the guidance boost was not enough for the stock to overcome lofty expectations ahead of the earnings release, with the stock up 68% this year and trading at a 52-week high. The small beat and raise are prompting some profit-taking, resulting in shares falling roughly 6% after hours Wednesday, to around $210 apiece. But with management committed to margin expansion, we're sticking by the name. * GAAP denotes generally accepted accounting principles. Bottom line The last time the company reported earnings, the market marveled at how fast it was delivering on its profitability goals. While the magnitude of the operating-margin beat wasn't as large this time around, we remain impressed with how efficient the company has become in such a short period of time. It's no secret that the enterprise software industry is going through a difficult period right now. The best way to offset sluggish revenue growth is by driving profitability higher and Salesforce stepped up to the task. With CEO Marc Benioff more engaged than ever, winning over activists who pressed for tough but necessary changes, securing new customer wins, and shepherding the business into this new stage of generative artificial intelligence (AI), better times are still ahead for Salesforce. Shares are pulling back in afterhours trading, but we don't see the decline as a reflection of the quarter. Did management need to raise the full-year outlook more after beating this quarter and providing upside second-quarter guidance? Probably, but the economic environment is far from simple. More importantly, this evening's decline is more of a reflection of how big of a move the stock has made this year in what has become a difficult market outside of tech. We have not been chasers of tech into the extraordinary runs the group has made over the past few weeks. But with our long-term view on Salesforce unchanged, coupled with the stock backing off its recent highs, we can look to be more opportunistic. Quarterly Commentary We are pleased to see Salesforce beat across so many key metrics, despite the challenging macroeconomic environment. The deal environment continues to be less favorable than years past, with many taking longer to close (elongated deal cycles) and smaller in size (deal compression). Still, Salesforce said it continues to see strong adoption of its cloud offerings from customers who are in need of reducing complexity and speeding up processes relative to value. Geographically, on a constant currency basis, sales increased 10% year-over-year in the Americas, 17% in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), and 24% in the Asia Pacific region (APAC). Despite the difficult operating environment, Salesforce's revenue attrition remains quite low, at 8%, particularly considering the slowdown in the global economy. New deals may be taking longer to close but the low attrition rates show that enterprise customers can't afford to leave Salesforce's mission-critical software products once in use. They can't afford to miss out on those productivity gains. On the margin side, in order to generate a 1,000-basis-point improvement in the short span of 12 months, a company must really drive efficiencies across each and every part of its business. Looking under Salesforce's hood, its expenses as a percent of revenue are down in every major category relative to last year. Marketing and sales as a percent of revenue was 32% compared to 38% last year; cost of revenues is down to 21% of revenue compared to 22% last year; research and development is down to 12% compared to 14% last year; and general and administrative is a tick lower at 7% versus 8% last year. Reducing headcount helps, too. Salesforce ended the quarter with 72,970 full time employees, down from 77,810 last year. With the support of Salesforce's increased cash flow, the company made good on its commitment to repurchase stock to offset dilution from stock-based compensation. The company bought back $2.1 billion worth of shares in the quarter, resulting in a 1% decline in its diluted share count from last year. The company still has about $13.9 billion remaining on a $20 billion share-repurchase program. Salesforce management on Wednesday noted the company has integrated generative AI into its products. Whether it be Einstein GPT , which conducted 1 trillion transactions for its customers this week, Slack GPT, which helps users quickly summarize conversations, or Tableau GPT, which simplifies data analysis for its users, Salesforce is harnessing the power of AI to allow its customers to be more productive. "The coming wave of generative AI will be more evolutionary than any technology innovation that's come before," CEO Marc Benioff said Wednesday. Salesforce will hold an AI Day event on June 12 to outline more of its strategy around the technology. Outlook Following its strong fiscal first-quarter results, management outlined several positive adjustments to its full-year outlook. Although the company left its revenue prediction unchanged, at $34.5 billion to $34.7 billion, the company expects its profitability will come in better than previously anticipated. Salesforce now sees its GAAP operating margin at 11.4%, compared to a prior outlook of 10.8%, and its non-GAAP operating margin at 28%, compared to a previous estimate of 27%. With margins higher, the company raised what it expects to earn per share for the year. Salesforce raised its GAAP EPS range to $2.67 to $2.69, up from $2.59 to $2.61, and non-GAAP EPS range to $7.41 to $7.43, up from $7.12 to $7.14. Both new EPS ranges are above the consensus estimates of $2.67 and $7.17 per share. For its fiscal second quarter, Salesforce guided revenues to be in a range of $8.51 billion to $8.53 billion, with GAAP EPS coming in at 79 cents to 80 cents and non-GAAP EPS at $1.89 to $1.90. Compared to consensus estimates, these figures are beats across the board. (Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust is long CRM. 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. Marc Benioff, co-founder and CEO of Salesforce, speaks at an Economic Club of Washington luncheon in Washington, DC, on Oct. 18, 2019. Nicholas Kamm | AFP | Getty Images Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing subsidiary of Alibaba, unveiled its ChatGPT-style product Tongyi Qianwen during the 2023 Alibaba Cloud Summit on Tuesday morning. Alibaba on Thursday began rolling out its ChatGPT-style technology as Chinese tech giants look to take a lead in the country's artificial intelligence race. ChatGPT, developed by U.S. firm OpenAI, is an AI chatbot that can answer questions when prompted by a user. It has gone viral, sparking huge interest in the area of generative AI, the technology which underpins ChatGPT. Last month, Alibaba revealed Tongyi Qianwen, its large language model a system that is trained on huge amounts of data in order to recognize and generate content. Alibaba's cloud computing division, which is leading the AI charge for the company, said Thursday that Tongyi Qianwen will be integrated into a digital assistant called Tingwu. Tongyi Tingwu, the AI-powered assistant, will be able to analyze multimedia content and generate a text summary from video and audio files, according to Alibaba. Southeast Asia's digital economy has plenty of growth potential, backed by strong fundamentals including over 460 million digital consumers, young and tech-savvy populations, as well as rising internet penetration. The digital economy across six countries within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc known as ASEAN-6 and comprising Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam is projected to grow 6% annually. That's according to the latest e-Conomy SEA 2022 report released by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company that predicted that market could reach as much as $1 trillion by 2030. But roadblocks remain. From the urban-rural divide to low digital literacy, the region continues to grapple with challenges that could hold back that growth. "ASEAN's digital economy is expanding, but there is the digital divide," said Anthony Toh, research analyst at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, a think-tank within Nanyang Technological University. "Singapore is the most digitalized ASEAN member. For Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand and Vietnam, they tend to be lacking in some indicators while Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia are lacking in digitalization prospects," said Toh. The 10-member bloc, a regional grouping that aims to promote economic and security cooperation, includes those countries and the Philippines. U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Thursday that Ukraine's "rightful place" is within the NATO military alliance. Sunak said he agreed with comments made earlier Thursday by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg that Ukraine is on the path toward NATO membership. "I agree with the NATO Secretary-General: Ukraine's rightful place is in NATO," Sunak told CNBC's Silvia Amaro. Britain's prime minister said that allied nations were sending a "strong signal" to Russian President Vladimir Putin that they would safeguard Ukraine's security arrangements for the long term. "We want to make sure that we put in place security arrangements for Ukraine for the long term, so that we send a very strong signal to Vladimir Putin that we're not going anywhere," he said. "We are here to stay and we will continuing backing Ukraine, not just now but for years into the future." Sunak was speaking in Moldova, where heads of state from EU and non-EU countries are gathered for the second annual meeting of the European Political Community. A clear majority of Americans who don't identify as LGBTQ+ believe companies should publicly support the community, according to a new survey from gay rights organization GLAAD. About 70% of more than 2,500 adults who don't identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or an otherwise member of the community said support from companies should come through hiring practices, advertising and sponsorships, according to online responses to GLAAD's annual "Accelerating Acceptance study," conducted in February. "When people are exposed to LGBTQ people and experiences in media it changes hearts and minds and shifts culture and sentiment," GLAAD said in its release. "Measuring comfortability in media is a pathway to 100% acceptance for LGBTQ people." Three out of 4 survey respondents said they feel comfortable seeing LGBTQ people in advertisements, and almost 70% reported feeling comfortable seeing an LGBTQ family with children included in ads. The study comes as retailers like Target , Kohl's and PetSmart have come under attack for their annual LGBTQ Pride merchandise displays and ad campaigns. Mega retailer Target went as far as to pull some of its merchandise from the retail floor last week. A spokesperson for the company said threats to employees were "impacting our team members' sense of safety and wellbeing while at work." Critics continue to incite anti-LGBTQ attacks in stores and on social media, with some calling for boycotts. In April, Bud Light came under fire after partnering with transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The campaign prompted violent videos of customers shooting cans of Bud Light and a right-wing boycott. In response, the marketing executive who oversaw the partnership at Bud Light parent company Anheuser-Busch Inbev took a leave of absence. Sales of Bud Light since then continue to suffer, according to data by Evercore ISI. In the week ended May 20, Bud Light sales volume the number of units of beer sold declined 29.5% compared with the same period last year. The company has also faced criticism from LGBTQ+ leaders who have dinged the company for not defending its ties with Mulvaney and the community more strongly. In a statement responding to the backlash, Anheuser Busch said it "works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics." GLAAD and more than 100 leading LGBTQ advocacy organizations wrote a letter on Wednesday calling on Target to "reject and speak out against anti-LGBTQ+ extremism going into Pride Month," which is celebrated in June. "Doubling down on your values is not only the right thing to do," the group wrote in a statement. "It's good for business." A separate survey conducted by GLAAD and the Edelman Trust Institute in December found that if a brand publicly supports and demonstrates a commitment to expanding and protecting LGBTQ+ rights, Americans are twice as likely to buy or use the brand. GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis emphasized in her personal call to action on Twitter last week that companies need to stand behind their products and ad campaigns instead of backing down. "Anti-LGBTQ violence and hate should not be winning in America," said Ellis. "But it will continue to until corporate leaders step up as heroes for their LGBTQ employees and consumers and do not cave to fringe activists calling for censorship." Diddy attends The After, hosted by the entrepreneur and Doja Cat, powered by Ciroc Premium Vodka and DeLeon Tequila at Club Love in New York City, May 1, 2023. Sean "Diddy" Combs is suing multinational spirits giant Diageo for alleged racial discrimination in the handling of his vodka and tequila brands, which Combs claims the company typecast as "Black brands." In a lawsuit filed Wednesday with the New York Supreme Court in Manhattan, Combs' lawyers accuse Diageo of neglecting his Ciroc vodka and DeLeon tequila brands, and of marginalizing their appeal by marketing them as "urban" brands. The rapper and entrepreneur, formerly known by stage names Puffy Daddy and P. Diddy, claimed Diageo also "sabotaged" his DeLeon brand tequila with shoddy packaging that "made the product look cheap," while showing other celebrity brands, such as actor George Clooney's Casamigos tequila, more attention and resources. Diageo acquired Clooney's Casamigos in 2017 for $1 billion. It's the top-selling U.S. tequila brand, representing 12.6% of tequila sales in U.S. retail stores, according to data from Nielsen and consulting firm Bump Williams. Combs Wines and Spirits entered an equal partnership with Diageo in 2007 for the marketing and promotion of Ciroc. Following the success of the partnership, Diageo co-purchased the DeLeon tequila brand with Combs' company in 2013. Diageo, a multibillion-dollar, publicly traded spirits company based in London, owns more than 200 brands, including the Don Julio tequila brand. According to court documents, in 2022, Don Julio was distributed in 36% of retail outlets, compared with 34.4% for Casamigos, and just 3.3% for Combs' DeLeon. Combs claims his brands have been "starved" of production, distribution and sales resources. According to the lawsuit, Diageo executive Stephen Rust told Combs in 2019 race was among the reasons the company had limited its distribution of DeLeon and Ciroc. If Combs Wines and Spirits were owned by Martha Stewart, his brands would be distributed more broadly, Rust allegedly said according to the lawsuit. In a statement to CNBC, Diageo called the matter a "business dispute." "Our steadfast commitment to diversity within our company and the communities we serve is something we take very seriously. We categorically deny the allegations that have been made and will vigorously defend ourselves in the appropriate forum," a Diageo spokesperson said in the statement. The company said it has had a "productive and mutually beneficial relationship" with Combs for 15 years, "making significant investments that have resulted in financial success for all involved." "We are disappointed our efforts to resolve this business dispute amicably have been ignored, and that Mr. Combs has chosen to damage a productive and valued partnership. While we respect Mr. Combs as an artist and entrepreneur, his allegations lack merit, and we are confident the facts will show that he has been treated fairly," the company said in its statement. Combs' lawyers are seeking a court order for "equal treatment" they say Diageo "contractually promised" under the partnership. They're also seeking "billions of dollars in damages due to Diageo's neglect and breaches" via separate legal proceedings. In this article TSLA Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Elon Musk last visited China in 2020 for the delivery ceremony of the Model 3. His first visit in 3 years saw the Tesla CEO meet with top government officials and speak to staff at the Shanghai Gigafactory. Ding Ting | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images Musk meets Chinese officials Musk met with China's foreign minister, Qin Gang, on Tuesday. Qin talked up the potential of the electric vehicle market in China, which he said "has broad prospects for development," according to a statement from the Chinese ministry. Musk praised the Chinese people and China's achievements. Tesla opposes "decoupling" and is willing to continue to expand its business in China, the statement said. On Wednesday, Musk met with Jin Zhuanglong, China's minister of industry and information technology. The two sides discussed "the development of new energy vehicles and intelligent networked vehicles," according to a statement from the ministry. On Thursday, Musk met with Chen Jining, the Shanghai party secretary. Tesla's Gigafactory is located in Shanghai, its only production site in China and one of the world's biggest for the electric carmaker. Chen talked about Shanghai as a place for international business, according to an official statement. Musk praised the success of the Shanghai Gigafactory and said he is hoping to continue to increase cooperation with the city in various areas, the statement added. Musk meets the vice premier Musk also met with China's vice premier, Ding Xuexiang, one of the country's top officials, Reuters reported, citing a source familiar with the matter. Ding is known as a loyalist to Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Ding is part of the Politburo Standing Committee, a top governing body led by Xi. It is not clear what was discussed, but the meeting highlights Musk's close relationships with top Chinese politicians. Musk meets with the chair of the world's biggest EV battery maker Musk also met with Zeng Yuqun, the chairman of CATL, the world's largest electric vehicle battery company and a Tesla supplier, according to local media reports. An image circulating in local media, which could not be immediately verified by CNBC, showed Musk and Zeng walking side by side in a hotel. In March, Bloomberg reported that Tesla was exploring building a battery plant in the U.S. in partnership with CATL. CATL declined to comment, and it was not clear what Musk and Zeng discussed. Musk visits the Shanghai Gigafactory Elon Musk is the wealthiest person in the world again. Elon Musk is the richest person in the world again, according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index's updated figures Thursday. The Tesla CEO saw his wealth jump 40.3% this year to $192 billion, after shares of the electric car maker rose about 24% in May, according to Eikon data. Musk owns about 13% of Tesla, according to FactSet data. Musk was knocked out of first place by LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault in December, after shares of Tesla fell after his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter. Most of Musk's wealth is tied to Tesla's stock. He is also the CEO of rocket manufacturer SpaceX and owns social media company Twitter. Musk left Shanghai on Thursday, after a high-profile two-day visit. While in China, he met with foreign minister Qin Gang and other Chinese officials. The visit, which comes amid simmering U.S.-China tensions, was a sign China is an important market to Tesla, analysts have said. During the visit, Qin sought to assure Musk that China is open to foreign businesses and would continue to offer a friendly business environment to them. Musk also reportedly signaled further expansion in China. California lawmakers advanced a bipartisan bill Thursday that would require Big Tech platforms to pay publishers for news they host, just a day after Meta threatened to remove news from Facebook and Instagram should the bill pass. The California Journalism Preservation Act, which passed out of the state Assembly 46-6, still needs to be approved by the state Senate and signed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to become law. But if it makes it that far, it could create new challenges for tech platforms and possibly change the landscape of what information is available on social media sites in California versus the rest of the country. "If the Journalism Preservation Act passes, we will be forced to remove news from Facebook and Instagram, rather than pay into a slush fund that primarily benefits big, out-of-state media companies under the guise of aiding California publishers," Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement on Twitter Wednesday. "The bill fails to recognize that publishers and broadcasters put their content on our platform themselves and that substantial consolidation in California's local news industry came over 15 years ago, well before Facebook was widely used." According to the text of the bill available on the state government website, the California legislation would require online platforms with at least 50 million monthly active U.S. users, a billion worldwide active users or U.S. net annual sales or market cap over $550 billion to pay a "usage fee" to eligible digital journalism providers who want it. Payments would be calculated based on the amount of each outlet's news products the platform displayed or linked to. The parties would use an arbitration process to come up with the percentage of the platform's advertising revenue that would make up the usage fee. Chamber of Progress, a trade group that counts Meta among its backers, criticized the bill's advancement. The coalition's CEO Adam Kovacevich said in a statement, "the CJPA is riddled with holes" and the bill "includes a questionable arbitration process and supports hedge funds known for cutting news staff rather than hiring journalists." "It's sad the Assembly is passing the buck to the Senate rather than fixing the bill's problems," he added. The News/Media Alliance, which represents over 2,000 media organizations, applauded the Assembly vote. "We are extremely encouraged to see this progress at the state level, which shows that Americans understand the importance and value of journalism to keeping their communities safe and informed and holding those in power to account," News/Media Alliance President and CEO Danielle Coffey said in a statement. "We look forward to the CJPA moving on to the Senate and working with policymakers there to pass the CJPA and restore fairness and balance to the marketplace." The California bill has similar aims to federal legislation that a bipartisan group of lawmakers attempted to advance last year. Tech companies also took issue with that bill, the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, which would create a temporary safe harbor from antitrust laws for news publishers to collectively bargain revenue-sharing terms with tech giants that carry their products. The current conflict between Meta and California lawmakers recalls a similar fight in Australia in 2021, when the government there sought to require online platforms to pay for news content. Days after restricting news pages in the country, Facebook reached an agreement with the government that led to a reversal of the company's policy. Facebook said at the time the government "agreed to a number of changes and guarantees that address our core concerns about allowing commercial deals that recognize the value our platform provides to publishers relative to the value we receive from them." Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. WATCH: Australia slams Facebook's move to block news amid new media bill Microsoft 's massive investment in OpenAI has put the company at the center of the artificial intelligence boom. But it's not the only place where the software giant is opening its wallet to meet the surging demand for AI-powered services. CNBC has learned from people with knowledge of the matter that Microsoft has agreed to spend potentially billions of dollars over multiple years on cloud computing infrastructure from startup CoreWeave, which announced Wednesday that it raised $200 million. That financing comes just over a month after the company attained a valuation of $2 billion. CoreWeave sells simplified access to Nvidia's graphics processing units, or GPUs, which are considered the best available on the market for running AI models. Microsoft signed the CoreWeave deal earlier this year in order to ensure that OpenAI, which operates the viral ChatGPT chatbot, will have adequate computing power going forward, said one of the people, who asked not to be named due to confidentiality. OpenAI relies on Microsoft's Azure cloud infrastructure for its hefty compute needs. Microsoft and CoreWeave both declined to comment. The generative AI rush began late last year after OpenAI introduced ChatGPT to the public, demonstrating that AI can take human input and produce sophisticated responses. Many companies, including Google , have since rushed to add generative AI into their products. And Microsoft has been busy releasing chatbots for its own services, such as Bing and Windows. With so much demand for its infrastructure, Microsoft needs additional ways to tap Nvidia's GPUs. CoreWeave CEO Michael Intrator declined to comment about the Microsoft deal in an interview last month, but he said revenue has "gone up by many multiples from 2022 to 2023." NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a press conference to present the next North Atlantic Council (NAC) Ministers of Foreign Affairs meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on April 3, 2023. Kenzo Tribouillard | AFP | Getty Images NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that all NATO allies agree that Russia cannot prevent Ukraine's eventual membership in the military alliance. Speaking to reporters ahead of an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo, Norway, Stoltenberg said all allies agreed that "NATO's door is open for new members." "All allies also agree that Ukraine will become a member of the alliance, and all allies agree that it is for the NATO allies and Ukraine to decide when Ukraine becomes a member," he said. "It is not for Moscow to have a veto against NATO enlargement, but most importantly, all allies agree that the most urgent and important task now is to ensure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign, independent nation. President [Vladimir] Putin and Russia must not win this war." Stoltenberg also called for action beyond the end of the Russia-Ukraine war to guarantee Ukraine's security, in order to ensure that "history doesn't repeat itself" and that the "pattern of Russian aggression against Ukraine" comes to an end. watch now Long-term support for Ukraine will be discussed at the Thursday meeting in Oslo, but Stoltenberg expects a multiyear plan to align Ukraine with NATO standards and protocols to be established at the formal July summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed Stoltenberg's support and reiterated that Ukraine is hoping to receive a formal NATO invitation to join. "What is very important is our future in the EU and Ukraine is ready to be in NATO, we are waiting for when NATO will be ready to host and to see and to have Ukraine," he told reporters outside of the European Political Community Summit in Moldova on Thursday. "I think security guarantees are very important, not only for Ukraine, [but] for our neighbors, for Moldova, because of the Russian aggression in Ukraine and potential aggression for other parts of Europe." Asked about the potential end of the war, Zelenskyy said the conflict will only cease if Ukraine wins, adding that "Russia can stop this war earlier, they can go out to their independent territory from our territory." watch now ABUJA, Nigeria - May 29, 2023: Nigeria's President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrives to attend swearing-in ceremony at Eagle Square in the capital. Tinubu inherits a fractured society a crippled economy as he takes the reins of Africa's most populous nation. New Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu faces the tough task of injecting stability into a society and economy in crisis and reigniting hope in a young population that feels its voice has been ignored for decades. The 71-year-old was sworn in on Monday as the 16th president of Africa's most populous nation, and its fifth since the end of three decades of military rule in 1999. He succeeds Muhammadu Buhari, also of the All Progressives Congress (APC) party, who departs with a widely criticized economic record. Meanwhile, judges are considering a legal petition from opposition leaders, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, alleging fraud and challenging the result of February's presidential election. Tinubu inherits an economy saddled with record debt and inflation at an almost two-decade high of more than 22%, along with shortages of foreign exchange reserves and fuel, a severely weakened naira currency, an ailing power supply and declining oil production. Economic turmoil As former governor of Lagos state between 1999 and 2007, Tinubu was credited with modernizing Nigeria's commercial hub and vastly expanding the regional economy. Touting his record, he vowed at his swearing-in ceremony on Monday to expand the Nigerian economy by at least 6% per year, unify the the foreign exchange rate and scrap costly fuel subsidies, along with tackling widespread insecurity. "I have a message for our investors, local and foreign: our government shall review all their complaints about multiple taxation and various anti-investment inhibitions," Tinubu told the audience in Abuja's Eagle Square, while also promising a "thorough house cleaning" of monetary policy. His predecessor Buhari deployed a series of protectionist economic policies and spooked international investors. While he claimed in a farewell speech on Sunday that many of the "tough decisions" had boosted the country's economic resilience, the hard data showed unemployment and poverty expanding. Ukrainian forces set up Starlink satellite receivers to provide connection for civilians at Independence Square after the withdrawal of the Russian army from Kherson to the eastern bank of Dnieper River, Ukraine, on November 13, 2022. WASHINGTON The Pentagon said Thursday it has agreed to purchase Starlink satellite internet terminals from Elon Musk's SpaceX for use in Ukraine as Kyiv continues to defend itself against a full-scale Russian invasion. "We continue to work with a range of global partners to ensure Ukraine has the satellite and communication capabilities they need. Satellite communications constitute a vital layer in Ukraine's overall communications network and the department contracts with Starlink for services of this type," the Pentagon said in a statement to CNBC. The Pentagon declined to offer additional contract details, including the price, scope and timeline of the delivery. "For operational security reasons and due to the critical nature of these systems we do not have additional information regarding specific capabilities, contracts or partners to provide at this time," the statement added. Bloomberg first reported the contract on Thursday. SpaceX did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment. The first Starlink terminals in Ukraine arrived four days after Russian troops poured over the nation's border in what became the largest air, land and sea assault in Europe since World War II. Ukraine digital minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who had previously asked Musk for the capability on Twitter, posted that Starlink was "here" in Ukraine with a photo showing more than two dozen boxes in the back of a truck. Musk said in October that SpaceX wouldn't be able to continue funding use of Starlink terminals in the country out of its own coffers "indefinitely," after a report from CNN said the company had asked the Pentagon to cover the cost. Western officials have previously hailed Musk's decision to equip Ukraine with Starlink internet, citing the colossal and indiscriminate Russian shelling on civilian infrastructure that has left large swaths of the country without communications. Musk reportedly told the Pentagon in October he would no longer finance the Starlink terminals in Ukraine as the country prepared to fight through the harsh winter months. However, the billionaire reversed course and did continue to fund the service. RBC Capital Markets thinks oil giant Chevron can thrive in an increasingly unstable macroeconomic environment. The bank upgraded Chevron stock to outperform from sector perform Thursday. It also raised its price target to $180 from $165, implying upside of 19.5% from Wednesday's close. RBC analyst Biraj Borkhataria thinks Chevron has managed its balance sheet conservatively in the past, which has helped the company sustain its dividend yield and acquire companies successfully. On May 22 , it agreed to buy PDC Energy . These factors underpin Chevron's ability to surpass peers in a challenging market. CVX YTD mountain Chevron stock has pulled back more than 16% from the start of 2023. "Looking forward, we believe the macro environment is likely to remain volatile, however weaker end product demand and OPEC+ managing the oil market leaves CVX's upstream heavy weighting well-placed," Borkhataria said. "This combined with its fortress balance sheet and commitment to remaining disciplined through organic and inorganic activity should prove defensive over time." Chevron shares have struggled this year, losing more than 16%. Still, Chevron's discipline when it comes to mergers and acquisitions gives RBC more confidence the company isn't only buying companies out of necessity and is instead making prudent moves. "In our view, the company's ability to execute on this front has been impressive, and importantly, it is both about what the company has done, and what it has chosen not to do," Borkhataria said. RBC isn't the only firm getting bullish on Chevron. Last month, HSBC upgraded the oil giant to buy from hold, noting the stock's recent drop has created a buying opportunity . CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report. People receive food from AFAT - Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency on November 28, 2022 in Chernihiv, Ukraine. WASHINGTON Russian occupying forces in Ukraine have employed starvation tactics on civilians by targeting food lines, agricultural harvests and water infrastructure, according to a team of international lawyers helping Kyiv investigate alleged war crimes. The investigators focused their efforts on the city of Chernihiv, which was under siege for a little over two months before Russian troops were expelled from the northern Ukrainian city. Catriona Murdoch, a lawyer and expert in starvation-related crimes, described Chernihiv as the "tip of the iceberg in [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's calculated plan to terrorize, subjugate and kill Ukrainian people." The new investigation, which took six months to assemble and was released Thursday, details a number of different starvation tactics employed by Russian forces, including strikes in concentrated areas where civilians gathered to receive humanitarian aid and food supplies. "I think our conclusion at this point is that we believe that this would certainly constitute a violation of international humanitarian law," Murdoch, partner and head of starvation portfolio at international human rights law firm, Global Rights Compliance, told CNBC. "The more information we have gathered and analyzed, the more we can say with confidence," added Murdoch, who leads a Mobile Justice Team, a group of international lawyers and investigators supporting the office of Ukraine's prosecutor general in starvation crimes. Mobile Justice Teams are one component of the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group, which is funded by the U.S. State Department, European Union and the U.K.'s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The Kremlin has previously denied that its forces commit war crimes or deliberately target civilians and related critical infrastructure. The Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment. Read more: At least 20 torture centers in Kherson were directly financed by the Kremlin, international lawyers say in a new report The report details one such incident on the morning of March 16, 2022, outside a supermarket, which resulted in the deaths of at least 20 civilians. According to the report, between 20 to 90 people were waiting in line near the Soyuz grocery store when an explosive with a wide impact range was detonated. Soyuz, according to the lawyers, was known as a place to collect bread deliveries if the store was closed. The lawyers identified heavy artillery weapon systems that could have been used in the Soyuz attack and found evidence that Russian drones were operating in the area and could have provided imagery to direct Russian fire. Subsequent attacks occurred at nearby hospitals "substantially impacting power supplies and thus creating challenging circumstances to treat those injured or dying," according to the investigation. The lawyers and investigators also found that infrastructure related to Chernihiv's water supply was targeted by aerial bombing. Elsewhere in Ukraine, the investigators found that Russian forces prioritized stealing harvests and destroying agricultural machinery. Murdoch, who recently returned from Chernihiv, added that she was confident that the perpetrators can be identified. Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg during a meeting with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi on April 20, 2023 in Kyiv, Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that all NATO allies agree that Russia cannot prevent Ukraine's eventual membership of the alliance. Speaking to reporters ahead of an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo, Stoltenberg said all allies agreed that "NATO's door is open for new members." "All allies also agree that Ukraine will become a member of the alliance, and all allies agree that it is for the NATO allies and Ukraine to decide when Ukraine becomes a member," he said. "It is not for Moscow to have a veto against NATO enlargement, but most importantly, all allies agree that the most urgent and important task now is to ensure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign, independent nation. President Putin and Russia must not win this war." Stoltenberg also called for action beyond the end of the Russia-Ukraine war to guarantee Ukraine's security, in order to ensure that "history doesn't repeat itself" and that the "pattern of Russian aggression against Ukraine" is brought to an end. Elliot Smith Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has tested positive again for Covid-19 Thursday, a week and a half after his initial diagnosis, in what his doctors say is a case of rebound infection. SINGAPORE Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has tested positive again for Covid-19 a week and a half after his initial diagnosis, in what his doctors said is a case of rebound infection. "I feel fine but I am afraid I have turned COVID-19 positive again," Lee said Thursday on social media. "My doctors say it is a Covid rebound, which happens in 5-10% of cases. It is still infectious although the risk is not high compared to the initial infection." As a result, Lee missed the consecration ceremony of a Hindu temple in Singapore. His reinfection comes as Singapore prepares to host top defense leaders from Asia Pacific at this weekend's Shangri-La Dialogue, including China defense minister, Gen. Li Shangfu, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Lee, who is 71-years-old, was prescribed the antiviral medication Paxlovid when he first tested positive on May 22 after returning from a six-day official working trip to South Africa and Kenya. He has been serving as prime minister of the Southeast Asian city-state since 2004. Singapore is coming off an April peak in Covid-19 infections and its government has been lauded for its largely effective handling of the pandemic. Around 45 million Americans are now trying to figure out when they'll need to make what could be their first payment on their student loans in three years. Here's what you can expect in the near term. "This bill does end the payment pause," Shalanda Young, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said in a press briefing . "But very close to the timeframe we were going to end it, as an administration, when it comes to repayment." The agreement struck between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy that set up the vote comes after weeks of tense negotiations. It also comes with a condition that the student loan payment pause end after August 30. As Young stated, the debt ceiling bill will lift the payment pause at the end of August. The Biden administration had previously planned to end the payment pause, at the latest, 60 days after June 30, which would be around August 30. The bill adds a layer of certainty, though, by codifying that date and preventing Biden from issuing another extension as he has previously done. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona acknowledged borrowers may be feeling anxious around payments starting up, but he says they should feel confident the administration is working to make it a smooth transition. "We're providing support for [borrowers], if they're struggling. We're rolling out a new income-driven repayment plan so their payments are more reasonable and manageable," he told Spectrum News. In her press briefing, Young also acknowledged people could feel disappointed, but pointed out it could have been worse. She highlighted that some Republicans wanted to eliminate the possibility of student loan forgiveness as part of debt ceiling negotiations. That provision didn't make it into the final agreement. "Even though [the] House Republicans' bill sought to do away with [debt forgiveness], we saved it in this bill," Young said. "There's nothing on that in this bill." The bill Young mentioned, which aims to roll back loan forgiveness altogether, passed the House last week, and the Senate on Wednesday voted to advance the bill to debate. Biden has pledged to veto it if it makes it to his desk. German online travel startup GetYourGuide raised $194 million from investors, hoping to capitalize on a bump in demand for travel services in the summer, further an expansion into the U.S., and invest in large language models and other artificial intelligence tools. The Berlin-based company said Thursday it had raised the funding through a mix of equity and debt, with $85 million of equity investment being led by U.S. asset management firm Blue Pool Capital. The investment values the company at nearly $2 billion, up from GetYourGuide's last publicly-disclosed valuation of $1.4 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter. Existing investors KKR and Temasek invested again in this round. The debt portion of the deal was led by UniCredit and also backed by BNP Paribas, Citibank and KfW. Total investment in GetYourGuide, including both equity and debt, now stands at just over $1 billion. GetYourGuide's product differs from those offered by some other major players in the online travel space. Rather than advertise hotels, flights and other forms of transportation, GetYourGuide sells its users experiences and things to do in unexplored places. These experiences are offered through third-party suppliers on its platform, with GetYourGuide taking a commission on each booking. The company has seen a massive jump in demand for its platform with travel returning back to normal following the ending of Covid-19 restrictions and the resumption of normal cross-border transportation. Johannes Reck, the CEO and co-founder of GetYourGuide, said the company had seen its revenues erased during the early days of the pandemic for multiple consecutive quarters the company made no revenue whatsoever, he said. "We were severely depressed in the pandemic," Reck told CNBC. "The travel industry was very hard hit within the travel industry. GetYourGuide was probably one of the worst affected. Experiences were shut down. People didn't go out." "There were some greenshoots in 2021 with the reopening of the U.S. but the real rebound only started when omicron turned out to be a more benign variant and people started to resume traveling in Easter of 2022 and then we had an exploding business on our hands," he said. Former President of the United States Donald J. Trump throws his fist in the air outside Trump Tower prior to his departure to a two day trip to Des Moines, Iowa, in Manhattan, New York, United States on May 31, 2023. Attorneys for Donald Trump have filed a motion seeking to have a judge recuse himself from the Manhattan criminal case against the former president. Trump's campaign website posted a statement from his lawyers Wednesday evening that accused Judge Juan Merchan of having conflicts, which the statement says are detailed in the motion. The motion seeks to have Merchan, who presided over Trump's arraignment on 34 counts of falsifying business records in Manhattan, step aside in the case, Trump's lawyers said. "President Trump, like all Americans, is entitled under the Constitution to an impartial judge and fair legal process," his lawyers said in the statement, adding that the motion alleges Merchan has "significant conflicts." The motion is not yet public and the Manhattan District Attorney's office was making redactions, lawyers involved in the process said. Trump in social media posts has complained Merchan "hates me." Prominent lawyers interviewed by NBC News about Merchan's reputation say the New York Supreme Court judge is fair (in New York, the Supreme Court is the name for the state's highest trial court). In Wednesday night's statement, Trump's lawyers in part raised the fact that Merchan presided over the criminal case against the Trump Organization. Their statement also makes reference to Merchan's daughter's employment with a political firm that worked for President Joe Biden's presidential campaign. Merchan fined the Trump Organization $1.6 million for a long-running tax fraud scheme. The prosecution's star witness was the Trump Organization's former chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, who testified against the company as part of a plea agreement. Weisselberg pleaded guilty to tax fraud charges in August and was sentenced to five months in prison. He was sent to Rikers Island in January and was released in April. Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury in March on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to his role in hush money given to adult film star Stormy Daniels weeks before the 2016 presidential election to keep quiet about an alleged affair with him a decade earlier. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has repeatedly denied an affair. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office, which brought the case before the grand jury, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday night. The criminal trial has been set for March 2024. The UAE will host the COP28 climate summit from Nov. 30 through to Dec. 12. The director general of COP28 on Thursday defended the appointment of oil executive Sultan al-Jaber, describing the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company CEO as the "perfect person" to lead the climate talks. The UAE, the third-largest oil-producing member of the OPEC alliance, will host the COP28 climate summit from Nov. 30 through to Dec. 12. Al-Jaber, who in January was selected to lead the summit, serves as the UAE's climate envoy, the government's minister of industry and technology, and the head of ADNOC one of the world's largest oil and gas companies. His appointment as president-designate of COP28 the world's biggest international climate conference provoked a furious backlash from climate activists and civil society groups, with many calling on al-Jaber to relinquish his role as ADNOC CEO, saying it represents a clear conflict of interest with his COP28 position. Last week, more than 130 U.S. and European lawmakers sent a letter to President Joe Biden, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and the U.N. to voice their "profound concern" about the potential for private sector polluters "to exert undue influence" on the summit. "We urge you to advocate for the United Arab Emirates to withdraw the appointment of al-Jaber, head of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, as President-designate of COP28," the letter said. Signatories of the letter included U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., as well as a host of leftist EU lawmakers. Asked by CNBC's Dan Murphy to respond to the calls to remove al-Jaber as president-designate of the summit, COP28 Director General Majid al-Suwaidi said: "This is a discussion that we've seen a lot in the media. I think that, first of all, it's a small group of lawmakers and what's unfortunate is that they're not coming forward with the solutions to the climate problem." "As the UAE we've been really focused on how do we deliver the results we need for COP28 and I know that Dr. Sultan is the perfect person to do that. Dr. Sultan has a long track record as our climate champion." We are buying 100 shares of Wynn Resorts (WYNN) at roughly $96.89 apiece. Following Thursday's trade, Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust will own 300 shares of WYNN, increasing its weighting in the portfolio to 1.08% from 0.73% Wynn Resorts stock is down Thursday morning, at around $97 a share, extending a roughly 15% slide from the start of May. The stock has been weighed down in recent weeks by a fresh wave of Covid-19 in China a crucial market for the casino operator and broader concerns of a slowdown in the global economy. We see this pullback as a buying opportunity, and are upgrading our rating to a 1. Our buy comes as China's special administrative region of Macao, a gambling hub, on Thursday reported May gross gaming revenue (GGR) of $1.93 billion. That was a 366% increase year-on-year, though slightly below market expectations for a 371% annual rise. Notably, May GGR improved by 6% from April, giving Macao its best monthly performance since January 2020. Wynn Resorts may be known in the U.S. for its luxury properties in Las Vegas and Boston, but Macao is the true center of the story. Before the Covid pandemic, the company generated about 75% of its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) from its Macao properties. After three years of Covid lockdowns in China, Wynn showed its was back on track when it reported a blockbuster earnings report on May 9, while demonstrating its Macao operations had a strong start to May. The pent-up demand we've long been anticipating has been borne out since Beijing lifted its Covid restrictions at the start of the year. And since the Macao properties' cost structure was reduced to minimize losses during the lockdowns, the operating leverage as revenues recover has been both notable and underappreciated by the market. Management's confidence in the future was one big reason why the company reinstated a quarterly dividend, at 25 cents per share. Despite recent weakness due to fresh Covid concerns, the May CGR numbers numbers for Macao indicate that there has not been any material slowdown in gaming. Wynn stock is still up nearly 17% year-to-date, and we believe China's long-term economic recovery is on track. At the same time, continued record performance in Las Vegas and at Encore Boston Harbor only add to the stock's appeal with the numbers far more resilient than what the stock gets credit for. (Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust is long WYNN. 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. Macao's government relies on casinos for over 80% of its income, with most of the population employed directly or indirectly by the casino industry. Dragon For Real | Moment | Getty Images On Monday, Apple is expected to announce its first new major product line since the Apple Watch in 2014. During Apple's software-focused developer conference, WWDC, it could release its first mixed-reality headset, according to analyst research, media reports and increasingly, vague references from Apple itself. The headset, according to reports, will feature high-definition screens in front of the user's eyes. But it could also let users see and interact with the real world through high-powered cameras mounted on the device, a trick sometimes called passthrough or mixed reality. Apple is launching its headset as the broader virtual reality industry sifts through what's been called a trough of disillusionment. "Although the lackluster uptake of the AR/VR market and the transitory enthusiasm about the Metaverse create a backdrop of challenges, it is instructive to remember that Apple invents entire new categories that have the potential to disrupt existing markets and create entirely new markets," Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan wrote in a recent note. When Facebook rebranded as Meta in October 2021, it drew attention to VR and the metaverse headsets could enable. But since then, sales for existing VR headsets haven't been great, usage has been worse and the anticipated explosion in successful VR software companies hasn't happened. Augmented reality, a related technology that shows computer graphics through pricey, specialized transparent lenses, has also failed to thrive. Microsoft's Hololens, announced in 2014, had a high-profile deal to make headsets for the U.S. Army, but it recently stalled. The most visible AR startup, Magic Leap, has changed management and refocused from making a consumer-oriented gaming device to developing a tool for a small set of industries. Apple's headset is expected to be more powerful than what's out there even current $6,500 VR headsets. It's expected to have a 4K resolution screen for each eye and a powerful Apple-designed chip, according to TFI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. It could also be pricey, retailing for as much as $3,000, according to a note from TD Cowen analyst Krish Sankar, and could only sell in the hundreds of thousands in the first year. By way of comparison, the Apple Watch sold millions in its first year. But many people in the industry believe Apple's announcement will energize consumers and software developers and bring the technology closer to its ultimate promise: a headset you wear daily, as you go about your business, or perhaps a pair of lightweight glasses, helping you with contextual information. "It's good to see others get into this business, particularly Apple, who doesn't jump into markets too early," Magic Leap CEO Peggy Johnson told CNBC. "That is a huge validation of what we have been doing to date, and we welcome that, because it's also good for the ecosystem." Here's why Apple could succeed where everybody else has failed. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 1) Semirara Mining and Power Corp. (SMPC) is pursuing its planned market expansion in Japan, a move seen as necessary amid declining coal shipments to its largest buyer China. In a disclosure on Thursday, SMPC, the listed integrated energy company of DMCI Holdings Inc., said it would export 50,000 metric tons (MT) of Semirara coal to Shikoku Electric Power Corporation for its 700-megawatt coal-fired ultra-supercritical power station. It marks SMPCs second trial shipment to Japan. The group said it aims to lessen its dependence on China. China is still our main foreign buyer but with their industrial output growing slower than expected, we want to develop other Asian markets like Japan, said SMPC president and COO Maria Cristina Gotianun. In the first three months of 2023, SMPCs coal shipments to China dropped 50% to 1.1 million. Its engagement with China still accounted for the bulk or 72% of exports. South Korea, meanwhile, was a steady market at 300,000 MT. The remaining exports went to Japan and Brunei, the company said. For 2023, we are targeting to export around 30% of our full-year sales target of 15 to 16 million MT, Gotianun said. SMPC saw its profit plunge 41% to 7 billion in the first quarter amid weaker coal revenues. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 31) One of the alleged masterminds in the assassination of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo is also behind the recantation of several suspects in the killing, according to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla. "(Marvin) Miranda true to form as we said was the director of everything, the director of massacre, was again directing the activities around how they are going to make everybody recant," Remulla said at a briefing on Wednesday. "True to his billing as a co-principal or co-conspirator...and co-principal, co-mastermind together with Congressman (Arnie) Teves, so everybody is behaving just true to form of what they have been billed as," the secretary added. Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos previously revealed that Marvin Miranda was a long-time bodyguard of Teves. Miranda has yet to give a statement on Remulla's claim. Five more suspects in Degamo's killing have recanted their statements: Winrich Isturis, Eulogio Gonyon Jr., John Louie Gonyon, Joric Labrador, and Benjie Rodriguez. Their lawyer, Jord Valenton, told the media on Wednesday that his clients were forced to sign a confession. "Pinilit lang sila. Pinapirma lang sila ng confession [They were coerced. They were made to confess]...but that's not voluntary," he said. Several other suspects have withdrawn their testimonies, but Remulla said they have only received the recantation of Jhudiel (alias Osmundo) Rivero. READ: 5th Degamo slay suspect recants statement lawyer READ: Suspect in Degamo slay recants statements on killing lawyer "A crime has been committed again by these suspects but we don't know which is the real crime. We are not claiming anything what we think these stories are being made by spin masters, spin doctors that they have employed. Of course their choreographer right now is Atty. Villanueva," he said. Danny Villanueva represents the first five suspects who recanted. The DOJ earlier said it was possible the Teves camp was behind the recantations. But Ferdinand Topacio, the lawyer of Rep. Arnie Teves, denied any links to Villanueva, although Topacio said he expects more recantations to happen. READ: Teves camp possibly behind suspects' recantation DOJ spokesman Remulla also said Teves is still in Timor Leste after his visa was extended pending the resolution of his appeal for asylum before its supreme court. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 31) Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri hailed the passage of the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) bill as a "triumph of the Senate," while touting its sufficient safeguards. "[B]ecause we improved the House version tremendously, we thank the House for accepting the Senate version with all the safeguards. Pwede po natin ipaglaban ito sa Plaza Miranda [We can fight for it in Plaza Miranda]," Zubiri told the media on Wednesday, referring to the place in Manila known for democratic activities. After seven days of plenary discussions, senators swiftly approved its version of the controversial bill early Wednesday morning. The House of Representatives adopted the Senate version hours later. It will now be sent to Malacanang for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s signature. The president has repeatedly endorsed the bill and had certified it as urgent. READ: Maharlika bill now up for Marcos' signature The final version of the measure prohibits the use of government pension money from Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Social Security System (SSS), the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) to bankroll the sovereign wealth account. Wala na kayong kakabahan pa. Kasi ang haka-haka, baka i-pasok daw yung GSIS, SSS, wala na po yan. It is explicitly said twice in the bill, and there is an explicit ban on the use of these funds for Maharlika, Zubiri said. [Translation: You don't have to worry anymore. Because the speculation is, maybe the GSIS, SSS will be included. That's gone.] READ: Senate bars investment of state pension funds in Maharlika, okays key changes in bill's final version The previous plan to get initial investments from state pension funds was abandoned after earning the ire of several groups who argued that doing so may put Filipinos' pension at risk. READ: Marcos: State pension funds not to be used as seed capital for Maharlika The latest version of the MIF bill also cut down the number of directors of the Maharlika Investment Corporation board from 15 to 9, and its members cannot include those with pending cases relating to fraud, corruption, tax evasion, and other similar charges. The penalties for misuse of the Maharlika fund are also more stringent with imprisonment of up to 20 years and a fine of up to 10 million. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 1) Erwin Tulfo, who returns to a government post as representative of the Anti-Crime and Terrorism Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) Partylist, said he aims to file three bills that will address the plight of vulnerable sectors in the country. Speaking to CNN Philippines' The Source on Thursday, Tulfo said his three priority bills are for solo parents, persons with disabilities and the elderly, and other Filipino indigents reminiscent to his work at the Social Welfare department. He is eyeing to file around 120 bills and said he already coordinated with the lawyers of his party-list to research and compare his proposals with existing legislation. "First and foremost, a review of the Solo Parent Act," the new lawmaker said. "The problem with the Solo Parent Act, 'yong pagbibigay ng allowance na 1,000 to solo parents, hindi nabibigay [the 1,000 allowance is not being distributed] especially when that solo parent lives in a 5th or 6th class municipality." "Who will take charge, who will pay 'yong kanyang [their] 1,000 na sinasabing monthly allowance from the [local government unit]?" he asked. Tulfo, during his short stint as the first secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development under the Marcos administration, led the signing of the implementing rules and regulations for the Republic Act (RA) 118611 or the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act of 2021. He said a panel review must come first before increasing the allowance due to reports some solo parents are not yet receiving the financial subsidy. "Kung hindi kaya ng LGU, maybe we can ask the government, ask the assistance from the DBM (Department of Budget and Management) para mabigay at matustusan 'yong pangangailangan ng solo parents because it's in the law," he said. Tulfo added that he plans to propose a bill requiring private companies and government agencies to accept persons with disabilities and senior citizens for employment. He said he wants 5-10% of their workforce to consist of individuals coming from the two vulnerable sectors. Under Philippine law, government agencies must reserve at least 1% of all positions to persons with disabilities, while private firms with over 100 employees are encouraged to reserve the same percentage. "Ironically, as I look around, marami tayong government agencies na dapat example," he said. "Unfortunately, hindi nagagawa 'yon at mga government agencies pa." [Translation: Ironically, as I look around, many government agencies must serve as examples. Unfortunately, they have yet to fulfill that.] Tulfo also said he aims to pass into law a bill mandating the national government, through the Commission on Higher Education, to cover the expenses for the first review for licensure exams of students coming from poor families. "We need that law kasi maraming mga bata na 'yong kanilang mga magulang [because many parents of college graduates] cannot afford to send them to review schools," he said. Same challenges in assuming government post Tulfo still faces limitations in his new role as a motion has been filed to reverse the Commission on Elections' dismissal on May 25 of a petition to disqualify him as ACT-CIS representative. "It's stressful because nakapagpanumpa na ako [I took the oath] as a member of the House pero [but] I cannot fully function well at this point while waiting for the outcome of the [motion for reconsideration] that a certain Atty. Tolentino filed, " he said during the interview. The Comelec earlier dismissed the petition due to lack of jurisdiction. Issues raised in the petition were his US citizenship and past libel conviction the same reasons why he was bypassed twice by the Commission on Appointments as DSWD secretary. He said he felt bad about not being confirmed as the DSWD chief but it became a "blessing in disguise" to learn about laws needed to be filed. "Somewhere along the line, God sent me there para [so] I will learn and then I can help," he said. "Kung secretary ka naman [As a secretary] you cant do anything, you will just execute what you're supposed to do," he added. "Kung lawmaker ka [But as a lawmaker], you can pass a lot of laws." Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 1) A former candidate in last year's vice mayoral race in Tabina, Zamboanga del Sur survived an ambush Wednesday night in Barangay Dao-an in San Miguel town. Regional police said 48-year-old Rally Caguia Eslit was onboard a vehicle with his family when two men on a motorcycle fired a single shot at the driver's seat. Eslit was hit in the nape and was rushed to the San Miguel Rural Health Unit. He was later transferred to a private hospital in Pagadian City. Authorities said the gunmen fled towards Barangay Betinan also in San Miguel town after the attack. Investigators recovered a bullet slug fired from a .45 caliber pistol from the crime scene. Dozens of bands will play mostly for free in parks and venues around the Pikes Peak region almost every night of the week through the summer. 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 The US is working on drafting new regulations that would prohibit investments and transfer of technology to Chinese firms working on developing advanced semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing, a US Treasury official said Wednesday. The new regulations will not only focus on Chinese firms but also military organizations, Paul Rosen, US Treasurys investment security chief, said at a Senate Banking Committee hearing focusing on countering China and advancing US national security, economic security, and foreign policy. We are currently working toward a program that restricts the flow of US investment dollars that comes with know-how and expertise into certain and specific sectors and sub-sectors of concerns such as advanced semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing that can be used by countries of concern in this case, particularly the PRC for the benefit of their military intelligence capabilities, and mass surveillance, Rosen said. The program, according to Rosen, is being crafted in a manner that makes it easy and digestible for the business community and administrators. The US is also holding a dialogue with major allies, such as the EU, in order to highlight its concerns over national security posed by China. The dialogue and concerns are being shared with other nations so that they can individually assess and take steps to address them, if necessary, Rosen said before the committee. Rosens comments come at a time when the US and China are embroiled in a long-term battle to gain technology supremacy that has seen both nations take steps to thwart each others technology prowess. The US first imposed restrictions on exports of chips to China in 2015, extending them in 2021 and twice in 2022. The most recent restrictions were introduced in December. This move was followed by US convincing the Netherlands and Japan to implement a expand a ban on exports of chipmaking technology to China in January this year. The ban, according to analysts, has hit Beijings plans to improve its domestic chipmaking prowess as the Netherlands and Japan are home to the worlds largest manufacturers of semiconductor building machinery and parts. Following the deal with the US, Japan imposed a ban on the export of chipmaking technology to China last week, drawing flak from the Chinese government. Japans decision to impose a ban came shortly after China banned the use of semiconductors manufactured by US-based chipmaker Micron, citing a cybersecurity issue. The US Commerce Department has opposed the decision, saying the restrictions have no basis in fact. Last week, lawmakers in the US said that Washington should look at imposing trade restrictions on Chinese memory chipmaker Changxin Memory Technologies as a counteroffensive to China banning the use of Microns chips. While the Biden administration had earlier said that it was in talks with Beijing to repeal the ban on Micron, Rosens comments could well indicate that the discussions over repealing the ban might not be going the US' way. In the hearing, senators also sought clarity on the government's efforts to limit the supply of US-origin goods to Chinese telecommunications major Huawei. While exports to Huawei require a license, Washington is still analyzing the issue and is yet to formally revoke these licenses, Commerce Department assistant secretary Thea Rozman Kendler testified. Kendler further said that Washington was monitoring exports to China and officials had rejected almost a quarter of export requests they received. Last year, nearly 26% of 5,064 applications were reviewed and denied, Kendler wrote in testimony before appearing at the hearing. At one point or another, we've all wished that we could get away from the stresses and strains of everyday life. And sometimes the Universe grants that wish. But not in the nice "lounging at a beach resort for two weeks with a fully covered bar tab" way, but in the "cursed monkey paw" way where you disappear and are never seen again. Case in point ... Advertisement 4 Brian Shaffer Goes Bar-Hopping, Misses Last Call Brian Shaffer was a medical student at Ohio State. On March 31, 2006, he and two friends -- Clint and Meredith -- embarked on an epic bar crawl that encompassed every tavern, drinking house, and moonshine-slinging shack on their campus. Their odyssey culminated in the early hours of April 1 at the Ugly Tuna Saloona, an establishment that made up for body-shaming aquatic life with cheap booze. The three drank there until closing time ... or so it seemed. When the bar's lights came up at 2, Clint and Meredith were unable to find Brian. After checking the bathrooms and trying his cellphone, they figured he'd quietly headed home or taken a side quest for pizza, and left. When Brian didn't resurface the next day, his now-worried family filed a missing person report. The police then noticed something odd on the surveillance tapes they gathered from the Ugly Tuna in an attempt to trace Brian's whereabouts. Here's the footage of Brian, Clint, and Meredith entering the bar at 1:15: Columbus Division of Police So far, the only mystery is how a place called "The Ugly Tuna Saloona" attracts a single customer. And now, here's the footage of Brian leaving: ... There isn't any. The police located footage of Clint and Meredith leaving dazed and confused at 2:15, but the only footage of Brian comes when he briefly exits to talk to two women outside ... and then turns around and walks back in. In all the years that his family has been searching for him, no one has ever managed to explain how Brian disappeared. Did he slip out the back? No, the police checked the camera overlooking that door. Could he have blended into a crowd of people? It's possible, but that doesn't explain why he wouldn't return home, especially given that he was planning to propose to his longtime girlfriend the following week. Was he murdered by another person in the bar? It's unlikely, especially given that they would've needed to dispose of the body right then and there (without being spotted on any surveillance cameras), because the police searched the bar soon afterward. Two years after Brian's disappearance, his father Randy died in an accident. In the comments section of his online obituary, a message stating "Dad, I love you. Love, Brian (U.S. Virgin Islands)" was posted. Police traced it, only to find it had been posted from a public computer in a nearby county. Related: 6 People Who Just Fucking Disappeared 3 Timmothy Pitzen's Mother Promises "You'll Never Find Him." It's always tragic when a child disappears. However, describing the disappearance of six-year-old Timmothy Pitzen as "tragic" is like calling the Sun "kind of hot." Timmothy lived in Aurora, Illinois with his parents, James and Amy. Their marriage was going through a "rough patch," but it wasn't anything that couldn't be fixed (according to James). That is, until May 11, 2011, when Amy pulled Timmothy out of his kindergarten class, claiming there was a family emergency. They then hit the road on a three-day amusement park bender between Illinois and Wisconsin. Timmothy was last seen at 10 a.m. on May 13, standing with Amy while she was checking out of a hotel resort. Amy next appeared on surveillance cam at 7:25 p.m. at a grocery store -- alone. She then checked into a motel in Rockford, Wisconsin, where she died by suicide. In both her suicide note and a letter she sent to her mother, Amy apologized and said that Timmothy was "safe with people who loved him," and that "You will never find him." Here's the thing, though. In all the years that've passed since Timmothy's disappearance, no one has ever come forward to say that they found a boy wandering the woods or sitting on their doorstep in a wicker basket. A police examination of Amy's car found what they called "a concerning amount" of traces of Timmothy's blood, but family members believe that was likely from a nosebleed he had suffered earlier. Then, earlier this year, the case was revitalized when a 23-year-old man came forward and claimed not only that he was Timmothy, but also that he'd just escaped from years-long captivity in Ohio. However, a DNA test confirmed that the guy was just some random lying asshole who had recently been released from prison for burglary. Related: The 5 Weirdest Disappearances No One Can Explain 2 Andrew Gosden Takes A Train To Nowhere Teenagers do dumb stuff all the time; it's kinda their whole thing. Andrew Gosden wasn't about that life, though. He was a super-smart 14-year-old living in Doncaster in the UK. By all accounts, he didn't have any major life problems (like bullying, depression, etc.), and loved video games, rock music, and his family. All told, he had a sweet setup -- which is why it took everyone by surprise when, on September 14, 2007, Andrew skipped school and caught a one-way train to London for reasons no one can figure out. We'd ask him, but there's a reason this article is titled the way it is. He got on the train at 9:35 a.m., arrived at King's Cross at 11:25 a.m., then disappeared off the face of the planet at 11:26 a.m. London Police Something tells us he didn't leave to attend wizard school, either. First, the why. If Andrew ran away, he did a terrible job of it. Before he boarded his train, he cleaned out his bank account to the sum of 200 pounds ... but left 100 sitting in his bedroom. His family had relatives in London ... but he never contacted them. He took a satchel with him ... but didn't pack any clothes or goods, except for his PSP. The most damning piece of evidence is that he only bought a one-way ticket, and refused to buy a return ticket despite being told it would cost less than 1 pound more. How do you make sense of him cheaping out here, when he also didn't take every scrap of money and clothing that he could? He didn't even take the charger for his PSP -- which for a die-hard gamer is like leaving home without your internal organs. The most popular theory is that Andrew traveled to London to watch a couple of shows from 30 Seconds to Mars, HIM, and SiKTh -- because at that age, it's required that you have terrible taste in music. On that same day, there was also a sighting of a teenager resembling Andrew eating at a Pizza Hut on Oxford Street -- because at that age, it's required that you have terrible taste in food. How does someone disappear in one of the most surveilled cities in the world, you might wonder? It's relatively easy when the police don't bother to review the footage until a month after someone vanishes. That's how long it took investigators to get the footage of Andrew leaving King's Cross. By that time, his trail was ice-cold. There's been one "credible" sighting of Andrew since his disappearance. In 2017, someone contacted his parents claiming they'd recently been talking to someone called "AndyRoo," who was e-begging on a forum for 200 pounds to make rent. When someone offered to wire him the money, "AndyRoo" responded that he didn't have a bank account because he'd run away from home when he was 14. Why? He'd "just felt like it." The tip intrigued Andrew's parents, in part because his nickname had been "Roo." When they (and the police) asked the website for information on "AndyRoo," however, the site admitted they'd recently suffered a massive data loss while migrating systems and couldn't help. Was this a shitty troll or a legitimate lead? It's hard to say, which makes it on par with pretty much every other piece of evidence to do with this case. Related: The 5 Creepiest Disappearances That Nobody Can Explain Announced in June 2022, the Cybercrime Atlas is an initiative from the World Economic Forum (WEF) to map activities of cybercriminals and create a database that can be used by law enforcement across the world to disrupt the cyber-criminal ecosystem. Cybercrime Atlas officially launched in February 2023 in a partnership between WEF and Banco Santander, Fortinet, Microsoft, and PayPal. Cybercrime Atlas was conceptualized by WEFs Partnership against Cybercrime, which includes more than 40 public and private organizations. How the Cybercrime Atlas is being developed The first iteration had really smart analysts from organizations throughout the globe brought together to come up with a normalized taxonomy from where samples would be selected. From this, 13 major known threat actors were the initial focus. Using open-source intelligence the analysts looked at things like the bad guy's name, the address that they're known to live at, their bank account details, their crypto wallet details, their social media footprint, known bulletproof hosting, and other malicious services that they're using. The idea was we collect all the information that we knew we could find from open source on these guys, normalize it, vet it, and then put it into a repository, Glenn Maiden, director of threat intelligence operations at FortiGuard Labs ANZ, tells CSO. All the information collected is investigated to find the single source of truth, cull out the noise and have human verified intelligence. The aim is to build a comprehensive picture of the cybercrime landscape covering criminal operations, shared infrastructure, and networks. The result, the involved parties expect, will be that the links between the information gathered about threat actors will help the security industry more effectively disrupt the cybercriminal ecosystem. For this initial iteration, actionable intelligence has been collected from 13 criminal groups across the main attack landscape ransomware, business email compromise, malware, and card fraud. The insights generated will help promote opportunities for greater cooperation between the private sector and law enforcement to address cybercrime, Jeremy Jurgens, managing director for the World Economic Forum, said in a statement. These will eventually be shared with global law enforcement groups such as Interpol and FBI, but it will also help the analysts and vendors involved those who lent their best analysts to find commonalities in the attackers actions and ways. We've actually found linkages between organized crime gangs and even nation state entities, they're all operating together, Maiden says. Build an open-source cybercrime repository In February 2023 was when the project was deemed ready to begin to move from the prototype phase to minimum viable product. Or, in other words, from ad hoc systems and repositories to having dedicated project managers, finding the most appropriate, robust system to build the database, and working out the business logic. There's going to be some people that are contributors, there's going to be some people that are consumers, there's going to be some people that are both, Maiden says. This will require the build of rules around clusters, with need to know clusters for those that might want to collaborate on a particular crime or case. Information being used to build this repository is based on information that is available widely which means no issues with different countries laws on data. That also means once they have an open-source repository there wont be any security or proprietary constraints and sharing. When it is ready it will be able to be shared with local law enforcement participant agencies. Future possibilities for the Cybercrime Atlas Unfortunately, this wont be something that commercial organizations across the world are likely to benefit from directly. Companies that have been supporting the project by sending their best analysts to help in the creation of the data base will have access to it, but this is a tool created for law enforcement. When the database is ready and has been in use, local law enforcement in different countries that have their own non-public intelligence could potentially use it to cross refence those two data sets and augment their own source intelligence. The Cybercrime Atlas is still being developed and not mature enough to consider larger questions such as what happens when threat actors start seeing them as a threat and start producing convincing false information to lead the investigations somewhere else. But a lot of money has been put into this and there is likely to be a lot of interest from law enforcement agencies across the world. Maiden shares that Fortinet is looking at other opportunities with the community that was created and other opportunities to disrupt. This could be us looking at potentially a legal or policy change in a certain jurisdiction where these bad guys are, running some of their operations or infrastructure -- looking at some of these broader implications based on that initial, platform and community. How a worldwide unified cybercrime database can help bring down attackers Despite details of major attacks being usually kept under lock and key, collaboration among cybersecurity professionals has always existed. Having the support of an independent organization such as the World Economic Forum could help not only bringing a worldwide community together, but it may also bring an extra level of trust. It is unlikely that all nations will benefit from it, at least not while state sponsored attacks are a threat and nations where attackers may be based chose to not cooperate with other countries. One recent example of this is that when trying to work with Russia, Five Eyes member Australia revealed it had yet to get a response from Russia regarding the cyberattack on private health insurance provider Medibank. In November 2022, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) revealed that those responsible for the Medibank data breach were in Russia. Following a Five Eyes law enforcement meeting in Melbourne, Australia, AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw shared in an interview with Nines 60 Minutes that Australia is still waiting to receive intelligence back from Russia. We have shared our viewpoint on who we think some of these individuals and groups are. Given the fact that we shared some very detailed, specific intelligence, wed like to see a result come back and we are still waiting on that front. Global professional association ISACA has announced a pledge to the European Commission to grow and empower the cybersecurity workforce in Europe. The pledge will see ISACA provide 20,000 free memberships to students across Europe to acquire crucial cybersecurity skills and support the identification of qualified cybersecurity candidates for organizations, supporting the European Unions (EU) cybersecurity agenda, it said. Closing the cybersecurity workforce gap and promoting diversity within the field will be key focus areas, helping the development of a high-quality cybersecurity workforce that instils confidence among employers, according to ISACA. In April, the EU launched the Cyber Skills Academy as part of the European Year of Skills to increase the number of skilled cybersecurity professionals in the EU. Meanwhile, ISACAs recent State of Digital Trust research showed a lack of skills and training remains a significant barrier to achieving digital trust in Europe. The latest (ISC)2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study puts the global cybersecurity workforce shortage at 3.4 million, with organizations struggling to fill this gap. Pledge focuses on cybersecurity education, training, qualified candidates ISACA has pledged to reduce the cybersecurity skills gap through a combination of education, memberships, and training, it stated in a press release. ISACA said it will collaborate with more than 60 training organizations and academic institutions to ensure teachers and trainers possess the necessary knowledge and credentials to deliver comprehensive cybersecurity training based on ISACAs guidance. It will also provide 20,000 free memberships to students in Europe, enabling them to access ISACAs network in the region. These student members will have the opportunity to enhance their knowledge through access to ISACAs resources, credentials, training, and events. Furthermore, ISACA will support the identification of qualified candidates for organizations by facilitating contacts between student members and executives/senior professionals through virtual and in-person events held by over 40 ISACA chapters throughout Europe, it added. ISACA has committed to expanding the reach and impact of its training and credentialing programs throughout Europe, surpassing the milestone of 46,000 certified individuals in alignment with the European Cybersecurity Skills Framework. Finally, ISACA will disseminate knowledge to citizens across each European country through a series of events and publications facilitated by its chapters in the region in an aim to raise awareness and understanding of cybersecurity among the general public, it said. Commitments should give businesses increased confidence in cybersecurity hires The commitments made in the pledge will give European businesses increased confidence that the talent theyre recruiting have the credentials and the skills to use cybersecurity as an enabler of success, promoting customer and overall stakeholder trust, and accelerating the safer adoption of new technologies, Chris Dimitriadis, chief global strategy officer at ISACA, tells CSO. The shortage of cybersecurity professionals in Europe ranges between 260,000 and 500,000, according to the European Commission, Dimitriadis says. Without the right talent in place, businesses worry about when not if theyre going to be attacked, and how this will impact their reputation and success. Our pledge to the European Commission commits to reducing the cybersecurity skills gap in Europe by providing a holistic training and credentialing scheme to empower current and future talent to enter the cybersecurity workforce, opening up the talent pool for businesses and giving them access to a trained workforce. Photo: Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty Images Amtraks new, high-speed Acela fleet is one of the countrys largest-ever public-transportation investments, ringing up at $2 billion. But over the last three years, as each of the 28 new Acela train sets rolled off the Hornell, New York, assembly line, they have been languishing in a rail yard, all dressed up with nowhere on the Northeast Corridor to go. Now the major Acela upgrade, once planned for 2021, might not be on track until sometime in 2024. The Wall Street Journal reports that the new Acela cars are being held up by requirements that mandate the trains are run in a range of real-world conditions before boarding passengers. The problem is, unlike their siblings in other countries that have their own dedicated rights-of-way, the new Acela trains like all the service Amtrak runs have to share tracks with existing freight and passenger trains, severely limiting what track is available for testing. And among the greatest concerns for the new rolling stock is how it will navigate those antiquated 100-year-old rails, including how trains designed for Frances stick-straight TGV routes negotiate our curvier stretches. (The answer: slowly.) Right now, Amtrak is still using computer modeling to replicate various scenarios that the new cars might encounter during their trips up and down the Eastern Seaboard; so far, the supposedly superfast trains havent seen speeds faster than 90 mph. Veteran commuters will remember that similar issues derailed delivery of the first Acela fleet cracks in brakes took 20 Bombardier train sets temporarily out of service but Amtraks current woes are more infrastructural. And, in a way, more existential. As the federal government grapples with demands to speed up passenger rail service across the country, the conflicts with freight-dominated tracks including the growing threats of deferred maintenance and dangerous derailments will only become more pronounced. Other countries are building trains that exceed 200 mph as well as the dedicated infrastructure to keep them blurring between cities on schedule; by the time these brand-new Acela trains get rolling, theyll only barely qualify as high-speed rail. The promise of Andy Train Daddy Byford, who recently worked magic for the MTA, taking over Amtraks high-speed network could finally spark the U.S. rail revolution we deserve. But with every year, were lagging further behind. Gold Price Analysis, Price, and Chart Gold is trading on either side of a prior resistance turned support level. ADP, US non-farm payrolls near increased volatility heading into the weekend? Recommended by Nick Cawley How to Trade Gold Get My Guide Short-dated US Treasury yields are being pulled one way then another with the US one-month T-bill seeing wild swings over the past few sessions. The 14-day Average True Range - a volatility measure - is at a multi-year high level and this is adding to the current unease in the gold space. Yesterday ultra-short-end US bill yields fell sharply on news that the US debt deal had passed through the House with the bill now off to the Senate for approval. Investors had been demanding higher yields to compensate for a higher US default risk, and this is now fading as a deal nears. The table has turned today with bill yields moving higher as investors sell their low-risk US government debt forcing yields higher as risk markets come back into favor. This move now looks under pressure, adding to the multi-year volatility seen in the market. US One-Month Treasury Yield June 1, 2023 Ahead today and tomorrow, two important US labor reports. After Wednesdays hot JOLTs report, all eyes will be on todays ADP National Employment Report (12:15 GMT) and Fridays US Non-Farm Payroll Report (12:30 GMT). Both have the heft to move US dollar rate expectations and gold. US Dollar Dithers After Debt Deal Passes House of Reps. Will the Fed Now Drive USD For all market-moving data releases and events, see the DailyFX Economic Calendar Gold is trading above a prior level of resistance turned support around $1,960/oz. but todays move higher is not looking overly convincing and could easily reverse lower again. Looking ahead to next week, gold traders will likely have a much clearer idea of direction when the US debt ceiling has passed and the US jobs report are fully digested. Gold Price Daily Chart June 1, 2023 Chart via TradingView Gold Bearish Data provided by of clients are net long. of clients are net short. Change in Longs Shorts OI Daily 10% 7% 9% Weekly 2% -9% -1% Retail Traders Remain Long Retail trader data show 68.63% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders long to short at 2.19 to 1.The number of traders net-long is 0.36% higher than yesterday and 4.74% lower from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 0.11% lower than yesterday and 6.33% higher from last week. We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-long suggests Gold prices may continue to fall. Positioning is more net-long than yesterday but less net-long from last week. The combination of current sentiment and recent changes gives us a further mixed Gold trading bias. What is your view on Gold bullish or bearish?? You can let us know via the form at the end of this piece or you can contact the author via Twitter @nickcawley1. US Dollar, Japanese Yen, USD/JPY Price Action: Earlier this month, USD/JPY rose above the key 138.00 resistance. However, it might be premature to assume the start of renewed period of USD / JPY strength. What is the outlook for USD/JPY and what are the signposts to watch? Recommended by Manish Jaradi How to Trade USD/JPY Get My Guide There are a couple of things that stand out on the charts of the Japanese yen against the US dollar and the closely correlated US Treasury yields recently that could have implications for the trend in the coming weeks. On the monthly charts of USD/JPY, despite the near 10% rally from February, there is hardly any noticeable improvement in momentum (14-month Relative Strength Index). The last time a similar development took place, the spot subsequently went sideways for months. Such conditions typically signify an unwinding of bullish conditions, instead of a renewed leg higher. Eventually, momentum normalized to a level that created the foundations in 2021 for a big rally. USD/JPY Monthly Chart Chart Created Using TradingView This time around, USD/JPY has achieved its measured target of 50.00 equal to the 2012-2015 bullish move. So, in a sense, it has done its part for now (the risk is that the extension turns out to be more than 100% of the move). US Treasury 10-year Yield Weekly Chart Chart Created Using TradingView Similarly, momentum (14-month RSI) on the US Treasury 10-year yield monthly chart hasnt improved materially, even as the yield has most recently broken above key resistance at the April high of 3.64%. The yield continues to be in a well-established downward-sloping range (see the weekly chart). USD/JPY Quarterly Chart Chart Created Using TradingView From a longer-term perspective, as highlighted at the end of 2022 (see Japanese Yen Q1 Technical Forecast: USD/JPY to Consolidate Further, USD/JPY posted a bearish reversal candle on the quarterly charts in December at significant converged resistance. Similarly, the US Treasury 10-year yield has struggled to clear the stiff converged barrier on the 89-quarter moving average, near the upper edge of the Ichimoku channel on the quarterly charts. US Treasury 10-year Yield Quarterly Chart Chart Created Using TradingView The upshot of the above is that the break above 138.00 barrier may not be a sign of renewed strength in USD/JPY. Indeed, it could be part of a broader sideway range developing. If past is any guide, there needs to be a significant build-up in momentum or the bullish conditions would need to be unwound enough to set the stage for a renewed bullish cycle. USD/JPY Daily Chart Chart Created Using TradingView Having said that, there are no imminent signs of a reversal even as USD/JPY has encountered some hurdles, including the upper edge of a rising channel from January (see the daily chart). As the colour-coded 240-minute candlestick charts show, based on trending/momentum indicators, USD/JPY remains in a broad bullish phase from a short-term perspective. Unless it falls below immediate converged support at 137.75-138.50 (including the 89-period moving average and the early-May high), the path of least resistance remains sideways to up for now. USD/JPY 240-minute Chart Chart Created by Manish Jaradi Using TradingView Note: In the above colour-coded charts, Blue candles represent a Bullish phase. Red candles represent a Bearish phase. Grey candles serve as Consolidation phases (within a Bullish or a Bearish phase), but sometimes they tend to form at the end of a trend. Note: Candle colors are not predictive they merely state what the current trend is. Indeed, the candle color can change in the next bar. False patterns can occur around the 200-period moving average, or around a support/resistance and/or in sideways/choppy market. The author does not guarantee the accuracy of the information. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. Users of the information do so at their own risk. Trade Smarter - Sign up for the DailyFX Newsletter Receive timely and compelling market commentary from the DailyFX team Subscribe to Newsletter --- Written by Manish Jaradi, Strategist for DailyFX.com --- Contact and follow Jaradi on Twitter: @JaradiManish A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Did Buckingham Palace have advance knowledge of the simmering Schofield affair? On Wednesday May 17s This Morning, Holly pecked Phillips cheek as she cantered off set to attend a Princes Trust reception at Buck House, leaving him as solo presenter. Three days later, Schofield abruptly resigned. Both she and her co-host were celebrity ambassadors for the trust, but only Holly was invited to the shindig. As revealed here on Tuesday, he has now been dropped by the trust. Was the Palace given a heads-up about the imminent storm to spare the King the embarrassment of being photographed alongside Schofield just days before his downfall? Phil Schofield (pictured right) with his younger lover in 2015 on the set of This Morning Celebrating his 70th birthday with friends in Italy, did recently retired ITV chairman Sir Peter Bazalgette raise a glass to toast his narrow escape from the Schofield shambles? Like ITV boss Carolyn McCall, hired by him, Sir Peter remains mute in the face of unsavoury details leaking out about Schofields gay affair and the alleged cover-up that occurred on his watch. The Big Brother innovator will have all his fingers crossed that this debacle wont stymie his ambition to be the next chairman of the BBC. Dumped This Morning co-host Eammon Holmes continues his vendetta against Phillip Schofield, reminding GB News viewers of the official excuse for his and Hollys attendance at the Queens lying in state. They were there to make a film on the Queens funeral. Have you seen the film? he sarcastically inquires. Am I alone in thinking that the increasingly sour Holmes has entertained us enough about the shabby circus at ITV? Eamonn Holmes (pictured left) with his wife Ruth Langsford on the This Morning sofa Assessing his working relationship with fellow former BBC man and now Global co-presenter Jon Sopel, 64, pictured, cocky whippersnapper Lewis Goodall, 33, cheekily describes it as this older, overbearing presenter and then his younger dynamic successor, heir apparent. Precious Sopel responds: Shut up, Lewis. Should have called him Holly, Jon! Raspy warbler Bonnie Tyler, marking the 40th anniversary of her hit Total Eclipse Of The Heart, mourns Tina Turner, telling Classic Rock: Tina really inspired me... Although I did record Simply The Best two years before she did it. Tormented by fellow pupils at school, Alan Carr, promoting Changing Ends, his TV account of growing up as a gay teen in 1980s Northampton, has had the last laugh. Ive done book signings in Northampton, he tells Womans Own. And some of the bullies have turned up with their books for me to sign, saying, Do you remember me? Im like, Yeah you once shoved my head down a toilet! To any of those bullies watching Changing Ends, I can say, Ha! Look at me now. Im an icon! Alan Carr poses at The Brit Awards 2009 Reflecting on the Schofield feeding frenzy, comedy star and former Young One Adrian Edmondson jokily remarks of Schofields original childrens TV puppet sidekick: Weve still heard nothing from Gordon the Gopher. It's often said there are too many rules and regulations and an excess of red tape in the modern world, but not everyone is bound by the constraints of health and safety protocol. Some workers prefer to take a more daring approach, and Calpaclab has put together a series of funny images that show workers from around the world who are a bit too relaxed about staying safe on the job. One construction worker opted to have a smoke on the job right next to a sign warning: 'Danger flammable gas'. In China, a fire hydrant box was rendered completely useless after a staircase rail was installed over it. Who needs scaffolding? The best that can be said about this situation is that this worker must really trust his colleague a lot And in the US, someone will probably have to take their test again after driving a forklift straight into a BMW. After forgetting his protective gear, one worker improvisedby putting a bucket over his head to get on with the job - but at least he tried. Elsewhere, a welder was spotted getting on the job without any protective goggles whatsoever, and was leaning dangerously close to the sparks. This worker in New York decided to ignore the sign that says 'Danger flammable gas' and instead have a cigarette on the job This man has had to improvise and probably grabbed the first thing he saw - a plastic bucket This fire hydrant cupboard in China has lost its purpose due to bad design - the staircase rail means you will not be able to open it This construction worker has no fear about being underneath a digger which weighs several tons Road to hell! This person in the US may need to sit their forklift test again after driving into a BMW Risky! This man has decided to take his chances by welding without any protective headgear on Someone taped this fire extinguisher to a pole - let's hope everyone is carrying scissors in an emergency! These two construction workers could have ended up losing fingers after sanding down brick tiles without wearing protective gear It seems this employee has a death wish after perching on an unstable platform which they could easily fall off Tina Coletta was walking down her High Street with a fellow mum when she spotted something worrying. Two older youths either side of a bewildered schoolboy; one with an arm draped over his shoulder, the other talking closely to him. She instantly recognised it as the prelude to whats known as a hugger mugging, in which attackers pretend to befriend their target before demanding money, phones and even the victims house keys and address a tactic designed to maximise fear. Tina didnt turn a blind eye or call the police. Instead, she went over to confront them. I should probably have felt scared, admits Tina, 62, a transcriber for Oxford University. They were both bigger than me, but I was just intent on stopping them. They were in expensive tracksuits and trainers; there was no way they were his friends. I kept a distance but asked them what they thought they were doing. No nonsense: Mums on street patrol (from left) Mourna, Juliette, Emma, Tina, Glenda and Patricia in Enfield where they are prepared to take on street gangs to keep children safe We were probably the last people they expected to challenge them. They slowly dropped their arms from the boy, stared at us and slipped away across the road at a trot. Their victim, who was 12, was very shocked. We made sure he got home safely, but he was lucky it ended so quickly. This was Tinas very first shift as part of Enfields mum patrol a courageous army of volunteers trying to keep the areas children safe following a wave of violent attacks. A largely middle-class market town, Enfield in North London is known for its green spaces and good state and private schools. But like many such areas across the country, the threat of violence is ever-present. Children mostly boys, often as young as 11 are being mugged as they walk home from school, forced to hand over their phones, wallets or even expensive trainers. But the mothers who patrol Enfield High Street after school, clad in hi-vis and carrying walkie talkies, are having a significant impact. According to official figures from the Metropolitan Police, in the first year of the scheme from March 2019 to March 2020 there was a startling 48 per cent decrease in youth-on-youth robberies in Enfield. There was a fresh spate of attacks when schools restarted after the pandemic but, overall, muggings have been reduced. The month before the patrol started, in February 2019, there were 17 muggings, for example, but in February 2023, there were just two. Victims: Juliette Doggett with her twin sons Baden and Jack. Even though they stand at 6 ft 6 in, the 16-year-old twins were mugged outside Enfield train station in April 2022 The motivation of these fearless mothers is clear: protecting children. Many of their own children have themselves fallen victim. Unbeknown to Tina, while she was preventing her first ever mugging, her own youngest son was being robbed. She says: As we rescued that young boy, my son was waiting at the bus stop on the way home from his sixth-form college. Some older boys approached him and took his phone and Oyster card. I found out when I got home and was horrified. He could have been stabbed. Tinas elder son has been held up at knifepoint, too. The attackers are often local teenagers. But some muggings are carried out by terrifying gangs in balaclavas, sometimes on mopeds and wielding machetes. Enfields mothers are not alone in taking action. Shockingly, even leafy Richmond the safest and one of the wealthiest boroughs in London now boasts a group called Mothers Against Muggings, set up after a spate of them several years ago. Private security forces are also being hired by residents to tackle a rise in anti-social behaviour and thefts. Baden and Jack were approached by a gang of about nine men in balaclavas. They asked for money, and the teenagers initially thought they were joking, but the muggers then pinned Baden to a car and asked if he wanted to be stabbed In Londons swanky Belgravia, Mayfair and Kensington, worried parents can sign up to a service called My Local Bobby, which replaces bobbies on the beat with uniformed security officers. For anywhere from 30 to 100 a month, these bobbies patrol exclusive streets and will even walk children safely home. Its CEO David McKelvey says: We see massive reductions in crime where we patrol. If clients are worried about their teenagers walking through a park or down an alley-way, we can accompany them. Of course, not everyone can afford private security and this is where the mum patrols come in. Dads and grandfathers take part, too. In Enfield, the groups founder Emma Rigby, 45, says its not just about muggings: We approach unfamiliar children and break-up fights. County lines drug gangs are recruiting in Enfield, so we keep an eye on youngsters at risk of that. If we feel in danger, we call in local officers. But mostly we can manage it. Were not scared. The kids who are a problem might swear at us or flip us the finger, but mostly they are scared of us as they know we have links to their schools. They are more scared of their teachers than the police. Emma, who is mother to Jackson, 15, and Meghan, 12, started recruiting volunteers in 2019, after Chris Lamb, headteacher of all-boys school Enfield Grammar, begged for her help. As someone who runs an online platform called Love Your Doorstep, building connections across local businesses and organisations, she was seen as having strong links in the community. When robberies in Richmond in South-West London rose by 114 per cent in 2018, Felicity Barkus (left) and Barbara Lingle-Elliot set up Mothers Against Muggings Chris Lamb says: In early 2019, we had nine boys attacked. They are easy targets as they know not to fight back. The muggers, as I understand it, would often come in from Haringey on the train after school, and do a circuit, sometimes getting 3,000 to 4,000 worth of phones in a few hours from children from all the nearby schools. My school banned smartphones and now only allows children to bring in old Nokia phones worth about 10. March of that year saw a peak in robberies and muggings across England and Wales, according to the National Crime Survey. In Enfield, things were particularly bad. Over the previous year, the borough saw 1,198 muggings, and 7,954 violent crimes, one of the highest rates in London. Emma like nearly everyone I speak to links the rise in violent crime to a dramatic reduction in police presence. Since 2010, 108 police stations have been closed across London. The borough of Enfield has lost two stations, leaving just Edmonton Station, a 15-minute drive from the High Street. More than 200 police and community support officers have been lost from the borough over the past decade. So when Emma suggested an alternative, parents rushed to sign up. Anyone can set up a scheme like this. Volunteers are not trained by the police, but run their own safety courses. They are non-confrontational and call police if required. Part of the reason Felicity and Barbara set up Mothers Against Muggings was due to the closure of the Richmond Police Station in 2017, which many felt must have contributed to the dramatic rise in the number of robberies Over the past four years, the Enfield patrol has gone from strength to strength. It is now 60-strong, and members share a sense of camaraderie fuelled by barbecues and drinks events. Tina was one of the first to sign up for the scheme, which her sons jokingly call Paw Patrol, after the childrens cartoon. The eldest to join the group is Glenda Hunter, 73, a former nurse who moved to Enfield 40 years ago. Glenda who has two granddaughters, aged 12 and nine now patrols three times a week, giving up time she used to spend at the theatre. She says: When I first moved, this was a nice quiet village, but over time it changed. There was lots of trouble and robberies, but I think its now a bit better. Another is Juliette Doggett, 55, a film and TV extra who has twin teenage boys. She was inspired to join when she realised many of their friends had been mugged. It shocked me to my core, she says. I was so angry that their innocence was being taken away. It was heartbreaking. Now, Juliette patrols twice a week and she has seen some extraordinary incidents, including a teenage girl wielding a hammer and a boy with an iron bar. They were shouting that they were going to beat someone up, and about 30 teenagers had gathered around them filming on their phones. Juliette approached the girl, but saw she was so enraged, she called the police. She adds: I directed the public away and spoke to witnesses. The police came quickly as I told them she had a weapon. While Mothers Against Muggings helps keep Richmond's teenagers safe, there is also a campaign underway led by the local Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney to re-open the station and bring back a visible police presence Juliette identified the girl and a crisis was averted. Meanwhile, even though they stand at 6 ft 6 in, her 16-year-old twins Baden and Jack were mugged outside Enfield train station in April 2022. Baden says: We were approached by a gang of about nine men in balaclavas. They asked for money, and initially I thought they were joking, but they then pinned me to a car and asked if I wanted to be stabbed. It was terrifying. Two of their friends managed to run off, while three of the boys were forced to hand over their money and phones. Baden adds: It was shocking, and surreal. We were upset. I became much more cautious about going out. It could have escalated. We were lucky. What do they think of their mother patrolling the streets? Jack says: I have so much respect for her for doing it, as do my friends. I do worry about her. Its still not safe, but the mugging rate is down, which is incredible. I understand police are busy, but it might be better if they upped their patrols. Few of the mum volunteers hold out much hope of that. Glenda Hunter, 73, a former nurse who moved to Enfield 40 years ago, is the eldest to join the Enfield group. Glenda who has two granddaughters, aged 12 and nine now patrols three times a week A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police says: Police regularly work with community groups to keep young people safe including this initiative in Enfield. Our schools officers across the borough retain regular contact with this group and take forward any issues that require police involvement. The volunteers have even attracted funding from the London mayors office. The scheme is being replicated in some of the UKs wealthiest areas. Richmond in South-West London has one of the lowest crime rates in the city. Yet in 2018, robberies rose 114 per cent, with many attributing this to the closure of the Richmond Police Station in 2017. In response, Felicity Barkus and Barbara Lingle-Elliott set up Mothers Against Muggings. Mother-of-two Barbara, who works in recruitment, says: So many boys were being mugged. One had been attacked on the green with a knife held to his throat. These were boys we had known since they were four, that wed fed fish fingers to on play dates. But they had now reached the age where they were being targeted. Determined to help, the duo began approaching headteachers and the police. Barbara adds: The police had no idea. No one was reporting it, because people knew nothing could be done. And because the police were so stretched it was quite clear they didnt have enough resources to deal with it. The group began giving talks in schools, telling children how to stay safe. In the summer, they organised patrols by local youth leaders on Richmond Green. Mums making an impact: According to official figures from the Metropolitan Police, in the first year of Enfield's 'mum patrol' from March 2019 to March 2020 there was a 48 per cent decrease in youth-on-youth robberies in Enfield Barbara says: In that first year, we reduced muggings by more than 50 per cent. They crept up again post-Covid, but the current rate is still below the 2019 figure. In Richmond at least there is a campaign led by the local Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney to re-open the station and bring back a visible police presence. In the meantime, mother-of-three Felicity, a chartered accountant, says the patrols bring some reassurance. Our teenagers need independence, but at least now we know they are safer. We want to support the police, but the officers often get diverted into the city to deal with protests. Understandably, there is anger and frustration. As Felicity says: We pay one of the highest council taxes in the UK, but we no longer have a police station. She says she doesnt want to point fingers but adds: We all have to work together to keep our kids safe. We cant leave basic law and order like this to the police any more. A woman has gone on seven solo holidays without her partner this year - and says people ask her if she feels guilty. Christina Patel, 30, from Ware, Hertfordshire, has been with her partner for four and a half years. In that time, the pair have been on multiple holidays together but due to his teaching job, Christina often leaves her partner at home while she jets off around the world. In 2022, the couple had two trips together, while Christina had five on her own. Christina Patel, 30, from Ware, Hertfordshire, pictured in Albania, has gone on seven solo holidays without her partner this year The recruiter, pictured on Safari, had a solo month-long trip booked within the first few months of meeting her boyfriend, so he knew what to expect CHRISTINA'S LIST OF SOLO HOLIDAYS IN 2023 - Barbados - USA - Nicaragua - Indonesia - Singapore - Philippines - Sri Lanka Advertisement LIST OF SOLO HOLIDAYS IN 2023 Many people have told Christina that her relationship is 'unconventional' but she disagrees saying that her partner is 'understanding'. Christina, a recruiter, said: 'My partner is a school teacher so we can only go away together in school holidays. 'He knew what he was getting himself into - within our first four months of dating I had five trips booked and one of them was a month-long trip to South America. 'Sometimes people will say, "Your poor boyfriend is home alone do you not feel guilty having fun without him?". 'I mainly get those comments from the older generation or people who hold really traditional values. 'I am very lucky that my partner is very understanding about it and knows I love to travel.' Christina visited south east Asia when she was 22-years-old and said she hasn't stopped travelling since. So far this year, Christina has visited seven countries and none of them have been with her partner. She said: 'I love travelling; it is that feeling of freedom and having different adventures everyday. 'I love meeting new people and trying new foods - it is a combination of those things. 'It is very different from being at home, waking up, going to work, then sleeping. Christina in Singapore - just one of seven trips she's taking this year without her boyfriend, who works as a teacher and can only travel in school holidays Christina, pictured in the Philippines, says she likes to be spontaneous and will often book a trip just a week in advance Christina on a solo holiday in Indonesia. She said her travel habits tend to attract negative comments from older people who live a traditional lifestyle 'I like the spontaneous lifestyle.' Christina said her partner is 'very understanding' as he works as a school teacher so is only available at certain times a year. She admitted she can be very spontaneous and book a holiday a week before she is due to go. Christina said: 'We do have a holiday in August booked and a few weekends booked together. 'I think if I was with someone who couldn't travel with their job and was not understanding of my love of travelling it just wouldn't work - I am very lucky. 'When I tell him I am going away he is like "OK fair enough" he will come back from work and I will tell him how I will be going away next week and he is used to it.' A man shas divided opinion after revealing his neighbour is causing a parking nightmare on their street by leaving two unused cars in his driveway for 14 years. The frustrated resident from Calgary, took to Reddit to explain that the neighbor then has to park the vehicle that they do drive on the street - usually in front of his house. As a result, guests visiting his house struggle to find a place to leave their car, and to make matters worse, their already crowded street is filled to the brim with cars, leading to congestion. He said he'd offered his neighbour help to have the vehicles taken away, but it never came to anything, and asked for advice on what to do next. But commenters were left divided as som hit out at the concerned poster, telling him to 'mind his business', while others said they would be equally enraged. A man sparked outrage when he revealed that his neighbour hasn't moved their car off the driveway in 14 years. Stock image used 'These are not vehicles of value and having them sit in the driveway clogs up an already full street,' he wrote in a post on the r/Calgary subreddit. 'Of course this is also the house on the street in #1 position when it comes to needing repairs and being visibly in decay. 'I know everyone's financial position can't allow for a perfect property, but ditching old cars valued at $0-50 to free up street parking would be nice for everyone.' The annoyed homeowner says that he's already tried to help resolve the situation to no avail. 'I spoke with the neighbour two years ago and offered to have the people at Donate-a-Car Canada give them a call to arrange donation of the vehicles, which they agreed to,' he added. 'One's an early 90's Pontiac Grand Am with flat tires and open window for at least 6 years) and an 80's Chev Pickup truck that had a tree growing into the open passenger window for years until somebody finally trimmed the tree. 'I heard from the Donate-a-car people that they never responded to multiple calls and messages.' The Redditor felt it would be better for the whole community if the extra space could be sorted out. 'Most of the other spots on our street are taken up by other people who have rear garages and don't use them for cars, or have too many cars to fit on their own property,' he explained. Commenters weighed in on the issue, as many slammed the man for being 'petty' and told him to 'mind hi business' 'Definitely super petty,' one slammed. 'Maybe discover a better way to use your free time than complaining about your neighbour's property.' 'Are you also complaining about a noisy AC unit from another neighbour?' a second sarcastically quipped. 'Whats with people like you,' a third remarked. 'Mind your business. Your guest cant park in your drive way? Are you lazy? Are they? 'I hate eyesores as much as anyone else but you seem to be speaking about an east of use for you. I could be wrong here.' He turned to others for advice - but dozens of commenters hit out at the concerned poster, telling him to 'mind his business' Another person wrote: 'Chances are a few of your neighbours feel the same way about you frequently having visitors over clogging up the street with vehicles. 'They'll wonder why they can't take a bus or taxi, or why you can't meet them somewhere. 'Perhaps they'll have complaints about honking when locking, loud stereo or vehicle, driving too fast or too slow. 'Sounds like they told you what you wanted to hear to get ride of you last time, and just want to be left alone.' However, others chipped in with advice for solutions, such as calling bylaw - which refers to regional regulations of a particular area that may be being violated - as property values could be affected by the situation. However, the original poster replied that he didn't want to 'cause grief' by calling bylaw, as he doesn't know their personal financial situation or circumstances. One commenter even suggested offering to buy the vehicles from the neighbour and selling them on. In an update, the Redditor explained that he'll likely try and approach his neighbours once again. 'I'll offer again to help them get some money out of their assets so they can use their driveway IF they choose to,' he wrote. 'Thanks to the folks who made reasonable suggestions and didn't just scream "MIND YOUR BUSINESS, LET EVERYONE ELSE DO WHAT THEY WANT" when the actions of the people around me clearly contravene bylaws - which I wouldn't call them on anyway because I value positive relationships with neighbours.' A brave campaigner who battled to raise 200,000 for specialist treatment for anorexia has died a day after declaring: 'I'm scared'. Amy Eliis, 43, of Broughton, Flintshire, North Wales, set up a TikTok account to raise awareness of her eating disorder while also raising money for treatment. But she passed away just one day after telling her 140,000 followers that she felt unwell - and was feeling 'scared'. Amy shared her experience of her illness after saying she never received appropriate help from the NHS. The former charity worker and artist said her symptoms were regularly misunderstood by doctors as depression or a 'way of life'. Amy Eliis, 43, of Broughton, Flintshire, North Wales, has died after a long struggle with anorexia, which she said she never received proper help for Amy shared a video from her bed telling supporters she had been unwell and was unable to stand up while 'thinking of the worst'. She said: 'I'm scared, I don't know what's happening. What have I got?' Her devastated family released a statement announcing her death just a day later. They said: 'Amy has taken her butterfly wings and flown to her next life. Amy taught us so much. 'Thank you for all your help and support, it meant the world to her as she did what she could to get the specialist help that she was asking for.' A fundraising page set up to help Amy pay for treatment raised over 12,400. Amy died just one day after telling her 140,000 followers that she felt unwell - and was feeling 'scared'. She was unable to stand and needed to rely on a wheelchair Amy had used her fundraising page to pull together more than 12,000 for her potentially life-saving treatment Before she died, Amy said she wanted to get better so she could turn her fundraising efforts into a charity to help other people Before her death, she said: 'I want to get better and then carry on helping other people. I want SavingAmyCymru to turn into a charity. 'I know I can reach so many more people than eating disorder charities to help people because I'm already doing it through my TikTok, but helping other people has got to start with me. 'I've got to raise this money and get better. I cannot help others from the grave.' Amy's tragic death comes after it was revealed that anorexia patients were being abandoned by the NHS because they were 'too sick' to be treated. Student nurse Charlotte Nolan, 23, told the Mail on Sunday she had been suffering with anorexia for seven years. Last November, her mental health plummeted and her eating disorder began to spiral out of control despite weekly therapy sessions. Amy's family confirmed her death in a statement where they thanked her for all she had taught them Amy's death comes amid growing concerns for anorexia patients on the NHS who are being offered palliative care because they are 'too sick' to treat After meeting with health professionals to discuss her future treatment, a decision was made which seemed baffling - discharging her from their care altogether. I was sobbing, trying to express to a room full of strangers that I wasnt sure I could cope, I wasnt sure I could stay safe,' she said. But they said I didnt make it easy for them to help. They said, Youve been with these services since you were 15, isnt it time to do things on your own? Were not here as a shoulder for you to cry on. I was told to go away and get better, and then come back. How am I supposed to do that on my own? It felt as if they were leaving me to die. Charlotte wasn't alone in her experience, according to stories from others who suffer from eating disorders. Hope Virgo, an eating disorder campaigner and former patient, told the MoS: Ive been contacted by people who say they are discharged because theyre too sick or not recovering fast enough, and being told theres nothing more that can be done. Its heartbreaking. Some have been referred to palliative care. We dont give up on patients with physical illnesses, we find different treatment methods which work for them. And yet, with eating disorders, its still a case of one-size-fits-all. Why arent we setting people up to have a chance of recovery? Instead, if treatment doesnt work, services are washing their hands of them. This trend was recognised by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in March, who warned NHS clinics against discharging very ill, treatment-resistant patients in order to save hospital beds for those who were less unwell but more likely to benefit. Disturbingly, this practice is backed by a small but growing number of experts. Some have even coined a term for it terminal anorexia. If you are struggling with an eating disorder, contact BEAT for help and support Two cousins who were torn apart soon after emigrating to Australia as part of the 'Ten Pound Pom' scheme have now been reunited 72 years later. Linda Candy, 75, and her cousin Valerie Linden, 76, travelled Down Under from the UK in the wake of World War II because their fathers, who were brothers, wanted to build a better life for their families. But the pair lost one another when their fathers fell out after arriving in Australia and the families moved thousands of miles apart. Although Linda often thought of the cousin she'd grown up with, she thought they'd never see each other again until Valerie tracked her down, more than 70 years on. The pair were finally reunited in the exact spot they entered the country back in 1951, at Pier One in the shadow of the Sydney Harbour Bridge recently. Two cousins (pictured) who were torn apart soon after emigrating to Australia as part of the 'Ten Pound Pom' scheme have now been reunited 72 years later Linda said: 'It was really an incredible feeling to see her again after all this time. I'd given up hope of a reunion many decades before, as we had no way to get in touch. 'I would often think about the fun we had on the ship on the way to Australia. We both had brothers so we gravitated towards each other and were more like sisters than cousins. 'Even though a lifetime had passed, it was as though we had never been apart. We got along like a house on fire. We went to Valerie's daughter's house, near Sydney, and we were dancing at 2am, behaving just like we did when we were four and five, I suppose! 'I'm so grateful she managed to find me again. We've got a lot of making up for lost time to do now.' Valerie managed to track her cousin down using an ancestry website and hesitantly sent her a message on Facebook. Linda's father, Charles Rossiter, had been a seasoned soldier, and served in Africa and the Middle East before and during World War II. His brother, Les, had worked down the mines in County Durham throughout the war. But by 1950, they found themselves living in one room with their parents, spouses and young children. Desperate for housing and job opportunities, and with Charles longing for sunshine and adventure, they decided to travel together to Australia under the Ten Pound migration scheme, which was the Australian government's offer to transport Brits to Oz and provide subsidised housing and jobs for them for 10 per person. Linda Candy (pictured left, aged five), 75, and her cousin Valerie Linden (pictured right, aged four), 76, travelled Down Under from the UK in the wake of World War II because their fathers, who were brothers, wanted to build a better life for their families But the pair (pictured when they were reunited) lost one another when their fathers fell out after arriving in Australia and the families moved thousands of miles apart. Pictured, Valerie (left) and Linda (right) Although Linda often thought of the cousin she'd grown up with, she thought they'd never see each other again until Valerie tracked her down, more than 70 years on. Pictured left to right, Charles, Linda, Valerie, Linda's brother Neil, Valerie's brother Ian, Les Officially titled the Assisted Passage Migration Scheme, it ran in various forms from 1945 to 1972 and enticed more than a million and a half Brits, who could apply for Australian citizenship after a year. If they decided to return to Britain within two years, they had to pay back their 10 and fund their own passage back (about 120 then, 6,000 in today's money). The brothers boarded the SS New Australia in Southampton on August 29th 1951, when Linda was aged four and Valerie just five. Linda recalled: 'I remember the boat journey quite well, our mothers were always terrified we would fall overboard so we were kept on quite a tight rein for the journey. 'When we finally landed in Australia, I remember just being overjoyed being able to play on grass, and my mother had quite a hard time getting me onto the train to Bathurst.' The two families lived in migrant hostels, huts made of corrugated iron with basic fittings and no fans let alone aircon in the searing heat. 'It was very difficult for us all,' Linda recalled. 'It was scorching hot, the middle of summer, we had no money and we all caught measles. 'There was no medical care other than calamine lotion I remember my mother putting paper over the windows of the hut because we couldn't bear the light. 'Our mothers must have thought they had made the worst mistake of their lives.' The pair (pictured) were finally reunited in the exact spot they entered the country back in 1951, at Pier One in the shadow of the Sydney Harbour Bridge recently Within two years of moving to South Australia, Linda's (pictured on the deck of the ship in which she travelled to Australia) family's fortunes changed after they won 15,000 on the lottery. (Australian currency was still in at that time) The two brothers both planned to travel west to South Australia for work but their plans were disrupted when Les persuaded Charlie to loan 70 to a friend so they could buy a truck to make the journey together. Somehow this didn't work out and there was a fierce argument resulting in Linda's family setting off alone. From then on, the two families went their separate ways. 'There was no way to keep in touch, we moved south to Salisbury, South Australia, and they stayed in Fairy Meadow, New South Wales. 'We had been used to being playmates. It was a huge change getting used to life without them,' said Linda. Within two years of moving to South Australia, Linda's family's fortunes changed after they won 15,000 on the lottery. (Australian currency was still in at that time). They moved back to England and bought a farm but within three years, the Aussie lifestyle was too much of a pull and they returned to South Australia, where Linda went to university and completed an arts degree and became a teacher. Valerie's family also returned to England in 1959, but she and her brother Ian, eventually returned as adults having been schooled in England. She lives there now as do her children. The two cousins discovered they had both spent a lifetime yo-yoing between the places. Valerie said: 'I had been building my family tree on a genealogy site and had tried to track down Linda's branch of the family. Over the years my thought had often wandered to what and where Linda was. 'I couldn't believe it when I found her husband. The rest is history! It might have taken 70 years but it was worth the wait.' Rajwa Al-Saif looked stunning in her ivory wedding gown by Lebanese designer, Elie Saab, during her wedding ceremony today. Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan's future wife, 29, turned heads in the body-skimming white gown. The long-sleeved frock featured asymmetrical ruching detail over one shoulder and flattered her regal figure, as it gathered at the waist. She stunned in a breathtaking detachable train, which had floral detailing, adding an extra touch to her majestic look. Wearing a sparkling diamond tiara, the bride looked nothing less than a real life princess. Rajwa Al-Saif looked stunning in her ivory wedding gown by Lebanese designer, Elie Saab, during her ceremony today She held a bouquet of porcelain coloured flowers and wore glitzy diamond earrings to match her tiara. The ceremony was held at Zahran Palace in Amman, Jordan, where guests and other royals from around the world witnessed the magical event. Queen Rania was beautiful in black as she greeted guests at the palace alongside her husband King Abdullah ahead of the nuptials. The Prince and Princess of Wales, Queen Sofia of Spain, Princess Elisabeth and King Philippe of Belgium were among some of the international royals in attendance. It seems the designer is also popular with British royals, as Kate donned a blush pink lace dress, also by Elie Saab, at the ceremony today. Rajwa was driven to the Palace in a 1968 Rolls-Royce Phantom V, which was custom-made for the late Queen Zein al-Sharaf, the Crown Prince's great grandmother. It was used by King Charles and Queen Camilla (then-Prince and Duchess) on their visit to Jordan in November 2021. The Crown Prince's younger brother, Prince Hashem then walked Rajwa to the gazebo and the Islamic marriage ceremony began. The long-sleeved frock featured asymmetrical ruching detail over one shoulder and flattered her regal figure, as it gathered at the waist The bride stunned in a breathtaking detachable train, which had floral detailing, adding an extra touch to her majestic look The Prince and Princess of Wales were beaming as arrived for Crown Prince Hussein 's lavish wedding to Rajwa Al-Saif today. Pictured: Kate also wearing Elie Saab The bride glowed as she opted for smoky eyeshadow, contour and rose coloured lipstick. Rajwa wore her glossy chocolate locks in a middle parting, with her curls pinned back behind her tiara and sheer veil. Prince Hussein looked dapper, donning his military regalia as he awaited his future wife at the alter. The Saudi Arabian-born architect was the picture of elegance and grace, beaming as she sat down with her new husband. The loved-up couple were unable to take their eyes off each other as they read out their vows. The crowd cheered passionately as the royal couple exchanged their rings. After the ceremony, guests will move to Al Husseiniya Palace for a banquet dinner and to continue celebrations. Aria, now 23, has gone from strength to strength and is preparing for Harvard A young woman whose father tried to marry her off to her cousin when she was just 12 years old is now bound for Harvard. Aria Mustary, from New York, was not yet a teenager when her dad tried to send her to Bangladesh to be married after claiming that she was too 'rebellious' and a drain on the family's financial resources. The youngster was able to convince her mom, who had been a child bride herself, to divorce him - and the mother-daughter duo, along with Aria's younger sister, have been going from strength to strength ever since. Aria, now 23, who is set to study a masters in Entrepreneurship, Education Leadership and Organizations at Harvard, has founded an organization that teaches high-risk girls under the age of 18 how to be self-sufficient in a bid to tackle child marriage. Aria Mustary, from New York, was not yet a teenager when her dad tried to send her to Bangladesh to be married after claiming that she was too 'rebellious' and a drain on the family's financial resources The youngster was able to convince her mom, who had been a child bride herself, to divorce him - and the mother-daughter duo, along with Aria's younger sister (pictured together in 2013), have been going from strength to strength ever since Aria's mother Syeda Mustary, who grew up in Bangladesh, was just 16 when she was forced to wed a man more than a decade older than her. Just two years later the couple moved to the US but - far from finding a land of opportunity - Syeda was trapped in a strained marriage with few prospects. The pair welcomed two daughters and for a moment it seemed that history would repeat itself. Speaking on Instagram, Aria revealed: 'My dad came home with a proposal when I was 12 years old saying that he would send me back to Bangladesh - even though I was born in New York - to get me married off to my first cousin. 'My mom had said no but my dad argued, "She's rebellious, she doesn't go to school anyway and she's not going to go anywhere with her life so let's just get her married off."' Aria claimed that her father said the couple did not have enough resources to look after her themselves. But she revealed: 'I finally convinced my mom to pack it up and leave that day.' Elaborating further, Aria told Insider: 'When my younger sister was born, I became hyperaware of my surroundings. Aria, now 23, is set to study a masters in Entrepreneurship, Education Leadership and Organizations at Harvard 'I saw how my mom basically was a child herself taking care of children, and I became her protector. 'I begged my mom to divorce him and leave the oppressive environment. Enough was enough.' Thankfully, Syeda listened to her daughter's pleas and left her husband which meant Aria no longer had to worry about being a child bride. The mother-daughter duo, along with Aria's younger sister, moved into a new apartment in Queens. Syeda set up her own small fabric business to earn enough money to get the family out of poverty. Aria said that she quickly realized that financial motivations were the reason why most of her female relatives had been married off at an early age - and is now hoping to tackle it head on. She told the publication: 'If parents had a better option for their daughters, they would not marry them. 'Based on my personal life, I wanted to create a program to help young girls secure their own education, have financial literacy, open bank accounts, and create incentives for families so they don't resort to marriage.' Aria's mother Syeda Mustary (pictured together), who grew up in Bangladesh, was just 16 when she was forced to wed a man more than a decade older than her Aria's venture, titled Mai Soli Foundation, aims to 'change systemic issues of gender inequality in developing countries' by teaching young girls to be self sufficient Every year, at least 12 million girls worldwide - which equates to one in every five - are married before they reach the age of 18, according to UNICEF. Aria's venture, titled Mai Soli Foundation, aims to 'change systemic issues of gender inequality in developing countries' by teaching young girls to be self sufficient. Speaking about the program, she said: 'When we continue to dive into potential of these brilliant girls, it creates an everlasting, chain reaction in their communities, and in the world. All they need are the resources.' Aria said: 'I'm inspired every day by my mother's sacrifices.' The entrepreneur is now set to study a masters at Harvard and, celebrating the achievement on social media, wrote: 'No matter where you come from or what your journey is, I hope that this is a reminder that anyone, and I mean anyone can do what they believe in. 'I grew up as a rebellious, eldest daughter, as the main parent to my little sister, and a child bride as a mother. We had no foundations of anything. No money. No resources. And now were here. For women of color in this country, its so hard to see faces we recognize in spaces like Harvard. 'To any girl who may look like me, who may have had the cards stacked against them, to the ones struggling with poverty or carry the burden of the system, their families, others, I want you to know that we did this together.' Kate and William were in Jordan today to attend the royal wedding A lip reader has revealed what was said between the Jordanian royals and William and Kate when the Prince and Princess of Wales arrived for today's lavish wedding in Amman. The Prince and Princess of Wales, 40 and 41, travelled to Jordan - where Kate lived for a short while during her childhood - to watch Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan marry Saudi architect Rajwa Al-Saif, 29. When they arrived at the Zahran Palace, the pair were greeted by King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan and paused to catch up before taking their seats. The last time the couples saw each other was at King Charles' Coronation in May, and according to a lip reader, Queen Rania told William during their chat: 'They were so good'. Although it is unclear who she was referring to, it could be a reference to the couple's three children George, Charlotte and Louis. When the Princess and Prince of Wales arrived at the Zahran Palace, the pair were greeted by King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jorda King Abdullah II also seemed to be reflecting on a memory in the conversation, and told William: 'Yes I remember that, it was beautiful.' Prince William said: 'Yes its mad, I know! They are lovely, yes they are,' although it is unclear who the Prince was referring to. The King grinned before responding with: 'Thank you.' As William and the monarch shook hands at the start of their conversation, the King said: 'Hello how are you feeling?' while the Queen kissed him and said: 'So good to see you again.' The Prince of Wales then added: 'Thank you, youre very kind it was wonderful thank you,' before pausing and adding, 'very much yes'. Kate is then thought to have asked the Jordanian royal couple how they are, adding: 'There's so much going on.' Queen Rania responded: 'Yes there is so much. I am looking forward to going on vacation after this.' William and Kate then both said: 'oh my goodness' - with William laughing. 'See you at the reception,' Kate added. A lip reader has revealed what was said between the King and Queen of Jordan and Kate and William Kate and William greet the bride and groom at the reception - with Kate giving her a friendly kiss on the cheek The Prince of Wales then put his arms around Kate, as Queen Rania said: 'Thank you so much we will see you later.' And then King then - at the same time - holds his hands up and says: 'Lovely, yes we will see you.' Jordan holds a special place in Kate and William's hearts, and the royal couple took their children on holiday to the country in 2021. The Middleton family spent two years in Jordan during the early 80s, beginning when Kate was just two years old, after her father Michael, a British Airways flight dispatcher, was relocated to Amman for work. Princess Beatrice, 34, with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 39, were also in attendance Princess Beatrice and Edo also spoke to Queen Rania and the King during the nuptials Queen Rania was beautiful in a black Dior gown as she greeted guests at the palace alongside her husband King Abdullah ahead of the nuptials Kate and the bride even wore the same designer on the magical day - both opting for Lebanese designer Elie Saab. Kate donned a blush pink lace dress, while Beatrice wore a silver sequined gown from British label Needle & Thread for the occasion. Queen Rania was beautiful in a black Dior gown as she greeted guests at the palace alongside her husband King Abdullah ahead of the nuptials. The mother-of-the-groom was radiant in the floor length dress, which featured pretty gold embroidery down the back. Princess Beatrice, 34, and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 39, were also in attendance for the big day. The best way to manage your household finances is to start thinking like a millionaire. Hear me out. I don't want you to start spending money as though you have it to burn. No, this is about being as financially savvy as someone who's got great wealth behind them. Think about it: millionaires are clever with cash they know how to hang on to it and make it work for them. They're well off because they take a proactive approach to their finances, regularly analysing what's coming in, and, just as importantly, what's going out. They don't waste money, and only spend it on what they want or need. Every millionaire I know goes through their personal financial statements quarterly, if not monthly, looking for inefficiencies, waste and money leaks. Today, I'm going to show you how to do the same. Trust me, this could save you hundreds, if not thousands of pounds. The best way to manage your household finances is to start thinking like a millionaire MONTHLY MONEY DATE Millionaires meet regularly with their accountants to audit their expenditure so it pays to go through yours with a fine tooth comb at least once a month. Go through all your bank and credit card statements, utility and general bills and get a full breakdown of all your direct debits and standing orders. Don't forget to include those easily forgotten regular payments that come out via PayPal or a bank card. CALL TO ACTION: Look out for the free trials you signed up for then forgot to cancel and any duplicated services (how many TV streaming accounts does anyone really need?). POTENTIAL SAVING: According to Citizen's Advice, consumers waste an average of 640 a year on unwanted subscriptions. DON'T PAY UP FRONT People with money know that their cash works better for them if they hang on to it for as long as possible. That fancy car they're driving it's on 0 per cent finance. And if the option's there, then they'll be paying for their next holiday in instalments. CALL TO ACTION: Be clever about how you spend only purchase on buy-now-pay-later if you can, categorically, trust yourself to stick to the repayments or put aside money to pay it off in full before the deal ends, otherwise you'll get landed with huge interest fees. And, of course, don't be seduced by a deal if you weren't planning to buy something, but got tempted by a BNPL offer, you didn't really want or need in the first place. Check when any BNPL deals you've taken up are due to end when you've had something for a year it's frighteningly easy to forget you haven't actually paid for it yet. POTENTIAL SAVING: I recently bought a 1,200 sofa on BNPL, putting that same amount into a 2.5 per cent interest savings account instead. I made just over 30 in interest and still had the cash accessible for emergencies. If you did this on every big purchase, think how much money you could make. IDENTIFY CASH LEAKS These are the gym memberships that aren't being used; the phone contracts you took out years ago for your kids and still pay, even though they now have jobs and homes of their own; or the late payment fees you've been charged because you forgot to pay. Rich people have accountants to flag these things you need to be ruthless with a highlighter pen and identify the money you're allowing to slip through your fingers. Identify cash leaks including gym memberships that aren't being used (file photo) CALL TO ACTION: Make sure any regular bill which will see you penalised if you pay late goes out by direct debit you can ask to be billed so that payment will go out on or soon after payday, which will help you to keep on track. POTENTIAL SAVING: The average gym membership costs 500 a year great if you use it, but a money leak that will be sabotaging your finances if not. Meanwhile the average monthly phone bill is around 25 a month, so if you stop paying for just one phone you're not using then, annually, that could save you 300 a year. INVEST IN CLOTHES Are you paying cheap but paying twice? My millionaire girlfriends buy quality clothes never disposable fast fashion then when they want to spruce up their wardrobe they sell what they don't wear any more on sites such as Vinted to fund their next shopping trip. My millionaire girlfriends buy quality clothes never disposable fast fashion then when they want to spruce up their wardrobe they sell what they don't wear any more on sites such as Vinted CALL TO ACTION: Be more intentional in your spending and buy the best you can afford. Quality products last longer and retain value, so you can often sell them on. The same applies if you're looking out for second-hand bargains go for quality brands and they're more likely to be in better condition. POTENTIAL SAVING: I once sold a second-hand pair of Jimmy Choo trainers which had become extremely hard to get hold of as they were so popular and made 75. I have five kids and last year I bought them each a pair of second-hand trainers from vinted.co.uk in the summer, and then again for winter. The bill would have been 500 new so it saved me 450 on shoes alone as I didn't spend more than 50. THE VALUE OF MONEY Rich people use leverage to get what they want and aren't embarrassed to haggle your power lies in the fact that service providers and retailers want your custom. CALL TO ACTION: Look out for any annual contracts coming up for renewal, for example car and home insurance, and go on a price comparison website to see who will look after you better. Call up your broadband provider, and the company you get your mobile phone through and tell them you're going to leave unless they can save you some money. I recently phoned Sky and said I couldn't justify the expense any more they instantly halved the bill for six months and added Disney Plus for free, which I was paying 7.99 a month for on a separate account. During maternity leave I went on topcashback.co.uk and used the site to compare deals then swap all my insurance and mobile phone accounts, saving me money and earning cash back on top. POTENTIAL SAVING: The cheaper Sky deal, being able to cancel Disney Plus, reducing my insurance and phone costs plus the 300 cashback that earned me, came to an incredible 400 saving while still having access to all of the same things that I had previously. THE JOY OF SAVING Spring cleaning your finances doesn't mean stripping out every pleasurable thing in life. It's about rooting out waste. In the spirit of tidiness guru Marie Kondo, look at every non-essential outgoing and ask yourself: Does this bring me joy. POTENTIAL SAVING: If you enjoy the ritual of a takeaway coffee, then that's fine. If it's just a habit, you can save around 1200 a year on that daily medium latte. Identify your wasteful habits, weed them out and see how much you can save. It's addictive once you start. A FIFO worker has shared a glimpse into his day-to-day life living and working on a mine where he's given an impressive banquet of food for every meal. Jordan Dowsett rises at 4am to work a 12-hour shift as an electrician in central Queensland and is well fed in the mining camp where he lives. Fans were wowed by the smorgasbord the former Love Island contestant is treated to which included hot breakfasts, ice cream, curries, pasta, fries, fruit, sandwiches and cakes. Waking up at the crack of dawn, Jordan is down at the mess hall to tuck into his favourite meal of the day by 4.30am. 'Look at the options I get - fruit, yoghurt, cereal, bread, muffins, you name it, hot food, porridge, it's all there,' he said in a TikTok clip. Scroll down for video Jordan Dowsett (pictured) has shared what his typical day is like as a FIFO electrician working on the mines - and all everyone can talk about is the food he's given Fans were wowed by the smorgasbord the former Love Island contestant is treated to which included hot breakfasts, ice cream, curries, pasta, fries, fruit, sandwiches and cakes He said while he doesn't use the 'famous' coffee machine, it gets 'destroyed' by his fellow FIFO colleagues and he treats himself to a 'cheeky' hot chocolate if he's 'feeling naughty'. At 5am, Jordan heads to the 'crib' where there are endless lunch and snack options for the workers to take to the mine. 'We're going to pack our smoko and lunch for the day because once you're in the mine, there's no way of getting any food,' he said. 'We pack it all the morning of and then we are right to go for the day.' At 5.30am, Jordan gets the bus to the site where everyone attends a meeting and does some morning stretches before getting 'on the tools' at 6am. At 5am, Jordan heads to the 'crib' where there are endless lunch and snack options for the workers to take on the mine Jordan's day in the life of a FIFO electrician on the mines 4am - Wake up 4:30am - Brekkie time 5am - Pack smoko and lunch for the day 5:30am - Bus to work 5:45am - Stretches and site meeting 6am - On the tools for the day 12pm - Lunch 6pm - Tools down, end of shift 6:30pm - In the gym, one hour workout 7:30pm - Dinner after gym 8pm - Shower, jump into bed, asleep by 8:30pm Advertisement 'Lunch time hits and what I packed today was a little salad and some fruit or sometimes if there's a healthy alternative, I'll get a chicken and rice or something,' he added. 'And then there's a big smile on my face because it's 6pm, it's knock off time, the day is finally done.' Jordan is back at the camp and in the gym by 6.30pm for an hour-long workout session. 'Love the gym here because no one comes here so I've got the whole place to myself. I smash out a workout for about an hour, that gets me to 7.30 (when) have some dinner,' he said. The sparky showed the range of meals on offer for dinner including curry and rice, fries, corn, green vegetables, stew, chicken schnitzel and salads as well as ice cream for dessert. By 8pm Jordan is in bed and asleep half an hour later 'ready to repeat' the day. Jordan's video was watched more than 333,700 times with viewers most impressed - and jealous - of the food on offer. 'The food looks insane,' one woman wrote and another agreed: 'Wanna go to the mines for the food'. 'This made me miss FIFO,' a third wrote. 'Offt, putting my camps food to shame!!' someone else added. 'Bro that food setup is mean! That's what most of my salary goes on so I'd be saving heaps doing FIFO,' one man said. An American has revealed the two common words she couldn't say in Australia without being mocked - despite living Down Under for a year. Brit, who lived in Sydney, admitted that despite practising to say the words 'partner' and 'kilometre' she could never quite get the enunciation correct. The US expat explained that she sounded like a Texas cowboy saying 'howdy, partner' because of her American accent. She also could never remember which country emphasised which section of 'kilometre' and simply says 'Ks' instead. Formerly Sydney-based Brit (pictured) admitted that despite practising to say the words 'partner' and 'kilometre' she could never quite get the enunciation correct The American has revealed the two common Australian words she cannot say without turning red and cringing, despite having lived Down Under for a year Now that Brit has moved back to the States, she decided to make a video about her struggles Down Under. 'Here are two very common Australian words that I refused to say when I lived there just because of my accent,' Brit said in the now-viral video. 'The first word was "partner" because Aussies typically do not pronounce either "r" when they say it. 'They use that word all the time because they don't really say "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" as much there - they always call people their partners,' the American explained. 'But I never said that, because I sound like...' Brit put on an exaggerated Texan accent and added: 'Howdy, partner.' She immediately cringed at her pronunciation, preferring the seamless Aussie lilt. The American revealed the second word she had trouble saying was 'kilometre'. She didn't know whether to emphasise 'kilo' or 'metre' when she said it. 'I never remember which country says which version of that,' Brit said. 'I just refuse to say it - I say "Ks" instead.' Many applauded Brit's Australian accent and couldn't believe how natural she sounded Many applauded Brit's Australian accent and couldn't believe how natural she sounded. 'Your "partner" in the Australian accent was so good!' a woman said. A second added: 'You saying "partner" was the most accurate Australian accent I've heard from an American, like, ever.' 'I think you should start saying "partner" in an Aussie accent the way people suddenly drop into a French accent to say "croissant". You said it perfectly,' a third joked. Some others clashed over the correct way to say 'kilometre'. 'I think I say "k'lometres per hour" for speed, but "killer metres" for distance,' a man said. 'We usually say all three versions of kilometres,' a second wrote. 'Aussies don't say the full word for anything,' a woman said. 'I've never heard anyone say kilometres. It's "Ks". Quick version always.' A Canadian expat living in Australia has spilled on what she thinks is 'weird' about the shopping centres or 'malls' Down Under. Cassie Chuang has been living in Brisbane for almost a year and while she thought some things about Aussie shops were strange like paid parking and short trading hours, she said others were 'genius'. She was surprised to see that, unlike Canada, shoppers can take trolleys whereever they please around the centre, even on the escalators, rather than only being able to use them in the stores they came from. However, Cassie didn't rate shopping centres closing at 5pm every day bar Thursday or that customers have to pay expensive fees for parking for longer than three hours. The expat shared her thoughts in a TikTok video attracting the attention of hundreds of Aussies who were quick to correct her slang and explain why they love Australian shopping centres. Scroll down for video Cassie Chuang (pictured) has been living in Brisbane for almost a year and shared things she thought were 'weird' about Aussie shopping centres from paying for parking to the escalators Cassie said having to pay for parking at the shops after three hours was 'ridiculous'. 'What if I want to just watch a movie and then spend another three hours at the mall hanging out with my friends?' she said. 'You really have to watch how long you've been there otherwise you then have to pay the expensive-a** parking fees.' Cassie did like the handy feature some car parks have with red and green lights that tell drivers which spots are and aren't free. However, she wasn't as much of a fan of the trading hours of most Australian shops which shut around 5pm everyday and 9pm on Thursdays. Cassie was impressed shoppers can take trolleys out of the store they got it from then return it in the car park which she said was 'so convenient, perfect and amazing' 'Thursday here in Australia is their late shopping days so that's the day where all the malls all the groceries stores are open later,' she explained. 'I would think Friday, Saturday, Sunday is when people actually have time to shopping and back home they always close at around 9 o'clock.' Cassie was impressed shoppers can take trolleys out of the store they got it from then return it in the car park which she said was 'so convenient, perfect and amazing'. 'That was so foreign to me when I first came here and I was like wow, this is genius, this is an amazing idea, why don't we do this in Canada?' she said. 'In Canada you're not supposed to take that shopping cart away from that department store or whichever store you took it from, even the grocery store, you're supposed to return it back to that grocery store.' Cassie was also impressed with the flat escalators in Australian shopping centres and allow customers to take their trolley with them. 'So much better than the way America does it right now. It's just so much faster and so much more convenient,' she said. In northern America, Cassie explained, department stores have a separate escalator specifically for shopping carts. Aussies took to the comments to explain to the expat the terms used Down Under are 'shopping centre' rather than 'mall' and 'trolley' not 'cart'. 'Mall?? Oh! You mean "the shops"!' one woman joked. The flat "escalators" are actually called travelators, escalators are the ones with stairs,' another explained. Others shared the reasons behind the unusual trading hours while others shared how to park without paying fees. 'I am pretty sure Thursday is the late night day because it aligns with most people's paydays and doesn't interfere with Friday night life,' one viewer wrote. 'You can scan your movie ticket to get an extra free hour,' another suggested. 'It depends of the states; some states it's on Thursday night is the long shopping night and in some states it's the Friday night,' a third added talking about trading hours. She breastfed each of her five sons with the nearly- four-year-old still nursing Most moms stop breastfeeding after just a few months, but some are bucking the trend by nursing until their children reach school age and beyond. Priscilla Morton of North Carolina told DailyMail.com she is currently breastfeeding her three-year-old son and still offers her six, 10, and 12-year-olds breast milk from a cup, which she claims protects them from oncoming colds. Health officials say mothers should breastfeed for at least a year, highlighting the benefits to the baby's immune system and development, but there is no definitive guidance on when they should be weaned off, making the issue a medical gray area. Ms Morton, 39, was not breastfed herself as a child and vowed to nurse all of her children for as long as possible. She admits strangers stare when she breastfeeds her children in public, so she uses a sippy cup for the eldest. Other mothers, such as Sharon Spink from the UK, who breastfed her daughter up to age eight and Sheryl Wynne, who did it until her boys turned five and six, say it made them feel more connected with their kids. Priscilla Morton and her husband have five sons ages 18 (not shown), 12, 10, six, and three. Her youngest is still breastfed Ms Morton told DailyMail.com that her husband fully supports her breastfeeding journey, adding: 'Hes really been a lot of what made this possible, I dont think I couldve done it without his support' Extended breastfeeding is common in many parts of the world but less-so in the US, where most women stop after about six months. The vast majority of babies born in the US in 2019 - roughly 83 percent - are breastfed exclusively for the first few months of their lives, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A mother's breast milk is a baby's primary source of nutrition and antibodies against pathogens for which they cannot get vaccinated. For instance, antibodies against the coronavirus are detected in the breast milk of women who had been vaccinated with mRNA vaccines, and that protection is passed on to the baby, according to a report in JAMA Pediatrics. Still, evidence that a mother's milk confers certain protections and benefits, such as increased cognitive performance down the line, is conflicting and evolving. But by the time baby reaches six months, breastfeeding rates take a nosedive. Less than 56 percent of American babies are breastfed at all by six months, and fewer than a quarter of them are breastfed exclusively. Both the Academy of American Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that mothers breastfeed their child for at least a year. Meanwhile, the American Academy of Pediatrics supports continued breastfeeding, along with appropriate complementary foods introduced at about 6 months, as long as mutually desired by mother and child for 2 years or beyond. Ms Morton told DailyMail.com that while the opinions of others do not discourage her from following her instincts and breastfeeding, she fears being confronted in public by people who disapprove Ms Morton was not breastfed by her mother and in fact, knew very little about it until her teen years when she educated herself and made the decision to breastfeed when she had babies. And it went fine at first with her oldest son Ajay, now 18. But her time breastfeeding was cut at least six months short because she needed to return to a full-time job, a predicament shared by millions of new moms. The same happened with her other sons, Alex, 12, Aiden, 10, and Ash, six. When Ace, her fifth son came along she was in a much better position to breastfeed. Now able to work remotely, Ms Morton can happily breastfeed in the comfort of her home when her son gets hungry or fussy. But years of criticism of her decision to nurse, particularly from fellow women, have scared Ms Morton out of breastfeeding her child in public. She said: It almost causes shame like I'm so afraid of being somewhere and getting confronted. Somebody publicly is going to cuss you out or attack you and that's what I was mainly afraid of. I don't really care about their opinion. I care about being attacked in public with my child. In the US, breastfeeding a child well into his toddler years carries stigma. The instances of mothers with school-age children latched on and slung across their laps are fairly uncommon in the US with many people seeing the act as perverse or disturbing. But many mothers do it only part-time, giving their children solid foods for the most part and reserving nursing for right before bed time or when they start acting up. New York-based lactation consultant Leigh Anne OConnor told Dailymail.com: 'It's also a way to calm a toddler. It's a very calming experience. And there are other benefits of nursing too like, when the milk comes in, the toddler can help relieve engorgement. 'It can also help with the bonding of the siblings because it's something they're sharing.' Millions of mothers carry on breastfeeding for more than the nutritional benefits. Breastmilk also has a topical ointment-like quality. Ms Morton said: There have been times where they got burned and I immediately put milk on their burn. Or one of my boys, every once in a while gets eczema behind his knee. He'll come to me and ask me to put milk on his eczema, clears that right up. She also routinely uses her breastmilk to fend off sickness: I still give it to my 10 year old, my six year old, my 12 year old in a cup if we know that there's a cold coming around or anything like that. The movement of extended breastfeeders is gaining ground on social media. The tag for extended breastfeeding on Instagram has more than 117,000 associated posts, while a similar search on TikTok returns over 192 million results. But millions of Americans have yet to accept it. Ms Morton said: The women who are completely against it, the very first thing they come at you with is [thats] child abuse. 'Somebody should call Child Protective Services on you. This is child abuse. This is gross. I mean, they'll literally attack you with those things. The bulk of TikTok videos pertaining to extended breastfeeding show mothers proudly feeding their children while trying to show that the act is not in itself perverse or inappropriate, but rather an entirely normal, wholesome and natural act. Several videos on Ms Morton's TikTok, which she set out to dedicate to educating the public about the benefits of breastfeeding, are also splattered with criticisms from one user saying, Why would u do that on here and another saying, Sorry maam that has become a sexual nature. Very alarming. CPS needs to investigate you. Ms Morton is one of many moms frustrated by a society-wide squeamishness about breastfeeding, chalking it up to the over-sexualization of womens bodies, particularly breasts. Ms O'Connor told DailyMail.com that this attitude is pervasive in the US: Breasts are for sex and selling cars and beer, not for a baby, right? But that's really what theyre for. Ms OConnor runs a support group for breastfeeding mothers of toddlers and said the oldest child in her group is about five. Sharon Spink, from North Yorkshire, says breastfeeding her nine-year-old daughter Charlotte has given them a strong bond and Charlotte a healthy start in life Charlotte, pictured feeding, decided earlier this year that she no longer wanted what she called 'mummy milk', something which Sharon says is natural but that she'll miss In the UK, mom of four Sharon Spink made headlines when it was revealed that she was breastfeeding her eight-year-old daughter Charlotte, who is very healthy and rarely gets ill due to breast milk's boost to the immune system. She said of the experience: 'It's nice for the child to be in control of when they want to wean, rather than forcing the issue. 'She naturally self-weaned earlier this year. It was a gradual process and her choice.' And Sheryl Wynne, also from the UK, was still breastfeeding her sons aged five and six before school, in the evening and throughout the night - and has even fed them in the pre-school playground. Ms Wynne said: 'It's formed part of our relationship and that's my main drive for continuing breastfeeding.' Until the late 19th century, breastfeeding ones infant for at least a full year if not more was as much a given as needing potable water to drink. But the advent of manufactured infant formula drove a steady decline in breastfeeding rates through much of the 1970s. A mothers breastmilk has everything an infant needs to thrive, including antibodies for diseases well before he is of age to be vaccinated. The Covid pandemic made this abundantly clear to Ms Morton when her household was felled by the virus but her breastfeeding son hardly got sick at all. Yet women like Ms Morton are frequently demonized for their choices and sometimes run out of stores or restaurants. Ms Morton for instance no longer attempts to breastfeed her son in public for fear of being confronted in public. Breastmilk is a crucial lifeline to newborn infants into toddlerhood as it confers the necessary antibody protections and nutrients, continuing to provide about half of a childs nutritional needs during the second half of the first year. Britain's medicines safety watchdog was today accused of engaging in 'disturbing' practices regarding the investigation of Covid vaccine deaths. Two prominent Oxford University researchers renowned in the field of evidence-based medicine branded one of the systems used to collate adverse side effects from the jabs as being a 'mess'. Professor Carl Heneghan and Dr Tom Jefferson claimed that chiefs at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) invested almost 2million in an AI-based system to extract data from the agency's Yellow Card reporting system. This database allows the public, and medics, to report any suspected side effects of Covid jabs and other medications. So far, it has seen 2,743 deaths linked to Covid jabs logged, though these are only submitted reports, not confirmed fatalities. Two prominent Oxford University researchers Dr Tom Jefferson (left) and Professor Carl Heneghan (right) branded one of the systems used to in the UK collate adverse side effects from the jabs as being a 'mess' The contract, reportedly paid to data-tech company Genpact in September 2020, aimed to create a better system to process Yellow Card reports relating to Covid vaccines. Yet the pair of experts, writing in their own blog, said 'we can't find a single analysis or publication' from the AI-based system's involvement. They also highlighted how minutes from a meeting of the MHRA's expert advisory group on Clinical Trials, Biologicals and Vaccines in October 2020 has yet to be released due to advice being 'confidential' until 'a final decision is made'. Professor Heneghan and Dr Jefferson wrote: 'What are we to make of all this? 'Contradictions galore and the absence of a gizmo to identify deaths. Yes, deaths, not arcane events. Read more: Beijing's secret Covid lab leak probe: Ex-boss of China's diseases watchdog sensationally reveals investigation was carried out at site at heart of row over pandemic's origin and says: 'Don't rule anything out' Some experts now say Covid may have emerged from within the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Here security personnel are pictured keeping watch during a visit by the WHO in 2021 Advertisement 'Obfuscation and fragmentation sounds like a Cold War thriller, but we are the payers and recipients of the products licensed by MHRA. 'Where is the taxpayers money gone, our money, if they have to manually collate reports, and where are at least the late summary reports? What final decision is the MHRA referring to?' Covid vaccines, which have been rolled out in their millions, have repeatedly been proven to be, overall, both safe and effective in preventing people from becoming severely ill as well as stopping the endless lockdown that crippled the nation. Although the MHRA Yellow Card data lists reports of Covid vaccine deaths, the latest confirmed official count of jab fatalities stands at 77. This includes Brits who died after being struck down with a blood clot triggered by an extremely rare reaction from AstraZeneca's jab missed during the original vaccine trials. These deaths, as well as any other harms, are meant to be picked up by the MHRA's Yellow Care reporting system, where the public and medics can report any suspected side effects from Covid jabs and any other medication. The MHRA then investigates these reports to determine if the medication could be responsible, or if the event was unrelated or a coincidence. Experts have said the 77 figure is likely to be a slight undercount given that some fatalities could have been missed or still be under official investigation. However, anti-vaxxer claims that thousands have died from the jabs are considered to be way off the mark. The authors criticism was labeled at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and its Yellow Card reporting system which allows people to notify them of adverse reactions potentially linked to medications like the Covid vaccine The MHRA said the blog contained a number of inaccurate claims. A spokesperson said the AI-based system aimed to streamline how reports were processed, not perform any analysis. 'The AI tool was introduced to reduce the amount of manual coding for each report, thereby saving resource in processing cases and ensuring they are rapidly available for scientific analysis,' they said. 'The tool was not used for assessment of data, but to help ensure that all the information from the reporter is well structured to support analysis and subject to robust quality assessment. ' They added the AI tool is now no longer in use as per the terms of the contract. The MHRA spokesperson also robustly denied the body was unable to identify and follow-up deaths reported from Covid vaccines, stating a dedicated team of scientists ensure 'all fatal reports are followed up'. They also highlighted how the MHRA had published regular reports on Yellow Card data covering Covid vaccine injuries throughout the pandemic. Jab-injuries in the UK have come under increasing focus after families of those killed or disabled by VITT decided to take AstraZeneca to court over the harms they have suffered. The issue has also highlighted what campaigners have labelled the 'cruel flaws' of the Governments own vaccine injury scheme which only dishes out 120,000 under a strict eligibility criteria. Manufacturers of 'forever chemicals' tried to cover up the dangers they posed for more than 30 years, a new report claims. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, who reviewed dozens of company documents, found executives were first alerted to the health risks in 1961, but scientists said that they failed to raise the alarm until the 1990s. Internal documents revealed chemical manufacturers DuPont and 3M were facing studies warning the chemicals, dubbed per- and polyFluorinated Substances (PFAS), could cause liver enlargement, poisonings and birth defects in children. But the executives were alleged to have sat on the evidence and allow the chemicals to continue to be used in pots and pans, carpets, children's toys and even period underwear. They are used in paints and fabrics to make items non-stick or waterproof. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, reviewed dozens of company documents to find that the risks from PFAS were covered up for years before the alarm was raised. They are used on items such as pots and pans, for their antistick properties There is also evidence of PFAS being present in period underwear, despite studies warning that it raises the risk of infertility Studies suggest that more than 97 percent of Americans now have PFAS chemicals circulating in their blood. But US states are still only just waking up to the threat, with Minnesota set to become the first to ban them completely by 2025. Dr Tracey Woodruff, a gynecologist, and others involved in the study likened the delay to the tobacco industry's response to warnings that smoking can cause cancer. The companies created the chemicals which were then used by other companies in items such as pans and fabrics to make them non stick and give them a waterproof quality. But a single scratch can release millions of these toxic forever chemicals that can then be absorbed through the skin into the blood. They can then enter cells where they damage DNA, raising the risk of cancer, and interfere with vital organs such as the thyroid, affecting metabolism. In the study, published last night in the Annals of Global Health, researchers combed through documents on PFAS. These had been obtained from Minnesota-based PFAS inventor 3M and major PFAS manufacturer DuPont, based in Wilmington, Delaware, in a lawsuit by Robert Billot that began in 1998. He eventually managed to get records from the company spanning 1961 to 2006 which were then donated to the UCSF Chemical Industry Documents Library. The scientists used these documents to construct a timeline of when manufacturers became aware of the risks posed by PFAS chemicals. They then conducted further research to also construct a timeline of when alerts were raised in the public. Results showed that warnings about PFAS chemicals and, in particular, the Teflon chemical coating, were first raised in 1961. The chief of toxicology at DuPont found in experiments that rats exposed to PFAS in low doses had an 'increase in the size of the liver'. They warned that the chemicals should be handled with 'extreme care' and contact with the skin should be 'strictly avoided'. Concerns were again raised internally in the 1970s, when DuPont-funded Haskell Laboratorie found that PFAS was 'highly toxic when inhaled and moderately toxic when ingested'. Tests in dogs in the same decade showed that animals that ingested a single dose of PFAS died up to two days later. In 1980, DuPont also learned that two of eight employees who had been pregnant while working in their factories gave birth to babies with deformities. But the company did not reveal the findings, instead saying the following year that: 'We know of no evidence of birth defects caused by [PFAS] at DuPont.' They also went on to assure employees that PFAS was no more toxic than 'table salt'. Pictured above is the scientists' timeline. Boxes above the timeline show studies that were in the public domain at the time of publication, while those below the line were only circulated internally within the companies. Boxes with blue borders show studies not done by the industry while boxes with orange borders indicate those done by the industry This is an extended timeline following five health effects of the chemicals on humans. These are toxicity (A), Liver damage (B), reproductive problems (C), testicular cancer (D) and other cancer risks (E). Industry papers are shown in orange and non-industry papers are in blue The above graph shows how many studies were being published on the topic by date Again in 1991, they said in a press release that PFAS has 'no known toxic or ill health effects in humans at concentration levels detected'. This was published in response to a research report that year which found that PFAS posed a 'likely risk to human health'. In 1998 and 2002 the manufacturer faced lawsuits over the potential health risks posed by PFAS, which led them to release studies about what the industry knew that were not in the public domain. Dr Woodruff said: 'These documents reveal clear evidence that the chemical industry knew about the dangers of PFAS and failed to let the public, regulators, and even their own employees know the risks. She added: 'As many countries pursue legal and legislative action to curb PFAS production, we hope they are aided by the timeline of evidence presented in this paper. 'This timeline reveals serious failures in the way the U.S. currently regulates harmful chemicals.' The scientists drew parallels between the actions of PFAS manufaturers and those of tobacco companies in the 1950s and 1960s. It was in the 1950s that the major British Doctors Study was published which warned of a link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer. The following decade the US surgeon general published a report concluding that smoking did cause lung cancer. But in response to these findings, the tobacco industry sought to question the findings and play-down the risks. Some documents suggest that tobacco companies were aware of the risks posed by smoking, but instead of warning others discussed strategies to minimize or play them down. DuPont has previously denied to NBC News that it hid the risks posed by PFAS and said that it has provided extensive information to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over the years on the risk. In 2021, the company agreed to share $4billion settlement costs for the use of 'forever chemicals' with other company spin offs. In 2019, DuPont's chief operating and engineering officer Daryl Roberts called for regulation of two specific types of PFAS. For its part, 3M has previously said last year that it would discontinue the use of forever chemicals. 'We have already reduced our use of PFAS over the past three years through ongoing research and development, and will continue to innovate new solutions for customers,' a spokesperson said. Its senior vice president of corporate affairs Denise Rutherford said in 2019 that the chemicals pose no threat to human health at the current levels. WHO alert over wave of unusual French baby deaths caused by a new virus strain An unusual wave of baby deaths linked to a new strain of a normally harmless virus has caused alarm in France. Seven babies are known to have died after being infected with Echovirus-11, with two more still in hospital, according to an alert from the World Health Organization (WHO). Echovirus-11 belongs to family of pathogens called enteroviruses that normally only cause cold or flu-like symptoms in adults, but can be dangerous to young children. Health authorities are particularly concerned about the current cluster of cases due to the rapid onset of serious illness and high fatality rate. British experts said it was possible that Covid lockdowns could be partly to blame, because mothers lacking immunity from common bugs could have passed this vulnerability on to their babies. Enteroviruses usually cause only mild illness but tend to affect newborns and young children more severely than older children. They can trigger symptoms including a fever, runny nose, sneezing, cough, rash and muscle aches The alert from France comes after the UK raised the alarm last month over an unusual cluster of enteroviruses, caused by a different strain, left one baby dead and eight in intensive care. French health authorities detected a total of nine cases of Echovirus-11 among newborns between July 2022 and April this year across three unnamed regions. The babies, eight of which were born pre-term, developed severe sepsis and multiple organ failure following infection, with seven dying as a result. Three of the cases were recorded this year, with the rest occurring in 2022. The newborns are believed to have caught the virus from their mothers by inadvertently swallowing infected bodily fluids during childbirth, the WHO said. Genetic analysis of the Echovirus-11 strain behind the deaths suggests it is a new version of the virus not recorded by global health authorities before. The WHO report said although the possibility that the new strain could be deadlier couldn't be ruled out, further research was needed. 'Although higher pathogenicity of this new lineage cannot be excluded, the severity of infections may also be explained by the young age, prematurity, and the absence of maternal immunity,' it read. 'Further analyses are warranted to delineate the characteristics of this recombinant virus.' However, the WHO added that, although based on the 'limited' information, the risk to the public by the cluster of cases is still considered to be low. It also highlighted that as many countries don't routinely report enterovirus infections, some cases may have slipped under the radar. The WHO alert said the strain Echovirus-11 behind the newborn deaths in France appears to be new, with no record of it anywhere in the world Enterovirus Q&A What is the situation? More than a dozen young children in the UK have developed myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) alongside an enterovirus infection. How many cases have been detected? Ten cases have been spotted in South Wales and five have been detected in South-West England between June 2022 and March 2023. How many children have been hospitalised? Eight youngsters were treated in intensive care, where they were intubated, put on a ventilator and received circulatory support. Details of six cases are unclear, so the number may be higher. Have any children died? One child died before being transferred to tertiary care part of a hospital that delivers highly specialist treatment. However, a couple in South Wales have shared details of the death of their son Elijah, who died in similar circumstances. As this death occurred in March 2022, before the nine-month period defined by Public Health Wales, it is not being probed as part of the official cluster. What is behind the outbreak? Experts don't know. But health chiefs at Public Health Wales are investigating the reasons for the cluster of cases and to spot any others that may be reported in the coming weeks. What's the situation in France? Health chiefs have identified a cluster of cases in newborns caused by a different type of enterovirus to the UK outbreak. Seven babies have died as a result of the infection since June 2022 with two remaining in hospital. The World Health Organization says a new strain of pathogen called Echovirus-11 is responsible. Advertisement No specific antiviral therapy is available for enteroviruses, so treatment focuses on preventing complications. In response to the recent cases, French authorities have urged medics to keep a watchful eye on newborns whose mothers may be ill with an enterovirus. MailOnline understands that there are currently no signs of a similar cluster of Echovirus-11 infections in Britain. However, over the same period UK health authorities have observed a string of unusual cases from a different enterovirus, which they are still investigating. A total of 15 newborns in Wales and south-west England have been struck down with severe myocarditis or inflammation of the heart since June 2022. PCR testing of nine of the children confirmed they had the coxsackie B3 or B4 types of enterovirus. Out of the affected babies, one died. Eight were treated in intensive care, where they were intubated, put on a ventilator and received circulatory support. Details on the remaining six cases have not yet been published. Myocarditis usually occurs following a virus. It is caused by the body's immune system overreacting to being infected and causing inflammation, which can stay in the heart even after the virus has been cleared. While some sufferers have no symptoms, it can cause chest pains, palpitations and shortness of breath. The unwell children in the UK also presented with sepsis which can kill within hours unless it is treated quickly. They were also less interested in eating and drinking. Health authorities consider the two clusters of enterovirus clusters in the UK and France to be unrelated. Previous unusual outbreaks of infectious disease among children, including strep A last winter, have been blamed on lockdowns potentially weakening immunity against the usually harmless bugs. Professor Ian Jones, a virologist at the University of Reading, told MailOnline one possible explanation for a recent rise in severity of enterovirus cases could be mothers not being exposed to common bugs during lockdown. He noted however, that there was currently no evidence of this. Professor Jones added that another factor to consider was that because enteroviruses were such a large group of viruses it was easy for them to recombine and spawn new variants. 'The current cases in France appear to be caused by such a recombinant, not a previously circulating virus,' he said. But he added: 'While the cases are notable the absolute numbers are small, and I don't think they signify a general threat.' Dr Simon Clarke, an infectious disease expert at Reading, said that the cases in France and UK, while caused by same broad group of pathogens, are unrelated. 'The two WHO alerts are caused by different enteroviruses in babies in different countries, so they aren't linked,' he said. He added that given how people can be infected with enteroviruses unknowingly it may be useful for medics to screen pregnant women for a potential infection. 'Given as they can be carried without causing disease, the message here is that it might be beneficial to screen pregnant women for the presence of certain pathogens that could cause a serious infection in a newborn,' he said, Even if an infection can't be cured, screening may flag up potential problems before they occur.' Health officials have issued a health warning over the rise of black market Ozempic being sold by online pharmacies. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received reports of adverse effects from people using semaglutide - the active ingredients in Ozempic and Wegovy - created by compounding pharmacies. These pharmacies are usually used to create custom-made drugs for patients with special needs, who may have severe allergies to some ingredients. But some direct-to-consumer companies or the pharmacies themselves are now selling compounded semaglutide to cash in on the shortage of Wegovy and Ozempic, which has been going on for months as the drugs continue to make headlines for fueling amazing weight-loss transformations. The drugs work by mimicking the action of a hormone to help someone feel full and reduce their calorie intake. But they are in shortage amid a surge in public interest Pictured above is Khalin Grant, 41, from Florida, who lost 75lbs in seven months while taking weekly injections of Wegovy. She says she now fits into smaller dress sizes than when she was in college The drugs spiraled into shortage amid rocketing demand for the injections which can help someone achieve weight loss. More than five million prescriptions of the drugs, alongside Eli Lilly's Mounjaro, were written last year, which was a 21-fold surge from 230,000 in 2019. To meet surging demand Novo Nordisk, which manufactures the drugs, has opened more and more production lines. But amid the shortages pharmacies have been allowed to mix their own versions of the drug, in a process known as compounding. In their alert, the FDA warned that these compounded drugs should be avoided if the approved versions of the drug were available. It said side effects had been reported in relation to the drugs, but did not detail what these were. Semaglutide is known, however, to cause a range of side effects including nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and constipation. The agency also said it had received reports of some pharmacies using salt versions of the drug semaglutide sodium and semaglutide acetate. It said this differs from the active ingredient used in the approved drugs, which only contain the base form of semaglutide. The agency said: 'Patients should be aware that some products sold as "semaglutide" may not contain the same active ingredient as FDA-approved semaglutide products. 'Products containing these salts, such as semaglutide sodium and semaglutide acetate, have not been shown to be safe and effective.' It added: 'Purchasing medicine online from unregulated, unlicensed sources can expose patients to potentially unsafe products that have not undergone appropriate evaluation or approval, or do not meet quality standards.' Ozempic and Wegovy both use the same drug, semaglutide, which works by mimicking the action of a hormone making someone feel full. This leads to someone consuming fewer calories and, as a result, prompts weight loss in patients. Both drugs have been approved for patients with type 2 diabetes, but only Wegovy has also been cleared to help with weight loss in obese patients. Many doctors are prescribing the drugs off-label to patients for weight loss, however, which is behind the shortage in the US. A record number of women in their 40s are having children, official data shows as the birth rate continues to drop off in younger age groups. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed the birth rate for women aged 40 to 44 rose four percent in 2022 on the previous year to a record high. There was also a 12 percent uptick among women who were aged 45 to 49 years, the first change in this rate since 2015, and to another record level. Experts say that more people are putting off starting a family until later in life, instead choosing to focus on their career, travel and social life in their younger years. The rise of technologies such as invitro-fertilization (IVF) and egg freezing have also played a role. The uptick among older women comes as America's fertility rate hovers at just below 1.7 births per woman. It hit a record low in 2020 at 1.6 when the pandemic led many couples to put off having children. The above map shows the percentage change in the number of births recorded in 2022 compared to the previous year by state. New Mexico, Washington DC and North Dakota saw the sharpest dips. At the other end of the scale, however, Texas, Florida and Delaware saw the sharpest upticks The above graph shows the US fertility rate or the number of children per woman by year. It currently stands at 1.7 per woman, as it continues to trend downwards Celebrities that have become mothers after turning 40 include Hilary Swank, left, who gave birth to twins this April at the age of 48, and Halle Berry, who gave birth to her children when she was 41 and 47 years old Dr Joshua Goldstein, the director of the population center at the University of California, Berkeley, told NBC News that the lower fertility rate 'probably means that more women are having children when they want to have children'. He continued: 'Theyve had chances to get a better education, better chances to find the right partner, more chances to excel in their career. 'Its not the size of the next generation that matters. Its the contribution that generation can make. The fact that women are able to have children at the ages they want and invest in those children is a positive thing.' As more and more women become mothers in their 40s, even celebrities are joining the trend. They include actresses Hilary Swank, who gave birth to twins this April at the age of 48 years, and Halle Berry, who gave birth to her first child Nahla at the age of 41 years and second child Maceo after turning 47. For women aged 40 to 44 years, the fertility rate was 12.5 births per 1,000 women, while for those in the older age group, it was 1.1 per 1,000. There was also an uptick in the birth rate among women who were in their late 30s, where it rose two per cent to 54.9 per 1,000. But birth rates continued to decline among women aged 20 to 34 years and hit a record low among those aged 20 to 24 years. Among teenagers, the rate hit a record low of 13.9 births per 1,000 women in the age group after falling eight percent from 2007 to 2021. Official data showed that overall there were 3,000 fewer babies born last year compared to 2021. The report from the CDC, released today, said 3.661million births were recorded in 2022, down just under one percent on the previous year. The above graph shows birth rates by different age groups. It shows that while there has been a downturn in younger age groups, older ones shave seen a persistent uptick This map shows the total number of births by state. States like Texas, California, Florida and New York which are the most populous led the pack This graph highlights the mean age of women at their first birth. This is continuing to rise as more people put off having children until later in life This was a less steep drop from 2019 to 2020, when it declined four percent amid the pandemic. But it marked a switch from 2020 and 2021, when the birth rate rose by one percent likely as couples who put off having children. America's fertility rate has been in decline for decades, which experts have blamed on the 'Instagram' generation prioritizing careers, traveling and their social lives over having babies. Others have also raised concerns over the rising cost of living and student debt, which they say leave many feeling financially unable to start a family until later in life. Health officials pointed out the data was provisional, but with more than 99 percent of births counted it indicates that the birth rate is continuing to slip. Dr Phil Levine, an economist at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, explained to CNN that when women have children later they tend to have fewer children. America's birth rate has been declining for decades as more and more people prioritize their careers and say it is now too expensive to have children. In the 1800s, when records began, American women were having about seven children each. But this has tumbled consistently over the preceding years, hitting three per woman in the 1900s and then dropping below two in the 2010s the rate needed to maintain the current population. America's birth rate fell a whopping four percent in 2020 to the lowest level on record amid the Covid pandemic as many couples put off having children. It rebounded one percent in 2021 as pandemic restrictions eased to 3.664million, but the latest data suggests it is now trending back to a period of decline. In the latest report, data shows that 38 out of 50 states plus Washington DC saw a decline in births in 2022 compared to the previous year. The sharpest downturn was in New Mexico (eight percent), followed by the District of Columbia (seven percent), North Dakota (five percent) and New Hampshire (four percent). At the other end of the scale was Texas (up four percent), followed by Florida (also up four percent) and Delaware (up three percent). Experts have previously warned that the low birth rate could lead to economic devastation in America down the line, as the federal government would need to collect more taxes to fund programs such as Medicare and Social Security. Dr Melissa Kearney, an economics professor at the University of Maryland, previously told DailyMail.com: 'There has been a greater emphasis on spending time building careers. 'Adults are changing their attitudes towards having kids. 'They are choosing to spend money and time in different ways... [that] are coming into conflict with parenting.' She continued that younger people are also showing more interest in leisure activities and travel now than they did before, on top of career building. '[Wanting to travel] just comes into conflict with parenting,' she said. Many have pointed to the high costs of childcare, student debt held by Americans in their early 20s and other financial pressures for the drop off in birth rates. Doctors removed the cash in his stomach via surgery and he was discharged A man from Colombia was left needing surgery after he swallowed more than three dozen rolls of cash. The 67-year-old, who was not named, was taken to doctors saying he had been suffering from vomiting and extreme constipation for more than a month. He also revealed to the medics in Bogota, the capital, that he had ingested 30 latex-covered capsules filled with cash of which only 20 had been expelled. Doctors removed the packages by making a small incision in his stomach and he was discharged 18 hours later with no long-term ill effects. The money was reported as having become compact masses of paper. The above shows the rolls of cash inside the 67-year-old's stomach. They were removed via surgery It was not clear why the man had swallowed the cash, but he may have been a drug mule - and responsible for getting the illegal money across borders The man did not reveal why he had ingested the cash, although it was possible that he was a drug mule. These are individuals that transport illegal drugs or cash across borders by hiding them in clothes, vehicles or ingesting them. Whole regions of Colombia are also thought to be dependent on the drug trade, with the country being the largest producer of cocaine in the world and behind more than 90 percent of the US supply. The man was taken to hospital for treatment by the National Police of Colombia after complaining of persistent symptoms. Upon arrival, doctors diagnosed him with pyloric stenosis typically seen in infants where the valve connecting the stomach and small intestine is tightened, restricting the passage of food. An examination using an endoscopy putting a camera down the throat revealed the wedges of cash in the stomach. Doctors said the objects could not be extracted by pulling them out through the throat because they were now just compact masses of paper. They opted instead to carry out a laparoscopic surgery to remove the objects. In this operation, doctors create a small incision near the area affected and then remove tissues, organs or foreign objects in this case rolls of cash. The operation was a success and the patient was discharged 18 hours later. It was not clear what happened to the money afterward, but the hospital reported it as being unusable. It comes after doctors in India had to perform surgery to remove a plastic bottle from a man's stomach. The 55-year-old from central India's Madhya Pradesh province had swallowed the bottle whole. The man came to the hospital complaining of stomach pain and doctors removed the bottle via surgery. The incident took place in the Chhatarpur district of the state on May 16, and it is not clear how the bottle ended up in his stomach. After days of terrible headlines, ITV finally believes it is now ahead of the crisis on the sofa of the This Morning show. The appointment of King's Counsel Jane Mulcahy to investigate alleged predatory behaviour by former presenter Phillip Schofield is intended to limit reputational damage to brand ITV and offer breathing space to chief executive Carolyn McCall. She has some hard grind ahead, seeking to reverse a 29 per cent drop in the broadcaster's share price in the last several months. The group is anxious to take some decisive action ahead of the scheduled hearings on the scandal by MPs next Tuesday at which McCall may be required to appear. ITV also recognises that there are banana skins ahead, including potential new disclosures. Hard grind: ITV also recognises that there are banana skins ahead, including potential new disclosures All the indications are that ITV's board, chaired by Andrew Cosslett, are behind McCall, and her five-year stewardship of ITV is in no danger. McCall recognised that ITV needs to be a player in the exploding world of streaming and she is keen to see the growth of ITVX. But British shareholders seem to have a great deal more interest in share buybacks than committing capital to promising but unproven new ventures. The broadcaster ought to have earned trust through the way it has diversified income streams, with about half coming from studio and production. A problem for McCall is that the Schofield affair is not the first time it has found itself blown off course by screen events. The 'suicide' legacy among participants in lucrative Love Island is not fully resolved. McCall also found herself at the vortex of a row over the departure of Piers Morgan from Good Morning Britain. Given this series of incidents, it might have been thought that McCall and her executive team might have found ways of ring-fencing themselves from issues which should have been properly handled by line managers. A possibility might be appointing an internal ethics chieftain. Broadcasting stars have their own deck of agents and are very good at turning the cannons on management.The real test will come if the Mulcahy report uncovers evidence of a systemic cover-up. All of this is an enormous distraction. McCall enjoys a stellar reputation in the City for the growth of Easyjet under her stewardship and the way she stood up to its founder and major shareholder Stelios Haji-Ioannou. In the end, McCall will want to be judged on her decision to plough ahead with the relatively modest 160m investment in ITVX. Early indications suggest that, with 3m people signed up and a wealth of historic programming to call upon, its value will be recognised by sceptical investors. But she has to be careful not to be blown off course by on-screen and behind-the-scenes events before then. Last mile Britain's banks have devised crafty methods of growing earnings. One is by increasing net interest margins, doing a disservice to loyal savers, and the other is by closing branches. Lloyds Bank is at it again slashing 53 branches from its network, from Newcastle to Paignton. We are meant to be relaxed about this on the grounds that 20m customers use online facilities and because there is a Post Office within one mile of the closed branch. This fails to recognise that there are large sections of the population, including the elderly, those rightly suspicious of fraud and sole traders, who value branches. There are any number of us who used to think that branches were a place to go to discuss mortgages, get advice and pick up foreign currency. No one will be comforted by knowing a Post Office is a mile away. Aside from the fact it is a long walk, the network is a nightmare, with crumbling branches and often-resentful staff having to process the millions of Amazon parcels being returned to sender. Chief executive Charlie Nunn needs a reality check. Murky waters There is nothing to like about the financial results from alleged polluter Pennon, home of South West Water. It, like the other water firms, proposes to load 10billion of investment in clean water on to users' bills, while reporting losses and paying out a hefty dividend of 112m. Is there no humility? In November 2020 I bought 25,000 of National Savings & Investments Premium Bonds in one transaction, all with consecutive numbers. They became eligible to be entered into the draw in January 2021, but in 2021 I won nothing at all. However, in 2022 and 2023 I have won quite a few prizes. I am concerned that I received no prizes at all in the whole of 2021 on such a large number of bonds. I appreciate that the draw is random, but my lack of success does seem statistically improbable, and I worry that, due to an IT error, my bonds were not included in the database from which prizes are selected for the whole of 2021, because they were wrongly identified as being first eligible for prizes in January 2022 instead of January 2021. Via email Sought-after savings: Two-thirds of Britons own NS&I Premium Bonds, with millions more owning other NS&I savings deals Sam Barker, of This is Money, replies: Premium Bonds are Britain's most-loved savings product, with more than 22million people owning them. Most 1million jackpot wins come from NS&I customers with large stakes - Britons can save up to 50,000 in Premium Bonds each. Many savers love the excitement of a chance to win 25 upwards in each month's Premium Bonds draw. Premium Bonds Winners Prize Area Value of bond 1,000,000 Essex 5,000 1,000,000 South Gloucestershire 1,000 100,000 Cambridgeshire 9,980 100,000 Cleveland 10,000 100,000 West Sussex 4,875 100,000 Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot 600 100,000 West Midlands 2,000 100,000 Essex 5,000 More June 2023 winners View list of June 2023 winners With a 25,000 stake, winning nothing at all for a whole year seems extremely unlikely. So has there been some sort of mistake, or are you just an unlucky Premium Bond holder - and just how unlucky? NS&I denied that there had been any sort of error with your bonds, and suggested it was all just very bad luck. You should have won a prize 12 times during 2021 with average luck, data shows. I spoke to an expert statistician to find out what the exact odds of our reader winning nothing at all during 2021 were. Statistician Michael Dunne-Willows said the probability of going all year without winning anything with 25,000 in Premium Bonds is equal to 0.00000373. That assumes that all 25,000 1 Premium Bonds were eligible for 12 monthly prize draws in 2021. Dunne-Willows added: 'That's an extremely small probability and is equivalent to odds of over 260,000 to 1. This is extremely unlikely. 'In fact, with holdings of 25,000 Premium Bonds, and given the above assumptions, the customer should have generally expected to win on average about 12 times a year. 'Most of these winnings would generally be the lowest prize value of 25 but even so, that corresponds to an expected total winning of over 300 annually.' An NS&I spokesman said: 'Mrs S opened a formal complaint with NS&I, which was originally responded to on July 5. Further letters were sent to Mrs S on July 15, July 29, September 26 and October 22, 2022. 'These letters explained that the generation of Premium Bonds numbers is completely random and that Mrs S's Bonds were eligible for the prize draws in which they should have been.' Two of the world's biggest figures in banking have set the stage for a showdown over convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Former Barclays chief executive Jes Staley says in court documents that he told his then boss JP Morgan chief Jamie Dimon about the bank's business with convicted sex offender Epstein. Staley, who ran JP Morgan's private banking arm, said Dimon communicated with him when Epstein was arrested in 2006 and, in 2008, when Epstein pleaded guilty to procuring a child for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute, according to legal documents seen by the Wall Street Journal. Epstein was dropped as a client in 2013. But Dimon maintains that he has no recollection of discussing or reviewing Epstein's accounts and does not believe such conversations with Staley took place. 'There is no evidence that any such communications ever occurred nothing in the voluminous number of documents reviewed and nothing in the nearly dozen depositions taken, including that of our own chief executive,' a spokesman for the Wall Street bank said. At odds: Jes Staley and Jamie Dimon are in a war of words over Jeffrey Epstein 'The one person who claims this to be true is currently accused of horrific acts and dishonesty.' Staley, who left JP Morgan to become chief executive of Barclays, had to step down from the British bank in 2021 after a probe by regulators into his relationship with Epstein. JP Morgan is being sued over its ties to the disgraced billionaire and is accused of knowingly benefiting from his sex trafficking. Separately, JP Morgan has sued Staley, claiming that he misled executives about Epstein. Staley's lawyers have said the allegations are baseless and he has denied that he knew of Epstein's alleged trafficking. Last month Dimon said he regretted his bank's ties to the late financier and paedophile Epstein. 'I am so sad that we had any relation to that man whatsoever,' he told Bloomberg TV. He said the bank would have done things 'differently' if it had known about Epstein's behaviour. Epstein became a JP Morgan client in around 1998 and, over the years, the bank managed dozens of Epstein-related accounts containing hundreds of millions of dollars, according to the lawsuits. Epstein died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Online car dealer Auto Trader sank into the red after a hit from a shortage of new motors across the industry. The FTSE 100 group said Autorama, the vehicle leasing business it bought in June last year, was affected by supply issues in the pick-up and van markets. The platform posted an 11.2m loss in the year to the end of March and sales of 27.2m, below market expectations. Soaring demand helped it sell cars at the fastest pace since it joined the London stock market in 2015. But this weighed on the number of vehicles listed on the blue-chip firm's website. Revenue rose 16 per cent to 500.2m, driven by higher sales in its core marketplace business. But profit fell 2 per cent to 293.6m. In reverse: Revenue rose 16 per cent to 500.2m, driven by higher sales in its core marketplace business, but profit fell 2 per cent Auto Trader added that new UK car registrations of 1.7m were 3 per cent above the year before but were still down 19 per cent compared to pre-pandemic levels amid supply constraints. Shares fell 3.4 per cent, or 21.4p, to 608.6p. Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said: 'Auto Trader's website is the one most visited by prospective car buyers because it has the most listings. 'Car retailers are therefore compelled to use its products, reinforcing its leading position.' London stocks made a positive start to June, with the FTSE 100 up 0.6 per cent, or 44.13 points, to 7490.27 while the FTSE 250 rose 0.6 per cent, or 104.86 points, to 18,827.76. Miners made gains on the back of higher metal prices. Fresnillo added 4.5 per cent, or 29.2p, to 677.2p, Antofagasta was up by 3.2 per cent, or 42.5p, to 1380p and Rio Tinto climbed by 2.2 per cent, or 104p, to 4886p. B&M rose 3.8 per cent, or 19.6p, to 529.4p after a hat-trick of broker upgrades, a day after the discount retailer had forecast higher profits for next year. Likewise, WH Smith received a vote of confidence from the City following its positive update on Wednesday as Barclays raised the retailer's target price to 2035p from 2010p. Shares rose 1.7 per cent, or 26p, to 1596p. There was also good news for Convatec as Morgan Stanley raised its rating on the company, which makes high-tech bandages and wound dressings, to 'overweight' from 'equal weight' and increased the target price by 15p. Shares gained 3.1 per cent, or 6.2p, to close at 209p. The boss of ITM Power hailed the speed at which his green energy firm has reined in spending. Dennis Schulz, who took over in December last year, unveiled a 12-month plan at the start of 2023 to slow down cash consumption and expand facilities. It came as results for the year to the end of April were likely to deliver revenues above the 2m which was pencilled in by analysts, losses in line with forecasts and 281m of cash, nearly 30m more than expected. ITM Power shares fell by 1 per cent, or 0.68p, to 68.56p. Ceres Power, the fuel cell developer, says that it is hoping to gain greater exposure and access to international investors by moving its shares from AIM to the main market of the London Stock Exchange. The group, which joined AIM in 2004, expects to enter the mid-cap tier in September. Its shares rose by 5.7p, or 15.8p, to 294.4p. The bidding war for payments firm Network International will spill over into next week after the FTSE 250 firm extended the deadline to table formal bids from yesterday to June 9. A consortium of CVC and Francisco Partners offered 387p a share, while Canadian giant Brookfield Asset Management offered 400p a share, or 2.1billion. Network's stock was down 1.6p, or 6p, to 360p. Stormy Daniels is jockeying to regain custody of a beloved horse from a former friend whom she has accused of secretly selling and then buying the equine herself, while she was boarding it in a stable in Texas, DailyMail.com can reveal. The porn star, who is inextricably linked to Donald Trump, is suing Southern Cross Equestrian, a horse boarding stable in Terrell 30 miles east of Dallas as well as owner Michelle Cheney, who had been keeping her competitive horse, Leo, under pasture care since late 2020. But, Daniels, real name Stephanie Clifford, now claims Cheney concocted a scheme to take ownership of 13-year-old Leo back in March by quietly placing a lien on the Dutch Warmblood that allowed the stable owner to buy him at a 'nominal price'. The 44-year-old, who moved from Texas to live in Florida with new husband Barrett Blade, 49, also says she now fears Cheney will 'conceal, dispose, or remove' Leo, a 16-hand bay, and is demanding to have the horse promptly returned to her. Stormy Daniels is suing Southern Cross Equestrian, a stable in Terrell, Texas, where she had been boarding her beloved horse Cooley Renaissance Man, aka, 'Leo' since late 2020 The former porn actress, who is also an avid equestrian, is demanding her horse be returned to her in Florida after it was put up for public sale in March Stable keeper Michelle Cheney has countersued Daniels claiming she failed to pay her outstanding bills for Leo's care The lawsuit, filed last month and obtained by DailyMail.com, has resulted in a counterclaim by Cheney, who fired back by accusing Daniels of saddling her with unpaid bills totaling $10,000 after 'routinely' failing to pay the horse's boarding fees and expenses on time. Daniels, who lived in Forney, 12 miles from Terrell, is an avid equestrian who has owned at least eight horses. She first purchased Leo who was formerly known as 'Fair Play' and competes as 'Cooley Renaissance Man' in Ireland in June 2016. But in the fall of 2020, she made the decision to place Leo on pasture care at Southern Cross Equestrian for $350 a month after the horse contracted a neurological condition known as EPM. Daniels had used the facility in the past and had become friends with Cheney, 51, as a result of 'their mutual interest and ownership of horses,' she says. Her arrangement with the boarding stable changed in January 2021, when Cheney offered to 'pick the tab up' on Leo's board and farrier in exchange for rights to lease him out to other riders, the lawsuit states. Cheney pointed out that the deal would benefit both parties as it would allow Leo, who had been 'sitting in our paddock getting fat', to be more active. According to the papers, Daniels relied on Cheney's 'representation' as the owner of the stable that if she 'allowed Southern Cross to monetize Leo, which would also provide Leo more opportunities for exercise and enjoyment, then [Daniels] would not owe money for Leo's board and farrow.' Under the new agreement, Southern Cross began leasing Leo to riders that year and throughout the summer, during which Cheney had informed clients that the horse was not for sale, Daniels claimed. Daniels, who previously lived in Texas, made the decision to put Leo in pasture care at Southern Cross after he contracted a neurological condition in the fall of 2020 The horse was boarded at the stables at a rate of $350 a month but when Daniels moved to Florda she wanted to take it with her Daniels's arrangement with Southern Cross changed in January 2021, when Cheney offered to lease out Leo to other riders in exchange for boarding and farrier, the lawsuit states The agreement continued up until February this year, when Daniels informed Cheney she planned to relocate Leo to Florida According to Daniels, Cheney never sent her a 'final bill' and instead placed a lien on Leo before putting him up for 'public sale', where the stable keeper then purchased him herself in March Michelle Cheney poses with one of her horses at Southern Cross Equestrian The arrangement continued up until February when Daniels moved into a horse farm near Ocala, Florida, with her fourth husband and told Cheney she planned to relocate Leo. According to the lawsuit, Cheney responded: 'Sure, I'll put together your final bill and send that to you. Once we settle up, you're free to take Leo.' However, Daniels claims she 'was not aware of any outstanding bill' at that time and understood that the last board bill from their initial agreement had been paid in full in December 2020. 'Regardless of what the "final bill" would apply to, [Daniels] was willing to promptly satisfy any genuine or honest claim and made efforts to learn what the putative claim was in order to promptly pay over the ensuing weeks,' her suit states. '[Daniels] neither knew that Defendants claimed there were charges due and owing as it related to the care of Leo nor did she know what the amount claimed to be due and owing was so she could pay it.' From that point forward, Daniels claims, Cheney nor anyone acting on Southern Cross's behalf ever sent her a bill or told her how much she owed. When she eventually followed up on February 26 asking for 'the total' so she could pick Leo up, Cheney suggested they talk the next day citing 'things' they had to 'work through' before she could send the full bill, the suit states. But Daniels later learned that Cheney had actually issued a stableman's lien on the horse 'in an amount still not known' to her, and subsequently held a public sale of Leo on March 3. 'Unsurprisingly, the "public" sale resulted in Cheney being the only bidder, allowing her to buy Leo for a nominal price,' Daniels's lawsuit states. Daniels, a life long equestrian, often showcases her love for horses and riding on social media, where she once shared a photo of Leo chomping on a doll of her nemesis, Donald Trump She owns several horses in addition to Leo, who is formerly known as 'Fair Play' and competes as 'Cooley Renaissance Man' and who she purchased in Ireland in June 2016 Stormy Daniels rides a horse in a photo posted to her Instagram on February 18, 2018 Daniels is now demanding damages of up to $75,000 , as well as her legal fees. She is also seeking a sequestration bond and an order of delivery of Leo, who she claims now has a 'lessened' present value of $5,000, due to Cheney's 'actions.' Cheney, meanwhile, has contested her suit, accusing Daniels of racking up a five-figure bill with Southern Cross and failing to pay the outstanding balance. According to her counterclaim obtained by DailyMail.com, Daniels had already owed nearly $10,000 in early 2020 before Leo became ill for 'board, farrier, and health care fees' for Leo as well as a second horse, Fella. Southern Cross's legal team sent her a notice regarding the outstanding invoice in January 2021 warning her that the stable keeper had issued a lien on Leo for the amount owed and could foreclose it to sell the horse in at public sale after the bill goes unpaid for 60 days. Daniels managed to pay her debts by the facility's deadline of February 20, 2021 and continued boarding her horses and paying her bills, although, the countersuit notes, 'not always timely nor consistently, for the next several months, sometimes missing months of payments at a time.' In fact, Cheney and Southern Cross claim, Daniels is yet to pay two invoices from November and December 2020, totaling $1,285. Southern Cross foreclosed its stableman's lien on Leo and held a public sale on March 3, when Cheney 'was the higher bidder' and therefore took 'legal ownership' of the horse In her counterclaim, Cheney does not dispute that she and Daniels had agreed to lease Leo out in exchange for boarding, but notes Stormy was still being billed for outstanding invoices Cheney and Southern Cross claim, Daniels is still yet to pay two invoices from November and December 2020, totaling $1,285 The suit does not dispute that Cheney and Daniels had agreed to lease Leo out in exchange for boarding after January 2021, but notes that the deal was separate to the unpaid invoices and mounting late fees that she still owed. 'At no point did Defendants ever represent that November 2020 or December 2020's unpaid balances were forgiven or washed away in this new deal,...' the suit states. 'The continued invoices reiterated the fact that the November and December bills were outstanding, and Stormy never once questioned or denied the outstanding invoices.' The company also confirmed it foreclosed its stableman's lien on Leo and held a public sale at which Cheney 'was the higher bidder' and therefore took 'legal ownership' of the horse. DailyMail.com reached out to Cheney's lawyers for comment. Daniels has spoken publicly about her equestrian background in previous interviews, revealing she grew up in a rough neighborhood in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where she developed a passion for riding horses and writing. In 2018 she earned a spot on Vanity Fair's Hall of Fame after she was photographed posing on a horse for a spread in the magazine shot by Annie Leibowitz. She also often showcases her love for horses and riding on social media, where she once shared a photo of Leo chomping on a doll resembling her nemesis, Donald Trump. The horse has even appeared in one of her X-rated films called Unbridled, which is based on a retired equestrian who returns to competing to save her family's ranch. The adult film star grew up in a rough neighborhood in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where she developed a passion for riding horses and writing Daniels currently lives on a horse farm near Ocala, Florida with husband Barrett Blade, who she married in December Daniels, who gained notoriety after claiming she was paid to stay quiet about her alleged affair with Trump, recently admitted she regrets going public after she and her family, and even her horses, faced death threats as a result. Speaking to UK TV morning show Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid last week, she said she came forward 'to set an example for my daughter and other young women so that she grows up and says, "my mom wasn't bullied and the people in power can't bully you or control you". But she also admitted that the threats made against her had increased, alleging Trump supporters climbed her fence and attacked her horse, Redemption, earlier this month. The former president himself has launched scathing attacks against Daniels on social media, including his claims earlier this year that he was the victim of a 'Stormy "Horse Face" Daniels extortion plot'. Trump was later indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on a string of charges relating to the case, on March 30. Daniels told Piers Morgan she was riding her horse called Redemption at the time she heard the news. 'I'm straddling a horse named Redemption when he got indicted. Redemption is his name. I can't make this up,' she said in an interview shared in April. She said she received that horse as a 44th birthday present in March. The Pediatrician said Aussie will face mix of viruses A top doctor has warned Australians of a winter virus explosion,with influenza cases set to rise as Covid-19 continues to spread. More than 57,000 flu cases were admitted to hospital in the first half of the year, with half of those treated in the past month alone. Paediatrician Dr Daryl Cheng said this year's winter flu season was 'worrying' as Aussies face a mix of viruses post-pandemic. 'We are seeing a huge increase in people presenting with respiratory illnesses, cases of flu, Covid and also other respiratory viruses as well,' Dr Cheng told Today. 'What we are seeing in this kind of post Covid-19 pandemic is a mix of the viruses, so you can get more than one. Paediatrician Doctor Daryl Cheng (pictured) said this year's winter flu season was 'worrying' as Aussies face a mix of viruses post-pandemic Doctor Cheng explained contracting a mixture of viruses puts vulnerable people at risk including those under the age of five, pregnant women and those 65-years and older. He added Aussies can protect themselves during flu season by using practices learnt during the pandemic. 'Things like hand hygiene, staying home while you're sick, social distancing when you can and also things like flu vaccines to prevent against influenza, especially for the vulnerable populations is really important,' Doctor Cheng said. Doctor Cheng urged parents to seek medical attention if their child shows signs of more than just the common cold. 'If you're worried that your child or a family member or someone that you love is unwell and not doing so well and having more than just the common cold, it's important to seek someone to assess that,' Doctor Cheng said. 'Whether that's a nurse on call, visiting a respiratory clinic or your GP where possible. Especially for these people with medical conditions that is really important.' There have already been 40,318 cases of laboratory-proven influenza from the start of 2023 to May 14, with more than 8,173 cases diagnosed in the first half of May alone (stock image) Doctor Cheng advised Aussies can protect themselves during flu season by using practices learnt during the pandemic including wearing a mask (pictured), social distancing, hand hygiene and staying home when sick There have already been 40,318 cases of laboratory-proven influenza from the start of 2023 to May 14, according to the Australian Government's National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System. More than 8,173 cases diagnosed in the first half of May alone, making 2023 the second worst year on record. Flu cases dropped to very low numbers during Covid restrictions but the virus is roaring back, with new strains generally brought by travelers returning from the Northern Hemisphere. A squirter wearing dishdash runs from a quala in southern Kandahar province. He appears to be a fighting-age male and might be the HVT that headquarters wants. As an SAS operator, under the ROE would you immediately engage the insurgent with a short burst from an MG, or try to take him back to TK as a puck? Much of the language used in Ben Roberts-Smith's defamation trial against Nine newspapers would not have made sense to Australians who did not fight in Afghanistan. Some of it was slang coined by soldiers, formed out of their shared knowledge and experience in Australia's longest and perhaps least understood war. Most of it was made up of bland acronyms beloved of the military forces. Roberts-Smith will learn on Thursday afternoon if his defamation action was successful when Justice Anthony Besanko makes his findings in the Federal Court. The 44-year-old Victoria Cross recipient, who Nine accused of war crimes, had been out of the regular army for eight years when he gave evidence but still talked like the soldier he once was. Much of the language used in Ben Roberts-Smith's defamation trial against Nine newspapers would have be unfamiliar to anyone who had not fought in Afghanistan. Roberts-Smith is pictured with other soldiers who drank from the prosthetic leg of a slain insurgent In the trial's early days the hearing had to pause several times so that foreign terms could be explained to Justice Anthony Besanko, and recorded for the transcript. What was never spelt out was the precise meaning of a phrase vital to the action - the 'rules of engagement' Australians fought under and Roberts-Smith insisted he always observed. Roberts-Smith's testimony was filled with talk of squirters, spotters, green belts and pucking, and acronyms from ANA (Afghan National Army) to VRI (very reliable intelligence). Barrister Bruce McClintock SC, for Roberts-Smith, defined 'squirter' as 'a person who leaves the scene of a mission when soldiers approach.' It was defined elsewhere in glossaries of the war in Afghanistan as an insurgent runner leaving a target, and as a person attempting to escape a cordoned area. A 'spotter' was Australian Defence Force slang for 'an enemy surveillance operative who reports coalition soldiers' movements to militants.' Dishdash was a traditional form of men's clothing - 'it's effectively a dress, so you can pull it up and there's nothing else under it,' Roberts-Smith explained. Some of the language used in Afghanistan was slang coined by soldiers formed out of their shared knowledge and experience. Most of it is made up of bland acronyms beloved of the military. Special forces soldiers are pictured watching over a valley A quala was a walled, mud-brick series of rooms usually set around a courtyard but was usually just called a compound during the hearing. Dasht was a generic term for any desert area. Afghanistan glossary Blooding: Initiating a soldier in killing Blue on blue: Friendly forces attacking each other Dishdash: Tradition Afghan male dress Drake shooting: Weapons fire directed in the vicinity of an enemy location and without an aimed target in order to suppress incoming fire EKIA: Enemy killed in action FAM: Fighting age male Green belt: A heavily vegetated area full of cornfields, orchards, farms, aqueducts and pockets of bush Kill board: A tally of enemy killed kept by the SAS Outside the wire: Beyond the security perimeter of a coalition base Pocket litter: Personal effects found on an EKIA or PUC PUC: Person under capture/control/confinement Quala: A walled, mud brick compound Rat lines: Enemy escape routes ROE: Rules of engagement Spotter: An enemy surveillance operative who reports coalition soldiers' movements to militants Squirter: An insurgent runner leaving the scene of a mission SSE: Sensitive site exploitation is the gathering of evidence at a scene Throwdown: Weapon or device put in place to suggest a dead Afghani was a combatant Advertisement The 'green belt', where compounds were normally located, was a heavily vegetated place full of cornfields, orchards, aqueducts and pockets of bush. [An aqueduct in Afghanistan was not some complex Roman-style bridge to carry water but a simple irrigation ditch carved out of the soil]. McClintock gave Justice Besanko a glossary of terms which would come up during the trial. Many were used by Roberts-Smith himself; others appeared in battlefield reports. McClintock told Justice Belanto a 'FAM' was a fighting-age male and it was 'a phrase Your Honour will become used to'. He did, along with many other terms. If a squirter or spotter was a FAM and wearing webbing - the belt, pouches and harness used to carry ammunition and soldiering equipment - he was likely an armed insurgent. McClintock said a PUC - pronounced puck rather than spelt out when spoken - was a 'person under confinement', while older glossaries say it is a person under capture or control. If an insurgent is in custody he is pucked. 'All fighting-age males would be pucked until such time they could be processed post-assault,' Roberts-Smith said in evidence. There was no strict description of what 'fighting-age' actually meant but it was 'anyone you felt was old enough' to directly take part in a fight, he said. Nine alleged all the Afghanis they claim Roberts-Smith killed were PUCs. He said he never shot one and never would. Not in any official glossary was the term 'blooding' which Nine alleged referred to initiating a soldier in the practice of killing, 'or giving them the taste for killing'. Roberts-Smith denied any knowledge of it occurring and said he had never heard the term before reading it in media reports about five years ago. The SAS had maintained a 'kill board' - a tally of how many insurgents had been killed on a rotation - in a military tradition dating back at least to the world wars. Many trial observers were familiar with 'IED' for improvised explosive device, and terms used outside the military such as 'SOP' for standard operating procedure and 'sitrep' for situation report. Barrister Bruce McClintock SC defined 'squirter' as 'a person who leaves the scene of a mission when soldiers approach.' It is defined elsewhere in glossaries of the war in Afghanistan as an insurgent runner leaving a target. Australian soldiers are pictured in Uruzgan Province in 2007 Some phrases were euphemistic. 'Engaging' the enemy was to 'use weapons against a target' - or, even more simply, to shoot at them. The machine gun (MG) posts Roberts-Smith stormed to earn his Victoria Cross were 'silenced', rather than the occupants being subject to 'lethal force', or killed. Indirect fire (IF) was delivered at a target which could not by seen by the aimer. 'Drake shooting' was fire directed in the vicinity of an enemy location without an aimed target in order to suppress attack. Once a soldier was in Afghanistan he was 'in country'. To be 'outside the wire' was to be beyond the protective cordon of an Australian or coalition base. Inside the wire, where the 'lines' or troop accommodation are located, was not always safe. A 'blue on blue' incident was an attack by friendly forces on other coalition soldiers. In one blue on blue attack while Roberts-Smith was in Afghanistan a coalition soldier shot dead three Australians playing cards. Roberts-Smith said the SAS maintained a 'kill board' - a tally of how many insurgents had been killed on a rotation - in a military tradition dating back at least to the world wars When Roberts-Smith talked of an 'op', or operation, he meant 'a series of tactical actions with a common unifying purpose'. An SAS soldier was an 'operator' but Roberts-Smith informally called them 'lads'. An operation was defined as planned and conducted 'to achieve a strategic or campaign end state or objective within a given time and geographical area.' A patrol was a detachment of ground, sea or air forces 'sent out for the purpose of gathering information or carrying out a destructive, mopping up or security mission.' Patrols were often inserted and extracted by chopper, or 'birds', which came in and out on an HLZ, or helicopter landing zone. If the chopper landed on the target it was 'on the X' and if it put down some kilometres away, necessitating a long walk, it was 'on the Y'. A load of troops on one aircraft was a 'chalk'. On patrol, an HVT was a high-value target, an HVI a high-value individual and an HVD a high-value detainee. EKIA was an enemy killed in action. When Roberts-Smith talked of an op, or operation, he meant 'a series of tactical actions with a common unifying purpose'. An SAS soldier was an 'operator'. Australian long range patrol vehicles are pictured moving across an Afghan dasht, or desert region EKIAs and PUCs were routinely searched upon death or apprehension and any 'pocket litter' found on their person was bagged. They might be have been carrying an ICOM radio, or integrated communications device. SSE, or sensitive site exploitation, cropped up repeatedly during the hearing and involved the gathering of physical evidence for intelligence purposes. Tactical questioning was conducted at or near the point of capture and focused on collecting information of immediate tactical value or to help fill out the detainee's 'capture tag'. PUCs were taken back to the Australian base at Tarin Kowt, known as TK, where interrogation was done with the help of an interpreter, or 'terp'. Frequently used in Roberts-Smith's descriptions of missions was the OP, or observation post, a position from which monitoring was undertaken or fire directed and adjusted. To be 'outside the wire' is to be beyond the protective cordon of an Australian or coalition base. Inside the wire, where the 'lines' or troop accommodation are located, is not always safe. Australian soldiers are pictured at their Tarin Kowt base in 2007 On a reconnaissance or 'overwatch' mission, patrol members might have been in the OP or lay-up position (LUP), remaining in place undetected for as long as possible to observe and provide intelligence. If the position was compromised the patrol might have to 'bug out' or 'escape and evade' (E&E). The enemy used 'rat lines' to flee an engagement. He was 'lying doggo' if trying not to be seen. The ROE, or rules of engagement, Australian soldiers operated under in Afghanistan were less easy to define. Related to the ROE was the law of armed conflict, or LOAC. McClintock had told Justice Besanko he would not be able to tender a copy of the rules of engagement because they were sill considered matters of national security but a redacted document was eventually provided. It remained unclear exactly what the rules of engagement contained and they were never made public during the trial. What McClintock could say in open court was that the rules of engagement prescribed when and how Australian soldiers could use varying degrees of force, including killing. The ROE, or rules of engagement, Australian soldiers operated under in Afghanistan were difficult to define in court. Related to the ROE was the law of armed conflict, or LOAC. Australian soldiers from 3RAR are pictured in Tarin Kowt in 2008 'Implementing the rules of engagement, to use a lawyers phrase, is a matter of impression unique to the person making the decision,' he said. 'A person putting a hand in his pocket could enliven the rules of engagement and entitle a soldier observing that action to use lethal force.' Nine's amended defence filed before the hearing began had stated a similar unfamiliarity with the exact rules of engagement. 'At all material times the members of the ADF serving in Afghanistan were bound by the Rules of Engagement issued by the Chief of the Defence Force to the Chief of Joint Operations relating to the conflict in Afghanistan (ROE),' the defence stated. 'The ROE are classified as protected information of the Commonwealth and accordingly their precise terms are not known to the Respondents.' Within the ROE a legitimate target was described as 'directly participating in hostilities' or DPH. Also in the glossary was 'throwdown' - defined as 'a weapon, communication device, or electronic evidence to deliberately place at the scene of an incident to support a narrative that the incident was justified and was within ROE and the LOAC.' Australian fashion retailer Kookai has been slammed online by angry shoppers who claim the store is 'fat-shaming'. The brand is famous for exclusively stocking smaller sizes, with their social media and advertising campaigns notably lacking plus-sized models. A growing number of women are coming forward to share their horror stories from just venturing through the store's shiny glass shopfronts to browse, saying they are being subjected to 'side-eye' stares and discrimination. Fashion retailer Kookai (pictured) has been accused of 'fat-shaming' customers at its stores, with some shoppers allegedly being told to go elsewhere if they're looking for larger sizes 'Why are Kookai workers so stuck up? I'm a size medium, and the looks I get as soon as I walk in make me uncomfortable,' one Melbourne woman wrote in a Facebook group. 'Has anyone else dealt with this before?' she added. The post prompted a raft of similar stories from other women who say they've had similar experiences. 'This has been happening for years. They are well-known for it, and they do tend to fat-shame their customers,' one woman said. Another shared that she had 'never been more humiliated in my life' when she entered one of the retailer's stores. 'As someone that has struggled with body image, I can tell you I'll never go back there,' she added. Others noted the store's confusing sizing system where they stock sizes 6 through 14 which translates to sizes 0-2 for their own 'basics' range. In one of multiple TikTok videos that takes aim at the store, Adelle Petropoulos said she visited a store a few months ago and was shocked by the way she was treated. The makeup artist said she is typically a size 8 in tops and 12 in bottoms but when she asked a staff member for the larger size in a dress she was looking at 'she looked me up and down and literally said, "Doll, we don't stock any larger sizes."' 'Now in hindsight, I should have roasted her right then and there, but I wasn't about to tear into the retail assistant because of her poor attitude, so I asked for her manager,' she said. The manager then recommended her some stores that 'stock larger sizes for larger girls'. One person commented on Ms Petropoulos' video that it was an 'absolute joke that they classify 12 as a large size'. Kookai was founded in France but expanded into Australia in the early 1990s with a store on Melbourne's Collins Street, before rolling out countrywide. The brand is famous for exclusively stocking smaller sizes, with their social media and advertising campaigns notably lacking plus-sized models. (Pictured: Australian model Shanina Shaik on the Kookai catwalk in August 2015) The brand was sold in 2017 to the Australian company Magi, but the stores still operate in both countries, each with its own design teams that curate the collections. The French stores are known for their knitwear while the Oceania stores focus on a more glamorous style that dovetails into its politically incorrect niche. Charlene Stojanovski, 32, said she recently visited one of the brand's Sydney stores but would never go back. 'I browsed through their clothing, and there was nothing on the rack past a size 8,' Ms Stojanovski said. 'I sheepishly asked if they had larger sizes and one of the staff said, "Oh, honey, I'm sorry, we only cater for the petite." 'She answered my question like it was the dumbest thing I could ask them, almost condescendingly.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted Kookai for comment. A 17-year-old girl has been told she is 'lucky to have my arms' after being savaged by an eight stone American bull dog which went berserk in crowded playground. The teenager was badly bitten by the 50kg dog after she tried to stop it attacking a group of kids while taking it for a walk in the park earlier this week in the village of Thorpe Willoughby, near Selby, North Yorkshire. Police arrived on the scene at around 10.26am and soon evacuated the children's playground and the playing fields, while the owner was grabbing hold of the canine. They were able to capture and sedate the eight-month old bull dog in a high fenced area of the park before taking it to a kennel where it was later put down. The 17-year-old and her family had had the dog, called George, or Georgie, for less than a day after it was given to them by a family friend. A 17-year-old girl has been told she is 'lucky to have my arms' after being savaged by an eight stone American bull dog which went berserk in crowded playground Speaking of her ordeal for the first time yesterday, the 17-year-old said: 'I just want to point out that the dog that attacked me did it out of the blue. 'So while he had his jaws around my arm I got someone to ring 999. I never wanted the poor lad to be put down. 'I am not like that. He is a lovely dog. I just wanted him taken to someone who could teach him not to bite. 'He was going for the police when they got there as well. 'For those say it is just a scratch I was told by medical professionals I was bit multiple times and am lucky to still have my arms. 'I may need to be back in hospital soon if it gets worse and an infection sets in. 'I have apologised for any upset this has caused. But I am sick of being blamed when I did the legal thing and handed the dog over to the police.' Another woman who was there said: 'The owner was bitten badly. Her arms are a state. 'She was protecting the smaller kids by holding onto the dog that kept biting her so it didn't go and possibly attack a small child. 'The dog continued to attack the police on their arrival also.' The teenager was badly bitten by the 50kg dog, named George, or Georgie (pictured) which her and her family had for less than a day after it was given to them by a family friend Geroge had been rehomed to the teenager's family less than 24 hours before. His previous owners had another dog and the two pets were not getting on. The family was trying to move to a bigger house so the dogs could be in separate rooms. But having failed to find a suitable property they had rehomed George with a family friend rather than keep both of them caged up. The 17-year-old's sister Dominique, also from Selby, posted on social media: 'My sister's fine - thanks all for asking. Badly shaken and in pain but otherwise OK. 'My sister hasn't had the dog long. It was in a new area with new people. Poor thing got scared and reacted. 'My sister is heartbroken over what's happened but she kept the younger ones safe 'My sister loves animals and obviously wanted to give this dog a home.' Speaking for the previous owners, Laura Wicks commented: 'I had this dog with me. He also lived with my sister and her children. 'He wasn't aggressive. An eye witness said he was not aggressive towards anyone at the park. I was just because of the breed of him.' The children's playground and the playing fields were evacuated and officers could be seen in the car park. A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said: ' No-one, other than the owner of the dog, was injured during the incident. Their injuries are described as bite marks. They added that the dog was put down with the agreement of the owner, and after taking veterinary advice and assessing the risk to all invovled. Electric scooters have become one of the most popular new modes of transport in recent years, with many drawn to their convenience of use. However, their rise in popularity has led to much controversy, with some exploiting the high speed limits of e-scooters to cause chaos on city streets across the world. But what exactly are the rules regarding electric scooters in the UK? Are they illegal? Do you need a licence to ride an electric scooter? Are you allowed to take them on trains? MailOnline breaks down everything you need to know about the use of electric scooters in the UK. As of May 2023, riders can only use e-scooters via the 30 government trials currently in place across England, which permit riders to rent e-scooters in certain areas Are electric scooters illegal in the UK? While electric scooters are legal to own in the UK, there are a number of restrictions in place, limiting where they can be used. As of May 2023, riders can only use e-scooters via the 30 government trials currently in place across England, which permit riders to rent e-scooters in certain areas. Using an e-scooter via one of these trials is the only way to legally ride an e-scooter on public roads. You can use them on any stretch of private land, as long as you have obtained landowner's permission. The scheme does not currently apply to anywhere in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. The following laws make the use of e-scooters illegal on public roads: Driving a motor vehicle with no insurance you could be liable for a fixed penalty of 300 and six points on your driving licence. Driving vehicles on pavements is generally an offence this applies at all times to all types of e-scooters and powered transporters. The trial has not been popular with many Britons, with two in three people wanting e-scooters to be banned. Do you need a licence for an electric scooter? In July 2022, Transport minister Trudy Harrison confirmed that local authorities in England will have the option to continue trials until the end of May 2024, with scooters involved maintaining a 12.5 mph speed limit. Government guidance states that riders must be aged 18 or over and have the category Q entitlement on your driving licence to use an e-scooter. Anyone breaking the law in relation to carrying or riding an e-scooter could be charged with a criminal offence A full or provisional UK licence for categories AM, A or B includes entitlement for category Q. If you have one of these licences, you can use an e-scooter. If you have a provisional licence, you do not need to show L plates when using an e-scooter. Anyone breaking the law in relation to carrying or riding an e-scooter could be charged with a criminal offence. Anyone with an overseas driving licence can use an e-scooter if they: Have a valid full licence from an EU or European Economic Area (EEA) country (so long as this does not prohibit you from driving low-speed mopeds and motorcycles). Have a valid full licence from another country that entitles you to drive a small vehicle (for example, cars, mopeds or motorcycles) and you entered the UK within the last 12 months. Some of the laws do not apply to mobility scooters or e-bikes (electrically assisted pedal cycles), which are not treated as motor vehicles. After a number of incidents in relation to their use, Paris became the first city in the world to ban e-scooters, doing so in April 2023. Are electric scooters allowed on trains? The majority of private rail operators in the UK have banned customers from travelling with an e-scooter on their services. GWR had previously permitted e-scooters on their trains, but banned passengers from carrying them on their trains as of Sunday May 21 2023. Tier and Lime electric scooters are parked on the pavement in Paris on 29 March 2023, prior to their ban in the city Despite the scheme being authorised by the Department for Transport (DfT), users are not allowed to carry e-scooters or e-unicycles on TfL services or in TfL-owned stations or other premises on our public transport network, even when folded. This safety step comes after defective lithium-ion batteries in privately-owned e-scooters and e-unicycles caused fires on some parts of the TfL network. Over 60 fires related to e-scooters have been reported in the last year. Anyone who carries an e-scooter on TfL services risks a fine of up to 1,000. A staffer at a Pennsylvania middle school was arrested after she had sex with a 15-year-old student from her district in her car and sent nude photos and videos to his 16-year-old friend, police said. Megan Carlisle, 37, who worked as a paraprofessional and in-school-suspension (ISS) classroom monitor at the Elizabethtown Middle School in Lancaster County, was fired for the predatory behavior. She was arrested on May 25 and now faces charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, institutional sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, statutory sexual assault and dissemination of sexual materials to a minor, the NorthWest Regional Police Department said in a release. The child predator is currently being held in Lancaster County Prison on $200,000 bail. The 15-year-old victim alleged that Carlisle reportedly touched and caressed him inappropriately during several school periods while he was in-school-suspension on April 28. Later that day, Carlisle engaged in sexual activity with the teen while they were parked in her car in an empty parking lot in Mount Joy Township, police said. Megan Carlisle, 37, (pictured) was arrested on May 25 and now faces charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, institutional sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, statutory sexual assault and dissemination of sexual materials to a minor, Fox News reported The student told officers from the Northwest Regional Police Department that after the pair allegedly engaged in illicit behavior Carlisle sent the teen through a cash app $20 for food, Fox 43 News reported. The student had reportedly asked Carlisle for pods for his vape, which she had allegedly purchased for him the next day. Police believe there are many more victims in this case. During a search of Carlisle's car, home and cell phone the investigation revealed graphic photos and videos made by Carlisle that had been sent and shared to an unknown number of other students at the school, police said in a press release. On May 25, the Elizabethtown Area School Districts followed up with a statement after the charges against Carlisle was filed. 'The Elizabethtown Area School District is aware of the charges filed against Megan Carlisle, former paraprofessional at the high school, for alleged sexual misconduct,' the district said. 'While we do not generally make it our practice to comment on personnel or legal matters, we believe this situation necessitates a statement. 'As such, we are sharing the following information: Ms. Carlisle is no longer employed by the school. The District fully cooperated with local law enforcement on their investigation,' the district said. 'We will have no further comments on this matter as it will be adjudicated in the courts.' The district first learned of the disturbing allegations on May 3 when a school staff member was notified. The school issued a statement to parents immediately after, in which they reassured parents that they were handling the manner and that they had notified the authorities, and Childline, a hotline for child abuse. 'Earlier today, the District was made aware of alleged inappropriate behavior by a support staff member serving as a paraprofessional at the secondary school complex,' the email the district issued earlier this month when the allegations first broke. 'We can share that the alleged behavior was sexual in nature. Upon the disclosure of information, district officials filed a ChildLine report and notified local law enforcement.' 'Rest assured that we will cooperate with any pending investigation,' the district said. The United States raised concerns with Australia that alleged war crimes by special forces troops in Afghanistan could derail joint military operations. The chief of the Australian defence force, General Angus Campbell, made the revelation during a hearing of the Senate's foreign affairs, defence and trade committee on Wednesday. He revealed he had received a letter from the US attache in Canberra in March 2021 warning that the findings in the Brereton war crimes report could trigger a US law known as the 'Leahy Law'. The law prevents US armed forces from working with units linked to 'gross human rights violations'. The Brereton report found 'credible' evidence that 25 current or former Australian SAS soldiers unlawfully killed 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners between 2005 and 2016. The US government warned that the country's military may not work with Australia's special forces unit due to allegations of war crimes (pictured, body camera footage from Australian SAS forces in Afghanistan) General Campbell received the letter from the US about four months after the Brereton report was released. 'I received a letter from the defence attache of the United States Armed Forces based in Canberra to me, indicating that the release of the Brereton report and its findings may initiate Leahy Law considerations,' he said. He explained that 'this is all centred on the question of whether a unit is regarded in some way as being tainted by this question of allegations of unlawful conduct'. He claimed that the US wanted to know 'what Australia was doing' in response to the Brereton report. The military chief suggested that US military cooperation with Australian's SAS forces may have been disrupted for up to a year as defence worked on remedying the issues present within the unit. 'There was a precautionary period where we looked to our arrangements,' General Campbell said. One special forces soldier was reassigned in a bid to quell US concerns about violations of the 'Leahy Law'. The inquiry was told that the soldier's position was 'adjusted' and the defence force member was informed about why he was being reassigned. The chief of the Australian defence force, General Angus Campbell (pictured), revealed he had received a letter from the US warning that the findings in the Brereton report could trigger a US law known as the 'Leahy Law' The military chief initially told the committee he had not briefed the current or former defence ministers about the US concerns raised with him. After checking his records, General Campbell later confirmed the former minister was informed. Independent senator and former soldier Jacqui Lambie said the ministers and public should have been notified about the US concerns because it was also a 'threat', which the general rejected. 'You have crossed the line,' she told him. A spokeswoman for Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed he had not been briefed on the matter. 'The deputy prime minister is briefed on matters relating to his portfolio as they arise and as is appropriate,' she told AAP. 'Given there are serious privacy issues, it would be inappropriate to comment further.' General Campbell marked March 2022 as 'the conclusion of the issue' and said there are currently no restrictions on co-operation. A transgender teacher's Pride flag was burned at a Los Angeles elementary school where furious parents have vowed to boycott an LGBT event. An intruder broke into Saticoy Elementary School in North Hollywood over the weekend and set the flag on fire. The full-time teacher, who is a transgender man, discovered its remains in a plant pot which was also broken. He has now been removed from the school by the Los Angeles Unified School District over concerns for his safety, according to the Los Angeles Times. Anger has escalated among the school community due to an upcoming Pride assembly and parents have scheduled a protest against the 'inappropriate' event on Friday. A transgender teacher's Pride flag was burned at a Los Angeles elementary school where furious parents have vowed to boycott an LGBT event An intruder broke into Saticoy Elementary School in North Hollywood over the weekend and set the flag on fire Los Angeles police have confirmed they are investigating the incident and the school sent a message to parents. 'We experienced a break-in over the weekend at Saticoy Elementary that resulted in vandalism and is being investigated as a hate-motivated incident,' it said. 'We are cooperating with law enforcement. This is a reminder that we rely on our entire school community to keep our school safe and secure by reporting any suspicious activity on campus after hours. If you see something, say something.' The transgender teacher was taken out of Saticoy Elementary School for his own safety, a source who wanted to remain anonymous said. His image was taken down from the school's website but an image of the teacher before and after his transition was posted on Instagram pages used by parents against the Pride assembly. 'Heres the special ed/3rd grade trans teacher (first pic as female, later male) at Saticoy Elementary who has made it a point to send message to [Armenian] kids about [Pride],' the post read. One parent commented they knew he was transgender and that it never bothered anyone before. 'He has now decided to stir things up and make his private sexual business our kids,' they wrote. Another Saticoy Elementary School teacher, who wanted to remain anonymous, said staff do not feel safe anymore. 'Were in an atmosphere especially here in the United States with school shootings where, no, I dont feel safe,' they said. 'I dont think any of our teachers feel safe. And a lot of parents dont feel safe about their children either.' Anger has escalated among the school community due to an upcoming Pride assembly and parents have scheduled a protest against the 'inappropriate' event on Friday The incident comes after parents set up an Instagram account on May 16 called 'saticoyelementaryparents' to protest against the school's upcoming Pride assembly where teachers read a Mary Hoffman book titled 'The Great Big Book of Families'. It talks about diversity and 'all kinds of families' including those with LGBTQ+ parents. And just three days later, parents took their children out of a class which was being taught by a transgender substitute teacher, three school sources said. The teacher is said to have previously worked at the school without any problems before the backlash over the Pride event. 'It was awful,' a staff member said. 'I get that people have freedom of speech and the ability to believe and have their own opinions, but when it directly results in affecting the livelihood of another person, its unconscionable.' The LAUSD refused to confirm the incident and said: 'Due to confidentiality laws, we are unable to address student and personnel matters. 'Please be assured that Los Angeles Unified remains committed to providing a learning and working environment that is free from discrimination, harassment, intimidation or bullying.' The furious parents plan to protest outside the school on June 2 and have told others who 'share conservative values' and 'dont feel this material is appropriate to teach to the children' to join them. A flower business mogul has bought one of Australia's 'grandest estates' after flipping his previous house for $52.4million more than he bought it. Leo Lynch, former CEO of floral wholesaler Lynch Group, bought the heritage-listed Leura estate in Bellevue Hill, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, for $70million on Tuesday night. That same night he sold his mystery home, just blocks away, for $61.5million after rebuilding the property he had bought for just $9.05million in 2014. The heritage-listed Leura estate (pictured) in eastern Sydney's Bellevue Hill, has been sold for an eye-watering $70million to floral business heir Leo Lynch The Leura estate was previously owned by wealthy Chinese businessman Wilson Lee and his wife Baoyu Wu, and dates back to 1891. The property was built for the prominent Knox family and has passed through numerous hands before landing in Lynch's. The 'monument to the Federation Queen Anne style of architecture' features eight bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a resort pool and its original ballroom. Who are the Lynch family? The Lynch Family founded the Lynch Group in 1915. The company grows, researches and distributes flowers both nationally and internationally Leo Lynch is the third generation of Lynch's to work within the business He was described as 'instrumental' to the company's expansion while CEO between 2015-2018 He resigned from the board in 2021. Advertisement The price for Lynch's home shocked agents as the 1,300 sqm property scored a suburb-high sale. The price beat the $58million record set in 2018 for the 5,700 sqm Rona estate next door. Few details are known about Lynch's previous house, as no images or marketing material was produced for its sale. First-hand reports suggest the house impressed even among the numerous mega-wealthy mansions that occupy the suburb, reports Domain. Lynch's latest purchase has landed him in a house almost three times the size of his old one, with the Leura estate stretching 4,260 sqm. Leura had previously been bought by Wilson and Wu in late 2015 for $30.8million, before listing it for $70million two years ago after he relocated back to Shanghai. The Leura property was lived in by the Knox family from 1891 until 1956 when Miss Helen Knox died and the house was sold. The house then served as a boarding school for the luxurious private high school Cranbrook, before being sold in 1979 and yet again in 1985. The property was listed in the New South Wales State Heritage List on April 2, 1999, one of five residential properties on the heritage list in the area. The property then landed in the hands of businessman Ken Allen and wife Christina in 1986 for $7.3million, who held it for three decades before selling it to Wilson and Wu for a suburb record at the time. It is believed real estate agent Brad Pillinger negotiated between the two parties to facilitate Tuesday's deal. He declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia. The $70million fee is the largest paid in a recent rush to purchase trophy homes in Sydney's east, with more than 20 properties selling for over $20million (pictured: Leura estate) The previous agents to sell Leura, Michael Finger and Di Wilson of Ray White, described the property as 'a landmark residence unparalleled in grace, style and historic significance.' '[It] is a monument to the Federation Queen Anne style of architecture from the era,' the listing reads. The new suburb-high sale of Leura caps a run of huge sales for trophy homes in Sydney's luxurious eastern suburbs. Domain reports that over 20 sales have been completed for prices exceeding $20milion. The highest of which, prior to the Leura sale, was a reported $69million sale of businessman Simon Ehrlich's Point Piper 'Spaning mission' styled home. Lynch's family founded the Lynch Group, an Australian-owned business that grows and distributes flowers both nationally and internationally, in 1915. He is the third generation of Lynches to work within the business, and was 'instrumental' to the company's expansion. He had previously worked as CEO of the family's business between 2015 and 2018 before transitioning to an Executive Director role. Lynch would then resign from the company's board in February 2021. Other executives at the bank were advised in 2011 not to have Epstein as a client JPMorgan's CEO has testified that he had never heard of Jeffrey Epstein and his sex crimes until his 2019 arrest, despite other executives at the bank being advised by general counsel that Epstein was 'not an honorable person' and 'should not be a client'. According to a transcript of the videotaped deposition released Wednesday, Jamie Dimon said he first heard about Epstein and his crimes against teenage girls and young women 'when the story blew wide open [in 2019]. He was arrested, and all the stories came out about all the people he knows. And the reason I remember that is I was surprised that I didn't know about it before.' Asked by a lawyer if he'd ever heard the name Jeffrey Epstein before the arrest, Dimon responded, 'Not that I recall.' But the deposition also revealed that the bank's former general counsel Stephen Cutler sent an email in 2011 to two other executives, Jes Staley and Mary Erdoes, saying Epstein should not be a client of the bank because he wasn't 'honorable'. Dimon said in his deposition he was not aware of the email at the time but 'I know it today.' It comes after former JPMorgan executive Jes Staley accused the CEO of lying about his knowledge of bank accounts held by Epstein that were allegedly used for the trafficking of young women. Jamie Dimon (right) said he first heard about Epstein and his crimes against teenage girls and young women 'when the story blew wide open' in 2019. He is pictured with his wife Judith at the White House State Dinner for China in 2011 Convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell attend de Grisogono in March 2005 Asked by a lawyer if he'd ever heard the name Jeffrey Epstein before the arrest, Jamie Dimon responded, 'Not that I recall'. He is pictured at Senate Banking Committee annual Wall Street oversight hearing, September 22, 2022 Dimon made the revelation during a deposition recorded Friday in New York in connection with lawsuits filed against the nation's largest bank. Extract from Jamie Dimon's deposition from May 26 Q: Did you speak with Mr. Staley at all in the year 2006 about Mr. Epstein? A: I don't recall ever having a conversation with him about Jeff Epstein. Q: During the year 2006, did you speak at any time with Mary Erdoes about the Epstein indictment and whether or not he should continue as a customer of the bank? A: Nope. Q: During the year 2006, did you speak with general counsel Steve Cutler with respect to Mr. Epstein having been indicted and whether he should remain a customer of the bank? A: No. Advertisement The 416-page deposition, portions of which were heavily redacted with entire pages blacked out, was released publicly through an agreement among lawyers in the cases. Confronted at the deposition with an email from Epstein's former assistant suggesting that Dimon was scheduled to meet with Epstein as far back as 2010, the president and chairman of JPMorgan insisted it was untrue. 'I have never had an appointment with Jeff Epstein. I've never met Jeff Epstein. I never knew Jeff Epstein. I never went to Jeff Epstein's house. I never had a meal with Jeff Epstein. I have no idea what they're referring to here,' he said. After the email from Epstein's assistant asking whether 'heavy snacks' or dinner should be prepared for the meeting, Epstein responded 'snacks.' As Dimon responded to being confronted with the email, a lawyer noted that Epstein did not respond by saying, 'you're misinformed, Jamie Dimon is not coming.' Dimon said, 'I don't know what he thought at the time. He was obviously misinformed. I never - this never took place.' 'I don't think Jeff Epstein ever arranged for me to meet with anybody, to my knowledge,' he said. JPMorgan faces lawsuits seeking damages by women who claim that Epstein sexually abused them, and by the U.S. Virgin Islands, where the late financier had a home. Jamie Dimon denied having ever known who Epstein was prior to his 2011 arrest. He is pictured during an interview with Reuters in Miami, Florida, February 8, 2023 The lawsuit brought by the US Virgin Islands against JP Morgan claimed former bank executive Jes Staley visited Epstein's island on 'multiple occasions' Epstein was a JPMorgan client from 2000 to 2013, remaining so after pleading guilty in 2008 to a Florida state prostitution charge. Extract from Jamie Dimon's deposition from May 26 Q: I'm going to ask you to look next at Exhibit 104-101. This is an exchange of e-mails between Mr. Staley and Mr. Epstein on June 17, 2009. Mr. Epstein writes Mr. Staley: '[Redacted] will be staying at 71st Street over the weekend. Do you want to organize either you, or you and Jamie, quietly? Up to you.' Do you see that? A: Yes. Q: Did you meet with Mr. Epstein and/or Mr. Staley at 71st Street over the weekend? A: Absolutely not. Q: Do you know what Mr. Epstein is referring to here? A: I think I've testified many times, I didn't know Jeff Epstein. I never met Jeff Epstein. I never went to his house. I never went to his island. And I do not know exactly what he's referring to here. Advertisement The lawsuits on behalf of Epstein victims and the U.S. Virgin Islands in Manhattan federal court seek to hold JPMorgan financially liable for Epstein's decadeslong abuse of teenage girls and young women. The bank, besides denying the allegations, has sued one of its former executives, saying the man hid Epstein's crimes to keep Epstein as a client. In Dimon's May 26 deposition, he was also asked about the email Cutler sent to former private banking chief Jes Staley and Mary Erdoes, now head of asset and wealth management, calling Epstein 'not a person we should do business with, period.' 'This is not an honorable person in any way,' Cutler wrote. 'He should not be a client.' The email was read by a lawyer for the Virgin Islands during questioning, according to the transcript. 'Had the firm believed he was engaged in an ongoing sex trafficking operation, Epstein would not have been retained as client,' a JPMorgan spokesperson said in a statement. 'In hindsight, we regret he was ever a client.' Epstein was 66 in August 2019 when he apparently killed himself in a Manhattan federal jail cell where he awaited a federal sex trafficking trial after his application for bail was denied. He had pleaded not guilty to charges that he sexually abused dozens of girls, some as young as 14. According to the lawsuits filed late last year, JPMorgan provided Epstein loans and regularly allowed him to withdraw large sums of cash from 1998 through August 2013 even though it knew about his sex trafficking practices. A lawsuit brought by the US Virgin Islands suggested the pedophile's JPMorgan bank accounts were used to pay trafficked women. Pictured: The New York State Sex Offender Registry shows Jeffrey Epstein An infamous photo taken in Jeffrey Epstein's Manhattan mansion in 2011 featuring Staley and Bill Gates - three years after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution. From left: Staley, Lawrence Summers, Epstein and Gates The revelations came as part of an ongoing lawsuit brought against JPMorgan in which it was claimed that Jes Staley (pictured outside 10 Downing Street in 2011) was close with Epstein and allowed him to maintain accounts with the bank that facilitated his trafficking ring As part of the lawsuit Jes Staley has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman during his visit to Epstein's private island (pictured). He has denied knowing about the trafficking but and admitted to a friendship with the convicted pedophile Dimon denied knowing anything about efforts at the bank in 2006 and 2011 to curtail its dealings with Epstein as he faced criminal charges in Florida. After pleading guilty to state charges there, Epstein spent 13 months in jail and paid settlements to victims. READ MORE: Ex-JPMorgan exec Jes Staley claims Jamie Dimon discussed keeping Epstein as a client even after arrest Advertisement 'After he pleaded guilty to the crime he pleaded guilty to, he - we unfortunately continued to bank him, yes,' Dimon said, according to the deposition. Epstein had a close relationship with Jes Staley, who ran multiple parts of JPMorgan, including its investment bank and wealth management arm, until Staley left the bank in 2013. Staley went on to become CEO of the British bank Barclays, but had to step down from that job when the Epstein indictment was revealed. JPMorgan is trying to make Staley a defendant in its Epstein legal cases, arguing that he downplayed or hid the issues with Epstein. At one point in the deposition, Dimon agreed that Epstein was a 'disaster' and 'terrible' for the bank. 'I think what happened to these women is atrocious, and Im horrified at the amount of human trafficking that takes place,' he said. 'And I wouldnt mind personally apologizing to them, not because we committed the crime, we did not, and not because we believe were responsible. But that any potential thing, what little role that we could have eased it or helped catch it quicker or something like that, or get it to law enforcement quicker or get law enforcement to react to it quicker, which they obviously didnt, you know, I would apologize to them for that, yes,' he said. Dimon talks to reporters as he leaves the U.S. Capitol after reportedly meeting with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Schumer about the possibility of the U.S. defaulting on its debt, May 17, 2023 Donald Trump stands next to Jamie Dimon at the White House on February 3, 2017 Throughout the deposition, Dimon insisted that whether to keep Epstein as a client would have ultimately been left up to the company's general counsel. Dimon was asked, 'If you had known in 2010 that Jeffrey Epstein was a sex trafficker, that Jeffrey Epstein was a client of the bank, that Jeffrey Epstein was withdrawing tens of thousands of dollars of cash every month, would you, as the chief executive officer of the bank, said, `We need to get rid of this guy, regardless of whether the general counsel told you that that was the right thing to do?' 'I think everyone involved, had they known then what is known today, including me, would have taken that position,' he answered. A crocodile has been discovered during an arrest in the backyard of a man's home. The small croc was found when police searched the house at Girraween in the Northern Territory. The 32-year-old man was arrested and charged with aggravated assault in Acacia on Tuesday. Police are investigating an incident where two men allegedly assaulted three people sleeping at a shelter in First Street, Katherine on October 10. The crocodile (pictured) was found when police searched the Girraween home of the man in the Northern Territory who has been charged with aggravated assault Images from the raid showed the unusual pet lying next to a blue makeshift water feature filled with muddy water. 'A number of illegal items were seized including an unsecured firearm, sword fish rostrum and a live crocodile,' police said. The man was charged with three counts of aggravated assault, possess/use firearm unlicensed, possess/use firearm without permit and fail to meet storage requirements. He was bailed to appear in Darwin Local Court on June 13. Investigations into the assaults remain ongoing. A suspected serial killed who may have murdered 13 people handed himself in to police in Austin, Texas last week - calling them and saying: 'I think you are looking for me.' Raul Meza Jr, 62, handed himself in on May 24 and on Tuesday was charged with two murders: one in 2019, one on May 20. Meza, who began his violent crimes in 1975 and served multiple prison sentences, was described by Deputy U.S. Marshall Brandon Filla as 'the worst of the worst.' Meza's alleged crimes began as a teenager. Raul Meza Jr, 62, handed himself in to police on May 24 after murdering his most recent victim four days previously. He is suspected of as many as 13 murders Bruce Mills, the Interim Assistant City Manager, said on Tuesday that releasing Meza to kill again was 'a travesty of justice' 'Here's a serial killer that justice was not served. It was a travesty of justice,' said Interim Assistant City Manager Bruce Mills, who was also the primary investigator on the 1982 case where Meza was convicted of murdering 8-year-old Kendra Page. 'We don't know how many more people he killed or would have killed.' On New Year's Eve in 1975, Meza and three other teenagers robbed a convenience store near St. Edward's University in Austin. Meza shot Derly Ramirez, the store attendant, in the back - leaving him paralyzed. He was convicted, aged 15, of aggravated robbery in 1976 and sentenced to 20 years in prison, but was released on parole in 1981. Less than a year after being released, Meza struck again. On January 3, 1982, he strangled and sexually assaulted eight-year-old Kendra Page while she was riding her bike near Langford Elementary School. The little girl's body was found naked near a trash bin at the school. Meza strangled and sexually assaulted eight-year-old Kendra Page (pictured) in January 1982 Meza turned himself in three days later and took a plea bargain, and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. In 1993, after serving 11 years of his sentence, Meza was released as a result of his time served plus time for good behavior. He was soon back behind bars, however: in August 1994, Meza was found to have violated parole and was returned to prison. Meza was released once more in 2016, and in mid 2019 murdered 66-year-old Gloria Lofton in her own home. Lofton was known to her neighbors as a private but exceptionally kind woman, The Austin American Statesman reported, noting that she was known for helping others - and often invited people off the street to stay with her. They also noted her mental and physical health was starting to deteriorate. Meza's DNA was found at the crime scene, Austin police said on Tuesday. A medical examiner said her cause of death was not conclusive, although there was evidence that she was strangled. Meza is seen in court in an undated file photo. His crime spree began in 1975 Meza's most recent crime was the murder of former probation officer Jesse Fraga, 80, who had allowed Meza to live with him in his Pflugerville home for the last two years And on May 20, Meza allegedly murdered former probation officer Jesse Fraga, 80, who had allowed Meza to live with him in his Pflugerville home for the last two years. The pair had known each other since the 1990s. Fraga was strangled to death with a belt. The Travis County Medical Examiner later noted that Fraga also had a puncture wound in his neck that severed his spine. Meza is thought to have killed up to 10 people in addition to Page, Lofton and Fraga. 'We have between eight and 10 cases that kind of fit these similar circumstances that we're looking at. But that could obviously grow,' said Austin Police Det. Katy Conner during a press conference on Tuesday, announcing Meza's arrest. Bruce Mills, the assistant chief of Austin Police Department, said that 'somebody made a bad decision' 40 years ago by letting Meza 'manipulate the system'. Meza was arrested at his home with a pistol, zip ties and duct tape. Detective Patrick Reed added: 'I will let you know that Mr Meza said he was ready and prepared to kill again, and he was looking forward to it.' As Lula told media, This is a historic moment. After eight years, President Nicolas Maduro is back to visiting Brazil and we have recovered our right to have a foreign policy with the seriousness we have always had, especially with the countries that border Brazil. Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and Brazil's envoy Celso Amorim meet, in Caracas, Venezuela March 8, 2023. [ Photo: Marcelo Garcia/Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS] Their meeting took place days after Lula and Maduro appointed ambassadors to each others countries on May 24, and formalized the reestablishment of relations. According to statements from their governments, the meeting focused on reactivating trade between the two countries, cooperation on issues regarding the Amazon, advancing regional integration, and issues related to their 1,366-mile border. At the press conference, Lula highlighted that at its height, the flow of trade between the two nations had reached $6 billion and it had now dropped to $2 billion, which he argued is bad for Venezuela and Brazil. Lula also said that he is in favor of Venezuela joining BRICS. Maduro commented on the challenges the country underwent when Brazil closed all of the doors and windows, despite being neighboring countries, countries that love each other as people. He recalled an attempt to invade the Venezuelan embassy in Brasilia, which was defended by Brazilian social movements and solidarity groups. Today, a new chapter of relations between our countries begins, he said. from the Peoples Dispatch / Globetrotter News Service Canada will soon become the first country in the world to put health warnings on individual cigarettes. Smokers will find a label on each cigarette they light with phrases like 'Cigarettes cause cancer', 'Tobacco smoke harms' children and 'Poison in every puff'. The new regulation introduced by Health Canada goes into effect on August 1 and will 'make it virtually impossible to avoid health warnings' on tobacco products. Tobacco companies will be required to print the health warnings directly on each cigarette and they will appear in English and French, the country's official languages. The plan was first announced last year and it is being introduced to encourage more people to quit smoking. Canada will soon become the first country in the world to put health warnings on individual cigarettes Smokers will find a label on each cigarette they light with phrases like 'Cigarettes cause cancer', 'Tobacco smoke harms' children and 'Poison in every puff' The regulations will be phased in and Health Canada anticipates that retailers will only sell tobacco products that feature the new warning labels directly on the cigarettes by April 2025. 'The new Tobacco Products Appearance, Packaging and Labelling Regulations will be part of the Government of Canadas continued efforts to help adults who smoke to quit, to protect youth and non-tobacco users from nicotine addiction, and to further reduce the appeal of tobacco,' officials said. Warning labels are already printed on the front of cigarette packages but the new regulation is part of an effort to reduce tobacco use in Canada further to less than five percent by 2035. Labelled products include individual cigarettes, little cigars, tubes and other tobacco products. King-size cigarettes will be the first to feature the individual warnings by the end of July 2024 before regular-sized cigarettes and other products by the end of April 2025. And other measures will accompany the new regulations to reduce the number of smokers. 'Tobacco use continues to be one of Canadas most significant public health problems, and is the countrys leading preventable cause of disease and premature death,' Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos said. Tobacco companies are going to be required to print the health warnings directly on each cigarette and they will appear in English and French, the country's official languages 'Our government is using every evidence-based tool at our disposal to help protect the health of Canadians, especially young people.' Tobacco is said to kill around 48,000 Canadians each year. Canada's minister of mental health and addictions, Carolyn Bennett, said: 'We are taking action by being the first country in the world to label individual cigarettes with health warning messages.' The country has required warning labels on the front of cigarette packets since 1989, although that is behind the US, which was the first nation in the world to introduce the health warnings in 1965. Smoking rates have significantly dropped since from 42 percent in the mid-1960s to 11 percent in 2021, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for lung cancer, heart disease and stroke and is the leading cause of preventable death in the US. More than 480,000 people die in America each year from smoking. Boris Johnson last night piled pressure on the Cabinet Office to 'urgently disclose' his unredacted WhatsApp messages and notebooks to the official Covid inquiry. The former prime minister has handed over all the material requested by probe chairman Baroness Hallett, his spokesman said, and urged that it be passed on to her. In a swipe at the Government, Mr Johnson was said to be 'perfectly happy for the inquiry to have access to this material in whatever form it requires'. The Cabinet Office is refusing to provide all the former PM's WhatsApp messages and diaries to Lady Hallett on the grounds that it would be a 'serious intrusion of privacy'. It has said the inquiry 'does not have the power to request unambiguously irrelevant information that is beyond the scope of this investigation'. The inquiry has set a deadline of 4pm today to hand over Mr Johnson's messages, notebooks and official diaries, having granted a 48-hour extension on Tuesday. Boris Johnson last night piled pressure on the Cabinet Office to 'urgently disclose' his unredacted WhatsApp messages and notebooks to the official Covid inquiry The move by Mr Johnson is likely to be seen as an attempt to put pressure on Rishi Sunak and his deputy Oliver Dowden. Mr Dowden has faced claims from Mr Johnson's allies that he may have been involved in a decision to refer new Partygate allegations about the former PM to the police. A friend of Mr Johnson has suggested that the 'WhatsApps the Government really doesn't want disclosed are Sunak's' a claim dismissed by No 10. A spokesman for Mr Johnson said last night: 'All Boris Johnson's material including WhatsApps and notebooks requested by the inquiry has been handed to the Cabinet Office in full and in unredacted form. 'Mr Johnson urges the Cabinet Office to urgently disclose it to the inquiry. The Cabinet Office has had access to this material for several months.' The spokesman added: 'Mr Johnson would immediately disclose it directly to the inquiry if asked. While he understands the Government's position, and does not seek to contradict it, he is perfectly happy for the inquiry to have access to this material in whatever form it requires. 'Mr Johnson co-operated with the inquiry in full from the beginning of this process and continues to do so. Indeed, he established the inquiry. He looks forward to continuing to assist its important work.' The Cabinet Office is refusing to provide all the former PM's WhatsApp messages and diaries to Baroness Hallett (pictured) on the grounds that it would be a 'serious intrusion of privacy' The decision by Mr Johnson to hand over the material will add to pressure on the Cabinet Office, with Downing Street already forced to deny allegations of a 'cover-up' amid criticism over the public row with the inquiry. Whitehall officials are concerned about setting a precedent by handing over all the requested documents in unredacted form, rather than deciding what material is relevant. Refusing to comply with the request to hand over the documents which include text conversations between Mr Johnson and a host of government figures including Mr Sunak could lead to a court battle with the inquiry. But Whitehall officials hope a compromise can be reached before the 4pm deadline to avoid the need for a damaging legal fight with the inquiry, which was set up to examine the pandemic and the Government's response to it. According to the notice seeking the unredacted messages, the inquiry is requesting conversations between Mr Johnson, ex-No 10 adviser Henry Cook and a host of government figures, civil servants and officials. The list includes Mr Sunak, Dominic Cummings, Matt Hancock, Sir Chris Whitty, and Sir Patrick Vallance. Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said the Government intends to 'continue to be absolutely transparent and candid' and it had already provided '55,000 documents, eight witness statements and corporate witness statements' to the inquiry. Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokesman Christine Jardine said: 'Rishi Sunak must now confirm he will hand over any messages requested by the Covid inquiry. He can't use Boris Johnson any more as an excuse to avoid handing over vital evidence.' The stand-off comes after Mr Johnson was left furious when it emerged that the Cabinet Office had handed extracts from his prime ministerial diaries to the police without telling him. The department referred the former PM to two forces last month over diary entries showing he was visited by colleagues and friends at Chequers and No 10 when pandemic lockdown rules were in place. Jeremy Quin, the Paymaster General, is also understood to have approved the handing over of documents to the Commons privileges committee, which is investigating whether Mr Johnson lied to Parliament over Partygate. Mr Johnson's allies said he had received legal advice that none of the visits broke Covid rules. He has threatened to sue the Government. A renter has issued a desperate plea for help after revealing they are living with black mould and grappling with a terrifying number of health issues because of it. The person, who wished to stay anonymous, posted about their 'desperate situation' and 'poor living conditions' in Sydney on the Don't Rent Me Facebook group. 'Moved in, 2 months into the lease noticed black mould growing on walls and ceiling. I tried to clean it, got dehumidifiers in every room - no result,' they wrote. A Sydney renter suffering health complications due to black mould in their home has been advised by fellow renters to leave now. A young woman is pictured in an apartment 'To make it worse, it seems to have given me an allergic reaction (skin rush, issues breathing, itchy eyes). 'My REA (real estate agent) was quick to get mould cleaners out, and they found issues with ventilation and a roof leak.' But the renter said what the cleaners did was just a temporary fix and they don't know what to do. 'So very likely the mould will grow back. Unless they fix the root cause - which would require a decent renovation.' The person is wondering if they 'should break the lease', but concerned for the legal implications if they do so and the health implications if they don't. They are also worried about trying to find somewhere else to live in the midst of Australia's worst rental crisis in years. 'Think it's easier for (the landlord) to let me break the lease and get new people in while the property still looks mould free after the clean... sick cycle,' they added. There was a furious response from other posters on the board, with many advising them not to risk further damage to their health as mould can be deadly. 'Surely there should be grounds to break a lease with no cost due to health conditions such as this. It's not liveable,' one person wrote. 'My sister broke her lease for a similar issue, she got her REA friend to help her write a letter so she could break her lease at no penalty to her as the unit wasn't safe to live in,' another said. A third commenter advised them to make a report to the 'council about the roof repairs and mould so they cannot re-lease the property without repairs taking place'. The renter said the mould (pictured) clean up was just a temporary fix and they don't know what to do The NSW Tenant's Union said agents and landlords have to disclose mould in a property's condition report if they know about it. 'Whether or not they note the presence of mould/dampness, (the landlord) cannot avoid the obligation to keep the premises in reasonable repair during the tenancy,' their website said. Fair Trading NSW Additionally said the repair is considered 'urgent' if the mould is causing health problems, such as in this case. New research by three Australian universities found a majority of rental properties across the country are putting people's health and wellbeing at risk. 'This leaves many people with no option but to endure poor living conditions such as houses that are cold, damp, or mouldy,' University of South Australia architecture lecturer Dr Lyrian Daniel said. The Don't Rent Me Facebook group allows renters to air their gripes and seek advice from others in a similar position, but it bars landlords and property agents. 'Landlords and agents are not allowed, as they have been found to continuously flame & bait tenants in our group,' the website said. Embattled JPMorgan Chase boss Jamie Dimon has hinted at a potential run for office, and has already gained the support of at least one fellow Wall Street boss. 'I love my country, and maybe one day I'll serve my country in one capacity or another,' the 67-year-old CEO told Bloomberg Television from JP Morgan Chase's annual Global China Summit in Shanghai on Wednesday. 'Everyone knows I am a patriot,' he added. 'I am a red-blooded, full-throated, free-enterprise capitalist.' Dimon has repeatedly denied that he is considering a run for president and said he plans to stay at the bank for five more years. The billionaire's remarks have now set off a fervor on Wall Street, with hedge fund manager Bill Ackman tweeting a lengthy endorsement for Dimon to take on President Joe Biden in a primary election. But Dimon's message comes as he faces two separate civil lawsuits alleging that JPMorgan executives allowed and benefitted from Jeffrey Epstein's child sex trafficking. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon told Bloomberg Television he may 'serve my country in one capacity or another' Still, the 67-year-old billionaire claimed he is 'quite happy' to remain CEO of the United States' largest bank Dimon has waded into politics in the past, admitting in 2019 he was considering a bid for president but decided against it. The year before, Dimon also said he could beat Donald Trump in an election, claiming he was 'as tough' and 'smarter' than the former president. But later that day, he said he should not have picked the fight against Trump, and said he was not running for president. He said at the time that his comments 'proves I wouldn't make a good politician.' There had also been speculation after Trump took office in 2016 that Dimon would join the administration as the Treasury Secretary, but he said at the time he did not think he was suited for the role. That may have changed, though, with Dimon speaking about the current debt ceiling negotiations. He remained optimistic that a deal would be reached, telling Bloomberg Television: 'I think it's going to happen. If I thought it wasn't going to happen, I probably wouldn't be here right now.' Still, Dimon said, he is currently focused on running the largest American bank, a role he is 'quite happy' in. 'I love what I do,' the billionaire said. 'JPMorgan does a great job or helping Americans, for helping countries around the world.' He then reiterated his view that 'business can be a force for good.' But his remarks on Wednesday have seemed to invigorate some business-minded individuals, with billionaire Bill Ackman encouraging Dimon to run for president. In a lengthy endorsement, Ackman, the CEO of hedge fund Pershing Square, called Dimon 'one of the world's most respected business leaders. His announcement on Wednesday has seemed to invigorate some business-minded individuals encouraging him to run for president in 2024 Bill Ackman, the CEO of Pershing Square, published a lengthy endorsement of Dimon 'Politically he is a centrist,' Ackman explained. 'He is pro-business and pro-free enterprise, but also supportive of well-designed social programs and rational tax policies that can help the less fortunate. 'He is extremely smart, thoughtful and pragmatic and he knows how to bring opposing parties together. He is highly respected by the right, the left and the center.' Ackman then went on to claim that Dimon is uniquely situated to tackle economic problems facing the nation, saying: 'Our country is at risk with $32trillion of debt with no end to massive deficits in sight, heading into a recession at a time of great political uncertainty. 'We need an exemplary business, financial and global leader to manage through what is likely to be a critically important decade for our country in determining our destiny,' he continued. 'Jamie Dimon is that leader.' Ackman also claimed that Dimon could beat President Joe Biden in a primary and Donald Trump in a general election, 'but he needs to start now and build name recognition among the broad electorate. 'He will easily raise billions of dollars from Democrats and Republicans to fund his campaign, and he knows how to build support.' The Pershing Square boss concluded by saying: 'There is only one better job for Jamie than CEO of [JPMorgan Chase] and that's POTUS. 'Jamie just needs a push from people he respects and from the broader electorate,' Ackman said, as he encouraged others to speak out in support of a Dimon presidential run. 'This will be one of the most important elections in our country's history,' Ackman said. 'Jamie is more likely to run if we build a groundswell of support for him. 'Let's do our civic duty and make it happen.' Dimon is currently facing two separate civil lawsuits alleging JPMorgan Chase enabled sex pest Jeffrey Epstein to transfer large sums of money to be used for the sex trafficking of young women But Dimon is currently facing two separate civil lawsuits alleging JPMorgan Chase enabled sex pest Jeffrey Epstein to transfer large sums of money to be used for the sex trafficking of young women. Dimon has repeatedly denied any knowledge of Epstein's illegal activities despite other bank executives' claims that he was directly involved in conversations about whether to keep Epstein as a client. In a sworn deposition for a case brought by the US Virgin Islands and an unnamed woman who claimed to have been a victim of Epstein's sex abuse on Friday, Dimon said he was not informed Epstein was indicted in Florida for sex crimes in 2006, or of other concerns about him raised by other bank executives. 'I don't recall knowing anything about Jeffrey Epstein until the stories broke sometime in 2019,' Dimon said, referring to when Epstein was arrested on federal child sex trafficking charges. 'I was surprised that I didn't even had never even heard of the guy, pretty much,' he claimed. 'And how involved he was with so many people.' Dimon also suggested that Mary Erdoes, another top executive at the bank, had the power to boot Epstein out as a long-term client. He also claimed that JPMorgan's then-general counsel Stephen Cutler had 'the ultimate authority to kick [Epstein] out' if issues surrounding the sex pest had 'gone too far.' 'He was delegating reputational decisions to somebody else,' the CEO said in a transcript of the deposition obtained by CNBC. During that deposition, CNBC reports, Dimon was shown an email Cutler sent Erdoes about Epstein on July 21, 2011 in which he wrote: 'I would like to put it and him behind us. Not a person we should do business with.' Court documents suggest Erdoes had been suspicious of money transfers coming out of Epstein's accounts since 2006, when he pleaded guilty to sex abuse and had to register as a sex offender. Still, Epstein was not terminated as a customer until 2013, two years after the email and five years after he pleaded guilty to soliciting sex from a minor. The suits claim the bank allowed and benefitted from Epstein's sexual trafficking of kids One of the suits was brought by the US Virgin Islands, where Epstein had a private residence where he would sexually abuse the children Other court documents obtained by the Wall Street Journal tell a different story, with a former top executive at the bank claiming that Dimon was lying about his knowledge of Epstein's bank accounts. James 'Jes' Staley claimed in a lawsuit against the bank by the US Virgin Islands and an unnamed woman who has claimed to have been a victim of Epstein's sex abuse that the CEO was involved in discussions for years about whether the bank should keep Epstein as a client even after his conviction of sex abuse in 2006. He claimed that he and Dimon communicated multiple times about whether they should keep Epstein as a client, even after he was registered as a sex offender and served time in a Florida jail. Staley's lawyers even presented evidence indicating Dimon was at some point due to review the situation involving Epstein. The email, sent by a JPMorgan employee, read: 'I would count Epstein's assets as a probable outflow for '08 ($120mm or so?) as I can't imagine it will stay (pending Dimon review).' The employee appeared to be suggesting that Epstein's account would be unlikely to survive once the situation was reviewed. No evidence was shared by the Journal suggesting the account was indeed reviewed. A JPMorgan spokesperson addressed Staley's accusations in a statement to DailyMail.com on Thursday. 'We believe this is false,' they wrote. 'There is no evidence that any such communications ever occurred - nothing in the voluminous number of documents reviewed and nothing in the nearly dozen depositions taken, including that of our own CEO.' 'The one person who claims this to be true is currently accused of horrific acts and dishonesty,' they added. That position is aligned with the bank's overall defensive strategy in the case - which has been to blame Staley for any connections the bank may have had to Epstein. An infamous photo taken in Jeffrey Epstein's Manhattan mansion in 2011 featuring former JPMorgan executive Jes Staley and Bill Gates - three years after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution. From left: Staley, Lawrence Summers, Epstein and Gates Court documents suggest Staley (pictured) was close with Epstein and allowed him to maintain accounts with the bank that facilitated the pedophile's trafficking ring Between 2008 and 2012, Staley exchanged around 1,200 emails with Epstein from his JPMorgan email account, it is claimed. In one exchange Staley is said to have written 'say hi to Snow White' and asked if 'Beauty and the Beast' was free Emails between Jes Staley and Jeffrey Epstein revealed as part of the lawsuit November 1st 2009 Mr Staley is on Epsteins Caribbean island. He writes: So when all hell breaks lo[o]se, and the world is crumbling, I will come here, and be at peace. Presently, Im in the hot tub with a glass of white wine. This is an amazing place. Truly amazing. Next time, were here together. I owe you much. And I deeply appreciate our friendship. I have few so profound. December 4, 2009 Mr Staley to Epstein: I realise the danger in sending this email. But it was great to be able, today, to give you, in New York City, a long heartfelt, hug. Epstein: You were with Larry and I had to put up with. (picture of young woman attached) Mr Staley: Dont tell me, a French wine. July 2010 Mr Staley to Epstein: That was fun. Say hi to Snow White. Epstein: (W)hat character would you like next? Mr Staley: Beauty and the Beast Epstein: Well one side is available Advertisement Earlier this year around 1,200 emails Staley exchanged with Epstein uncovered the extent of what the former referred to as a 'profound' friendship. In one exchange, Staley is said to have written 'say hi to Snow White' and asked if 'Beauty and the Beast' was free. Epstein replied: 'Well, one side is available', seemingly referring to 'Beauty'. In another email, Epstein sent Staley photos of a young woman in a 'seductive pose', according to US court documents. The cache of messages revealed that 'Staley corresponded with Epstein while Epstein was incarcerated' for 15 months for soliciting an underage girl for prostitution. Staley 'visited Epstein's Virgin Islands residence on multiple occasions' and 'Epstein even advised Staley in connection with Staley's salary negotiations at JP Morgan in July of 2008', according to court records. 'Human trafficking was the [principal] business of the accounts Epstein maintained at JPMorgan,' the Virgin Islands' lawsuit reads. The anonymous victim bringing the case with the US Virgin Islands has alleged in a lawsuit that 'at least one of Epstein's friends used aggressive force in his sexual assault of her and informed [her] that he had Epstein's permission to do what he wanted to her.' JPMorgan, in a crossclaim, said that the 'powerful financial executive' not named in her lawsuit is Staley. A lawyer for Staley, who left JPMorgan in 2013, declined a request for comment by the Wall Street Journal regarding the latest claims. In a separate suit JPMorgan has sued Staley for misleading executives at the bank about the nature of his own relationship with Epstein. He has acknowledged he had a friendship with Epstein but denied knowing about the trafficking. A union boss has begged members not to quit after it passed a motion attacking Ukraine. Dr Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and Colleges Union (UCU), said she was deeply disappointed after militant lecturers demanded the Government stop arming Ukraine. Their motion ordered the union to support anti-war organisations and accused Kyivs Volodymyr Zelensky of wanting his country to become an armed illiberal outpost of US imperialism. As outrage from members grew, Dr Grady was yesterday forced to beg members not to leave the union. She said: I was deeply disappointed the motion passed. Dr Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and Colleges Union (UCU), said she was deeply disappointed after militant lecturers demanded the Government stop arming Ukraine As general secretary, I am not entitled to vote in the democratic structures and processes of UCU, but if this were the case I would have voted against the motion, and joined the many who did. I am acutely aware that the passing of the motion at our congress has caused a great deal of understandable upset and anger, and it sends the wrong message about our union. I want to seek ways for UCU to put that right. It has also become a distraction from our industrial agenda at a critical time. I know that some members are thinking about resigning from the union in response. This is the last thing you should do. The motion, passed during the unions annual congress in Glasgow, called for a peaceful resolution to the war. It also acknowledged that Vladimir Putin has the use of nuclear weapons and unleashed war crimes. It comes as students face having their graduations delayed. A marking boycott is part of action by the UCU, which represents 120,000 academics and support staff, in its long-running dispute over pay and working conditions. by Vijay Prashad At the close of the May 2023 Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima (Japan), the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States and the High Representative of the European Union (EU) released a long and informative statement. In a section titled China, the eight officials wrote that they recognise the importance of engaging candidly with and expressing our concerns directly to China and that they acknowledge the need to work together with China on global challenges as well as areas of common interest, including on climate change, biodiversity, global health security, and gender equality. The diplomatic tone of the statement stands out in comparison to the heated rhetoric that these countries have adopted in recent years and is much softer than the language used at the G7 meeting itself, where the heads of government bandied about the phrase economic coercion, indirectly aimed at China. Andre Pierre (Haiti), Ceremony with Issa and Suz, ca. late 1960s/early 1970s. A close reading of the speeches at the meeting suggests that there are differences of opinion amongst the leaders of the G7 countries, particularly when it comes to China and their own domestic industrial policies. Certainly, several European states are uneasy about the domestic economic consequences of prolonging the war in Ukraine and of a possible military conflict over Taiwan. It is perhaps this uneasiness that prompted US President Joe Biden to say, Were not looking to decouple from China, were looking to de-risk and diversify our relationship with China. For Europe, the notion of decoupling from China is inconceivable. In 2022, EU figures show that China was the third largest partner for goods exported from the region and the largest partner for good imported to the region, with most of the goods imported by China being high-end, value-added manufactured goods. Europes domestic economies have already been grievously injured by the Wests refusal to negotiate a peace agreement in Ukraine; being cut-off from the burgeoning Chinese market would be a fatal blow. The G7 meeting reveals the gaps between the United States and its allies (Europe and Japan), but these differences of interest and opinion should not be overestimated. As part of our work at Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, we have been researching and analysing the nature of the cooperation between the United States, Europe, and Japan the Triad, as Samir Amin called them; while our research is still ongoing, we present some of the data in this newsletter. Following the end of the Second World War, the United States built an international system that was premised on the subordination and integration of Japan and Europe. This process of subordination and integration was evident in the military apparatus constructed by the United States, with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) established in 1949 and US-Japan Security Treaty of 1951 being the lynchpins. Establishing a system of US military bases in the defeated powers Germany, Italy, and Japan allowed Washington to set aside any talk of a sovereign military or diplomatic project for either Europe or Japan (tantrums from France, inspired by Charles De Gaulles grand sense of French destiny, led not to a withdrawal from NATO but only to a removal of French forces from the alliances military command in 1966). There are currently 408 known US military bases in the Five Eyes countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and because they share intelligence with each other Israel), in Europe, and in Japan. Stunningly, Japan alone has 120 US military bases, while Germany hosts 119 of them. It is important to understand that these bases are not merely instruments military power, but also political power. In 1965, Thomas Hughes of the US State Departments Bureau of Intelligence and Research authored an important memorandum, The Significance of NATO Present and Future. NATO, Hughes wrote, remains essential to the US as a well-established and easily available instrument for exercising American political influence in Europe and ultimately it is important for the protection of American interests in Europe. Such a system had already been put in place in Japan, as detailed in this US military memorandum from 1962. The network of US military bases in Europe and Japan are the symbol of their political subordination to Washington. With the signing of the US-Japan Security Treaty in 1951, Japans Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida accepted the dominance of the US military over his country but hoped that the Japanese state would be able to focus on economic development. Similar doctrines were articulated in Europe. In the post-war era, an economic bloc began to form between the United States, Europe, and Japan. In 1966, Raymond Vernon published a significant journal article, International Investment and International Trade in the Product Cycle, in the Quarterly Journal of Economics in which he showed how the large international corporations built a sequential structure: goods would be first produced and sold in the United States, then in Europe, and afterwards in Japan, after which they would finally be sold in other parts of the world. In 1985, Kenichi Ohmae, managing director of the global consulting firm McKinseys Tokyo office, shed further light on this arrangement in his book Triad Power: The Coming Shape of Global Competition. Ohmae illustrated how international corporations had to operate simultaneously in the United States, Western Europe, and Japan; increasing capital intensity, high research and development costs, a convergence of consumer taste, and the rise of protectionism made it essential for international corporations to work in these countries, which Ohmae collectively called the Triad, and then seek markets and opportunities elsewhere (where seven-tenths of the world lived). Samir Amin used that term Triad for a very different purpose. In 1980, he wrote of the gradual consolidation of the central zone of the world capitalist system (Europe, North America, Japan, Australia), and soon thereafter began to refer to this central zone as the Triad. The elites in Europe and Japan subordinated their own national self-interest to what the US government had begun to call their common interests. New institutions and terms emerged in the 1970s, giving shape to these common interests, including the Trilateral Commission (set up by David Rockefeller in 1973 with headquarters in Paris, Tokyo, and Washington) and the concept of trilateral diplomacy (which brought together Western Europe, Japan, and the United States under one unified diplomatic worldview). Intellectuals in these trilateral circles saw the United States as the central power with its vassal states (Europe and Japan) empowered to maintain control over the tributary states (such as South Korea) in order to keep the rest of the world stable. Much harsher language was used by Zbigniew Brzezinski, one of the architects of the Trilateral Commission and National Security Advisor to US President Jimmy Carter. In The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives (1997), Brzezinski wrote, To put it in terminology that hearkens back to the more brutal age of ancient empires, the three grand imperatives of imperial geostrategy are to prevent collusion and maintain security dependence among the vassals, to keep tributaries pliant and protected, and to keep the barbarians from coming together. You can guess who the barbarians are in Brzezinskis imagination. In recent years, the concept of the Triad has largely fallen out of favour. But there is a need to recover this term to better understand the actual world order. The imperialist camp is not solely geographically defined; both the older term, Triad, and the more currently used term, Global North, are geopolitical concepts. The majority of the world the Global South now faces a US-led and dominated imperialist system that is rooted in an integrated military structure. This system is composed of three groups: (1) the United States, the United Kingdom, and other Anglo-American white settler states; (2) Europe; and (3) Japan. The Global North is home to a minority of the worlds population (14.2%) but is responsible for a clear majority of global military spending (66.0%). According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, total world military spending reached $2.2 trillion in 2022, with the Triad and its close partners responsible for $1.46 trillion of that amount (Chinas military spending is $292 billion, while Russia spends $86 billion). It is this immense military power that allows the Triad to continue to assert itself over the worlds peoples, despite its weakening hold on the world economy. In recent years, the United States has encouraged a Japanese rearmament and a German military build-up, both of which were discouraged after the Second World War, so that these vassals can strengthen Washingtons parochial New Cold War against Russia and China as well as the newly assertive states of the Global South. Although some elites in Europe and Japan are able to see the domestic crises in their countries that are being accelerated by the US foreign policy agenda, they lack the cultural and political confidence to stand on their own two feet. In 2016, the European Unions High Representative Federica Mogherini laid out the concept of Europes strategic autonomy from the United States in the EU Global Strategy. Three years later, Frances Emmanuel Macron said that NATO was suffering brain death and that Europe has the capacity to defend itself. Today, it is clear that neither assertion Europes strategic autonomy nor its capacity to defend itself holds any water. Modest returns of Gaullism in France do not offer the kind of courage required by European and Japanese leaders to break with the trilateral bargains that were set up seventy-eight years ago. Until that courage arrives, Europe and Japan will remain entrenched in their conditions of vassalage, and the Triad will remain alive and well. Residents living in an apartment block have been left stunned after finding a note telling them to keep it down when they get intimate with their partners. A brutal handwritten note was found attached to the community notice board in the building in Sydney's eastern suburbs. A mystery neighbour had written the note making it very clear they were fed-up with the noise coming from the building. A brutal handwritten note was found attached to the community notice board in the building in Sydney's eastern suburbs A photograph of the note was shared to the Bondi Local Loop Facebook page on Thursday. 'When you have sex, keep the noice [sic] down,' the note read. 'We hear you and the neighbour buildings.' Social media users were left amused by the note after the photo was shared to Facebook. Some ridiculed the neighbour for the poor grammar while others laughed at the message. 'I couldn't get past the grammar to fully enjoy this,' one wrote. 'You should post it in a Facebook group so everyone knows you're getting a bit,' another added. 'It's noice.' The woman who died alongside three teenagers in an horrific car crash had pledged her love for a young teenage girl and posted pictures of her kissing the youngster. Alicia Montebello, 31, was killed when her red Toyota Corolla hatchback veered out of control and ploughed into a tree near Bochara in south-west Victoria on Saturday. The Coles checkout supervisor died in the devastating smash alongside local Hamilton teens Meghan Fox, 14, Joshua Elmes, 15, and Lucas Gorzali, 14. Meghan's sister Jorja, 17, survived the crash but remains in hospital in a serious condition with critical upper body injuries. A haunting last picture of Jorja taken just days earlier shows her in the car passenger seat of the Corolla without a seatbelt on as it apparently speeds down the road. The photograph, which appeared as the final image in Ms Montebello's last TikTok video, posted on May 14, seems to have been taken by the driver while driving. A haunting last picture of Jorja Fox (above) taken just days before the crash shows her in the car passenger seat of the Corolla without a seatbelt on as it apparently speeds down the road Alicia Monteballo had pledged her love for a young teenage girl and posted several pictures of her kissing the youngster The mangled wreck of the Toyota Corolla that claimed the lives of four people Police believe no-one in the car was wearing a seat belt at the time of Saturday's horror crash, and parents had previously sounded warnings about Ms Montebello. The Adelaide-born woman had twice been banned from driving after she was caught drunk driving an unregistered car and driving while disqualified. But parents also told police they feared their teenage daughter - who is not being identified by Daily Mail Australia - was being groomed for sex by Ms Montebello. Now Daily Mail Australia can reveal a string of online messages from the adult to the teenager almost half her age, telling her: 'I love you...I love you little one.' In another post she added: 'My best friend - I love you little one.' In another message to the teenager after she posted a picture of herself in a party frock, Ms Montebello added: 'Wow u in the blue dress gawjus.' Ms Montebello was charged with stalking and causing damage to a teenager's car in February and was bailed on the condition she didn't contact two teenage girls. But she had bombarded the teenager - who had been in a relationship with one of the teenage boys killed in the crash - with around 30 text messages in late March before turning up at her work. On March 31, she posted a video on TikTok telling the teenagers: 'I miss you - best friends forever and always. Love you guys. My world.' In a second video the same day, she posted more pictures and added: 'I promise that I will always be there for you somehow. 'I will make it work. I love you guys xx' Parents told police they feared their teenage daughter - who is not being identified by Daily Mail Australia - was being groomed for sex by Alicia Montebello (pictured) Alicia Montebello posted a series of pictures showing her smooching with the girl almost half her age in a string of videos and posts on social media Alicia Montebello pledged her love for the teen in a series of messages online (pictured), and bombarded her with 30 text messages before she was fined $700 for stalking She was arrested and charged with breaching her bail conditions when she was caught with the two teenagers in the early hours of the morning in Hamilton in April. Ms Montebello was fined $700 without conviction for wilful damage, two counts of stalking, and four counts of contravening bail, reported the Warrnambool Standard. Police are yet to reveal who was behind the wheel of the car at the time of the crash, with detectives hopeful Jorja Fox can help with inquiries when she's well enough. On Sunday, Police Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir confirmed a witness saw the group's car leaving a local waterfall park about 1am on Saturday. The wreckage was found by a passer-by about 9am on the single lane Wannon-Nigretta Falls Road at Bochara, 320km west of Melbourne. It's not yet clear when exactly the accident happened and how long it was before the alarm was raised with emergency services. The father of one of the teens killed in the tragic crash has revealed he warned his son against getting in the car with Ms Montebello. Alicia Montebello (left) was arrested and charged with breaching her bail conditions when she was caught with the two teenagers in the early hours of the morning in Hamilton in April Alicia Montebello was charged with stalking and causing damage to the teenager's car in February and was bailed on the condition she didn't contact two teenage girls The wreckage was found by a passer-by about 9am on the single lane Wannon-Nigretta Falls Road at Bochara, 320km west of Melbourne Matthew Elmes, 46, father of Joshua, feared Ms Montebello was a dangerous driver who was feeding the youngsters' need for quick thrills. 'If you want an adrenaline rush, it's probably better to go to a theme park or go skydiving, but don't get in a car,' said Mr Elmes. Ms Montebello had regularly been seen driving the Corolla in the area prior to the crash and reportedly encouraged her passengers not to wear seat belts while she drove 'erratically'. A chilling video apparently taken inside the car was posted to Snapchat just hours before the crash and appears to show it speeding at 130km/h down a country road. Asst Commr Weir said a crash reconstruction on the narrow strip of road where the accident occurred indicated the car was travelling well in excess of 100km/h. 'To do that speed on that road at that time of day, any time really, is just incomprehensible to me,' he said. A police spokesperson said enquiries were continuing and said it was 'inappropriate' to comment further as the crash was now the subject of a coronial investigation. Jorja and Meghan Fox were involved in a shocking crash just outside of Hamilton. Meghan died and Jorja remains in a serious but stable condition Australia's medicine and therapeutic regulator has issued an urgent warning about a common headache medication which contains a dangerous sedative which poses a significant health risk. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has put out a safety alert for EVE-branded tablets containing allylisopropylacetylurea, also known as apronal. The hypnotic sedative has been found in a range of imported products, including EVE Quick for Headache, EVE Quick for Headache DX EVE, EVE A and EVE A EX. The products are banned from sale, supply and use in Australia. The Therapeutic Goods Administration issued warnings about headache medications containing apronal (stock image) DO NOT USE EVE Quick for Headache EVE Quick for Headache DX EVE A EVE A EX Advertisement 'We are warning consumers against taking EVE branded products that contain allylisopropylacetylurea as they pose a significant health risk and are prohibited from sale, supply or use in Australia,' the TGA alert states. 'Apronal is a hypnotic sedative that was withdrawn from clinical use in Australia due to dangerous side effects and is banned in most countries in the world.' 'If you or someone you care for is taking any of these products, stop immediately and take any remaining tablets to your local pharmacy for safe disposal.' Apronal also goes by the names of apronalide, ACE and (2-Isopropyl-4-pentenoyl) urea. Synthesized in 1926 by Hoffmann-La Roche, apronal is no longer used except in Japan. Consumers and businesses are reminded that it's illegal to import, advertise or supply unregistered therapeutic goods in Australia, including EVE or any brand of apronal products. A safety alert was been issued for imported EVE-branded tablets, including EVE A EX The illegal importation and supply of these products may result in massive fines or court action. Consumers are also warned to use exercise extreme caution when buying medicines from unknown overseas websites as they may contain undisclosed and potentially harmful ingredients. They may also not meet the same standards of quality, safety and efficacy as those approved in Australia. BHP has conceded it owes up to $430million in back pay after miscalculating public holiday leave for more than a decade in one of Australia's biggest ever wage theft admissions. A preliminary review indicated about 28,500 current and former rostered employees across the mining giant's Australian operations had leave incorrectly deducted on public holidays since 2010. It is understood BHP's failure to include 2010 changes to the national employment standards in its internal payroll system are to blame for the blunder. The average leave lost was six days per employee or about 170,000 days across the company. 'We are sorry to all current and former employees impacted by these errors,' BHP Australia president Geraldine Slattery said. 'This is not good enough and falls short of the standards we expect at BHP. The mining giant BHP has revealed it owes 28,500 current and former rostered employees $430million in back pay after miscalculating public holiday leave for more than a decade 'We are working to rectify and remediate these issues, with interest, as quickly as possible.' In a further blow, initial queries into the payroll of OZ Minerals, which was acquired by BHP in May, indicate a similar, historic public holiday pay error may have also occurred. About 400 current and former BHP employees at Port Hedland were also not paid additional allowances due to an error with the employment entity in their contract. BHP said the estimated cost of remediating the leave issue and the contracting issue would be up to $US280million (A$430million) pre-tax, including necessary superannuation and interest payments (BHP share). In an email to BHP staff on Thursday, Ms Slattery said the issue affected about 19,000 current BHP workers and 9500 former employees. Global assurance firm Protiviti has been brought in to thoroughly review the payroll systems. BHP Australia president Geraldine Slattery apologised to the affected workers saying it was 'not good enough' An update is expected when BHP announces its full-year results in August. BHP says it self-reported to the Fair Work Ombudsman and will contact affected current and former employees as soon as possible. A dedicated hotline and website will be running from Friday. The huge blunder comes to light as BHP gears up to fight the Albanese Government and unions over the controversial same job, same pay policy. This would mean labour hire workers are paid at the same rate as direct employees, a change BHP claims could cost it up to $1.3billion a year and 'fundamentally damage' Australia's competitiveness. Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke seized on BHP's admissions to fire a few shots back. 'Just last week BHP were trying to assure us that their employment practices were impeccable and the government didn't need to close any loopholes to protect wages,' Mr Burke told The Australian. Current and former rostered BHP employees will be able to use a hotline and a website from Friday to recover money owed to them 'That's clearly not true. Australia can do better to make sure workers are properly paid. That'll be the focus of our legislation in the coming months.' The Fair Work Ombudsman said on Thursday that the regulator would conduct an investigation into the underpayments. 'As regulator we will hold the organisation to account for any breaches of workplace laws,' a spokesperson said. 'Any workers with concerns about their pay should contact us for assistance.' Went with Brittany Higgins to meeting with PM and Labor leader A powerful victim's advocate who stood by Brittany Higgins' side every day in court knew her boyfriend, David Sharaz, prior to the explosive rape allegations. Heidi Yates, the ACT victims of crime commissioner, made the revelation on Thursday during a hearing of a Board of Inquiry, which is looking into the way the investigation and jury trial into Bruce Lehrmann was handled by prosecutors and police. Ms Higgins alleged Mr Lehrmann raped her in Parliament House in 2019. He has always maintained his innocence. During his jury trial in the ACT Supreme Court in October, Ms Yates was a permanent fixture by Ms Higgins' side - appearing heavily in news coverage of the case. On Thursday, Ms Yates was questioned by the counsel assisting the inquiry, Erin Longbottom, about the way she became involved with Ms Higgins' matter. Ms Yates also detailed multiple moments where she became concerned for Ms Higgins' life. One was after Lisa Wilkinson's disastrous Logies speech, and another was after her second police interview when an ambulance was called. ACT Victims of Crime Commissioner Heidi Yates addressed the Board of Inquiry on Thursday morning Earlier on Thursday, Ms Yates agreed with Ms Longbottom's suggestion that she first heard about the rape allegations on January 30, 2021, after she spoke at a community event. Another speaker approached her and said he knew of a woman who was going to make a sexual assault complaint that would 'likely attract media attention', and asked her for a message of support. Ms Yates agreed, but said she did not meet with Ms Higgins until months later in April 2021. Ms Longbottom said: 'By April, Ms Higgins had been public about her allegation of sexual assault and there was an interview broadcast on The Project of that year, and on April 26 you received an email from Ms Higgins' partner [David Sharaz].' Ms Yates replied 'Yes'. Ms Longbottom continued: 'You knew Mr Sharaz from his time as a local news journalist in Canberra?' Ms Yates responded: 'Vaguely, yes.' The inquiry heard that Ms Higgins' now-fiance, David Sharaz, knew Ms Yates 'vaguely' from his time as a Canberra journalist The victims advocate then agreed that she spoke with Mr Sharaz on the phone, during which time he explained Ms Higgins was looking for support in relation to an upcoming meeting with then-prime minister Scott Morrison. Ms Yates first met with Ms Higgins on April 27, three days prior to the meeting with Mr Morrison. 'Ms Higgins sought information from you about systemic issues affecting sexual assault victims,' Ms Longbottom asked. Ms Yates recalled Ms Higgins was looking for advice about systemic issues regarding sexual assault complaints, rather than advice about her own alleged assault. 'She spoke about the issue she wanted to talk to about, such as access and better pathways for victims to make a report, and timely therapeutic support ... so we provided her with information about those matters,' Ms Yates said. Ms Yates then recalled she was invited to attend two meetings with Ms Higgins on April 30 - one with Mr Morrison and another with former opposition leader Anthony Albanese and Tanya Plibersek. Brittany Higgins' struggles Later on Thursday, Ms Yates told the inquiry she had permission from Ms Higgins to speak about personal matters - including the moments her mental health declined. The first occasion was in May 2021, after Ms Higgins gave her second interview with police. Detective Superintendent Scott Moller phoned Ms Yates to say police had found evidence that Ms Higgins had been searching for information about how to end her life. 'During that phone call, Detective Superintendent Moller told you that police were accessing Ms Higgins' phone?,' Ms Longbottom asked. Ms Yates replied: 'Yes.' 'And he expressed to you some concerns about what he found on that phone. Yes. Can you identify what those concerns were?,' Ms Longbottom asked. 'I'm just pausing here noting that these are sensitive matters,' Ms Yates responded. Lisa Wilkinson is pictured, left, with Brittany Higgins 'Superintendent Moller informed me that they had access to material on her phone and they were concerned that she was looking at suicide and self harm websites,' she said. 'I asked her whether her psychologist was someone that she could trust around how she was feeling, and she said that, no.' Ms Yates recalled that Ms Higgins said the protections stopping her from self-harming in that past were no longer in place. 'She was talking about the fact that every time she went online, there was a furore,' Ms Yates said. 'People were contacting her all the time. She can't get away from it, she can't get around the constant contact. She said for the last 100 days, 'I've been finding out more about what's happened to myself from TV', and I don't know how to make that better anymore.' Ms Yates called an ambulance for Ms Higgins because she believed there was an immediate threat to her life. Another occasion was in June 2022, on the day a temporary stay application was granted by the Chief Justice - which meant Mr Lehrmann's trial would be moved from June to October. 'That was in relation to comments made at the Logies,' Ms Yates said. She was referring to a speech Lisa Wilkinson made during her acceptance speech at the Logie awards - during which the TV host appeared to align herself with Ms Higgins. The hearing was delayed over fears Wilkinson's speech could bias a jury. The walk into court Ms Yates flanked Ms Higgins into court throughout the Lehrmann trial Ms Yates was also asked about her decision to walk into court with Ms Higgins every day - given that her title of 'victims of crime commissioner' could imply that Mr Lehrmann was guilty. Ms Longbottom pointed to criticism of Ms Yates in relation to the fact that she was the 'public face' of the support for Ms Higgins - choosing to walk beside her into court every day. Ms Yates said those criticisms 'concern me greatly', but told the inquiry there was general 'misunderstanding' as to what her role actually was. According to the ACT Human Rights Act, the victims of crime commissioner has the ability to support an alleged victim - whether there is a conviction recorded against the defendant or not. She said: 'The ACT government has enabled my office to provide care - if that is known and understood, together we can improve community faith in the justice system, and that each of us has a different role'. Ms Yates then told the inquiry that Ms Higgins decided on the first day of the trial to enter the court in full view of cameras and reporters, even though she was given a range of alternatives. 'Ms Higgins was entitled to to support from our office and she asked me to support her, and it wasn't until the day the trial started that she decided whether she would choose to enter publicly, or take the other options that are available to her,' she recalled. When asked whether it was inappropriate for her to publicly appear with Ms Higgins, and whether her presence by Ms Higgins' side created confusion, Ms Yates said she did not think so. She added that said no other governmental body, including police and the DPP, implied there was any issue with her presence by Ms Higgins' side. Ms Yates further stated that she would have listened to any advice stating her presence was inappropriate and would have taken action, but pointed out the criticism largely came after the trial collapsed. She was asked if, in hindsight, she would still show public support for Ms Higgins. Ms Yates said it was difficult to know, but she would take this situation into consideration if another alleged victim asked for the same kind of support. Walter Sofronoff, who is leading the inquiry, suggested the title 'victims of crime commissioner' stripped Mr Lehrmann's human right to the presumption of innocence. Mr Sofronoff suggested another title, like the 'complainants commissioner' might be better suited. The hearing continues. For confidential support call the Lifeline 24-hour crisis support on 13 11 14 A mum has opened up about the horrific moment she found out her son, who has special needs, had been stabbed at school and needed emergency surgery. The boy's mother, Nicole Jackson, said she was called by Kruger State School in Ipswich, Queensland, and told her son Xavier, 11, had been injured. 'What I want everyone to understand is that this isn't just happening in our high schools, it's happening in primary schools and it's not safe,' she told Sunrise on Thursday. Queensland mum Nicole Jackson (right) is pictured with her son Xavier, who has special needs 'I don't want to be sending my children to school knowing that it isn't safe out there anymore.' The mother-of-seven said when she was called by the school after the incident last month where her son was stabbed with a stick, staff 'weren't sure' how badly injured he was. Fortunately for Xavier, she decided to take him to a doctor to see if his injuries were bad enough to go to hospital or if they could be treated there. The doctor found a terrible detail that meant her son needed emergency surgery. 'They started to clean him up and realised there was a severed vein, so they sent us straight to emergency to see a surgeon,' she said. 'He's a trooper, he's been really strong through the whole thing. I know if it was me, I'd be sooking. He's shown a lot of strength through it.' Ms Jackson said staff shortages are to blame for what happened. 'It's sad to say, our schools are understaffed. They have so many little people and not enough supervision in the playgrounds, and unfortunately this is what's happening. 'It's not just one school, it's happening everywhere,' she said. She made a plea to the Queensland state government to intervene. 'The government needs to do a lot more to supervise what they are able to do for these schools,' she said. The injury to Xavier Jackson's arm that required immediate surgery is pictured 'These are our babies, we need to step up before it gets any worse.' In a statement, Queensland's Department of Education would not say what punishment was given to the student who stabbed Xavier, but said the matter was 'treated extremely seriously'. 'Whenever a student is injured, staff will always make every attempt to thoroughly assess the injury when possible. The student's parent was called immediately. 'Appropriate disciplinary consequences are being applied following the incident. Details cannot be provided due to student privacy.' The department added that the school was working with Xavier and his mum on the issue and that 'counselling and support services are available for all school community members should they require it'. A dumpster diver has made an incredible haul after finding fresh food while rummaging through an Aldi bin. New Zealand man Brenden Rikihana is a self-confessed 'scavenger' who rummages through supermarket dumpsters in Western Australia. The 53-year-old, who lives in Perth with his family, donates donates most of his haul to families struggling to make ends meet and charities in his community. Mr Rikihana searches bins at Woolworths, Coles and Aldi looking for toys, clothes, fresh vegetables, fruit and other food items and shares his dumpster diving adventures on his 'Bin Living with Big B' social media channels. Brenden Rikihana, 53, (pictured) is a self-confessed 'scavenger' who rummages through supermarket dumpsters in Western Australia looking for products and fresh food items he can donate to charity In a video shared on his 'Bin Living with Big B' youtube channel, Mr Rikihana searches an Aldi dumpster and finds a box of quiche's with two more weeks before its expiration date (pictured) In a video shared on his YouTube channel on April 17, Mr Rikihana highlighted how 'picky' supermarket giant's are after finding a box of quiche lorraine's in an Aldi bin. 'Here we are at another Aldi and straight off the bat we find a whole heap of these, a whole box of Quiche Lorraine's,' Mr Rikihana says. 'Pumpkin, ricotta, spinach, and pineapple. Whole box of them. Firm date. Still in date for another two weeks.' The World Kitchen's 700g quiches retail for between $6 to $7 - and were marked with an expiration date of April 23 - making Mr Rikihana's find of 11 quiches worth more than $65. Mr Rikihana is then seen searching the rest of the bin where he finds a couple bags of coleslaw, tomatoes, a bag of potatoes, bagels, strawberries and nectarines. He checks the expiration date of the items and the quality of the fruit and vegetables before taking them out of the bin and putting them in bags. In a video shared on TikTok on Wednesday, Mr Rikihana shows a range of products and food items he found in a Coles bin the night before. The video shows the haul spread out on his table and kitchen bench, including bottles of dish washing liquid, toothpastes, shower gels, deodorants, dove soaps, bread, eggs, herbs, fruit and boxes of chips. 'Look at all this 's**t,' he said. 'Hell, we even got beer and all for the big fat price of f**k all.' Social media users were outraged by the products supermarkets discard, with many wondering why the items are not donated instead of being thrown away. 'It's actually disgusting what they throw it! Give this stuff to the homeless u fucking supermarkets,' one wrote. 'Why tf (the f**k) would they throw all this out when people are struggling,' another person commented. A third person chimed: 'Thats disturbing how much waste.' Others warned Mr Rikihana not to eat from the 'fun mix' as Coles issued a recall for Smith's chips after foreign plastics and metal shards were found in some of its products. However, Mr Rikihana reassured his followers claiming only the Smith's cheese and onion and original were recalled with the rest still good to eat. East European NATO member Romania finally retired the last of its MiG-21 fighters in May 2023. This ended the nearly 70 years of MiG-21 use by European nations. Small numbers of MiG-21s still serve in a number of African countries. Romania has a small economy, and defense budget, compared to the original (West European) NATO countries and most other new East European NATO members. This has made it difficult, but not impossible to upgrade its military to meet NATO standards. That meant replacing all the Russian combat aircraft with more capable Western models. If you were on a budget, the best inexpensive NATO compliant fighter was the F-16. There was a thriving market in second-hand F-16s and upgrades for F-16s. of all ages. There was an upgrade market for MiG-21s after the Cold War ended in 1991. Romania kept its MiG-21s relevant for a long time via periodic upgrades. This kept Romanian MiG-21 LanceR models in service longer than anyone elses. Romanias transition to F-16s also involved a series of upgraded second-hand F-16s. For example, Romania is replacing its 17 current second-hand F-16Bs with 32 more modern Norwegian second-hand F-16s. Norway upgraded its F-16s to the equivalent of the F-16C Block 50 in 2010. Romania negotiated the purchase of the Norwegian F-16s for $12 million per aircraft. This included spare parts and support equipment plus maintenance and technical training services. Deliveries began on schedule in 2023 and will be completed in 2024. These aircraft are good for at least another ten years. Norway had the best maintained F-16s in NATO, and recently replaced its F-16s with F-35s. The Romanian F-16s from Portugal had been upgraded to a less advanced F-16 version. Romania also had 16 MiG-21 fighters in service until the last of these were retired in 2023. Romania joined NATO in 2004 and retiring its MiG-21s makes it NATO-compliant in fighter aircraft. Romania is one the three NATO nations (including Bulgaria and Turkey) with a Black Sea coastline and the only one bordering Ukraine. That land border is used to get NATO supplies into Ukraine. Romania also provides training for some Ukrainian troops and security for commercial shipping moving between Ukraine and the Turkish exit to the Mediterranean. Romania and many other NATO members have long used the F-16 because this aircraft has the most impressive combat record of any current jet fighter. The U.S. was the earliest and largest user of the F-16 and its F-16 fleet, containing many aircraft acquired in the 1980s, is rapidly aging. The average age of American F-16s is over 30 years, and the average aircraft has nearly 7,000 flight hours on it. Most European nations received their F-16s in the 1980s and have upgraded them since. But they are still basically elderly aircraft. Back in 2009 the first Block 40 F-16 passed 7,000 flight hours. In 2008 the first of the earliest models (a Block 25) F-16 passed 7,000 hours in the air. The F-16C was originally designed for a service life of 4,000 hours. Advances in engineering, materials and maintenance techniques have extended that to over 8,000 hours. Because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, F-16s sent to these areas flew over a thousand hours a year more than what they would fly in peacetime. The F-16 follows the path of previous best-selling fighters. During the Cold War (1947-91) Russia built over 10,000 MiG-21s and the U.S over 5,000 F-4s. Since 1991 warplane manufacturing numbers have plummeted about 90 percent. The F-16 was popular enough to keep the production lines going strong into the 2020s. The U.S. still has about a thousand F-16s in service, with about half in reserve units. F-16s built so far were exported to 27 countries. America has hundreds in storage, available for sale on the used airplane market. The end of the Cold War also led to a sharp cut in U.S. Air Force fighter squadrons. Moreover, the new F-35s are replacing all U.S. F-15s and F-16s, a process that will be complete by 2030. That means the U.S. will have plenty of little-used F-16s sitting around, and many allies in need of low-cost jet fighters. Many current F-16 users planned to replace the F-16 with the F-35, but that aircraft costs more than twice as much as a new F-16V so air forces are seeking to operate a mixed force of F-35s and late model F-16s. NATO nations maintain warplanes that are believed capable of handling the Russian air force. The current war in Ukraine has revealed the actual capabilities of Russian warplanes, which turned out to be much less than expected. This means many NATO air forces can get by with upgraded F-16s rather than replacing F-16s with the new American F-35. Most F-35s are going to export customers. Since the 1990s most F-16s produced were for export and these, like the Israeli F-16I, cost as much as $70 million each. Some nations, like South Korea, built over a hundred F-16s under license. The 16-ton F-16 also has an admirable combat record and is very popular with pilots. It has been successful at ground support as well. When equipped with 4-6 smart bombs, it is an effective bomber. Since first entering service some 4,600 F-16s have flown over 12 million hours. Despite fears that a single-engine fighter would be less safe, F-16s have, in the 21st century, suffered a remarkably low accident rate (loss or major damage) of 2.4 per 100,000 flight hours. The F-16 is one of the most modified jet fighters in service. While most are still called the F-16C, there are actually seven major mods, identified by block number (32, 40, 42, 50, 52, 60, 70 and 72), plus the Israeli F-16I, which is a major modification of the Block 52. The F-16D is a two-seat trainer version of F-16Cs. The various block mods included a large variety of new components (five engines, four sets of avionics, five generations of electronic warfare gear, five radars and many other mechanical, software, cockpit and electrical mods.) Until the Block 70 came along, the most advanced F-16 was the F-16 Block 60. The best example of this is a special version of the Block 60 developed for the UAE (United Arab Emirates). The UAE bought 80 "Desert Falcons" (the F-16E) which is optimized for air combat. It is a 22-ton aircraft based on the Block 52 model, but with an AESA radar and lots of other electronic and mechanical enhancements. The Block 70 goes beyond the Block 60, especially in terms of electronics and airframe enhancement to extend flight life. The most successful F-16 user is Israel which set a number of combat records with its F-16s. Israel plans to keep some of its late-model F-16s flying into the 2030s as it retires the oldest ones. At the end of 2016, Israel retired the last of its 125 F-16A fighters. The first 70 were acquired in 1980 and 1981 and included 8 two-seater F-16B trainers. One of the F-16As achieved a record by being the single F-16 with the most air-to-air kills (6.5), all achieved in 1982 using three different pilots. Israel received 50 used F-16As in 1994 (including 14 B models) and used these mainly as trainers. These F-16As were the first of the nearly 400 F-16s Israel obtained from the United States since 1980. Israeli F-16s have shot down 47 aircraft, which is 70 percent of the 67 kills for all F-16s built. Israeli F-16A aircraft flew 474,000 sorties and spent over 335,000 hours in the air over 35 years. Israel was the most energetic user of the F-16 and also took the lead in developing upgrades and accessories. This helped sell the older F-16As, even in a crowded market with more and more of these oldest F-16s being retired rather than upgraded. That is easier to do with the more recent F-16C models and that is what Israel did with all of its F-16Cs. Anthony Albanese has rallied to the defence of his Health Minister after it was revealed that a firm Mark Butler's wife worked at would benefit from a $23.4million government investment into cyber security. Mr Butler was part of the Federal budget committee which awarded funding in the last Federal Budget to the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA), to help protect companies against cyber threats. Daily Mail Australia revealed his wife, former journalist Daniela Ritorto, was employed on a part-time basis as a 'senior consultant' at COSBOA's 'delivery partner' 89 Degrees East. Mr Butler and his wife married in 2021 after three years of dating Opposition Deputy Leader Sussan Ley asked for more detail about situation during Question Time on Thursday. Mr Albanese defended his cabinet colleague, insisting 'the ERC [expenditure review committee] does not consider that level of detail. It's never considered. 'It is a matter for them which contractors they engage to deliver a program.' After his brief statement, the Opposition jeered, with one MP shouting: 'Is that it?'. Ms Ley doubled down on her question, asking Mr Butler why he did not recuse himself from any decision making in relation to the grant. Mr Butler said he takes the mandatory code of conduct 'very seriously', which is why he declared Ms Ritorto's role on his register of interests. He noted Ms Ritorto's contract with the company ended in 2021, and resumed in February 2023. She is no longer working with the firm. 'At no time has any matter been before me for decision about that company. Mr Albanese defended his cabinet member, insisting 'the ERC [expenditure review committee] does not consider that level of detail. It's never considered 'Were that to happen, Id manage that with longstanding arrangements about potential conflict.' The Cyber Wardens initiative which was awarded the government grant lists 89 Degrees East as a 'founding partner'. The connection between the two businesses - which is readily available online - was reportedly not made clear during any expenditure review committee discussions about the funding. As such, Mr Butler was never aware of, or concerned about, any potential conflict of interest. 89 Degrees East was posting about its involvement with the project as early as January, and is listed on the Cyber Wardens website as a 'founding partner' A spokesperson from Mr Butler's office said on Wednesday evening: 'When the measure in question was brought before the ERC, there was no mention of the involvement or potential involvement of 89 Degrees East. 'The Minister had nothing to declare.' 89 Degrees East was posting about its involvement with the project as early as January. The Budget announced the cash funding was on May 9. During Senate Estimates on Tuesday night, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said the contract awarded to COSBOA was done in consultation with Labor ministers. She said: 'It was a decision of government to fund this', before adding it was 'part of the standard Budget process'. In justifying the decision to award the funding, Senator Gallagher described COSBOA as 'the peak small business group'. 'They are the obvious choice to run a program like this, but there is a process to go through around the particulars of this grant. That is still to be finalised.' Daily Mail Australia understands the connection between the two businesses - which is readily available online - was not made clear during any expenditure review committee discussions about the funding. As such, Mr Butler was never aware of, or concerned about, any potential conflict of interest The Cyber Wardens program will create up to 60,000 jobs in small businesses within three years, roles primarily tasked with preventing cyber scams and attacks. Senator Gallagher was grilled during the hearing about the grant, but stood firm in her conviction that Labor had made the right choice in allocating the money. Australia has been described as a 'hacker's paradise' following breaches to both Optus and Medibank in recent months. As a result, Labor have invested significantly in the cyber protection sphere, with $101.6million allocated over five years across multiple projects. But there are concerns about the decision making process behind the funding in light of 89 Degrees East's ties with both Labor and COSBOA. Mr Butler is a close ally of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is also a member of the expenditure review committee Ministerial Standards state all official decisions a minister is involved in must be free from bias or 'irrelevant consideration'. 'Ministers must have regard to the pecuniary and other private interests of members of their family, to the extent known to them, as well as their own interests, in considering whether a conflict or apparent conflict between private interests and official duty arises.' The government's expenditure review committee is comprised of some of the most senior ranking members of Government, including; Mr Albanese, Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Deputy PM Richard Marles and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher. Mr Butler has served in the House of Representatives since 2007, and was a minister in both the Gillard and Rudd governments before being assigned the Health role under Mr Albanese. He and his wife married in 2021 after three years of dating. A grandfather has been killed in a horror workplace accident involving a conveyor belt at a demolition site. The third party contractor, 65, had been at the industrial worksite on Kooragang Island near Port of Newcastle north of Sydney on Wednesday afternoon when a large pole struck him during demolition work. The man suffered severe injuries and died at the scene, despite the desperate efforts of emergency responders and witnesses. The tragedy occurred at a site logistics company Qube leased from the Port of Newcastle. Police and SafeWork investigations have been launched into the fatal incident at a demolition site (pictured) near Port of Newcastle 'We are deeply saddened to confirm the death of a third-party demolition contractor who was working on a Qube ports facility in Newcastle,' a spokesman said. 'Our thoughts are with the person's family, friends and colleagues and we are offering all the support we can during this difficult time.' Devastated relatives who rushed to the site told NBN News the man was a much-loved father and grandfather. Police officers spent Wednesday night examining the scene as an investigation into the incident was launched into the incident. A demolition contract worker died after being struck by a large metal pole at a worksite NSW Police will prepare a report for the coroner. SafeWork NSW has launched a separate investigation into the fatality. 'No further information is available at this time, a spokeswoman said. The man's death has sparked outpouring of tributes. 'It's a terrible accident that took my brother. He is loved very much and forever will be missed,' a heartbroken relative posted. The stepfather of a 12-year-old girl who killed her brother in a 'demonic' attack in Oklahoma was previously jailed for torturing and killing a cat, and beat a jail cellmate so violently that the man was left with brain injuries. DailyMail.com is not naming the girl who remains in juvenile detention following the January 5 attack. She stabbed her nine-year-old brother, Zander Lyda, three times at their home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her mother, April, believes the attack was caused by a change in medication but she has not yet given any additional details. Zander's father is 39-year-old Levi Lyda. In 2017 - when Zander was four and the girl was six - he tortured and killed a pet cat that belonged to another of his daughters in Missouri. Levi Lyda, 39, was arrested in 2017 - when Zander was four and the girl was six - for torturing a cat to death. The cat belonged to his other daughter Levi is pictured here with his ex-wife April, holding Zander, after his birth in 2013. The girl now in custody for killing Zander is shown, right, as a toddler Mom April Lyda with her son, Zander, on a GoFundme appeal for the family after his 12-year-old sister stabbed him to death He told police he was drunk and killed the animal in a haze. His family told police he said he didn't want the burden of it anymore. Lyda was taken to the county jail in St Charles, Missouri, where he beat up cellmate James L. Falke two nights in a row. Falke, who was in jail for drunk driving and fleeing the scene of an accident, sued the county for not protecting him from Lyda after the first attack. As part of his lawsuit, doctors described how he'd been beaten by Lyda to such an extent that he was left with a 'moderate brain injury'. Lyda is not the girl's biological father but on the night of the attack, her mother told police how he and his mother treated her like their 'own'. 'She is with Zanders dad and grandma all the time they look at her like shes there granddaughter too. 'She doesnt get left out, I dont understand why she would have so much anger towards him,' she said. Her biological father has not been publicly identified. Levi was pictured in an undated photo driving Zander in an undated photo before his death on January 5, 2023 Lyda is shown in the bodycam footage arriving at hospital while his son was receiving treatment. In the cat killing case, the girl's mother - another former partner of Lyda's - returned home to find drops of blood in the house and the lifeless kitten in the backyard. Police also found drops of blood in the young girl's bedroom, they said. He allegedly told his wife 'I got rid of the cat' just before she found the body but claimed not to remember having killed the kitten because he was drunk after consuming a six-pack of beer and a half-bottle of vodka. When questioned by police, authorities said, Lyda explained that after their family cat gave birth to a litter of kittens, caring for them became a burden on the family. 'It appears the animal had broken bones, had a broken leg,' St. Charles Prosecutor Tim Lohmar said at the time. 'There are pretty clear indications of blunt force trauma to the head.' Lyda later pleaded guilty to that offense, and remained out of jail so long as he underwent substance abuse counseling, mental health treatment and refrained from consuming alcohol. Criminal records obtained by DailyMail.com show that he had previously been cited for public intoxication and a slew of traffic violations. He was also cited just one week before the murder of the cat with stealing a motor vehicle But that was not the first time Lyda had a run-in with the law. Criminal records obtained by DailyMail.com show that he had previously been cited for public intoxication and a slew of traffic violations throughout Oklahoma, where he grew up, and Missouri, where he had lived with April and their two children. He was also cited the week before the cat's murder with a motor vehicle theft. It is unclear how close Lyda was with his daughter following the incident, but he and April separately decided to move back to Oklahoma with their children. He was even pictured driving Zander in an undated photo before his death on January 5, 2023. April told police she was asleep upstairs when her daughter woke her up shortly before midnight that night to say she had stabbed the boy. Recently-released police body camera footage showed the girl, whom authorities have not named, sobbing and repeatedly apologizing to officers as she insisted she was a 'good girl.' The edited video, obtained by The Law & Crime Network, begins with the girl running downstairs as she yells, 'I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.' As the girl is taken out of the home by police, April appears by the door frame saying the boy has stab wounds on his chest. 'You better pray to God he f*****g lives,' she tells the girl. 'I'm so sorry, momma,' the girl replies. 'I don't know what happened.' The handcuffed girl then leads police to the knife she supposedly used to stab her brother, which she had thrown out of a window. Once in the patrol car, the girl asks if she's going to jail as an officer tries to console her saying it's too soon to tell. 'I ruined my life,' she says. 'I ruined my whole future. It's all my fault.' At one point, the girl appears to pray as she says: 'God, please help me. What the f***. Please. F*** please.' While still in the car, she asks, 'Are the handcuffs necessary? I'm a good child.' The officer tells her it is given the nature of the incident. The boy, meanwhile, was rushed to the hospital and taken into surgery, but died from his injuries shortly after 2:30 a.m. CT. Police body camera footage shows the 12-year-old girl running downstairs as she yells, 'I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry' The handcuffed girl then leads police to the knife she supposedly used to stab her brother, which she had thrown out of a window The footage then skips to the police station, where an officer takes pictures of the girl's arms and hands. Lyda is then interviewed by police, and says her daughter has never displayed aggressive behavior in the past. 'I just don't understand why she would have so much anger toward him,' she says. 'Especially at bedtime.' At the end of the video, as two officers are talking, one says to the other: 'You just wonder what's going on in a 12-year-old's mind.' The girl is now in juvenile custody with the Tulsa Police Child Crisis Unit in charge of the investigation. A motive for the killing remains unknown. In a statement to DailyMail.com on Wednesday, the police department said it is not making any comments on the case as it involves a juvenile and is under seal, per the District Attorney's office. The footage then skips to the police station, where an officer takes pictures of the girl's arms and hands Zander was described as a sweet child who 'loved to ride his bike, play Fortnite, hang our with his best friend or just run errands with his mom' In the meantime, April's friends have started a GoFundMe to help the family with the costs of what they describe as an 'unexpected tragedy.' 'The loss of her 9 year old son to her 12 year old daughter has left this mother and their family completely devastated and confused, we are still trying to figure out why this happened,' the page reads. 'Her daughter was a well behaved child with no prior history of behavioral problems. Her son Zander was the sweetest boy who had the biggest smile, he loved to ride his bike, play Fortnite, hang out with his best friend or just run errands with his mom.' The page adds that April is still raising a three-year-old son as a single parent, and the funds will be used for their move to a new home, as well as legal fees, bills and a car repair. She also wrote in a message on the GoFundMe that it was inappropriate for the police department to release the footage of the arrest. April then went on to claim that the girl started having behavior issues when 'she was put back on a medication she was off for over a year,' adding that 'it wasn't psych meds.' She wrote: 'I can't get into details because I'm not sure what all I'm allowed to share just yet. 'She has never even yelled at me, she was happy and energetic loves school, she is not mentally ill & has not been diagnosed with anything. 'She has been very well behaved the entire 6 months she has been gone and yes I'm very supportive of her and love her very much, obviously there is a lot of healing that we both need before we can ever live together again.' Police are hunting the man who delivered a fatal blow to a father-of-two outside a restaurant and wine bar on Wednesday night. Michael Hayes, 39, died in hospital on Thursday after being struck a single blow by another man he was talking to after exiting the Destino Wine and Cocktail Bar at Sanctuary Cove on the Gold Coast in south-east Queensland. Mr Hayes' sister Lynda Blanch posted a heart-breaking shot of her holding Mr Hayes' hand in the hospital where he died on Thursday morning. 'Forever 39,' she wrote. 'Todays the Day Little Brother. Rest Easy Now. We Love You. Forever in our hearts. Justice will be served. My Twin'. Michael Hayes, 39, died in a Gold Coast hospital on Thursday morning after being felled by a single blow on Wednesday night Mr Hayes sister Lynda Blanch posted a heart-breaking shot of her holding Mr Hayes' hand in the hospital where he died As news of Mr Hayes' death spread on social media, tributes began pouring in. One of those was from Hi-Octane Automotive Events founder Ryan Cobb who saluted Mr Hayes, who was a self-employed mechanic, as a fellow car enthusiast. 'Rest easy big fella. Always happy, always smiling, always willing to help, no matter what,' Mr Cobb wrote. 'The world has lost a legend today. 'Fly high with the other legends that were taken too soon.' Family friend Becky Flint said she was 'devastated' by the news. 'I'm in tears reading this,' she said. 'I will be thinking back today on all our good times together. 'I still have all the little pressies that Michael gave me back in the good old pony club days.' Police are searching for the man who struck Mr Hayes outside a Gold Coast restaurant on Wednesday evening A GoFundMe campaign has been started to look after Michael's children. 'On Saturday the 27th May 2023 our lives changed forever. Michael Hayes was cowardly punched in the side of head In Sanctuary Cove which caused extensive damage,' the site reads. 'Michael was then placed on life support however due to the extend of his injuries on Thursday the 1st June his life support was turned off and Michael peacefully passed away.' 'Michael leaves behind two beautiful kids, Levi, 10 and Nevaeh, 2. 'Michael was a loving, generous, caring man who always put others' needs above his own. He was a self employed mechanic who lived and breathed for his kids.' Police are calling for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage from the Sanctuary Cove and Hope Island areas between 9pm and 10pm on Saturday to come forward as they hunt for the assailant. The perpetrator is described as Caucasian, between 20 and 30 years of age, with short dark hair. He was wearing dark tracksuit pants and a dark shirt, and had a satchel over his shoulder. The man left the scene on a motorcycle. Climate change protestor causes building to be evacuated Hundreds of employees have been evacuated after a climate change protestor triggered a hoax gas leak at Australia's largest independent oil and gas company. Around a dozen firefighters were called to Woodside Energy Headquarters in Perth at about 10am on Thursday. It came after Disrupt Burrup Hub protestor Kristen Morrisey set off an odourless gas outside the front of the building. The Perth headquarters of Australia's largest independent oil and gas company had to be evacuated after climate change protestor Kristen Morrisey (pictured) used yellow flare guns to create a hoax gas leak Around a dozen firefighters were called to Woodside Energy Headquarters in Perth (second building from the left) at about 10am on Thursday after a Disrupt Burrup Hub protestor set off an odourless gas out the front of the building Morrissey is captured on film using yellow smoke flares outside the entrance to symbolise the emissions from Woodsides mega gas project. The gas is typically used by mining companies in emergencies. Police arrived on the scene a short time later and took Morrissey away in a police car. No charges have been laid. The protest was the latest of many actions against Woodside due to its plans to prolong and expand gas production on the Burrup Peninsula near Karratha. Last month two protesters were arrested at the Perth Convention Centre after they tried to disrupt a Woodside AGM using stench gas. While two weeks ago high-profile activist Deanna 'Violet' CoCo was fined $200 and told to pay $500 in damages after she spray-painted four yellow Woodside Energy logos on Perth Police Station and then tried to glue herself to the window. #Breaking: A climate protester has been arrested after creating a hoax 'gas leak,' forcing the evacuation of staff from @WoodsideEnergy headquarters. The protester simulated the smell of a gas leak by using `stench gas, used on mine sites to sound the alarm about an emergency. pic.twitter.com/dh5iFVFfl2 10 News First Perth (@10NewsFirstPER) June 1, 2023 Two weeks ago high-profile activist Deanna 'Violet' CoCo (left) was fined $200 and told to pay $500 in damages after she spray-painted four yellow Woodside Energy logos on Perth Police Station and then tried to glue herself to the window Disrupt Burrup Hub protesters believe Woodside's presence in the Burrup region threatens both the Indigenous culture in the area and the environment. The Burrup Peninsula, 850km southwest of Broome, is home to one of Australia's biggest collections of Indigenous rock art. Woodside's $50 billion Burrup Hub project involves the development of two new gas fields, Scarborough and Browse, and the expansion of two existing gas fields in Perth's northwest. Woodside Energy is Australia's largest independent oil and gas company, worth $68billion, and ranks in Australia's top ten companies and among the 1500 biggest public companies in the world. A brazen group of thieves in black ski masks were caught on video robbing a family at gunpoint at their front door in broad daylight, the latest in a shocking series of recent robberies in Chicago. In fact, the Chicago Police Department revealed that the city has faced nearly 50 armed robberies just in the past five weeks, with authorities saying in an alert that they believe they've been committed by the same three to four suspects. Crime continues to be a problem in Chicago - up 49 percent from this point last year - just weeks after new Mayor Brandon Johnson, 47, was inaugurated following a close election over a more conservative, 'tough on crime' Democrat rival, Paul Vallas, whom he defeated by around 13,000 votes. The most recent instance of these potentially serial robberies happened in the city's Hermosa neighborhood, according to NBC Chicago. Vincent Galena Sr. was on his way to work at 6 a.m. last Friday morning when he was attacked, according to son Vincent Jr. A brazen group of thieves in black ski masks were caught on video robbing a family at gunpoint at their front door in broad daylight, the latest in a shocking series of recent robberies in Chicago 'The first guy that was sending closer to the truck - he got the guns pulled out to him, and from there, that's when they started pointing a gun at my dad, and the other guy who was up here on those stairs,' Galena Jr. told CBS Chicago. His son said that his father's wife, five kids, sister, and nephews were all asleep inside during the robbery. 'More worried about if they were going to go inside the house,' Galena Jr. said, calling his father a hero and said 'he was trying to protect the doorway, so he didn't want to come down the stairs.' 'In case they try to force their way in there, then he was going to fight back,' he added. He lost all of the money he'd planned to buy construction tools for the day's work with, in addition to losing that day's salary. The community alert sent out by police said they're looking for three to four people who are consistently wearing black ski masks, dark clothing and blue gloves. Police also claimed that they've been consistently attacking people on their way to work, saying they believe the thieves to be responsible for 10 more robberies just that morning alone. The ensuing Memorial Day weekend, at least 41 people were shot and nine killed as shootings ravaged Chicago over the holiday. Vincent Galena Sr. was on his way to work at 6 a.m. last Friday morning when he was attacked, according to son Vincent Jr His son said that his father's wife, five kids, sister, and nephews were all asleep inside during the robbery Crime continues to be a problem in Chicago just weeks after new Mayor Brandon Johnson, 47, was inaugurated following a close election over a more conservative, 'tough on crime' Democrat rival, Paul Vallas, whom he defeated by around 13,000 votes Historically, Memorial Day weekend has been marked by an increase in violent incidents in Chicago, making it one of the most challenging periods for public safety in the city. A total of 52 people were shot and nine killed on the holiday weekend last year. In the hope of de-escalating the violence, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced last week that 'peacekeepers' would be deployed across the city to and address any conflict. But many people were still caught up in the violence as dozens came under attack from gunfire right across the city. The weekend had also been seen as a crucial test for newly inaugurated Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who assumed office earlier this month with a commitment to addressing public safety through 'intelligent and holistic approaches' rather than relying solely on toughness. Through May 28, crime has soared 49 percent from the same period in 2022. That year finished with crime rising 41 percent from 2021, according to the city's own numbers. No doubt assisted by these serial ski masked thieves, robberies are up 28 percent in the Windy City from this point last year. Motor vehicle thefts have risen a shocking 167 percent, while murders are up 21 percent, aggravated battery 25 percent and shootings 55 percent. 'My administration's top priority is building a city where every single resident feels safe, and in order to do that, we need everyone at the table,' Johnson said. Upon being inaugurated in mid-May, the former union rep touted values such as 'hard work' and the Windy City's inherent 'soul. Through May 28, crime has soared 49 percent from the same period in 2022. That year finished with crime rising 41 percent from 2021, according to the city's own numbers One person pulled out a gun and fired it during the fracas which happened at 1.30pm on Friday, as North Avenue Beach opened ahead of Memorial Day weekend At least 41 people have been shot and nine killed as shootings ravaged Chicago over the Memorial Day weekend. A car window is seen smashed following an incident at North Avenue Beach on Friday That said, the speech did not address the potential mass migration of of prominent business owners out of the city, which includes Chicago 's richest billionaire Ken Griffin, who in the fall relocated hedge fund Citadel to Miami. After a shooting outside the firm's Downtown offices, Griffin bought a record-breaking $106.9 million waterfront estate in the Sunshine State - an increasinfly popular destination for jilted blue staters - upon announcing his plans to move his more than 1,000 staffers out of the crime-ridden metropolis. It is not yet clear if CME will follow suit, but as crime continues to persist, it remains a possibility. Meanwhile, the Church of Scientology has issued a statement denying the allegations that members harassed Masterson's accusers One of Danny Masterson's victims has spoken out for the first time since the That 70s Show star was convicted of two counts of rape in a Los Angeles court on Wednesday. In a brief statement to journalist Yashar Ali, Jane Doe 1 said: 'This isn't about me. I just want people to do the right thing. Please tell the truth. Please tell the truth.' During the trial, it was claimed that Masterson's victims and their families had been subject to harassment by representatives of the Church of Scientology. Masterson is a long-time member of the church. The church denied these allegations in a statement to DailyMail.com. 'There is not a scintilla of evidence supporting the scandalous allegations that the church harassed the accusers. Every single instance of supposed harassment by the church is false, and has been debunked,' the church said. A victim of That 70s Show star Danny Masterson has spoken out after the actor was found guilty of raping her and another woman Bijou Phillips is pictured leaving the courthouse in Los Angeles with actor William Baldwin, after her husband Danny Masterson was found guilty of 2 out of 3 counts of rape in the retrial. Baldwin is married to Phillips' sister Chynna Bijou Phillips and Masterson enter the courtroom Scientology was front and center during both criminal trials. All three women testified the reason they took so long to report him to the police was their fear of retribution from the Church Masterson was convicted of raping two women at his Hollywood Hills home and immediately denied bail and led to the cells in handcuffs. The jurors delivered their unanimous verdicts on the charges and deadlocked on a count that he raped a third woman between 2001 and 2003. All three women who accused him of rape testified the reason they took so long to report him to the police was their fear of retribution from the Church of Scientology. In its statement to DailyMail.com, the Church of Scientology said that bringing the religion into the rape trial was an 'unprecedented violation of the First Amendment and affects the due process of every American.' The statement said that making reference to Masterson's religion in the trial was an effort by Deputy District Attorney Ariel Anson to 'introduce prejudice and inflame bigotry.' Anson's references to the Church during the trial are called 'uniformly false.' Leah Remini, who is a former Scientologist, responded to Mastersons conviction and labeled it a 'relief' while praising the victims as heroes. The guilty verdicts on Wednesday came on the eighth day of jury deliberations. Jurors found him guilty of raping victims Jane Doe One and Jane Doe Two. On the third charge of raping Jane Doe Three, the jury was 'hopelessly deadlocked' at eight in favor of guilty and four in favor of not guilty. Remini is an outspoken critic of Scientology and she was in court during Masterson's rape trial. Actress Leah Remini, who is a former Scientologist, responded to Mastersons conviction and labelled it a 'relief' while praising the victims as heroes Remini called the conviction a 'relief' and praised the women for seeking justice despite the 'attacks and harassment from Scientology and Danny's well-funded legal team' Masterson played wise-cracking Steven Hyde (top right) on That '70s Show from 1998 to 2006 Remini is an outspoken critic of Scientology and she was in court during Masterson's rape trial, on April 24 She called the conviction a 'relief' and praised the women for seeking justice despite the 'attacks and harassment from Scientology and Danny's well-funded legal team'. And she promised that more accountability will come from the Church's leadership. 'The women who survived Danny Masterson's predation are heroes,' Remini wrote on Instagram. 'They soldiered on, determined to seek justice. While it is up to them to decide whether they are satisfied with this verdict, I am relieved that Danny Masterson is facing some justice after over 20 years of brutal sexual violence with no criminal consequences.' She addressed the third woman following the jurys split decision on a third charge of rape and said: 'I know Danny raped you; I know that Scientology tried to destroy you. 'However, this case would not have moved forward and resulted in two guilty verdicts if it were not for you. I am sorry you didn't receive a guilty verdict on your charges; you deserved one. 'But please never forget that justice would not have been served were it not for you.' Remini hit out at Scientology officials, including leader David Miscavige, and claimed they obstructed justice in the case. Remini and Masterson pictured at a benefit dinner and concert for Project Restart and the New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project, November 3, 2007, in Las Vegas She added: 'Although Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige, were not formal defendants, they played a significant role in obstructing justice in this case and other instances of sexual violence. 'Scientology officials, civilian Scientologists, and their proxies have conspired to silence victims and intimidate witnesses for decades. 'This case is just the beginning of our plan to hold them accountable.' Masterson looked stunned as jurors delivered their unanimous verdicts on two of the three charges and his wife, Bijou Phillips, broke down in tears. She was inconsolable as he was led away in handcuffs and Judge Charlaine Olmedo ordered her to 'maintain her composure' or go outside. Immediately after the judge announced she was remanding the actor, a sheriff's bailiff pulled his arms behind his back and handcuffed him. Masterson's attorney, Philip Cohen, argued his client should be allowed to remain on bail, wearing an electronic monitor and being kept on 24-hour house arrest. But Judge Olmedo rejected his request saying Masterson's offenses were 'serious and violent felonies' and called him a 'potential flight risk.' Reinhold Mueller, the deputy district attorney, told the court that he agreed with Judge Olmedo's decision to revoke Masterson's bail, echoing her comment and saying: 'These were serious and violent offenses.' On the charge of raping Jane Doe 3 which jurors remained hung on the judge asked 'if there is any reasonable possibility of arriving at a verdict.' The female jury foreperson answered 'No,' adding the panel voted five times without being able to come up with a unanimous decision. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement after the verdict: 'In April 2003, Masterson raped a 28-year-old woman and sometime between October and December of that year he sexually assaulted a 23-year-old woman who he had invited to his Hollywood Hills home. 'We want to express our gratitude to the three women who came forward and bravely shared their experiences. Their courage and strength have been an inspiration to us all. 'While we are disappointed that the jury did not convict on all counts, we respect their decision. The verdicts handed down by the jury in this case were undoubtedly a difficult one to reach and we thank the jurors for their service.' All three women are also suing the actor and the Church of Scientology in civil court, claiming that they've been harassed and intimidated since reporting him to police. But the Church of Scientology has denied any wrongdoing and said the district attorney had 'an anti-Scientology agenda' and has 'unconscionably centered his prosecution on religion and fabrications about the Church hoping to prejudice the jury and inflame bigotry'. It also said it does not have a policy that prohibits or discourages 'members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone, Scientologists or not, to law enforcement'. 'Allegations of harassment are nothing but an attempted money grab in a parallel civil suit filed by the Jane Does,' the church said in a previous statement. 'Every single instance of supposed harassment by the church has been debunked.' Masterson who played smart-mouthed Steven Hyde on That '70s Show was accused of raping the three women at his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges and he was looking at a sentence of 45 years to life in prison if he had been convicted on all three. The Scientologist, 47, was on trial for rape for a second time after his first ended in a mistrial in November, with a jury deadlocked on all counts His accusers, who DailyMail.com is identifying only as Jane Does 1 through 3, are all former Scientologists. In their civil case they claim that they've been harassed and intimidated since reporting him to police. A status hearing on that case is scheduled for June 28. They said church officials warned them not to use the word rape; that turning in a fellow Scientologist to law enforcement was considered a 'high crime'; and if they disobeyed that doctrine, they could be declared a 'suppressive person' cast out by the church and left alone, cut off from family and friends. In the second trial, prosecutors put much more emphasis than they did in the first on their claims that Masterson drugged his alleged victims by spiking drinks he gave them before raping them. Calling Masterson a 'predator', Deputy District Attorney Ariel Anson said in her closing argument: 'It all starts with a drink. This is his playbook. 'The defendant drugged his victims to be in control. When he drugs them, he is completely able to control them. And he does it over and over again.' Her prosecuting partner, Mueller, added as he pointed at Masterson 'After they were drugged, they were raped by this man over here. 'It's beyond reasonable doubt that this man drugged these women and raped them. It's time to hold Mr Masterson accountable for what he's done.' Masterson's lawyer, Philip Cohen, objected Wednesday to the prosecution's frequent referrals to his client drugging his alleged victims before raping them and called for a mistrial, saying, 'drugging does not constitute forcible rape.' But Judge Olmedo denied his mistrial motion, telling him that when considering drugging and use of force in a rape case, 'one does not necessarily preclude the other.' Cohen, pointed out there are no toxicology reports to back up the 20-year-old drugging allegations against his client who has always maintained that the sex with the three Jane Does was 'consensual.' Another difference between the two trials was the addition in the second of testimony from another 'victim' a woman who claimed Masterson raped her in Toronto in 2000, though he was never charged with the alleged assault. Prosecutors added her to the witness list to establish a pattern of 'prior bad acts' by Masterson. But Cohen dismissed the move, saying the new accuser was brought in for the retrial to 'save the case' for the DA. Jane Doe 1 had told the court in the first trial that in April 2003 she was at the actor's house where he gave her a fruity red drink with vodka that made her feel woozy. She said he then threw her in his Jacuzzi and carried her upstairs, where she passed out and woke up to find him raping her. She fought back, pushed a pillow into his face, she told the jury. But he pushed it back into her face, smothering her and she blacked out again. When she woke, she said, Masterson opened a bedside drawer and pulled out a gun which he brandished, telling her: 'Don't f**king move.' Remini also hit out at Scientology officials, including leader David Miscavige, and claimed they obstructed justice in the case Jane Doe 3 who lived with Masterson for six years was only 17 when she met him and he persuaded her to become a Scientologist, the court heard. About a year into their relationship he became very controlling and very aggressive sexually. She said she would often wake up at night and he would be on top of her, having sex with her. In one such incident in November 2001, when she woke up to find him having sex with her, she told him no and tried to push him off, the court heard. When that didn't work, she pulled his hair. But he retaliated by hitting her across the face and calling her 'white trash,' said prosecutors. Jane Doe 2 met Masterson at a bar in 2003 and gave him her phone number. He called her and invited her to his home. She went, and, the court heard, after having a drink and a stint in his Jacuzzi, she found herself in his bathroom shower with him where he 'suddenly shoved his penis into her vagina. 'She said no, I told you no sex.' They ended up in Masterson's bed where, despite her protests, he flipped her over and started pounding her from behind 'like a jackhammer,' she testified, adding that she felt 'like a limp rag doll.' Masterson's attorney, Cohen, challenged 'inconsistencies' in the women's testimony and statements to police, accusing them of 'blatant fabrications.' And he asserted that the three had 'colluded,' choreographing and 'tweaking' their rape stories to help get Masterson convicted which in turn could help them win a big cash payout in the civil lawsuit they have brought against him and the Church of Scientology. Before the judge turned the case over to the jury just before 10am on May 17, Mueller countered Cohen's 'inconsistencies' argument, telling jurors: 'Don't be fooled - he (Cohen) is trying to get you to think there is a grand conspiracy. 'Each of these victims spoke individually about what happened to them before they spoke to each other. So how is that a conspiracy? 'There is no conspiracy. There was no tweaking. He's guilty. 'It's not reasonable to believe any of these victims were lying.' Last year, Masterson was tried on the same charges, but the case collapsed when the jurors were left hopelessly deadlocked. Now, Masterson could get 30 years in prison when he is sentenced. The judge ordered Masterson who had been free on $3.3 million bail since his arrest three years ago to be taken into custody, and scheduled a hearing for August 4, where his attorneys will argue for bail to be reinstated. Australia's most decorated living serviceman is a murderer, bully and a war criminal, according to an explosive federal court verdict handed down today. Justice Anthony Besanko found the key claims made by Nine Newspapers against Ben Roberts-Smith were 'substantially true' in bombshell findings in favour of the media giant in a defamation case dubbed the 'trial of the century'. The court found Nine Newspapers had proved the 'substantial or contextual truth' to all defamatory imputations alleged by Roberts-Smith and all but two of the allegations they had made against the soldier. The judge found Roberts-Smith 'murdered or was complicit in and responsible' for the murder of four Afghan men between 2009 and 2012. The former SAS corporal was said to be involved in the murder of two Afghan males on a mission to Whiskey 108 on 12 April 2009. He was also found to have been involved in the murder of one Afghan male on a mission to Darwan on 11 September 2012 and and Afghan male on a mission to Chinartu on 12 October 2012. The court found Roberts' Smith had murdered one unarmed and defenceless Afghan civilian, by kicking him off a cliff and getting his soldiers to shoot the man. Australia's most decorated living serviceman Ben Roberts-Smith (pictured with wife Emma) has been branded a murderer, bully and a war criminal in the explosive federal court verdict handed down today Justice Anthony Besanko (pictured) found the key claims made by Nine Newspapers against Ben Roberts-Smith were 'substantially true' in bombshell findings in favour of the media giant in a defamation case dubbed the 'trial of the century' He was also said to have committed murder by pressuring a newly deployed SAS trooper to execute an elderly, unarmed Afghan to 'blood the rookie'. The court found he also committed murder by machine gunning a man with a prosthetic leg - which he then took back to Australia for other soldiers to drink out of as a 'novelty drinking vessel' which was 'callous and inhumane'. And that he authorised the execution of an unarmed Afghan by a junior trooper while deputy commander of an SAS patrol in 2009. It also found he was a war criminal for 'breaking the moral and legal rules of military engagement'. He was also found to have assaulted three unarmed Afghan men in 2010 and 2012, attacking one so ferociously he had to be ordered to back off by commanders. He was also found to have bullied a 'small and quiet' soldier known as 'Trooper M' with threats of violence. The judge also found several claims to contextually true, including a domestic violence attack on a woman in a Canberra hotel and that he was a hypocrite for supporting DV campaigner Rosie Batty when he had abused a woman in private. It was also found to be contextually true that he threatened to report one soldier to the International Criminal Court for firing at civilians, unless he backed up his version of a friendly fire incident. The court found Nine Newspapers had proved the 'substantial or contextual truth' to all defamatory imputations alleged by Roberts-Smith and all but two of the shocking allegations they had made against the former war hero The imputations found by the judge to be substantially true: Imputation 1: The applicant while a member of the SASR, murdered an unarmed and defenceless Afghan civilian, by kicking him off a cliff and procuring the soldiers under his command to shoot him Imputation 2: The applicant broke the moral and legal rules of military engagement and is therefore a criminal Imputation 3: The applicant disgraced his country Australia and the Australian army by his conduct as a member of the SASR in Afghanistan Imputation 4: The applicant while a member of the SASR, committed murder by pressuring a newly deployed and inexperienced SASR soldier to execute an elderly, unarmed Afghan in order to blood the rookie Imputation 5: The applicant while a member of the SASR, committed murder by machine gunning a man with a prosthetic leg Imputation 6: The applicant having committed murder by machine gunning a man in Afghanistan with a prosthetic leg, is so callous and inhumane that he took the prosthetic leg back to Australia and encouraged his soldiers to use it as a novelty beer drinking vessel Imputation 9: The applicant as deputy commander of a 2009 SASR patrol, authorised the execution of an unarmed Afghan by a junior trooper in his patrol Imputation 10: The applicant during the course of his 2010 deployment to Afghanistan, bashed an unarmed Afghan in the face with his fists and in the stomach with his knee and in so doing alarmed two patrol commanders to the extent that they ordered him to back off Imputation 11: The applicant as patrol commander in 2012 authorised the assault of an unarmed Afghan, who was being held in custody and posed no threat Imputation 12: The applicant engaged in a campaign of bullying against a small and quiet soldier called Trooper M which included threats of violence Imputation 14: The applicant assaulted an unarmed Afghan in 2012 Justice Anthony Besanko found the key claims against Ben Roberts-Smith were 'substantially true' in bombshell findings in favour of Nine Newspapers in the 'trial of the century' The imputations the judge found to be contextually true: Imputation 7: The applicant committed an act of domestic violence against a woman in the Hotel Realm in Canberra Imputation 8: The applicant is a hypocrite who publicly supported Rosie Batty, a domestic violence campaigner, when in private he abused a woman Imputation 13: The applicant threatened to report Trooper J to the International Criminal Court for firing at civilians, unless he provided an account of a friendly fire incident that was consistent with the applicants But the judge said the there was not evidence to support the alleged murders of an Afghan male on a mission to Syahchow on 20 October 2012, and an Afghan male on a mission to Fasil on 5 November 2012. So far this year at least 160 Palestinians have died because of Palestinian attacks on Israelis. In all of 2022 there were 230 such deaths. Most of these deaths were the result of Israelis responding to Hamas attacks from Gaza and, increasingly from the West Bank and Lebanon. This has been going on for decades and is described by Hamas as an ongoing effort to destroy Israel and drive all Jews from the middle east. Some of the efforts are massive but always end in failure with far more Arabs than Israelis killed. Hamas sees these wars more as media campaigns than military ones, and they see victory achieved by getting more Palestinians killed. A classic example was visible in the aftermath of the 2009 war where Hamas lied regularly to exaggerate the nature and extent of their losses. For example, Palestinians claimed that the 22 day long 2009 War indiscriminately killed civilians. Hamas claimed that 1,434 Palestinians were killed. Hamas further claimed that only 235 were Hamas fighters, while another 239 were police officers, and 960 of the dead were civilians. Hamas admitted that most of the "civilians'' were men, mostly of military age. They also claimed that 121 of the dead civilians were women and 288 were children, which was defined as anyone under 18, even if they were armed teenagers attacking Israelis. It went downhill from there. The Arab world unites behind these lies, and encourages all other Moslem nations to join them. Many Western nations, seeing a cheap way to ingratiate themselves with the Moslem world, join in. One thing Hamas and Fatah (in the West Bank) agree on is that over half a century of failed Palestinian (and Arab) efforts to destroy Israel are not their fault. They insist that Arabs are victims of a conspiracy by Jews and the West, to sustain Israel and keep the Arabs down. This is the core of Palestinian propaganda on all their media, and now accepted by many leftist supporters in the West. Just another conspiracy theory, but one with thousands of heavily armed believers, who will kill if they get an opportunity. And trying to defend yourself against this is called oppressing the Palestinians. Hamas has long been a big believer in using civilians as human shields, often against their will. Israeli soldiers are not allowed to use civilians as human shields, even to protect Israeli soldiers from attacks by Palestinians. Hamas, on the other hand, encourages the use of human shields, and describes, in their training manuals, how best to do it. Lots of dead civilians are essential to Hamas success in getting enough Western countries threatening Israel and forcing ceasefires and concessions. Much of what Hamas knows about using human shields it learned from Hezbollah up in Lebanon. There, Hezbollah has been using human shields for decades. Back in 2006 Israel released video, and other evidence, showing how Hezbollah used civilians as human shields during rocket attacks on Israel. Hezbollah's attitude in response to this was largely one of, "so what?" On a regular basis Israel has to deal with violence coming from Gaza and the West Bank, two neighbors that are obsessed with destroying Israel. These entities are not really countries in the traditional sense. Rather the two began as refuges for Arabs who, in 1948, did not want to live in the new state of Israel. The West Bank was originally part of Jordan, an Israeli neighbor that was a stable monarchy in 1948 and still is. Jordan also had problems with Palestinians and killed or expelled the most troublesome Palestinians, especially those who wanted to overthrow the monarchy and turn Jordan into a bae for carrying out attacks on Israel. Jordan also declared that the West Bank was no longer part of J0rdan but no one else wanted the West Bank either. Palestinians behaved similarly in most other Middle Eastern countries, so their Arab rulers responded like the Jordanians did and killed or expelled the most troublesome Palestinians while tolerating the Palestinians who were willing to behave. Despite that many Palestinians in Lebanon and Syria never became part of the local community. This is a common practice in the Arab world, where non-native Arabs are not welcome as migrants or refugees. That is not the case in most Western countries, even though some of their new Palestinian citizens remain devoted to attacking Israel or local Jews. Ancient feuds and prejudices tend to persist in the Middle East. Israels problem is that it is not a Middle Eastern country. It is a prosperous democracy with an affluent and well-educated population that is mainly Jewish but contains a large Arab minority as well as smaller religious minorities. Many Israeli Arabs are Christians, while Jews which migrated from Arab countries are Middle Eastern, not Western in appearance and behavior. They spoke Arabic and Israel united all these minorities by adopting Hebrew, an ancient Semitic language that ceased to be used by anyone over a thousand years ago. That meant all the different groups forming the modern state of Israel had to learn Hebrew. It was often annoying but also unifying. There are three million Palestinians in the West Bank and two million in Gaza. Their obsession with destroying Israel and the proliferation of armed terrorist and terrorist-related groups in the West Bank and Gaza sustains very corrupt and inefficient local governments. Many Palestinians want to emigrate to less chaotic countries, particularly in the West. That is difficult because so many Palestinians never adapt to their new homelands and resort to criminal or terrorist behavior. Criminal or terrorist behavior continues to thrive in the West Bank, where the local Fatah group running the government promotes violence against Israelis to distract the Palestinians there from overthrowing the corrupt Fatah bureaucrats. During the first three months of 2023, Fatha claimed that there were nearly three thousand acts of resistance toward Israel and Israelis. A more tangible achievement was the murder of twelve Israelis by Palestinians. This is the sort of thing Fatah politicians and Fatah controlled media have been encouraging enthusiastically for decades. Fatah not only encourages all Palestinians, including children, to join in the violence, but also spends a lot of money on rewarding those who succeed but are killed or arrested and imprisoned. This is a common practice throughout the region but no one does it so energetically as Fatah. May 30, 2023: In the West Bank an Israeli civilian was shot dead by gunmen belonging to the Fatah-backed Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. May 29, 2023: In the West Bank, Israeli troops arrested two men. While doing this the soldiers were attacked by Palestinians. The Israelis opened fire and wounded at least eight of the Palestinian attackers. May 27, 2023: Egypts western neighbor Libya remains divided and deadlocked. This is a problem Egypt, and to a lesser extent Israel, have been dealing with for a long time. Currently Libya has two main ruling factions, one in the east based in Tobruk and another in Tripoli, in the west. The UN backs the Tripoli faction, as do local Islamic militias and Turkish troops and their mercenaries. The eastern faction controls most of the oil and export ports. The Russian Wagner Group mercenaries are based in the east but now see themselves as peacekeepers and work with the Turks to maintain a ceasefire. This allows Russian oil firms to operate in Libya and do work for the Libyan national oil company. Both factions support national elections to unite the country but neither faction trusts the others enough to proceed with elections. Russia and the Turks refuse to withdraw their troops from Libya until they receive guarantees that their interests in Libya are respected. The UN and NATO oppose that because the Tripoli faction wants to legitimize an illegal treaty signed by the Tripoli faction in 2019 granting Turkey some of Greeces offshore oil and natural gas rights in an area between Libya and Turkey that ignores existing, and internationally recognized, claims on that area. Turkey and Greece are both NATO members and NATO backs Greece in this matter. Turkey wont withdraw its forces from Libya until a new national Libyan government assures the Turks that the illegal agreement is confirmed by a national Libyan government. Many people in both factions do not want to be stuck with a treaty that the UN and NATO consider illegal. Russia is no friend of NATO and is currently at war with NATO in Ukraine. Turkey is also a NATO member but most other NATO members would like to expel the Turks from NATO and there is no legal mechanism for that. Turks and Russians are troublemakers in Europe and Libya is a foreign branch of that mischief. Egypt, which long supported the eastern faction, is now willing to work with both factions as well as the Turks and Russians to reach a settlement in Libya. For a long time, the primary Egyptian interest in Libya was the threat of Islamic terrorists getting across the Libyan border into Egypt. In Libya the eastern faction proved very effective at controlling Islamic terrorist activities and gradually eliminating most of them. Currently the only Islamic terrorist activity in Libya comes from Islamic terror groups that raise money by working with people smugglers. That is all about getting paid, not carrying out attacks in the name of defending Islam. Another problem Egypt and Israel have to deal with is Iran. Currently Iran is encouraging Hamas to boast of its preparations for another war with Israel. Hamas believes that if they can inflict enough damage on Israel by killing or capturing soldiers and civilians they can prompt Moslem and Western countries to pressure Israel to allow more access to Gaza and send more aid. Hamas also hopes that Israel bombs and ground forces do enough damage inside Gaza to allow Hamas to get away with portraying itself as a victim and again persuading other nations to help. This will be difficult because the Arab donors no longer trust Hamas (or Fatah either) and are put off by the recent Iranian announcement that it was still subsidizing Hamas, which has run Gaza and its 1.5 million Palestinians since 2005. Iran supported Hamas early on. There were recently more rumors that Iran had stopped supporting Hamas. Iran had decreased its support, in large part because of Western sanctions for Iranian support of terrorism and lower oil prices, but never cut off Hamas completely. Although Sunni Hamas sometimes persecutes Shia, Iran supports energetic Hamas efforts to attack Israel. Hamas also supports Islamic terrorists active in Egypt, which turned Egypt completely against Hamas and helped put Egypt firmly into the anti-Iran Sunni coalition. The Iran link makes Hamas an enemy as far as most Sunni Moslem nations are concerned. Hamas has made a lot of bad decisions since 2005 and the Iran link is seen as one of the worst. In response to Arab states who have cut aid to Gaza and the West Bank, Palestinian leaders have quietly told the reluctant Arab donors that if they do not increase aid there will be violent Palestinian protests (in Gaza, West Bank and Jerusalem) against the Arab donors as well as Israel. These Arab donors (mainly Gulf oil states like Saudi Arabia, UAE and Kuwait) have lost patience with the Palestinians and not only cut donor aid, which was being stolen or misused by corrupt Palestinian leaders, but also openly allied themselves with Israel against Iran. The Arab world still technically backs the Palestinians and their effort to destroy Israel but has lost confidence in the Palestinians. By providing sanctuary to Islamic terror groups that operate in Egypt, Hamas has made an enemy of Egypt. Thus, since 2012, Egypt has limited the ability of Gaza residents to enter or leave Gaza via Egypt. Worse, the Egyptians have gone after the smuggling tunnels. The most successful tactic has been filling the smuggling tunnels with water. This began in 2013 when the Egyptians dug small canals for seawater that could then be pumped into tunnels discovered. It was eventually found that flooding permanently destroyed the tunnel better than any other method because it caused the sandy soil in the area to collapse and remain unstable. It is believed that only about twenty tunnels are still operating and every week several of those are discovered and flooded. The army engineers have learned that you have to not only flood the tunnels but keep flooding them because the Palestinians can obtain pumps to remove the water and repair the damage. But if you keep the tunnel flooded long enough it collapses and has to be rebuilt as if there were never a tunnel there in the first place. Egypt has also created a buffer zone along the border by moving Egyptians out and destroying all buildings. This means tunnels from Gaza now have to be over a kilometer long and deeper as well to evade detection. To make matters worse Egyptian police watch buildings within a few kilometers of the Gaza border for signs of a tunnel entrance. The police are less likely to take bribes from smuggling tunnel operators because Gaza-based Islamic terrorists have killed a lot of Egyptian police and soldiers in the last few years. May 26, 2023: In the West Bank a Palestinian man was shot and killed as he attempted to sneak into a Jewish settlement and kill Israelis living there. Security camera video shows the man crawling under a gate holding a knife and then walking off looking for a victim. Before he could do that he was shot dead by an armed settler. May 22, 2023: Israel troops carried out a raid in the West Bank to arrest several members of the Palestinian Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. The soldiers were fired on as they approached the building the Al Aqsa men were living in. A gun battle broke out that left three Palestinians dead and one arrested. A large quantity of weapons and explosives was also seized. The Al Aqsa men were manufacturing bombs. The explosives were detonated where they were after nearby civilians were moved away. Al Aqsa blames Israel for all this because Israeli settlers buy land from Palestinians and build settlements. Al Aqsa insists it is illegal for Palestinians to sell land to Israelis. Many land-owning Palestinians want to sell their land and move somewhere else where there is less Al Aqsa and violence in general. Israel has carried out several similar raids in the West Bank this month. May 13, 2023: Israeli soldiers raided a West Bank location where some armed Palestinians were based and planning armed attacks on Israelis. Two Palestinians were there and opened fire on the Israelis. After a brief gun battle the two Palestinians were killed and a large quantity of weapons and ammunition were found with them. In the last few days there have been several of these raids that resulted in 25 armed Palestinians being arrested. May 11, 2023: An unguided rocket fired from Gaza hit an apartment building in Israel, killing one civilian and wounding eight. May 9, 2023: Today a major rocket attack from Gaza began. Over the next five days nearly 1,500 rockets and mortar shells were fired into southern Israel. Most of the rockets headed for populated areas were detected and intercepted by Iron Dome missile defense system. About 20 percent of the rockets fired from Gaza were defective and landed inside Gaza, killing three Gaza civilians and wounding three others. Israel used UAVs, some of them armed with missiles, to find the rocket launching sites and fire on them if there were still rockets waiting to be launched. May 8, 2023: Israel began a major effort to kill leaders of Iran-backed PIJ (Palestinian Islamic Jihad), which is based in Gaza and responsible for the growing number of rocket attacks on southern Israel as well as more ambitious operations in the West Bank to kill or kidnap Israelis. Hamas had a major presence in Gaza when they formed JOR (Joint Operations Room). This was a coalition of twelve Palestinian factions seeking, and sometimes succeeding in attacking Israel or individual Israelis. Hamas supervises JOR and supplies rockets and other weapons from Iran. Israel has armed patrol boats operating along the Gaza coast and regularly intercepting Iranian arms shipments trying to land weapons from fishing boats. These shipments have an even more difficult time getting across the Gaza border with Egypt. The Egyptians are often the victims of Iranian weapons and guard their border with Gaza. Israel and Egypt exchange information on Iranian arms shipments and often cooperate in capturing the smugglers trying to get in via Sinai or Iranian smuggling tunnels. Israel had found and killed at least six leaders of the JOR and that encouraged Iran to increase its weapons smuggling efforts. May 6, 2023: In southern Syria (Daraa province) on the Israeli border, there has been a lot of random violence so far in 2013, with over 200 separate incidents of violence that have caused over 500 casualties. The violence is mainly against Syrian army personnel. This level of violence remained fairly constant since 2018. This is part of the undeclared war between Iranian and Syrian forces going on there since 2018. Anonymous assassins use pistols and hidden bombs to kill those who work, or worked for government forces or Russia and Syria backed local militias. There are also attacks against former members of ISIL and other militant groups. These victims had accepted amnesty. Russian and Assad forces openly force Iran-backed groups and individuals out of the area. There is no open violence because Iran, Syria and Russia are still officially allies. Israel sometimes fires on Iranian forces operating in Daraa, especially near the Israeli border. Israel also shares intel with Russia and Syria about Syrian officers who are secretly working for Iran. The Iranians pay well, and in dollars. Israel will sometimes release evidence of this to the media, so that Iranians back home have another reason to oppose Iranian foreign wars. Negotiations have been underway between Iran and Russia/Syria since 2020 but have not made much progress. The covert Iranian violence is just another incentive for Syria to get the Iranian agents out of the area. In 2022 and 2023 much of the violence is from other groups, some of them criminal gangs retaliating against those who refuse to pay for protection from the violence. Daraa is the most violent province but similar violence continues in many parts of Syria. May 4, 2023: Visiting Syria for two days, Ebrahim Raisi, the Iranian president, met with key members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. These two terror groups are based in Gaza and depend on Iran for financial support and weapons. Raisi discussed planned terror attacks in southern Israel, the West Bank, Jerusalem and now from Lebanon. Iran forced Hamas to establish a partnership with Hezbollah to recruit Palestinians living in Lebanon to carry out rocket attacks into Israel. The Lebanese are not happy with this because Hamas could get too aggressive and trigger a major Israeli response against Hamas and the larger Hezbollah in southern Lebanon as well as terrorist targets throughout Lebanon. Iran is using a complex and dangerous strategy with all these terrorist groups. For one thing, these groups are divided by religion. Hezbollah and Iran are Shia while Palestinians are Sunni or Christian. Then there is the ethnicity problem. All the Arabs are Semitic while the Iranians are Indo-European and have a history of treating Arabs poorly. Most Lebanese want Iranian and Palestinian radicalism gone from Lebanon, or at least kept quiet. Firing rockets into Israel is dangerous for all Lebanese. Iran is playing a dangerous and explosive game here, one that could backfire on Iran. Most Iranians oppose these expensive sponsorships of Arab terror groups that cost a lot, make a lot of noise and dont seem to be hurting the Israelis. The popular anger against the government in Iran grows and Raisi has to keep that in mind while working with all these Arab terror groups and their demands for more money. Raisi also met with the Syrian president Bashar Assad to discuss continued cooperation between Syria and Iran as well as problems with Israeli, Islamic terrorist and Turkish operations in Syria, especially the ones aimed at Iranians in Syria. Then there is the Syrian effort to get back in the Arab League and accept large amounts of Arab aid and investment to rebuild Syrias shattered economy. Iran does not get along with many members of the Arab League while Syria wants to get cozy with the League. In late 2011 Syria was suspended from the Arab League and many of the 21 other League members cut diplomatic relations or imposed sanctions. The Arab League was unable to do much more. By early 2013 the Arab League was still unable to muster enough unity to call for international (Western) intervention in Syria. The Arab League did that in 2011 for Libya and many Arabs considered it shameful that the Arab world could not handle the military intervention itself. Despite trillions of dollars in oil income and hundreds of millions of Arabs demanding something be done, the Arab League had to call on outsiders to save Libya from degenerating into an interminable bloodbath. That is what happened in Syria and many Arabs refused to accept responsibility and just blamed the West and Israel for the mess. Given that toxic atmosphere, Western nations, including NATO member Turkey, were reluctant to do what the Arabs wanted done but would not admit they cannot do it themselves. Iran and the Russians intervened in support of the Assads and the slaughter of pro-rebel civilians continued as did Assad efforts to force pro-rebel civilians out of Syria. May 1, 2023: In northern Syria (Aleppo) Israeli airstrikes against targets at the international airport destroyed Iranian weapons recently flown in. Iran claimed the lost material was earthquake aid but the secondary explosions (by the Iranian weapons) indicated otherwise. One soldier was killed during this attack and the airport was closed temporarily. Three members of an Iran backed militia and one Syrian soldier were killed. This was the 16th Israeli airsrike against Iranian targets in Syria so far in 2023. April 29, 2023: In central Syria (Homs province) an Israeli airstrike hit an airport Iran has been using to fly in weapons for Hezbollah and the new Lebanese branch of the Gaza-based Hamas. April 24, 2023: Finland has ordered the Israeli Davids Sling (formerly Magic Wand) air defense system to improve its ability to defeat Russian aircraft and missiles (cruise or ballistic). The initial $345 million purchase is one battery plus support equipment. There is an option to buy a second battery for about $250 million. April 19, 2023: In southern Syria (the Syrian Golan Heights) Israeli artillery fired on stockpiled equipment and supplies belonging to Iran-backed Hezbollah. A grandmother collapsed in grief today after she discovered her daughter and granddaughter had been killed in a Russian missile strike in Kyiv that left three dead. Her agonised screams and wails tore through the deathly silence in the Ukrainian capital as she saw the charred bodies of her daughter and nine-year-old granddaughter on the ground in front of her. The barrage of cruise and ballistic missiles struck at 3am and tore through homes, a kindergarten and a medical clinic in the Ukrainian capital, leaving a scene of utter devastation. The mother, her nine-year-old daughter and another woman were killed in the air strikes, which have been relentlessly hitting the capital for weeks. At least 12 others were injured, including one child. Russia has repeatedly targeted Kyiv with waves of drone and missile attacks since the start of the invasion, but attacks against the capital have significantly intensified over the past month as Ukraine prepares for a counteroffensive. At first, she couldn't understand what she was seeing - but then realisation struck that the charred bodies in front of her were that of her daughter and granddaughter Medics, holding the woman's hands, slowly led her away from the horrific scene - her face etched with utter grief and shock that her loved ones were now lying dead on the ground A relative sits next to the covered body of a 9-year-old girl near a health center damaged in a missile strike in Kyiv on Friday Rescuers and medics work in a local clinic, where fragments of shot down missile fell in Kyiv Following this morning's strike, a heartbroken grandmother discovered the bodies of her daughter and granddaughter, her quivering body soon collapsing with the weight of her grief. Medics, holding the woman's hands, slowly led her away from the horrific scene - her face etched with utter grief and shock that her loved ones were now lying dead on the ground. 'It is international children's day. At night, Russia again killed a child in Kyiv,' said Andriy Yermak, chief of President Volodymyr Zelensky's office. 'Since 2014, the terrorist country has been committing crimes against little Ukrainians. From February 24, 2022, no one has any doubts - this is a real genocide.' Ukraine's General Staff said that the Air Forces managed to intercept 10 missiles, which it identified as short-range ballistic Iskander cruise and ballistic missiles. While most incoming weapons were shot down, many Kyiv residents are anxious and tired after weeks of sleepless nights listening to the sound of explosions. 'Around 3 a.m. there was a strike over there. I woke up and saw the fire. My door was smashed, I woke up my mom and ran to the corridor,' said resident Nikita Maslun of this morning strike. 'Then we went down and ran outside. We saw people running. Windows were shattered and balconies destroyed.' The scale of the suffering and the indiscriminate targeting of men, women and children in Ukraine has seen at least 8,300 civilians killed since the war began. Ukraine's air defence has become increasingly effective at intercepting Russian drones and missiles, but the resulting debris can cause fires and injure people below. In Desnianskyi district, debris fell on a children's hospital and a nearby multistory building. Two schools and a police department were damaged. In another district, Dniprovskyi, a residential building was damaged by burning debris and heavy smoke arose, the blast wave blew out the windows, parked cars caught fire, and debris fell onto the roadway and courtyards. Rescuers and medical workers assist an elderly woman whose daughter and granddaughter died in the missile strike in Kyiv on Thursday An elderly woman reacts in front of the body of her daughter who died as a result of a downed missile explosion outside a polyclinic in Kyiv on Thursday Forensic specialists carry the body of a victim near a health center damaged in a missile strike in Kyiv on Thursday A view of a residential building damaged in a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, on Thursday A police expert examines the body of a woman who died as a result of a downed missile explosion in Kyiv on Thursday Horrified local residents look at the body of a woman who died as a result of a downed missile explosion in Kyiv on Thursday Men clean debris next to a damaged residential building that was damaged during a Russian missile attack, on Thursday in Kyiv Police officers inspect the site of a Russian strike in Kyiv on Thursday In Darnytskyi neighborhood, a water pipeline and a residential building were affected, and the explosive wave broke windows. After a woman was killed watching an aerial attack from her balcony earlier this week, Kyiv authorities urged residents to heed warning sirens and stay in shelters or other safe locations. 'You've got to be vigilant, as ballistic missiles fly at incredible speeds. From the moment the alarm is announced to the rocket's arrival, you have only a few seconds!' they warned in a message to residents. Ukraine also claimed last month to have downed some of Russia's hypersonic Kinzhal missiles, which Russian President Vladimir Putin has touted as providing a key competitive advantage. In Russia's western Belgorod region, at least two people were wounded this morning in an attack on the town of Shebekino blamed on Ukrainian troops, governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram. 'This night is tense for Shebekino again. Ukrainian troops were shelling the city for an hour,' he said. The attacks have come as Kyiv says it is preparing for a major offensive against Moscow's forces. More than a year since its Ukraine invasion, Russia has suffered stepped-up attacks on its soil, including a drone attack on Moscow on Tuesday. Russia said Wednesday it was evacuating hundreds of children from villages due to the intensifying attacks. The first 300 evacuated children would be taken to Voronezh, a city about 155 miles further into Russia, Governor Gladkov said. Over 1,000 more children would be moved to other provinces in the coming days, he added. On Tuesday, elite districts in and close to Moscow were targeted in drone strikes in what one Russian politician called the most dangerous attack on the capital since World War Two. Several buildings in the wealthy suburbs of Moscow were damaged by suspected Ukrainian kamikaze drones on Tuesday, just hours after Putin unleashed another volley of strikes on Kyiv. The heart-broken grandmother edged closer to the bodies of her daughter and her nine-year-old granddaughter, her quivering body soon collapsing with the weight of her grief Paramedics support a woman, who recognised the bodies of her daughter and granddaughter killed during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, on Thursday Local residents stand near an apartment building damaged in a Russian missile strike in Kyiv on Thursday The Russian defence ministry said eight drones sent to Moscow by Ukraine were shot down or diverted with electronic jammers, though Baza, a Telegram channel with links to the security services, said there were more than 25. Ukraine, which has seen almost nightly attacks on its capital, denied any 'direct involvement'. But Putin and his cronies accused Ukraine of trying to 'frighten' Russians with their 'increasingly reckless behaviour' after the drone attack. Apparently forgetting that Russia has unleashed a series of deadly airstrikes on Ukrainian cities that have killed thousands since the start of the war 15 months ago, Putin claimed Kyiv had chosen the 'path of trying to frighten the citizens of Russia'. Putin said the drone attack was in revenge for earlier Russian strikes on 'command centres'. In reality the Kremlin has targeted residential buildings in Kyiv with its airstrikes. The 12-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy who died in Bournemouth yesterday were unrelated and enjoying a day out at the beach with family and friends when they got into difficulty in the sea, it was revealed today. Eight other children were hurt after getting into trouble in the water close to the beach and pier in Dorset packed with half-term holidaymakers and locals yesterday afternoon. The 12-year-old girl from Buckinghamshire and a 17-year-old boy from Southampton, who were not related, died yesterday afternoon, police said. Councillor Vikki Slade, leader of Bournemouth Council said today that their loved-ones 'came to the beach for a great day out and have gone home without a child'. A man in his 40s, who had been 'on the water' at the time of the incident, has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. He remains in custody. Dorset Police Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Farrell said officers are investigating the 'circumstances or event' that caused a number of people to get into difficulty in the water in Bournemouth on Wednesday. But ACC Farrell refused to reveal what she believed had caused the tragedy despite asking the public not to speculate. Tobias Ellwood, Tory MP for Bournemouth East, said police need to 'reassure' the public. He said: 'Bournemouth beach is one of the best and safest seaside resorts in the UK. The police have an investigation to do but they urgently need to give details of what they believe happened here'. An empty Bournemouth beach today after the tragedy yesterday. Ten were injured, two, aged 12 and 17, have died One tearful mourner laid roses on the sand this morning as Bournemouth mourned the loss of two children The town's historic pier on Thursday morning as litter pickers removed rubbish A 12-year-old girl and 17-year-old boy have died after a major incident took place in the water on Bournemouth beach Mackenzie Creech, pictured with his father Robert, had found the girl unresponsive in the water She said: 'Following our initial inquiries, a man aged in his 40s who was on the water at the time, has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. 'As we have a person in custody, you will know there is only limited information I can give about the investigation. 'However, to avoid further speculation, I am able to tell you that it's clear that yesterday a number of people already in the water got into difficulty and we are investigating the circumstances or event that caused that to happen. 'Early investigation indicates that there was no physical contact between a vessel and any of the swimmers at the time of the incident. I can also confirm there is no suggestion of people jumping from the pier or jet-skis being involved.' The Times reports that police are investigating the possibility that the deaths may have been caused by the wash of a vessel. A spokesman declined to comment. But Conservative MP for Bournemouth West, Conor Burns, said he understood that a 'surface vessel' was in the sea around Bournemouth Pier at the time of the 12-year-old girl and 17-year-old boy got into difficulty. He said: 'It would seem not a far reach to draw a conclusion that while the vessel may not have physically touched the young people perhaps it created the conditions which made being in the water more dangerous by the speed it was going'. Councillor Vikki Slade, leader of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, said what happened in Bournemouth on Wednesday must have been a 'terrifying' experience. She said: 'Again I want to add our sincere condolences to the families of the children who lost their lives, and our thoughts are with the families of the young people that were in the water. 'It must have been a really terrifying experience for everybody. 'The services worked incredibly well together. Our staff on the beach all rallied round to support the emergency services.' She said there are additional staff available for the public on the beach on Thursday and over the weekend, adding: 'The beach is busy. We are making sure that the RNLI are very visible and that our teams are available there to support people and make sure that they feel safe on the beach.' She said Bournemouth 'remains a really fantastic place to visit', adding that the incident needs to be investigated properly. 'And we are confident with our partners that any lessons that need to be learned in the future will will be learned,' she said. One of the men was pulled from the water and had to be given CPR on the beach by lifeguards before being taken away by air ambulance Mackenzie Creech, 18, was with pals on the beach at the south coast holiday spot enjoying the sunshine when they heard shouts and screams from the pier. He looked up and saw crowds pointing to someone in the water and rushed in with a pal to drag her onto the beach but sadly there was nothing they could do to save her. The girl - who has not been named - died along with a 17-year-old boy in the incident which also left eight other children injured after it is believed they were dragged out to sea by a riptide after jumping from the pier. Mackenzie told MailOnline: 'Everything happened so quickly, one minute I was enjoying the beach with some friends and then the next we heard screaming and shouting. 'We were on the other side of the pier but you could hear all this noise so we went over to see what was going on and people were pointing into the water. 'I could see a body in the water, and just rushed in and scooped her up with someone else. She was face down when I got there and not moving. 'She was in a bad way. 'She was in a swimming costume but she didn't appear to have any injuries on her. There were no cuts or bruises and I just knew it didn't look good so I carried her onto the beach. 'I put her down on the sand and by this time the emergency services had come over and they started doing CPR on her. 'People were screaming and shouting and it was all really chaotic and then someone put some towels up as a screen while the paramedics worked on her. 'I was hoping she would make it and I didn't know she had passed away until I saw it on the news. I was gutted when I heard that and it's upset me, it's so sad something like this happened.' Mackenzie, who is from Tilehurst near Reading and studying sport at college, added: 'I don't really know what happened. It was all a bit confusing. 'People were saying they had been hit by a jet ski or a boat but there were definitely no injuries on the girl. There was no blood or cuts or anything like that. 'What amazed me was the amount of people who were just filming everything on their phones when the emergency services were trying to do their work. 'As I left a policeman took my details and said thanks for doing what I did but I just did what anyone would have done.' Mackenzies father company director Robert Creech, told MailOnline: He was very quick in his actions and was just trying to help. When he told me about it, I could see he was upset and when we heard the poor girl had passed away, he was gutted. Its such a shame as all those involved are so young. 'He had just gone down to the beach with his friends for half term and then this happened but I'm proud he did what he could to help. He's a good lad.' Earlier multiple witnesses said that people had been jumping from the pier. The sand close to the pier had to be cleared so two air ambulances could land, but sadly the two schoolchildren later died in hospital. Witnesses described harrowing scenes as CPR was administered on the beach and some 'idiots' with phones were seen filming lifeguards trying to revive the two children. Since 2004, Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency has dealt with more than 200 incidents of tombstoning, including pier jumping, leading to at least 70 injuries and 20 deaths. Police today confirmed that no vessel is believed to have been in 'physical contact' with the children following speculation on social media they had been hit by a jet-ski or boat. But there have been claims that the tragedy may have been caused by the wash of a jet ski. MailOnline has asked Dorset Police to comment. But one local surfer said he witnessed three jetskiers 'buzzing the pier' close to the line on Tuesday, the day before the tragic incident. There has been an ongoing issue between jetskiers and water users around the area of the pier. Nicola Holton, who was at the beach with her husband, said: 'One lifeguard went to rescue two swimmers struggling but he couldn't bring them in. He spotted another person struggling and a second lifeguard went out to them but there were multiple people in trouble. 'The remaining lifeguard was trying to get everyone out of the water. The ambulance service came to the struggling person rescued by the second lifeguard. More lifeguards arrived to rescue another swimmer near the pier. My husband spotted another swimmer struggling. He ran to the lifeguards. The guard immediately went in and they picked him up on a jet ski. 'I will never ever get the image out of my head of him being brought out. They cleared the beach for the air ambulance. Then another was spotted and again brought to shore to be worked on. Absolutely horrible. 'Loads of idiots ignoring lifeguard requests to get out of the water and clear the beach. People were running towards those having CPR filming on their phones.' Paul Moyce, 61, said he believed those involved had been jumping into the sea off the pier. He said: 'I think they went off the end of the pier and went out too far. They must have got caught by the current. I lived here for 61 years and I've never seen anything like it.' Nicola Holton, 43, and Stuart Clark, 42, were on the beach with their two children when the tragedy unfolded. They said the summertime scene turned into something from 'a horror film.' Mr Clark said: 'As we walked to the east side of the pier there was at least one but probably a few jet skiers going across the right side of the pier. 'We didn't take too much notice of them at the time. 'There were announcements throughout the afternoon telling people not to climb on the pier. After 2pm it seemed like people weren't going near it. 'The next announcement we got was at 4pm about a dangerous riptide in the water and it wasn't soon after that we saw a couple of swimmers in trouble out to sea. 'It got really chaotic when they brought a young man back to shore on a lifeguard jet ski. It was obvious he wasn't alive. That's when people started gathering around and the lifeguards were trying to clear the beach at the same time as helping the others in the water. 'We saw the young girl get brought out too and there were no obvious injuries on her either. I just wanted to get my family off the beach with our belongings.' Miss Holton said: 'It was like a scene from a horror film. After an afternoon of lovely weather and the odd announcement to tell kids to stop climbing on the pier it looked like it had all settled down. 'When we first spotted the swimmers in distress they were far out to the east side of the pier. 'A lifeguard ran into the water with a surfboard and it seemed to take ages for him to get to them. There was an announcement to get out of the water and then the lifeguards started bringing people back to shore. 'A few were taken to the lifeguard tent and then we saw the young man and girl brought out. We were packing up our things to leave as quickly as we could. It was just awful. 'There were loads of idiots ignoring lifeguard requests to get out of the water and clear the beach. People were running towards those having CPR filming on their phones.' The first person to reach the girl who died was an 18-year-old boy. His father, Rob Creech, said today: 'My son was on the other side of the pier swimming with a few friends. 'All of a sudden there were a lot of people on the pier shouting and screaming that there was somebody in the water. He swam to the other side of the pier and he found a young girl floating face down in the water. 'The emergency services were just arriving at the beach so he was shouting to them and scooped her up to swim to shore. He managed to get her out onto the beach and the emergency services took it from there.' The operation involved multiple teams from across the emergency services The beach had to be cleared before the air ambulances were able to land There are yellow marker buoys 200m off the beach and water craft operating inside that area are restricted to speeds of 6 knots. One local surfer said he witnessed three jetskiers 'buzzing the pier' close to the line on Tuesday, the day before the tragic incident. Lawrence Hopgood said: 'I was surfing the night before There were 3 jetskiers buzzing the pier and getting close to the line. A lifeguard went out on a jetski and spoke to them, then left. 'The jetskiers didn't leave but proceeded to do donuts near the surfers, whilst filming themselves.' Lifeguards on the busy beach had rushed into the water by Bournemouth Pier after a group of people got into difficulty in the sea at about 4.30pm on Wednesday. It is believed that all of those involved were aged between 12 and 18. None of the other eight who were injured children were seriously harmed and they were treated at the scene by the ambulance service. Emergency services were quickly at the scene and the teenage boy and girl were rushed to hospital after sustaining critical injuries. Speaking last night, Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns said: 'I express my deep condolences to the family and friends of the two young people who tragically lost their lives in Bournemouth. 'A dreadful event in circumstances when they were enjoying beautiful weather in our town. So sad.' The MP added that the incident was a 'salutary lesson' that 'danger is ever present' on beaches and the ocean. He went on to thank the life guards and air ambulance members 'who we can take for granted'. Thousands of people were enjoying the sunny weather before being asked to leave the beach by police Two people were taken to Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Poole Hospital Eeman Qamar, from Southampton, was on the beach with her mother and three-month-old baby. She told the BBC that just after 4pm lifeguards began to tell people to clear the beach, saying there had been a major incident. 'After about 20 minutes, the first air ambulance arrived and landed right in the middle of the beach,' she said. Ms Qamar continued: 'The lifeguards started getting on jet skis and boats, searching the sea and about 20 minutes later the second air ambulance arrived and it took another hour-and-a-half for them to finish the whole search and rescue operation.' A Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service spokesperson said: 'We were called to East Beach, Bournemouth at 4.39pm to support a multi-agency incident. 'We have crews in attendance from Westbourne and Springbourne, together with a technical rescue team from Poole.' A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) said: 'We sent two air ambulances, six double-crewed land ambulances, one critical care car, two operations officers, one doctor, one hazardous area response team and one responding officer.' HM Coastguard told MailOnline that 'two people had been pulled from the water and passed into the care of the ambulance service' and that 'coastguards searched to make sure there were no other people missing and are satisfied there are not'. Bus routes that would normally serve the Pier stops were diverted through the square. Anyone with information about what happened should contact Dorset Police on www.dorset.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55230083818. Alternatively, witnesses can contact independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111. The harrowing moment a car doing burnouts slams into a teenager during an illegal hooning meet has been caught in wild footage. The boy, 17, was struck by a blue Ford Falcon on Newhill Drive in Swanbank, Queensland, just before midnight on May 6, as it fish-tailed out of control. Shaky video taken by witnesses shows the boy casually watching the cars before he is hit and sent flying into the air. A 19-year-old who is accused of being the driver has since been charged with one count each of dangerous operation of a vehicle causing grievous bodily harm, failure to remain at an incident and render assistance. The boy, 17, was struck by a blue Ford Falcon on Newhill Drive in Swanbank, Queensland, just before midnight on May 6, as it fish-tailed out of control (pictured) Additional footage shows the boy laying against an orange car after being hit, as dazed onlookers move to assist him. The teenager was rushed to hospital with serious but non life-threatening injuries. The video also showed another boy in a white t-shirt hanging half out of the Falcon just before it hits the victim. A 19-year-old Rochedale man was charged after a month-long police investigation. Officers located a blue Falcon at Chambers Flat on May 26 and towed it to conduct a forensic examination. It had been partly dismantled. Five days later the accused driver was found and arrested. More footage shows the boy laying against an orange car after being hit, as dazed onlookers move to assist him. Pictured above, the injured boy is helped by another boy He is also facing charges of damaging evidence with intent, participating in group activities for racing, burn out or other hooning offences. 'Police will allege a blue Ford Falcon was driving dangerously on Newhill Drive around 11.50pm on May 6 during an illegal hooning meet,' a police statement read. 'The 19-year-old Rochedale man was charged ... [and was] due before Ipswich Magistrates Court today, June 1.' Another 17-year-old boy was dealt with under the Youth Justice Act in relation to 'hooning offences'. Police officers were pictured helping a disabled Just Stop Oil protester into a taxi on Wednesday as she was arrested for taking part in a slow march in Parliament Square - as it is revealed that new laws designed to crack down on the protests will not be in place until the end of June. Ari Fox, 73, who suffers from post-polio syndrome, was arrested as one of 10 demonstrators including her carer Larch Maxey and taken to Hammersmith police station in a black cab. According to Just Stop Oil, she has been wheelchair dependent for the past 15 years. She was arrested alongside Reverend Sue Parfitt, 81, who has previously demonstrated with Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain. Under the new Public Order Act, police officers have the power to force activists to move out of the road or arrest them within minutes of their protests starting. But tougher laws on the eco-protesters' disruptive tactics will not be in place for weeks, it was reported today, as activists descended on London yet again. YESTERDAY: Ari Fox, 73, is escorted towards a black cab by police officers after being arrested TODAY: At least a dozen police officers arrive at the scene of Just Stop Oil protests on Thursday morning Members of Just Stop Oil arrived in Kensington at shortly after 8am on Thursday, according to the Metropolitan Police. A statement on social media read: 'Police were made aware of Just Stop Oil #protesters #slowmarching in the road at Wellington Arch, Kensington, at 8.07hrs, Thursday, 1 June. 'Officers were on the scene at 8.09hrs, assessing the situation and engaging with the #protesters.' Protesters later also began slow marching on Bayswater Road, Albert Bridge, Chelsea Bridge and outside the Royal Albert Hall. According to police, all protesters moved out of the road when instructed to do so by officers. Photographs from the scene show officers talking with protesters. Since the introduction of the new legislation, the average time taken for officers to remove protesters from the road has been cut to 19 minutes, the Times reports. The upcoming changes will enable officers to act 'immediately' to get protesters out of the road or arrest them. It comes as the group's slow marching enters its sixth week. New legislation last month introduced new offences for locking-on and being equipped for locking-on, causing serious disruption by tunnelling, and obstructing transport works. TODAY: There was a visible, heavy police presence at the scene of protests on Thursday YESTERDAY: Ms Fox said: 'I've come to London to join the Just Stop Oil march for my children and grandchildren' YESTERDAY: Police officers arrest Ari Fox on the roadside at the Just Stop Oil protest on Wednesday The upcoming changes will broaden the definition of terms such as 'community' and 'serious disruption' to allow police officers to take swifter action against slow marchers. However this legislation is still yet to be approved by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords and is not set to be voted on until at least mid-June. Ms Fox and the nine other activists were arrested after refusing a police order to leave the road. She said: 'I've come to London to join the Just Stop Oil march for my children and grandchildren. 'They are the ones who are going to have to face the mess that is being imposed on us in Britain, by our illegitimate government. We're not asking that all oil is immediately stopped. 'We are simply asking the Government to stop issuing new licences for oil, gas and coal. We have enough to make the transition to renewables, which are nine times cheaper. We have the technology to make this happen, it is the lack of political will that is the problem.' Separately, footage emerged on Wednesday of police officers resorting to dragging Just Stop Oil protesters out of the road - although the group claimed these efforts were unsuccessful. The Metropolitan Police have been contacted for comment. Outspoken gender-critical academic Kathleen Stock has revealed how she was bundled into a broom cupboard before her address at Oxford this week over concerns for her safety from trans protesters. The professor, who was hounded out of her job at the University of Sussex by a pro-trans mob two years ago after she said biological males cannot be women, addressed students at the historic 200-year-old debating society on Tuesday afternoon. In an interview with the Times newspaper, Prof Stock said she was escorted by bodyguards to the campus while she wore a cap and sunglasses as a 'Kendall Roy' disguise - before hiding in a broom cupboard. She then sipped a glass of red wine to settle her nerves before the lecture. Hundreds of demonstrators chanted and played loud music to try to drown out the academic - while inside the chamber her address was crashed by anti-royal trans activist Riz Possnett, who glued themselves to the floor as others ranted about 'no more dead trans kids'. Prof Stock told the newspaper that she arrived late to the Union after two trains were cancelled. She joked as she travelled to the event that the enormous reaction, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's defence of free speech where he wished her good luck, was 'bizarre'. Writing later in Unherd, the feminist admitted that it was the 'least weird thing to happen to me all day'. Professor Stock, 50, was accompanied by three security guards as she made her way to the Oxford Union on Tuesday Leaving the Oxford Union, she was asked how she felt about Prime Minister Rishi Sunak lending her support in her free speech campaign A protester, Riz Possnett, 19, glues their hand to the floor in front of Union President Matthew Dick (left) and Professor Stock (right) Thames Valley Police, who were patrolling the streets where the protesters would march for hours before the event began, had mounted officers at the ready, the academic was told. According to the Times, the Material Girls author calmed her nerves with a glass of red wine before the speech, which took the form of a Q&A with Union President Matthew Dick. He apologetically told her that it was not the 'usual room' for speakers and answered when asked if trans activists had needed as much security, 'Er, no'. Mr Dick, an old Etonian and history student at Magdalen College, said while he has had 'not much' uproar for the invitation to the controversial speaker, his female successor had received 'loads'. Student press officers for the Oxford Union repeatedly refused on the day to confirm or deny whether Stock had arrived before the beginning of the event - before some were seen panicking as it became apparent she was late. Her speech had been the focus of one of the biggest free speech rows to ever engulf the historic institution, with activists labelling her 'transphobic and trans-exclusionary' in an attempt to have the event cancelled. Professor Kathleen Stock (right) is pictured giving a talk at the Oxford Union, which was marred by protests. Activist Riz Possnett (left) appeared to glue herself in front of the stage Referring to the protesters, Stock said: 'Most people out there have not read my book or even watched a long-form interview with me. What they have done is read someone's blog post about me' Prof Stock said: 'The suicide discussion has been incredibly irresponsibly weaponised. It's just not true that there's a vast number of people who will commit suicide unless we capitulate' A former professor at the University of Sussex, Kathleen Stock has become an influential figure in gender critical thinking and is the author of Material Girls, which explores the impact of gender activism Guards walked the feminist to the debating society ahead of her talk 19-year-old Riz Possnett, who glued herself in front of the stage, posted on Twitter: 'Trans people in the UK are stigmatised, threatened, and harassed. Life-saving gender-affirming healthcare is near impossible to access, and the process is consistently degrading' Student activist Riz Possnett wore a T-shirt emblazoned with 'No more dead trans kids' and appeared to glue herself to the floor in front of Prof Stock Trans activists who attempted to disrupt Prof Stock's discussion left leaflets proclaiming 'no more dead trans kids' and another warning of 'lost lives on waiting lists'. Neither leaflet provided details of any cases Protesters are seen outside The Oxford Union on Tuesday evening Around 200 trans rights protesters gathered at Bonn Square, in Oxford city centre - far fewer than the 500 Oxford University's LGBTQ+ society, who organised the demonstration, had hoped to attract. The demonstrators held banners which read 'resisting by existing' and chanted 'trans rights equal human rights', before marching towards the university's 200-year-old debating society. A weekend-long programme had taken place, centred around the outrage caused by Tuesday's speech. Welfare rooms with ear plugs and energy bars were laid on for demonstrators affected by the events of the day. President of the LGBTQ+ society, student Addi Haran Diman, who received a death threat in the lead up to the event, told MailOnline that the planned protest was a 'celebration of trans joy' against 'hostile, hateful and intolerant views'. 'We want to show that trans community in Oxford that someone is backing them and someone is fighting for them in time in which hostile, hateful and intolerant views will be amplified by the Oxford Union. 'I really feel sorry for her. Why is she so obsessed with trans women, trans people? A small percentage of the population. We offer no threat - all of the fear around trans people just comes from fear mongering and is intended to incite hate. So why are you so obsessed?' The student said the protest was not an issue of free speech and they supported the right but said the decision to amplify her 'hateful' views was 'misguided'. 'I have read her book, it was the biggest waste of time I have ever committed, and I am a trans person on Twitter, so I waste my time a lot.' About five minutes into the event, two trans activists emerged from the audience waving blue, white and pink trans flags and throwing leaflets before they were drowned out by shouting members of the crowd who clapped and cheered as security pulled the pair out. Another student activist, Riz Possnett, 19, wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan 'No more dead trans kids' and glued herself to the floor in front of Prof Stock. Possnett identifies as 'they/them' and lead a republican group named 'No More Royals' - which was slammed by Piers Morgan in a recent debate ahead of the King's coronation. Police attended the event and began trying to remove Possnett, who was eventually freed from the floor. The Thames Valley police officers were applauded as they entered the chamber. Several audience members then began shouting for the professor to 'carry on' in spite of the protester. One supportive student yelled, 'free speech is a human right,' and was met with a large round of applause. Possnett was later 'dearrested' and returned to join other trans rights demonstrators outside the Union. Turning to the the protests outside, the Material Girls author added: 'Most people out there have not read my book or even watched a long-form interview with me. What they have done is read someone's blog post about me. 'There are people hoovering up my tweets to generate narratives about how evil I am. 'I am a really s*** baddie. I really am terrible.' Prof Stock welcomed the activists' rights to protest but warned against institutions being ruled by the ideology of the woke mob. She added: 'Then everyone else in that institution feels that they can't say what they want to say. And that's happened I'm afraid in lots of places and universities.' Shouts and chants were heard throughout the Oxford Union debate, as well as music - with some activists singing Whitney Houston's 1987 hit 'I Want To Dance With Somebody'. After the talk was over, many activists were heard to chant 'F*** the Oxford Union'. Professor Stock said in an interview after the event that she 'couldn't really tell' how the speech had gone, adding: 'It's all a blur.' Writing later, the embattled academic said the protesters had been 'relatively meek' and described Possnett's glueing as a 'bit Blue Peter'. She added: 'I got the feeling that many in the chamber were pushing back against the sort of tired and hyperbolic cliches usually wielded to shut them up. 'Certainly, there was little apparent sympathy in the room for the superglued superhero, eventually escorted out to the sound of good-natured cheers and some booing.' In an optimistic conclusion, Professor Stock said she had been impressed by the 'self-assured' Union members and said they were 'doing the world an enormous service' by engaging with big ideas. 'In standing firm and holding a space where students are free to engage with big ideas in time-honoured, age-appropriate ways whether by arguing, shouting, laughing, emoting wildly, or indeed glueing themselves to wooden floors they are doing the world an enormous service.' Prof Stock (centre) pictured braving her way past the crowd before her talk at the Oxford Union this evening, which earned her a standing ovation Trans protests carried banners proclaiming 'Trans women are real women' and 'Loved the way I am' Mr Sunak defended Professor Stock's right to debate the subject A previous protest by activists demanding Stock leave seen at the University of Sussex Prof Stock received support from former Oxford Union president Charlie Mackintosh, who said free speech at universities must be protected. He added: 'Whilst the backlash against the talk by Dr Kathleen Stock has been remarkably vitriolic and unpleasant, I am glad that it has brought the issue of free speech at university to the forefront of public discourse. Read more: Trans activist who crashed Kathleen Stock's speech is republican Oxford Uni student who went to 41,000-a-year school Riz Possnett, 19, was pictured kissing their partner, eating snacks and reading a copy of Prince Harry's memoir Spare on the King's bed at Windsor Castle Advertisement 'It needs to be preserved and fought for and I am incredibly proud of the Oxford Union for continuing its 200 year history of doing so.' Oxford graduate student Spencer Shia also lent his voice in support of the academic, saying: 'I believe in the right to protest. Because I believe in a right to free speech. So as they have their right to protest, Kathleen Stock has a fundamental, god-given right to say what she wants to say. 'And it's frankly scary that a bunch of liberal metropolitan elites want to tell the rest of the people what they can and can't say. Because what they want to do is cancel Kathleen Stock. 'What they want to do is tell everybody else what they can and can't say, unless they have a view they agree with. That's fundamentally wrong and these people are out of touch. People can decide for themselves what they believe in.' Dr Edward Howell, an academic who signed a letter to The Daily Telegraph written by academics in support of free speech, said: 'The vocal minority can not be allowed ot win. 'Quite simply, university should be where students are exposed to a diverse range of views and free to hear from people they disagree with.' Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also intervened in the hotly-contested free speech debate before the event began, telling The Daily Telegraph: 'A free society requires free debate. We should all be encouraged to engage respectfully with the ideas of others. 'University should be an environment where debate is supported, not stifled. We mustn't allow a small but vocal few to shut down discussion. Kathleen Stock's invitation to the Oxford Union should stand.' Customers have staged a boycott of the brand due to the items, which included a 'tuck-friendly' female swimwear range Target has had its stock downgraded by JPMorgan after $14 billion was wiped off its value Retail giant Target suffered another financial setback after JPMorgan downgraded its stock as its market value plummeted by $14 billion, amid backlash to its controversial LGBTQ Pride product release. The embattled brand's shares dropped for the ninth consecutive day Wednesday, falling by a further 2.14 percent as the company is in the midst of its longest stock losing streak in 23 years. Before the controversy, the company's market value had been $74 billion, with shares trading at $160.96 at the close of markets on May 17. And despite efforts by the brand to backpedal on its disastrous campaign, continuous stock falls led JPMorgan to downgrade its stock from 'neutral' to 'overweight' on Thursday, citing 'too many concerns rising'. 'We continue to believe that the consumer is broadly weakening while the share of wallet shift away from goods (51% of [Targets] sales) is ongoing,' wrote JPMorgan analyst Christopher Horvers, according to MarketWatch. Horvers also cited 'recent company controversies' as the reason Target has suffered devastating financial losses, which came after 'an impressive run of 12 consecutive positive quarters'. The swimsuits, which appear in sections set up for Pride month in June, include a label which advertises the 'tuck-friendly construction' and 'extra crotch' coverage. The design is made to help conceal a person's private parts Retail giant Target's market value plummeted on Wednesday by over $13 billion as shares dropped by a further 2.14 percent for the ninth consecutive day It comes as the chain seeks to recover from backlash against the product line, with some customers taking particular offence to its female swimwear range - which came with the option to 'tuck' male genitalia. As customers rebelled against the move, the brand made 'adjustments' to its Pride merchandising plans, including removing displays 'that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior' at some of its stores, CEO Brian Cornell said in a statement last week. Some Southern stores were forced to move merchandise - many of which were designed by Erik Carnell, a transgender man and self-proclaimed Satanist - to the back of stores. It was done to avoid a 'Bud Light situation' - a disastrous marketing decision to promote Bud Light's beer with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney - following a consumer boycott of its Pride Month items. Erik Carnell (pictured) is a transgender designer and artist whose products were pulled by U.S. retailer Target from its Pride Collection amid backlash from some customers Carnell - a British designer whose slogans include 'Satan loves pronouns' - introduced a collection featuring bags and similar paraphernalia as well as a handful of other items, which were pulled by Target. Carnell said his designs - which are printed on pins, stickers and T-shirts - have been labeled 'Satanic' - but were not those being sold in Target as part of Pride month. Companies like Target that launch products and campaigns for Pride Month seek to profit from LGBTQ people but fail to stand by them when challenges arise, Carnell said. 'It's a very dangerous precedent to set, that if people just get riled up enough about the products that you're selling, you can completely distance yourself from the LGBT community, when and if it's convenient,' said Carnell. 'If you're going to take a stance and say that you care about the LGBT community, you need to stand by that regardless.' In tandem, LGBTQIA+ communities slammed the retailer, as did governor Gavin Newsom, who accused Target of 'systematically attacking' the gay community. He wrote on Twitter on May 24: 'CEO of Target Brian Cornell selling out the LGBTQIA+ community to extremists is a real profile in courage. 'This isnt just a couple stores in the South. There is a systematic attack on the gay community happening across the country. Wake up America. 'This doesnt stop here. Youre black? Youre Asian? Youre Jewish? Youre a woman? Youre next.' In retaliation, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote: 'No one is attacking the gay community Gavin.' Pictured: Pride Adult Bikini Swim Bottom - Black - $25 at Target Target's stock price has plummeted as customers rebel against its controversial LGBT Pride product release, pictured Pride Month merchandise is displayed at a Target store on May 31, 2023 in San Francisco, California 'They dont want their children forcefully exposed to the radical side of pride with tuck it and binding childrens clothes and messaging while simply shopping at Target. We dont support your California child genital mutilation industry. As a matter of fact, I want to end it.' Angered consumers called for the retailer to be boycotted. One wrote: 'Target is far worse than Bud Light ever was. Time to boycott!!!' Another said: 'All Christians and religious need to boycott Target. We need to send a message to these woke companies that choose evil as their marketing tactic. It's just sick. Target Pride Month partner boasts about Satanism: Satan Respects Pronouns.' The retailer has been in the firing line for a host of other LGBTQIA+ related issues, which include an alleged partnership with a K-12 education group focusing on convincing schools to adopt policies which will help restrict parents' knowledge about their child's ongoing in-school gender transition. The education group, according to Fox, provides sexually explicit books to schools as part of its gender-based curriculum. Carlos Saavedra, Vice President, Brand Management at Target Target CEO letter to employees defending decision to pull Pride Collection items Team - I want to end the day where Briefly started: on a note of care. This has been a very hard day for Target, and it follows many difficult days of deliberation and decision-making. To our team in Stores: thank you for steadfastly representing our values. No one is better at working through uncomfortable situations in service to an inclusive guest experience. What you've seen in recent days went well beyond discomfort, and it has been gut-wrenching to see what you've confronted in our aisles. To our team in the service centers, thank you for your patience and professionalism through high volumes of angry, abusive and threatening calls. I recognize how difficult and even frightening those interactions can be, and thank you for the composure with which you've fielded those comments. To the teams who have been working so hard on our plans for Pride - and now are showing incredible agility as we adjust - thank you. Your efforts will ensure we can still show up and celebrate Pride in meaningful ways. To the LGBTQIA+ community, one of the hardest parts in all of this was trying to contemplate how the adjustments we're making to alleviate these threats to our team's physical and psychological safety would impact you and your wellbeing and psychological safety. We stand with you now and will continue to do so - not just during Pride Month, but each and every day. Those were the two guiding principles when it came time for us to act: do all we can to keep our team safe, and do all we can to honor our commitment and connection to the LGBTQIA+ community. From a host of difficult alternatives, we have sincerely sought the best path forward, finding ways to recognize Pride Month, while making adjustments to prioritize safety. As always, we're stronger together, and I want you to know that I'm committed to doing all I can, and all we can as a company, to support a culture across the country of care, empathy, equity and simple civility, in hopes that we'll not have to face these kinds of agonizing decisions in the future. Thank you for the care you've shown each other, our frontline teams and the LGBTQIA+ community. BC Advertisement The group, the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) received roughly $2.1 million from Target in donations. The organization offers guidance about how to hide gender transitioning from parents. Carlos Saavedra, 43, is Target's vice president for brand management and also volunteers as a director at GLSEN. Saavedra joined target in July 2019 and was made Vice President, Brand Management in January 2021, according to his LinkedIn page. His profile says he joined GLSEN as a board member in May 2019 and was elected to the executive committee as treasurer in November 2021. Saavedra's profile explains the organization's mission is 'helping create safe spaces in schools for LGBTQIA+ students'. On May 30, a pro-Trump rapper's new single demanding consumers boycott Target shot to number one on iTunes' Top Ten Chart - beating out artists like Taylor Swift in the process. Meanwhile, the Florida man behind the song's historic ascension, alt-right emcee Forgiato Blow, has continued to accuse the music platform of purposely putting a clamp on the song's progress due to its conservative message. Titled Boycott Target, the two-minute track comes in direct response to the superstore's newly announced Pride Collection. Moreover, it features lyrics that accuse the stalwart department store of attempting to instill an LGBTQ 'agenda' with their aggressive clothing campaign - which itself touts several polarizing items including the 'tuck-friendly' bathing suits and pro-trans T-shirts for kids. In the midst of a meteoric - and unlikely - rise that has already likely seen him secure well over $1million, Blow appeared for an interview to decry iTunes for what he alleged is censorship, while taking the time to offer some choice words to brass responsible for the progressive push. 'Its shadow-banned all over the world right now,' Blow told outspoken anchor Brian Kilmeade Monday, using terminology that refers to a certain form of censorship that see a users content blocked from part or all of an online forum without warning. Utilized in the past by big name platforms such as Twitter and YouTube amid a recent rise in heated political discourse - often to mixed results - is a known stealthy strategy platforms limit posts visibility. Speaking with Kilmeade during the day's Fox and Friends broadcast, Blow elaborated on what he believes to be a conspiracy concocted by the Apple-operated application - despite his song already topping iTunes' Hip Hop chart at the time, and standing at the number-two spot on the platform's hallowed all-genre list. 'You cant even search the song on iTunes without going to the music video and clicking the external link,' Blow claimed. 'Theyre trying their hardest to keep it off the radar.' Shortly after the televised interview, the track's popularity continued to burgeon - propelling it to the overall No.1 spot around midday Tuesday. The two centibillionaires have been vying for the top spot for months Tesla boss Elon Musk has won the battle of the billionaires again, reclaiming his position as the world's wealthiest person. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index daily ranking, his net worth is now about $192 billion, compared to LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault's $187 billion. The two centibillionaires, a term used to refer to people with fortunes of more than $100 billion, have been vying for the top spot for months. This week, Arnault's wealth decreased after a 2.7% drop in LVMH's stock Wednesday, according to Bloomberg calculations. Arnault jumped ahead of Musk in December, as his wealth soared due to a boom in luxury goods sales that helped drive up LVMH's stock price. LVMH, one of the world's biggest conglomerates, is home to brands such as Dior, Louis Vuitton and Celine. Elon Musk: $192B net worth. Pictured: Musk walks next to Tesla's Senior Vice President Tom Zhu and Vice President Grace Tao as he leaves a hotel in Beijing, China on May 31, 2023 Bernard Arnault: $187B net worth Jeff Bezos: $144B net worth Bill Gates: $125B net worth Larry Ellison: $118B net worth Musk has experienced a meteoric ascent through the world's rich lists in recent years as his fortunes are directly linked to those of electric automaker Tesla. Top ten richest people in the world 1: Elon Musk ($192B) 2: Bernard Arnault ($187B) 3: Jeff Bezos ($144B) 4: Bill Gates ($125B) 5: Larry Ellison ($118B) 6: Steve Ballmer ($114B) 7: Warren Buffet ($112B) 8: Larry Page ($111B) 9: Sergey Brin ($106B) 10: Mark Zuckerberg ($96.5B) Advertisement His greatest asset is the company's stock, of which he owns about 13%, according to Bloomberg. Musk is also CEO of SpaceX, the space exploration firm, and the owner of social network Twitter. LVMH's shares rose 19.7% this year, while Tesla's have increased 65.6% in the year to date. Musk departed Shanghai on Thursday, wrapping up a two-day trip to China in which he met senior Chinese government officials, including the highest-ranking vice premier. It was his first trip to the nation in more than three years. The billionaire has extensive business interests in the country and told Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Tuesday that his firm was 'willing to continue to expand its business in China', according to the foreign ministry. China is the automaker's second-largest market and home to its biggest production hub. Photos and a video of Musk's visit late Wednesday to Tesla's Shanghai factory - the automaker's biggest production hub - showed him holding up a 'Giga Shanghai' sign, flanked by hundreds of staff including Tom Zhu, head of global manufacturing. The video released by Tesla showed Musk praising employees for 'overcoming so many difficulties and challenges' and making a heart sign with his hands. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said this week that Beijing welcomed visits by international executives 'to better understand China and promote mutually beneficial cooperation'. UUVs (Unmanned Underwater Vessels) have been around for decades, mainly for scientific research. Ukraine, finding that their attack USVs (Unmanned Surface Vessels) were vulnerable to Russian heavy machine-gun fire before the target ship could be hit, decided to try attacking from underwater. This led to the rapid development of the Toloka TLK-150 UUV. There are already torpedoes that can use sensors or remote control via a wire that connects the torpedo with its launcher (a sub or surface ship). The torpedoes are larger, bulkier and more expensive than the TLK-150. The TLK is smaller and more maneuverable than guided torpedoes. The TLK-150 is not intended for attacks but for reconnaissance. To do this it has a long mast that operates like a periscope but contains a digital video camera with night vision to record what is nearby. TLK-150 can be remotely controlled or operate autonomously using GPS. At night the small mast is nearly invisible as it leaves a small wake when moving and no wake at all when it is stationary. There are three models of the battery powered TLK. The TLK-150 is 2.5 meters (eight feet) long, has a range of up to 100 kilometers and top speed of 20 kilometers an hour. Payload size is 20-50 kg (44-110 pounds) depending on battery size. A larger battery provides more range. The TLK -150 can be used for reconnaissance (for enemy targets or underwater minefields). In attack mode the TLK will approach slowly, usually at night when the small periscope containing the video camera and communications antenna is nearly invisible to enemy eyes or surface radars. Sonars would also have a hard time detecting the TLK-150 because the silent electric motors power two propellers, one on each wing of the TLK. Ukraine is testing the TLK-150 and may build a lot more of them if it performs as expected in the Black Sea. If an armed TLK-150 is able to attack Russian warships, that will change the naval balance in the Black Sea. The Ukrainian use of armed UAVs and USVs against Russian ships has been a mixed success because the Russians can spot these and use auto-cannon and heavy (12.7mm or 14.5mm) machine-guns to destroy the attackers, even during night attacks. There two larger TLK designs proposed; the TLK-400 with a range of 1,200 kilometers and a half ton payload. The TLK-1000 has a range of 2,000 kilometers and a five ton payload. Labour council staff have been met with an angry backlash from residents over a 'tone deaf' post marking the anniversary of George Floyd's murder. Four Salford City Council managers, including chief executive Tom Stannard, took the knee last week in an apparent bid to show their support for Mr Floyd. After alleging it was trying to 'push for a more inclusive society', the council was met with fury from Twitter users, who criticised its 'complete lack of self-awareness'. Salford City Council removed the post in response to 'hate' and 'targeted abuse' against the individuals in the photograph. It is understood the council deleted the picture after having temporarily made its account private. Mr Floyd was killed at the hands of US police on May 25, 2020, after an officer pressed his knee to the 46-year-old's neck for more than nine minutes. His death fuelled the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and sparked fervent protests around the world. Four Salford City Council managers, including chief executive Tom Stannard (second left), took the knee last week in an apparent bid to show their support for George Floyd and mark the third anniversary of his killing at the hands of American police George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, after a police officer pressed his knee to the 46-year-old's neck for more than nine minutes Salford City Council removed the post in response to 'hate' and 'targeted abuse' against the individuals in the photograph. It is understood the council deleted the picture after having temporarily made its account private Mr Stannard, who is understood to earn more than 164,000 annually, and his fellow staff posed for photo outside council headquarters last week. The group were seen kneeling, with one member raising his arm in a Black Power salute - both gestures associated with BLM protests. The photo was captioned: 'Today @SalfordCouncil marked the third anniversary of the murder of #GeorgeFloyd. 'May he rest in peace. We will continue to push for a more inclusive society for all.' But the post was met with a backlash from social media users, who questioned what the connection was between George Floyd and Salford. One wrote: 'Id like it to be explained to me why Salford city council feels the need to mark the anniversary of the death of George Floyd. I may be ignorant but I genuinely need this to be explained.' Another, noting how Mr Floyd died in America, echoed: 'I wasn't aware that George Floyd had ever visited Salford. I thought that he was killed in Minneapolis, USA?' 'Im sure the people of Salford are more concerned that you empty their bins, fill in the potholes and look after local citizens,' another said, seemingly questioning the group's priorities. Others branded the council as a 'disgrace' and 'simply pathetic', adding that the post was an example of 'blatant virtue-signalling'. Conservative council member Les Turner questioned what Mr Stannard 'was thinking' when he made the post, alleging the chief executive 'knows full well' that Salford is 'very good with our equality and diversity'. 'I dont think it warrants taking the knee and spreading it all across the media,' Mr Turner told The Telegraph. Similarly, Robin Garrido, the leader of the councils Conservative group, argued the council spends 'too much time' criticising policy and 'not enough time looking after residents'. He added: 'It wasnt necessary. This was an ill-chosen time to do it.' The council's post was met with a backlash from social media users, who questioned what the connection was between George Floyd and Salford Following the backlash, the council limited comments on posts and put the account on 'private', Twitter users allege. City resident Chris Hawkins claimed the council even went as far as to block him from viewing its account after he made a 'critical, non-abusive Twitter complaint' about the photograph. 'I pay them my council tax. Now blocked from seeing anything the council led by @tomstannard & @salford mayor has ro [sic] say,' he tweeted. Toby Young, general secretary of the Free Speech Union, told MailOnline: 'Council officers are supposed to be politically impartial, so this display of allegiance to Black Lives Matter, a hard Left organisation that wants to destroy capitalism, defund the police and dismantle the nuclear family is staggeringly inappropriate. 'For these officers to stop Salford residents from giving them feedback about this behaviour is to add insult to injury.' The council's account is now publicly accessible again, but the photograph has been removed from the platform. Salford City Council tweeted today: 'We've removed a post due targeted abuse against individuals in the photo, others and the council. We feel disagreement on issues should never lead to offensive abuse. 'We dont tolerate hate made on our social media. We will continue to moderate platforms for the welfare of users.' A spokesperson for Salford City Council also told MailOnline today: 'We are currently addressing concerns regarding targeted, unacceptable abuse against individuals and the council on Twitter. The councils main Twitter channel was made private for less than two days (which still allowed registered followers to view messages) to complete the moderation of abusive and hateful content. 'We feel disagreement on any issues should never lead to offensive abuse. We dont tolerate hate, profanity or abuse on any of our social and digital platforms and will continue to moderate our social media in line with our policies. All other council social media and websites have remained active including our customer services twitter account to enable residents to get the support that they need.' With the May half term holiday drawing to a close, many will be looking ahead to summer for when the next school holiday will come. The last summer half term is one of the shorter periods of the academic, and parents can expect to have children back home before too long. There is no set rule for when the holidays start, with every local area setting its own term dates, but there are common themes amongst them. Read on for your guide to when school really is out for summer. School term times are set by local authorities, so it can be a bit of a lottery when finding out your local area's summer break Who decides when schools break up? Local governments across most regions of the UK decide on their schools' term dates, with the exception of Northern Ireland. That means that when your child is off school is down your County Council, Borough Council, or City Council, depending on where you live in Great Britain. Within those constraints, individual schools have freedom over when to put inset and staff training days, so ultimately the best place to see exactly when your child is on holiday is their school's website. While most will land on similar dates, there are some unique areas with different breaks, as well as more consistent differences between the UK's four nations. Summer holidays in England England is divided into 152 local authorities, who decide their respective area's term dates. However, most areas have set the final term to end on Friday 21st July, so most holidays will begin on Saturday 22nd July. There are also a significant number of counties where the summer holiday will start on Wednesday 26th July. Some notable outliers are schools in Nottingham, where unlucky pupils, but perhaps lucky parents, will be waiting to break up until Friday 28th July. Just down the road in Leicestershire, students will have been off since Thursday 13th July. With the May half term holiday drawing to a close, many will be looking ahead to find out when they can book their family getaway Summer holidays in Scotland The summer holiday falls much sooner in Scotland as a result of there only being four terms, rather than three split into six half-terms. Many areas will see schools closing for the summer on Friday 30th June. However, there are outliers here too, such as students in Aberdeen who will be waiting an extra week compared to many other children north of the border. At the other end of the spectrum, schools in East Renfrewshire will be closing on Friday 23rd June. Summer holidays in Wales Welsh summer holidays are much more in line with England's. The majority of schools in Wales will close on Friday 21st July. However, again, to confirm the exact dates on which your child's school will close, go to the school's website directly. Summer holidays in Northern Ireland School holidays in Northern Ireland are broadly dictated by Northern Ireland's Department of Education. This summer, the holiday is due to begin on Saturday 1st July, but individual schools can affect depending on when they place their teacher training days. Two young men have been spared serving their full sentences in jail despite blinding an e-scooter rider by hitting him with a potato during a 'dangerous' prank. Brandon John Nutu Micicoi and Trent Philip Green, both aged 20 at the time, seriously injured a man when they threw the 'rock-like' vegetable at him from the window of their car in Perth's northern suburbs on May 20, 2022. The rider, 28, suffered 'catastrophic' injuries and needed his right eye surgically removed and replaced by a prosthetic. He also broke his nose and arm when he fell off his e-scooter at West Coast Drive near Trigg beach. The Perth District Court court heard that the men could be heard laughing in video footage they took of the incident, which was retrieved from a mobile phone. Trent Green and Brandon Micicoi (pictured above) pleaded guilty in the District Court to charges of committing an act that endangered the safety of others and of causing grievous bodily harm The pair got jail terms of 18 months and 16 months, but the sentence for Green (pictured above) was longer because he had another conviction for a similar offence Two other pedestrians were hit by the pair in the same way but neither were badly injured. The court also heard the pair bought 12 kilograms of potatoes to throw from their car before they hit the rider and bought more intending to repeat their antics again the next day. In total the pair bought 70 kilograms of potatoes to throw, which District Court Judge Michael Gething described as 'an arsenal'. Green and Micicoi pleaded guilty in the District Court to charges of doing an act that endangered the safety of others and of causing grievous bodily harm. Green was handed an 18 month jail sentence and Miciccoi got 16 months, but most of that time will be suspended. Judge Gething ordered both men spend only six months behind bars, taking the mens' ages and levels of immaturity into account. Green's sentence was two months longer because he had another conviction for a very similar offence. The same day he and Micicoi injured the e-scooter rider he was sentenced in his absence at Midland Magistrates Court for throwing an egg at a pedestrian from a moving car. 'He knew throwing things out the car window had criminal consequences,' Judge Gething noted. The rider's victim impact statement revealed Green's and Micicoi's actions 'changed his life forever'. The victim was riding a rental scooter with a friend when Green and Micicoi in a passing vehicle hit him with a 'rock-like' potato (stock image) A man, 28, had his eye surgically removed after he was hit by a flying potato along West Coast Drive (pictured) in Perth He lost vision in his right eye, experienced constant headaches and had lost of a job he loved because of his injuries. He also experienced anxiety in crowds since the incident and was in constant fear his prosthetic eye would fall out. Green's lawyer Kate Turtley-Chappel said her client thought of his actions as a prank, but he realised their seriousness and was undergoing counselling. Micicoi's lawyer said her client also considered the potato-throwing a 'childish prank' and didn't expect the tragic outcome that transpired. He had been subsequently dismissed from his job and was now socially withdrawn. Boris Johnson clashed with his then health secretary Sajid Javid over the need to fund free Covid tests, declaring himself 'epileptically bored' with the pandemic, a former aide claimed today. Guto Harri, Mr Johnson's ex director of communications, said the former PM had an 'almighty' row with Mr Javid, who wanted to keep funding the 2billion monthly cost of free lateral flow packs. Mr Johnson wanted to cut the cost and make all but the most vulnerable pay for them, and eventually got his way. It is the latest allegation to be made by Mr Harri, a former BBC reporter who was also Mr Johnson's spin chief when he was mayor of London. In his 'Unprecedented' posdcast for Global Radio, Mr Harri said: 'There was an almighty row over ending free universal Covid testing. The Saj dug in with a curiously well-rehearsed line about being asked to ''disarm when the enemy is still lurking out there''. Guto Harri, Mr Johnson's ex director of communications, said the former PM had an 'almighty' row with Mr Javid, who wanted to keep funding the 2billion cost of free lateral flow packs. Mr Johnson wanted to cut the cost and make all but the most vulnerable pay for them, and eventually got his way. It is the latest allegation to be made by Mr Harri, a former BBC reporter who was also Mr Johnson's spin chief when he was mayor of London. 'But testing was costing 2 billion a month, dwarfing the budgets of entire departments. Boris, at the time, declared himself ''epileptically bored with Covid. What people are getting now is not killing them,'' he thought. ''It's a matter of stupendous irrelevance, as long as we have a good pair of eyes in the crow's nest, so we will not miss another iceberg''. 'That essentially was what he was after, just being able to spot the next Covid, if God forbid, it ever happened. He carried the day on that occasion and saved a fortune.' While Mr Johnson may have won the argument, Mr Javid was later to play a key part in his downfall. His resignation as health secretary last year was the catalyst for many more to step down, ending the PM's scandal-plagued time in power. Mr Harri also delved into the times the PM clashed with Rishi Sunak when the latter was his Chancellor. The former PM was annoyed by 'the lack of oomph' coming from the Treasury to help boost the UK economy, the former aide claimed. Mr Harri also delved into the times the PM clashed with Rishi Sunak when the latter was his Chancellor. 'I think that's when the tension between him and the then Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, who's now Prime Minister, of course, started to ramp up until it got to the point where it was basically untenable,' Mr Harri said. '''If Rishi is a Thatcherite, let's have it'' he moaned on one occasion without any expectation, sadly, that he'd ever oblige. And on another time, he just blew up, ''f*** this s***'' he said. ''We need to clear out the Treasury. Begin a new as Singapore-on-Thames. The department has basically become a bank manager. The computer just says no.''' A 5% pay rise higher than the government's original offer has been signed off NHS workers have taken part in various strikes for more pay in 2023 The pay for nurses and doctors has been a controversial topic amidst the NHS strikes in 2023. Many workers and NHS supporters believe the pay is not enough, with industrial action taking place as a result. After the various walk outs over the year, health unions have approved the government's offer of a pay rise. The controversial deal has seen a 5% increase and a one-off sum of 1,655 for staff including nurses, doctors and porters. But how much do NHS staff currently make? Nurse strikes (pictured above)could continue according to Royal College of Nursing despite NHS staff accepting government offer How much do NHS nurses make? NHS pay operates on a band system which was introduced in 2004. According to the Royal College of Nursing in 2021 the average pay for an NHS nurse was 33,384. Nurses fall into each category based on experience, each band's pay is different and nurses can climb their way up the ladder. Newly qualified registered nurses in England will start at Band 5, receiving a starting salary of 27,055 and just over 30,000 in outer London. Nurses will receive pay rises within their band with enough years experience, Band 5 nurses can receive up to 34,581. Band 6 salaries range from 33,706 to 40,588 and those in Band 7 can earn up to 47,652. For nurses with Band 8 and 9 experience, the pay becomes much more complex with different pay progression points. The NHS pay calculator allows nurses to understand what pay they will receive. Meanwhile, student nurses do not currently get paid for the hours completed on placement, which has been an ongoing debate for years. Average pay for NHS doctors A doctor's pay can vary depending on their job title, experience, hours worked and which trust they work for. Junior doctors will train from ten years with the average salary being around 50,000 per year. Junior doctor pay has received criticism from the public and health unions for not being enough, they are among the NHS who taken part in walk-out strikes Junior doctors in their first and second years of training will receive between 29,384 to 34,012. For doctors starting their specialist training the salary ranges from 40,257 to 53.398. The salary for specialist doctors ranges from 50,000-91,584 depending on specialist grades. GP pay varies on contracts, pay will vary for independent contractors running their own practice. Salaried GPs employed by independent contractors or directly through organisations will receive from 65,070 to 98,194. As a competitive practice, consultants receive the most with a basic salary of 88,364 to 199,133 per year. Meanwhile private doctors however can earn over 100,000. How much do NHS staff get paid? The NHS in England employs 1.5 million people, with employee costs counting for approximately two-thirds of provided expenses. There are various other NHS jobs that don't require medical training, with over 350 roles to choose from according to the NHS website. The average pay ranges from 21,000 per year for Team Member to 76,387 for Head of Finance. The average pay is just over the national living wage at 10.37. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will likely continue making Netflix shows, writing books and giving interviews - despite claims they will stop, royal experts said today. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are said to be moving on from publishing memoirs and criticising other royals on TV, according to sources quoted by The Sun today. But royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams has now told MailOnline that he does not believe claims that the couple have 'nothing left to say' and will halt their outbursts. Mr Fitzwilliams said there is 'obviously plenty left that they could say in print' and there remains 'enormous' international interest in Harry and Meghan's activities. He added that the Sussexes 'specialise in doing the unexpected', 'have a great deal more to say' and will be considering how what they do will 'help their brand'. Harry promotes his book Spare on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS in January A six-part Netflix TV series called Harry & Meghan was released in December last year Harry and Meghan during their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 It comes after a report in The Sun today claimed that Harry and Meghan would stop writing memoirs and making fly-on-the-wall Netflix shows that criticise the Royal Family, and only feature behind the cameras in future productions. ANALYSIS: Anyone who believes Harry and Meghan have 'nothing left to say' is deluded By RICHARD FITZWILLIAMS The Sussexes specialise in doing the unexpected. Anyone who believes they have "nothing left to say is deluded. It was reported that they had a four book deal with Random House. Spare, Harrys controversial memoir, is the first. He has said there were 400 pages cut, that could be the second, he said himself It could have been two books, put it that way. His early life might make the third and Meghan could write a memoir, as has been rumoured. There is obviously plenty left that they could say in print. The question is, would it benefit them and how would it help their brand and the causes they support? Meghan will reportedly be restarting her blog The Tig. She recently won a Woman of Vision Award from Ms Foundation. Thereafter they made world headlines when they were involved in a near-catastrophic car chase with paparazzi in New York. Whatever you think of the incident, some recollections may vary, it showed the international interest in what they do is still enormous. It is obvious, for good or ill as they remain estranged from the royal family, the Sussexes have a great deal more to say. The way they choose to say it in future may be as sensational as the ways they have chosen to do so in the past. Advertisement Sources told the newspaper that the couple have now run out of material, with one insider saying: 'That period of their life is over - as there is nothing left to say.' The apparent turnaround comes more than three years after the Sussexes stepped down as senior royals in January 2020 before moving to North America. Since then they have carried out a series of blistering attacks on the Royal Family most notably with their bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview in March 2021, a six-part Netflix series called Harry & Meghan in December last year and then Harry's tell-all memoir Spare in January. Harry now lives in Montecito, California, with Meghan and their two children Archie and Lilibet after the couple stepped down as working royals for a life of financial independence. His relationships with his father King Charles III and brother Prince William are strained and he has regularly criticised them while Kate Middleton and Queen Camilla have also been targets. Today, Mr Fitzwilliams told MailOnline: 'The Sussexes specialise in doing the unexpected. Anyone who believes they have 'nothing left to say' is deluded.' The commentator referred to the Daily Mail's revelation in July 2021 that Harry and Meghan had clinched a lucrative four-book deal with Penguin Random House worth up to 29million. And Mr Fitzwilliams also referenced Harry's interview with the Daily Telegraph at the time of Spare's release in January, when the Duke said there were 400 pages cut from the publication. Harry also said then: 'It could have been two books, put it that way. And the hard bit was taking things out.' Mr Fitzwilliams said today: 'His early life might make the third (book) and Meghan could write a memoir, as has been rumoured. There is obviously plenty left that they could say in print. 'The question is, would it benefit them and how would it help their brand and the causes they support?' Mr Fitzwilliams also referred to reports that Meghan will be restarting her blog The Tig, and how she won a Woman of Vision Award at a glitzy Ms Foundation gala event in New York on May 16. He continued: 'Thereafter they made world headlines when they were involved in a 'near-catastrophic' car chase with paparazzi in New York. 'Whatever you think of the incident, some recollections may vary, it showed the international interest in what they do is still enormous. Doria Ragland, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on May 16 Harry at the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey on May 6 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St Paul's Cathedral in London on June 3 last year 'It is obvious, for good or ill as they remain estranged from the Royal Family, the Sussexes have a great deal more to say. READ MORE US government will appear in court over Harry's visa application after his drug revelations Advertisement 'The way they choose to say it in future may be as sensational as the ways they have chosen to do so in the past.' Also today, Charles Rae, former royal correspondent at The Sun, told GB News: 'Let's wait and see if they actually stick to this. They are supposedly now going to stop their royal bashing and be behind the cameras, they say, at Netflix.' He added: I think they've just suddenly woken up to the fact that they're no longer the golden couple of America.' And media commentator Nigel Pauley told TalkTV: 'I think they're addicted to the limelight. Their whole ethos has been putting themselves out there with picture opportunities and soundbites.' He added: 'The Americans like the idea, from my American cousins, of the royalty. They like the idea of princesses and princes. This is the problem - they're not acting like royals. The Americans bought into the royals - the prince and princess overseas.' Harry was in London last month to see his father King Charles being crowned at what was his first public appearance alongside the Royal Family since he criticised his relatives in Spare. Within hours of the historic ceremony at Westminster Abbey, Harry was on a plane back to California to be reunited with wife Meghan, daughter Lilibet and son Archie, who turned four on the day of the Coronation, May 6. The Sussexes made headlines a short while later when a spokesperson alleged the couple and Meghan's mother 'were involved in a near-catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi', after the trio attended the Ms Foundation ceremony in New York where the Duchess was honoured. Also this week, it was revealed that the US government will appear in court next Tuesday to answer questions regarding Harry's visa application after he admitted using illegal drugs. The Heritage Foundation, a Washington DC-based conservative think-tank, is suing Joe Biden 's administration to force officials to release the Duke's immigration files. MailOnline has contacted Archewell for comment on The Sun's report today. A Florida MMA fighter wrestled a 10-foot alligator with his bare hands before emerging triumphant and pinning it down by sitting on its shoulders. Amateur fighter Mike Dragich, 33, took on the killer reptile after it entered the parking lot near a Jacksonville elementary school. Dragich battled with the alligator in front of a crowd of cheering spectators. 'I felt like Batman, for real, you know,' he told FOX 35 Orlando. 'We get there. I walked through the gate. And boom. There it was just ready to go right there in the parking lot, and we just had to get the job done,' he added. Amateur fighter Mike Dragich (pictured), 33, took on the killer reptile after it entered the parking lot near a Jacksonville elementary school. Dragich battled with the alligator in front of a crowd of cheering spectators In the video, the giant beast snaps at Dragich as he tries to grab it by the tail. Dressed in a muscle shirt, he can then be seen trying to pin it down using a catch pole as they battle it out on the grass in front of screaming onlookers. The local veteran puts the loop at the end of the pole around the alligator's neck. The animal can be seen rolling around in circles, desperate to shake off his opponent. With the catch pole still around the alligator's neck, Dragich jumps onto the animal's shoulders and sits on it to hold it down, accompanied by several Jacksonville firefighters. 'A lot of fighters will understand that when you go to the cage, you're nervous but once that cage door closes, you gotta be focused and honestly that's what I remembered from that night,' Dragich said. In the video, with the catch pole still around the alligator's neck, Dragich jumps onto the animal's shoulders sits on it to hold it down, accompanied by several Jacksonville firefighters The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission estimates that the state holds around 1.3m alligators of every size across its 67 counties, which offer around 6.7m acres of suitable wetland habitats for the animals. The commission has kept a record of 'unprovoked bite incidents' since 1948 and reports that, from then until November 2021, there were only 442. Only 26 of those resulted in human deaths. Floridians can report 'nuisance' alligators of more than four feet in length that may pose a threat to people, pets or property so that a licensed trapper can come out to remove them, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The reptiles that are removed are then euthanized so that they do not return to the locations where they were captured or cause disruptions to existing alligator social structures in other areas, the Commission states. In February, an 85-year-old woman was mauled to death by a ten-foot alligator as she tried to rescue her dog from the reptile's clutches near a pond in Florida. The pensioner, Gloria Serge, 85, had been walking her dog by the pond at the Spanish Lakes Fairways community in Fort Pierce when the 700lb alligator launched itself from the water and grabbed the pet. The woman had tried to get the dog away from the alligator's jaws when the reptile attacked her, dragging her into the pond, an eyewitness told CBS News. The victim's body was later recovered by officials. Serge's pup survived the attacked, but the gator was later captured and euthanized. Last month, a 23-year-old man lost his arm when he was attacked by a 10ft alligator after tripping into a pond outside a Florida bar. Jordan Rivera barely remembers the attack when he 'ended up in the water' behind Banditos bar in Port Charlotte in the early hours of May 21 after going outside to relieve himself because the restroom line was too long. Patrons ran to his rescue after hearing him screaming for help during the attack. They pulled him out of the water and put a makeshift tourniquet on his severed right arm. Ben Roberts-Smith claims he was linked to war crime allegations published across multiple newspapers even though he wasn't named because of a distinctive Spartan tattoo, his towering stature and Victoria Cross glory. The 44-year-old said all the features pointed to him being the accused soldier known only as 'Leonidas'. During his final moments of being questioned by his own legal team during his mammoth trial, Mr Roberts-Smith told the court about the damage the 'whispering campaign' wrought on his mental health, career and family. Justice Anthony Besanko found some of the imputations of war crimes and murder put forward across six articles by The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times were found to be substantially true in delivering his judgment on Thursday. Justice Besanko officially dismissed the proceedings after finding the articles proved the most serious imputations, while the newspapers made out the defence of contextual truth for the remainder of the untrue imputations. Ben Roberts-Smith said his tattoo, stature and Victoria Cross pointed to him being the accused soldier known only as 'Leonidas' in a 2018 newspaper article Roberts-Smith is pictured with another soldier drinking from the prosthetic leg souvenired from an Afghan shot dead at a Taliban compound dubbed Whiskey 108 Justice Besanko found allegations of threats and domestic violence could not be proven, but was 'satisfied' the defence of contextual truth had been made out in respect of these untrue imputations. While not every murder allegation was established by the newspapers, the judge found the two key killings had taken place. Mr Roberts-Smith strongly denied the claims, but the broadcaster successfully defended those parts of the articles as true. The first article, in June 2018, did not name Mr Roberts-Smith but said a soldier called 'Leonidas' kicked a detainee off a cliff and had him executed. 'They make specific comments about the size of the individual, his stature and his links with high levels of the military which would only come with the Victoria Cross,' Mr Roberts-Smith told the court during the trial. The court heard Mr Roberts-Smith had multiple tattoos including one of a Spartan helmet on his ribs. Leonidas was a Spartan warrior who, in the film 300, kicked a detainee off a precipice. Mr Roberts-Smith said calls came quickly with people believing he was the alleged war criminal in the articles, due to the description of the man in question. During the trial, he told the court he always followed the rules of engagement when killing people in battle. 'I saw things in Afghanistan and did things in Afghanistan like having to engage adolescents that I am not proud of,' he said. 'I live with that.' Mr Roberts-Smith said he saw the Taliban and allies in the Afghan partner force abuse women and children. But he was powerless to intervene because of the rules of engagement. 'I accept that as a trauma I live with, only to come home to have stories written about me that are so demonstrably false,' he said. Roberts-Smith, Australia's most decorated soldier lost his defamation case against Nine newspapers 'I have had moments in my life in the last three years when I didn't think it was worth it,' he said through tears. When Mr Roberts-Smith was awarded the Victoria Cross for storming machine gun nests, he said, one patrol commander wrote a letter warning he'd become 'a tall poppy' and he'd need to prepare for people trying to cut him down. Years later those attacks took the form of a 'whispering campaign', he told the court, between his enemies in the Australian Defence Force and Nine's journalists. He said he asked his ex-wife's friend to buy him prepaid phones so he could talk to other former soldiers he still trusted about the missions that were at the centre of the war crime allegations. 'I simply did not trust the media were not trying to intercept my communications or gather derogatory information to use against me,' he said. Mr Roberts-Smith said he and the trusted soldiers looked over surveillance images of missions that had been posted to him anonymously in the form of USBs. He denied Nine's allegation he had buried USBs containing important evidence in a container in his backyard. He told the court they'd remained in his marital home and his wife had access to them after they'd separated and he moved out. Mr Roberts-Smith said he lost three years of his life to rumours and he felt he couldn't protect his kids when the articles emerged. 'Every day I think about what people are going to do and say to my children,' he told the court during the trial. 'What is the legacy of my family now because of those articles? It crushes my soul because I gave so much to that job. And it's all lies.' He said he didn't know what people thought of him since allegations he physically assaulted his girlfriend at a hotel in Canberra were published by Nine. 'Now I walk down the street,' he said, pausing to compose himself. 'People will look at me and the first thing I think of is 'they think I've hit a woman'.' Mr Roberts-Smith said he was 'betrayed and humiliated' by the allegations. 'And I say humiliated because everything I've ever cared about was serving my country with distinction and honour and my friends and my unit.' Mr Roberts-Smith did not appear in court in person for the judgment, but reportedly was seen soaking up the sunshine in Bali. Outside court, one of the men who penned the articles Nick McKenzie described Mr Roberts-Smith as being the 'Lance Armstrong' of the defence force. Ben Roberts-Smith relaxes by the pool at a resort in Bali on Wednesday. The decorated soldier finally learnt the outcome of his defamation action against Nine newspapers on Thursday The investigative journalist said the decision would offer some relief to victims in Afghanistan who also gave evidence. 'Ali Jan was a father, a husband,' he said. 'He was kicked off a cliff by Ben Roberts-Smith, and was murdered with his participation. 'There is some small justice for him (and) for all the Afghan villagers who stood up in court.' Journalist Chris Masters, who also wrote the articles, said the outcome was a great relief for media. 'It's a relief for the media, frankly, we know we're so often on our knees,' he said. 'It often feels so hard to even do ordinary work, let alone work as difficult as this.' A cheese company under fire over its depiction of the famous Cerne Abbas Giant has hit back at claims from furious shoppers that the figure had been 'castrated' and made 'non-binary'. Locals alleged the Oxford Cheese Company 'made a mockery' of the club-wielding giant when it 'chopped his bits off' on its Cerne Abbas Man vintage cheddar label, adding that the company has 'no regard for our county'. But the cheesemaker told MailOnline today it has not cut off the giant's manhood, but instead given him a pair of trousers. Company officials claim they were forced into developing a second label for the product a few years ago following complaints from a shopper. The company says it has sold the product in two different packages for several years now - one featuring the giant's penis and one with trousers. The censored version is only sold in one supermarket. The Oxford Cheese Company has been slammed for depicting the famous Cerne Abbas Giant on its packaging without his oversized phallus The 180ft figure, which has a 35ft manhood, is one of Dorset's most famous landmarks, thought to have been created by the Anglo-Saxons in the 8th century as a tribute to Helith, their god of health Robert Pouget, of Oxford Cheese Company, told MailOnline that the company has been selling its Cerne Abbas Man vintage cheddar for the past 15 years. He claims the packaging had always depicted the giant with his penis, as seen in the famous Dorset landmark, but that they were forced to introduce a second label a few years back after a shopper complained. Mr Pouget said a woman was 'offended' by the figure's phallus being shown on the product and filed an official complaint with her store. In an attempt to appease the grocer, the company redesigned the label. Mr Pouget, declining to disclose the name of the supermarket, said the censored label is only sold in that one particular store. He also noted the firm had 'successfully' sold the Dorset-made cheese, which he described as having a nice crunch and sweet after taste, for over a decade 'without any issues' and 'does not know why it suddenly because a problem'. The cheesemaker has sold both labels of Cerne Abbas Man vintage cheddar for the last few years. But the people of the historic village of Cerne Abbas are now slamming the cheese producer for 'defacing' the area's ancient fertility symbol. Vic Irvine, head brewer at Cerne Abbas Brewery, which uses a picture of the giant in all his glory on its branding, said: 'It's abhorrent to castrate him' Vic Irvine, head brewer at Cerne Abbas Brewery, which uses a picture of the giant in all his glory on its branding, said: 'I think it's abhorrent to castrate him. If they are taking his manhood away then I hope nobody buys it. 'It shows no regard for our county. We should call them the Cambridge Cheese Company and see how they like it. 'We love our giant here and defacing him like this is like throwing paint over Nelson's Column. It is clearly a binary giant who has a large phallus. It's that simple. 'If you don't like it, don't use our giant. The whole thing makes me really cross, I'm incandescent with rage.' Alistair Chisholm, the mayor of nearby Dorchester, said: 'That's just wrong. The whole point is that he is depicted the way he is, which is what makes people come to see him.' Referring to Durdle Door, the famous Dorset limestone arch, he added: 'It makes a mockery of it. It's like filling in Durdle Door and making it a solid block of rock. His member is what makes him magnificent. It would just be plain wrong to make him amorphous. 'The whole point is that it provokes a reaction. Remove his member and he is just a white line on the hillside.' Local councillor Jill Hayes said: 'The fact that they have chopped his bits off is very strange. It's even stranger that they would use our iconic landmark instead of one of their own. Any coverage of our landmarks is wonderful, but it is nonetheless odd that they would use one of ours.' Locals criticised the Oxford Cheese Company for 'defacing' the club-wielding man on the label of its Cerne Abbas Man vintage cheddar. They compared emasculating the giant to 'throwing paint over Nelson's Column' and claim the marketing decision has left them 'incandescent with rage' The 180ft man, who has a 35ft manhood, is one of Dorset's most famous landmarks. The hillside figure is said to have been created by the Anglo-Saxons in the 8th century as a tribute to Helith, their god of health. It is seen as a fertility symbol due to its phallus and courting couples have been known to go there under the cover of darkness in the hope of getting pregnant. A spokesman for the company suggested the phallus was removed to keep keep the product packaging from becoming 'cluttered'. Paul Watson, cellar master for the Oxford Cheese Company, said: 'The original owner of the company chose that image because it is so memorable. We use it on our own-brand West Country-style cheddar. 'I'm not sure exactly why he isn't whole on some of the cheeses, but I suspect it is to make sure the label doesn't get too cluttered. On larger cheeses I think all of him is included.' Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin said today his mercenaries would fight on in Ukraine if left alone without having to rely on the 'clowns' running the Russian army. Prigozhin, who continues to butt heads with Russian officials, said at a training camp on Thursday that he would pull his forces out 'if the whole chain [of command] is 100 per cent failed and will only be led by clowns who turn people into meat.' The group's leader, who was celebrating his 62nd birthday, has offered up his forces in brutal human wave strikes into Ukraine since the war started, but has clashed with Russian commanders over strategy and 'withheld' supplies needed to sustain his assaults. He also confirmed today that his men would finally leave the eastern city of Bakhmut on June 5 after handing it over to the Russian army. The Wagner Group captured the besieged city after months of relentless shelling and surrounding trench warfare. Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin speaks with servicemen during withdrawal of his forces from Bakhmut in a video released Thursday, June 1, 2023 An aerial view shows destructions in the frontline town of Bakhmut, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, in this handout picture released on May 21, 2023 A Ukrainian soldier covers his ears while firing a mortar at Russian positions on the frontline near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Monday, May 29, 2023 Speaking to Russian reporters, Prigozhin looked on across a night scene lit by blasts and red flares against burst of automatic gunfire from his mercenaries. 'Beautiful, isn't it?' he said. He spoke to journalists about the prosthetic legs which his wounded men have received, including those who continued to fight. Prigozhin said his men wanted to rest at camps in Russian-controlled Ukraine for around a month and then things would become clearer. 'It has been a tough year. Then we'll see how it goes,' he said. The restaurateur-turned-mercenary has gained widespread notoriety during the 15-month war in Ukraine. He has regularly insulted President Vladimir Putin's top military brass, especially Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, over their performance. Neither Shoigu or Gerasimov have responded to his insults in public. Prigozhin said on Wednesday he had asked prosecutors to investigate whether senior Russian defence officials had committed any 'crime' before or during the war in Ukraine. Despite their success in Bakhmut, many mercenaries have been killed in the handover to the Russian army. Ukraine claims to have killed scores of Wagner mercenaries as they leave. On May 25, as he confirmed the start of the handover, Prigozhin admitted 20,000 of his mercenaries had been killed capturing the completely obliterated city. Bakhmut is considered to be of symbolic importance, contested since Putin's initial wins dried up last year, but of limited strategic value to Russian forces. A Ukrainian soldier covers his ears while firing a mortar at Russian positions on the frontline near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Monday, May 29, 2023 A Ukrainian service member smokes in a trench at a position near the frontline town of Bakhmut, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine May 23, 2023 An anti-Kremlin volunteer fighter is pictured alongside a captured Russian armoured personnel carrier Russian groups also claimed today they had launched yet another devastating strike into Russia, saying they were marching into the border town of Shebekino. Fighters of the Russian Volunteer Corps said in a video shared on Telegram that they were moving on the town in Russia's Belgorod region on the border of Ukraine. Later, the group said fighters had hit the Interior Ministry's department in the town with USSR-designed Grad multiple launch rocket systems. Video appeared to show Russian district administration officials in the town burning documents amid fears the settlement would be taken by anti-Kremlin groups. The Free Russian Legion, who made headlines last week as they apparently marched back east into Russia to take hold of bordering villages in Belgorod, also today announced a raid into Russia. Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of Russia's Belgorod Oblast, was forced to announce a 'counter-terrorist operation' when the Free Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps claimed to have taken the step of taking the fight to Russia on May 22. Again today, he said Ukraine's armed forces had repeatedly shelled Shebekino with Soviet-designed Grad 122 mm rockets, setting alight a dormitory and damaging an administrative building. At least nine civilians were injured in shelling in the region, he said. In unverified video posted on social media, plumes of smoke were shown rising above a large building in Shebekino as flames licked through the destroyed roof. 'As soon as it calms down, we will continue the evacuation of people,' Gladkov said. 'All temporary accommodation facilities are ready.' Photo shared by Vyacheslav Gladkov on his Telegram channel shows the aftermath of Ukrainian shelling in the border town of Shebekino, Belgorod region, Russia, 31 May 2023 Anti-Kremlin Russian soldiers pictured speaking to camera during the last alleged assault The founder of the Russian Volunteer Corps, Denis (C), known as "White Rex", flanked by fighters in camouflage, attends a presentation for the media in northern Ukraine, not far from the Russian border, on May 24, 2023 Russia confirmed it had repelled three attempted incursions along its border with Ukraine by what it casts as pro-Ukrainian militants, while heavy shelling prompted a partial evacuation of civilians from the area. The country's defence ministry accused Ukraine of using what it cast as 'terrorist formations' to carry out attempted attacks on Russian civilians. 'The selfless actions of Russian servicemen repelled three attacks by Ukrainian terrorist formations,' the ministry said. 'No violations of the state border were allowed,' the ministry said. More than 30 Ukrainian fighters had been killed, along with four armoured vehicles destroyed, it claimed. Kyiv has denied any involvement but Russian officials say the group of fighters is a proxy run by Ukraine. The Russian Volunteer Corps also said in March that they had crossed into Russia's Bryansk Oblast, on the border with Ukraine - but the attack was inconclusive. Both groups claim they employ Russian citizens fighting against the regime. The Russian Volunteer Corps was founded by a far-right Russian national last August and comprises Russians who have been fighting in and for Ukraine against their own country. The Ukrainian military intelligence agency says the RVC is an independent underground group inside Russia that also has a unit in the Ukrainian Foreign Legion. The Foreign Legion says it has nothing to do with the RVC. The Freedom of Russia Legion says it was formed in spring 2022 'out of the wish of Russians to fight in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine against Putin's armed gang'. It says it cooperates with the Ukrainian armed forces and operates under Ukrainian command. It has claimed responsibility for the previous attack in Belgorod and says it has been fighting in eastern Ukraine. One of Britain's top doctors told MailOnline today of the desperate attempts to save two children who died in Bournemouth yesterday - and slammed TikTok fiends who filmed them receiving CPR and mocked medics running to their aid. A 12-year-old girl from Buckinghamshire and a 17-year-old boy from Southampton, who were not related, died yesterday afternoon. Eight other children were hurt after getting into trouble in the water close to the beach in Dorset, which was packed with half-term holidaymakers and locals yesterday afternoon. However, a minority filmed the tragedy unfolding, even as emergency workers performed CPR on a child. One teenager filmed a lifeguard sprinting across the sand, shouting: 'Oh s**t. You run boy. Run, Forrest Run.' One angry person nearby then yelled: 'Someone is f***ing dying.' Bournemouth-born Dr Rob Rosa, a former GP who is now one of Britains Chief Medical Officers, told MailOnline how he was on the promenade when the first child was brought to the beach and ran down to help when the second child, the 12-year-old girl, was brought in from the sea around 15 minutes later. Witnesses said she had apparently been found face down in the water. He said: Those videoing the desperate CPR attempts should think long and hard at their actions. The tragic death of a child is not something anyone should voyeuristically observe.' 'Idiots' shared video of the chaos on Bournemouth beach where two children died Police officers walk along Bournemouth beach today An empty Bournemouth beach today and the pier where children are understood to have jumped in yesterday. Ten were injured, two, aged 12 and 17, have died One tearful man laid roses on the sand this morning as Bournemouth mourned the loss of two children The town's historic pier this morning as litter pickers removed rubbish The 12-year-old girl and 17-year-old boy died after several children got into difficulties in the water off Bournemouth beach He said: I have been a doctor for 18 years, including in A&E where I have been battle hardened, but I have never seen anything as bad as this in my career. It was utterly exceptional and harrowing. They were carrying out CPR on two children while searching the water for others. There were police, paramedics, doctors, the RNLI. They did everything they could for those children. Its a terrible tragedy. The lifeguards were teenagers themselves and did an incredible job to try to save those children. Witnesses described harrowing scenes as CPR was administered on the beach and some 'idiots' with phones were seen filming lifeguards trying to revive the two children. The sand close to the pier had to be cleared so two air ambulances could land, but sadly the two schoolchildren died later in hospital. A man in his 40s, who had been on the water at the time of the incident, has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. One source claimed he might have been encouraging them to jump. He remains in custody. Since 2004, Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency has dealt with more than 200 incidents of tombstoning, including pier jumping, leading to at least 70 injuries and 20 deaths. Police today confirmed that no vessel is believed to have been in 'physical contact' with the children following speculation on social media they had been hit by a jet-ski or boat. But there have been claims that the tragedy may have been caused by the wash of a jet-ski. There has been an ongoing issue between jet-skiers and other people using the water around the area of the pier. MailOnline has asked Dorset Police to comment. One of the youngsters was pulled from the water and had to be given CPR on the beach by lifeguards before being taken away by air ambulance Nicola Holton, 43, and Stuart Clark, 42, were on the beach with their two children when the tragedy unfolded. Ms Holton said: 'One lifeguard went to rescue two swimmers struggling but he couldn't bring them in. He spotted another person struggling and a second lifeguard went out to them but there were multiple people in trouble. 'The remaining lifeguard was trying to get everyone out of the water. The ambulance service came to the struggling person rescued by the second lifeguard. More lifeguards arrived to rescue another swimmer near the pier. My husband spotted another swimmer struggling. He ran to the lifeguards. The guard immediately went in and they picked him up on a jet-ski. 'I will never ever get the image out of my head of him being brought out. They cleared the beach for the air ambulance. Then another was spotted and again brought to shore to be worked on. Absolutely horrible. 'Loads of idiots ignoring lifeguard requests to get out of the water and clear the beach. People were running towards those having CPR filming on their phones. 'It was like a scene from a horror film. After an afternoon of lovely weather and the odd announcement to tell kids to stop climbing on the pier it looked like it had all settled down. 'When we first spotted the swimmers in distress they were far out to the east side of the pier. 'A lifeguard ran into the water with a surfboard and it seemed to take ages for him to get to them. There was an announcement to get out of the water and then the lifeguards started bringing people back to shore. 'A few were taken to the lifeguard tent and then we saw the young man and girl brought out. We were packing up our things to leave as quickly as we could. It was just awful. 'There were loads of idiots ignoring lifeguard requests to get out of the water and clear the beach. People were running towards those having CPR filming on their phones.' Mr Clark added: 'As we walked to the east side of the pier there was at least one but probably a few jet-skiers going across the right side of the pier. 'We didn't take too much notice of them at the time. 'There were announcements throughout the afternoon telling people not to climb on the pier. After 2pm it seemed like people weren't going near it. 'The next announcement we got was at 4pm about a dangerous riptide in the water and it wasn't soon after that we saw a couple of swimmers in trouble out to sea. 'It got really chaotic when they brought a young man back to shore on a lifeguard jet-ski. It was obvious he wasn't alive. That's when people started gathering around and the lifeguards were trying to clear the beach at the same time as helping the others in the water. 'We saw the young girl get brought out too and there were no obvious injuries on her either. I just wanted to get my family off the beach with our belongings.' Paul Moyce, 61, said he believed those involved had been jumping into the sea off the pier. He said: 'I think they went off the end of the pier and went out too far. They must have got caught by the current. I lived here for 61 years and I've never seen anything like it.' The first person to reach the girl who died was an 18-year-old boy. His father, Rob Creech, said today: 'My son was on the other side of the pier swimming with a few friends. 'All of a sudden there were a lot of people on the pier shouting and screaming that there was somebody in the water. He swam to the other side of the pier and he found a young girl floating face down in the water. 'The emergency services were just arriving at the beach so he was shouting to them and scooped her up to swim to shore. He managed to get her out on to the beach and the emergency services took it from there.' There are yellow marker buoys 200m off the beach and water craft operating inside that area are restricted to speeds of 6 knots. One local surfer said he witnessed three jet-skiers 'buzzing the pier' on Tuesday, the day before the tragic incident. Lawrence Hopgood said: 'I was surfing the night before. There were three jet-skiers buzzing the pier. A lifeguard went out on a jet-ski and spoke to them, then left. 'The jet-skiers didn't leave but proceeded to do donuts near the surfers, whilst filming themselves.' Lifeguards on the busy beach had rushed into the water by Bournemouth Pier after a group of people got into difficulty in the sea at about 4.30pm on Wednesday. It is believed that all of those involved were aged between 12 and 18. None of the other eight injured children was seriously harmed and they were treated at the scene by the ambulance service. The operation involved multiple teams from across the emergency services The beach had to be cleared before the air ambulances were able to land Speaking last night, Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns said: 'I express my deep condolences to the family and friends of the two young people who tragically lost their lives in Bournemouth. 'A dreadful event in circumstances when they were enjoying beautiful weather in our town. So sad.' The MP added that the incident was a 'salutary lesson' that 'danger is ever present' in the sea. An investigation has begun into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Corrigan, of Dorset Police, said: 'Our thoughts are with the loved ones of the young people who tragically died and we are doing all we can to support their families. 'I understand the beach was very busy at the time of the incident and I would ask anyone with information that may assist our enquiries to please come forward. 'We are at the early stages of our investigation and would ask people not to speculate about the circumstances surrounding the incident.' Thousands of people were on the beach at the time, soaking up the sun and playing in the water in the 23C heat during the May half-term holiday. The South Western Ambulance Service told MailOnline that it had 'conveyed two patients to Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Poole Hospital'. Beachgoer Ritta Saruchera said her daughter and her friend were in the sea at the time when they saw what happened. She said: 'They were coming back out of the water when they saw a teenage boy struggling. 'We went to get help from the lifeguard and inform them of what was happening. There were three young men out there and they have been searching for a fourth.' Thousands of people were enjoying the sunny weather before being asked to leave the beach by police Two people were taken to Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Poole Hospital Eeman Qamar, from Southampton, was on the beach with her mother and three-month-old baby. She told the BBC that just after 4pm lifeguards began to tell people to clear the beach, adding: 'After about 20 minutes, the first air ambulance arrived and landed right in the middle of the beach. 'The lifeguards started getting on jet-skis and boats, searching the sea and about 20 minutes later the second air ambulance arrived and it took another hour and a half for them to finish the whole search and rescue operation.' A Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service spokesperson said: 'We were called to East Beach, Bournemouth at 4.39pm to support a multi-agency incident. 'We have crews in attendance from Westbourne and Springbourne, together with a technical rescue team from Poole.' A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) said: 'We sent two air ambulances, six double-crewed land ambulances, one critical care car, two operations officers, one doctor, one hazardous area response team and one responding officer.' HM Coastguard told MailOnline that 'two people had been pulled from the water and passed into the care of the ambulance service' and that 'coastguards searched to make sure there were no other people missing and are satisfied there are not'. Bus routes that would normally serve the Pier stops were diverted through the square. Anyone with information about what happened should contact Dorset Police on www.dorset.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55230083818. Alternatively, witnesses can contact independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111. Tributes have been paid to a British bar owner who died in Lanzarote after allegedly being pushed down a flight of steps during a fight. Chris Thomas, 50, died a day after being rushed to hospital following the incident in the early hours of Sunday morning. A German man aged 46 and described locally as a troublemaker who had reportedly been banned from several bars and pubs in the island resort of Costa Teguise, is in custody. He was arrested on suspicion of homicide and has been remanded in jail pending an ongoing investigation after appearing before a judge on Monday. Friends and loved ones described London-born expat Chris as caring, loving and funny in social media tributes today. Chris Thomas (pictured), 50, died a day after being rushed to hospital following the incident in the early hours of Sunday morning Friends and loved ones described London-born expat Chris Thomas (pictured) as caring, loving and funny in social media tributes today Dozens of Brits have left messages on the Facebook page of The Clock, the bar Chris owned and which remains closed following the tragedy. Ken Moore wrote: 'A huge hole has been left in our hearts and minds. A true gentleman. A lovely man. A great character. A smile that would light up any room. 'The world has lost someone very special. He will be missed by so many.' He added: 'It was a pleasure and privilege to have you as a friend.' Jen Blackburn wrote: 'I've no words that could possibly help at this truly devastating time. So incredibly sorry that you should all be facing such a tragic loss. Chris was a friend to all...One of life's real good guys. His passing will be felt so strongly by so many. I feel privileged to have known him and shared so many laughs. My heart goes out to all of you and you will all be in my thoughts.' Stacey Lee said: 'So sad to hear this, one thing I always noticed about Chris was his amazing smile and twinkle in his eye, may you rest in peace Chris.' Calling him 'caring, lovely and funny' Tracy Wiles wrote: 'We all will never be the same again, but every day you will be in our thoughts you beautiful man. Love you so much Chris and now our friend.' View of Costa Teguise, a touristic resort on Lanzarote island, Spain (Stock image) Confirming it was currently closed, staff at The Clock said in a social media message: 'As you may well be aware now or soon. We have lost Chris. The Clock is closed. 'We will keep you informed.' One local report said the incident that led to Chris's death happened at The Clock, but well-placed sources said it had occurred at a nearby commercial centre by a fast food restaurant. Police were called shortly after 3am on Sunday and assisted in providing emergency medical assistance before making the arrest. The dead man's parents are believed to live in Lanzarote although he has siblings thought to be based in the UK. Prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for the killing - which they claim was sparked because of a bitter custody battle A former contestant on Family Feud has been found guilty of breaking into the home of his estranged wife before shooting her dead. Timothy Bliefnick, 40, refused to testify in his own defense after being accused of killing Becky Bliefnick, 41, on February 2 in Quincy, Illinois. The mother-of-three was found dead in her home by her father after her family became concerned that she had not picked up her sons from school. She was shot 14 times, and court records show that the couple had separated and were going through a messy divorce. Bliefnick did not present a defense to the claims but previously pleaded not guilty, and will be sentenced on August 11. Becky Bliefnick (left) was found dead in her home by her father after her family became concerned that she had not picked up her sons from school Timothy Bliefnick, 40, refused to testify in his own defense after being accused of killing his estranged wife in Quincy, Illinois Bliefnick appeared on ABC's Family Feud in 2020, and he joked with the host Steve Harvey that somebody's 'biggest wedding mistake' would likely be getting married at all Prosecutors say he used a crowbar to break into the property through a second-story window before shooting his estranged wife in the bathroom. Becky had also sent a chilling message to her sister Sarah Reilly before she died, warning that if anything happened to her, 'the No.1 person of interest is Tim'. 'I am putting this in writing that I'm fearful he will somehow harm me, come after me, or will try to [do] something to me that takes me away from the kids or the kids away from me,' she said. In a statement after the verdict, Becky's family said: 'We should not be living in a world where a crime like this is possible. We should not have to suffer a life without Becky who was robbed of her life in the most hateful, cowardly and cruel way. 'Her boys were robbed of a loving, devoted mother. I was robbed of my sister and best friend. 'My parents were robbed of their daughter, and as a parent myself, I cannot imagine a greater torture. 'Becky was a niece, an aunt and a cousin; a friend, a colleague and a caregiver. All those who love her carry heavy heartache in the wake of this tragedy. 'The judicial process cannot bring her back nor can it heal our wounds, but we are relieved that the verdict delivers justice, and we are thankful for all who made it a reality. 'As a family of faith, we are deeply thankful for our family, friends and the complete strangers who have rallied around us and prayed for us during these incredibly dark days.' Bliefnick (pictured right as his home was raided in March) was 'very cooperative' with officers, and handed over his keys to the home, which he rents, and his car The court heard Bliefnick researched ways to commit the crime on Google before riding to Becky's home on a bicycle Bliefnick and Becky has three sons together but were living separately at the time of her death, with court records showing their split was filed in February 2021 Becky's family said their priority was now raising her three young children. 'We live with the hope that the worst moment of our lives cannot define who we are, as we pick up the pieces to raise Becky's boys in the way we know she would want,' they said. 'While life cannot be normal in the ways it once was, such love and support does help restore the belief that the world does, in fact, have more good than evil. 'As they go forward with the certain truth that their father murdered their mother, we ask that you keep Becky's three, incredible boys in your prayers. 'We will move forward by leaning on each otherand our faithfor healing. We will speak of Becky warmly and often, remembering the way she lived and loved, not the way she died. She will be missed forever and loved always.' The court heard Bliefnick researched ways to commit the crime on Google, before riding to her home on a bicycle. Investigators retrieved dozens of shell casings in the basement that the state police lab found was fired from the same gun as eight recovered from the crime scene. The couple had separated and were going through a messy divorce when Becky was shot 14 times according to investigators Becky had also sent a chilling message to her sister Sarah Reilly (right) before she died, warning that if anything happened to her, 'the No.1 person of interest is Tim' The nurse (left), had previously filed a restraining order against her estranged husband (right) and his father before she was then hit with a restraining order by her husband Before the shooting, Bliefnick had taken his wife's gun and refused to give it back, her attorney revealed. Officers didn't find the murder weapon, though Becky's handgun remains missing and forensic experts say it was among several models which could have matched the casings. In the weeks after her death, Bliefnick attended her wake, but not her funeral as he didn't want to be a 'distraction'. Police described him as being 'cooperative', after swooping on his property shortly before arresting him. His lawyers also accused Quincy Police Department of failing to 'follow up' on claims that Becky was being stalked but did not release any further information or evidence to back up their claims. Becky's family have branded the killing as 'hateful, cowardly and cruel', and vowed to not shy away from telling the boys who killed their mother Prosecutors say he used a crowbar to break into the property (pictured) through a second-story window before shooting his estranged wife in the bathroom The couple had three sons together, but were living separately at the time of Becky's death, with court records showing their split was filed in February 2021. Court records show that the couple, who married in 2009, was going through a contentious divorce and had both filed restraining orders against each other. Quincy Police said the murder was an unusual act of domestic violence in an otherwise safe town. Bliefnick appeared on ABC's Family Feud in 2020, and he joked with the host Steve Harvey that somebody's 'biggest wedding mistake' would likely be getting married at all. 'Honey, I love you,' said Bliefnick, addressing his wife, before adding cautiously, 'Said, 'I do'?' His response evoked laughter and gasps from the crowd and a blank stare from Harvey. The episode was recorded in the fall of 2019 but aired in the spring of 2020, according to ABC. Caps on tourists numbers in Bali could see an application process that would make the Australian tradition of jetting off to the idyllic destination a lot more complicated. Holidaymakers could have to meet a certain criteria before entering the Indonesian island as the government looks to impose restrictions to prioritise 'quality' tourists over 'quantity'. The restriction on visitor numbers is just one of many changes being introduced as locals lose patience with boisterous and littering foreigners not respecting local customs and sacred sites. Idyllic holiday destination Bali could get a lot more complicated to travel to as officials introduce a series of measures to lift visitor behaviour, including caps on tourist numbers Bali has long been seen as a party destination for Aussies, with thousands visiting the island every year but locals are losing patience for 'arrogant' visitors (pictured, a tourist detained in Bali) Bali has a population of 4.3 million people but there were 6.3 million visitors in 2019 before travel was interrupted by the Covid pandemic. The steady rise in tourists - up from less than 2 million in 2008 - has government officials worried the number could skyrocket over the coming years. The sheer volume of visitors pouring in combined with the island's reputation as a party hotspot has resulted in a string of controversies. Earlier this year a tourist filmed himself naked at a sacred Hindu site. The episode was just one of a series of similar incidents. Another tourist was seen screaming and lunging at security officers outside a religious ritual. While yet another group of travellers filed an official complaint about roosters crowing at dawn which infuriated Bali locals who rely on the poultry to make a living. A figure of seven million tourists is being considered for the cap, which could see tough competition for places as Bali becomes increasingly known across the globe as a holiday destination for those on a budget. The Indonesian Government are attempting to crack down on unruly tourists by handing out cards with 'dos' and 'don'ts' rules to anyone passing through Bali's airport (pictured) In recent months, the holiday island has been cracking down on misbehaving tourists by introducing multiple measures Applicants could have to show they have enough cash to fund their entire trip to successfully gain entry, while the slightest trouble there could result in a ban from returning. The island's governor Wayan Koster told local media: 'These foreigners are very arrogant but I am not anti-foreigners. 'A comprehensive evaluation is necessary to regulate the entry of foreign tourists. 'For instance, there might be a consideration of a limit of seven million individuals based on certain criteria.' Mr Koster said the island should focus on 'quality tourism'. 'This is to maintain Balinese culture and local wisdom which must be dignified,' he said. The island has already banned some tourists from driving mopeds following anti-social behaviour. Marita Daniell (pictured centre) has been kicked out of Bali despite living there for 23 years after abusing officers who stopped her for not wearing a helmet while riding a scooter a road in Canggu, a resort village on the south coast of Island A tourist tax is also being considered by President Joko Widodo's government that would be between $45 and $150 and have the dual effect of boosting revenue from the island and lifting the standard of visitors. 'Income from the tourism tax would help fund a range of measures and prevent Bali from becoming known only as a cheap destination,' Bali Tourism Board chairman Ida Bagus Agung Partha Adnyana said. 'Cheap destinations bring in cheap tourists who tend to cause a lot of problems.' While Bali is less strict than the rest of Indonesia, the island is deeply conservative with many locals frowning upon excessive drinking or scantily-clad social media snaps at temples. Foreigners acting as tour guides or renting out scooters, taking money away from locals businesses, has also become a problem, according to the Indonesian Hotel General Managers Association. The chairman of the Regional People's Legislative Council of the Province of Bali (DPRD Bali) agreed the island should focus on attracting well-behaved visitors. 'We need tourists, but tourists who are classy, not tourists who throw tantrums,' Nyoman Adi Wiryatama told provincial leaders at a meeting, according to The Bali Sun. The tourism board announced plans on March 7 to use billboards to build awareness amongst visitors and educate tourists on how to behave in cultural settings. Authorities confirmed a minimum of 10 large billboards written in English will be installed where violations occur the most, including Kuta, Seminyak, Legian, Canggu, Ubud, Sanur, Nusa Dua, and Uluwatu. Just last week a German tourist was filmed disrupting a traditional Balinese dance performance while naked And just this week it was announced a total of 12 dos and eight don'ts will be handed on cards to tourists upon arrival on the island which cover tradition, religion and local law. Among the 'don'ts list', tourists will be told not to defile sacred places or pollute the island such as throwing rubbish into its waterways. Under the 'dos list', tourists are told to respect the customs, dress modestly and behave politely at sacred sites. Anggiat Napitupulu, who is the head of the Regional Office of the Bali Ministry of Law and Human Rights, said the cards will be slipped into passports when travellers hand them over to immigration. 'The card contains what is allowed and what is not allowed to be done in Bali,' he said. Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, an influential senior Indonesian politician, has now stressed that Bali must focus on 'quality tourism' instead of 'mass tourism' Her mother, April Lyda, says she was a normal child until she was put on the unspecified medication The mother of the 12-year-old Oklahoma girl who stabbed her brother to death in a 'demonic' rage says she was a normal child until she went back on a medication that she'd been taken off for a year, and that had caused her to start cutting herself. The girl, who DailyMail.com is not naming, is now being treated in a children's facility in Tulsa. On January 5, she stabbed her nine-year-old brother, Zander, to death in their home in an as-yet unexplained attack. Her mother told police she stabbed him three times while he was lying in his bed, trying to sleep. Afterwards, as she was being placed into handcuffs, the girl sobbed: 'I'm so sorry, I don't know what happened. 'It's some demonic s**t'. Scroll down for video The girl, who DailyMail.com is not naming, is now being treated in a children's facility in Tulsa. On January 5, she stabbed her nine-year-old brother, Zander, to death in their home in an as-yet unexplained attack Mom April Lyda with her son, Zander, on a GoFundme appeal for the family after his 12-year-old sister was accused of stabbing him to death ''They were good kids... they were raised as God fearing children and never had behavioral issues until she was put back on a medication she was off for over a year,' the girl's mother said The case resurfaced this week with the release of harrowing bodycam footage of her arrest, and her mother, April's initial conversations with police while her son was in the hospital. He died of his injuries a short time later. In all of the footage released by Tulsa Police Department, the mother and daughter both believe the boy is still alive. In the months since the attack, April's friends have set up a fundraiser to help her move with her three-year-old son. Her 12-year-old daughter remains in a juvenile facility receiving treatment. In an update on the fundraising page - which has so far raised $10,000 - the grieving mother told this week how her daughter was a 'normal' teenage' who never even 'yelled' at her until she went back on an unspecified medication that she'd stopped taking for a year. 'They were good kids... they were raised as God fearing children and never had behavioral issues until she was put back on a medication she was off for over a year,' she said. She did not specify what type of medication the girl was taking but said, 'no it wasnt psych meds'. The stabbing took place at the family home in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in January The edited video begins with the girl running downstairs as she yells, 'I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry' Zander Lyda who was stabbed to death in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on January 5 this year MOM'S FULL STATEMENT SIX MONTHS AFTER SON'S STABBING DEATH BY HER DAUGHTER I just want to thank you all for the donations, they couldnt have come at a better moment, I seen the YouTube video, I dont think its legal or appropriate for them to post that, so hopefully it will be taken down, I try not to let the ignorant comments and all the theories get to me, yes my kids have different fathers, but they were good kids and I never let that prevent me from providing for them in every way including emotionally, mentally, financially. They were raised as God-fearing children & never had behavioral issues until she was put back on a medication she was off for over a year - no it wasnt psych meds - and I cant get into details because Im not sure what all Im allowed to share just yet. Just know my kids loved each other and always got along until the very end there. They were fighting a lot more than usual but they never physically hurt each other on purpose, that just wasnt who they were. She has never even yelled at me - she was happy and energetic, loves school, she is not mentally ill & has not been diagnosed with anything. She has been very well behaved the entire 6 months she has been gone and yes Im very supportive of her and love her very much. Obviously there is a lot of healing that we both need before we can ever live together again and she needs mental & emotional help after this. She could have permanent, damage we dont know yet, but she has not had any issues. I want to clarify something, my daughter was not a cutter! She had old cuts from two months prior from when she was first put back on her meds and everyone agreed to take her off immediately and so I did. Unfortunately it was too late the damage was done. The new cuts were from that night she attacked my precious son. She has a very amazing team of experts that spend almost everyday with her for hours sometimes. They have been around her this entire six months, they know her pretty well, they also feel like she is telling the truth, and I believe the experts when it comes to this. She is going to treatment, for how long we do not know yet. Another thing is my son was not asleep. I know its a minor rumor but he was awake because he didnt have school the next day, he was switching from public to homeschool through a homeschooling program here in my state, we used them before and he had just met his teacher a few days prior but we were waiting for his Chromebook before he could start. Anyway I did not find out that he was awake until our interview. I was confused and shocked, I thought someone broke into my home and hurt my kids and I thought my daughter ran away for safety. I did not ever think or imagine that one of my kids would do such a thing. She was as normal as your child. As any 12 year old child who was not allowed to cuss or watch scary evil movies, she was just starting to rebel but she was also just going through normal teenage things, so no there were no signs that would have warned any of us that she was a threat. I feel very guilty I couldnt protect my son. I have promised my children a million times that I would never let anything like this happen to them I would never allow anyone to hurt them and they have nothing to be afraid of at home because its our safe place, you know all the normal things parents say to their kids, I felt like I failed him and her both. I know its not my fault and people can be so cruel and evil especially right now. Anyway with all that said, dont believe everything you see or hear on the internet or from strangers that have never met me or my family. I still have my rights, if I was negligent in anyway I doubt I would still have rights over both my surviving children. Again, thank you so much for the donations, I have to move and I honestly was struggling to pay for it. So I greatly appreciate the donations, and the prayers and kind words. I know I will be reunited with my son again and thats what keeps me going, that and my two surviving children. This was a horrible tragedy that was completely unseen and unimaginable to any parent in any circumstance. God bless you all. And may youre kindness be return 10 fold.' MARCH 18 There isn't much to update on, but my daughter is going to be getting a mental evaluation done soon than we can decide the best treatment plan. Its looking like the medication definitely played a huge part in all this and that makes me so sick because I put her her back on it after taking her off for about 1-1/2 year after her being on it for so long, all the side effects makes sense now although at the time we didnt know that they were side effects, she was treated as if they were separate issues. Its just all very aggravating and heartbreaking. I try to keep my mind busy but if its not, then Im crying and having a panic attack. When I see things of his laying around the house the memories start rolling in. Its so hard to be without my children. Its so hard to know that she did this to him, my poor son. Im trying hard to stay focused and fight for justice for both of them especially my son. He was the light to my whole world and its so dark with out him. I miss goofing off with him, coming up with jokes to tell each other, singing or gaming with him, I just dont know how Im supposed to keep going after such a horrible thing. You would think people that experience something like this would get a pass but they dont, you are forced to continue with life so your other children are not alone in this dark world. Pray for your kids every day and pray over them every day, teach them to pray. It didnt do us much good but I know Satan kills, lies and destroys not God. I just wish he would have helped those doctors save him, he could have lived. He should have lived. His last birthday he will have. #forever9 - April Lyda Advertisement Since killing her brother in January, the girl has been receiving treatment in a center where her mother says she seems to be improving. 'She has been very well behaved the entire 6 months she has been gone. 'Im very supportive of her and love her very much. Obviously there is a lot of healing that we both need before we can ever live together again and she needs mental and emotional help after this, she could have permanent damage we dont know yet...' she said. When she was taken into custody, the girl had cuts on her arms which she told police were self-inflicted. The girl's mother said this week she never self-harmed until she went back on the medication. 'My daughter was not a cutter. 'She had old cuts from two months prior from when she was first put back on her meds and everyone agreed to take her off immediately and so I did and unfortunately it was too late the damage was done.' April with her ex-husband, Zander's father Levi, and the girl when she was a child. They're shown in 2013, after Zander's birth She added that when she first entered the room where her daughter stabbed Zander, she thought an intruder was to blame. 'I was confused and shocked, I thought someone broke into my Home and hurt my kids and I thought my daughter ran away for safety. 'I did not ever think or imagine that one of my kids would do such a thing. 'She was as normal as your child, as any 12-year-old.' It remains unclear what will come of the child if and when she completes her treatment program. The disturbing bodycam footage is 25 minutes long and shows the moment the girl, screaming and running out of the house, is met with police officers. It begins with the girl running out of the family home, screaming 'I'm so sorry mama! I don't know what happened!' She continued to apologize, choking on tears while sitting with her legs crossed on the grass outside the family home. 'I really didn't want this to happen like this, this sucks. I'm probably going to go to jail and live the rest of my life in prison,' she sobbed while helping police retrieve the knife she threw out of her bedroom window after carrying out the attack. Her mother, upon realizing it was her daughter who'd committed the violent attack, is stunned. Pictured: The Family Center for Juvenile Justice in Tulsa, where the 12-year-old girl was being held after the fatal stabbing in January 'You used a knife?! You stabbed him in the chest!? I don't know what happened but I have to go with your brother and make sure he's OK,' she tells her. An ambulance leaves the home with Zander and his mother, leaving the girl at the scene with police. The footage then shows conversations between the girl and a supervising police officer. She cries, wails, and prays - begging in a whisper 'God, help me' - while sat in the back of the police car. At points, she is more upbeat. 'Are these handcuffs necessary? I'm a good child,' she asks at one point. Fixated on the idea of prison, she tells the officer she is convinced she has 'ruined' her life. He consoled her compassionately before taking her to the police station at 03.52am. Upon their arrival, he told another officer that the girl had been asleep in the back of the car. At the hospital, her mother April was desperately searching for answers. 'My 12 year old daughter, I dont understand why she would do something like that, shes 12.' She described how she had been upstairs in the home when she heard the boy screaming. 'He was in bed, he was downstairs trying to sleep. I dont know why she even went down there, I dont understand any of it all I know is I heard him screaming the worst scream ever. I thought maybe he was having a nightmare so I tried waking him up and theres blood everywhere and he said she stabbed me, she stabbed me. 'I was like who?! And then he started going in and out of consciousness.' Police then asked for a search warrant for the home to assist their investigation. 'We need a search waver for the apartment. You dont have to authorize but it would really aid our investigation,' he said. April shot back: 'We know what happened. My daughter says she got a knife and stabbed him three times.' Their interview ended when Zander's father, Levi Layda, and grandmother, arrived at the scene. The cop walked out of the hospital family room and started speaking with a nurse outside. 'She was upstairs, he was downstairs asleep and she just heard screaming, she came down, she thought he was having a nightmare until she saw the blood.' The nurse, horrified, replied: 'You wonder whats going on in a 12-year-olds mind.' Border officers seized three tons worth of meth hidden in a shipment of kale near to the US-Mexico border - making it among the largest meth busts in US history. At around midday on May 27, officers in Southern California stopped a 34-year-old man driving a tractor-trailer with a consignment that was declared to be kale. The truck's load was flagged for inspection and officers subsequently found bundles of the drug packed among the vegetables. The officers, assigned to the Otay Mesa Cargo Facility near Tijuana, found 268 separate packages within the shipment - weighing a total of 5,788 pounds, or around 93,000 ounces. Border officers seized nearly three tons worth of meth in a shipment of kale near to the US-Mexico border in Southern California on May 27 Some 268 separate packages were seized from a tractor trailer and weighed around 5,800 pounds, or 92,800 ounces An eight of an ounce, or an 'eight-ball', can sell on the street for something in the region of $50, according to a Sacramento County police report, so the seized goods had a street value of around $38 million. 'The collaborative effort of our CBP officers to achieve a common goal is remarkably inspiring,' said Rosa Hernandez, Port Director for the Otay Mesa Cargo Facility, in a press release. 'Our officers exemplify this every day as they dedicate themselves to protecting and serving their communities with unwavering commitment and outstanding work.' The driver was arrested for attempting to smuggle narcotics and turned over to Homeland Security for further investigation. CBP officers also seized the tractor, trailer and drugs. The name of the driver was not released by federal officials. This enormous seizure is among the largest in US history. In August 2021 federal authorities made what they said at the time was likely the largest bust when they found 5,528 pounds, similarly in a semitrailer and also in in Otay Mesa. To put the seizure into perspective, the DEA says it seized a total of nearly 131,000 pounds of meth across the country throughout 2022. Much of the meth that enters the US is manufactured in clandestine labs in Mexico. In February, Mexican soldiers discovered an indoor meth lab in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa. Last year in the same region homeland security agents discovered a tunnel (pictured) that stretched from a home in the Mexican border city of Tijuana to a California warehouse The entrance to a tunnel found under a warehouse in Otay Mesa, California, that connected with a home in Tijuana, Mexico and was used to smuggle drugs into the US The US-Mexico border is often exploited for the smuggling of drugs. Last year homeland security agents discovered a tunnel that stretched from a home in the Mexican border city of Tijuana to a California warehouse. The underground passageway was around 1,774 long and 61 feet deep, with a four-foot diameter. It had a rail track, walls supported by metal beams, electricity, and a ventilation system. It was located about 300 feet north of the United States-Mexico border wall in Otay Mesa, where the officers discovered the meth among the kale. Suspected Chinese spies disguised as tourists have made multiple attempts to infiltrate US military bases in Alaska, according to US officials. The attempted breaches may be probes into US military activities in the state, soldiers familiar with the matter told USA Today. On one recent occasion, a vehicle carrying Chinese citizens blew past a security checkpoint at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks. The vehicle was stopped and the occupants claimed to be tourists but a search of their car revealed a drone. Most of the details of suspected Chinese spying incidents in Alaska remain classified and Kathleen Hicks, the Pentagon's No. 2 official, refused to comment on the matter, except to say the military is taking a number of steps to ensure bases are secure. A vehicle carrying Chinese citizens blew through a checkpoint at Fort Wainwright base Alaska has three major military bases, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, and Fort Wainwright and Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks During a recent visit to Alaska Hicks told reporters 'We take the safety and security of our people in our installations very seriously.' 'We always live with the possibility of intrusion on our installations, and so we work very hard to make sure, working alongside state and local authorities and others, that those bases and installations are protected from threats. 'We take a lot of measures to do that. And we're going to make sure we can continue to protect our installation so our folks can perform their missions.' Two officials told USA Today that security at some military bases has indeed been beefed up in response to the threat. Iris Ferguson, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Arctic and Global Resiliences, told a September news conference that Chinese leaders have 'been trying to insert themselves into the Arctic.' 'So, we're being very mindful about their activity and in wanting to ensure that our interests are protected in the region,' he added. Sen. Dan Sullivan called the reported spying incidents in Alaska a 'wake-up call.' 'Whether its a Chinese spy balloon, Russian Bear Bombers, or this new reporting of suspected Chinese spies in Alaska, this is another wake-up call that we are in a new era of authoritarian aggression led by dictators in China and Russia,' Sullivan said in a statement. Two officials claimed that security at some military bases has indeed been beefed up Alaska's largely empty terrain provides the military with the space and cover to perform major training exercises There are currently around 12,000 soldiers and 10,000 active-duty Air Force personnel stationed in Alaska Adding: 'Its also another example of just how important Alaska is for Americas national defense. In my oversight role, I am pressing for more details on these alleged security breaches and will continue to work with the Defense Department to ensure our installations in Alaska remain secure.' Cases of spying are taken over by the Department of Justice and the FBI, which estimate that a new investigation on Chinese-sponsored espionage is opened every 12 hours. The FBI Christopher Wray Director has regularly warned about the threat from Chinese spying, but blames Communist leaders rather than the country's citizens. 'There is no doubt that the greatest long-term threat to our nations ideas, our economic security and our national security is that posed by the Chinese communist government,' Wray said in a speech in April. The Chinese government may be interested in Alaska given some of the Pentagon's most sophisticated military capabilities reside there. Alaska's vast wilderness attracts tourists who come from all over the world to view the Northern Lights. In addition the state's largely empty terrain provides the military with the space and cover to perform major training exercises. Every year the US hosts the Northern Edge war game in the state which allows thousands of troops and more than 150 warplanes from the US, United Kingdom and Australia to train against military adversaries such as Russia and China. Alaska has three major military bases, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, and Fort Wainwright and Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks, as well as several other smaller facilities. There are currently around 12,000 soldiers and 10,000 active-duty Air Force personnel stationed in Alaska. Tensions have been rising between the US and China, and the Chinese spy balloon that flew over the US earlier this year caused a diplomatic rupture. The balloon entered US airspace on 28 January and was shot down on 4 February after passing over US nuclear missile sites, including the Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana. The balloon, which Beijing previously denied was a government spy vessel, launched from southern China in late January. It then drifted east and entered US airspace over Alaska on 28 January and was tracked as it flew over Malmstrom Air Force base in Montana, where nuclear assets are stored. President Joe Biden was briefed two days later and elected to shoot it down over the Atlantic on 4 February, a week after it entered the US. Just last week, tensions came to the fore again when a Chinese fighter jet flew in front of a US Air Force plane, forcing it to encounter turbulence, according to the Pentagon's Indo-Pacific Command. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A Texas bishop who accused the Mother Superior of a convent of committing adultery with a priest has gained key backing from the Vatican, after she filed a $1 million lawsuit challenging his authority. In a decree on Wednesday, the Vatican granted Forth Worth Bishop Michael Olson 'full governing powers' over the Discalced Carmelite Nuns, a small religious order that runs a monastery in Arlington. Last month, the nuns' leader, Mother Superior Teresa Agnes Gerlach, filed a lawsuit accusing Olson of overstepping his authority by storming into the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity, 'interrogating' the nuns, and confiscating phones and other devices they use to run the convent. In response, Olson issued a public statement saying his actions were part of an 'ecclesiastical investigation' into allegations that Gerlach had 'committed sins against the Sixth Commandment and violated her vow of chastity with a priest.' The nuns had contested Olson's authority over them, saying that as a Catholic religious order they answer directly to Pope Francis -- but the new Vatican decree naming Olson as 'Pontifical Commissary' deals a blow to that position. In a decree on Wednesday, the Vatican granted Forth Worth Bishop Michael Olson 'full governing powers' over the Discalced Carmelite Nuns, a small religious order in Arlington Mother Superior Teresa Agnes Gerlach filed a lawsuit accusing Olson of overstepping his authority by storming into the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity and 'interrogating' the nuns 'As Pontifical Commissary, Bishop Olson is the Pope's representative in this matter,' the Diocese of Fort Worth said in a statement. The statement also repeated the claim that Gerlach has admitted to sinning against the Sixth Commandment and violating her vow of chastity, an allegation she strenuously denies. In the Catholic Church, the Sixth Commandment is 'Thou shalt not commit adultery' and forbids sex outside of marriage. Catholic priests and nuns are forbidden to marry and take vows of celibate chastity. The attorney representing the nuns in their civil suit told DailyMail.com on Wednesday that the Vatican's new decree 'has no authority whatsoever over the law in the state of Texas, nor regarding the civil lawsuit filed by the sisters'. 'The unjust, illegal and immoral actions taken by Bishop Michael Olson in this matter have been explicitly outlined in the past few weeks, and the decree issued by the Catholic Church from Vatican City changes none of the facts of the case,' said attorney Michael Bobo in a statement. 'We will continue to press on representing the sisters according to the law of the state of Texas, for which Bishop Michael Olson is subject to,' added Bobo. Wednesday's decree was issued by the Catholic Church's Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, which oversees religious orders, including monastics such as monks and nuns. The decree grants Olson authority to appoint nuns to key authority roles in the Arlington monastery, and also retroactively approves 'all the administrative and legal acts' he has already carried out in the matter. Wednesday's decree was issued by the Catholic Church's Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, which oversees religious orders The new Vatican decree naming Olson as 'Pontifical Commissary' means that he can now act as the representative of Pope Francis (seen above) in dealing with the nuns Bobo argued that the decree included a number of 'grave errors', including using the wrong canon case number and year in the header, and the incorrect name for the Arlington monastery. At the heart of the dispute lies the allegation that Gerlach violated her vow of chastity with a priest, although the specific details of that claim remain shrouded in mystery. Gerlach, 45, has severe health issues that require a full-time caregiver, feeding tube, and IV drip for 10 hours a day, as well as confining her to a wheelchair, her attorney has said. She has lived a cloistered religious life in the all-female monastery for 25 years, under the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. The Diocese of Fort Worth has repeatedly claimed, including in a public statement on Wednesday, that Gerlach admitted to violating her vow of chastity. But Bobo has slammed that assertion as false, saying that the Mother Superior never admitted to such a violation, and that she is not even aware of the specific nature of the allegation she faces. 'The bishop just decided to lob this bombshell out there, and for the life of us, we don't even know what the specifics of the allegation are. But I can absolutely tell you, she's never had sex with a priest,' Bobo told DailyMail.com last week. In a report on the case, Catholic news outlet The Pillar shed some light on the mystery, citing sources who said the allegation against Gerlach may stem from vague statements she made in December 2022, while she was heavily medicated following a hospital procedure. A person close to the matter told the outlet that while Gerlach was 'in-and-out of lucidity,' she made tearful, incoherent remarks to the nun who serves as her caregiver and the diocesan vicar general, saying she had committed some sin against the Sixth Commandment. 'She was crying and upset, but she didn't give any details about any of this, and we didn't really know what she was talking about,' the person said. 'And sometimes she said that it was a violation against chastity which she committed on the phone. So it didn't make a whole lot of sense,' the source added. The person noted that since Gerlach requires a round-the-clock caregiver for her medical issues, 'the notion that she committed some secret sexual sin with a priest even on the phone doesnt stand up to scrutiny.' 'It is much more likely that this whole thing was a hallucination,' the person said. Gerlach oversees the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity (above) in Arlington, Texas, which sits on roughly 72 acres owned by the Discalced Carmelite Nuns religious order Mother Superior made the extraordinary allegations in a sworn affidavit earlier this month The diocese has not responded to DailyMail.com's request for more information about the specific nature of the sexual misconduct allegation against Gerlach. No information has emerged about the priest involved in the alleged sexual sin, other than a diocese statement saying that he was from outside of the Diocese of Fort Worth, and that his superiors had been notified. According to the lawsuit filed by the nuns, Olson barged into the monastery in April to investigate Gerlach's alleged sinful admissions. 'I was stunned when Bishop Olson for all intents and purposes forced himself onto our peaceful community,' said Gerlach in a sworn affidavit. The lawsuit states that the Carmelite nuns 'are a cloistered Order of women dedicated to a life of contemplative prayer' who attend Mass each morning, and then gather seven times a day to chant the Liturgy of the Hours. 'The rest of their day is focused on contemplative prayer, the silent loving person to person relationship with Jesus Christ, a living prayer for the benefit of others,' the suit notes. Since the controversy erupted, Olson's priest have visited the convent to celebrate Mass only on Sunday, and have not heard confession from the nuns, according to Bobo. In a May 26 letter, Olson rejected a request from the sisters to resume daily communion, a tradition the monastery had observed since it was founded in the 1950s. 'At the present moment, daily Mass and Confessions cannot be conveniently provided for the members of Monastery; nor can the courtesy of participation at Mass at the Monastery be extended to the lay faithful,' Olson said in the letter to Sister Francis Therese, who is Gerlach's second in command. 'This is because you and Mother Teresa Agnes (Gerlach) of Jesus Crucified, O.C.D., have lodged a civil lawsuit, together with a request for a protection order, against me and the Diocese of Fort Worth, containing a false narrative relative to the pending investigation,' said Olson. The bishop added the situation 'has led to local, national, and international media coverage and has incited hatred and animosity against me because of my initiation of the investigation and has hindered the freedom of my ecclesiastical power to conduct that investigation.' The diocese alleged that Gerlach admitted to breaching her vow of chastity, and asked for the court to dismiss the nuns' suit, arguing it lacked jurisdiction 'As Pontifical Commissary, Bishop Olson (above) is the Pope's representative in this matter,' the Diocese of Fort Worth said in a statement The saga first emerged in a lawsuit filed by Gerlach and her convent earlier this month in Tarrant Country Court, naming Bishop Olson and the Diocese of Fort Worth as defendants. According to the nuns' lawsuit, Olson first entered the convent on April 24, and brought an unidentified forensic technology specialist who confiscated Gerlach's personal cellphone, iPad and laptop computer. The suit notes that the devices were used to run the business of the monastery, and without them the nuns were unable to pay bills or operate financially. Bobo told DailyMail.com last week that although Gerlach's devices had been returned, the diocese retains a forensic copy of their hard drives, and demanded their return. 'The stuff that was on that technology, has their private personal information, and has all the monastery's financial information, but most importantly, it has their donor list,' said Bobo. 'And that is a list that the bishop has been trying to get his hands on since he became bishop,' he added. Bobo also noted that the monastery's roughly 72-acre property in Arlington is owned by the Discalced Carmelite Nuns religious order rather than the diocese. 'He could arguably have the monastery shut down, and then that piece of property, which is worth about $22 million, could become part of the diocese,' the attorney said. Diocese spokesman Pat Svacina denied Bobo's claims in a statement to DailyMail.com, saying: 'His accusations are false and unsupported.' School hours should be extended to 6pm because the traditional 9am to 3pm classroom times are a 'relic of a sexist, bygone era', according to a fresh-faced Liberal MP. Jordan Lane, 28, who became MP for Ryde with just a 54-vote margin in the New South Wales election in March, used his maiden speech on Thursday to blast the current classroom hours and call for kids to be kept within the school gates until 6pm. 'The great travesty of public policy would be if the education system of the 2050s looks as it did when it was established in the 1950s,' he said. 'It is a relic of a sexist, bygone era where society assumed women stayed at home and were responsible for the school pick-up.' MP for Ryde Jordan Lane (pictured with his wife Natalie) has called for classroom hours to be extended until 6pm, branding the current set-up a 'relic of a sexist, bygone era' Mr Lane, who was formerly the youngest mayor in NSW, called for the day to be extended until the evening to 'be more accommodating of modern employment'. 'Local schools should become hubs for after-school activity where the government guarantees that a child can remain on school campuses until 6pm,' he said. 'It affords parents flexibility while at the same time making school a place for extra curricular excellence.' Mr Lane said schoolchildren could use the extra year in school such a measure would entail to have a 'more rounded experience' doing classes on things like coding, art, music, language, sport and theatre. Former Premier Dominic Perrottet floated the idea of shifting school hours and ordered a trial of a longer day in 14 schools. Mr Lane, who is a keen cyclist, said the measures would bring many benefits. Mr Lane, pictured with former NSW Premier Dominic Perrotet, was formerly the youngest mayor in NSW The fresh-faced MP won his seat in the March election by an extremely tight margin of just 54 votes '...greater flexibility for parents, a productivity and employment boost to the state, financial release from the high cost of child care and an injection of hope for potential but reluctant parents who like me struggle to rationalise how to afford - in terms of both time and money - children, a home and equal employability between partners,' he said. Mr Lane was partly echoing comments made by the former Minister for Education and Early Learning, Sarah Mitchell, last year. 'The reality is that the traditional school day, like the 9 to 5 workday, is a 20th-century concept which may not be the best model for 21st-century families, schools and the community,' she said. However, Ms Mitchell went on to say that it was not 'necessarily about changing existing class times'. Some social media users were critical of Mr Lane's bold plans. 'School hours are about children being able to learn and still have time to be children and relax,' wrote one. 'Children aren't here to cater to our needs.' Did YOU see the drunk man attack the woman? Families enjoying an outdoor Billy Ocean concert at the Royals' country estate of Sandringham were horrified to see a drunken man violently attacking a woman as the crowds dispersed. Witnesses claimed security staff were 'nowhere to be seen' as the man and the drunken group became more rowdy as the evening wore on, with loud arguments. 'You could see it was likely that something would happen with heavy drinking, straight from vodka bottles and a lot or argy-bargy, but no sign of the security teams, never mind any intervention,' said an eye-witness, a 40-year-old housewife from London, who asked not to be named. But around 11pm, as the music came to an end at the 44-a-head gig at the King's Norfolk estate on Saturday night, one young thug in his 20s began attacking an older woman, said the witness, who she believed to be his mother or mother-in-law. 'My family and many others (including young children) witnessed this assault and it was absolutely harrowing,' she said. The attack happened at the King's Norfolk estate (pictured) on Saturday night, when a young thug in his 20s began attacking an older woman 'I think it is especially bad as Queen Camilla is well-known for her support for domestic violence charities. 'When the man punched the woman, she fell straight to the ground, but he got down and continued hitting her it was a sickening scene with young children watching at a family event. I ran off to try and summon help but I couldn't find any security personnel so I asked a woman selling merchandise to radio for help. 'In the meantime, another man, not part of the group, stepped in and pulled the attacker off his victim, but the man turned on him and punched him, then returned to his female victim. 'It was utterly horrific, and it looked like a case of domestic violence to me as they obviously knew each other, but this man felt comfortable enough to carry out a brutal and sustained assault in front of hundreds of people.' When security staff did turn up, several concert-goers told them what had happened and urged them to call the police. 'But they didn't seem at all keen and I got the impression they wanted to brush it under the carpet,' said the eye-witness. She added: 'When they finally arrived - from somewhere at the back of the venue as far as I could tell - they actually laughed at the man who had tried to intervene, and got aggressive in my face when I asked them to call the police. It was extremely shocking. Families enjoying an outdoor Billy Ocean (pictured) concert at the Royals' country estate of Sandringham were horrified to see the drunken attack 'One of them turned round and shouted at me: ''Are you the victim?'' 'I couldn't believe how unprofessional they were. The whole event was badly managed in terms of security.' The witness took note of the registration of one of the vehicles containing the drunken group and passed it to Norfolk Police later. Colin Ward, managing director of the concert promoters, Live Promotions Events Ltd, told another concert-goer who complained about the security: 'It's a pity that such an incident occurred after such a wonderful concert. 'Please be assured that we take crowd safety very seriously indeed. Our security suppliers are on hand at all times, and likewise in radio contact with us, at ALL times 'In addition to this the concert has CCTV focused on the crowd throughout the evening to monitor any potential disturbance.' Mr Ward, boss of the firm based in Spalding, Lincs, added: 'At the end of a concert it is common practice to allow the crowd to disperse at their own pace but during this time the crowd is still monitored, and security guards are on the perimeter watching. A spokesperson for Norfolk Police confirmed they were investigating a report of assault at the concert 'As soon as this incident was reported, I personally called in the security and directed them promptly to the incident, I also attended personally and logged what had happened. 'Sadly with so many people in attendance it's sad but true that such unfortunate incidents can occur, but please be assured that we do indeed have the very best security on site at all times for everyone's safety.' A spokesperson for Norfolk Police confirmed they were investigating a report of assault at the concert. They added: 'The incident occurred on 27 May 2023 at around 11pm, following a music event at the Sandringham estate, where a man assaulted a woman. Enquiries are currently ongoing.' Security contractor Crowdsafe UK, based in Peterborough, and Live Promotions were contacted by MailOnline for comment. A spokesperson for the Sandringham Estate said they wouldn't comment on a police matter. Advertisement Madeleine McCann, a three-year-old from Rothley, Leicestershire, went missing from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3, 2007. Sixteen years later, global police efforts continue to uncover clues around her sudden and unexplained disappearance. Authorities searched the remote Barragem do Arade reservoir in May, some 30 miles from where Madeleine was taken, as investigations ramp up into the possible role of sole remaining suspect Christian Brueckner. Madeleine's parents have waited nearly two decades for information that could bring them closer to understanding how their toddler vanished from the resort in 2007. As prosecutors try to connect Madeleine's disappearance to the reservoir Bruckner once frequented 30 miles away, MailOnline recaps the events around her disappearance. Madeleine McCann (left), who went missing in 2007, and Christian Brueckner (right), the sole suspect in the case The apartment where the three-year-old British girl Madeleine McCann disappeared in 2007 while on holiday with her parents This photograph taken on May 25, 2023 shows a general view of the Arade dam, on the third day of new search operations amid the investigation into Madeleine's disappearance Where did Madeleine go missing? Madeleine McCann was staying with her family at a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal when she disappeared in May 2007. Praia da Luz is a small village in the Algarve home to a tiny population of around 1,000, popular with British holidaymakers. The village, just outside of Lagos, is a 40 minute drive via the A22 from the Arade dam near Sao Bartolomeu de Messines, in the municipality of Silves, where investigators are again now searching for clues linked to her disappearance. Parents Kate and Gerry McCann had taken Madeleine and her two-year-old twin siblings on a seven-night spring break with a group of friends on Portugal's south coast. At the Ocean Club resort, they were joined by seven of their adult friends and five children. The resort had amenities including a Tapas bar, about 165ft from the family's apartment, where the adults chose to dine out on May 3, the evening Madeleine disappeared. The apartment block was on one side of the complex, the bar on the other, with a pool and a short walk separating the two. The twins were left together in a travel cot, with Madeleine - a year older -put in her own bed in the same room. Once asleep, the McCanns joined the 'Tapas Seven' for a meal, as they had done most evenings, and agreed on a rotation for parents to check in on the eight children every half-hour. Police are aiming to build up a picture of sole suspect Christian Brueckner's life on the Algarve and the places he frequented as they search the Barragem reservoir in Silves, Portugal A man walks next to the apartment where three-year-old Madeleine McCann disappeared in 2007, in Praia da Luz, Portugal, June 5, 2020 When did Madeleine go missing? READ MORE: The big breaks in the Madeleine McCann case that have led us no closer to finding her Advertisement It was the penultimate day of the holiday when Madeleine went missing. After a day of activities, Kate and Gerry McCann put their three children to bed at around 7pm. Madeleine fell asleep in pink pyjamas and the parents relaxed with a bottle of wine. At around 8:30pm, the McCanns joined their friends for a meal at the Tapas bar nearby. Staff had made a note to book the same table for the group, arriving at the same time each evening, for the last four nights of the trip. At dinner, the family arranged a rotation for parents to check up on the children. Gerry McCann checked on Madeleine and her siblings at 9pm and found nothing amiss. But at 9:30pm, one of the friends found the room disturbed, a door left open. He checked in on the children and saw that the two twins were in their cot. He did not look in Madeleine's bed. When Kate McCann went to check up on the children at 10pm, she found Madeleine had disappeared. 'Madeleine's gone! Someone's taken her!' she was reported to have said, running back to the restaurant. Around the same time, a man was seen carrying a child matching Madeleine's description. Madeleine McCann vanished from the holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, prompting searches of the region The McCanns joined friends for dinner at the resort, close to the room, on May 3 after a day of activities with the children Two e-fit images of the same man seen in Praia da Luz on the night Madeleine disappeared were released by the Met Police in 2013 What happened next? Immediately after the disappearance, police were called to the resort in Praia da Luz. Friends and resort staff joined in a wide search of the area. Investigators looked into claims a friend of the family, James Tanner, had seen a man carrying a sleeping child in pink pyjamas away from the apartment block at around 9:10pm on May 3, but the evidence was later discounted. Police said the man seen with the child was another holidaymaker with their own child. Days turned into months and hundreds of police officers were called in to support the search. Possible sightings were reported. Seven months after her disappearance, a lorry driver told investigators he had seen a woman handing a man a child near Silves, a slightly quieter town due northeast of Praia da Luz. Silves is almost the midway point between Praia da Luz in the southwest corner of Portugal and the Barragem do Arade reservoir now being searched to the northeast. After returning to the UK, a huge publicity campaign led by the family, and with contributions from the likes of J.K. Rowling, led to the naming of first suspects. Astonishingly, Portuguese police named Gerry and Kate McCann as suspects in the case after four months without results. They said they found incriminating DNA evidence at the holiday apartment and in the boot of their hire car. This line of inquiry was later dropped. In July 2008, 14 months since Madeleine's disappearance, Portugal's attorney general ended the investigation into Madeleine's disappearance after they had failed to uncover any evidence. The case was handed over to private investigators working for the family until the Met issued new sketches of potential suspects in 2013. Investigators were the first to scour the reservoir now being searched in 2008 - 12 years before authorities said they were looking into a new German suspect. Again, the investigation struggled to produce definitive results until authorities said they were investigating a 43-year-old in connection to the disappearance, later named as Christian Brueckner. For more than a decade, her anguished parents Gerry and Kate (pictured together in 2017) have waited in vain for any news - any clue - that their little girl is somehow alive after all this time Detectives believe Brueckner was living out of a German campervan in the village of Praia da Luz in 2007 when Madeleine disappeared Brueckner's house in nearby Foral In 2020, authorities revealed a phonecall had located Christian Brueckner in Praia da Luz, where he lived from 1997 until 2007, around the time of Madeleine's disappearance. They traced the call and found it connected to the mast owned by the resort complex where the family had stayed. Brueckner had lived in a warehouse outside the village for several years but moved into a VW campervan just before Madeleine vanished. A Mail on Sunday investigation later found that Brueckner stayed in an old house in nearby Foral between 2007 and 2008 - after Madeleine's disappearance. The Villa Bianca, in a small village due southeast of the reservoir, is a 50-minute drive from the village where Madeleine was staying with her parents. It was rented out to a German woman called Nicole between 2002 and 2009. But a German couple who had lived in the village for more than 20 years said they immediately recognised Brueckner when he was named as the prime suspect in 2020. Lia Silva, the owner of the property, said an intimidating German man would visit the villa and visit Nicole. He reportedly parked his distinctive Volkswagen Westfalia campervan, which was subsequently seized by German police, in the carpark of a nearby restaurant. Some people were afraid of him when he used to go to the restaurant,' Ms Silva said. That year, it was revealed that a witness claimed to have spotted Madeleine getting into a German-owned VW van with a man just weeks after her disappearance. A police file detailed how a witness believed that had seen Madeleine emerging from a restaurant in the Spanish seaside town of Alcossebre in eastern Spain, before climbing into the van with an unidentified man. Praia da Luz, the village of Madeleine's disappearance, is a 40 mile journey away from Foral, Silves The Villa Bianca, a property in Foral where Brueckner stayed in 2007/8, a Mail on Sunday investigation found Authorities gather at a Judiciary Police (PJ) makeshift base camp in the Arade dam area, Faro district, during the new search operation, in Silves, Portugal, 25 May 2023 Portuguese TV journalists send in reports at the end of the three-day search for remains of Madeleine McCann at Barragem do Arade Reservoir on May 25, 2023 in Silves, Portugal Police have continued to investigate Brueckner over the years as he remains in prison on separate charges. Forensic work has now led them to Barragem, a reservoir 30 miles from the Praia da Luz apartment the suspect used as a quiet getaway. Scenes have shown police investigating the barren site surrounding a large body of water in the middle. Brueckner was understood to have called it his 'little paradise', using a small clearing in the trees as an escape after parking up his camper van nearby. He would camp by the reservoir at weekends and is understood to have set up a base there to 'cleanse himself', it has emerged. A former friend of Brueckner, who has lived on Algarve for nearly 30 years and has been helping police with their investigation, claims the criminal would visit the reservoir 'often' but was 'always secretive about it'. Police from around the world continue to investigate the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. The original version of a signed letter which Winston Churchill sent to wellwishers after Britain's victory in the Second World War is set to fetch up to 160,000 at auction. The document is on paper marked with the official stamp of the Prime Minister and the address of 10 Downing Street. It was signed by Churchill in May 1945 and copies were then sent to some of the tens of thousands of people who had written letters of congratulations after Nazi Germany's defeat. He said: 'I have been deeply touched by all the messages of good will which have reached me at this time. Thank you so much for your kind thought.' An original signed letter penned by Winston Churchill to wellwishers after Britain's victory in the Second World War is set to fetch up to 160,000 at auction Churchill had risen from the relative political wilderness to enter the war cabinet and then become Prime Minister in 1940 after the resignation of Neville Chamberlain. Above: He gives the 'V for Victory' sign outside 10 Downing Street in 1943 CLICK TO READ MORE: 'Churchill's favourite spy': Incredible life and times of WWII secret agent who 'inspired 007 characters' will be brought to life in new movie Dubbed 'Churchill's favourite spy', beautiful and sexually adventurous Krystyna Skarbek (pictured) became celebrated for her daring WWII exploits throughout Nazi-occupied Europe Advertisement Churchill had risen from the relative political wilderness to enter the war cabinet and then become Prime Minister in 1940 after the resignation of Neville Chamberlain. His rousing speeches throughout the five-year conflict against Adolf Hitler helped to maintain British morale, especially when the country 'stood alone' before the United States entered the war in 1942. The statesman has been praised by many historians for refusing to do a peace deal with Hitler when one was offered in 1940. His May 1945 letter, sent just two months before the PM was turfed out of office after Labour's landslide victory in that year's General Election, is being sold via US firm The Raab Collection and valued at $200,000. Churchill received tens of thousands of letters from ordinary Britons throughout the war and often wrote a single reply - signed in pen - which was then copied as many times as necessary. Also offered for sale is a photograph bearing the signatures of Churchill and wartime US President Franklin Roosevelt, along with his wife Eleanor. The photo shows British steel worker and future MP John H Jones with his family. Jones was part of a delegation of four British workers who were welcomed to New York in 1943 as part of an initiative which saw four Americans come to Britain. Jones and his fellow workers toured the US's war factories and met their American counterparts. As the signatures testify, he also met the British PM and Roosevelt and his wife during the trip. The photograph is valued at $100,000 (80,000). Also offered for sale is a photograph bearing the signatures of Churchill and wartime US President Franklin Roosevelt, along with his wife Eleanor. The photo shows British steel worker and future MP John H Jones with his family. Jones was part of a delegation of four British workers who were welcomed to New York in 1943 as part of an initiative which saw four Americans come to Britain A Daily Mail news report of the 1943 visit reveals how Jones shocked US reporters at a press conference when he told them that Britain had 'stood alone' before the American entry into the war A Daily Mail news report of the 1943 visit reveals how Jones shocked US reporters at a press conference when he told them that Britain had 'stood alone' before the American entry into the war. He told them: 'Ours is a small island compared with this big continent, but we think it is big. We are just ordinary, decent people, working hard to stop the common enemy. 'We don't want anything out of society but the right of all free men to live the way they want to. 'We are thankful to America for the help that she has given us, but when the history of this war comes to be written long after you and I have passed on, it must record that Britain stood alone as a bulwark for the world against Fascism.' Among Churchill's most famous speeches was the one given on May 13, 1940 in what was his first address to the House of Commons as PM. He warned the country: 'I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.' The following month, after the successful evacuation of more than 300,000 Allied troops from Dunkirk, Churchill again addressed the Commons. His most famous words came in the final line, in which he vowed the country would 'fight on the beaches' and 'never surrender' if invaded. An anti-vaxx conspiracy theorist has been found guilty of plotting to destroy 5G masts after claiming they were linked to the Covid-19 vaccine - as her neo-Nazi, crossbow-wielding partner in crime was found guilty on eight terror charges. Christine Grayson discussed 'getting rid' of the mobile phone masts with expanding foam and angle grinders during regular discussions online, a court heard. The 59-year-old was found guilty of conspiracy to commit criminal damage by a jury at Leeds Crown Court. Her co-defendant Darren Reynolds, 60, was cleared of the same charge but convicted of eight terrorist offences. Jurors found him guilty of encouraging terrorism with online comments including calling for MPs to be killed. Christine Grayson discussed 'getting rid' of the mobile phone masts with expanding foam and angle grinders, Leeds Crown Court heard Co-defendant Darren Reynolds, 60, was convicted of eight terrorism offences Reynolds was also convicted of disseminating a terrorist publication by sharing a link to the neo-Nazi White Alexandria's Library. He was found guilty of six offences of possessing material likely to be useful to a person committing an act of terrorism, including a manual on how to build a .50 Browning calibre single shot rifle, and a document called How To Become An Assassin. Opening the case to jurors in April, prosecutor Tom Storey said the defendants knew each other through the social media platform Telegram, which both were regular users of between 2020 and 2022. They subscribed to an antiauthoritarian ideology which involved conspiracy theories, jurors heard. Reynolds discussed armed uprisings and advocated violence towards people he called 'traitors', as well as posting extreme right-wing, anti-Semitic and racist views, Mr Storey said. When police searched their addresses they found a crossbow and a number of crossbow bolts at Grayson's home, while at Reynolds' they discovered two replica assault rifles. The police also found copies of documents about how to use assault rifles or manufacture explosive devices on some of Reynolds' electronic devices. The court heard both defendants were strongly opposed to the rollout of the 5G network, and regarded 5G masts as pieces of 'enemy infrastructure'. Grayson said she needed a 'sabotage team' to 'get rid of these 5G b****y near me' in a Telegram exchange on August 7 2021. Counter Terrorism police officers discovered this crossbow and bolts at Grayson's home Officers also discovered a cache of ammunition for the crossbow which remained untouched Police officers found two replica assault rifles at Reynolds' address in Sheffield Reynolds, whose replica weapon is pictured here, openly discussed the use of violence against people he labelled 'traitors', particularly Members of Parliament Jurors were told Reynolds openly discussed the use of violence against people he labelled 'traitors', particularly Members of Parliament. On June 29 2021 he posted: 'Storm parliament and the Lords, drag them ALL outside and hang them ALL on the spot for treason, sedition insurgency, attempted genocide and crimes against the peoples of Great Britain,' the court heard. Reynolds also described murdered MP Sir David Amess as a 'traitor' and reacted with approval to another user's view that Thomas Mair had 'rightly executed the murdered MP Jo Cox because of her alleged treason'. The court heard that in one police interview, Reynolds asked officers: 'Do I look like a terrorist to you?' He then said that terrorists were 'usually Arabs, or Irish from the 70s'. Grayson, of York, was convicted of one offence of conspiracy to commit criminal damage and cleared of one charge of encouraging terrorism. Reynolds, of Sheffield, was found guilty of one count of encouraging terrorism, one of disseminating a terrorist publication and six of possessing material likely to be useful to a person committing an act of terrorism. He was cleared of conspiracy to commit criminal damage and two counts of disseminating a terrorist publication. Judge Guy Kearl KC remanded both into custody to be sentenced at the same court on June 5. A $13.5 million taxpayer-funded research grant is stirring up questions from a top Republican who says it is 'alarming' that such a massive amount of money is being funneled from the Pentagon into a U.S. university with strong ties to China. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mike Gallagher says he has major security concerns regarding a five-year grant by Department of Defense to Alfred University in 2022 to conduct hypersonic weapons research. Gallagher sent letters obtained by DailyMail.com to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Alfred University President Mark Zupan Wednesday evening demanding more information. Alfred University hosts a Confucius Institute and partners with a Chinese university conducting similar weapons research 'on behalf of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).' House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mike Gallagher sent letters obtained by DailyMail.com to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Alfred University President Mark Zupan Gallagher states that 'to put it plainly,' the university - based in western New York - is conducting 'advanced, hypersonic weapons-related research while actively partnering with a Chinese university that performs similar research for the PLA. 'We seek additional information regarding this alarming matter and Alfred's commitment to safeguard sensitive U.S. military research,' Gallagher writes. The chairman references text in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that prohibits the Pentagon from providing money to 'institution[s] of higher education that hosts a Confucius Institute' after October 1, 2023. He points out that since Alfred University's DOD grant to 'improve the performance of ceramic materials used in weapons (i.e., cruise weapons)' goes through 2027, they will be in violation of the law come October. 'As a result of Section 1062, over one hundred U.S. universities shut down their Confucius Institutes as of June 2022. However, Alfred University continues to operate a Confucius Institute to this day,' the chairman states. Gallagher is demanding all communications between the Pentagon and the university by June 14, as well as more information regarding the establishment of Alfred's Confucius Institute. 'It is vital to U.S. national interests that sensitive military research is safeguarded from our foreign adversaries,' he says. According to its website, the Confucius Institute at Alfred University (CIAU) has a mission to 'encourage and enable people to discover the fascinating language and rich culture of China.' 'We serve as a platform for cultural exchange, as well as a bridge of friendship and cooperation between Chinese and American people,' it continues. The institute hosts numerous events throughout the year including a recent spring 2023 festival and dance competition. In 2019, the FBI found that 'foreign state adversaries seek to illicitly or illegitimately acquire U.S. academic research and information to advance their scientific, economic, and military development goals. FBI Director Chris Wray outlined the threat in a 2020 speech, saying China pays scientists at U.S. universities to 'secretly bring our knowledge and innovation back to Chinaincluding valuable, federally funded research.' Gallagher states that 'to put it plainly,' the university - based in western New York - is conducting 'advanced, hypersonic weapons-related research while actively partnering with a Chinese university that performs similar research for the PLA Gallagher writes that he has major security concerns regarding a five-year grant by Department of Defense to the university in 2022 to conduct hypersonic weapons research He says the FBI is seeing an increase in these cases, pointing to a few recent arrests of Chinese researchers at the Cleveland Clinic and at the University of Arkansas who were allegedly committing fraud by concealing their participation in Chinese talent recruitment programs while 'accepting millions of dollars in American federal grant funding.' China's infiltration into universities is just the tip of the spear. In April, two individuals were arrested for operating illegal overseas police station in lower Manhattan, at the direction of the Chinese Government. The defendants worked together to establish the 'first overseas police station in the United States' on behalf of the Fuzhou branch of the CCP. 'It is simply outrageous that China's Ministry of Public Security thinks it can get away with establishing a secret, illegal police station on U.S. soil to aid its efforts to export repression and subvert our rule of law,' Acting Assistant Director Kurt Ronnow of the FBI Counterintelligence Division said in April. DailyMail.com reached out to Alfred University for a response to the concerns outlined by Gallagher. The Pentagon spokesperson told DailyMail.com that with all congressional correspondence, DOD will respond 'as appropriate.' 'We have nothing additional to provide at this time.' Bournemouth beach was busy again today as the seaside resort mourns the tragic deaths of two children who got into trouble in the water 24 hours ago. The 12-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy who died yesterday were unrelated and enjoying a day out at the beach with family and friends. Eight other children were hurt in the water close to the beach and pier in Dorset packed with half-term holidaymakers and locals yesterday afternoon. As tourists and locals returned to the beach, with large numbers back in the water, Tobias Ellwood, Tory MP for Bournemouth East, said police urgently need to 'reassure' the public having refused to reveal what happened before they got into trouble. He told MailOnline: 'Bournemouth beach is one of the best and safest seaside resorts in the UK. The police have an investigation to do but they urgently need to give details of what they believe happened here'. The 12-year-old girl from Buckinghamshire and a 17-year-old boy from Southampton, who were not related, died yesterday afternoon, police said. Councillor Vikki Slade, leader of Bournemouth Council, said today that their loved-ones 'came to the beach for a great day out and have gone home without a child'. A man in his 40s, who had been 'on the water' at the time of the incident, has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. He remains in custody. Dorset Police Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Farrell said officers are investigating the 'circumstances or event' that caused a number of people to get into difficulty in the water in Bournemouth on Wednesday. But ACC Farrell refused to reveal what she believed had caused the tragedy despite asking the public not to speculate. People enjoying the warm weather at Bournemouth beach in Dorset - less than 24 hours after two children died The scene on Wednesday where a 12-year-old girl and 17-year-old boy died after a major incident took place in the water on Bournemouth beach The seaside resort is very busy in half term week this week People were swimming in the water around the pier today - the scene of the tragedy Dorset & Wiltshire Fire And Rescue Assistant Chief Fire Officer Andy Cole, Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Farrell and Vikki Slade leader of Bournemouth council during a press conference. Tobias Ellwood, Tory MP for Bournemouth East, said police urgently need to 'reassure' the public She said: 'Following our initial inquiries, a man aged in his 40s who was on the water at the time, has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. 'As we have a person in custody, you will know there is only limited information I can give about the investigation. 'However, to avoid further speculation, I am able to tell you that it's clear that yesterday a number of people already in the water got into difficulty and we are investigating the circumstances or event that caused that to happen. 'Early investigation indicates that there was no physical contact between a vessel and any of the swimmers at the time of the incident. I can also confirm there is no suggestion of people jumping from the pier or jet-skis being involved.' The Times reports that police are investigating the possibility that the deaths may have been caused by the wash of a vessel. A spokesman declined to comment. But Conservative MP for Bournemouth West, Conor Burns, said he understood that a 'surface vessel' was in the sea around Bournemouth Pier at the time of the 12-year-old girl and 17-year-old boy got into difficulty. He said: 'It would seem not a far reach to draw a conclusion that while the vessel may not have physically touched the young people perhaps it created the conditions which made being in the water more dangerous by the speed it was going'. An empty Bournemouth beach today after the tragedy yesterday. Ten were injured, two, aged 12 and 17, have died One tearful mourner laid roses on the sand this morning as Bournemouth mourned the loss of two children The town's historic pier on Thursday morning as litter pickers removed rubbish Mackenzie Creech, pictured with his father Robert, had found the girl unresponsive in the water Councillor Vikki Slade, leader of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, said what happened in Bournemouth on Wednesday must have been a 'terrifying' experience. She said: 'Again I want to add our sincere condolences to the families of the children who lost their lives, and our thoughts are with the families of the young people that were in the water. 'It must have been a really terrifying experience for everybody. 'The services worked incredibly well together. Our staff on the beach all rallied round to support the emergency services.' She said there are additional staff available for the public on the beach on Thursday and over the weekend, adding: 'The beach is busy. We are making sure that the RNLI are very visible and that our teams are available there to support people and make sure that they feel safe on the beach.' She said Bournemouth 'remains a really fantastic place to visit', adding that the incident needs to be investigated properly. 'And we are confident with our partners that any lessons that need to be learned in the future will will be learned,' she said. One of the men was pulled from the water and had to be given CPR on the beach by lifeguards before being taken away by air ambulance Mackenzie Creech, 18, was with pals on the beach at the south coast holiday spot enjoying the sunshine when they heard shouts and screams from the pier. He looked up and saw crowds pointing to someone in the water and rushed in with a pal to drag her onto the beach but sadly there was nothing they could do to save her. The girl - who has not been named - died along with a 17-year-old boy in the incident which also left eight other children injured after it is believed they were dragged out to sea by a riptide after jumping from the pier. Mackenzie told MailOnline: 'Everything happened so quickly, one minute I was enjoying the beach with some friends and then the next we heard screaming and shouting. 'We were on the other side of the pier but you could hear all this noise so we went over to see what was going on and people were pointing into the water. 'I could see a body in the water, and just rushed in and scooped her up with someone else. She was face down when I got there and not moving. 'She was in a bad way. 'She was in a swimming costume but she didn't appear to have any injuries on her. There were no cuts or bruises and I just knew it didn't look good so I carried her onto the beach. 'I put her down on the sand and by this time the emergency services had come over and they started doing CPR on her. 'People were screaming and shouting and it was all really chaotic and then someone put some towels up as a screen while the paramedics worked on her. 'I was hoping she would make it and I didn't know she had passed away until I saw it on the news. I was gutted when I heard that and it's upset me, it's so sad something like this happened.' Mackenzie, who is from Tilehurst near Reading and studying sport at college, added: 'I don't really know what happened. It was all a bit confusing. 'People were saying they had been hit by a jet ski or a boat but there were definitely no injuries on the girl. There was no blood or cuts or anything like that. 'What amazed me was the amount of people who were just filming everything on their phones when the emergency services were trying to do their work. 'As I left a policeman took my details and said thanks for doing what I did but I just did what anyone would have done.' Mackenzies father company director Robert Creech, told MailOnline: He was very quick in his actions and was just trying to help. When he told me about it, I could see he was upset and when we heard the poor girl had passed away, he was gutted. Its such a shame as all those involved are so young. 'He had just gone down to the beach with his friends for half term and then this happened but I'm proud he did what he could to help. He's a good lad.' Earlier multiple witnesses said that people had been jumping from the pier. The sand close to the pier had to be cleared so two air ambulances could land, but sadly the two schoolchildren later died in hospital. Witnesses described harrowing scenes as CPR was administered on the beach and some 'idiots' with phones were seen filming lifeguards trying to revive the two children. Since 2004, Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency has dealt with more than 200 incidents of tombstoning, including pier jumping, leading to at least 70 injuries and 20 deaths. Police today confirmed that no vessel is believed to have been in 'physical contact' with the children following speculation on social media they had been hit by a jet-ski or boat. But there have been claims that the tragedy may have been caused by the wash of a jet ski. MailOnline has asked Dorset Police to comment. But one local surfer said he witnessed three jetskiers 'buzzing the pier' close to the line on Tuesday, the day before the tragic incident. There has been an ongoing issue between jetskiers and water users around the area of the pier. Nicola Holton, who was at the beach with her husband, said: 'One lifeguard went to rescue two swimmers struggling but he couldn't bring them in. He spotted another person struggling and a second lifeguard went out to them but there were multiple people in trouble. 'The remaining lifeguard was trying to get everyone out of the water. The ambulance service came to the struggling person rescued by the second lifeguard. More lifeguards arrived to rescue another swimmer near the pier. My husband spotted another swimmer struggling. He ran to the lifeguards. The guard immediately went in and they picked him up on a jet ski. 'I will never ever get the image out of my head of him being brought out. They cleared the beach for the air ambulance. Then another was spotted and again brought to shore to be worked on. Absolutely horrible. 'Loads of idiots ignoring lifeguard requests to get out of the water and clear the beach. People were running towards those having CPR filming on their phones.' Paul Moyce, 61, said he believed those involved had been jumping into the sea off the pier. He said: 'I think they went off the end of the pier and went out too far. They must have got caught by the current. I lived here for 61 years and I've never seen anything like it.' Nicola Holton, 43, and Stuart Clark, 42, were on the beach with their two children when the tragedy unfolded. They said the summertime scene turned into something from 'a horror film.' Mr Clark said: 'As we walked to the east side of the pier there was at least one but probably a few jet skiers going across the right side of the pier. 'We didn't take too much notice of them at the time. 'There were announcements throughout the afternoon telling people not to climb on the pier. After 2pm it seemed like people weren't going near it. 'The next announcement we got was at 4pm about a dangerous riptide in the water and it wasn't soon after that we saw a couple of swimmers in trouble out to sea. 'It got really chaotic when they brought a young man back to shore on a lifeguard jet ski. It was obvious he wasn't alive. That's when people started gathering around and the lifeguards were trying to clear the beach at the same time as helping the others in the water. 'We saw the young girl get brought out too and there were no obvious injuries on her either. I just wanted to get my family off the beach with our belongings.' Miss Holton said: 'It was like a scene from a horror film. After an afternoon of lovely weather and the odd announcement to tell kids to stop climbing on the pier it looked like it had all settled down. 'When we first spotted the swimmers in distress they were far out to the east side of the pier. 'A lifeguard ran into the water with a surfboard and it seemed to take ages for him to get to them. There was an announcement to get out of the water and then the lifeguards started bringing people back to shore. 'A few were taken to the lifeguard tent and then we saw the young man and girl brought out. We were packing up our things to leave as quickly as we could. It was just awful. 'There were loads of idiots ignoring lifeguard requests to get out of the water and clear the beach. People were running towards those having CPR filming on their phones.' The first person to reach the girl who died was an 18-year-old boy. His father, Rob Creech, said today: 'My son was on the other side of the pier swimming with a few friends. 'All of a sudden there were a lot of people on the pier shouting and screaming that there was somebody in the water. He swam to the other side of the pier and he found a young girl floating face down in the water. 'The emergency services were just arriving at the beach so he was shouting to them and scooped her up to swim to shore. He managed to get her out onto the beach and the emergency services took it from there.' The operation involved multiple teams from across the emergency services The beach had to be cleared before the air ambulances were able to land There are yellow marker buoys 200m off the beach and water craft operating inside that area are restricted to speeds of 6 knots. One local surfer said he witnessed three jetskiers 'buzzing the pier' close to the line on Tuesday, the day before the tragic incident. Lawrence Hopgood said: 'I was surfing the night before There were 3 jetskiers buzzing the pier and getting close to the line. A lifeguard went out on a jetski and spoke to them, then left. 'The jetskiers didn't leave but proceeded to do donuts near the surfers, whilst filming themselves.' Lifeguards on the busy beach had rushed into the water by Bournemouth Pier after a group of people got into difficulty in the sea at about 4.30pm on Wednesday. It is believed that all of those involved were aged between 12 and 18. None of the other eight who were injured children were seriously harmed and they were treated at the scene by the ambulance service. Emergency services were quickly at the scene and the teenage boy and girl were rushed to hospital after sustaining critical injuries. Speaking last night, Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns said: 'I express my deep condolences to the family and friends of the two young people who tragically lost their lives in Bournemouth. 'A dreadful event in circumstances when they were enjoying beautiful weather in our town. So sad.' The MP added that the incident was a 'salutary lesson' that 'danger is ever present' on beaches and the ocean. He went on to thank the life guards and air ambulance members 'who we can take for granted'. Thousands of people were enjoying the sunny weather before being asked to leave the beach by police Two people were taken to Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Poole Hospital Eeman Qamar, from Southampton, was on the beach with her mother and three-month-old baby. She told the BBC that just after 4pm lifeguards began to tell people to clear the beach, saying there had been a major incident. 'After about 20 minutes, the first air ambulance arrived and landed right in the middle of the beach,' she said. Ms Qamar continued: 'The lifeguards started getting on jet skis and boats, searching the sea and about 20 minutes later the second air ambulance arrived and it took another hour-and-a-half for them to finish the whole search and rescue operation.' A Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service spokesperson said: 'We were called to East Beach, Bournemouth at 4.39pm to support a multi-agency incident. 'We have crews in attendance from Westbourne and Springbourne, together with a technical rescue team from Poole.' A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) said: 'We sent two air ambulances, six double-crewed land ambulances, one critical care car, two operations officers, one doctor, one hazardous area response team and one responding officer.' HM Coastguard told MailOnline that 'two people had been pulled from the water and passed into the care of the ambulance service' and that 'coastguards searched to make sure there were no other people missing and are satisfied there are not'. Bus routes that would normally serve the Pier stops were diverted through the square. Anyone with information about what happened should contact Dorset Police on www.dorset.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55230083818. Alternatively, witnesses can contact independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are 'low-grade reality stars' who only want to 'hang out with celebrities', a popular American comedian and podcaster has claimed. Tim Dillon said he knew people in Los Angeles who know the Duke and Duchess of Sussex - and the couple are 'just like moths to the flame trying to hang out'. The 38-year-old broadcaster, who has 540,000 YouTube subscribers to his series The Tim Dillon Show, also claimed Meghan was 'begging people to hang out'. Mr Dillon, who has previously criticised the couple, said in a recent episode: 'I know people in LA that know them, and all they want to do is hang out with celebrities. 'I was at a celebrity party the other night talking to somebody about this and they go 'these people are just... it's constant with them'. Tim Dillon spoke about Harry and Meghan in his series The Tim Dillon Show on May 21 Harry and Meghan attend the Ms Foundation Women of Vision Awards in New York on May 16 'She was texting the person I was with there - and, 'no, you can't come'. I shouldn't have even been there. But the point is they just won't stop, these two. Who is Tim Dillon? New York comedian who has 348-episode podcast and runs bus comedy tours in Manhattan Tim Dillon is a New York-born comedian, writer and actor who hosts a successful podcast in the US called The Tim Dillon Show that has now run for 348 episodes and has 540,000 YouTube subscribers. He released a Netflix stand-up special last year called Tim Dillon: A Real Hero in which he 'rants about fast food, living in Texas, Disney adults and the reason no one should be called a hero'. Mr Dillon also created and hosts Tim Dillon's Real NY Tour on which he does stand-up for an audience on a double-decker bus through Manhattan. The 38-year-old regularly tours across the US and has also held gigs in the UK - performing last spring in Glasgow and Shepherd's Bush in West London. He has long been critical of Prince Harry and Meghan and their Netflix series, and has previously spoken about them in other podcasts. Mr Dillon tweeted in September 2021: 'Harry and Meghan are such a gift to this county. Thank GOD for them. They make everything OK. Just because they're here. They're helping people by being on NETFLIX! This was such a happenstance thing not at all a plan they had. I love when good things just happen. There IS hope!' Advertisement He added: 'They are just like moths to the flame trying to hang out... They're like low-grade reality stars that are trying to attach to anything. 'I'm literally at the party and they are showing me texts of this woman begging people to like 'hang out'. She is trying to get places. It's sad. 'A lot of it isn't working, and they are rolling their eyes to me, and they're going LOL, and we are all having a good laugh about this because they're just a bunch of goons and no one cares. 'Now listen, at the end of day I respect the hustle, I get what she's trying to do, I get what they are trying to do, but it didn't work, right? 'A lot of people at this party were like 'hey man, you know, we text her back, we tried to be nice, she's the Duchess, but we've had enough, we've had enough of her'.' Mr Dillon made the comments in a recent episode of his show called 'They Come and Go' on May 21, but they have only come to light today. In January, a poll for Newsweek revealed that Harry's popularity had fallen 45 points in US public opinion in one month, while Meghan's had dropped by 36 points. The poll was carried out just before the publication of Harry's book Spare but after the release of their Netflix documentary series last December. Meanwhile, royal experts said today that the Sussexes will likely continue making Netflix shows, writing books and giving interviews - despite claims they will stop. The Duke and Duchess are said to be moving on from publishing memoirs and criticising other royals on TV, according to sources quoted by The Sun today. But royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams has now told MailOnline that he does not believe claims that the couple have 'nothing left to say' and will halt their outbursts. Mr Fitzwilliams said there is 'obviously plenty left that they could say in print' and there remains 'enormous' international interest in Harry and Meghan's activities. He added that the Sussexes 'specialise in doing the unexpected', 'have a great deal more to say' and will be considering how what they do will 'help their brand'. Harry promotes his book Spare on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS in January It comes after a report in The Sun today claimed that Harry and Meghan would stop writing memoirs and making fly-on-the-wall Netflix shows that criticise the Royal Family, and only feature behind the cameras in future productions. ANALYSIS: Anyone who believes Harry and Meghan have 'nothing left to say' is deluded By RICHARD FITZWILLIAMS The Sussexes specialise in doing the unexpected. Anyone who believes they have 'nothing left to say' is deluded. It was reported that they had a four book deal with Random House. Spare, Harry's controversial memoir, is the first. He has said there were 400 pages cut, that could be the second, he said himself 'It could have been two books, put it that way'. His early life might make the third and Meghan could write a memoir, as has been rumoured. There is obviously plenty left that they could say in print. The question is, would it benefit them and how would it help their brand and the causes they support? Meghan will reportedly be restarting her blog The Tig. She recently won a Woman of Vision Award from Ms Foundation. Thereafter they made world headlines when they were involved in a 'near-catastrophic' car chase with paparazzi in New York. Whatever you think of the incident, some recollections may vary, it showed the international interest in what they do is still enormous. It is obvious, for good or ill as they remain estranged from the royal family, the Sussexes have a great deal more to say. The way they choose to say it in future may be as sensational as the ways they have chosen to do so in the past. Advertisement Sources told the newspaper that the couple have now run out of material, with one insider saying: 'That period of their life is over - as there is nothing left to say.' The apparent turnaround comes more than three years after the Sussexes stepped down as senior royals in January 2020 before moving to North America. Since then they have carried out a series of blistering attacks on the Royal Family most notably with their bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview in March 2021, a six-part Netflix series called Harry & Meghan in December last year and then Harry's tell-all memoir Spare in January. Harry now lives in Montecito, California, with Meghan and their two children Archie and Lilibet after the couple stepped down as working royals for a life of financial independence. His relationships with his father King Charles III and brother Prince William are strained and he has regularly criticised them while Kate Middleton and Queen Camilla have also been targets. Today, Mr Fitzwilliams told MailOnline: 'The Sussexes specialise in doing the unexpected. Anyone who believes they have 'nothing left to say' is deluded.' The commentator referred to the Daily Mail's revelation in July 2021 that Harry and Meghan had clinched a lucrative four-book deal with Penguin Random House worth up to 29million. And Mr Fitzwilliams also referenced Harry's interview with the Daily Telegraph at the time of Spare's release in January, when the Duke said there were 400 pages cut from the publication. Harry also said then: 'It could have been two books, put it that way. And the hard bit was taking things out.' Mr Fitzwilliams said today: 'His early life might make the third (book) and Meghan could write a memoir, as has been rumoured. There is obviously plenty left that they could say in print. 'The question is, would it benefit them and how would it help their brand and the causes they support?' Mr Fitzwilliams also referred to reports that Meghan will be restarting her blog The Tig, and how she won a Woman of Vision Award at a glitzy Ms Foundation gala event in New York on May 16. He continued: 'Thereafter they made world headlines when they were involved in a 'near-catastrophic' car chase with paparazzi in New York. 'Whatever you think of the incident, some recollections may vary, it showed the international interest in what they do is still enormous. A six-part Netflix TV series called Harry & Meghan was released in December last year Harry and Meghan during their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 'It is obvious, for good or ill as they remain estranged from the Royal Family, the Sussexes have a great deal more to say. READ MORE US government will appear in court over Harry's visa application after his drug revelations Advertisement 'The way they choose to say it in future may be as sensational as the ways they have chosen to do so in the past.' Also today, Charles Rae, former royal correspondent at The Sun, told GB News: 'Let's wait and see if they actually stick to this. They are supposedly now going to stop their royal bashing and be behind the cameras, they say, at Netflix.' He added: 'I think they've just suddenly woken up to the fact that they're no longer the golden couple of America.' And media commentator Nigel Pauley told TalkTV: 'I think they're addicted to the limelight. Their whole ethos has been putting themselves out there with picture opportunities and soundbites.' He added: 'The Americans like the idea, from my American cousins, of the royalty. They like the idea of princesses and princes. This is the problem - they're not acting like royals. The Americans bought into the royals - the prince and princess overseas.' Harry was in London last month to see his father King Charles being crowned at what was his first public appearance alongside the Royal Family since he criticised his relatives in Spare. Within hours of the historic ceremony at Westminster Abbey, Harry was on a plane back to California to be reunited with wife Meghan, daughter Lilibet and son Archie, who turned four on the day of the Coronation, May 6. Harry at the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey on May 6 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St Paul's Cathedral in London on June 3 last year The Sussexes made headlines a short while later when a spokesperson alleged the couple and Meghan's mother 'were involved in a near-catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi', after the trio attended the Ms Foundation ceremony in New York where the Duchess was honoured. Also this week, it was revealed that the US government will appear in court next Tuesday to answer questions regarding Harry's visa application after he admitted using illegal drugs. The Heritage Foundation, a Washington DC-based conservative think-tank, is suing Joe Biden 's administration to force officials to release the Duke's immigration files. MailOnline has contacted Archewell for comment on The Sun's report today. Politicians and citizens in Chicago feverishly sparred over funding more migrant care instead of giving the money to black communities as the city faces a financial crunch from the flood of immigrants who have arrived by buses in recent months. A heated meeting Wednesday at Chicago City Hall included tears, finger pointing and yelling as residents and officials debated on the best use of its resources. More than 10,000 migrants have flooded the city since buses started arriving from the US-Mexico border in August and some have had to resort to sleeping in police stations as Chicago ran out of housing options. Officials have pleaded for more financial help for the migrant crisis, but others demanded the money should go to other places neighborhoods. 'We need to allocate some of this money for our black children, for the black community,' a member of the public stated during the meeting. In the end, Chicago leaders allocated an additional $51million to help the city fund its migrant care. During a dramatic session on Wednesday afternoon lawmakers in Chicago voted in favor of a temporary $51 million package to manage the city's escalating migrant crisis. Pictured is an animated man addressing council members The funding, which passed 43-13, is only to last until June and is designed to help Mayor Brandon Johnson adjust to the crisis he inherited from previous mayor, Lori Lightfoot The new funding, which passed 43 votes to 13, is only to last until June and designed to help Mayor Brandon Johnson, who assumed office just two weeks ago, navigate a crisis he inherited from the outgoing mayor, Lori Lightfoot. In her final days as mayor, she declared the migrant situation in Chicago a 'state of emergency'. Officials in Chicago have said they cannot afford to rent hotel rooms for the more than 10,000 migrants, who have arrived in the city and with nowhere else to go, started filling police stations. The new money will be spent on staffing, food, transportation and legal services at temporary shelters, in the hopes it will ease the city's crisis. Alderman Jason Ervin, the budget committee chairman, told ABC7 the city is going to have to come up with a plan for the long term, and that the money is primarily intended to give Johnson's administration breathing room. 'There does need to be a greater plan and I do think this was always designed to give the incoming administration time to do that. This is a stop-gap measure, pure and simple,' he said after the proposal passed. Much of the debate Wednesday afternoon was racially charged and considered black Chicagoans and Hispanic migrants as two separate groups in need. 'We need to allocate some of this money for our black children, for the black community,' shouted one member of the public. However, some speakers encouraged taking a less divisive view. 'We have to help the residents of this big city. It's not an either or. It's both,' Alderman David Moore for the 17th Ward said. Jeanette Taylor of the 20th Ward (pictured) was reduced to tears while pleading with people to empathize with the migrants despite feeling that the city was neglecting black communities Jeanette Taylor of the 20th Ward was reduced to tears when she addressed the crowd, which went on to applaud her remarks. 'We fight just to drink out of a damn fountain, but hurt people don't hurt other hurt people,' she said. Chicago Republican Party chairman Steve Boulton criticized the funding outright. 'We don't know where that money is coming from,' he said. 'We are not being told where that money is going to be spent. We are not being told how it is being spent. 'It is irresponsible for the City Council to appropriate what is no more than stop-gap money that will get us through a month or two and then the problem will still be staring at us in the face.' Alderman Maria Hadden of the 49th Ward voted in favor of the extra funding but asked community members to think about black residents too. 'Everybody that is working hard for this, you have to show up for black Chicagoans with the same energy, and that does mean money,' Hadden said during the meeting. Videos and photos in recent weeks have shown hallways in some Chicago precincts lined with mattresses and the personal belongings of migrants Chicago is one of several Democratic-run cities where southern states have bused migrants as the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border grows Videos and photos in recent weeks have shown hallways in some Chicago precincts lined with mattresses and the personal belongings of migrants. Chicago is one of several Democratic-run cities where southern states have bused migrants as the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border grows. Footage posted by photojournalist Rebecca Brannon showed dozens of migrants sitting on and around mattresses in a Chicago police station. Brannon reported many of the migrants had slept and eaten on the floors, which has interfered with the day-to-day police activities. More than 10,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago since August, which is when southern states started to bus asylum seekers north. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent migrants to the Democrat-led cities to help ease the burden on border towns. 'To provide much-needed relief to our overrun border communities, Texas began busing migrants to sanctuary cities such as your "Welcoming City," along with Washington, DC, New York City, and Philadelphia, with more to come. 'Until Biden secures the border to stop the inflow of mass migration, Texas will continue this necessary program,' Abbott noted in a letter in May. Migrants been sent to cities such as Chicago, Philadelphia and New York. Migrants have also arrived in Washington, DC, with buses stopping outside the home of Vice President Kamala Harris. MBABANE - The issue of accurate and reliable data needed for the Cooperative Data Analysis System (CODAS) has been addressed. Acting Commissioner for Cooperative Development Bongani Maziya said that before the introduction of CODAS in 2010, the issue of accurate and reliable data was indeed a nightmarish one for the Department of Cooperatives. This was during the launch and handover of tablets by the Centre for Financial Inclusion (CFI) to be used by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Trade for cooperative data collection. CFI donated 10 tables to assist CODAS with their data collection. He said individuals would use pen and paper to collect data from cooperatives and thereafter use Excel to aggregate the figures, and if the officer was unable to use Excel, they would add up the figures using a calculator. So, this process had a lot of errors because the next time you request statistics, we issue completely different figures, he said. Maziya also mentioned that CODAS brought stability and consistency to the cooperative sector in todays digital and information age. He said the old system was good during its time and with the developments that have taken place over the years. For instance, the onboarding of school cooperatives in 2017 meant we had to add a new age bracket (017) and amend the Act to cater for these changes, and it therefore became apparent that we needed an upgrade, he said. The commissioner added that the old CODAS was cumbersome and time consuming since it involved manual processes such as data collection, data entry, data analysis and validation, and more. He said they were in the process of developing programmes and reviewing policies, in particular the National Cooperative Development Policy of 2017, which was due for review this year. Sector Maziya said it was because they believe that the non-financial sector has the potential to provide demand-driven services and products in the country and on the African continent at large. Eswatini is one of the few countries that have held on to CODAS, and we pride ourselves that every time we present our reports internationally, for instance, we presented one in Kenya on Wednesday last week where there were 34 countries from Africa and beyond and received appreciation from sister countries, he mentioned. Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Trade Manqoba Khumalo added that before the implementation of CODAS, the country was confronted with a serious challenge due to the lack of complete, accurate, and reliable information in the cooperative sector, thus depriving stakeholders of the ability to gauge the actual contribution of cooperatives to the national economy. With the upgrade, processes are now seamless and automated, and we have a strong belief that it will improve the quality of our database, he said. Khumalo also mentioned that information gathered during monitoring enables the cooperative sector to relate inputs to achievements or outputs and to gauge the input-output effectiveness, thereby initiating changes to the implementation strategy and policies to ensure that the set objectives are achieved. He added that CODAS has been around for more than ten years, and a lot of developments have occurred, including, but not limited to, the introduction of school cooperatives, which also require tracking, and the need to upgrade the old desktop-based system to one that was web-based for ease of access both at the data collection and information consumption stages. The Ministry has since completed the CODAS upgrade through financial support from the German Cooperative and Raiffeisen Confederation (DGRV), Pretoria, and is now in the phase of capturing current real data into the new system, mentioned the minister. CFI CEO Nomcebo Hadebe added that the inclusion of MSME data was imperative so that they could market themselves and acquire finances. A group of African American academics is pushing for a UN 'reparations tribunal' to make Washington pay multimillion dollar sums to black citizens for slavery-era abuses, DailyMail.com can reveal. Justin Hansford, a professor at Howard University School of Law, led the charge for $5 million payouts to black Americans at the UN this week, flanked by colleagues from the University of Pittsburgh and Columbia University. The long-shot effort underscores how reparation payouts are unpopular among white American taxpayers and have little chance of becoming federal law, leaving advocates scrambling for a workaround. 'I come to you today with a novel proposal, that we begin to think our own thoughts, propose our own vision of justice, and implement that justice,' Hansford told UN racial justice talks in New York City this week. Prof Justin Hansford (left) wants the UN to make America pay for slavery-era sins. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the Biden administration's UN envoy, seeks to 'dismantle structural racism' The Permanent Forum on People of African Descent is running at UN headquarters in New York City from 30 May to 2 June 2023 He called for a 'process of apology, and reparation not on their terms, but on our terms.' Hansford, a rising star of the critical race theory movement who draws on the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr, spoke at the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, a group that was created in 2021. The 'special tribunal' was formally proposed by David Comissiong, representing Barbados, a Caribbean island state. Hansford quickly endorsed the plan. He later told DailyMail.com that many African and Caribbean UN members were behind the scheme. The US mission to the UN, which is headed by ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a Biden administration appointee who is black, does not officially support the tribunal. But Hansford said US diplomats at the mission had been 'supportive overall.' Poll Do you support a federal reparation policy directed at the descendants of slaves? Yes No Do you support a federal reparation policy directed at the descendants of slaves? Yes 126 votes No 3917 votes Now share your opinion Thomas-Greenfield also spoke at the event, saying African-American families often lived in polluted neighborhoods. She grew up in Louisiana 'near so-called cancer alley,' she added. 'Let us dismantle structural racism, brick by brick,' said the career diplomat. 'Let's leave our children a cleaner, fairer, more just world.' The UN General Assembly in 2005 created a five-point legal framework for reparations for victims of slavery and other abuses, which can lead to payouts, apologies, and demand policy changes. But like much of the UN system, decisions are not legally binding, and it remains unclear whether a tribunal could do anything other than add some external pressure to buoy racial justice activists in the US. Neither the US mission to the UN nor the UN's human rights team in Geneva, which oversees the permanent forum, immediately answered DailyMail.com's requests for comment. In an interview, Hansford said a UN reparation tribunal was only one route to push the US federal government, as well as state and city officials, to address racial inequalities dating back to the slavery era. Howard University gave legal advice to Evanston, Illinois, which in 2021 became the first US city to make reparations payments to black residents, with $25,000 grants to those affected by racist housing policies before 1969, he said. Payouts to black Americans should be assessed case-by-case, said Hansford, a descendant of slaves in Forsyth, Georgia. From California to Massachusetts, newly-formed panels are grappling with what a reparations scheme should look like Six in ten respondents opposed payouts to the descendants of slaves, while four in ten said the federal government should 'definitely should not pursue' such a policy Los Angeles resident Walter Foster, 80, holds up a sign at a task force meeting on reparations at the California Science Center in Los Angeles in September For families that have endured generations of 'horrific' oppression, sums of $5 million would be 'on the low end of what's appropriate,' he said. Plans to compensate black Americans for slavery-era sins have been around for centuries. They've gained traction in recent months as ever more left-leaning states and cities launch local inquiries into their own atonement schemes. San Francisco made headlines this year with a proposal for $5 million payouts to every longtime black resident, and other plans to address generations of economic losses suffered by the minority group. Advocates of reparations say it's time for America to repay its black residents for the injustices of the historic Transatlantic slave trade, Jim Crow segregation and inequalities that persist to this day. There is no agreed framework for what a scheme would look like. Ideas range from cash payouts to scholarships, land giveaways, money for special banks and investment funds, bespoke grants for housing, or just statues and street names. Critics say they cost too much, are unfair, and will sow divisions between winners and losers. The schemes are popular with 77 percent of the black Americans, who could benefit from payouts, according to Pew Research Center polling. But only 18 percent of whites who would shoulder an extra tax burden support them. A student has told how he desperately tried in vain to save a 12-year-old girl who died on Bournemouth beach yesterday as the father of a woman who survived the tragedy said she had been 'taken out by a rip tide'. Mackenzie Creech, 18, was with his friends enjoying the sunshine at the popular tourist spot yesterday afternoon when they heard shouts and screams from the pier. After seeing crowds pointing to a girl in the water he rushed in with a friend to drag her back to the beach but there was nothing they could do to save her. The girl, from Buckinghamshire, died alongside a 17-year-old boy from Southampton. Eight other children were hurt after getting into trouble in the water close to the beach in Dorset, which was packed with locals and holidaymakers. Recalling the incident today, Mackenzie, 18, told MailOnline: 'Everything happened so quickly, one minute I was enjoying the beach with some friends and then the next we heard screaming and shouting. Onlooker Mackenzie Creech tried to save a 12-year-old girl who died. The 18-year-old is pictured with his company director father, Robert Lauren Tate, 18, who survived the tragedy, has now been discharged from Royal Bournemouth Hospital 'We were on the other side of the pier but you could hear all this noise so we went over to see what was going on and people were pointing into the water. 'I could see a body in the water, and just rushed in and scooped her up with someone else. She was face down when I got there and not moving. 'She was in a swimming costume but she didn't appear to have any injuries on her. There were no cuts or bruises and I just knew it didn't look good so I carried her onto the beach. READ MORE - Doctor who desperately tried to save 12-year-old girl pulled from Bournemouth sea slams TikTok idiots Advertisement Mackenzie, who is from Tilehurst near Reading and studying sport at college, described how paramedics arrived and started doing CPR on the girl. 'People were screaming and shouting and it was all really chaotic and then someone put some towels up as a screen while the paramedics worked on her,' he said. 'I was hoping she would make it and I didn't know she had passed away until I saw it on the news. I was gutted when I heard that and it's upset me, it's so sad something like this happened. I did what anyone else would have done.' Survivor Lauren Tate, 18, spent a short period in hospital and is now continuing her recovery at home. Her father said: Weve seen all the stuff about boats and jet skis but it wasnt like that. She was swimming in the sea with her friends when the rip tide took them out. She was lucky to get pulled from the sea by the coastguard and one of her other friends was rescued by a paddleboarder. I know the boy who died was at college with her, but I dont know anything about him. All she told me is that they all met up on the train and headed to Bournemouth beach for the day. The operation involved multiple teams from across the emergency services The beach had to be cleared before the air ambulances were able to land A friend of Lauren also denied reports a jet ski was involved in the incident. 'I've messaged her and she said they were jumping off the pier,' they said. 'I vaguely know the boy involved but all my friend said is they were jumping in and got into trouble. There was no boat or jet ski involved. 'It's so sad what happened. I think the lad jumped in to save the younger girl but I don't know for sure.' A small number of people in the crowd filmed the tragedy unfolding, even as emergency workers performed CPR on a child. One teenager filmed a lifeguard sprinting across the sand, shouting: 'Oh s**t. You run boy. Run, Forrest Run.' An angry person nearby then yelled: 'Someone is f***ing dying.' It comes as one of Britain's top doctors told MailOnline today of the desperate attempts to save the two children who died yesterday, as he slammed TikTok fiends who filmed them receiving CPR and mocked medics running to their aid. Bournemouth-born Dr Rob Rosa, a former GP who is now one of Britains Chief Medical Officers, told MailOnline how he was on the promenade when the first child was brought to the beach and ran down to help when the second child, the 12-year-old girl, was brought in from the sea around 15 minutes later. Witnesses said she had apparently been found face down in the water. He said: Those videoing the desperate CPR attempts should think long and hard at their actions. The tragic death of a child is not something anyone should voyeuristically observe.' Thousands of people were enjoying the sunny weather before being asked to leave the beach by police I have been a doctor for 18 years, including in A&E where I have been battle hardened, but I have never seen anything as bad as this in my career. It was utterly exceptional and harrowing. They were carrying out CPR on two children while searching the water for others. There were police, paramedics, doctors, the RNLI. They did everything they could for those children. Its a terrible tragedy. The lifeguards were teenagers themselves and did an incredible job to try to save those children. Witnesses described harrowing scenes as CPR was administered on the beach and some 'idiots' with phones were seen filming lifeguards trying to revive the two children. The sand close to the pier had to be cleared so two air ambulances could land, but sadly the two schoolchildren died later in hospital. A man in his 40s, who had been on the water at the time of the incident, has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. One source claimed he might have been encouraging them to jump. He remains in custody. Since 2004, Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency has dealt with more than 200 incidents of tombstoning, including pier jumping, leading to at least 70 injuries and 20 deaths. Police today confirmed that no vessel is believed to have been in 'physical contact' with the children following speculation on social media they had been hit by a jet-ski or boat. But there have been claims that the tragedy may have been caused by the wash of a jet-ski. There has been an ongoing issue between jet-skiers and other people using the water around the area of the pier. MailOnline has asked Dorset Police to comment. Nicola Holton, 43, and Stuart Clark, 42, were on the beach with their two children when the tragedy unfolded. Two people were taken to Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Poole Hospital Ms Holton said: 'One lifeguard went to rescue two swimmers struggling but he couldn't bring them in. He spotted another person struggling and a second lifeguard went out to them but there were multiple people in trouble. 'The remaining lifeguard was trying to get everyone out of the water. The ambulance service came to the struggling person rescued by the second lifeguard. More lifeguards arrived to rescue another swimmer near the pier. My husband spotted another swimmer struggling. He ran to the lifeguards. The guard immediately went in and they picked him up on a jet-ski. 'I will never ever get the image out of my head of him being brought out. They cleared the beach for the air ambulance. Then another was spotted and again brought to shore to be worked on. Absolutely horrible. 'Loads of idiots ignoring lifeguard requests to get out of the water and clear the beach. People were running towards those having CPR filming on their phones. 'It was like a scene from a horror film. After an afternoon of lovely weather and the odd announcement to tell kids to stop climbing on the pier it looked like it had all settled down. 'When we first spotted the swimmers in distress they were far out to the east side of the pier. 'A lifeguard ran into the water with a surfboard and it seemed to take ages for him to get to them. There was an announcement to get out of the water and then the lifeguards started bringing people back to shore. 'A few were taken to the lifeguard tent and then we saw the young man and girl brought out. We were packing up our things to leave as quickly as we could. It was just awful. 'There were loads of idiots ignoring lifeguard requests to get out of the water and clear the beach. People were running towards those having CPR filming on their phones.' Mr Clark added: 'As we walked to the east side of the pier there was at least one but probably a few jet-skiers going across the right side of the pier. 'We didn't take too much notice of them at the time. 'There were announcements throughout the afternoon telling people not to climb on the pier. After 2pm it seemed like people weren't going near it. 'The next announcement we got was at 4pm about a dangerous riptide in the water and it wasn't soon after that we saw a couple of swimmers in trouble out to sea. 'It got really chaotic when they brought a young man back to shore on a lifeguard jet-ski. It was obvious he wasn't alive. That's when people started gathering around and the lifeguards were trying to clear the beach at the same time as helping the others in the water. 'We saw the young girl get brought out too and there were no obvious injuries on her either. I just wanted to get my family off the beach with our belongings.' Paul Moyce, 61, said he believed those involved had been jumping into the sea off the pier. He said: 'I think they went off the end of the pier and went out too far. They must have got caught by the current. I lived here for 61 years and I've never seen anything like it.' The first person to reach the girl who died was an 18-year-old boy. His father, Rob Creech, said today: 'My son was on the other side of the pier swimming with a few friends. 'All of a sudden there were a lot of people on the pier shouting and screaming that there was somebody in the water. He swam to the other side of the pier and he found a young girl floating face down in the water. 'The emergency services were just arriving at the beach so he was shouting to them and scooped her up to swim to shore. He managed to get her out on to the beach and the emergency services took it from there.' Ron DeSantis hit back at Associated Press reporter on Thursday for bizarrely asking why he was taking no questions from voters, while he was posing for selfies and chatting with supporters at campaign stop. The 2024 Republican presidential hopeful was signing autographs and mingling with members of the audience in Laconia, New Hampshire, when he turned to reporter Steve Peoples and asked: 'What are you talking about? Are you blind?' He began the event alongside wife Casey with a scripted remarks hitting on his favorite topics including the 'war on woke' and 'sending Joe Biden to his basement'. In a swipe at Donald Trump, he vowed to 'end the culture of losing that has infected the Republican Party' and criticized how recent elections have been 'flubbed'. He then met some of the 250 supporters backstage, when he lashed out at Peoples as reporters surrounded him in a scrum. Scroll down for video Ron DeSantis exploded at an Associated Press reporter on Thursday for asking why he was taking no questions from voters at a campaign stop in Laconia, New Hampshire. He is seen speaking to some voters backstage The moment a frustrated DeSantis turned and responded to the journalist who asked him why he hadn't taken questions from voters, captured by an NBC News correspondent Peoples asked: 'Why are you not taking any questions from voters, Governor?' 'People are coming up to me, talking to me. What are you talking about? Are you blind? Are you blind? People are coming up to me, talking to me whatever they want to talk to me about,' he said in the moment captured by NBC News. 'I'm not blind,' Peoples responded. The Florida Governor was chatting to voters individually, but didn't take questions from the audience. His security detail then whisked him away from the press. 'That's disappointing to hear,' said Vikram Mansharamani, an entrepreneur and former Republican Senate candidate, after viewing the video of the exchange first posted by NBC News. 'I did not want a monologue; I wanted to see how he interacted with the audience,' the 49-year-old added. DeSantis' press secretary Bryan Griffin criticized the media after the tense exchange. After declining to take audience questions after his first New Hampshire campaign event today, Ron DeSantis lashed out at a reporter for asking him about it while he was chatting with members of the crowd individually. Heres the video, via @NBCNews > pic.twitter.com/Z2WtLy0JNj Jonathan Allen (@jonallendc) June 1, 2023 The 2024 Republican presidential hopeful began the event alongside wife Casey with a speech hitting on his priorities including the 'war on woke' and 'sending Joe Biden to his basement' He then met some of the 250 supporters in the crowd to pose for selfies and sign autographs, when he lashed out at journalist Steve Peoples 'This AP reporter asked this question while (he) was surrounded by voters in New Hampshire asking him questions and taking pictures,' he tweeted. 'Perfectly illustrative of the modern media shutting their eyes and ears to the truth to push their narrative.' DeSantis' speech to the audience made up mainly of retirees mostly included lines from previous campaign stops. But he gained a huge round of applause when he raised how he had banned gender transition surgery for minors. His dig at Trump when he criticized the GOP for their string of election defeats and failed endorsements. 'But here's the thing, you can't do any of this. If you don't win, there is no substitute for victory,' he told the crowd. 'And we've got to end this culture of losing that has infected the Republican Party in recent years, you know, we should have 55 Republican senators right now. 'And we not flubbed so many races over the last four or six years. .. We've got to get it done and the stakes are high.' DeSantis, dressed casually in blue jeans and black leather boots, was flanked by his glamorous former TV reporter First Lady Casey. First Lady Casey praised took the stage and praised her husband. 'He always puts the interests of the people ahead of his own,' she told the crowd The 42-year-old gave a thinly-veiled nod to her husband's policies in the Sunshine State by sporting a fitted blue sweatshirt with an Alligator logo warning: 'Don't Tread on Florida' 'Too often, and you'll probably see it, you have people who run for elected office, they say they're going to do all these wonderful things,' she said. 'When they go up to particularly places like Washington DC, they go rogue and they become listless vessels bending in the wind, beholden to polls and politics, not delivering accomplishments on behalf of the people that they were elected to represent. And it's very frustrating. 'He never backs down. He never changes. He doesn't cower, never takes the path of least resistance, who always stands up for what's right. And he always puts the interests of the people ahead of his own. Scott Nelson, a 75-year-old retired entrepreneur, said the Governor's performance was 'terrific' but insisted it was 'too early to make any decision' on how to vote. DeSantis returned to the campaign trail as Trump continued to mock him and fellow Republican rival Chris Christie. The former President poked fun at DeSantis for changing his stance on how to pronounce his name and then attacked the former New Jersey governor's weight. Trump issued the insults on his Truth Social platform following reports that Christie, the former New Jersey governor, would soon jump into the race. Former Vice President Mike Pence is also expected to announce his entry within days. The moves establish a crowded field where once again Trump rivals are set to expend considerably energy taking on each other. Trump has been training most of his fire on DeSantis, as he did last night with a post that pointed to repeated changes in how DeSantis pronounces his last name. He pronounced it 'dee-Santis' during the video announcing his campaign, then pronounced it 'da-Santis' during interviews on Fox News, keeping up a pattern that goes back years. Under-fire ITV boss Carolyn McCall has been called to appear before MPs to face questions over the broadcaster's approach to safeguarding and complaint handling in the wake of the Phillip Schofield scandal. The Culture, Media and Sport Committee has today written to Dame Carolyn asking her to attend Parliament at 10am on Wednesday, June 14. It comes after she was forced into a humiliating climbdown yesterday by announcing the broadcaster was bringing in a barrister to 'carry out an external review to establish the facts' around the chaos that has engulfed ITV since Schofield admitted to having an affair with a significantly younger male colleague last week. In a letter responding to announcement, CMS Committee chair Caroline Dinenage today said the Schofield affair has raised 'fundamental issues about safeguarding and complaint handling'. She wrote: 'The public must have confidence in the robustness of Public Service Broadcasters safeguarding procedures. Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby pictured either side of the former's significantly younger lover ITV boss Carolyn McCall will appear before MPs to face questions over the Phillip Schofield scandal 'Whilst these are issues that we want to discuss first with ITV, we will also consider them in our regular scrutiny sessions with other Public Service Broadcasters, including the BBC later this month and Channel 4 later in the year.' It comes after Ms McCall wrote a letter to Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, Ofcom chief Dame Melanie Dawes and Ms Dinenage yesterday regarding ITV's own investigation into rumours of the affair in 'late 2019/early 2020'. She wrote: 'You will have seen the significant media coverage concerning Phillip Schofield. As you would expect we take the matter extremely seriously and have reviewed our own records over the weekend.' She said ITV investigated 'when rumours of a relationship between Phillip Schofield and an employee of ITV first began to circulate in late 2019/early 2020'. Her letter went on: 'Both parties were questioned then and both categorically and repeatedly denied the rumours... 'In addition, ITV spoke to a number of people who worked on the This Morning and wider daytime team and were not provided with and did not find any evidence of a relationship beyond hearsay and rumour. 'Given the ongoing rumours, we continued to ask questions of both parties, who both continued to deny the rumours, including as recently as this month.' In a separate CMS Committee session on Tuesday, ITV's group director of strategy, policy and regulation Magnus Brooke is due to appear alongside executives from Channel 4 and Channel 5 as part of a scheduled pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Media Bill. Dame Carolyn left easyJet to become ITV chief executive in 2018 and was tasked with modernising the broadcaster. But on her watch, several scandals have rocked the firm including Ant McPartlin's drink-driving suspension in 2018 and Piers Morgan storming off the Good Morning Britain set in 2021. ITV last night launched an external inquiry into Schofield's relationship with a much younger colleague in an attempt to save embattled This Morning Philip Schofield urged 'let's get the elf smashed' as he shared whiskey with his young lover on This Morning Meanwhile, the future of This Morning, which was jointly hosted by Schofield and Holly Willoughby until his resignation, remains uncertain. Schofield, 61, resigned last Friday and was dropped by his talent agency after admitting in an extraordinary statement to this newspaper his 'unwise but not illegal' affair. In a bombshell statement to the Mail, Schofield admitted he had lied about an on-off relationship with the man, which took place while he was married to his wife, Stephanie Lowe, mother to his two grown-up daughters. The Mail on Sunday revealed at the weekend that Schofield met his lover when he was 15 and the presenter was in his late 40s, giving a talk to a theatre school as a favour to a friend. The relationship began after the would-be runner, having turned 18, moved to London and began working on This Morning. Schofield was today seen for the first time since quitting ITV last week as he was photographed being driven in London while sitting in the back seat of a car next to a woman believed to be his daughter Ruby. The future of This Morning, which was jointly hosted by Schofield and Willoughby until his resignation, remains uncertain Jane Mulcahy KC, of Blackstone Chambers, has been instructed by ITV to carry out an external review Schofield's other daughter Molly - who is said to still be working for his former talent agency YMU - could not be seen in the car. His normal driver was in the front seat. The presenter was spotted as it was revealed Holly Willoughby will be grilled by a top barrister over the scandal - and the show's past and present presenting teams may also be quizzed about what they knew about Schofield's affair, which he revealed last Friday. Alison Hammond, Dermot O'Leary, Eamonn Holmes, Ruth Langsford and Dr Ranj Singh may all be asked to give statements to employment lawyer Jane Mulcahy KC. An ITV spokesman told MailOnline: 'We would expect the KC to be able to ask to talk to anyone she considers relevant in order to conduct the review'. The Government is to go to court to try to prevent it being forced to hand over Boris Johnson's Covid-era notes and messages to the official inquiry into the pandemic. The Cabinet Office said it would seek a judicial review of an order demanding to see the unredacted material, on privacy and scope grounds, arguing some of it is irrelevant. It had been handed a deadline of 4pm yesterday to comply with a direction from inquiry chairwoman Baroness Hallett. Mr Johnson himself has said he wants the WhatsApp messages and notebooks given to the inquiry. But in a letter to the inquiry, released this afternoon, the Cabinet Office said: '(We have) today sought leave to bring a judicial review. 'We do so with regret and with an assurance that we will continue to cooperate fully with the inquiry before, during and after the jurisdictional issue in question is determined by the courts, specifically whether the Inquiry has the power to compel production of documents and messages which are unambiguously irrelevant to the Inquirys work, including personal communications and matters unconnected to the governments handling of Covid. 'We consider there to be important issues of principle at stake here, affecting both the rights of individuals and the proper conduct of government.' Rishi Sunak this afternoon said he was 'confident' in the Government's position. Boris Johnson last night piled pressure on the Cabinet Office to 'urgently disclose' his unredacted WhatsApp messages and notebooks to the official Covid inquiry In a swipe at the Government, Mr Johnson was said to be 'perfectly happy for the inquiry to have access to this material in whatever form it requires'. questioned in Moldova this afternoon Mr Sunak said repeated the government's argument that it has already shared enough data. Former Tory Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg said the probe 'must be about the systems of government, not an individual' as there was no point 'trying to pin blame'. Mr Johnson handed over all the material requested by probe chairman Baroness Hallett to the Cabinet Office yesterday and urged that it be passed on to her. In a swipe at the Government, Mr Johnson was said to be 'perfectly happy for the inquiry to have access to this material in whatever form it requires'. But questioned in Moldova this afternoon, just 45 minutes before the deadline, Mr Sunak said repeated the government's argument that it has already shared enough data. "I think it's really important that we learn the lessons of Covid so that we can be better prepared in the future,' he said. "We're doing that in the spirit of rigour but also transparency and candour. We've co-operated - the Government's co-operated thoroughly with the inquiry to date, handing over tens of thousands of documents, and we will continue to comply, of course, with the law, co-operate with the inquiry. "We're confident in our position but are carefully considering next steps." The Cabinet Office is refusing to provide all the former PM's WhatsApp messages and diaries to Baroness Hallett on the grounds that it would be a 'serious intrusion of privacy'. It has said the inquiry 'does not have the power to request unambiguously irrelevant information that is beyond the scope of this investigation'. However, Mr Johnson's allies have also taken a swipe at Baroness Hallett over her demand. Former Tory Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg said the probe 'must be about the systems of government, not an individual' as there was no point 'trying to pin blame'. Mr Rees-Mogg said the inquiry needed to answer 'why were we prepared for the wrong kind of pandemic, were lockdowns proportionate and how can we do it better next time. Those are the three questions. What Boris Johnson said to his great aunt on WhatsApp messages seems to me to be of very little relevance to anybody.' The move to release his messages and notes by Mr Johnson is likely to be seen as an attempt to put pressure on Rishi Sunak and his deputy Oliver Dowden. Mr Dowden has faced claims from Mr Johnson's allies that he may have been involved in a decision to refer new Partygate allegations about the former PM to the police. A friend of Mr Johnson has suggested that the 'WhatsApps the Government really doesn't want disclosed are Sunak's' a claim dismissed by No 10. Lord Saville, who conducted the inquiry into Bloody Sunday, today said Baroness Hallett was best placed to decide what information was relevant to her review into the pandemic. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Lord Saville said: 'Who is to decide what is relevant or not? In my view, prima facie at least, it is Lady Hallett. 'She is in charge of the inquiry, one of her duties is to do a thorough job. It is for her to decide whether something is relevant or not. If she looks at something and decides it is not relevant then there is no reason to publish it.' A spokesman for Mr Johnson said last night: 'All Boris Johnson's material including WhatsApps and notebooks requested by the inquiry has been handed to the Cabinet Office in full and in unredacted form. 'Mr Johnson urges the Cabinet Office to urgently disclose it to the inquiry. The Cabinet Office has had access to this material for several months.' The spokesman added: 'Mr Johnson would immediately disclose it directly to the inquiry if asked. While he understands the Government's position, and does not seek to contradict it, he is perfectly happy for the inquiry to have access to this material in whatever form it requires. 'Mr Johnson co-operated with the inquiry in full from the beginning of this process and continues to do so. Indeed, he established the inquiry. He looks forward to continuing to assist its important work.' The Cabinet Office is refusing to provide all the former PM's WhatsApp messages and diaries to Baroness Hallett (pictured) on the grounds that it would be a 'serious intrusion of privacy' The decision by Mr Johnson to hand over the material will add to pressure on the Cabinet Office, with Downing Street already forced to deny allegations of a 'cover-up' amid criticism over the public row with the inquiry. Whitehall officials are concerned about setting a precedent by handing over all the requested documents in unredacted form, rather than deciding what material is relevant. Refusing to comply with the request to hand over the documents which include text conversations between Mr Johnson and a host of government figures including Mr Sunak could lead to a court battle with the inquiry. But Whitehall officials hope a compromise can be reached before the 4pm deadline to avoid the need for a damaging legal fight with the inquiry, which was set up to examine the pandemic and the Government's response to it. According to the notice seeking the unredacted messages, the inquiry is requesting conversations between Mr Johnson, ex-No 10 adviser Henry Cook and a host of government figures, civil servants and officials. The list includes Mr Sunak, Dominic Cummings, Matt Hancock, Sir Chris Whitty, and Sir Patrick Vallance. Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said the Government intends to 'continue to be absolutely transparent and candid' and it had already provided '55,000 documents, eight witness statements and corporate witness statements' to the inquiry. Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokesman Christine Jardine said: 'Rishi Sunak must now confirm he will hand over any messages requested by the Covid inquiry. He can't use Boris Johnson any more as an excuse to avoid handing over vital evidence.' The stand-off comes after Mr Johnson was left furious when it emerged that the Cabinet Office had handed extracts from his prime ministerial diaries to the police without telling him. The department referred the former PM to two forces last month over diary entries showing he was visited by colleagues and friends at Chequers and No 10 when pandemic lockdown rules were in place. Jeremy Quin, the Paymaster General, is also understood to have approved the handing over of documents to the Commons privileges committee, which is investigating whether Mr Johnson lied to Parliament over Partygate. Mr Johnson's allies said he had received legal advice that none of the visits broke Covid rules. He has threatened to sue the Government. Vladimir Putin appeared adrift from reality today as he told Russians the 'biggest pleasure and happiness is children' as his ballistic missiles killed a nine-year-old girl and her mother in Kyiv. The dictator addressed his people on Children's Day in both Russia and Ukraine. The out-of-touch 70-year-old president - believed to have a secret young family with Olympic gymnast Alina Kabaeva who he has hidden from his people - pontificated: 'What is it, to live for yourself? 'What does it mean? Perhaps it means to enjoy yourself, to enjoy life. 'But it looks like those who say it don't understand that the biggest pleasure and happiness is children.' Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed his people on Children's Day in both Russia and Ukraine He spoke as a Kyiv girl was killed and thousands of children were evacuated from Belgorod region - where anti-Putin partisans backed by Ukraine carried out intense shelling. Harrowing photos showed a grandmother collapsed in grief today after she discovered her daughter and granddaughter had been killed in the strike in Ukraine's capital that left three dead. Her agonising screams and wails tore through the deathly silence in the city as she saw the charred bodies of her daughter and nine-year-old granddaughter on the ground in front of her. The barrage of cruise and ballistic missiles struck at 3am and tore through homes, a kindergarten and a medical clinic in the Ukrainian capital, leaving a scene of utter devastation. The strikes have been relentlessly hitting the capital for weeks. Bizarrely, Putin also informed Russians about his sleeping habits as his war inflicted terror both on Ukrainians and his own people. Harrowing photos showed a grandmother collapsed in grief today after she discovered her daughter and granddaughter had been killed in the Russian missile strike in Ukraine's capital that left three dead A relative sits next to the covered body of a 9-year-old girl near a health center damaged in a missile strike in Kyiv on Friday 'Of course, like all people I sleep,' he announced. 'Unlike some people, you know, I try not to give up playing sports, and this helps in my work. 'I sleep, well, in general, maybe a little, six to seven hours, six mostly. 'Today, however, I slept much less, it happened so.' On Tuesday it is believed he was also woken by explosions from Ukrainian drones near his high security official residence in Moscow region. His incongruous ramblings aired today came as videos showed the Russian city of Belgorod hit by powerful explosions. Earlier repeated shelling on blitzed Russian border town Shebekino led to mass evacuations amid fears they will lose control of a swathe of territory in his latest humiliation of the war. READ MORE: Grandmother's agony as Putin kills her daughter and nine-year-old granddaughter: Mother and child are among three people killed in 3am missile strike as Russia keeps up relentless attacks on Kyiv Medics, holding the woman's hands, slowly led her away from the horrific scene - her face etched with utter grief and shock that her loved ones were now lying dead on the ground Advertisement The attacks meant Russians tasted the horror that Putin has inflicted on Ukrainian towns and cities for more than 15 months. It was the most intense day of attacks on Russian territory since the start of the war deepening the failure of Putin's war which was meant to see Ukraine crumble in less than a week. One strike hit a plant of Monocrystal, in Shebekino. Monocrystal is the world's largest producer of artificial sapphires, used in the production of expensive glass for Apple smart watches. But the premises were reportedly used by the Russian military. The Russian Volunteer Corps claimed to be fighting on the outskirts of Shebekino. The Free Russia Legion issued an appeal to Russian servicemen to mutiny. 'The time has come to make the right decision,' they said in a statement. 'You are sent to a criminal, predatory war - but you are not slaves. 'The Putin regime puts you before a choice: go to die in a foreign country, or undergo cannibalistic prison punishments for refusing to become an occupier. 'We urge you to cast aside this slave paradigm and move to the side of good.' They are urged to 'lay down your arms and make a decision - no longer participate in this war and sit out the hostilities in Ukrainian captivity in humane conditions, under the supervision of representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross' - or to join Russian patriots 'who are waging a war of liberation against the Putin regime'. A video showed Russian district administration officials in border town Shebekino burning documents amid fears the settlement will be grabbed by anti-Putin partisans backed by Ukraine. Russians were seen queuing for petrol to escape their own region amid real signs it could be under the control of Putin foes and Ukrainians. A female student told of 'fear and panic' in her blitzed Russian border town Shebekino, highlighting how Putin's war has left residents exposed to acute danger. The frightened and desperate unnamed 18-year-old said in a video: 'My family has no money and no way to travel outside the town. Medics, holding the woman's hands, slowly led her away from the horrific scene - her face etched with utter grief and shock that her loved ones were now lying dead on the ground A view of a residential building damaged in a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, on Thursday Pictured: Russian border town Shebekino on fire. Earlier repeated shelling on Shebekino led to mass evacuations amid fears they will lose control of a swathe of territory in his latest humiliation of the war 'I've been caught in the shelling more than once. 'I've seen people running out of their houses, literally in their underwear to shelters, basements, or [they] just fell on the ground and hid. 'I've seen mothers covering their children. 'I saw fear and panic in people's eyes. 'It scares me to think that children as young as seven know what...Grad shells are. 'This is literally destroying our children's psyche.' The nerves of residents are 'shot', she said, accusing the Russian authorities of failing to provide safety for citizens. The technical college student pleaded: 'I want to live like other cities in Russia. 'Shebekino is part of Russia... 'We are asking for help.' The student added: 'We do not know who will protect us, who will help us. 'Why do we have to leave the city by ourselves? 'Why do we have to leave the land where we were born?' Forensic police tonight are continuing to investigate a pleasure boat at the centre of the Bournemouth beach horror as man arrested for suspicion of manslaughter of the 12-year-old girl and 17-year-old boy died has been released under investigation. In a fresh statement last night, officers reiterated that there was no suggestion the youngsters jumped off Bournemouth pier or that jet skis were involved amid fears that the youngsters got into difficulty in the water in the wake of a vessel. The arrested man in his 40s had been on the water at the time of the incident, which saw a further eight children harmed and rescued from the waters near Bournemouth Pier. The boy and girl who sadly died were from separate groups visiting the beach and the man arrested was not known to them, police said yesterday evening. His release comes as Dorset Police officers seized a cruise boat called The Dorset Belle placing it under the guard of Poole Harbour, five miles away from Bournemouth Pier where it usually sails from. The Dorset Belle still remained at Poole Harbour last night, being watched by police officers The cruise boat called Dorset Belle, which usually sails from Bournemouth Pier, has reportedly been placed under the guard of Poole Harbour A 12-year-old girl and 17-year-old boy have died after a major incident took place in the water on Bournemouth beach People were seen laying flowers on Bournemouth Beach, near the pier, following the deaths of the two young people No one is currently allowed on board or able to touch the vessel, with photos showing the boat being guarded by police officers this afternoon. On the day of the horrendous incident, the Dorset Belle reportedly had made numerous circuits around Bournemouth Pier according to the online tracker MarineTraffic. A police source told The Times: 'This vessel is under a police cordon. No one is permitted onboard or to touch the vessel.' The seize of the boat comes after an MP claimed that Dorset Police were investigating whether wash from a vessel had impacted the young people getting into trouble. Conor Burns, MP for Bournemouth West, raised concerns that a vessel may have created 'conditions' that made the water 'more dangerous'. The Conservative politician said: 'It would seem not a far reach to draw a conclusion that while the vessel may not have physically touched the young people, perhaps it created the conditions which made being in the water more dangerous by the speed it was going.' Two uniformed police officers were seen inspecting the tourist boat at 4.20pm, the paper reported. The boat, which can accommodate up to 80 guests, takes tours every hour on the hour between 11am and 5pm, showing tourists views of the Chines, Sandbanks, Studland and Old Harry Rocks. The cruise boat called the Dorset Belle, which usually sails from Bournemouth Pier, has been placed under the guard of Poole Harbour by police The Dorset Belle pictured packed with tourists next to Bournemouth Pier in August 2021 The boat, which can accommodate up to 80 guests, takes tours every hour on the hour between 11am and 5pm, showing tourists views of the Chines, Sandbanks, Studland and Old Harry Rocks. Pictured: The Dorset Belle sailing past the pier in 2021 Tonight, the Dorset Belle remains at Poole Harbour under police watch As of 6pm tonight, MarineTraffic shows the popular tourist boat stationed at Poole Harbour - around five miles away from where it's usually stationed at the pier. Police vehicles surrounded the boat but the force did not provide any details when contacted by MailOnline this evening. Eight other children were hurt after getting into trouble in the water close to the beach and pier in Dorset packed with half-term holidaymakers and locals on Wednesday afternoon. Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Corrigan pleaded with the public 'not to speculate about the circumstances surrounding the incident' in a bid to protect enquiries' and 'out of respect for the victims' families'. He urged those with footage to submit it to police officers rather than posting it online. Supt Corrigan added: 'Early investigation indicates that there was no physical contact between a vessel and any swimmers at the time of the incident and there is no suggestion of people jumping from the pier or jet skis being involved. 'We know that the beach was very busy when this incident occurred. I am urging anyone who saw what happened, or has any information that may assist our investigation, to please come forward. 'Also, I urge anyone with relevant phone footage that may assist our enquiries to submit it to Dorset Police via the Major Incident Public Portal quoting Operation Marble rather than sharing it on social media.' The detective chief did not reveal what he believed had caused the tragedy. The Dorset Belle docked against Bournemouth Pier in a photo taken in July 2021 A bunch of flowers left on Bournemouth beach for a 17-year-old-boy and a girl aged 12 who died on Wednesday A sign on Bournemouth Beach which was packed by holidaymakers and locals yesterday 'I would like to sincerely thank the members of the public who went to help the people in trouble in the water. I am also very grateful for the wider beachgoers who cleared the beach really quickly and allowed the emergency services to do their work', he said. 'This incident sparked a multi-agency response from a range of emergency services, including the ambulance service, HM Coastguard, the RNLI, the fire service, BCP Council and Dorset Police. 'All these emergency responders came together to provide a really swift and well-coordinated response and did everything they could to save lives. I thank all of those responders for their professionalism and compassion in the face of this tragedy.' Officers from Dorset police will continue with patrols over the next few days, with support from the local councils beach services and the RNLI. Anyone with concerns or information about the incident are urged to approach them. Councillor Vikki Slade, leader of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, said what happened in Bournemouth on Wednesday must have been a 'terrifying' experience. She said: 'Again I want to add our sincere condolences to the families of the children who lost their lives, and our thoughts are with the families of the young people that were in the water. 'It must have been a really terrifying experience for everybody. 'The services worked incredibly well together. Our staff on the beach all rallied round to support the emergency services.' She said there are additional staff available for the public on the beach on Thursday and over the weekend, adding: 'The beach is busy. We are making sure that the RNLI are very visible and that our teams are available there to support people and make sure that they feel safe on the beach.' She said Bournemouth 'remains a really fantastic place to visit', adding that the incident needs to be investigated properly. 'And we are confident with our partners that any lessons that need to be learned in the future will will be learned,' she said. Families arriving at the beach on Thursday spoke of their shock at the previous day's events. One woman, who did not want to be named, said: 'It's such a shame, people just come here to have fun, it's a real tragedy.' One of the men was pulled from the water and had to be given CPR on the beach by lifeguards before being taken away by air ambulance Body is found after a man failed to return home from an open swimming session at a beauty spot A body has been found after a man failed to return home from an open swimming session at a beauty spot. Emergency services including Northumbria Police and Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service were called to Hetton Lyons Country Park in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, late last night, Wednesday, May 31. After a search of the area the body of a man was recovered. A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: 'At around 11.30pm we received a report of concern for the welfare of a 55-year-old man, who had not returned home from an open water swimming session in Hetton Lyons Park. 'Police attended the area, and assisted by colleagues from the National Police Air Service and Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service carried out a full and thorough search of the area. 'Sadly those searches led to the discovery of the body of a man. His family have since been notified and are currently being supported by specialist officers.' Advertisement Eyewitness Howard Cohen, from London, said: 'I could see a lot of commotion going on, there were a lot of ambulances, police and people rushing to the beach. 'Later on they cleared the beach. It was just awful. At the time there was a lot of panic going on with the police and ambulance.' Mackenzie Creech, 18, was with pals on the beach at the south coast holiday spot enjoying the sunshine when they heard shouts and screams from the pier. He looked up and saw crowds pointing to someone in the water and rushed in with a pal to drag her onto the beach but sadly there was nothing they could do to save her. The girl - who has not been named - died along with a 17-year-old boy in the incident which also left eight other children injured after it is believed they were dragged out to sea by a riptide after jumping from the pier. Mackenzie told MailOnline: 'Everything happened so quickly, one minute I was enjoying the beach with some friends and then the next we heard screaming and shouting. 'We were on the other side of the pier but you could hear all this noise so we went over to see what was going on and people were pointing into the water. 'I could see a body in the water, and just rushed in and scooped her up with someone else. She was face down when I got there and not moving. 'She was in a bad way. 'She was in a swimming costume but she didn't appear to have any injuries on her. There were no cuts or bruises and I just knew it didn't look good so I carried her onto the beach. 'I put her down on the sand and by this time the emergency services had come over and they started doing CPR on her. 'People were screaming and shouting and it was all really chaotic and then someone put some towels up as a screen while the paramedics worked on her. 'I was hoping she would make it and I didn't know she had passed away until I saw it on the news. I was gutted when I heard that and it's upset me, it's so sad something like this happened.' Mackenzie, who is from Tilehurst near Reading and studying sport at college, added: 'I don't really know what happened. It was all a bit confusing. 'People were saying they had been hit by a jet ski or a boat but there were definitely no injuries on the girl. There was no blood or cuts or anything like that. 'What amazed me was the amount of people who were just filming everything on their phones when the emergency services were trying to do their work. 'As I left a policeman took my details and said thanks for doing what I did but I just did what anyone would have done.' Mackenzie's father company director Robert Creech, told MailOnline: 'He was very quick in his actions and was just trying to help. 'When he told me about it, I could see he was upset and when we heard the poor girl had passed away, he was gutted. 'It's such a shame as all those involved are so young. 'He had just gone down to the beach with his friends for half term and then this happened but I'm proud he did what he could to help. He's a good lad.' Another witness, Tom Saunders, told Sky News: 'I was surfing on the west side with about four other people and we heard the lifeguard sirens going off, making announcements, and the beach got cleared either side. 'Obviously we knew something had gone on and the helicopter was coming so we knew it was serious. 'Unfortunately I saw someone receiving CPR. The lifeguards put up a screen so no-one could see but unfortunately from where we were we could. 'The jet-skis were going round the pier looking for stuff, so me and three other surfers offered to help and actually paddled into the pier to have a look. 'They said there were two people missing at the time, then after about half an hour they said everyone was accounted for and we just carried on.' Earlier multiple witnesses said that people had been jumping from the pier. The sand close to the pier had to be cleared so two air ambulances could land, but sadly the two schoolchildren later died in hospital. Witnesses described harrowing scenes as CPR was administered on the beach and some 'idiots' with phones were seen filming lifeguards trying to revive the two children. Since 2004, Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency has dealt with more than 200 incidents of tombstoning, including pier jumping, leading to at least 70 injuries and 20 deaths. Yesterday police confirmed that no vessel is believed to have been in 'physical contact' with the children following speculation on social media they had been hit by a jet-ski or boat. But there have been claims that the tragedy may have been caused by the wash of a jet ski. Mackenzie Creech, pictured with his father Robert, had found the girl unresponsive in the water The town's historic pier on Thursday morning as litter pickers removed rubbish MailOnline has asked Dorset Police to comment. But one local surfer said he witnessed three jetskiers 'buzzing the pier' close to the line on Tuesday, the day before the tragic incident. There has been an ongoing issue between jetskiers and water users around the area of the pier. Nicola Holton, who was at the beach with her husband, said: 'One lifeguard went to rescue two swimmers struggling but he couldn't bring them in. He spotted another person struggling and a second lifeguard went out to them but there were multiple people in trouble. 'The remaining lifeguard was trying to get everyone out of the water. The ambulance service came to the struggling person rescued by the second lifeguard. More lifeguards arrived to rescue another swimmer near the pier. My husband spotted another swimmer struggling. He ran to the lifeguards. The guard immediately went in and they picked him up on a jet ski. 'I will never ever get the image out of my head of him being brought out. They cleared the beach for the air ambulance. Then another was spotted and again brought to shore to be worked on. Absolutely horrible. 'Loads of idiots ignoring lifeguard requests to get out of the water and clear the beach. People were running towards those having CPR filming on their phones.' Paul Moyce, 61, said he believed those involved had been jumping into the sea off the pier. He said: 'I think they went off the end of the pier and went out too far. They must have got caught by the current. I lived here for 61 years and I've never seen anything like it.' Nicola Holton, 43, and Stuart Clark, 42, were on the beach with their two children when the tragedy unfolded. They said the summertime scene turned into something from 'a horror film.' Mr Clark said: 'As we walked to the east side of the pier there was at least one but probably a few jet skiers going across the right side of the pier. 'We didn't take too much notice of them at the time. 'There were announcements throughout the afternoon telling people not to climb on the pier. After 2pm it seemed like people weren't going near it. 'The next announcement we got was at 4pm about a dangerous riptide in the water and it wasn't soon after that we saw a couple of swimmers in trouble out to sea. One tearful mourner laid roses on the sand this morning as Bournemouth mourned the loss of two children 'It got really chaotic when they brought a young man back to shore on a lifeguard jet ski. It was obvious he wasn't alive. That's when people started gathering around and the lifeguards were trying to clear the beach at the same time as helping the others in the water. 'We saw the young girl get brought out too and there were no obvious injuries on her either. I just wanted to get my family off the beach with our belongings.' Miss Holton said: 'It was like a scene from a horror film. After an afternoon of lovely weather and the odd announcement to tell kids to stop climbing on the pier it looked like it had all settled down. 'When we first spotted the swimmers in distress they were far out to the east side of the pier. 'A lifeguard ran into the water with a surfboard and it seemed to take ages for him to get to them. There was an announcement to get out of the water and then the lifeguards started bringing people back to shore. 'A few were taken to the lifeguard tent and then we saw the young man and girl brought out. We were packing up our things to leave as quickly as we could. It was just awful. 'There were loads of idiots ignoring lifeguard requests to get out of the water and clear the beach. People were running towards those having CPR filming on their phones.' The first person to reach the girl who died was an 18-year-old boy. His father, Rob Creech, said yesterday: 'My son was on the other side of the pier swimming with a few friends. 'All of a sudden there were a lot of people on the pier shouting and screaming that there was somebody in the water. He swam to the other side of the pier and he found a young girl floating face down in the water. 'The emergency services were just arriving at the beach so he was shouting to them and scooped her up to swim to shore. He managed to get her out onto the beach and the emergency services took it from there.' The operation involved multiple teams from across the emergency services The beach had to be cleared before the air ambulances were able to land There are yellow marker buoys 200m off the beach and water craft operating inside that area are restricted to speeds of 6 knots. One local surfer said he witnessed three jetskiers 'buzzing the pier' close to the line on Tuesday, the day before the tragic incident. Lawrence Hopgood said: 'I was surfing the night before There were 3 jetskiers buzzing the pier and getting close to the line. A lifeguard went out on a jetski and spoke to them, then left. 'The jetskiers didn't leave but proceeded to do donuts near the surfers, whilst filming themselves.' Lifeguards on the busy beach had rushed into the water by Bournemouth Pier after a group of people got into difficulty in the sea at about 4.30pm on Wednesday. It is believed that all of those involved were aged between 12 and 18. None of the other eight who were injured children were seriously harmed and they were treated at the scene by the ambulance service. Emergency services were quickly at the scene and the teenage boy and girl were rushed to hospital after sustaining critical injuries. Speaking last night, Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns said: 'I express my deep condolences to the family and friends of the two young people who tragically lost their lives in Bournemouth. 'A dreadful event in circumstances when they were enjoying beautiful weather in our town. So sad.' The MP added that the incident was a 'salutary lesson' that 'danger is ever present' on beaches and the ocean. He went on to thank the life guards and air ambulance members 'who we can take for granted'. Thousands of people were enjoying the sunny weather before being asked to leave the beach by police Two people were taken to Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Poole Hospital Eeman Qamar, from Southampton, was on the beach with her mother and three-month-old baby. She told the BBC that just after 4pm lifeguards began to tell people to clear the beach, saying there had been a major incident. 'After about 20 minutes, the first air ambulance arrived and landed right in the middle of the beach,' she said. Ms Qamar continued: 'The lifeguards started getting on jet skis and boats, searching the sea and about 20 minutes later the second air ambulance arrived and it took another hour-and-a-half for them to finish the whole search and rescue operation.' A Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service spokesperson said: 'We were called to East Beach, Bournemouth at 4.39pm to support a multi-agency incident. 'We have crews in attendance from Westbourne and Springbourne, together with a technical rescue team from Poole.' A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) said: 'We sent two air ambulances, six double-crewed land ambulances, one critical care car, two operations officers, one doctor, one hazardous area response team and one responding officer.' HM Coastguard told MailOnline that 'two people had been pulled from the water and passed into the care of the ambulance service' and that 'coastguards searched to make sure there were no other people missing and are satisfied there are not'. Bus routes that would normally serve the Pier stops were diverted through the square. Anyone with information about what happened should contact Dorset Police on www.dorset.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55230083818. Alternatively, witnesses can contact independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111. Im not sure whether Ive mentioned the name Donald Trump in previous articles. I jest of course, though perhaps I shouldnt, since what follows is a serious look at one or two topical issues. But the word Trump does appear. Though not in the thrilling context of a card game; nor will it occupy the entire article and ruin your day. Until recently, within a well-organised, systematic programme to revive his profile in the eyes of the American public, Mr Trump appeared to be revelling in all the negative publicity emerging across a number of fronts; especially the ongoing and imminent court actions. But now a United States Of America (USA) court has found him guilty of sexual abuse of a female magazine columnist in the 1990s. Republican stalwarts will probably still vote for him remember the old political science saying about modern democracies: I would vote for a pig if it stood for my party but it looks unlikely this former president will re-secure full political credibility; unless he has a trump card to play! On the other hand, its quite conceivable that a significant portion of the American public rather admires someone who has survived the scandals; and insulted the plaintiff in court, saying she wasnt his type and that shed made up the story to boost sales of her book. One hopes, however, that the majority will vote on the view that hes got nothing other than the arrogant narcissism of extreme wealth. From a legal perspective, the Trump case must be one of the first of its kind. In the USA, the Statute of Limitations, in common with many countries of the world, limits the time available for civil litigation to six years. But the Adult Survivors Act of 2022 has allowed a one-year window to November 2023 for certain survivors of sexual assault to seek civil damages against their perpetrators and those who protected the perpetrators; and regardless of when the assault was committed. Specifically, the law aims to protect survivors of adult sexual assault. There is a much broader window for litigation where similar offences relate to minors. Justice It is, of course, hugely emancipating for women to be able to bring lawsuits to achieve justice for wrongs done in the days when they had relatively weak status and were easy prey in court and outside. And when comparing criminal and civil lawsuits in the USA, in a criminal case the jury has to find a defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt based on the evidence provided. With a civil action the wording becomes much lighter to more likely guilty, than not. That reduces the incidence of all-or-nothing court verdicts, and thus provides a substantially improved chance of some justice for the aggrieved plaintiff. It is perhaps inevitable that this lower threshold on jury verdicts will carry the risk of bogus or exaggerated allegations, especially in view of the size of the damages award to the magazine columnist. She got US$5 million. There are plenty of ambulance chaser lawyers over there, wholl take the chance on a high percentage success-fee basis, where the plaintiff pays nothing if the outcome is unsuccessful. The USA, not alone among the countries of the world, has plenty of sharp lawyers, prepared to exploit the murkier areas of allegation and accusation to get a verdict. Therein lies some risk; presumably manageable. Lets move now to the bigger picture. The USA was up for some criticism in an article published by this publication. But no country will claim to be operating to perfection; because no one would believe it. Capitalism has placed most of the USAs wealth in a tiny number of people. And the country has been an opportunist; though also a provider. It has made some significant mistakes. Reflected Avoiding a comprehensive attack on racism until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s forced its hand, reflected badly on the prevailing morality, more especially in southern states. And then, claiming that Saddam Hussein, the President of Iraq until 2003, had weapons of mass destruction, ready to attack the West, was a huge blunder. No such weapons were ever found and its reliably argued that Hussein destroyed them in order to re-establish status with the United Nations. Hussein abused and killed huge numbers of Iraqis but the US invasion was not the required solution. Apart from those aberrations, there can be no denying that the USA has a spectacular history. After refusing colonisation by kicking out the Brits in 1776, it developed a unified nation of 50 states under a common democratic political regime and federal law system; some achievement. And, as the biggest democracy in the world, it endeavours tirelessly to promote and protect sovereignty, transparency and accountability. How many countries can legitimately claim that? It has been a generous benefactor even saviour for many nations across the world, itself developing into the largest economy and the strongest nation technologically. It produces the best athletes and has pioneered the exploration of outer space. It is universally adored and admired for its huge contribution in literature, film and music; all that from one country. Walmart will stand firm on its Pride Month collection despite rivals Target pulling some merchandising in the wake of customer backlash. The billion-dollar American retailer's Chief Merchandising Officer Latriece Watkins said the more than 4,500 stores sell products 'all year that supports different groups' adding that 'in this particular case, we haven't changed anything in our assortment.' Last week, Target pulled some Pride-related merchandise, including items by transgender designer Erik Carnell, saying the products led to 'volatile circumstances,' such as confrontations between customers and Target employees, and customers throwing Pride merchandise on the floor. Walmart also offers LGBTQ-themed merchandise tied to Pride Month, which is celebrated in June, including rainbow-adorned flags, clothing and accessories. The backlash comes amid a broader wave of anti-woke boycotts against brands after Bud Light's disastrous marketing decision to promote its beer with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Walmart will stand firm on its Pride Month collection despite rivals Target pulling some merchandising in the wake of customer backlash Walmart also offers LGBTQ-themed merchandise tied to Pride Month, which is celebrated in June, including rainbow-adorned flags, clothing and accessories Its 'Pride & Joy' collection includes a $7.98 set of enamel pins with messages such as 'Be you. Be Proud.' and 'You are enough' as well as children's pride themed clothes such as a shirt that says, 'I love my 2 moms.' Walmart's Watkins said the retailer hasn't changed its security measures in response to the confrontations Target cited at its own stores, adding that Walmart hasn't seen similar issues. 'In this particular case, when we think about security... we have not done anything in particular differently related to security in our stores,' Watkins said. In an email to DailyMail.com Walmart said its comment hasn't changed from its previous statement adding 'we have nothing more to add beyond Latriece's comments.' DailyMail.com has contacted Target for comment. Target's decision to remove some Pride products came weeks after brewer Anheuser-Busch's partnership with transgender triggered a huge boycott. Since then Bud Light's sales have plunged as much as 30 percent and parent firm ABInBev's shares have been sent sliding. On Wednesday, Target's market value plummeted by $14 billion as shares dropped for the ninth consecutive day by a further 2.14 percent. Walmart's 'Pride & Joy' collection includes a $7.98 set of enamel pins with messages such as 'Be you. Be Proud.' and 'You are enough' as well as children's pride themed clothes such as a shirt that says, 'I love my 2 moms' It comes as the chain seeks to recover from backlash against its female swimwear range which gives adult wearers the option to 'tuck' male genitalia. The company's market value had been $74 billion - with shares trading at $160.96 - as of May 17. But stock fell later that week when it made 'adjustments' to its Pride merchandising plans, including removing displays 'that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior' at some of its stores, said CEO Brian Cornell in a statement last week. Some Southern stores were forced to move merchandise - many of which were designed by Erik Carnell, a transgender man and self-proclaimed Satanist - to the back of stores. It was done to avoid a 'Bud Light situation' - a disastrous marketing decision to promote Bud Light's beer with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney - following a consumer boycott of its Pride Month items. Walmart CEO Doug McMillon told shareholders on Wednesday that stock is up more than 14 percent. The latest data indicates a hardening of recent sales trends, after Bud Light's April 1 promotion with Mulvaney (above) sparked anti-LGBTQ backlash and boycott threats Retail giant Target's market value plummeted on Wednesday by $14 billion as shares dropped by a further 2.14 percent for the ninth consecutive day Carnell - a British designer whose slogans include 'Satan loves pronouns' - introduced a collection featuring bags and similar paraphernalia as well as a handful of other items, which were pulled by Target. Carnell said his designs - which are printed on pins, stickers and T-shirts - have been labeled 'Satanic' - but were not those being sold in Target as part of Pride month. Companies like Target that launch products and campaigns for Pride Month seek to profit from LGBTQ people but fail to stand by them when challenges arise, Carnell said. 'It's a very dangerous precedent to set, that if people just get riled up enough about the products that you're selling, you can completely distance yourself from the LGBT community, when and if it's convenient,' said Carnell. 'If you're going to take a stance and say that you care about the LGBT community, you need to stand by that regardless.' In tandem, LGBTQIA+ communities slammed the retailer, as did governor Gavin Newsom, who accused Target of 'systematically attacking' the gay community. 'Satan-loving' Carnell had his products pulled from Target after the retail giant faced a consumer boycott over its Pride Month collection Pride Adult Bikini Swim Bottom - Black - $25 at Target He wrote on Twitter on May 24: 'CEO of Target Brian Cornell selling out the LGBTQIA+ community to extremists is a real profile in courage. 'This isn't just a couple stores in the South. There is a systematic attack on the gay community happening across the country. Wake up America. 'This doesn't stop here. You're black? You're Asian? You're Jewish? You're a woman? You're next.' In retaliation, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote: 'No one is attacking the gay community Gavin. 'They don't want their children forcefully exposed to the radical side of pride with 'tuck it' and 'binding' children's clothes and messaging while simply shopping at Target. We don't support your California child genital mutilation industry. As a matter of fact, I want to end it.' Angered consumers called for the retailer to be boycotted. One wrote: 'Target is far worse than Bud Light ever was. Time to boycott!!!' Another said: 'All Christians and religious need to boycott Target. We need to send a message to these woke companies that choose evil as their marketing tactic. It's just sick. Target Pride Month partner boasts about Satanism: Satan Respects Pronouns.' The swimsuits, which appear in sections set up for Pride month in June, include a label which advertises the 'tuck-friendly construction' and 'extra crotch' coverage. The design is made to help conceal a person's private parts Pride Month merchandise is displayed at a Target store on May 31, 2023 in San Francisco, California The retailer has been in the firing line for a host of other LGBTQIA+ related issues, which include an alleged partnership with a K-12 education group focusing on convincing schools to adopt policies which will help restrict parents' knowledge about their child's ongoing in-school gender transition. The education group, according to Fox, provides sexually explicit books to schools as part of its gender-based curriculum. The group, the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) received roughly $2.1 million from Target in donations. The organization offers guidance about how to hide gender transitioning from parents. Carlos Saavedra, 43, is Target's vice president for brand management and also volunteers as a director at GLSEN. This is the moment a father grappled with a massive dog that had attacked his seven-year-old son. Former social worker Anthoney, battled to free his child from the 'devil' German Shepherd's jaws just minutes after it was said to have attacked two other children in Thornton Heath, south London, at around 8am yesterday. The huge dog was seized by police, who are trying to find its owner, while paramedics tended to Anthoney and his son. The unaccompanied dog first launched itself at Anthoney's son without catching him before going on a rampage along Broughton Road. The dog then returned to latch its jaws onto the seven-year-old, 'shaking him like a rag doll' beside his father's car. Former social worker Anthoney, battled to free his child from the 'devil' German Shepherd's jaws just minutes after it was said to have attacked two other children in Thornton Heath, south London, at around 8am yesterday This is the moment a father grappled with a massive dog that had attacked his seven-year-old son Anthoney and his son were hospitalised with dog bites on their right arms after the attack. The boy was also wounded on his right thumb and Anthoney said the dog dislocated his shoulder, with both father and son now on antibiotics. People at the scene said a crying mother later appeared and claimed her children had been attacked by the same dog. The horrifying ordeal started yesterday morning when Anthoney walked out of his house and his son ran ahead beyond the gate. Without knowing the dog was nearby, the former social care worker told his son not to go onto the pavement on his own. As the child closed the gate the huge German Shepherd sprinted up. Anthoney rushed his son inside and watched the dog charge at a mother-of-two's house directly across the road. The ginormous dog was trying to lunge through her open door but she managed to slam it shut. After the dog ran up the hill, Anthoney tried to hurry his son into the car. He said: 'I was putting him inside a car, and then all I heard is 'Dad - it's - it's' and then he screamed. 'It grabbed a hold of his hand and start thrashing like a rag doll. 'I had the keys in my hand and all I could do was grab it and start trying to whack it with them. 'I grabbed hold of the collar and twisted it, and then I was just trying to punch it with the key to try and get it to release him. 'You're not going to touch my child. 'I twisted it a bit tighter and tried get it to release him and then it grabbed hold of my hand. 'I pushed my hand back in its mouth and tried to push it back up against the wall to force it back and my son stood there and started to scream. 'I turned around and shouted ''Get in the car! Get in the car!'' When he got into the car he started screaming ''dad'' again. His shoes and everything were in the road. 'A gentleman ran out and shoved him the car and told him to stay in the car and said ''daddy's alright''. 'I continued to twist the collar and my son started to panic because he saw the dog wasn't letting go, so the gentleman took him into his house and another lady ran down from upstairs and sat with him. 'She said he was crying and the only way of consoling him was crying with him.' Another neighbour called the police at 8.52am, who arrived with riot shields and blocked off the road. However, Anthoney said that officers were reluctant to go near the dog. He added: 'We love animals but how can we domesticate dogs that size? It's massive. 'It's a German Shepherd mix, but it didn't look like it was a good mix because its back legs didn't look right. 'There are so many children living on this street but they don't go out. It's too dangerous.' The huge dog was seized by police, who are trying to find its owner, while paramedics tended to Anthoney and his son Anthoney said: 'I pushed my hand back in its mouth and tried to push it back up against the wall to force it back and my son stood there and started to scream' The Met Police told MailOnline: 'Police were called to reports of a man and a child attacked by an aggressive dog at Broughton Road, Thornton Heath. 'Officers and London Ambulance Service attended. 'At the scene a seven-year-old boy and an adult male were found with bite injuries. 'While at the scene, officers were approached by another man who had also been attacked by the dog. 'None of their injuries were life threatening. 'The dog, which appeared to be a German shepherd breed, was seized by officers and will be assessed. 'Enquiries are underway to identify and locate the owner of the dog.' The California Journalism Preservation Act would force big tech firms to pay a 'usage fee' to news publishers whose content appears on their platforms Facebook owner Meta is threatening to pull news content from its platforms in California if the state passes a bill forcing big tech companies to pay publishers a 'journalism usage fee.' The proposed California Journalism Preservation Act would oblige social media companies and firms, including Google, to pay a cut of advertising revenue to news publishers whose work appears on their websites. The bill is designed to reverse a decline in the local news industry, with publishers who receive payments forced to invest 70 percent of the money into 'news journalists and support staff.' Meta said on Wednesday the act would create a 'slush fund' that benefits large media companies and threatened to pull news from Facebook and Instagram accounts accessed in California, where it is headquartered. Meta, led by Mark Zuckerberg, said the proposed California Journalism Preservation Act would create a 'slush fund' that benefits large media companies Meta, which has been embroiled in several rows over payments for news publishers, says it provides value to media companies by driving traffic to their websites Meta's communications director, Andy Stone, said: 'If the Journalism Preservation Act passes, we will be forced to remove news from Facebook and Instagram rather than pay into a slush fund that primarily benefits big, out-of-state media companies under the guise of aiding California publishers. 'The bill fails to recognize that publishers and broadcasters put their content on our platform themselves and that substantial consolidation in California's local news industry came over 15 years ago, well before Facebook was widely used. 'It is disappointing that California lawmakers appear to be prioritizing the best interest of national and international media companies over their own constituents.' Lawmakers who support the bill said Meta's threat, which comes amid a global debate about how social media and tech firms compensate news publishers, was a 'scare tactic.' California Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, the Democrat who introduced the bill, said: 'This threat from Meta is a scare tactic that they've tried to deploy, unsuccessfully, in every country that's attempted this. 'It is egregious that one of the wealthiest companies in the world would rather silence journalists than face regulation.' The bill, which will be voted on in the California Assembly on Thursday, would force tech platforms to pay 'a journalism usage fee' to eligible providers that's equal to a percentage of the platforms' advertising revenue. The Media Guild of the West and Pacific Media Workers Guild, two unions which support the bill, said: 'Meta and Google rule as powerful landlords overseeing an ever-expanding slum of low-quality information.' Free Press Action, an opponent of the bill, claims it does 'nothing to support trustworthy local reporting and would instead pad the profits of massive conglomerates.' California Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, the Democrat who introduced the bill, said Meta's threat to pull news from its platforms in the state was a 'scare tactic' Meta and Google are also embroiled in similar rows both at a federal level in the United States and in several other countries. In December, Stone said Meta would remove news from its platforms if Congress passed the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act. The law, similar to the bill in California, would allow publishers to demand payments from big tech platforms. Google and Meta have made similar threats in Canada over a law aimed at forcing the companies to pay news publishers. Meta said it already provides value to news publishers by driving traffic to their websites and helping them attract subscriptions. Australia passed a world-first law in 2021 that compelled big tech companies to strike deals with media outlets to compensate them for content. Facebook initially blocked all news on its platform in the country while the legislation was being debated in the Senate. The historic move also inadvertently blocked non-media pages including some run by the government and emergency services. Facebook restored news to feeds after the government agreed not to apply the code to the company and others such as Google if they entered into licensing agreements with media publishers. Lawmakers said in December that the bill - which has led to more than 30 deals between tech firms and media outlets - had largely been a success. Having agreed to air it for free Thursday in honor of a year since its release, brass are now saying the 95-minute movie contains two instances of 'misgendering' Twitter boss Elon Musk has been accused of flouting free speech for reneging on a deal to air a Daily Wire-funded film over claims it 'misgenders' trans people - claims the CEO later shot down by calling the decision a 'mistake' made by his staffers. Laid bare by the conservative publication's own CEO Thursday, the pulled deal pertains to Matt Walsh's polarizing What Is a Woman - which Twitter brass are now saying contains instances of 'misgendering' that goes against its terms of service. Detailed in a barrage of tweets that tagged Musk direct, Twitter's supposed qualms with the film stem from two scenes staffers categorized as 'hateful conduct' upon viewing, claiming it goes against the site's terms of service. Taking notice of the bizarre saga overseas was Musk - who is currently away on business in China - who seemed to suggest he had no knowledge of his workers' decision, and even fundamentally disagreed. That said, the outspoken mogul quickly criticized misgendering - the use of a person's non-preferred pronouns - as a 'rude' practice he does not approve of. While addressing the matter, the sudden assertion from Musk was somewhat vague, the Wire wondering if the deal was still on - after they were told that the film's previously sponsored screening would now be censored on the platform. Elon Musk has claimed staff working under him 'made a mistake' when they reneged on an agreement to air a Daily Wire documentary Thursday The pulled deal pertains to Matt Walsh's polarizing documentary - which saw him interview various people about constitutes a woman. Twitter brass, after agreeing to air it for free Thursday in honor of its first anniversary, are saying it contains instances of 'misgendering' This was a mistake by many people at Twitter,' Musk, 44, tweeted from China in reply to posts outlining the controversy from The Daily Wire's own CEO, Jeremy Boering. 'It is definitely allowed. Whether or not you agree with using someones preferred pronouns, not doing so is at most rude and certainly breaks no laws.' The film in question, released last year, follows Walsh - a Daily Wire columnist - as he questions the transgender movement and what it means to be 'a woman', often to mixed results. Walsh, a 36-year-old far right activist, has been consistent about his view that transgender people are, in reality, the gender they were biologically assigned at birth - something he seeks to hit home at several points in the 95-minute film. Responding to claims that he and his new company were in violation of the First Amendment, Musk said that while he does not believe the intentional or accidental use of a person's non-preferred pronouns to be a hangable offense, it's still, at the very least, uncouth by his standards. 'I should note that I do personally use someones preferred pronouns, just as I use someones preferred name, simply from the standpoint of good manners,' Musk wrote after Boering revealed the bizarre sequence of events - and apparent miscommunication - that spurred his accusations online. 'However, for the same reason, I object to rude behavior, ostracism or threats of violence if the wrong pronoun or name is used.' Boreing - who launched The Daily Wire with fellow founder Ben Shapiro back in 2015 - minutes late offered up a response asking for clarification on the planned Twitter Spaces screening, as well as the two companies' now-up-in-the air partnership. 'I appreciate the reply,' Boreing, also 44, wrote in response to Musk's tweet, which within the span of an hour had been viewed millions of times. The exec went on to cite that a series of test posts containing scenes Twitter staffers had deemed problematic 'were indeed labeled hateful conduct' with their share functions disabled. 'We are trying to reach your team to determine what this means for those posts, whether or not our event tonight will be allowed to proceed unencumbered, and whether or not we will be allowed to purchase the live event page and reach block as originally agreed,' Boreing explained. Meanwhile, Musk's statement on the matter was decidedly vague, leaving CEO Jeremy Boreing - who unveiled the bizarre saga in a barrage of tweets a few hours earlier - wondering if the deal was still on 'I appreciate your view of polite behavior, but our business is to debate public policy and philosophy,' he continued. 'As such, we have an obligation to speak in ways consistent with our position. Our hope is that Twitter remains a place where we are free to do so.' Twitter - once thought to be a haven for First Amendment revelers following Musk's $44billion takeover last year - recently removed 'misgendering' from their terms of service, but in statements to The Daily Wire, claimed that to be a misunderstanding. Clarifying their decision, staffers reportedly told Boreing they simply removed their pronoun policy to streamline their hate-speech related policies. With Musk away on a surprise trip to China - and the 2012 film set to air for free on Twitter's Spaces in honor of its first anniversary - staffers explained they still consider 'misgendering' abuse and harassment, and would not be airing it as agreed. 'They gave us the opportunity to edit the film to comply,' Boering revealed Thursday in one of several tweets just hours ahead from the agreed air time of 8pm ET. 'We declined.' In the barrage of posts, the 44-year-old Texan revealed it was two scenes in particular that resulted in the deal being pulled, despite the film already being released for the better part of a year. In one of those scenes, Boreing explained, a father refers to his 14-year-old transgender son as a 'her' - while in another, a store owner purposely uses the 'wrong' pronoun during a heated confrontation with a transgender woman. Earlier in the day, Musk - currently overseas in China - was accused by Boreing of flouting free speech for pulling the deal, which Twitter said stems from two scenes in particular In one of those scenes, a store owner purposely uses the 'wrong' pronoun during a heated confrontation with a transgender woman Staffers deemed the scene - and another where a father refers to his 14-year-old transgender son as a 'her'- hateful after an test viewing, despite the film already being released for the better part of a year The aforementioned altercation - and instance of misgendering - occurred after the transgender woman saw this sign hanging in the proprietor's store. The Daily Wire said Thursday the refused to remove the scene to move the screening forward Walsh, a father of four who hosts a Daily Wire podcast, confronts pro-choice protesters in controversial the film, quizzing them on what it means to be a woman Released a year ago Thursday, Walsh's documentary and book of the same title have been generally well received by audiences open to his issue viewpoints, but widely disparaged by individuals left of center Walsh, a 36-year-old far right activist, has been consistent about his view that transgender people are, in reality, the gender they were biologically assigned at birth - something he seeks to hit home at several points in the 95-minute film Using Musk's platform to announce the development, Boering recounted the behind-closed doors saga that predated it - while vowing to still screen the 95-minute film free of charge despite alleged promises from Twitter to 'throttle it.' 'One year ago today, we released What is a Woman?' Boering began, revealing Twitter suddenly pulled the deal with no notice - and its new plans to 'limit the reach of the film and label it as hateful conduct. The exec explained: 'To celebrate the occasion and expand the movie's already enormous impact, we decided to give it away for free for 24 hours on Twitter. 'With Twitter's recent commitments to free speech, we thought it would be the perfect place to distribute the film and drive the conversation forward. 'Twitter responded with enthusiasm and offered us the opportunity to buy a package to host the movie on a dedicated event page,' he added, saying that as part of the deal, Twitter would promote the Twitter Space event to users during its first 10 hours, so that it would get more exposure. 'We accepted and signed an agreement,' Boreing said, before revealing how the newly announced nixing came to be. 'After we signed, Twitter asked to see the film to better understand what parts may "trigger" users, so they could better prepare their response. 'They said they were still all hands on deck for launch, so we sent them a screener.' Once the film got into the Silicon Valley firm's hands, Boreing said, the deal fell apart. Using Musk's platform to announce the development, Boering recounted the behind-closed doors saga that predated it - while vowing to still screen the 95-minute film free of charge despite alleged promises from Twitter to 'throttle it' Using Musk's platform to announce the development, Boering recounted the behind-closed doors saga that predated it - while vowing to still screen the 95-minute film free of charge despite alleged promises from Twitter to 'throttle it' 'After reviewing the film,' he explained, 'Twitter let us know that not only could we no longer purchase the package they offered, they would no longer provide us any support and would actually limit the reach of the film and label it as "hateful conduct" because of "misgendering." 'Specifically,' he said, laying out the aforementioned scenes staffers took issue with while using the film subjects' nonpreferred pronoun, 'In the film, a father refers to his 14-year-old daughter as "her,' and a store owner uses the 'wrong' pronoun in a confrontation with a trans person.' The latter aforementioned altercation occurred after the transgender woman saw this sign hanging in the proprietor's store. The Daily Wire said Thursday the refused to remove the scene solely to move the screening forward. Boreing said: 'We reminded Twitter they removed 'misgendering' from their policy, that the term 'misgendering' itself is misleading, and that enforcing such a policy places them on the side of the most radical elements in society - the side most opposed to their commitment to free speech. 'Twitter clarified they only removed "misgendering" from their policy because they didn't need to be that specific, but that they still consider "misgendering" abuse and harassment,' Boreing added, revealing he turned down a chance to edit the scenes. When he asked how much staffers at the overhauled site would work to limit the the Twitter room's visibility if they posted a link anyway, Boreing claimed he was told it would not turn up on any of the Daily Wire's roughly 1.6million followers' respective feeds. 'When we asked how much they would limit the visibility if we posted the film anyway, Twitter replied that our own followers would not be able to see it in their feeds,' Boreing said. 'This, they said, is part of their speech not reach policy,' he added, referring to one of the new tenets of Musk's self professed Twitter 2.0, which involves restricting the reach of tweets that violate their policies instead of outright pulling them. Boreing pointed out what he claimed to be hypocrisies with the new speech standard. 'Of course, saying "you have the right to speak, but we'll make sure no one hears you' is a bit like saying 'you have the right to cast a vote, but we'll make sure it isn't counted." 'That's not a right at all,' he wrote, before accusing both Twitter and Musk of joining 'the ranks of the other tech superpowers in ensuring one side of the debate is suppressed.' Boreing, however, added that Musk - an outspoken libertarian who over the years has become increasingly right-leaning - 'is not beholden to conservatives', and thus has no official obligation to air the film. The exec went on to cite that a series of test posts containing scenes Twitter staffers had deemed problematic 'were indeed labeled hateful conduct' with their share functions disabled The film features interviews with polarizing figured such as Jordan Peterson, who earlier this year claimed that being transgender is a result of a 'contagion' 'He has the right to run his business as he sees fit,' Boreing explained. 'But if Twitter is going to throttle one side of one of the most important debates facing society, it cannot claim to champion free speech.' He added: 'I hope @elonmusk will reconsider this awful policy. If we can't debate these issues on Twitter, where can we debate them? 'If conservatives aren't welcome on Twitter, where are they welcome? It's unlikely another centibillionaire will come along to offer an alternative.' Amid this uncertainty over the screening, Boreing insisted: We plan to post the movie anyway tonight at 8:00 pm eastern. 'Will Twitter make good on their threat to throttle it and label it 'hateful conduct,' or will Twitter live up to its great promise? We'll all find out together.' Musk has yet to respond to Boreing's public inquiry. A woman who claimed for years to be the secret mother of Vladimir Putin has died in poverty age 97, it was revealed today. Vera Putina for decades said the Russian President was her son, born to her after she had an affair with a married man. The dictator has never publicly acknowledged these claims, despite the woman producing pictures of her son, which showed an uncanny resemblance to the now 70-year-old Russian leader. Vera had lived in the extremely poor village of Metekhi in the former Soviet state of Georgia. She claimed she gave away the Russian leader when he was just 10 years old. The woman first came forward with the claims in 1999, however, Putin wrote in his autobiography wrote that he was born and brought up in St Petersburg by a woman called Maria and his father, also called Vladimir Putin. Vera Putina for decades said Vladmir Putin, born to her after she had an affair with a married man In photos Vera's son looks uncanny to the Russian leader, who has always denied her claims Putin wrote in his autobiography wrote that he was born and brought up in St Petersburg by a woman called Maria and his father, also called Vladimir Putin The Russian leader claimed both of his parents had died from cancer in the 1990s. But details of the leader's childhood have been extremely hard to come by, with often the main sources for his early life being Putin himself. Vera, who nicknamed Putin Vova, said he had never forgiven her after he was sent to his grandparents in Ochyor, Russia and never came back. When Putin's 'secret mother' died this week, she had not had contact with him for 60 years. Sources in Georgia confirmed to The Sun that Vera had died of 'old age' in the capital Tbilisi. She was then buried in her native village of Metekhi on Tuesday. She alleged he was the couple's third son, with both of his older brothers had died, one in infancy and one of starvation. Records from the achieves of the the closet town to Metekhi, show a Vladmir Putin was registered at a village school from 1959 to 1960 and was born Georgian, not Russian. She claimed her time looking after young Putin ended after she fled his drunken father-in-law to her Russian parents. After she reconciled with her husband, she allegedly asked for Putin back, but her parents did not want to let the young boy go instead insisting 'they would take good care of him'. A photo of Vladimir Putin when he was just a toddler at two-years-old Records from the achieves of the the closet town to Metekhi, show a Vladmir Putin was registered at a village school from 1959 to 1960 and was born Georgian, not Russian Vera's account is at odds with 70-year-old Putin's that claims he was born in 1952 in Leningrad - now known as St Petersburg. She told The Sun in one of her last interviews: 'My dream is not to die without Vova seeing me and talking to me at least once. 'I often see him in my dreams, but he doesn't want to talk to me. Both in life and in dreams, he is upset about what I did, he cannot forgive me'. The Kremlin has dismissed these claims. Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, previously said: 'The story is not true. It does not correspond to reality at all.' Rishi Sunak has said Ukraine's 'righful place' is in NATO after the PM met Volodymyr Zelensky at a summit of European leaders in Moldova, just 50 miles from war-torn Ukraine. Kyiv has long called for Ukraine to be admitted to Nato, but allies are divided about when and how any accession might happen as the war with Russia continues. Mr Sunak, speaking to broadcasters at the European Political Community summit, gave little further detail of the UK position on the Ukrainian path to membership. 'I agree with the Nato Secretary General that Ukraine's rightful place is in Nato and what we are also talking to Ukraine about right now is making sure they have all the support they need for a successful counteroffensive,' the Prime Minister said. The gathering, on the border of Ukraine, comes ahead of a key meeting of Nato leaders in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July. Mr Sunak, speaking to broadcasters at the European Political Community summit, gave little further detail of the UK position on the Ukrainian path to membership 'I agree with the Nato Secretary General that Ukraine's rightful place is in Nato and what we are also talking to Ukraine about right now is making sure they have all the support they need for a successful counteroffensive,' the Prime Minister said Mr Sunak also said he was 'proud' of the UK's record in supporting Ukraine, adding: 'We want to make sure we put in place security arrangements for Ukraine for the long term, so we send a very strong signal to Vladimir Putin that we are not going anywhere, we are here to stay and we will continue backing Ukraine - not just now, but for years into the future' Mr Sunak also said he was 'proud' of the UK's record in supporting Ukraine, adding: 'We want to make sure we put in place security arrangements for Ukraine for the long term, so we send a very strong signal to Vladimir Putin that we are not going anywhere, we are here to stay and we will continue backing Ukraine - not just now, but for years into the future.' The UK has been among the most vocal backers of Ukrainian requests for support in the face of the Russian assault since last year's invasion. Mr Sunak, in a tweet, said it was 'always a privilege' to meet Mr Zelensky. He wrote: 'We're working with international partners to ensure Ukraine has the combat air capability needed to repel ongoing Russian aggression.' The Government has also offered support to Moldova, amid ongoing tensions with Moscow. 'As the first British Prime Minister to visit Moldova, I'm pleased to announce new support to aid them in the face of Russian aggression,' Mr Sunak tweeted on Thursday. 'Moldova is not alone.' Mr Sunak will tomorrow discuss with his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez how they can keep up the momentum on tackling illegal migration waiter serves drinks to Rishi Sunak and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky The PM has already agreed a major deal with France to stop small boats The Prime Minister previously said he wanted to use a meeting of the new European Political Community to urge closer co-operation in securing the continent's borders. He arrived in the capital Chisinau - around 50 miles from the Ukraine border - this morning, ahead of the start of negotiations on an agreement to return illegal immigrants to Moldova. He is also expected to confirm that a similar deal with Georgia has come into force. Mr Sunak will also launch a partnership, including intelligence-sharing with Bulgaria, aimed at destroying the business model of the organised criminal gangs behind the people-smuggling trade. The Eastern European country is at the crossroads of two major routes as well as a key entry point for the dinghies used to cross the English Channel. But it came as Labour suggested the cost of looking after migrants arriving in the UK has quadrupled since the Tories came into power. The cost of the asylum system was 550m in 2012 but had risen to 2.1bn by 2021, according to figures first published by the Guardian. Rishi Sunak will use a meeting of the new European Political Community to urge closer co-operation in securing the continent's borders A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, onboard a Border Force vessel after being rescued during a small boat incident in the Channel, May 19, 2023 A roundtable discussion will be led by the PM where he will stress the need to deal with immigration crime as well as supporting countries suffering from Russian aggression including not only Ukraine but also Moldova which is now home to thousands of refugees who have fled the war. Mr Sunak, who has made 'stopping the boats' before next year's general election one of his five pledges to voters, said last night: 'Europe is facing unprecedented threats at our borders. 'From Putin's utter contempt of other countries' sovereignty to the rise in organised immigration crime across our continent. Zelensky makes new plea for European weapons Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took his quest for more arms and support to a sprawling summit of some 50 European leaders in Moldova on Thursday, becoming the focal point of an event that seeks to quell regional conflicts and shore up unity in the face of Russia's war. The meeting of the pan-continental European Political Community, which embraces all European nations other than Russia and Belarus, gathered the heads of state and government from 47 countries but its attention was on the continent's south and east - a region pushed to a turning point in its relationship with Moscow because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year. The 27-nation EU wants to use the summit to reach out to many Eastern European countries that spent decades either within the Soviet Union or under its immediate sphere of influence, and to bolster the continent's unified response to Russian aggression. The choice to hold the summit in Moldova, a former Soviet republic of around 2.6 million people, is seen as a message to the Kremlin both from the EU and the pro-Western Moldovan government, which received EU candidate status in June of last year at the same time as Ukraine. As he arrived, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell noted the significance of the summit's location, only around 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Ukraine's border. 'It's important that this message reaches Russia,' Borrell said. 'Russia is not here, not because we don't want to invite Russia, but because Putin's Russia was excluded from this community by launching this attack, this war - unjustified - against Ukraine.' Moldova, Europe's poorest country which is cradled by Ukraine on three sides, aspires to join the EU by the end of the decade, and has consistently signaled its support for Ukraine and taken in refugees fleeing the war. Zelenskyy was the first foreign leader to arrive at Thursday's summit venue, a 19th-century castle and vineyard around 35 kilometers (21 miles) from the capital, Chisinau. Dressed in his trademark olive green shirt and cargo pants, he thanked the Moldovan people for hosting Ukrainian refugees, and said both Ukraine and Moldova were destined to work 'shoulder to shoulder' for EU membership. 'What is very important: our future in the EU,' he said, adding that his country is ready to enter NATO whenever the Western military alliance is ready to accept it. Advertisement 'We cannot address these problems without Europe's governments and institutions working closely together. 'The security of our borders must be top of the agenda. The UK will be at the heart of this international effort to stop the boats.' The EPC was proposed by French president Emmanuel Macron a year ago to improve co-operation between countries both within and outside of the EU, in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and met for the first time in Prague last October during Liz Truss's brief premiership. Britain will host a meeting of the forum in a year's time, following one in Spain this autumn. Mr Sunak will today discuss with his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez how they can keep up the momentum on tackling illegal migration. The PM has already agreed a major deal with France to stop small boats and secured a returns agreement with Albania that has led to more than 1,000 Albanians being sent home. His flagship Illegal Migration Bill will prevent anyone who has entered the UK without authorisation from claiming asylum, and will instead mean they are detained then removed. However, Mr Sunak will tell today's gathering of almost 50 European leaders about the 'devastating humanitarian impact' of illegal migration, No 10 said, and will 'emphasise the need for all countries to grip this problem with a lawful and compass- ionate approach'. The number of small boat migrants who have crossed the Channel so far this year stands at just over 7,600 down 21 per cent on the same period last year. Official Home Office figures show 7,610 arrivals since January 1 excluding any unconfirmed number who reached Britain yesterday compared with 9,577 at the same point last year. Officials say it is too early to tell whether the decline is simply down to weather conditions. But if numbers are still down in one month's time, ministers may be able to claim that tough-talking policies combined with increased police activity against traffickers is beginning to have a deterrent effect. By the end of June last year, there had been more than 12,700 arrivals. The department's official projections set out a worst-case scenario of 85,000 migrants crossing the Channel this year, after a record 45,700 reached UK shores during 2022. A crucial ruling on the Rwanda asylum deal is due from the Court of Appeal within weeks. If judges decide the policy is lawful throwing out arguments made by the Public and Commercial Services trade union, a number of migrant charities and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees there is a possibility that removals flights to Africa could begin soon after. Home Office sources have indicated that charter flights to Kigali could begin even before the launch of any further appeal to the Supreme Court. Yesterday it emerged that the PCS union, which represents 16,000 Home Office workers, has threatened industrial action if they lose in the courts. In a 911 call her driver described the moment shooters fired more than 20 rounds A social media personality was killed when her Uber was ambushed by multiple gunmen as she was making her way home from a notorious Atlanta strip club where she had been dancing. In a panicked 911 call, the Uber driver, fearful to look out of the car and expose himself to gunfire, told an officer, 'Somebody in my car is shot'. Teisha Brewley, 31, was in the back of his Chevrolet Escalade at around 4.30am Tuesday when the car came under fire from shooters in two vehicles who collectively fired more than 20 rounds, according to the driver. Brewley, a Guyanese influencer who went by the name Tavi Badiee, had been on her way from the famous strip club Allure, where she danced regularly, to her home in the wealthy Buckhead neighborhood in the north of the city, Channel 2 Action News reported. Police say they believe it was targeted attack but no suspects have been identified. The deadly attack comes just months after a senate committee rejected a proposal for the neighborhood to secede from Atlanta - a move driven by conservative residents who claimed the Democratic-run city wasn't doing enough to fight crime. Teisha Brewley, 31, was fatally shot in the back of an Uber while on her way from an Atlanta strip club in which she had been dancing Multiple shooters in two cars fired more than 20 rounds at the 2018 Chevrolet Escalade, the Uber driver said The Uber driver told Channel 2 Action News that after he picked Brewley up from the club he was immediately tailed by two cars and that after driving for around a mile shooters, from both cars opened fire. A recording of the phone conversation in which the Uber driver, who was uninjured, called 911 after his car was showered in bullets was released by the Atlanta Police Department Wednesday. When the dispatch officer answered the phone, the driver told her: 'I'm in the road, somebody shot us.' The officer pressed for his location but he was fearful of peering out of the car to read the street signs. 'I don't know where I am,' he said. 'I am scared, somebody will shot.' 'Somebody killed in my car,' he said in a thick accent. When asked for the address again, he said: 'You want me to get out the car and see?' When asked if Brewley was breathing, he replied: 'Yeah. I see some breathing.' When EMS crews eventually arrived they found 'a female with multiple gunshot wounds' and 'pronounced the victim deceased', police said in a statement. Brewley's death came just days after she celebrated her 31st birthday. Various clips posted to her Instagram profile showed she was performing at Allure hours before the ambush. Originally from Georgetown, Guyana, she was said to have moved to Atlanta with her brother. In Georgia, she worked as a dancer and OnlyFans model and occasionally starred in her own rap music videos. Guyanese news outlet Stabroek News referred to her by another name, Tisha Brodie. No suspects have been publicly identified by the Atlanta Police Department, but a spokesperson said they believe it was a targeted attack Brewley is pictured celebrating her 31st birthday just days before the shooting. She was originally from Georgetown, Guyana, and moved to Atlanta with her brother In Georgia, Brewley worked as a dancer and OnlyFans model, and occasionally starred in music videos In a separate call released by police a security company called on behalf of a man who they say ordered the Uber. The caller says they received a 'mobile panic alert for a Uber customer, he stated he ordered a Uber for a friend that hasn't arrived to his location yet and the driver's location is showing to be in one spot for a long period of time'. 'Right now, this appears to be a targeted incident,' Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr. of the Atlanta Police said. 'We don't have much to give out, various witnesses have said there's some time of sedan. Just due to the day light and the night time, the lights at night, we don't really know the vehicle color. It might be a light colored sedan,' he said. 'We are just asking anyone who saw anything, heard anything, to call Crime Stoppers, where they can remain anonymous,' he added. The driver's car came to a halt in the middle of Lindbergh Drive near Adina Drive, just one block from where Brewley lived, residents told Channel 2 Action News. One woman who heard the shots said she stayed at the scene after talking to police the Brewley's brother. He told her he didn't know anyone who would want to hurt his sister. 'Turns out she only lives on the next block,' witness Johari Humbles said. 'So she's less than a block away from home at that red light.' Another witness, Nic Taylor, told the station he didn't see who was following the black Escalade but the gunshots woke him up. 'It sounded like a war was going on outside,' he said 'I was shook. I mean, usually, when you hear gunshots, it's just like, "Pow, pow, pow," and it's over with, a quick little two seconds, but that sounded like a good 20 seconds.' The stretch of road on which the Escalade was stopped at the time of the ambush is one of the busiest in the Lindridge-Martin Manor neighborhood of northeast Atlanta, part of greater Buckhead. Allure, the infamous Cheshire Bridge Road strip club, is famous for hosting numerous celebrities including Drake, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. The club opened in 2018 and since then has also been the site of various shootings and violent crimes. Allure, where Brewley had been dancing on the night she died, posted a tribute to her on Instagram and announced a candlelight vigil in her honor at 8.30pm Thursday The notorious Allure strip club in Atlanta has hosted celebrities like Drake, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion since it opened in 2018 but been the site of multiple shootings this year alone Megan Thee Stallion is pictured making an appearance at the Atlanta strip club Allure in August 2020 Locals have petitioned for the club to have its license revoked, citing gunfire, crime, noise, litter and traffic, according to a petition on Change.org that was started in 2018 when the club first opened. On May 12, a security guard at the club was shot by a man in a nearby car park, but he survived with only graze wounds, Fox5 reported at the time. In March, a 25-year-old man was fatally shot outside the club when confronted by a group of men, 11Alive reported. Last April a new effort was launched to close the club after a gunfight involving '30 or 40 bullets' terrified neighbors. One resident told Channel 2 Action News at the time: 'You are awakened to gunfire in the middle of the morning and are having to dive on top of your children to protect them from bullets that are flying.' Allure posted a tribute to Brewley on Instagram and announced a candlelight vigil in her honor outside the club at 8.30pm Thursday. A black bear cub shocked a man relaxing outside his house in Asheville, North Carolina on Wednesday. The cub quietly padded toward David Oppenheimer, who was sitting on a chair outside his home, drinking a coffee and looking at his phone. Oppenheimer's home security camera captured the incident that saw the man remain completely unaware that the bear was moving toward him until the little bear's nose is just inches from his perched foot. When he does notice what's going on, Oppenheimer gasps and jumps in surprise before fast regaining his composure and beginning to comfort the bear, who also seemed to be startled. The young bear startled David Oppenheimer who had his guard down while checking his phone and drinking coffee outside his house 'Hi bear,' he said to the animal that had taken a few steps back. 'We're going to be famous,' he added, perhaps alluding to his immediately developed plans to post the clip online. Oppenheimer then whips out his phone and begins to capture the bear as it navigates how to proceed. 'It's okay, I didn't mean to scare you,' he said softly, then telling the young bear: 'You shouldn't come this way.' After pausing for a few seconds, Oppenheimer asked the bear, 'Which way should I go?' seemingly looking for a cue from the cub about where to move next. 'It's okay, you can walk by,' he cooed to the timid animal, who ultimately took him up on the offer and meandered past Oppenheimer's chair and onto his deck. The bear sniffs around, circles the deck and stands up on its back legs a few times before the video ends. In Asheville, NC, where this encounter occurred, black bear residents of the territory begin making themselves known to locals in the post-hibernation springtime period. In most cases, experts say there's no reason to call for assistance simply due to a bear sighting. The young bear is seen approaching David Oppenheimer. It was able to get just inches from him before the man noticed its presence The bear inspected Oppenheimer's coffee mug before making its way onto his deck The young bear explored the deck for a while before deciding not to dwell there 'If you live in Asheville, you live in Bear Country so there's no reason to call just because you see a bear,' said Ashley Hobbs, special projects biologist for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. 'Bears should just be moving through your community and not sticking around so theres no reason to alert us,' Hobbs told the Citizen Times. 'But if you did have something where a bear was approaching people or its lost its fear of people and is, for example, coming up on the porch and trying to get into doors, things of that nature, then you should definitely give the Wildlife Commission a call.' A newly-engaged attorney who is suspected of raping four women while he was a student in Boston has agreed to be extradited back to Massachusetts after the FBI arrested him outside his luxury New Jersey apartment. Matthew Nilo, 35, of Weehawken, New Jersey, was seen in a Hudson County courtroom after his arrest on Tuesday over alleged attacks on four victims in the Terminal Street area of the Charlestown neighborhood in Boston in 2007 and 2008. He was wearing a navy blue prison jumpsuit and gray t-shirt as he arrived in court, as seen in photos obtained by Fox News. The cyber attorney has been charged with aggravated rape, two counts of kidnapping, one count of assault with intent to rape, and one count of indecent assault and battery. On Thursday, he waived his extradition after making an initial appearance in a New Jersey courtroom. He will be brought back to Boston, where he used to live in the North End district, to be arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court. Police said all four attacks have been connected through DNA, which was identified through the genealogy database 23 and Me after family members voluntarily sent samples, according to Fox News. Nilo was nabbed by the FBI and cops outside his swanky apartment on Harbor Boulevard, where he lives with his fiance, after he was 'called down to the front desk of his residence and told that a large package had been delivered to him that did not fit in the facility's lockers where the residents pick up packages,' an affidavit revealed. Matthew Nilo, 35, appeared in a New Jersey court on Thursday after being arrested on Tuesday The cyber attorney has been charged with aggravated rape, two counts of kidnapping, one count of assault with intent to rape, and one count of indecent assault and battery Nilo, who once lived in the North End, was arrested at his home in Weehawken, New Jersey, on Tuesday, more than 15 years after he allegedly terrorized four victims in the Terminal Street area After he came downstairs, he was taken into custody and waived his Miranda rights before his four alleged victims were notified, according to the Boston Globe. The Sexual Assault Kit Initiative - a federal program designed to help process a backlog of rape kits - was used in the investigation after the Boston Police Department reached out in October. By April, Nilo had been identified as a suspect, according to FBI Special Agent Joseph R. Bonavolonta said. The agent told a press conference the four victims have been 'waiting years' to learn the identity of their alleged assailant. 'We certainly realize that identifying this individual does not ease their pain nothing can, but hopefully, it answers some questions,' Bonavolonta said on Tuesday. On Thursday, he waived his extradition after making an initial appearance in a New Jersey courtroom. He will be brought back to Boston, where he used to live in the North End district, to be arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court Several photos posted to Nilo's Facebook page at the time showed him living a life full of parties and drinking with his friends In one of his old photos, he was caught peeing in a hallway 'Today's arrest is the direct result of the FBI's use of investigative genetic genealogy, a unique method used to generate new leads in unsolved sex assaults.' In addition, since the revelation, his employer Cowbell Cyber - whom he started working for in January - have suspended him. The insurance company told DailyMail.com: 'Matthew Nilo was an employee of Cowbell and was hired in January, 2023 after passing our background check. 'Mr Nilo's employment at Cowbell has been suspended pending further investigation.' Prior to Tuesday's arrest, Nilo only had a brush with the law in 2008, where he was charged with a misdemeanor for drug possession and was given pretrial probation before the charge was ultimately dismissed, the Boston Globe reported. Nilo has reportedly been suspended by his employer Cowbell in light of the investigation At the time of his 2008 arrest, he was listed as living on Commercial Street and worked as a cashier in a bagel shop. In addition, his probation docket noted he would be allowed to travel to the University of Wisconsin for school as long as he attended five AA meetings. He had been arrested after being pulled over for a defective headlight on July 12, 2008 and an officer noticed a bag and the smell of marijuana in the car, the Globe reported. Several photos posted to Nilo's Facebook page at the time showed him living a life full of parties and drinking with his friends. Nilo's LinkedIn paints a different picture than a man accused of rape. According to Nilo's Linkedin profile, before he started at Cowbell he was an associate at Atheria Law in New York for three years, after working for Clyde & Co in San Francisco, California for more than five years. He studied for a doctorate at the University of San Francisco School of Law from 2012 until 2015, after graduating with a Psychology degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2010. Nilo was studying at the latter college when the alleged crimes took place. A former coworker of his told WCVS that it was 'very shocking' to see Nilo's arrest as he was a 'was normal, a good-looking kid that did well at anything he put his mind to.' Sir, It is evident that graduands are gradually finding it harder to grind their way through local tertiary institutions as inadequate funding of the institutions continues to compromise the quality of the programmes on offer. The minister of Education and Training should be a very worried woman when key institutions under her watch seem to be crumbling brick by brick, day-by-day. These are institutions responsible for ensuring we have a better educated citizenry tomorrow. Universities The number of universities in the country has increased and at one stage some colleges were in the process of transforming into universities. However, this increase is hardly being matched by the desired scholarships needed to make it sustainable for them. For instance, we now have a medical university, which is an essential institution for a country that has to produce medical practitioners in ways that could drastically reduce the high cost of overseas scholarships for such programmes and ensure we have enough doctors and specialists. Government had great appetite for this project initially having calculated the benefits. Agreements were signed and this made the project viable. However, there suddenly appears to be a total lack of commitment by government to take full advantage of this initiative as financial support for this institution has dwindled sharply. Dream One could expect that the minister would wish to see this dream become a reality under her tenure. Government stands accused of not sufficiently funding the transformation of colleges. Students continue to have running battles with their administrations over funding issues that have seen experienced lecturers depart and programmes not sufficiently funded. All this flied in the face of governments talk of meeting First World targets of building more universities and increasing access for students. But by the look of things, it would appear government is driving all these institutions to privatise. This wouldnt be such a bad idea as government has too many parastatals to subvent anyway and has to find ways to cut this number down because it can hardly keep up with costs. What will most likely follow with our tertiary institutions is the commercialisation of the scholarship fund. In fact this has been suggested in the past. Maybe its time that universities in the country adopted a business model and stop relying on government subventions. Three activists who have been helping protesters of Atlanta's new proposed police and fire training center have been arrested for money laundering and charity fraud. Marlon Scott Kautz, 39, Savannah D. Patterson, 30, and Adele Maclean, 42, were arrested in a dramatic raid on Wednesday at their home. They are leaders of the Atlanta Solidarity Fund that supports the movement against the planned center, which opponents call 'Cop City.' Activists have been trying to block the construction of the police training site since it was announced by then-mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, in 2021. That facility would cover 85 acres of the of forestland south east of Atlanta. Activists have argued the $90million project will irrevocably destroy the local environment and also strengthen the police. Three activists who have been aiding jailed protesters of a planned police training site in Georgia were arrested in a raid on Wednesday Marlon Scott Kautz, 39, Adele Maclean, 42, and Savannah D. Patterson, 30, are charged with money laundering and charity fraud The home where the activists were taken into custody is owned by Kautz and MacLean. Its walls feature messages like 'NO COPS,' and 'COP WATCH' The Fund, part of the Network for Strong Communities, has provided bail funds and other legal resources to protesters. 'The GBI, along w/ the Atlanta Police Department, have arrested three people on charges stemming from the ongoing investigation of individuals responsible for numerous criminal acts at the future site of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center & other metro Atlanta locations,' the Georgia Bureau of Investigations said on Wednesday. Footage of the raid posted online shows at least 10 officers in full gear and with their weapons out entering the activists' home east of downtown Atlanta. The home where the activists were taken into custody is owned by Kautz and MacLean. Its walls feature messages like 'NO COPS,' and 'COP WATCH.' The attorney for Kautz, Patterson and Maclean, Don Samuel, told the Associated Press on Wednesday that he had not yet seen the arrest warrants and was trying to determine the basis for the charges. 'I know what the crimes are that are alleged, but I dont know exactly what the states alleging that these three people did or how they supposedly engaged in charity fraud,' he said. The activists' arrest warrants, seen by DailyMail.com, accuse the trio of 'misleading by using funds collected through the State Registered 501c(3) Network for Strong Communities (NFSC) to fund the actions in part of Defend the Atlanta Forest (DTAF), a group classified by the United States Department of Homeland Security as Domestic Violence Extremists.' Prosecutors say the group used funds from the Network for Strong Communities to provide assistance to members of DTAF. The group is accused of using the funds to buy building and camping supplies, gasoline, signs, COVID tests and forest clean-up supplies. The activist groups are protesting construction of an 85-acre police training facility planned to be built in forestlands southeast of Atlanta, Georgia A Bank of America Office (left) spray-painted by activists in response to plans to build a huge police training facility in Atlanta DTAF said on Instagram that the arrests were 'another desperate and tactless move by the state to squash a rapidly expanding social movement.' In March, Kautz told Atlanta News First that the Atlanta Solidarity Fund was raising money to help protestors of 'Cop City' to post bail. 'As far as we can tell all of the people arrested yesterday were bystanders who were effectively participating in a music festival,' he said. DailyMail.com has reached out to the Atlanta Solidarity Fund and the Georgia Bureau of Investigations for comment. Georgia governor Brian Kemp celebrated the arrest on social media on Wednesday. 'Were proud to share that those who backed their illegal action are also under arrest and will face justice,' he said. 'These criminals facilitated and encouraged domestic terrorism with no regard for others, watching as communities faced the destructive consequences of their actions.' 'Todays announcement is a reminder that we will track down every member of a criminal organization, from violent foot soldiers to their uncaring leaders. We will not rest until they are arrested, tried, and face punishment.' DeKalb County District Attorney, on her part, said in a statement that she believes in the right to peacefully protest and the right for organizations to choose to operate legal bail funds. However, she said she does not condone 'violence or threats of violence or 'Crimes, such as money laundering and charity fraud, to support any illegal acts will not be tolerated.' Lauren Regan, executive director of the Civil Liberties Defense Center, called the arrests an 'extreme provocation' in a statement. Back in March, the Atlanta Police Department released shocking footage showed the moment protesters dressed in all black broke into the site for the planned police training center In April, environmental activist Manuel Paez Teran, 26, was shot 57 times and killed while protesting the site 'Bailing out protestors who exercise their constitutionally protected rights is simply not a crime, Regan said. In fact, it is a historically grounded tradition in the very same social and political movements that the city of Atlanta prides itself on. Someone had to bail out civil rights activists in the 60s I think we can all agree that community support isnt a crime.' Back in March, the Atlanta Police Department released shocking footage showed the moment protesters dressed in all black broke into the construction site for the planned police training center. Nearly 150 rioters were seen entering the site and immediately set off fireworks. In April, environmental activist Manuel Paez Teran, 26, was shot 57 times and killed while protesting the site. Activists have been smashing windows and damaging offices across the US as part of an ongoing protest against a proposal to build a sprawling police training facility in a forest outside Atlanta. Members of the Stop Cop City movement have claimed credit for vandalism in 19 states in the last nine months, targeting businesses like Amazon, Porsche, and Wells Fargo. The group has said they target businesses based on their affiliation with the Atlanta Police Foundation and the proposed facility known as Cop City. Now, Bluesky, a Twitter spin off, has recorded over 100,000 new users and Twitter users are now posting asking for exclusive codes to join the new site Twitter users are desperate for invite-only codes to move away from the Elon Musk-owned social media platform and join Jack Dorsey's rival platform Bluesky. Bluesky, set up in 2019 by former Twitter boss Dorsey, has recently attracted over 100,000 users to the platform which currently operates on rare invite codes. At an event hosted by Bluesky, the Wall Street Journal reported that attendees were hungry for codes to join the platform that was spun out of Twitter in 2021. The newspaper reported that groups had gathered around employees at the tech event in San Francisco who handed out codes written on tiny pieces of paper. Since Musk took charge of the company in October of last year for $44 billion, the popular site has seen finances plummet, big names leave and major glitches. Jack Dorsey, pictured here in 2021, set up Bluesky in 2019 when he was in charge of Twitter as part an Twitter's value is now just one-third of what it was when CEO Elon Musk purchased it in, some $15 billion compared to its sticker price of $45 billion last year In their financial disclosure report released Tuesday, Fidelity estimates their stake in X Holdings Corp - Musk's investment group - at $6,554,644. Bluesky was designed with the intention of becoming a decentralized social media and not to be owned by one organization. The site is incredibly similar to Twitter in that it allows users to interact with one another who share posts similar to tweets. On Twitter, users asking for Bluesky codes has risen also with some people Tweeting out looking to join the platform. One tweeted: 'Hello all. This is me, asking nicely if anyone has a BlueSky invite to bestow upon me. Thanks!' A recent valuation from Fidelity of its stake in the social-media giant showed that the company has hemorrhaged value as their piece - $20 million in October - now sits at just $6.55 million. Musk has repeatedly acknowledged that he overpaid for Twitter when he bought it in October for a whopping $44 billion. In late March, Musk stated he believed Twitter is worth 'less than half' of what it cost him to buy it in the fall. In a company-wide email, he said the social media giant lost so much money since his initial purchase that it was valued at just $20 billion. At the time, he also defended his decision to layoff thousands of employees to help cut costs and the sale of some assets. Earlier this week, Musk was targeted by left-wing Democraic Rep. Ocasio Cortez over a 'verified' account making fun of her. The politician said she was 'assessing' what to do after the billionaire replied to a tweet from the parody account, 'Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Press Release (parody).' On Twitter, the number of users asking for Bluesky codes has risen with people Tweeting out looking to join the platform In March, Musk said he believed Twitter is worth 'less than half ' of what it cost him to buy it Her message came after Musk replied to a tweet from the parody account, which wrote: 'This might be the wine talking but I've got a crush on @ElonMusk' On Tuesday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced she would bid adieu if Musk did not stop engaging and interacting with an account parodying her. 'FYI there's a fake account on here impersonating me and going viral,' AOC tweeted. 'The Twitter CEO has engaged it, boosting visibility.' She claimed the account was 'releasing false policy statements,' after previously tweeting about her boyfriend's farts and other issues. 'I am assessing with my team how to move forward,' Ocasio-Cortez said. 'In the meantime, be careful of what you see,' she warned her followers. Another hit came in the form of a massive tech glitch last week when Florida Governor Ron DeSantis attempted to announce his 2024 presidential run. DeSantis' attempt led to mass chaos as staff members scurried to get his planned Twitter Spaces announcement online as 500,000 people waited. Twitter's small Spaces staff numbers - originally 100 but now down to three - was blamed alongside a low server capacity. A decimated staff and shrinking server capacity has been blamed for the disaster presidential campaign launch by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (right) on Twitter Spaces Half a million people were waiting for more than 20 minutes for the event to start, and people who were able to join were frequently kicked out. In February it was announced that Twitter is facing lawsuits claiming more than $14million in unpaid bills from landlords and vendors. It was reported in December that Musk had stopped paying rent on the company's Seattle office. Former executives who were part of the mass terminations the day Musk took over, also filed a lawsuit in April against the company. They sued for more than $1million in legal bills. The news hasn't been all bad for Twitter since Musk's takeover with Former Fox host Tucker Carlson announcing plans for a new show on Twitter after he was terminated from the news network. Workers were warned to 'get away' from an 'unsafe' Iowa building just two days before it collapsed, leaving three people presumed dead and families praying for loved ones. Contractor Ryan Shaffer said he told people working near the apartment block in Davenport they were 'going to die' if they stayed there as he could see it creaking and brickwork tumbling. Meanwhile, an engineers' report written five days before the disaster warned the whole face of the building was on the brink of collapse and called for urgent repairs. The revelations have sparked fury from families who have questioned why residents were not evacuated before tragedy struck. Three men, Ryan Hitchcock, Branden Colvin and Daniel Prien, remain missing after the building at 324 Main Street collapsed Sunday. A survey of the apartment block in Davenport by firm Select Structural written just five days before the disaster found the whole face of the building was on the brink of collapse. The survey was released by the city Wednesday Officials are now searching for three missing men ahead of another collapse. Devina Colvin (right), wife of missing Branden Colvin, and son Branden Jr. (sleeping at left) are seen here outside a barrier prohibiting entry to the building Thursday as they await answers from city officials as to their loved one's fate At the de facto protest site Thursday was Branden Jr.'s younger brother - seen here holding a sign in protest of the city's lack of action Colvin's youngest son held a sign that said 'Where is my Dad?' outside the remains of the site Thursday. City officials have been slammed by families for making preparations for the building to be demolished before all are accounted for. Meanwhile, Quanishia White-Berry - better known to friends as Peach - had to have her leg amputated following a desperate rescue Monday. Davenport City Hall released hundreds of documents Wednesday, including reports warning the building was falling into disrepair, notices of violations, orders to vacate some apartments and resident complaints over the past three years. Among the filings is an engineering report by firm Select Structural - written five days before the building collapsed - warning urgent work was required 'to keep the entire face of the building from falling away'. Shaffer, who had been working on a nearby site, said he went to 324 Main Street two days before the disaster and - after seeing a pile of bricks on the ground - told workers around the site: 'Get away. You're going to die.' He said he returned the next day to see more bricks were missing and 'ran up' to a city cleaner working underneath the block and warned him: 'It's not safe. You gotta get out of here.' Wold has been cited for failing to maintain the structure in a safe and structurally sound condition, according to a court document filed by the city Tuesday. He is set to appear in court on June 9. Missing residents Branden Colvin (left) and Ryan Hitchcock (right) are presumed dead among the rubble, city officials said Thursday Eight people have been rescued from the rubble since the Davenport block collapsed Sunday A picture taken by contractor Ryan Shaffer before the building collapsed shows the facade of the building falling into disrepair Wold and the property management team released a statement that didn't address the violation but said their 'thoughts and prayers are with our tenants and families during this difficult time'. The damning dossiers have left city officials scrambling to provide answers to families demanding to know how the building could have been allowed to collapse while residents still lived there. At a press conference Thursday, city mayor Mike Matson said: 'I totally understand their anger. I totally understand their concern. I have the same anger and concern. 'We will continue to investigate.' Rich Oswald, Davenport's Director of Development and Neighborhood Services, said a building inspector who erroneously 'passed' recent repairs at the complex had now resigned. Oswald said the work should have been marked 'incomplete', explaining that although it was an 'administrative' error, 'the magnitude of the situation in the error that was made' meant the official had left their post. Rescue efforts have pulled eight people from the building since Sunday, but the operation was now a matter of 'recovery', Davenport Chief of Police Jeffery E. Bladel said Thursday. He said there was a 'high probability' the three missing men were 'within that collapsed space and all the information provided to us is that space is not sustainable to life'. Protesters held signs saying 'Find Them First' and 'Who is in the Rubble?' Some used a megaphone to shout out the names of residents. The building had 53 tenants in about 80 units, the police chief said In the days since the collapse, more than 100 residents have gathered at the site to protests a panned demolition of the unstable building - which remains up in the air as Colvin and Hitchock remain missing Families of those missing are at odds over whether the building should be demolished. Officials say it the block is 'still shifting' and is 'dangerous' - making recovery operations hazardous and increasing the likelihood that other parts of the building will collapse and put lives at risk. Plans to demolish the building, originally scheduled for Tuesday morning, are on hold. 'We're not anywhere near doing that right now,' Mayor Matson said. 'We are working on a timeline. We are reaching out to experts that have particular expertise in taking it down (in) a dignified and respectful way.' The family of Ryan Hitchcock say they have accepted the likelihood that he is dead and supports the city's plans to demolish the rest of the building to prevent further casualties. Relative Amy Anderson said at a news conference Tuesday: 'Ryan wouldn't want anyone else to put their lives at risk. 'I don't discount that he could be trapped under there miraculously. 'But we don't want to see any more families lose their lives or anybody else be injured in trying to remove that rubble and have anything fall.' But Branden Colvin's family disagrees. 'You know there are people still unaccounted for, but you want to tear down the building. What sense does that make?' Colvin's cousin Preston McDowell told CNN. 'They're not giving us any answers. I just don't get it.' A Christian monument at the heart of a Massachusetts college has been repeatedly vandalized with offensive slogans including 'Hail Satan' and 'Pagan Rule'. The Haystack Monument, which has stood in the center of Williams College campus since 1867, was graffitied with bright red spray paint late at night on May 13 and May 19. Carved in white marble, the 12-foot-tall historical pillar commemorates a prayer meeting held in 1806 by five undergraduates under the shelter of a haystack during a summer storm. The event led directly to the modern American Protestant movement of supporting overseas missionary work, according to the college's website. The Haystack Monument in Williams College, Massachusetts, was graffitied with bright red spray paint late at night on May 13 and May 19 Maud Mandel, the college's President, said in a message to staff and students that the graffiti constitutes a crime and police had been contacted. 'Just after Saturday midnight a Campus Safety officer, responding to a report, found that the Haystack Monument in Mission Park had been defaced with spray-painted graffiti,' she said on May 15. 'The graffiti included an obscenity along with the words and phrases Pagan Rule, Blood, Ouch, and Hail Satan. 'Damaging property is a violation of Williams policies and the law, and costs time and money to address. 'Campus Safety Services (CSS) will try to identify the person or people responsible. 'They will also alert the Williamstown Police.' Built 1867, the white marble pillar commemorates a prayer meeting held in 1806 which led to the modern American Protestant movement of overseas missionary work Haystack Monument before it was vandalized Mandel said staff removed much of the red paint the next day - only for it to reappear less than a week later. This time, the marble structure was defaced with the words: 'Hell is hot,' 'Shame on you,' and 'Ouch'. Following the second incident, Mandel said the college would increase patrols of the area 'immediately' and again notified police. She warned: 'If found, the people responsible will be held to account. 'Given that the Monument memorializes the Christian missionary movement, some people may experience these incidents as attacks on your religion or you personally. 'You belong here, and I will work for your and everyones right to a safe community.' Mandel urged anyone with information about the graffiti to come forward. Maud Mandel, the college's President, wrote messages to staff and students saying the vandalism is being treated seriously and police are involved This is not the first time the Haystack Monument has been defaced. According to student affairs newspaper The Williams Record, four visitors who said they were members of the clergy previously smeared mud on the pillar, and carved concentric circles around it in the dirt. The incident happened in broad daylight on a Sunday in September 2018. Located in rural Williamstown, close to the north-western border of MA, Williams College is among the oldest and most prestigious liberal arts schools in the country. The college is home to around 2,300 current students and has produced notable alumni including President James Garfield, investing billionaire Herbert Allen, Jr. and director John Frankenheimer. A US Marine Corps veteran who was arrested for allegedly plotting terror attacks had classified Defense Department materials on his hard drive. Jordan Duncan, 28, had the documentation on his computer when he was arrested in Idaho in October 2020, according to RawStory. The details of the materials have not yet been confirmed, but they were found along with documents detailing how to make bombs. Neither Duncan, a neo-Nazi, nor the Defense Department has provided any explanation as to how he obtained them. He served as a Russian linguist for the Marine Corps in electronic communications, though it is unclear if he passed on classified information to a foreign government. Jordan Duncan had the documentation on his computer when he was arrested in Idaho in October 2020 He served as a Russian linguist for the Marine Corps at Camp Lejeune in electronic communications, though it is unclear if he passed on classified information to a foreign government. Authorities arrested him in October 2020 and executed a search warrant at his apartment in Boise, where they seized an external hard drive. A federal prosecutor later informed a judge that investigators uncovered what 'appeared to be classified material'. Duncan has not been charged with any new indictments in relation to the classified documents. He has been charged in connection with a plot to damage a power grid somewhere in the northwest US, as well as planning to legally manufacture and sell guns. Along with Paul Kryscuk, 36, Liam Collins, 23 and Joseph Maurino, 25, Duncan researched and discussed a previous attack on a power grid by an unknown group. The incident saw the assailants use assault-style rifles in an attempt to explode a power substation, though the location of the attack has not been confirmed. Duncan, who was stationed at Camp Lejeune, in Jacksonville, North Carolina, gathered information on firearms, explosives and nerve toxins and shared it with Kryscuk and Collins. He joined a group organized by Collins, a fellow US Marine, who used a neo-nazi forum to recruit members for a 'modern-day SS', according to the indictment. Duncan joined a group organized by Collins (pictured) , a fellow US Marine, who used a neo-nazi forum to recruit members for a 'modern-day SS', according to the indictment. Alicia Garza, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter, was informed by the FBI that her name was on a list obtained during an investigation connected to the arrest of one of the Boise suspects Along with Paul Kryscuk, 36, Liam Collins, 23 and Joseph Maurino, 25, Duncan researched and discussed a previous attack on a power grid by an unknown group The Marines investigated Collins after media reports identified him as one of several former and active-duty service members who anonymously posted messages to the now-defunct Iron March neo-Nazi message board. After leaving the Marines in 2018, Duncan moved to Idaho and discussed the shooting of protesters with a group who watched the BLM rallies in Boise. In an Instagram chat on October, 1, 2020, Kryscuk and Duncan fantasized about shooting protesters in Boise, according to a federal indictment. Duncan: 'How the BSNs finna be pulling up to chipotle after hitting legs.' Kryscuk: 'Death squad. Assassins creed hoodies and suppressed 22 pistols.' FBI agents notified two BLM movement co-founders that their names were on a list kept by a different member of the paramilitary group. Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Kocher showed a judge a 90-second recruitment video in December 2020 that she said shows Duncan firing gunshots, participating in military-style exercises and flashing 'Heil Hitler' salutes with three other members. The entrance to Joint Base Cape Cod, where the suspect in an intelligence leak, Jack Douglas Teixeira, served as an Air National Guardsman An undated picture shows Jack Douglas Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the Air National Guard FBI agents arrest Jack Teixeira, an employee of the Air Force National Guard, in connection with an investigation into the leaks online of classified U.S. documents They were all wearing skull masks associated with a neo-Nazi group called Atomwaffen Division, the indictment says. Duncans' possession of classified information would be the second in recent months to rock the US, after a National Guard airman was arrested on suspicion of leaking top-secret Pentagon documents. Defense officials are now investigating how Jack Douglas Teixeira, 21, managed to first get access to and subsequently leak highly classified DoD and military secrets. The lowly airman with less than four years of military service was arrested as he read a book in the garden of his mother's home in Dighton, Massachusetts, about 50 miles south of Boston. Federal agents in an armored car and military gear swooped on Teixeira, with the episode embarrassing the US by revealing its spying on allies and purported Ukrainian military vulnerabilities. Viewers were shocked after The View's liberal panelist Joy Behar confronted her conservative cohost Alyssa Farah Griffin as the former Donald Trump staffer argued the Republican party backed LGBTQ rights. The audience was so stunned, in fact, it let out an audible gasp at Behar's comments. On Thursday, Griffin claimed the Republican party was in support of LGBT rights during a panel discussion, to which Behar retorted 'Yeah, but your party tends to steal elections.' The audience could be heard audibly gasping as Behar added 'They have more advanced ways of doing it, I bet.' Claims of election stealing were popularized by former President Donald Trump against Joe Biden and the Democratic Party. The false belief remains widely held among Republican voters. The discussion of LGBT rights took place on ABC's The View at the start of LGBT Pride Month. Griffin, a former Donald Trump staffer, argued that young right-wing voters support queer rights and Behar argued that the Republican party was targeting the gay and trans communities. 'I think they're using it as a political cudgel to vilify one group of people unifies all these other people,' Behar said of anti-trans and anti-drag laws introduced by conservative lawmakers. She then asked the panel if they felt America may soon rival Russia by limiting LGBT freedoms. 'The answer is no, and those on the right who are targeting the LGBTQ+ community are on the wrong side of history,' Griffin replied. 'The facts bear it out. Eight in 10 Americans favor more laws to protect the LGBTQ+ community from discrimination 67 percent of those are Republicans. 'The biggest voting block in 2024 will be millennials and Gen Zers, we are the generation of marriage equality. We are the generation of freedom. We're not going backward on these issues' she said. Griffin claimed the Republican party was in support of LGBT rights during a panel discussion The discussion of LGBT rights took place on ABC's The View at the start of LGBT Pride Month The View co-host Sunny Hostin claimed that some white Republican women want to 'protect the patriarchy' because it benefits them Adding: 'To anyone in my party, it's not where the majority of the country is, and it's such an egregious misreading.' Behar then retorted, 'Yeah, but your party tends to steal elections. They have more advanced ways of doing it, I bet.' Griffin did not directly disagree with Bahr, instead responding: 'Well, they tried. They didn't, though. It reminds me of my favorite person in the bible, Ecclesiastes, who says there's nothing new under the sun. 'This has been tried. It's fear-mongering. It's trying to target the minority within the minority to create fear and stoke it. It will not work.' The incident marks the second time this week The View has drawn controversy over comments made by its hosts. On Tuesday The View co-host Sunny Hostin claimed that some white Republican women want to 'protect the patriarchy' because it benefits them. The comments were made during a discussion of a Washington Post article about female voters in Pennsylvania who said they will still vote for former president Trump even after he was found liable for sexual assault and defamation. 'I think that women, white women in particular, want to protect this patriarchy here because it's to their benefit,' Hostin said. 'They want to make sure their husbands do well. They want to make sure their sons do well. They want to make sure their children do well. They want to make sure they do well,' Hostin explained. She added that 'most of the women in some of these studies are married, white women' who 'fall in line with what their husbands are doing, how their husbands are voting.' Griffin: 'Eight in 10 Americans favor more laws to protect the LGBTQ+ community from discrimination 67 percent of those are Republicans.' Behar accused the Republican party of 'stealing elections' during an LGBT rights debate Conservative Griffin is a former Donald Trump staffer Behar has also clashed with Senator Tim Scott as she said on air that he did not 'get' racism The comments led to a backlash from Fox Business host Lisa Kennedy Montgomery who said that 'there is a special place in hell for women who don't support other women' including those that want to be stay-at-home mothers and support their families. Kennedy said that she believed 'most people vote because they want their husbands, their spouses, their kids especially to have as much opportunity as they can in this country. That's not racism, that's rationality.' After referring to Hostin as 'a garbage person with garbage opinions,' Kennedy said, 'when you have other women like that, shaming moms who are doing their very best to provide for their families and lead by example, and then someone like Sunny in the fart factory is somehow maligning us.' Behar has also clashed with Republican Senator Tim Scott recently, as she said on air that he did not 'get' racism despite being African American and living in the deep South. Behar said on May 23 that Scott was 'one of these guys, like Clarence Thomas, black Republican, who believes in pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, rather than understanding the systemic racism that African Americans face in this country and other minorities,' she said. 'He doesnt get it. Neither does Clarence. Thats why theyre Republicans.' The comment quickly proved divisive on social media, spurring several political commentators to weigh in and criticize Behar. Appearing on a podcast Tuesday, South Carolina's Scott, 57, decried The View host's on-air comments as the 'dumbest, most offensive thing he's ever heard on TV'. 'Im used to having the left attack me because of the truth of my life,' Scott explained to pollical commentators Clay Travis and Buck Sexton. 'This proves their lies.' The former junior South Carolina senator continued: 'I say that because of this when I help write the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act [of 2017], they called me a prop. 'When I started talking about refunding the police, they called me a token. 'When I pushed back on President Bidens most malign agenda, they called me the "n-word". 'Im used to it,' he declared. 'Heres whats dangerous and offensive to me, for every young child in America wanting to think for themselves, draw their own conclusions. 'What they're saying to them is, "stay in your lane, do not stick your head out because we're going to tell you how to think because you never learned anything about what you should think."' A Georgia gun shop owner is shutting down his business because his conscience won't allow him to continue selling guns that could be used to target children. Jon Waldman, the owner of Georgia Ballistics Gun Shop in Duluth, said the rise in mass shootings and gun violence involving children has forced him to shut the doors of the shop he opened in March of 2021. An estimated 495,897 guns were sold in Georgia that year. Gun sales surged to breaking records since the pandemic. However, as gun sales increased across the country, so have mass shootings. And as a father himself, Waldman, 43, said he couldn't continue to keep his shop open with a clean conscience: 'I don't want something that I've personally touched, that I've helped a client with to be used on children,' Waldman said to 11 Alive. Jon Waldman, the owner of Georgia Ballistics Gun Shop in Duluth, says a rise in mass shootings and gun violence involving children is why he is closing his gun shop 'What stops this (holding a gun) from being used against my kid, and that's the problem I have, you never know the person getting it just because they pass a background check.' The number of children killed by gunfire jumped 50 percent over the past two years, leaving nearly half of U.S. parents terrified, according to Pew Research Center. 'The fact that it keeps being kids, after kids after kids, that's the thing for me,' he continued. I understand I'm not the one selling the guns that are doing this but there's a possibility that I could,' Waldman added. Waldman said there is no clear answer on how to solve the problem we're seeing across the country, but by closing his shop, he believes he's doing his part. 'There's not a way to cast a huge net, there's not a magical solution and it's fixed, there's not, it's one of those where the community has to come together, both sides,' Waldman said to 11 Alive. Waldman said his shop is already closed and he plans to have all weapons cleared out by June 15, according to NBC. Dailymail.com reached out to Waldman but received no response from him. While constitutionally, Waldman believes weapons and ammunition should be available for purchase, he emphasizes a lack of training and easy accessibility as key issues in the sale. And as a father himself, Waldman said he couldn't continue to keep his shop open with a clean conscience: 'I don't want something that I've personally touched, that I've helped a client with to be used on children,' Waldman said to 11 Alive. Waldman said when he looks at his own child, he has to have a clear conscience about what he's doing in life Georgia Ballistics Gun Shop in Duluth was opened in 2021 Waldman once backed out of a sale and refunded a client when they attempted to purchase 4,000 rounds of armor-piercing bullets. 'Just because you pass (a background check) that doesn't mean you should have it,' he said. Waldman said when he looks at his own child, he has to have a clear conscience about what he's doing in life. 'This is just my conscience, and it's more important to me than anything else,' he said to 11 Alive. The number of child gunshot deaths grew from 1,732 to 2,590 in 2021 the highest number since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention started counting deaths in 1999. There have been 24 school shootings this year that resulted in injuries or deaths, according to an Education Week analysis. Since 2018, there have been a whopping 168 school shootings. In March, a shooting at a private Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, left three adults and three nine-year-old students dead. Just this month, 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia killed eight people, including children, at a Texas mall. And last month, a nine-year-old boy was shot dead in a mass shooting in Texas. Daniel Enrique Laso, 9, was shot alongside four other members of his family and close friends by illegal immigrant Francisco Oropesa, 38. Virginia Giuffre took a tumble outside Manhattan federal court after she faced Rina Oh who is suing her for $10 million for publicly naming her as a recruiter for Jeffrey Epstein. The two have been battling it out in court since 2021 when Oh filed the lawsuit against Giuffre for defamation, citing a series of year-old tweets that asserted that Oh was Epstein's girlfriend and recruited girls for him to abuse. Oh has said the authorities have agreed with her that she was also a young victim of Epstein 20 years ago and not a co-conspirator or part of his inner circle. The two women were back in court in New York on Wednesday. Giuffre was being escorted from the courthouse with a suit jacket over her head when she suddenly stumbled and fell to the pavement. Security rushed to her side and helped her up. Last year, a judge dismissed Giuffre's sex abuse lawsuit against Prince Andrew after lawyers reached a deal calling for the prince to pay her $16 million. Virginia Giuffre took a tumble outside Manhattan federal court after she faced Rina Oh who is suing her for $10 million for publicly naming her as a recruiter for Jeffrey Epstein Giuffre was being escorted from the courthouse with a suit jacket over her head when she suddenly stumbled and fell to the pavement. Security rushed to her side and helped her up The two have been battling it out in court since 2021 when Oh filed the lawsuit against fellow Giuffre for defamation, citing a series of year-old tweets that asserted that Oh was Epstein's girlfriend and recruited girls for him to abuse Rina Oh, accused Epstein recruiter, is seen in NYC ahead of her ongoing defamation case against Virginia Giuffre. She was holding a picture of Prince Andrew and Giuffre Giuffre has said she was one of many girls and young women sexually abused by Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell in their years-long sex trafficking ring. Giuffre asserted in a series of October 2020 tweets that Oh was Epstein's girlfriend and recruited girls for him to abuse. 'Rina - if you read this I hope you live in shame for the rest of your life,' said a portion of one tweet cited in the lawsuit. It continued: 'You don't intimidate me any longer & the physical & mental scares you left me with should be enough to put your a** in jail.' Oh (left), who accused Epstein of sexually abusing her, has sued another Epstein accuser Giuffre (right) for defamation. Giuffre has said she was one of many girls sexually abused by Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell in their years-long sex trafficking ring Oh cited a series of year-old tweets in the suit, where Giuffre said: 'Rina - if you read this I hope you live in shame for the rest of your life' Giuffre asserted in a series of October 2020 tweets that Oh was Epstein's girlfriend and recruited girls for him to abuse. Pictured: Oh looks back as she is seen in NYC Oh's lawsuit claimed that Giuffre 'has maliciously reiterated and republished defamations and slanders in prior and subsequent tweets and interviews on podcasts, TV and for magazines, as well as in her memoirs entitled Billionaire's Playboy Club Oh carried aa copy of the infamous photo of Prince Andrew, Giuffre and Maxwell Prince Andrew, Virginia Giuffre, and Ghislaine Maxwell posing in a picture taken in Maxwell's house. Andrew suggested in the Newsnight interview that it had been faked Another tweet suggested that Oh should be in prison next to Maxwell. Another tweet cited in the lawsuit said Giuffre accused Oh of leaving a six-inch scar on her leg from one of their encounters two decades ago. 'The sliced leg bleeding is exactly what she used to do to me, I have a six-inch scar on my left leg from her cutting me. I can let a lot of s**t go, but this I will never forget,' she tweeted before adding: '#PureEvil #LockHerUp' and tagging the FBI. However, Oh's lawsuit claimed that none of that was true and Giuffre 'has maliciously reiterated and republished these defamations and slanders in prior and subsequent tweets and interviews on podcasts, TV and for magazines, as well as in her memoirs entitled Billionaire's Playboy Club. It added the 'defamations and slanders' are causing Oh 'great harm,' including humiliation, shame, disgrace, mental anguish, loss of life enjoyment and anxiety and emotion distress,' according to the suit. Giuffre has her own lawsuit as part of the allegations tied to Epstein. She sued Prince Andrew and alleged she was forced to have sex with three times when she was a teen - all under the orders of Epstein. One of her security guards tried covering Giuffre with his jacket, but she fell down to the ground, after not being able to see where she was walking Security helped Giuffre to her feet and led her away from the courthouse on Thursday. A year ago Giuffre reached a $16 million settlement with Prince Andrew in a civil case In February 2022, Giuffre settled the Prince Andrew lawsuit for $16 million. 'Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre's charity in support of victims' rights. Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms. Giuffre's character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks,' a letter from Prince Andrew's attorneys about the settlement read. 'It is known that Jeffrey Epstein trafficked countless young girls over many years,' the letter continued. 'Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others. He pledges to demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims.' Ghislaine Maxwell (right) was convicted for her role in Epstein (left) sex-trafficking ring. She is being held in a federal prison A lawsuit brought by the US Virgin Islands and a woman who claims Epstein abused her suggested the pedophile's JPMorgan bank accounts were used to pay trafficked women Epstein was a notorious figure long before his death inside a federal prison in 2019. In 2006 he was arrested for soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution, and in 2008 he pleaded guilty to charges in Florida. Epstein received minimal punishment and it wasn't until years later that his sweetheart deal was revealed. That led to outrage and Epstein was later arrested on federal sex-crime charges. He died by suicide while awaiting trial in New York. This week, former JPMorgan executive James 'Jes' Staley accused its CEO of lying about his knowledge of bank accounts held by convicted Epstein that were allegedly used for the trafficking of young women. He pointed the finger at Jamie Dimon, claiming that for years the CEO was involved in discussions as to whether the bank should keep Epstein as a client - even after his conviction. The details, revealed in legal documents seen by the Wall Street Journal, cast doubt on Dimon's defense of the bank in an ongoing lawsuit arguing it did not do enough to remove Epstein's accounts and slow his horrific crimes. But a spokesperson for JPMorgan denied Staley's claims and painted him to be a disgruntled former employee trying to wash his hands of blame and mitigate his involvement in sexual misconduct. Staley, who went on to serve as the CEO of Barclays from 2015 to 2021 and was driven out over the Epstein connections. He has acknowledged he had a friendship with Epstein but denied knowing about the trafficking. An infamous photo taken in Jeffrey Epstein's Manhattan mansion in 2011 featuring Staley and Bill Gates - three years after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution. From left: Staley, Lawrence Summers, Epstein and Gates The revelations came as part of an ongoing lawsuit brought against JPMorgan in which it was claimed that Staley (pictured) was close with Epstein and allowed him to maintain accounts with the bank that facilitated the pedophile's trafficking ring Between 2008 and 2012, Staley exchanged around 1,200 emails with Epstein from his JPMorgan email account, it is claimed. In one exchange Staley is said to have written 'say hi to Snow White' and asked if 'Beauty and the Beast' was free Another banking goliath wrapped up in the Epstein scandal is Deutsche Bank. Earlier in May, it agreed to pay $75 million to settle a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging the German bank also facilitated Epstein's sex-trafficking ring, according to attorneys for the plaintiffs. Lawyers for the plaintiffs said of the judgement that the 'groundbreaking settlement' was the culmination of 'a decade-long investigation to hold one of Epstein's financial banking partners responsible for the role it played in facilitating his trafficking organization.' These most recent allegations implicating Dimon are part of a separate lawsuit against JPMorgan, brought by the US Virgin Islands and an unnamed woman, who said she was abused by Epstein. Dimon gave a deposition on Friday in which he denied Staley's claims. A spokesperson summarized the content of his deposition in a statement to DailyMail.com. 'Our CEO reaffirmed after his deposition that, as he has previously said, he never met with him, never emailed him, does not recall ever discussing his accounts internally, and was not involved in any decisions about his account,' it said. Epstein first became a client of JPMorgan in 1998 and went on to hold dozens of accounts containing hundreds of millions of dollars, according to records submitted to the federal court. The plaintiffs have previously said Epstein frequently used cash withdrawals from some of those JPMorgan accounts to pay for young women to travel to his private island so that he and others could abuse them. The animals were believed to be the creatures that ransacked the Donner Party The sighting is only the second of its kind in 101 years since 'going extinct' A wolverine was spotted at Mammoth Mountain in California by a skier in May A rare and native wolverine has been spotted in Northern California for just the second time since they were believed to have gone extinct more than 100 years ago. A photo of the animal was taken by Ryan Campbell in May when he was enjoying a ski day at Mammoth Mountain in Crowley, California. While riding the gondola up to the top of the mountain, a stranger in his car pointed out the animal in the snow below, 'Is that a wolverine,' the person asked. The sighting marks just the second time since the animals have been seen since vanishing from California in 1922 after hunters wiped out the population. Wolverines are believed to have been the animals that ransacked the Donner Party's camp, leaving them to resort to cannibalism after getting stuck in the snow. The sighting marks just the second time since the animals have been seen since vanishing from California in 1922 after hunters wiped the out. Pictured: Buddy the wolverine in 2010 Wolverines are believed to have been the animals that ransacked the Donner Party's camp, leaving them to resort to cannibalism after getting stuck in the snow In the most recent incident, the group who spotted the animal said they were unsure what they were looking at initially. Campbell told SFGate the animal looked like 'a small bear, except for the white marking, long tail and the head.' Just to be safe, he pulled out his phone and grabbed the long-range photo. The animal quickly was scared away by an incoming skier, however, and took off. 'We saw it running toward a nearby clump of trees. Then, we noticed why it started running,' Campbell said. 'A skier was coming down the slope and took the jump, likely never having seen how close they were.' The photo Campbell took shows the dark-colored animal on a slope, walking on all four legs through the snow. The picture is just the second of its kind since the wolverine - a member of the mammal family that includes otters badgers - disappeared from California. In 2008, a wolverine named 'Buddy' trekked from Idaho, some 600 miles away from the most recent sighting, to California. The animal was caught on camera multiple times over the years. 'He's kind of a transient,' Chris Stermer, a California Department of Fish and Wildlife official told SFGATE in 2008. 'He's a lone wolverine looking for a female he's likely never to find,' Stermer said. The most recent wolverine sighting occurred at Mammoth Mountain in Crowley, California In 2008, a wolverine named 'Buddy' trekked from Idaho, some 600 miles away from the most recent sighting, to California. Pictured: Buddy the wolverine It is believed that there are just 400 wolverines throughout the US, located across Idaho, Colorado, and Montana The animals live for five to 13 years, therefore, officials say they don't believe the California sighting is Buddy SFGate emailed a photo of the animal from Mammoth Mountain to Stermer who seemingly confirmed its species. 'I am 99.9% certain that is a wolverine in the photo, which is pretty exciting!' he wrote in an email exchange with the outlet. 'In fact, the Department has been sent two videos since last week showing what appears to be a wolverine at a distance, and one was taken by someone on a ski lift,' he continued. It is believed that there are just 400 wolverines throughout the US, located across Idaho, Colorado, and Montana. The animals live for five to 13 years, therefore, officials say they don't believe the California sighting is Buddy. Wolverines were best known for their scavenging ways and reportedly were responsible for eating up the Donner Party's food supply. The incident went on to become one of the most famous instances along the California Trail after the group resorted to cannibalism to survive. A third plaintiff has joined a lawsuit against Kanye 'Ye' West and his Donda Academy A third former teacher at Donda Academy - the private school run by Ye, formerly Kanye West - has joined a lawsuit against the rapper in a complaint that alleges health, safety and education code violations, as well as illegal racial discrimination. An amended complaint was filed Thursday at the Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday that added Timanii Meeks to the suit, a teacher who alleges she was fired last year for reporting a number of issues at the school. The initial suit was brought in April by Cecilia Hailey and her daughter Chekarey Byers, both of whom taught at the private Christian school until being fired in March 2023. The plaintiffs allege they were fired in retaliation for reporting code violations that include exposed and dangerous electrical wiring, as well as bullying and assaults on campus. Among the allegations made against the rapper's school was that he banned students from going outside, even at recess. Pictured: Aerial pictures and general views show the Simi Valley site where West's Donda Academy once was West allegedly banned all color from inside classrooms, including artwork. Pictured: Kanye West on October 21, 2022 in Los Angeles, California The women also claim that they were discriminated against based on their race and illegally had wages withheld or were improperly paid on more than one occasion. They are seeking in excess of $1million in damages. 'Plaintiff Meeks is informed and believes that the building was not safe for occupants, let alone children,' reads the amended complaint. Meeks was hired as a substitute teacher in August 2022, and plans were soon put in motion to hire her as a full time teacher in the school's theatre department. From the beginning of her employment, Meeks says she filed multiple complaints with the principal, vice principal and school director about student safety and building hazards. 'Instead of addressing her complaints, Plaintiff Meeks was simply told, Its a work in progress, and Were working on the kinks,' the lawsuit states. In early October of 2022, Meeks alleged that several parents of students sat in on a math class she was teaching and subsequently complained about the conditions of the classroom. Specifically, they were concerned that there were no textbooks or educational materials to be found. Meeks passed the worries along to school director Brianne Cambell, who in turn, allegedly, retaliated against Meeks by having her terminated. Among the bizarre and unsettling allegations made against the school are that all color, including artwork, was banned from inside classrooms, everyone was forced to wear all black from head to toe and classes were not to be held on the second floor because West was 'afraid of stairs.' The school reportedly enrolled about 100 students and 16 teachers, with a number of students being the children of celebrities. Pictured: Boston Celtics player Jaylen Brown with a group of Donda students during a visit to the Academy Students at West's Donda Academy wear Balenciaga uniforms designed by West himself. The lawsuit claims they were forced to exclusively wear all black. Pictured: Boston Celtics player Jaylen Brown with a group of Donda students during a visit to the Academy The $15,000-a-year academy, which Byers described as 'like a mental hospital being run by the patients,' was opened by West in California in 2021. Ye now served as the Chief Executive Officer, Secretary and Chief Financial Officer of the institution. The school was initially opened in Simi Valley, but was then moved to nearby Chatsworth. Among other disturbing allegations, the suit alleges that teachers were not trained to provide basic life support, that doors were locked from the outside, that students were not given utensils to eat with, and that expired medications were improperly stored. Students were allegedly banned from using 'crossword puzzles' and 'coloring sheets.' West also would not allow the schoolkids to go outdoors during the day, even for lunch or recess. 'In one incident, a student assaulted an eighth grade student by slapping her, then attempted to assault another teacher. The student had multiple accounts of bullying, both physically and verbally, that had gone without discipline,' according to the complaint. 'Clearly, Ye has a big problem on his hands with this school, and the addition of Ms. Meeks to the complaint only serves to reinforce the nightmarish conditions for staff and students at Donda Academy,' said Ron Zambrano, an employment attorney who is representing the plaintiffs. 'Ms. Meeks was fired months before Cecilia Hailey and Chekarey Byers were terminated but all three clearly witnessed the same illegal and disturbing code violations and conduct at the school, and all three were given the same retaliatory and unlawful treatment merely for trying to stand up for the students rights to a meaningful education. Donda and Ye now have an established pattern of retaliation, from two independent sources, to contend with.' According to prior reports, parents at the school were required to sign non-disclosure agreements to enroll their children at the $15,000 per-year academy. Nikki Beach Global, a luxury lifestyle and hospitality brand, has announced the upcoming openings of Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Antigua and Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Baku scheduled for 2025 and Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Muscat in 2024. The property in Antigua will feature a hotel, residences and beach club Nikki Beach Antigua while the location in Baku will include a hotel and residences, the brands first standalone resort without a beach club. Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Muscat including a hotel, beach club Nikki Beach Muscat and residences. Developed in partnership with Nardaran Beach Resort LLC, the property in Baku will be located on the coast of the Caspian Sea, a convenient 20 minutes from the city centre and 15 minutes from the airport. The resort will feature six overwater bungalows, 49 beach villas with private pools, and approximately 90 rooms and suites. The villas will be available both for vacation stays and as residences. The resort will also be home to three signature Nikki Beach restaurants Cafe Nikki, Escape, and Soul Lounge while world class amenities will include two expansive swimming pools, Nikki Spa, and Tone Gym. We are excited to welcome Nikki Beach to the market of beautiful Azerbaijan, shared the management team at Nardaran Beach Resort LLC. This will be the first Nikki Beach resort in the Central Asian market and we are convinced that our partnership will not only produce one of the finest resorts in the area, but will also deliver a true added value to the entire luxury lifestyle market and the local community alike. Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Muscat, which is situated on Yiti Bay just 30 minutes from the Muscat airport, will also feature 115 rooms, 25 suites, and 30 villas with private pools, as well as a beach club, residences, Cafe Nikki, Escape, Soul Lounge, three swimming pools, a pool bar, Nikki Spa, Tone Gym, and a marina. As a top mega yacht destination, the location will appeal highly to the yachting community. The property is being developed in partnership with Omran Group. CEO of Omran Group, Hashil bin Obaid al Mahrouqi, said: A key objective of the Omran Group is to develop unique and long-term tourism destinations that build lasting relationships between visitors and the Sultanate of Oman while helping the country to achieve economic growth and strengthen its position as a global tourist destination. An excellent example of this is the Yiti Integrated Tourism Development. The opening of Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Muscat marks a significant milestone in the projects development. It is a resort that pays homage to the countrys rich and intriguing culture and the locations picturesque beauty with luxe modernity. Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Antigua is currently under development in partnership with White Sand Development Ltd. Further details about the project will be available in the coming months. We are extremely proud to continue our successful global expansion through this exciting pipeline of new hotels and resorts, said Alexander Schneider, President of the Nikki Beach Global Hotels & Resorts Division. Our vision of focusing on tomorrow's destinations in order to provide our well-traveled target group with truly new experiences is fully reflected in this collection. We continuously seek to create innovative concepts that bring our impressive lifestyle approach to life in new and emerging travel markets. These locations offer incredibly unique regional culture that were excited to intertwine with the Nikki Beach Celebration of Life experience and barefoot luxury aesthetic. Since its inception in 1998, Nikki Beach Global has grown into a multifaceted hospitality company with 11 beach clubs and 5 hotels and resorts worldwide. In recent years, the brand has put a focus on expanding the Hotels & Resorts division which currently operates resorts in Koh Samui, Thailand; Porto Heli, Greece; Dubai, UAE; Santorini, Greece and Montenegro, Tivat. TradeArabia News Service Last year, more than 15,000 children were reported in Ohio The cases remained unusually high through the month of May 27 children have been reported missing in the area over just two week An Ohio police chief has expressed concern about the alarmingly high number of children who have gone missing in Cleveland recently. As many as 27 children were reported missing in the area over just two weeks at the beginning of May, according to John Majoy, chief of police of Newburgh Heights, a suburb about five miles south of Cleveland. Majoy, who also serves as board president for the organization Cleveland Missing, called the year 'extraordinary' in terms of the unprecedented levels of reported missing children. Speaking to Fox News Digital, Majoy said the cases of missing children between the ages of 12 and 17 remained unusually high through the month of May. 'For some reason, in 2023, we've seen a lot more than we normally see, which is troubling in part because we don't know what's going on with some of these kids, whether they're being trafficked or whether they're involved in gang activity or drugs,' he told the outlet. Newburgh Heights police chief John Majoy has sounded the alarm about a trend of missing children in the Cleveland area Caleb Ellis, 16, ran away from his home with two other teenagers on April 6, according to police (left). Malikah Nelson, 15, was last seen in Cleveland on April 9 (right) As of mid-May, there were a total of 56 active missing children cases in Cleveland, meaning almost half of the cases were reported in May. Majoy emphasized that he has never seen such high numbers of missing children in his 33-year-career. While Majoy claimed that it's likely the majority of cases are runaways and not abductions, he added that teenagers are naive when it comes to predators, who he can be 'wolves in sheep's clothing.' The 27 missing children were reported between May 2 and May 16. And, unfortunately, most missing children don't make the news, because there is usually no Amber Alert, said Majoy, describing the cases as 'silent crimes happening right under our noses.' There is a strict criteria for an Amber Alert - police have to have reasonable believe there has been an abduction, and that the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death. There also has to be enough descriptive information about the victim and the abduction. Payton Gordon, 16, was last seen in August 2022 in Cleveland (left). Amida Evans, 13, reportedly ran away from his Cleveland home on May 8 Milkeno Ward, 16, was last seen in August 2022 ans is believed to have ran away from home (left). Jevonte Jones, 16, was reported missing on April 27 (right) 'The problem is where are they? Where do they go? They can be in a drug house or farmed to prostitution or caught up in drug trafficking or gangs.' Finding the missing children is even more difficult when considering that most of the cases listed on the website for missing Cleveland children don't include a photo. Last year, more than 15,000 children were reported in Ohio, with four that were found dead. Abductions amounted to 8,525 of the cases, with 34 cases stemming from abductions by a noncustodial parent. Only five of the children had a stranger kidnap them, according to a report by the state's attorney general Dave Yost. Police were able to find 36 percent of the children, but 615 went into 2023 still missing. DailyMail.com has reached out to the Cleveland Police Department's missing persons division for comment on this story. The 12-year-old girl who stabbed her brother to death would have faced life in prison if she was a year older under a unique Oklahoma law that allows kids over the age of 13 to be charged as adults, but will instead likely spend a few years in a juvenile facility before being released home. DailyMail.com is not naming the child. On January 5, she stabbed her brother, Zander Lyda, three times in their home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Their mother, April, was in the home and came rushing into her son's room to screams. She thought he was having a nightmare until she noticed the blood seeping through his bedsheets. He had been trying to sleep when his sister came downstairs and attacked him. The girl, sobbing and shrieking, ran out of the home, screaming 'I'm so sorry!' Since then, she has been undergoing treatment at a juvenile facility in Tulsa. DailyMail.com is not naming the child. On January 5, she stabbed her brother, Zander Lyda, three times in their home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She is shown being placed in handcuffs afterwards Zander, left, was lying in his bed trying to sleep when his sister attacked him. They are shown with their younger half-brother, who is three. He was not in the home at the time The details of her case are under seal, so many of the specifics of her crime remain unknown but her mother has claimed online that medication may have played a role in the tragedy. Under Oklahoma Law, a child aged 13 or older can be charged as an adult for a crime like murder. It's unclear how far away the girl was from her 13th birthday but had the attack happened after it, she could have faced five years in a juvenile facility - and the rest of her life in an adult prison. Because she is so young, the court process is drastically different. After being charged, she has the option to either stipulate to the states petition - plead guilty - or request a trial. If a trial goes ahead, she could attempt an insanity defense, and even argue that she was under the influence or had been drastically impaired by the medication her mother claims may have been to blame. Her mother has not made public what that medication was. Carter Jennings, an Oklahoma Criminal Defense Attorney who handles juvenile cases, told DailyMail.com that she would have a low chance of success with an insanity defense because she threw the knife out of the window of her bedroom after running away from her brother's bleeding body. 'The child threw the knife out the window. She tried to cover up her tracks, so I dont know what level of success youd have [with that defense.] 'We dont really have a diminished capacity defense... even in juvenile cases, they legally could put one forward, but based on these facts I dont think it would be a successful one.' Pictured: The Family Center for Juvenile Justice in Tulsa, where the 12-year-old girl was being held after the fatal stabbing in January If she is found guilty or stipulates, she will likely be sentenced to time in a juvenile facility. There are two in Tulsa, including the Tulsa County Juvenile Center, where she was taken after the attack. Her sentence will be focused on rehabilitation, and Jennings stated that the centers are 'not fun'. 'Its certainly not prison, but in terms of juvenile facilities they're under guard. 'They may be restrained by cuffs, eat at certain times, sleep at certain times. Its not quite prison but its very serious,' he said. He added that it would be highly unusual for the child to spend any longer than a few years in the facility - and that she almost certainly would not be there until she turned 18. 'Its unlikely it would go beyond 18 because of the young age of the child. This is very unique, but when someone is placed in a facility like that it can be for six months, a year, 18 months. April Lyda, the children's mother, is standing by her. She has vowed to seek justice for both her daughter - who she believes was influenced heavily by medication - and for her son Zander Lyda who was stabbed to death in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on January 5 this year 'When you get past longer than that you are looking at something unique - which this is - but the child is just too young to have kind of serious consequence at that age. 'The law understands that a 12-year-old may not have all the decision-making abilities that an older child would. 'Barring something crazy, she likely will not be in a facility until she is 18. A couple of years would be a reasonable.' The Tulsa County District Attorney's Office declined to comment, citing the fact the case is under seal. It remains unclear which part of the legal process the case is now in. In March, her mother told well-wishers who had donated to a fundraising page for the family that she was undergoing a psychiatric evaluation. 'Im very supportive of her and love her very much. 'Obviously there is a lot of healing that we both need before we can ever live together again and she needs mental and emotional help after this. 'She could have permanent, damage we dont know yet, but she has not had any issues,' she said in a more recent post. The boy's father, Levi Lyda, has not commented. A brave Montreal resident managed to fight off two balaclava-wearing burglars when he found them looting his garage. The young man, who is yet to be named, confronted the thieves while wearing only a pair of orange boardshorts. The confrontation, which was caught on the Mount Royal home's security cameras, took place after 2am Wednesday. The footage showed the suspects, dressed in black, break into the garage through the door and take out white plastic bags from their pockets. The two men then bagged up goods before the resident came hurtling in from another room. The young man, who is yet to be named, confronted the thieves while wearing only a pair of orange boardshorts The man lunged at the burglars with his fists and managed to quickly tackle one to the ground. Both suspects tried to flee by the same door they broke in using but the resident, who can be heard shouting 'call 911', dragged one of them back into the garage. The man, whose balaclava was removed during the tussle, struggled but ended up on his back inside. The resident then astutely locked the door in order to prevent the burglar's pal from returning and overpowering him. It appears to be an astute move as the garage door's handle was soon seen moving up and down as the second burglar tried to reenter. The brave Montreal resident fought off two balaclava-wearing burglars in his garage The footage showed the suspects dressed in black, break into the garage through the door Both suspects tried to flee through the same door they broke in using The resident, who can be heard shouting 'call 911', dragged one of them back into the garage The man, whose balaclava is removed during the tussle, struggled but ends up on his back inside The resident received numerous blows to the face, but was not seriously injured, local news TVA Nouvelles reported. The thieves managed to steal the resident's sister's bag, but nothing else was taken. The Service de police de la Ville de Montreal is currently conducting an investigation. Police have not made any arrests in the case and the suspects have not been named. Russian security services have accused Apple of cooperating with US espionage agencies in a plot to hack iPhones using 'invisible iMessages' carrying spyware. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed on Thursday it had uncovered an American espionage operation that compromised thousands of iPhones using sophisticated surveillance software. 'The FSB has uncovered an intelligence action of the American special services using Apple mobile devices,' the FSB said in a statement. The FSB claimed the plot showed 'close cooperation' between Apple and the National Security Agency (NSA), the US agency responsible for cryptographic and communications intelligence and security. The FSB provided no evidence that Apple cooperated with, or had any awareness of, the alleged spying campaign targeting its devices. In a statement, Apple firmly denied the allegation, saying: 'We have never worked with any government to insert a backdoor into any Apple product and never will.' Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed on Thursday it had uncovered an American espionage operation that compromised thousands of iPhones using spyware The NSA declined to comment. The FSB, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said that several thousand Apple devices had been infected, including those of domestic Russian users as well as foreign diplomats based in Russia and the former Soviet Union. The FSB said the American hackers had compromised diplomats from Israel, Syria, China and NATO members in the espionage campaign. Israeli officials declined to comment. Chinese, Syrian and NATO representatives were not immediately available for comment. Moscow-based cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab said dozens of its employees' devices were compromised in the operation. 'The attack is carried out using an invisible iMessage with a malicious attachment, which, using a number of vulnerabilities in the iOS operating system, is executed on a device and installs spyware,' the Kremlin-linked firm said in a blog post. 'The deployment of the spyware is completely hidden and requires no action from the user. 'The spyware then quietly transmits private information to remote servers: microphone recordings, photos from instant messengers, geolocation, and data about a number of other activities of the owner of the infected device.' The FSB claimed the plot showed 'close cooperation' between Apple and the National Security Agency (NSA), the US agency responsible for cryptographic and communications intelligence and security Kaspersky CEO Eugene Kaspersky said on Twitter that dozens of his employees' phones were compromised in the operation, which his company described as 'an extremely complex, professionally targeted cyberattack' that had targeted workers in 'top and middle-management.' Kaspersky researcher Igor Kuznetsov told Reuters that his company had independently discovered anomalous traffic on its corporate Wi-Fi network around the start of the year. He said Kaspersky did not circulate its findings to Russia's Computer Emergency Response Team until earlier on Thursday. He said he could not comment on Moscow's allegation that Americans were responsible for the hacking or that thousands of others had been targeted. 'It's very hard to attribute anything to anyone,' he said. In a blog post, Kaspersky said the oldest traces of infection it discovered dated back to 2019. 'As of the time of writing in June 2023, the attack is ongoing,' the company said. It added that while its staff was hit, 'we are quite confident that Kaspersky was not the main target of this cyberattack.' The United States is the world's top cyber power in terms of intent and capability, according to Harvard University's Belfer Center Cyber 2022 Power Index, followed by China, Russia, the United Kingdom and Australia. Both the Kremlin and Russia's foreign ministry pointed to the significance of the matter. Apple firmly denied the allegation from the Kremlin (pictured is a view of the Senate Palace of the Kremlin from the Red Square in Moscow) saying: 'We have never worked with any government to insert a backdoor into any Apple product and never will.' 'The hidden data collection was carried out through software vulnerabilities in US-made mobile phones,' Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement. 'The U.S. intelligence services have been using IT corporations for decades in order to collect large-scale data of Internet users without their knowledge,' the ministry said. Russian officials said the plot had been uncovered as part of a joint effort by FSB officers and those of the Federal Guards Service (FSO), a powerful agency that runs the Kremlin bodyguard and was also once the KGB's Ninth Directorate. Officials in Russia, which Western spies say has constructed a very sophisticated domestic surveillance structure, have long questioned the security of US technology. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said all officials in the presidential administration knew that gadgets such as iPhones were 'absolutely transparent.' Earlier this year, the Kremlin told officials involved in preparations for Russia's 2024 presidential election to stop using Apple iPhones because of concerns that the devices are vulnerable to Western intelligence agencies, the Kommersant newspaper reported. A Labour MP was suspended from the party yesterday over claims of 'completely unacceptable behaviour' toward younger female colleagues over a number of years. Geraint Davies, who has represented Swansea West since 2010, was accused of subjecting party staff and MPs to unwanted sexual attention, and boasting of bringing sex workers into Parliament. Labour whips have been aware of concerns about the MP's conduct for several years, according to the Politico news site, but received their first formal complaint only last night. Labour staff and MPs who have worked with Mr Davies spoke anonymously yesterday about allegations of unwanted touching and sexual comments directed at younger women in the workplace. Most of the incidents were said to have happened on the parliamentary estate itself over the last five years. Swansea West MP Geraint Davies (pictured) was suspended from the Labour party over claims of 'completely unacceptable behaviour' toward younger female colleagues Geraint Davies (right) pictured with Labour party leader Keir Starmer (right) A former staffer was sent a string of sexually suggestive messages while a party activist was invited back to Mr Davies' hotel room, it was reported. He also allegedly touched two female Labour MPs inappropriately without their consent. Both raised their concerns with the whips but did not lodge formal complaints. Last night a Labour MP and Labour peer claimed Mr Davies 'boasted' about bringing sex workers into Parliament for drinks, Sky News reported. Responding to the claims, Mr Davies, who will now sit as an independent MP, said: 'I don't recognise the allegations suggested and do not know who has made them. 'None of them, as far as I know, has been lodged as complaints with the Labour Party or Parliament 'If I have inadvertently caused offence to anyone, then I am naturally sorry as it is important that we share an environment of mutual and equal respect for all.' A Labour Party spokesman said: 'These are incredibly serious allegations of completely unacceptable behaviour. 'We would strongly urge anyone with a complaint to come forward so that allegations can be swiftly and fully investigated and action taken. 'The party has ensured that there is a wide range of support available to complainants, to provide confidence and confidential guidance.' The Labour MP (pictured) is accused of subjecting party staff and MPs to unwanted sexual attention, and boasting of bringing sex workers into Parliament Labour whips have been aware of concerns about the MP's conduct for several years, according to the Politico news site, but only received their first formal complaint last night Last night Labour's general secretary David Evans told staff that officials had launched a review of the party's complaints system. Tory former cabinet minister Simon Clarke said: 'I make no comment about this case whatever except that the very people who scream abuse at Conservative MPs every day will now be conspicuous by their silence.' Four MPs have been forced to stand down since the last general election because of sexual misconduct, with a total of 15 parliamentarians now sitting as independents. Alesha De-Freitas of the Fawcett Society, which campaigns for women's rights and gender equality, said: 'How many more stories of MPs under investigation for sexual harassment must we hear before something is done?' In 2021, former Hartlepool Labour MP Mike Hill resigned after Parliament's watchdog found he breached its rules in relation to his behaviour toward a woman in both his parliamentary office and his flat. Neil Parish, the former Tory MP for Tiverton and Honiton, sparked a by-election after admitting in April last year to watching pornography in the Commons. Former City of Chester Labour MP Christian Matheson quit in October last year after a report by the watchdog upheld complaints of 'serious sexual misconduct'. Former Afghan interpreters waiting to relocate to the UK have accused the Government of turning them into 'prisoners' trapped in hotels. The translators have been stuck in Pakistan for up to 18 months with 'no clue' of when they will be able to begin their new lives in Britain. RAF flights carrying those who qualify for sanctuary under the flagship Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) were halted last November. But UK officials have told those waiting that they will not be moved until housing is found for each family. More than 1,300 eligible Afghans many of who risked their lives beside UK troops are currently in hotels in the Pakistani capital Islamabad. One former frontline translator has been there more than 520 days and about 70 have been in hotels for more than a year. Among those waiting anxiously for clearance in Islamabad is David Cameron's former translator, Shaffy, who said Afghans 'feel like prisoners' and their rooms 'cells' An estimated further 8,000 who qualify for ARAP and a second UK resettlement scheme are believed to still be in hiding in Afghanistan amid concerns that the delays in Pakistan could mean they remain at risk of Taliban revenge longer. Campaigners say those stranded in Pakistan have been abandoned by the Government. Lawyers for the interpreters are preparing unprecedented legal action in British courts to challenge the open-ended delays which they argue are unlawful. Our lives are stuck on hold Musa says he and his wife have reached 'breaking point' after 16 months spent in an Islamabad hotel room. The 36-year-old said: 'I went on hundreds of missions beside British soldiers and I am grateful that I no longer have to worry about my safety because the Taliban wanted to kill me. But now the lives of many Afghans are on hold.' The father of one added: 'When we crossed the border into Pakistan, there was excitement and relief but now there is frustration, boredom, uncertainty and fear of perhaps having to spend another year in this room.' Courageous: Translator Musa Advertisement While grateful to the UK for promising them relocation, the ex-translators say their lives are on 'hold'. They also fear arrest in Pakistan as they travelled there on 30-day visas believing they would be moved to the UK in that time. They are unable to leave their hotels as a result. Many claim to be suffering from anxiety, stress and mental health problems caused by the uncertainty and years of conflict some have spoken of suicide while 680 children are unable to go to school. One former frontline translator branded the indefinite delays as 'devastating, a betrayal'. Another said he and his family felt 'prisoners of the UK Government system' after spending nearly a year in the same room, their only exercise taking place in a hotel car park. Since the end of the Operation Pitting rescue flights in August 2021, those approved under ARAP by the Ministry of Defence must travel to a third country, usually Pakistan, where they are held in UK-funded hotels until the Home Office issues visas after completing security checks. Campaigners say none have been issued for over seven months as the Government tries to empty the UK hotels where thousands of ARAP-qualified Afghans still live. Among those waiting anxiously for clearance in Islamabad is David Cameron's former translator, Shaffy, who said Afghans 'feel like prisoners' and their rooms 'cells'. The 37-year-old, who spent six years with the British military three on the frontlines and three with senior officers and visiting politicians such as Mr Cameron said: 'There is a sense of betrayal that our lives are on hold and we are effectively trapped in our hotels with only the clothes we escaped with.' Shaffy, who was twice injured by Taliban bombs, arrived in Islamabad nine months ago with his wife and five children after his case was taken up by the Mail's award-winning Betrayal of the Brave campaign. He said he had expected to begin his new life in the UK within weeks. 'What has happened to us and so many other Afghans is cruel,' he said. 'We are trapped in our hotels, unable to leave the perimeters as our visas ran out after 30 days and so if we are on the streets we are illegal and could be deported back to Afghanistan.' Dr Sara de Jong, from the Sulha Alliance, which campaigns for ex-military translators, criticised the Government, saying: 'Afghan interpreters who are approved as eligible for relocation deserve better than being abandoned in Pakistan hotels.' Dr Jong added: 'It's in the interest of British society to invest in the more than 680 children who will make the UK their home but who are now left stranded without any access to education.' A Government spokesman said: 'We remain unwavering in our commitment to relocate those ARAP eligible Afghans who worked for, or with, UK forces in Afghanistan. To date, we have relocated over 12,200 individuals to the UK. 'While eligible individuals are undergoing UK visa checks and awaiting relocation to the UK, they are entitled to accommodation and welfare support from [our Government] in third countries.' Officials stress that those still in Afghanistan remain the priority and ARAP-qualified Afghans in third countries will be moved as quickly as possible. Brave heroes stranded in Pakistan with no date for move to UK Lloyds has announced the closure of 53 more branches in the latest blow to the high street. It takes the number of branches that have been shut or earmarked for closure so far this year across the industry to more than 500. The new announcement means 21 Lloyds Bank, 15 Halifax and 17 Bank of Scotland sites will go between September this year and May 2024. Like other lenders, Lloyds says it is closing branches because customers are increasingly opting for online banking. However, campaigners argue that elderly and vulnerable account holders some of whom struggle to use internet or app-based platforms are being abandoned. That has been exacerbated by a sharp fall in the number of free-to-use cash machines. Lloyds said the latest 53 branches set for closure had seen their usage fall by an average 55 per cent in the last five years Find a better bank: Best accounts to switch to Our bank account is the financial product that we use more frequently than any other, but many people rarely make sure theirs works for them. Yet, different current accounts suit different people, with options ranging from those that pay interest, to ones that offer cheaper spending abroad, have good apps and budgeting tools, a better overdraft rate or package in extras, such as insurance. This is Money's regularly updated round-up reveals the top deals worth switching to. > Best bank accounts: How to get paid to switch and top perks Figures compiled by consumer group Which? show that 662 branches were closed last year across the industry and 204 have gone so far this year, with 255 more scheduled, giving a total of 1,121 before yesterday's announcement. That total includes 284 Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland outlets the brands operated by Lloyds Banking Group. The latest closures means Lloyds which was rescued by taxpayers during the financial crisis with a 21billion bailout has axed or is due to axe more branches than its rivals over the same period. Lloyds said the latest 53 branches set for closure had seen their usage fall by an average 55 per cent in the last five years. A spokesman said: 'Alongside our digital and mobile banking options, we're introducing more community bankers to provide face-to-face support.' The 'community bankers' visit areas where branches have closed and have dedicated office space in which to meet customers on pre-announced days. Since 2015, more than 5,000 branches, over half the total, have been axed, says Which?. This year, HSBC's UK boss Ian Stuart sparked fury when he told a committee of MPs that closing branches is 'what customers want'. Britain's brightest students are in limbo over their graduation as lecturers refuse to hand out grades. Thousands of undergraduates from the countrys top institutions have been struck by a marking boycott, meaning their final exams wont be graded on time. They include students at Cambridge, who have been warned they will not get their final grades until the next academic year. Students at Edinburgh University have also been told the results of their dissertations may be delayed as a result of the action by the University and College Union. Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham, said it was irresponsible of academics not to let students move on with their careers. The marking boycott is set to leave Cambridge University (pictured) students in Limbo He added: Its very hard and unfair on the students and its a great pity the university couldnt come up with a better way of handling the situation. It comes as Cambridge finalists were told this week not to expect their exam results on time due to the marking boycott. In emails seen by the student newspaper Varsity, politics and international studies students as well as sociology students were told to expect results after September 30, if the dispute cannot be resolved. It means some students face receiving conditional offers from employers until they get their final grades. Students at Edinburgh University (pictured) could see marking of their dissertations delayed Instead, they will be given a letter detailing when theyre expected to receive final marks, to give to prospective employers. Dan Hawes, co-founder of the Graduate Recruitment Bureau one of the UKs biggest graduate recruitment consultancies said employees risked being left in limbo. More than 500,000 students face having their graduations delayed as a result of the boycott, the union has warned. Members began the action at 145 universities in an ongoing dispute over staffs pay and working conditions on April 20. It said the boycott will continue until employers make an improved offer. Migrants who pass through Georgia on the way to Britain risk being sent back under an agreement that came into force yesterday. Asylum seekers who lived in or 'transited through' the former Soviet republic and then arrived in the UK can be put on a flight back to Tbilisi. The agreement says requests for a removal must be considered by either country within 12 days and, once agreed, the foreign national will be flown out within three months. Rishi Sunak yesterday insisted the migration crisis could be solved only by international efforts. The Prime Minister hailed 'very productive' talks he held with European leaders during a summit in Moldova yesterday. Asylum seekers who lived in or 'transited through' the former Soviet republic and then arrived in the UK can be put on a flight back to Tbilisi. Pictured: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, where he spoke with Georgian president Irakli Garibashvili At the European Political Community gathering in Chisinau hosted by Moldovan president Maia Sandu, he said: 'Many of the challenges we face whether it's standing up to Russian aggression here in Moldova or in Ukraine, but also tackling illegal migration are challenges that we can only really solve when we work together with other countries. 'I've been having a series of very productive discussions here to strengthen everyone's support for Ukraine but also to work co-operatively to tackle illegal migration, which is one of my five big priorities.' Georgia lies at a crucial migrant crossroads in the Caucasus. Migrants from the Middle East who are trying to avoid entering Turkey, which prevents crossings at its border with the EU, follow the so-called 'Black Sea route'. This involves a land crossing through Armenia or Azerbaijan into Georgia, followed by a crossing over the Black Sea toward Romania or Bulgaria. Intelligence-sharing that follows February's agreement with Bulgaria will also boost efforts against the people traffickers. The deal will see the National Crime Agency lend more support to local law enforcement officers to 'improve their use of intelligence', sources said. The joint work will include specific action to tackle the supply chains of equipment used by traffickers, including inflatable dinghies. Bulgaria is a key land route for 'death-trap' inflatables built in Turkey specifically for cross-Channel smugglers. The boats are manufactured there before being transported by road through neighbouring Bulgaria to secret bases in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. The inflatables are often single-hulled and do not have multiple compartments designed to reduce the risk of sinking. The UK Government is also seeking to enhance joint law enforcement operations with Turkey, according to reports. An NCA spokesman said: 'Tackling organised immigration crime is a key priority for us. The NCA alone has more than 90 ongoing investigations into networks or individuals in the top tier of organised immigration crime or human trafficking the highest harm. 'Much of the criminality lies outside the UK, so we have built up our intelligence sharing effort with law enforcement partners.' Qatar Airways has signed a deal with Shell to source 3,000 metric tonnes of neat Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) at Amsterdam Schiphol airport. It encompasses the existing jet fuel contract with Shell at Amsterdam which will now see Qatar Airways using at least a 5 per cent SAF blend over the contract period for the fiscal year 2023-2024. The Qatar Airways bilateral agreement with Shell is part of a wider effort initiated by the oneworld alliance, which has a set target of using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for 10% of combined fuel volumes by 2030. Qatar Airways is the first carrier in the Middle East and Africa to procure a large SAF amount in Europe beyond government SAF mandates. SAF offers significant potential for decarbonisation as neat SAF can reduce full lifecycle emissions by up to 80% compared to conventional jet fuel.[1] This means that Qatar Airways will be reducing its emissions on flights from Amsterdam by approximately 7,500 tonnes of CO2 for the fiscal year. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said: At Qatar Airways, we are strongly committed to supporting the industrys effort to ramp-up the use of sustainable aviation fuel, as one of the key pillars to decarbonise the aviation industry. Last year, we signed our first offtake agreement in the US, and now we are placing a multi-million US dollar SAF deal in Amsterdam to illustrate our SAF commitment and reiterate our calls for a more robust SAF supply chain across our global network. We remain steadfast in our ambitious target of 10 per cent SAF use by 2030 and this announcement, establishes another landmark for Qatar Airways that underlines the positive outcome of the industrys collaboration which is critical to accelerating the SAF supply and achieving our target. SAF is still 3 to 5 times more expensive than fossil-based jet fuel. This is why it is essential for all stakeholders to play their part in facilitating research & development of SAF facilities, enhancing economies of scale, providing financing and placing supportive policies. Qatar Airways and Shell have a history of collaboration, so it is fantastic to now work together on decarbonisation as we supply them with SAF for the first time, said Jan Toschka, President of Shell Aviation. SAF is a key lever for decarbonising aviation, but scaling its supply and use requires concerted action from across the aviation sector. Todays agreement is a great example of the collaborative actions that are required to help accelerate aviations progress towards net zero. Passengers and customers of Qatar Airways are able today to compensate for their flight emissions through the purchase of high-quality carbon credits, credited under International Civil Aviation Organization criteria, the UN's aviation body. Qatar Airways currently invests in carbon credit projects that generate renewable energy, which help in reducing carbon emissions. Qatar Airways is also working on introducing a solution which will allow passengers and customers to offset their emissions by contributing to the cost of SAF. TradeArabia News Service The Barefoot Investor Scott Pape has named and shamed Australia's worst-performing superannuation funds. The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority has released its annual report, which rates super products. Australia's financial services industry regulator's latest report card revealed one in five 'choice' super products had significantly underperformed the regulator's benchmarks. Pape says Aussies should be concerned if their retirement nest egg is sitting in an underperforming fund. Barefoot Investor Scott Pape (pictured) has named and shamed Australia's worst performing super funds listed in the APRA External Report Pape broke down the APRA report by naming and shaming the worst performers. OnePath was singled out in the report, with the company managing a whopping 33 underperforming super funds. 'OnePath was like my Year 8 report card: a total and utter s**t earing show (as my father would say),' Pape wrote. OnePath wasn't the only superannuation company in the firing line. BT Funds Management, Colonial First State, Auscol (Mine Super), Perpetual Super, MLC Super all earned a mention from Pape for their 'significantly poor performance'. Verve Super, Spaceship Super (who target millennials), Student Super Cruelty Free Super also came under scrutiny for their high administration fees. Last but no least, Equity Trustees got a mention for both high fees and poor returns. An estimated $10 billion in retirement savings sit in underperforming funds as Pape doubled down on his attack on underperforming funds. 'Many of them are not taking on new customers because, well, who the hell would actively choose to join them?! However, they're still more than happy to continue milking their existing customers with high fees and/or poor performance,' he wrote. 'Because, unlike their customers, the people that run the funds are making seriously good profits! 'Their only way of keeping this going is to hide their report card, and hope you forget to ask.' Phillip Schofield today admitted his glittering TV career is over and he has been shunned by Holly Willoughby - who responded with an Instagram post about how to keep 'your hair safe all summer long'. In his first broadcast interview since the scandal erupted, the presenter explained how he messaged his former co-host to say he was 'so, so sorry' for lying to her about his 'unwise, but not illegal' relationship with the man who is 34 years his junior. But he denied he had groomed a younger colleague before their affair and revealed that he is suicidal, telling critics: 'Do you want me to die? Because that's where I am'. The broadcaster, 61, also lifted the lid on how Holly Willoughby distanced herself from him when his paedophile brother was jailed and confirmed they are no longer speaking after he left ITV, although he admitted she may have been banned. He said: 'I WhatsApped her on the day I put out the statement. I said that you don't have to reply, you probably can't, but I want to say I'm desperately, desperately sorry', adding Holly, who is currently on holiday in Portugal, hasn't replied. But shortly after Schofield confessed he'd sent her a text begging for forgiveness, Willoughby's social media team took to Instagram to share a blase post about hair care - with no mention of Phil or his apology. Holly Willoughby has taken to Instagram to promote a hair product - but did not respond to Phillip Schofield's interviews Schofield revealed his most recent texts with Holly over the scandal - he has not received a reply to his most recent one (texts recreated by MailOnline above) Phillip Schofield has revealed Holly Willoughby did not reply to his text which said he was 'so, so sorry' for lying to her about his 'unwise, but not illegal' relationship with a much younger colleague Phillip Schofield has said 'I think I understand how Caroline Flack felt', in an interview with the BBC's Amol Rajan following his exit from This Morning last week. He said he is suicidal Uploaded to the Wylde Moon account - Holly's wellness blog - was a makeup-free selfie, with Holly sporting wet hair as she smouldered down the camera lens with newly-washed hair. The post made no reference to her 'feud' with Schofield and instead offered tips on how to keep 'your hair safe all summer long'. Denying their relationship is 'broken', Schofield said today: 'I adore Holly. I've always adored her. She's my TV sister. I don't have a problem with her at all. Schofield told the BBC he first met his lover when he was 15 and in a theatre school where he offered him career advice without 'any whiff of impropriety'. Their sexual relationship began with a kiss in his dressing room at work and led to 'more' on around six occasions when the man was around 20. Schofield said they were never in love, and remained 'mates' afterwards. But he vehemently denied grooming him as a teenager before he began working at ITV, declaring: 'What's wrong with talking to someone?' Speaking for the first time, Schofield revealed: He met the man at the centre of the scandal when he was 15 and in school. They began a sexual relationship when he was 20 and working at This Morning. Schofield denied it was grooming and said any sexual contact was 'consensual' Phillip said that he would have taken his life by now if it wasn't for his two daughters, claiming: 'I think I understand how Caroline Flack felt'; The broadcaster believes his TV career is over and he will never be on the nation's screens again; The star has begged Holly Willoughby for forgiveness by text - but she has not replied. He denied that they had been at the heart of any 'toxicity' or bullying at This Morning, insisting that culture didn't exist; He thanks his family for their support - but admits his relationship with his wife Stephanie is 'not great right now'; Schofield hit back at critic Eamonn Holmes, declaring: 'All I see is angry people shouting about a show they're not on any more'; Phillip claimed the reaction to his age gap romance was 'homophobic' - and said it would have been different if it was a man and a woman; Last Friday, Schofield admitted that he had lied to ITV, his co-host, his agency YMU and lawyers about his relationship with a much younger colleague Breaking his silence last night, Schofield claimed Willoughby distanced herself from him after his paedophile brother was convicted Timothy Schofield (pictured) was jailed for 12 years for a slew of child sex offences including abusing a teenage boy he groomed He said: 'I would say to everyone, my family, friends, my work colleagues, to ITV, the public, my management company, the people I lied to: I am desperately sorry. But principally I would like to apologise to him. 'It may have been consensual, fully legal, but I shouldn't have allowed it to happen and that is a grave error on my part and I know that because if that an absolutely innocent person is being persecuted'. Breaking his silence on the scandal that he admits has ended his career, Schofield claimed he will never be on TV again and revealed he would have taken his own life by now if it wasn't for his daughters, declaring: 'I understand how Caroline Flack felt'. He apologised to his family, friends and ITV viewers for lying about the affair, but insisted that much of the criticism of him since he left This Morning had been homophobic. He also told of a 'catastrophic effect' on his mind. He revealed he texted former co-host Holly Willoughby begging for forgiveness over his This Morning affair lies but she never replied. Speaking to the BBC in an interview broadcast this morning, he said he has 'lost everything' and told of a 'catastrophic effect' on his mind. The former This Morning presenter, 61, said the fallout from the revelations had been 'relentless' and urged the media to leave his former lover 'alone now'. Speaking to the BBC's Amol Rajan, he told of the criticism he has faced since admitting the affair. He said he saw 'nothing ahead' of him and he had to talk about his career in television 'in the past tense'. He said: 'It is relentless, and it is day after day, after day after day. 'If you don't think that that is going to have the most catastrophic effect on someone's mind... do you want me to die? Because that's where I am. 'I have lost everything.' Clutching his vape, Schofield said his career is over Asked by Rajan, the BBC's media editor, if he was strong enough to do the interview, Schofield replied: 'I have to'. When pressed as to why, Schofield said in reference to his former colleague: 'Because there is an innocent person here who didn't do anything wrong, who is vulnerable and probably feels like I do. 'And I just have to say, stop with him... leave him alone...'. Phillip said he felt relieved that his 'biggest sorriest secret' was now public - but claimed he was in the midst of a crisis that has seen him consider suicide. He quit This Morning last Friday having admitted he lied about their affair. Love Island host Caroline Flack was found dead in February 2020 at the age of 40, and a coroner later ruled she took her own life after learning that prosecutors were going to press ahead with an assault charge following an incident with her boyfriend Lewis Burton. Schofield, 61, said today: 'Last week, if my daughters hadn't been there then I wouldn't be here. And they've guarded me and won't let me out of their sight, it's like a weird numbness. 'I know that's a selfish point of view. But you come to a point where you just think, how much are you supposed to take? If all of those people that write all that stuff, do they ever think that there's actually a person at the other end?'. Asked by Rajan, the BBC's media editor, if he was strong enough to do the interview, Schofield replied: 'I have to'. When pressed as to why, Schofield said in reference to his former colleague: 'Because there is an innocent person here who didn't do anything wrong, who is vulnerable and probably feels like I do. 'And I just have to say, stop with him... leave him alone...' Phillip Schofield has said he first started following his former lover on Twitter when he was aged 15 after he was asked to do so by a friend. In an interview with Amol Rajan on the BBC, the former This Morning presenter explained he was invited by a friend to go to a school, something he said he has done 'thousands of times'. Schofield claimed he was later asked to follow 'a fan' back on Twitter, who was aged 15 at the time - to which the presenter agreed. 'I follow 11,300 people and in all the time that I've been on Twitter there has never been any whiff of impropriety', he added. Schofield said the last time he interacted with his former lover was a 'couple of weeks' ago when he organised a lawyer for him because he needed 'independent' support. Schofield later confirmed he is paying for the man's legal advice. Phillip Schofield has told the BBC's Amol Rajan that the first time he had any 'kind of sexual contact' with his former This Morning colleague, the younger man was 20. He said the pair had last spoken when Schofield 'engaged a lawyer for him', adding: 'He needed independent support. So that was the last time'. Recounting the first time they met, Schofield told Rajan: 'I was invited by a friend of mine to go to open a drama school... But whether it was immediately or sometime after, he said, 'will you follow him on Twitter, because he's a fan'. So I said, 'yeah, sure, no problem', which I did.' Rajan added: 'And he was what, 15 at the time?'. Schofield said: 'I follow 11,300 people, and in all the time I've been on Twitter, there has never been any whiff of impropriety.' He went on to say the pair were 'hardly' in touch, but the young man had later gotten in contact to ask 'if he could visit the studios, work experience-type of thing. I said come down and have a look, for sure, which he did.' Schofield told Rajan the man was 19 when he had first expressed interest in a television career, and when asked by Rajan if, looking back on their messages, there was 'any sense in which you were flirting with him?', Schofield said: 'No, I've been 41 years in television. Nothing like this before. No accusations. I mean, this is all accusations.' Phillip Schofield has denied he had any sexual interaction with his former This Morning colleague when the younger man was underage, but said their later affair was 'unforgivable'. Asked directly by the BBC's Amol Rajan if he had any kind of sexual relationship when his former lover was underage, Schofield said: 'God no. 'In my statement, it says 'consensual relationship, fully legal', I mean, that (the statement) was approved by both sides.' Recalling how the affair began, Schofield said: 'He'd been working at the show for a few months and we'd become mates, we were mates. Around the studios we'd hang out together, chat to each other, that sort of stuff. 'And then in my dressing room one day something happened which obviously, I will regret forever for him and for me - mostly him. 'That happened maybe four or five times over the next few months, and I know it's unforgivable but we weren't boyfriends, we weren't in a relationship. 'I was really in a mess with my sexuality at the time and it just happened.' ITV boss Carolyn McCall will appear before MPs to face questions over the Phillip Schofield scandal Schofield has said he 'didn't tell anybody' about his affair with his former This Morning colleague but disagreed with any implication of 'grooming' the young man. Asked by the BBC's Amol Rajan about who on his team knew about the relationship, the presenter said: 'Nobody to my knowledge. I mean somebody has to know something for there to be a rumour later on. I didn't believe that anybody knew.' Schofield reiterated that he never told his former co-host Holly Willoughby, adding: 'That's a bigger question because our make-up room was like a sanctuary so you tell everything in that room. 'Holly knows everything about me, I know everything about Holly. Holly did not know. Nobody knew. I didn't tell anybody.' Rajan said the crux of the issue is whether there was a potential 'abuse of power', adding that it might be perceived as 'grooming'. 'The circumstances are as follows: you met someone who was a child, you were in a position of power over them. You use your power eventually to give them something they craved, which was shot at a job in the media. You nurtured a relationship and then that relationship became sexual. And they might ask, what's the difference between that and grooming?' Schofield replied: 'Well, I would say that the initial list of things was not right anyway. 'Because it was a totally innocent picture, a totally innocent Twitter follow, of which I follow 11,400 people, and then it was a completely innocent backwards and forwards over a period of time about a job, about careers. 'What's wrong with talking to someone no matter what age they are? Does that mean that if you are following anyone on Twitter that you absolutely don't talk to anybody else or you don't give advice? So I disagree with the summation that you just gave, because that does paint a very grave picture.' The 61-year-old, resigned from ITV on Friday and was dropped by his agency YMU after admitting to the tryst, while the network has instructed a barrister to review the facts around the star's exit. Willoughby is among those who may be grilled by the lawyer over the scandal, but those in her circle insisted last night that she has 'nothing to hide'. Alison Hammond, Dermot O'Leary, Eamonn Holmes, Ruth Langsford and Dr Ranj Singh may all be asked to give statements to employment lawyer Jane Mulcahy KC. Breaking his silence for the first time since his sudden departure from ITV, Schofield told The Sun: 'I've lost my best friend. I let her down. I let that entire show down. I let the viewers down. 'Holly did not know. And she was one of the first texts that I sent, to say, ''I am so, so sorry that I lied to you''. 'She didn't reply, and I understand why she didn't reply, as well. So yeah. If anyone is in any way linking Holly to this that is absolutely, wholly untrue.' Since Schofield's resignation, This Morning has been plagued by allegations of 'toxicity' - which has also impacted Willoughby's standing. Producers have also faced guests turning down offers to appear on This Morning - and its biggest sponsor, car dealer Arnold Clark, has confirmed it will not be renewing an existing multi-million-pound deal with the channel in autumn. Yet Holly Willoughby is determined to fight to keep her spot on This Morning's sofa and hopes to 'ride out' the ongoing scandal surrounding Schofield that has plunged ITV into a crisis, a source has claimed. It comes amid fears that the programme will lose more of its advertisers as one insider said 'brands do not feel ITV is a safe bet at the moment'. However, a friend of Willoughby said the star 'has nothing to hide' from an ITV probe. The star was in Portugal when she found out top silk Jane Mulcahy KC would be carrying out 'an external review to establish the facts'. A source told The Mirror: 'Holly will of course 100% cooperate with the inquiry should she be asked, as she has nothing to hide whatsoever. 'She has made crystal clear that Phil lied to her about his relationship with the runner, and is super relaxed about giving her version of events.' Schofield claimed his relationship with his former best friend broke down after his brother was jailed, which made her distance herself from the friendship. The veteran ITV presenter had stepped down from his role on This Morning just days after his paedophile brother Timothy Schofield was jailed for 12 years for a slew of child sex offences including abusing a teenage boy he groomed. The star's 54-year-old brother was convicted of 11 sexual offences involving a child between October 2016 and October 2019, including two of sexual activity with a child, after a trial at Exeter Crown Court in April. During the bombshell interview, Schofield said that Willoughby had been one of the first people he confided in after his brother confessed to the horrendous behaviour. He said that his co-host had been incredibly supportive throughout the trial, 'holding [his] hand every step of the way'. Last Friday, Schofield admitted that he had lied to ITV, his co-host, his agency YMU and lawyers about his relationship with a much younger colleague. The revelation sent ITV into meltdown, being forced to launch an external investigation into the affair, after a number of former workers claimed the station's bosses must have known about their romance. Last night, Schofield insisted he 'did not' groom the young boy, who he had met when he was just 15 years old. The young man then asked the former host for a job, landing a role in ITV production when he turned 18. The affair began sometime after that. Schofield has now insisted his interactions with the younger male before he joined This Morning were 'completely innocent.' He told The Sun: 'I did not, I did not [groom him]. 'There are accusations of all sorts of things. It never came across that way because we'd become mates. I don't know about that. 'But of course I understand that there will be a massive judgment, but bearing in mind, I have never exercised that anywhere else.' He also told the newspaper that he did not 'lie to protect' his career, but the colleague who 'did not want his name in public. Schofield said the romance began after a 'consensual moment' in his dressing room in 2017 but insisted 'it was not a love affair'. 'It was not a relationship, we were not boyfriends; we were mates.' 'It wasn't feelings [I was getting], it was more like mates: excitement.' The former This Morning presenter said he was struggling with his sexuality at the time, and the pair were together 'maybe five or six times'. He added: 'We just didn't think anyone knew, there was no lying, we thought, stupidly, that nobody knew.' Schofield said his 'greatest apology' over the fallout from the affair was to his former lover. He went on: 'It has brought the greatest misery into his totally innocent life, his totally innocent family, his totally innocent friends. It has brought the greatest grief to them.' He added: 'I am deeply sorry and I apologise to him because I should have known better. I should have acted the way I have always acted. I should not have done it. 'I'm sorry. And I will forever be sorry. I will die sorry. I am so deeply mortified.' Schofield suggested homophobia could be behind some of the criticism levelled at him over the age gap. He said: 'Attraction is attraction. It's no different in the gay world as it is in the heterosexual world or in the lesbian world. 'There shouldn't be a difference. This is where homophobia comes in. 'We did first meet when he was 15, I visited the drama school (he attended).' He added: 'So yeah, there's a difference. It's accepted by Leonardo DiCaprio, it's not accepted if it's in the gay world.' The fling took place while the TV star was still married to his wife of 30 years Stephanie Lowe, whom he has two daughters with. Schofield's loyal wife has been left both furious and devastated by his admission that he had an affair with a much younger colleague during their marriage. Friends say that Ms Lowe, the mother of the presenter's two grown-up daughters, had no idea he was in a relationship because Schofield had always described the man as a friend and colleague. Recalling the moment he confessed to the affair, having previously denied it when she had asked him, the former host said: 'She got off a plane and I phoned her up and texted saying, 'I need to talk to you'. She called back and I told her.' 'She was very, very angry.' It can also be revealed that the former This Morning star's eldest daughter Molly only found out about her father's statement to the Daily Mail in which he admitted lying over the relationship with the man just minutes before the story broke. Friends say that she was at work at YMU, the talent agency that represented Schofield for 35 years, when she found out. Staff there say she was in such shock she had to be comforted before going home. An interview between Schofield and the BBC's Amol Rajan will be released today. In a trailer released by the broadcaster, Schofield said: 'It was a totally innocent picture, a totally innocent Twitter follow, of which I follow 11,400 people, and then it was a completely innocent backwards and forwards over a period of time about a job, about careers. 'What's wrong with that? What's wrong with talking to someone no matter what age they are? Holly Willoughby is spending half term more than a thousand miles away from the This Morning drama as she holidays with family in Portugal, it has been revealed (Pictured: Holly on a previous trip) Holly Willoughby has been spotted on holiday in Portugal. She is pictured with Phillip Schofield on this Morning earlier this month Schofield was seen today in London for the first time since quitting ITV and This Morning Phillip Schofield broke his silence tonight, saying he's 'broken and ashamed' but not a groomer in his first interview since admitting an affair The former This Morning star said the affair 'never came across' as an abuse of power because he and his lover were 'mates' 'Does that mean that if you're following anyone on Twitter that you absolutely don't talk to anybody else or you don't give advice?' He added: 'The brief communications backwards and forwards up to the point that he came to work on This Morning I think was just chat.' It follows the revelation that under-fire ITV boss Carolyn McCall has been called to appear before MPs to face questions over how the broadcaster approaches safeguarding and complaint handling. The ITV star has been pictured out for dinner with her parents Linda and Brian (pictured together), sister Kelly, and three children near to her 8million Algarve villa. Holly has often spent time with her mother Linda while taking a break from her life on TV She has even mimicked her mother's dress sense. For her 40th birthday (right) Holly wore a dark floral dress that her mother wore when she was younger (left) Holly has even attended red carpet events with her mother. Pictured: Holly and Linda at the 2102 Pride of Britain Awards in London Family: Holly is pictured with Terry in a beaming snap, which she previously shared to Instagram Schofield's admission to the affair with his junior colleague plunged the station into a crisis, seeing sponsors back out of multi-million-pound deals. The Culture, Media and Sport Committee has today written to Dame Carolyn asking her to attend Parliament at 10am on Wednesday, June 14. It comes after she was forced into a humiliating climbdown yesterday by announcing the broadcaster was bringing in a barrister to 'carry out an external review to establish the facts' around the chaos that has engulfed ITV since Schofield made his statement last week. Holly Willoughby is spending half term more than a thousand miles away from the This Morning drama as she holidays with family in Portugal, it has also been revealed. The ITV star has been pictured out for dinner with her parents Linda and Brian, sister Kelly, and three children near to her 8million Algarve villa. An onlooker said Willoughby, 42, appeared to be trying to stay under the radar, wearing a hat and sunglasses. 'The area is a holiday hotspot for Brits, so she is probably worried about being asked about the This Morning scandal,' they told The Sun. 'At one point, Holly spoke at length to a waiter who it seemed like she knew personally. ITV announced it had commissioned an external inquiry into Phillip Schofield's relationship with a much younger colleague Jane Mulcahy KC of Blackstone Chambers has been instructed by ITV to carry out an external review 'She seemed to be having a great time - unlike her old pal Phillip.' Willoughby is believed to have spent the week in the 23C sun as the Phillip Schofield scandal deepens. Willoughby is due to return to This Morning next Monday following the half-term break, having taken the early holiday when news of Schofield's departure emerged. Willoughby has been silent since putting out an Instagram statement on Saturday which said it had 'taken time to process yesterday's news' following Schofield's statement, adding: 'When reports of this relationship first surfaced, I asked Phil directly if this was true and was told it was not. It's been very hurtful to now find out that this was a lie.' She is due to return to This Morning next Monday following the half-term break, but former presenter Eamonn Holmes predicted she will not return to the sofa following Schofield's bombshell exit. Jaguar is recalling more than 6,000 I-Pace electric SUVs in the US due to the risk of the battery catching fire. The British luxury carmaker issued the recall for models from 2019 to 2024 and urges owners to park their vehicles outside until recall repairs are completed. The issue is due to the high-voltage battery made by LG Energy Solution, which may overheat and spark fires or force the SUVs to stall while driving. Dealers will check recalled SUV batteries using software capable of identifying conditions linked to overheating and replace faulty modules for free. The US National Highway Traffic Safety (NHTS) shared documents Wednesday about the recall. 'Vehicles have experienced thermal overload, which may show as smoke or fire, that may occur underneath the vehicle where the high voltage traction battery is located. Investigations are continuing,' the documents read. 'A vehicle thermal overload condition such as fire or smoke can result in an increased risk of occupant injury and/or injury to persons outside the vehicle, as well as property damage.' Recalled vehicles will receive an update to the Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) software that will monitor the battery pack assembly operational status that indicates where the battery contains conditions that may lead to thermal overload. This software provides an enhanced level of driver warnings about battery conditions. Where the software determines a risk exists, the High Voltage battery charging capacity is limited to 75 percent. Jaguar is set to notify dealers about the recall on June 8 and owners will receive direct communications on July 21. The documents say the vehicle batteries were made by LG Energy Solution, which is under investigation by the NHTSA after five automakers issued recalls due to possible defects that could cause fires or stalling. The NHTSA opened the probe in April 2022, covering more than 138,000 vehicles with the South Korean company's lithium-ion batteries. General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Stellantis and Volkswagen have issued recalls since February 2020, mostly due to internal battery failures that can increase the risk of fires. The agency said it will write to LG and other companies that might have bought similar batteries to make sure recalls are being done when needed. LG Energy Solution, based in Seoul, South Korea, noted that Jaguar is updating the battery-managing software on the vehicles while the incidents that led to the recall are being investigated. 'LG Energy Solution continues to closely work with our client Jaguar Land Rover to ensure that the investigation is concluded,' it said in a statement Thursday. The investigation is another bug in a growing global rollout of electric vehicles by all automakers to replace internal combustion vehicles to cut emissions and fight climate change. Ford and BMW also have recalled batteries in recent years. Also, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board investigated a series of fires in Tesla vehicles and said the high-voltage lithium-ion batteries pose safety risks to first responders after crashes. Many governments are counting on EVs to replace gasoline-burning vehicles that emit greenhouse gases that cause global warming. Documents in the Jaguar recall say the battery energy control module software will be updated by a dealer or online. The dealers also will replace battery modules if needed. The documents say that Jaguar has received eight reports of vehicle fires in the U.S. starting in June of 2019. A natural treatment to help people burn off fat has come a step closer following a scientific breakthrough. A study has cast light on how to activate brown fat, the 'good' fat in the body which burns large amounts of calories to keep us warm in cold conditions. Unlike 'bad' white fat, which people store around their bellies, often leading to obesity, scientists have been keen to harness brown fat to help people lose weight. If they can turn it on, at any time, and not just when people are cold, they could help them to lose weight on demand. This is still a long way off, but scientists have come significantly closer after revealing the detailed molecular structure of the protein which causes brown fat to burn calories. White fat is fat stored around the belly, often leading to obesity The protein, called Uncoupling Protein 1 (UCP1) is a scientific mystery, and researchers want to understand how it 'switches on' to trigger calorie burning in brown fat. But they now have an insight, after finding the position of two 'gates' within the protein when it is switched off. Because the inside gate is closed and the outside gate is open when the protein is inactive, they believe the gates must be in the opposite position to activate the protein. The next step is to find a drug which alters the gates in this way, to kick-start the calorie-burning activity of the brown fat which could people slim down. Brown fat is the holy grail, because studies show people who have more of it tend to be more lean, and therefore activating it could provide a natural solution to weight loss instead of a slimming pill. Professor Edmund Kunji, who led the study from the University of Cambridge, said: 'This structure will allow scientists to understand how to switch the protein on, leading to the burning of fat. 'This could also remove glucose from the blood, helping to control diabetes. 'This is a significant breakthrough in this field.' Activating brown fat stores could hold they key to preventing diabetes, the study claims The uncoupling protein is too small to see properly through a microscope. But the research team used tiny antibodies from llamas to stick the uncoupling protein to two other proteins. This created a structure large enough to view from all angles using an electron microscope. The researchers simply had to ignore the structure of the other proteins from their image to figure out the structure of the important uncoupling protein. The breakthrough was made by an international collaboration between the University of East Anglia, the University of Cambridge, the University of Pennsylvania and the Free University of Brussels. Dr Paul Crichton, from UEA's Norwich Medical School, said: 'Despite more than 40 years of research, we did not know what UCP1 looks like to understand how it works - until now.' The findings are published in the journal Science Advances. Humans have breached almost all of the boundaries that make the Earth a safe and just environment, researchers have said. In quantifying the limits of the planet's life-support systems, a team of more than 40 international scientists found humans have exceeded seven of the eight Earth System Boundaries (ESBs) they identified. They said social and economic systems based on unsustainable resource extraction and consumption are causing rapid changes that undermine these systems while pushing the Earth towards irreversible destabilisation. Publishing their work in the journal Nature, the scientists analysed climate, biodiversity, freshwater and different kinds of pollution to air, soil and water. They defined safe and just limits as those which regulate the state of the planet, protect other species, reduce significant harm to humans and support inclusive human development. Global warming is our fault, according to a team of more than 40 international scientists found humans have exceeded seven of the eight Earth System Boundaries (ESBs) they identified Only in the category of aerosol pollutants has this limit not been breached, with climate having passed its just limit of 1C but not its safe limit of 1.5C above the pre-industrial global average temperature. The scientists, working under the Earth Commission, said 'significant societal impacts' are already being felt, with tens of millions of people already affected by the changing climate. Professor Johan Rockstrom of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and lead author of the study said: 'The results of our health check are quite concerning. 'Within the five analysed domains, several boundaries, on a global and local scale, are already transgressed. 'This means that unless a timely transformation occurs, it is most likely that irreversible tipping points and widespread impacts on human well-being will be unavoidable. 'Avoiding that scenario is crucial if we want to secure a safe and just future for current and future generations.' UN member states since 2015 have agreed to limit global temperature rise to 1.5C and protect biodiversity in 30% of the world's land, sea and freshwater areas. The Earth Commission scientists said we are not on track to meet these targets and that 'nothing less than a just global transformation across all ESBs is required to ensure human well-being'. These transformations must also be systemic and address the economic, technological and political drivers of Earth's degradation and 'ensure access for the poor through reductions and reallocation of resource use', they said. UN member states since 2015 have agreed to limit global temperature rise to 1.5C and protect biodiversity in 30% of the world's land, sea and freshwater areas. The Earth Commission scientists said we are not on track to meet these targets Co-author Professor Joyeeta Gupta of the University of Amsterdam said: 'Justice is a necessity for humanity to live within planetary limits. 'This is a conclusion seen across the scientific community in multiple heavyweight environmental assessments. 'It is not a political choice. Overwhelming evidence shows that a just and equitable approach is essential to planetary stability. 'We cannot have a biophysically safe planet without justice.' The researchers said their work is intended for businesses, cities and governments to set science-based targets when addressing human exposure to climate change, biodiversity decline, water shortages, ecosystem damage from fertiliser overuse coupled with lack of access elsewhere and health damage from air pollution. Prof Gupta said: 'Potential future tipping points are not the only risks we consider, damage is already happening to millions of people at 1C of climate warming. 'Our climate Earth System Boundary exposes the injustice in current targets and underscores the urgency of immediately phasing out fossil fuels and accelerating work from all directions to meet Paris Agreement goals. 'By setting our climate Earth System Boundary at 1C we are not advocating that the world should adopt this ambitious target, but we are exposing the injustice inherent in current world targets.' The European Space Agency (ESA) is hosting the first-ever live stream of Mars that should reveal never-before-seen stunning details of the Red Planet. The agency's Mars Express orbiter will share new images every 50 seconds on Friday starting at 11:45 am ET, as it hangs more than 11,000 miles above the Martian surface. And the stream will be accessible through the ESA YouTube channel. While the event will be hosted live, it does take up to 22 minutes for data to travel the more than 187 million miles from Mars to Earth. There are only a few historical examples when humans on Earth have seen live images or video from space, including NASA's DART mission that crashed a probe into a moonlet and the Apollo missions. The European Space Agency is set to host a live stream of Mars on Friday ESA said the live stream honors the 20th-year of the Mars Express in space. Mars Express, so called because of the rapid and streamlined development time, represents the European Space Agency's (ESA's) first visit to another planet in the solar system. The spacecraft, launched in 2003, borrowed technology from ESA's Rosetta and Mars 96 missions. Since beginning science operations in 2004, the durable orbiter has given scientists an entirely new view of Earth's intriguing neighbor. It is now helping to answer fundamental questions about the geology, atmosphere, surface environment, history of water and potential for life on Mars. The spacecraft's high-resolution camera has sent back thousands of dramatic 3D views of the Martian surface. One instrument has discovered hydrated minerals that form only in liquid water, confirming that Mars was once much wetter than it is today. The first radar sounder ever to orbit another planet has detected subsurface layers of water ice. The agency's Mars Express orbiter will share new images every 50 seconds on Friday starting at 11:45 am ET, as it hangs more than 11,000 miles above the Martian surface Another instrument detected enough ice in the polar caps to create a global ocean 36 feet deep, revealing vast permafrost plains around the South Pole. Mars Express found the highest clouds above any planetary surface at 62 miles. READ MORE: First human crew to Mars should be all-female astronauts because 'they are more efficient,' new study claims The team simulated a 1080-day mission with four women astronauts and found they needed 3,736 pounds less food, saving more than $158 million. Advertisement The mission found indications of the possible presence of methane, which is attributed to active volcanism and biochemical processes on Earth. Its highly elliptical orbit has enabled the spacecraft to look beyond Mars to survey its two tiny moons, particularly the innermost satellite Phobos, which has been studied in unprecedented detail. It has acted as a communication relay between Earth and various NASA spacecraft, including the Phoenix lander and several rovers on the surface. 'Mars Express's Visual Monitoring Camera, dubbed the Mars Webcam, was not planned for such record-breaking,' ESA shared in a statement. 'Its primary job, 20 years ago, was to monitor the separation of the Beagle 2 lander from the 'MEX' spacecraft. Once it had done that and reported back, it was turned off. 'Like the monitoring cameras on board ESA's Juice spacecraft, which send back visuals of instruments and solar arrays being deployed, it wasn't meant to be a science instrument. 'It didn't need to take precisely accurate images. And yet, here we are.' In celebration of the long and productive life of Mars Express, teams have spent the last couple of months developing tools that would allow for the higher-quality, science-processed images to be streamed live for a full hour. James Godfrey, Spacecraft Operations Manager at ESA's mission control center in Germany, said: 'This is an old camera, originally planned for engineering purposes, at a distance of almost three million kilometers from Earth this hasn't been tried before and to be honest, we're not 100% certain it'll work. 'But I'm pretty optimistic. Normally, we see images from Mars and know that they were taken days before. I'm excited to see Mars as it is now as close to a Martian 'now' as we can possibly get!' Nimes, a city in the south of France, is an appealing destination for a short break Nimes is home to Roman ruins and a world-class collection of contemporary art and architecture. Theres an easily walkable old town with narrow streets and pleasant cafe-lined squares, making this southern French city appealing for a short break. Where to stay AppartCity Nimes Arenes Five minutes walk from Nimes Centre train station, this grand, 19th-century mansion formerly the citys post office has been a comfortable apart-hotel since 2016. Rooms are decorated with contemporary furnishings some have original features including fireplaces and parquet floors. All rooms have kitchenettes. Double rooms from 83 (appartcity.com). Nimes boasts an easily walkable old town with narrow streets and pleasant cafe-lined squares. Base yourself at AppartCity Nimes Arenes, which lies a five-minute walk from Nimes Centre train station AppartCity Nimes Arenes is housed in a grand, 19th-century mansion that was formerly the citys post office Square Hotel Apart from the fact that its spotlessly clean and has spacious rooms sleeping up to four people, the main attraction at this three-star hotel, on the east side of the old town, is its fourth-floor roof terrace. Its a great spot for breakfast or an evening drink, although youll have to bring your own booze because theres no bar. Doubles from 57 (squarehotel-nimes.com). Hotel des Tuileries Check into Hotel des Tuileries, set around the corner from the Philippe Starck-designed Abribus bus stop (above). Picture courtesy of Creative Commons A homely hotel, run by a British couple, on a residential street around the corner from the Philippe Starck-designed Abribus bus stop. Ask for a room with a little balcony so you can sit outside to enjoy a craft beer or wine from the ground-floor bar. Breakfast bread and pastries come from the neighbouring bakery. Doubles from 65 (hoteldestuileries.com). Hotel de lAmphitheatre This 11-room hotel near the Roman arena, created from two adjoining townhouses from the 17th and 18th century, has been renovated in a minimalist, southern-French style. There is no lift to reach the two upper floors, but at least youll work off the cooked-to-order breakfast. Double rooms from 78 (hoteldelamphitheatre.com). What to see & do Rome around As a former Roman colony, Nimes has sights including Maison Carree, a well-preserved temple, and the amphitheatre (11.40, arenes-nimes.com). For floor mosaics, head to the Musee de la Romanite (from 7.90; museedelaromanite.fr). Admire the floor mosaics at the Musee de la Romanite - tickets are priced from 7.90 Delight in denim The Musee du Vieux Nimes (4.40; Place aux Herbes), has a display tracing the history of denim, which is thought to have originated in Nimes. Great modern art Its the 30th anniversary of the Carre dArt, designed by Norman Foster and housing a modern art collection (from 7, carreartmusee.com). Examine the modern artwork at the Carre dArt, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year Marvel at the market Les Halles de Nimes, a covered market, has stalls piled with enticing local produce (leshallesdenimes.fr). Where to eat Le Bistrot de Tatie Agnes You have to be quick to grab one of the few tables at this lunch-only hole in the wall, down an alley just south of the Maison Carree. Try a salad: La Nimes features tapenade (olive spread), anchoiade (anchovy dip) and brandade (salt cod mixed with olive oil and cream) for 9 (lebistrotdetatieagnes.eatbu.com). Le Napo This pistachio-coloured cafe, with a listed painted and moulded ceiling, has been a popular meeting place for locals since 1813. Drop in for a coffee (3.25) and cake (3.70) or for lunch or dinner. Theres a plat du jour for 9.50 and snacks such as terrine (coarse pate) with bread from 5.70 (le-napo.fr). Le Nicolas Le Nicolas is a family-run restaurant that serves 'good-value regional dishes' Run by the same family for 62 years, this cosy restaurant with a beamed ceiling, stone walls and a brightly tiled floor, serves good-value regional dishes such as gardiane de taureau bull meat slow cooked in red wine from 13 (restaurant-nicolas-nimes.com). Gard O Vin Tucked away in Place du Marche, this wine bar is the place to go to sample the local AOC, Costieres de Nimes (from 3.50 per glass). It opens at 5pm. Settle on a sofa in the vaulted cellar or perch on a stool outside to munch on cheese and charcuterie; a plate of sausage slices comes in at 4.40. Getting there Flights from Stansted and Edinburgh from 12.99 one-way (ryanair.com). The shuttle bus between the airport and Nimes is 6 one way (tangobus.fr). Or take the train from London St Pancras, changing at Lille or Paris, from 75 one way (thetrainline.com). A two-day Nimes City Pass (nimescitypass.com) gives you access to the main sights for 25.50 (nimes-tourisme.com). Advertisement This hotel is the height of fashion. A luxury five-star hotel created by the late designer Karl Lagerfeld has opened its doors in Macau, the Chinese region known as the Las Vegas of Asia. The hotel is the only one entirely designed by Lagerfeld, and as pictures show, the German fashion mogul has undoubtedly left his mark on the property. Lagerfeld worked on the lavish hotel called The Karl Lagerfeld Macau - for several years before he died in 2019, and it carries the legacy of being his final interior design project. A statement says: The designer's imaginative, inimitable style and ethos are infused into its very DNA, from its architectural elements to the specially commissioned furniture and art. A luxury five-star hotel (above) designed in its entirety by the late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld has opened its doors in Macau, China Lagerfeld worked on the lavish hotel called The Karl Lagerfeld Macau - for several years before he died in 2019, and it has the legacy of being his final interior design project Eye-catching: The hotel features a spa and wellness centre with both indoor and outdoor pools The Chanel fashion maven is said to have dreamt up the hotel's design in collaboration with SJM Resorts based on a 'sophisticated reimagining of modern Chinoiserie fused with traditional craftsmanship'. Classic Chinese design is fused with Western aesthetics Located within the Grand Lisboa Palace Resort Macau complex, the 271-room hotel features a spectacular book lounge filled with 4,000 tomes, a spa and wellness centre with both indoor and outdoor pools, and a restaurant run by Michelin-starred chef Jose Avillez. The Chanel fashion maven, who died aged 85 following a battle with pancreatic cancer, is said to have dreamt up the hotel's design in collaboration with SJM Resorts based on a 'sophisticated reimagining of modern Chinoiserie fused with traditional craftsmanship'. Bold colours and patterns meet 'tailored silhouettes' in the guest rooms, which are said to show 'influences of both classic Chinese design and contemporary Western aesthetics'. Even minute details such as bathrobes and bedsheets are said to exude the designers unparalleled creativity. A statement says: The designer's imaginative, inimitable style and ethos are infused into its very DNA, from its architectural elements to the specially commissioned furniture and art' Amenities conceived by the Chanel fashion mogul include a spectacular book lounge (left) thats filled with 4,000 tomes. The designer, who was the creative director of Chanel from 1983 until his death, died following a battle with pancreatic cancer The rooms' custom headboards were inspired by Chinese coins that represent good fortune, while porcelain vases were handmade in the Chinese city of Jingdezhen and circular room dividers were inspired by traditional rounded Chinese moon gates. Specially commissioned furnishings include 'exquisite' sculptures by Dutch artist Marcel Wanders and French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel, while the chandeliers overhead were sourced from the Italian brand Terzani. This design aesthetic carries through to the restaurant, Mesa by Jose Avillez, which is said to reflect Lagerfeld's 'signature style and favourite colours geometric patterns, shapes, and lines in black, white and gold'. Portuguese chef Avillez has crafted a menu with a 'farm-to-table philosophy of dining'. Mesmerising: Bold colours and patterns meet 'tailored silhouettes' in the guest rooms The Mesa by Jose Avillez restaurant is said to reflect the fashion mogul's 'signature style and favourite colours geometric patterns, shapes, and lines in black, white and gold' Dishes at Mesa by Jose Avillez are designed for sharing. Pictured left are tempura cones with tuna tartare and spicy soya and to the right is a serving of crispy suckling pig with French fries and orange salad To the left is one of the restaurant's dishes - spring piri piri chicken with French fries. Michelin-starred chef Jose Avillez (pictured right) has crafted a menu with a 'farm-to-table philosophy of dining' A statement notes: 'Designed for sharing, some of these dishes are inspired by more traditional flavours, such as the spring piri piri chicken with French fries and the crispy suckling pig with French fries and orange salad, and others by more contemporary flavours, such as the tempura cone with tuna tartare and spicy soya.' There is also a wine list that has been 'closely developed in cooperation with Portuguese wineries and local distributors, as well as a wide selection of spirits and liquors'. Summing up the retreat, a statement promises that guests will discover fashion, luxury and beauty, fused together into a one-of-a-kind reflection of the world of Karl. It's not the only hotel that Lagerfeld has helped shape looks-wise - he previously designed a luxury apartment within Paris' famed Hotel de Crillon. The three-bedroom suite has a range of opulent features including glass chandeliers and bathrooms clad from floor-to-ceiling in marble. Lagerfeld dedicated one of the bedrooms to his beloved cat Choupette, who was given $1.5million (1.2million) by the late designer in his will. The opening of The Karl Lagerfeld Macau coincides with an exhibition in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art that's dedicated to the designer - Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty will run until mid-July. In early May, the 2023 Met Gala was controversially themed around the designer. Many pointed out that Lagerfeld, who was the creative director of Chanel from 1983 until his death, had expressed fatphobic, sexist and anti-immigrant views in his lifetime. Rooms are priced from 195.52 (1,949 Macanese pataca) per night. To book, visit thekarllagerfeld.mo. Mexico City, June 1 (UNI) The Supreme Federal Court of Brazil has sentenced Former President and Senator Fernando Affonso Collor de Mello to eight years and ten months in prison for passive corruption and money laundering in 2010-2014, local media reported on Wednesday. Charges of criminal conspiracy against the former president have been dismissed, the G1 news portal reported. The case rapporteur had previously asked the court to imprison Collor for 33 years. The court's decision does not stipulate that Collor would be immediately arrested, as the court's practice shows the serving of a sentence may be delayed until two appeals have been made, the report said. Collor served as the president of Brazil from 1990-1992 and the senator for the Alagoas state from 2007 until February 1, 2023. UNI/SPUTNIK GNK Advertisement The worlds best nude-friendly beaches have been revealed and its Haulover Beach Park in Florida thats number one. The silver medal, meanwhile, goes to Brazils Praia de Tambaba, while third place is taken by Red Beach on the Greek island of Santorini. The ranking is based on new research compiled by lingerie brand Pour Moi. Review data of hundreds of beaches around the world that permit nude sunbathing was analysed to create an index score out of 100 based on average review scores and the number of reviews each beach has received. Spain and Greece are among the best countries to visit if you want to try nude sunbathing - the former has four beaches in the top 20 ranking, while the latter has three. Unexpected destinations for nude sunbathing on the list include a beach in Latvia and Hanlans Point Beach in Toronto (joint 14th) where the winters are fierce. The study also examined the nationalities that are most keen to sunbathe in the nude, using Google search data to discover how frequently countries are searching for information on nudity-friendly beaches and cross-referencing this data with corresponding population sizes. Its been revealed that Australians are most keen to ditch their swimsuits on the beach, followed by New Zealanders (second), the Dutch (third), Canadians (fourth) and the Irish (fifth). Americans (sixth) and Britons (eighth) also make it into the top ten. Pour Moi says: Nude beaches can provide the opportunity for some much-needed peace and privacy compared to potentially crowded mainstream sites. Scroll down to see the worlds top nudity-friendly beaches laid bare NO.1 - HAULOVER BEACH PARK, MIAMI, FLORIDA: Located in the USAs sunshine state, Haulover Beach Park in Florida is a long-established clothing-optional beach, says Pour Moi. The calming blue waters, soft waves and white sand' of the beach, which comes top with a score of 97 out of 100, are said to 'feel great on your skin as you sunbathe or go for a light swim in the nude. And bathers wont go hungry. Pour Moi reveals: The Haulover Beach Park comes complete with a range of food trucks offering a variety of tasty lunch options for when you need a break from relaxing in the buff NO.2 - PRAIA DE TAMBABA, PARAIBA, BRAZIL: Praia de Tambaba, a beach that offers privacy, peace and seclusion, takes the silver medal with a score of 76 out of 100. Pour Moi reveals: Perfect for those new to nude sunbathing, the beach is located a little off the beaten track and features a backdrop of stunning greenery and cascading rock formations that act as a nice barrier if youre a little shy about stripping off for the first time. The brand adds that the beach is said to feature a host of friendly locals who will be sure to ease any anxieties you have about making your nude debut NO.3 - RED BEACH, SANTORINI, GREECE: Are you a fan of otherworldly landscapes acting as a backdrop while you top up your tan? If thats the case then Greece's Red Beach is a must-visit. So declares Pour Moi of this stretch of sand, which receives a score of 70 out of 100 on the index. The fashion retailer continues: The surreal red lava rocks famously stand tall around the beach, offering some much-needed seclusion for those going topless or fully nude. Food options are available at the top of the beach where you can indulge in some lunch while you momentarily press pause on tanning NO.4 - PATARA BEACH, ANTALYA PROVINCE, TURKEY: Turkeys Patara Beach, which snaps up a score of 69 out of 100, is a great beach for many reasons, according to Pour Moi. It explains: It sits along the stunning Turkish Riviera and stretches a massive 12 miles (19km), so theres ample space to find somewhere private to remove your clothes and get in some much-needed me time as you soak up the sun and enjoy the crystal blue waters. While youre there, keep your eyes peeled for nesting sea turtles the beach is a protected area for the creatures, Pour Moi reveals NO.5 - PLAYA DE LOS MUERTOS, ALMERIA PROVINCE, SPAIN: Describing this beach, which earns 67 out of 100 in the index, Pour Moi says: Playa de los Muertos comes with the gift of solitude and peaceful tranquillity as it lays tucked away out of sight and can only be reached by a downward hike. Nude sunbathing isn't the only activity that can be enjoyed on this stretch of coast, the lingerie brand reveals, adding: This beach is known to be perfect for snorkelling, with an abundance of wildlife to see in the beachs clear waters NO. 6 - PLAYA ZIPOLITE, OAXACA, MEXICO: Pour Moi says that this beach, known as Mexicos only official nudist beach, had a long history of being a naturist hot spot even before it was granted legalisation in 2016, welcoming those seeking a clothes-free beach experience for more than 30 years'. The lingerie firm added that 'its gained a reputation for being a safe haven for nudists, which could be why people continue to flock here'. Its overall score on the index? Sixty-six out of 100 NO. 7 - ES TRENC, MALLORCA, SPAIN: This naturalist-friendly spot in Mallorca bags a score of 64 out of 100 on the index. Es Trenc in Mallorca is said to be one of the most famous beaches in this region and its easy to understand why, says Pour Moi. It continues: Located in the south of the island, the beach stretches over two kilometres, meaning that naturists have plenty of space to find the perfect spot to lay out their towel and enjoy the Caribbean-esque waters. The remoteness and the areas wild beauty make it feel like the perfect hub for those looking to be one with nature NO.8 - PRAIA DO ABRICO, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL: Praia do Abrico is thought to be something of a hidden gem, even to those who live in Rio de Janeiro, Pour Moi says of this beach, which bags a score of 63 out of 100 on the index. The brand continues: 'This could be partly attributed to its stunning scenery, which gives the beach further protection from any street views. The vegetation and the mountains act as a relaxing setting when paired with the warm temperatures and blue skies.' Pour Moi adds that it's the perfect place in which to 'clear your mind' NO.9 - BANANA BEACH, ZAKYNTHOS, GREECE: Banana Beach is one of the largest beaches on Zakynthos island and is a short 20-minute drive from the town of the same name, Pour Moi reveals. It says that the naturalist-friendly section of the beach which takes home a score of 54.9 out of 100 - is known as Little Banana and is tucked away from the mainstream beach but still offers plenty of amenities for those wishing to enjoy their nude outing. Pour Moi says that you can rent 'luxury' sun loungers and umbrellas in Little Banana and there's a taverna nearby 'where you can sample some delicious Greek cuisine and look out at the picturesque paradise that sits before you NO.10 - PARADISE BEACH, MYKONOS, GREECE: Pour Moi reveals: Paradise Beach is set on Mykonos famous coastline and it certainly lives up to its name. Its far removed from Mykonos renowned party scene and rather than loud music, the only sounds youll be confronted with are the murmurings of gentle chatter or the calming waves that drift in and out of the shore. The beach's tenth-place ranking is thanks to its score of 54.7 out of 100 While Kylie Jenner hasn't showed much (if any) of her relationship with rapper Travis Scott on Hulu's The Kardashians, she is giving fans more insight into her Kylie Cosmetics makeup empire. The new episode - entitled Don't Want It, Don't Need It, I'm Done - follows Kylie as she checks out some of her makeup at Harrod's to see the display of her makeup with five-year-old daughter Stormi. They start shopping for her own makeup, as Kylie says in confession that it means a lot to her that Stormi could be with her and travel the world with her. They stop for tea with her friend Fai Khadra, reminiscing that her and Kendall, 'used to shut down malls,' adding there would be 'thousands of people who would show up to this mall.' They show flashback footage of legions of fans chanting Kylie and Kendall's names, as Kylie jokes, 'We were really cool. I mean, we're cool now, but we were really really really cool back then.' Kylie: While Kylie Jenner hasn't showed much (if any) of her relationship with rapper Travis Scott on Hulu's The Kardashians, she is giving fans more insight into her Kylie Cosmetics makeup empire Kylie and Stormi: The new episode - entitled Don't Want It, Don't Need It, I'm Done - follows Kylie as she checks out some of her makeup at Harrod's to see the display of her makeup with five-year-old daughter Stormi Fai: They stop for tea with her friend Fai Khadra, reminiscing that her and Kendall, 'used to shut down malls,' adding there would be 'thousands of people who would show up to this mall' She gets on a video call with Kendall talking about their mall meet and greets, as Kendall starts laughing adding, 'No it was so much fun.' 'I was able to come here and see my makeup being made, visit Harrod's for the first time and see my displays, and it's been so special,' Kylie says in confession, as they all toast to the 'Kylie world tour.' Earlier in the episode, Kylie traveled to Milan, Italy to visit the places that produce her own makeup. 'I just feel like it's really important to see the places where my makeup is being made,' Kylie says in confession. 'Being here in Milan is really important for that because there is important shade matching to go on, just to make sure everything is perfect,' Kylie says. Kylie is inside the facility, seeing how they make her foundation, adding in confession, 'I love makeup. I think the science behind it is also amazing, and really seeing how it's made.' 'Makeup is very powerful. It makes me feel powerful. I love to be creative and I don't know, it's a form of expression. I definitely knew when I was like 16 that this is what I wanted to do,' Kylie said. 'Playing with my mom's makeup into getting my own, it really truly is a passion of mine, so it's fun for me,' Kylie adds in confession. Video call: She gets on a video call with Kendall talking about their mall meet and greets, as Kendall starts laughing adding, No it was so much fun' Tour: 'I was able to come here and see my makeup being made, visit Harrod's for the first time and see my displays, and it's been so special,' Kylie says in confession, as they all toast to the 'Kylie world tour' Makeup: 'I just feel like it's really important to see the places where my makeup is being made,' Kylie says in confession Confession: 'Makeup is very powerful. It makes me feel powerful. I love to be creative and I don't know, it's a form of expression. I definitely knew when I was like 16 that this is what I wanted to do,' Kylie said Science: Kylie is inside the facility, seeing how they make her foundation, adding in confession, 'I love makeup. I think the science behind it is also amazing, and really seeing how it's made' A producer asks who taught Kylie how to put makeup on, as Kylie adds, 'Khloe was always really good at makeup too, and she would do my makeup sometimes, which was really fun, but I think I just taught myself how to do makeup, a lot of trial and error, and I think the fun thing about makeup is you can't really be wrong. Everyone does their makeup differently and I think that's the beauty about it.' Kylie watches over the making of a blush, adding it was 'inspiring' to be here, adding she thinks she could always 'do more.' 'I took a lot of personal time in my early 20s. I really wanted to be a young mom, but I really feel like the rest of my 20s, I want to focus on work and really dive into it. I think my mom has just instilled in all of us to be really hard workers. So blessed to be able to do what I love every day,' Kylie concluded. Jenner has been romantically involved with rapper Travis Scott since 2017 and they share Stormi together. Scott has not been featured in any of Hulu's The Kardashians, though he has been mentioned plenty by name, including this new episode. Both Khloe Kardashian and Kris Jenner briefly talk about how they're wearing Travis' sneakers while chatting at Kris' home. Salma Hayek is taking one last moment to remind her fans to focus on their mental health on the last day of Mental Health Awareness Month. The House of Gucci star - who celebrated her husband's birthday this week - told a story about a time when she felt like she was terrible because someone else told her she was. The Magic Mike's Last Dance actress, 56, told fans not to let anyone else tell them who or what they are. Their sense of self should not come from somebody else. 'It should not be healed because somebody else likes you,' she said, adding, 'It should be healed because you believe something good about yourself.' 'Be the best that you can be and do not try to be like anyone else. Focus on you, liking yourself. Mental health: Salma Hayek is taking one last moment to remind her fans to focus on their mental health on the last day of mental health awareness month She captioned the post: 'Mental Health Awareness Month might be ending, but let's make every day a time to focus on our mental well-being. 'Let's keep the conversation going and remember, you are strong, valuable, and deserving of love and respect. #MentalHealthAwareness.' Two weeks ago, the Frida actress shared another message on mental health on her Instagram account. 'If I start insulting you in another language, you feel nothing,' the From Dusk To Dawn actress said on May 17. 'They don't mean anything to you because it's you who puts the meaning to it. Me, I know what it means, but it doesn't matter how hard I screamed into you. You might start laughing. 'Take their words, take away the value of the words and drop them to the floor. If you take that away, they fall to the ground,' she continued. 'They never get to touch you. They are nothing. #MentalHealthAwareness, #MindMatters, and #SelfCareJourney.' 'Your mental well-being deserves to be cherished,' she captioned that video. 'This Mental Health Awareness Month, let's unite against bullying and empower each other to embrace self-care, love, and healing,' she captioned the video. Be yourself: She told a story about a time when she felt like she was terrible because someone else told her she was and asked 'Do you like who you are?' Improve yourself: The Magic Mike's Last Dance actress, 56, said you shouldn't let anyone else tell you who or what you are. Your sense of self should not come from somebody else Healed: 'It should not be healed because somebody else likes you,' she said, adding, 'It should be healed because you believe something good about yourself' Be the best: 'Be the best that you can be and do not try to be like anyone else. Focus on you, liking yourself' She captioned the post: 'Mental Health Awareness Month might be ending, but let's make every day a time to focus on our mental well-being' Message: 'Let's keep the conversation going and remember, you are strong, valuable, and deserving of love and respect. #mentalhealthawareness' On May 28, she celebrated her husband Francois-Henri Pinault's 61st birthday. The Fools Rush In star posted a sweet picture of herself giving him a kiss on the cheek with her more than 24.2 million Instagram followers. 'Happy birthday mi amor, you are my sunshine, my warmth, my light, my strength, my joy, my love,' she captioned the snap. Salma and Francois married on Valentine's Day 2009 in Paris, two years after welcoming daughter Valentina. Emily Ratajkowski brought smart sex appeal to the streets of New York City on Wednesday when she paired a busty black top with a chic pair of spectacles. The 31-year-old bombshell who recently turned up the heat in Manhattan with her washboard abs rocked the plunging design as she kept busy on her phone. Emily finished off her look with khaki pants and white kicks, and she drew extra attention to her chest by wearing a large pendent around her neck. The supermodel's chic outing comes amid speculation about who her summer fling will be, since her rumored flame Harry Styles, 29, is allegedly 'growing close' to South African beauty Candice Swanepoel. In March, Emily was seen making out with the Watermelon Sugar hitmaker on the streets of Tokyo, adding another name to her A-list roster and sparking major drama with his ex Olivia Wilde. Stunner: Emily Ratajkowski brought smart sex appeal to the streets of New York City on Wednesday when she paired a busty black top with a chic pair of spectacles Looking good: The 31-year-old bombshell rocked the plunging design as she kept busy on her phone. Emily finished off her look with khaki pants and white kicks, and she drew extra attention to her chest by wearing a large pendent around her neck Since separating from husband Sebastian Bear-McClard last summer, Ratajkowski has been playing the field, dating multiple high-profile men this year. Prior to Styles, the stunner was romanced by comedian Eric Andre, 39, DJ Orazio Rispo, 36, actor Pete Davidson, 29, artist Jack Greer, 35, and she was even linked to 59-year-old heartthrob Brad Pitt. During an episode of the Going Mental With Eileen Kelly podcast, EmRata hinted that shes been dating the pop star since February 2023. 'I just started dating someone that I think I like, so that is different. I was like, "Hes kind of great,' she said, as reported by Style Caster. The episode was actually recorded two weeks before she was spotted making out with Styles. She followed up by revealing her ideal type or partner for a romantic relationship. 'I like someone that is very independent. I think, for me, that's very important because I do have a full life,' she said, adding, 'I'm hoping that dating someone that has more of their own life will prevent the issues I had before.' But Emily is also keen to explore her sexuality and said that she's patiently waiting for the 'right girl' to come along. Harry's new flame? The supermodel's chic outing comes amid speculation about who her summer fling will be, since Emily's rumored flame Harry Styles, 29, is allegedly 'growing close' to South African beauty Candice Swanepoel (pictured) Emrata's roster: Prior to Styles, the stunner was romanced by comedian Eric Andre, 39, DJ Orazio Rispo, 36, actor Pete Davidson, 29, artist Jack Greer, 35, and she was even linked to 59-year-old heartthrob Brad Pitt Get in line ladies: Emily is also keen to explore her sexuality and said that she's patiently waiting for the 'right girl' to come along Em out: Emily Ratajkowski steps out in New York City while waiting for a car service All smiles: Emily Ratajkowski walks to her car in New York City Em's look: EmRata stepped out in a unique black top and brown pants Complete: EmRata completed her look with white shoes Asked by HommeGirls if she'd ever date a woman, the mother-of-one said: 'I would love to. Waiting for the right one to come along. 'Ive always been someone whos more attracted to vibe than specifics of physicality so sometimes itll just randomly hit me, and Ill be like, "Whoa, Im attracted to this person!"' The bombshell went on to reveal that she now refuses to settle down for the sake of being in a relationship. 'I'm proud of myself,' she declared. 'Younger version of myself would have probably settled for some mid dude just to have a [boyfriend]. Glad I'm not in that era anymore.' John Krasinski's title character tries to rid his government of corruption in the new trailer for the final season of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan. Amazon Prime Video released the new trailer on Wednesday, the first footage from the fourth and final season that is set to debut June 30. Two episodes will debut on June 30, with two more airing on July 7 with the six-episode season wrapping up with the show's two final episodes on July 14. The fourth-and-final season of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan finds the titular character on his most dangerous mission yet: facing an enemy both foreign and domestic. As the new CIA Acting Deputy Director, Jack Ryan is tasked with unearthing internal corruption, and in doing so, uncovers a series of suspicious black ops that could expose the vulnerability of the country, with Michael Pena joining the cast as Domingo Chavez. As Jack and the team investigate how deep the corruption runs, he discovers a far-worse reality - the convergence of a drug cartel with a terrorist organization - ultimately revealing a conspiracy much closer to home and testing our hero's belief in the system he has always fought to protect. Corruption: John Krasinski's title character tries to rid his government of corruption in the new trailer for the final season of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan New cast: As the new CIA Acting Deputy Director, Jack Ryan is tasked with unearthing internal corruption, and in doing so, uncovers a series of suspicious black ops that could expose the vulnerability of the country, with Michael Pena (above) joining the cast as Domingo Chavez The trailer opens with Ryan testifying in front of U.S. Senate hearing, where he's told, 'Two days ago, a strike team assassinated President Udoh, and yet you cannot prove that we weren't involved. Doesn't that concern you?' Ryan responds, 'No, sir. It terrifies me,' as Ryan is told later, 'You need to manage this, Jack.' James Greer (Wendell Pierce) asks Jack, 'What are you gonna tell them?' Jack responds, 'That this corruption goes way higher than the CIA.' Mike November (Michael Kelly) enters the room, to the surprise of James, as Jack adds, 'Say welcome. I figured we could use the help.' Ryan tells an analyst, 'Get me everything you can on Domingo Chavez (Michael Pena), while, later, Ryan meets face-to-face with Chavez. 'On paper, you might be the deadliest operator the CIA has ever employed. I need to find out who's behind all of this, and to be honest with you, you're all I've got,' Ryan tells Domingo, as we see the operator swing into action. 'See this? Now I'm blushing,' Chavez deadpans, as Ryan explains they are dealing with, 'the fusion of a drug cartel with a terrorist organization.' 'They can move anything. Humans, weapons, suicide bombers. Unlimited resources paired with undying hatred,' Ryan explains. Concern: The trailer opens with Ryan testifying in front of U.S. Senate hearing, where he's told, 'Two days ago, a strike team assassinated President Udoh, and yet you cannot prove that we weren't involved. Doesn't that concern you?' Terrifies: Ryan responds, 'No, sir. It terrifies me,' as Ryan is told later, 'You need to manage this, Jack' Tell: James Greer (Wendell Pierce) asks Jack, 'What are you gonna tell them?' Jack responds, 'That this corruption goes way higher than the CIA' On paper: 'On paper, you might be the deadliest operator the CIA has ever employed. I need to find out who's behind all of this, and to be honest with you, you're all I've got,' Ryan tells Domingo, as we see the operator swing into action Blushing: 'See this? Now I'm blushing,' Chavez deadpans, as Ryan explains they are dealing with, 'the fusion of a drug cartel with a terrorist organization' Cathy Mueller (Abbie Cornish) tells Jack, 'The world is a gameboard of changing hands. Nothing but vipers beyond these walls.' Jack is told, 'You do not know who these people are,' as he jokes, 'I'm sure I'll meet them soon enough.' The trailer heats up with more action-packed shots, including one where Ryan himself is getting electrocuted. 'Jack is out there risking his life,' James tells someone on the phone, while Mike jokes, 'I always wanted to be a Federale. Jack asks, 'So the CIA was second?' But Mike replies, 'Fourth,' as other shots show Jack answering a call from James. 'Jack, where the hell are you?' James asks. Jack answers, 'Are you sure you want to know?' as Jack tells Mike that James hung up on him, which Mike says is, 'Typical,' as the trailer comes to an end. A controversial Australian influencer has been run off social media after mean mums on Instagram criticised her for 'toxic positivity'. Emma Claiir, who received backlash in April when she admitted to killing two cats when she was a child, told her 106,000 followers that she was taking a break from Instagram following the criticism. 'It's just been brought to my attention that my last [post] about having a hard mum day is a form of toxic positivity and can be harmful to other mums out there struggling and that I need to be doing better,' she wrote. Emma went on to say that she was 'going into hiding' for a while to protect her mental health. 'It seems like nothing I post these days is good enough and everything I post is wrong and right now I can't be bothered trying to please everyone,' she snapped. Controversial Australian influencer Emma Claiir has been ran off social media after mean mums on Instagram criticised her for 'toxic positivity' Emma said that she was 'going into hiding' for a while to protect her mental health 'I try my best to be somewhat real and relatable on here and hope that I can help at least one person feel better or less alone, but it's just becoming harder to show up when I'm constantly getting told I'm wrong or toxic or need to do better.' Emma drew widespread criticism and was dropped by makeup company MCoBeauty in April after she admitted to two incidents of historic animal cruelty on an episode of her podcast Simply Chaotic. Three more brands then cut ties with Claiir, including a vegan makeup company that promotes how it does not test its products on animals. Lust Minerals confirmed in a lengthy Instagram post at the time that it would no longer be working with Claiir. 'We are deeply saddened by the events that have taken place regarding Emma Claiir. Lust Minerals does not condone any cruelty of any kind. We stand by our values - our products are cruelty-free and vegan-certified,' the statement read. 'As a company, we take matters like this very seriously and have therefore made the decision to end all activity with Emma Claiir. Our community is our number one priority.' The influencer often posts cute photos with her newborn son to social media Fashion retailers Glassons and Princess Polly also distanced themselves from Claiir and said they would not be partnering with her in future campaigns, according to screenshots of DMs the brand sent to customers. The screenshots, obtained by 'snark' account Influencer Updates AU, confirmed both labels had severed ties with Claiir as a result of her cat controversy. Claiir had shared the bizarre confession earlier this week on her podcast, after she was asked by her co-host Kristy Jean to tell a personal secret. The mother of one left Jean stunned by admitting: 'I killed my cat.' Chuckling awkwardly, Claiir continued: 'I didn't mean to... I was young, I was a child. Emma drew widespread criticism in April after she admitted to two incidents of historic animal cruelty on an episode of her podcast Simply Chaotic 'I was swinging my cat around. Like, I was thinking it was just a stuffed toy. And I accidentally let go of it.' Claiir clarified the animal died 'from the fright', rather than because of any injuries from being hurtled across the room. After sharing a laugh with her co-host, Claiir added: 'I just want to say, I'm giggling about it now, but this happened years and years and years [ago]. 'And, like, I was a f**king little child.' Incredibly, Claiir went on to admit she 'also killed her best friend's cat' by accident. Kerry Katona has accused Phillip Schofield of 'belittling' her in an infamous 2008 interview as she waded in on the 'toxic' culture at This Morning. The former pop star and TV personality, 42, broke her silence by talking to Dan Wootton on GB News on Wednesday evening. In the interview on This Morning 15 years ago Schofield, 61, queried her slurred speech live on air and told her she didn't seem 'right'. Kerry accused him of 'belittling' her and being 'condescending' with his comments and explained that her bipolar medication was affecting the way she spoke at the time. She also claimed she was left suicidal following the TV appearance and criticised ITV for allegedly not reaching out to her following the car-crash interview. Distressed: Kerry Katona broke down in tears as she accused Phillip Schofield of 'belittling' her in an infamous 2008 interview as she waded in on the 'toxic' culture at This Morning Hard time: She reflected on an infamous interview she did on This Morning back in 2008, which saw Phillip, 61, question her on her slurred speech live on air Kerry told Wootton: 'People don't understand what that interview did to me emotionally. 'Even now, when I go back to ITV - which isn't very often - there is a sense of snobbery and that I'm not good enough,' she added. 'I feel like I have to impress them, I've got to watch my speech, I can't slur.' Saying the interview left her at 'rock bottom', Kerry revealed: 'It was just awful. I was suicidal. I wanted to die, I wanted to kill myself. It was everywhere.' Kerry, who has been sober for 14 years, alleged that nobody wanted to work with her following the interview. She broke down in tears as she explained how she still has to defend herself over the interview more than ten years later. She said tearfully : 'Even now, when I look at that video, I feel so ashamed and so hard done by, even now. For ten years, I've had to justify myself.' 'I've got no reason to lie [about the medication], even today I have to justify myself for that interview,' she added. The infamous live 2008 interview saw Schofield question Kerry about her slurred speech and ask her if she was 'OK', despite her insistence it was due to her medication. Unimpressed: Kerry accused him of 'belittling' her and being 'condescending' with his comments and explained how her slurred speech was due to her bipolar medication Struggles: She also claimed she was left suicidal following the TV appearance and criticised ITV for allegedly not reaching out to her following the car-crash interview (pictured) He asked her: 'You don't seem right to me sitting here now, your speech is a bit slurred, how are you feeling now?' Kerry then insisted that she was absolutely fine and had never been healthier or happier as she explained it was due to her medication. In her interview on GB News, Kerry went on to claim that she has met the younger This Morning colleague Phillip confessed to having an affair with. She told how she met with him during her time on Loose Women, adding: 'I met the young runner several times, lovely lad.' MailOnline has contacted ITV for comment. Last Friday, Schofield quit ITV and was dropped by his talent agency YMU after admitting in the Daily Mail to an affair with a younger male This Morning colleague. He confessed to having the 'unwise but not illegal' relationship with a man during his marriage to Stephanie Lowe. He had previously denied the affair when asked about it by his agent. Phillip said he was 'so very sorry' for being unfaithful. Stephanie has two daughters, Ruby, 27, and Molly, 29, with Schofield. Schofield said in his statement last week: 'I am making this statement via the Daily Mail, to whom I have already apologised personally for misleading, through my lawyer who I also misled, about a story [sic] which they wanted to write about me a few days ago. 'The first thing I want to say is: I am deeply sorry for having lied to them, and to many others about a relationship that I had with someone working on This Morning. 'I did have a consensual on-off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning. 'Contrary to speculation, whilst I met the man when he was a teenager and was asked to help him to get into television, it was only after he started to work on the show that it became more than a just a friendship. 'That relationship was unwise, but not illegal. It is now over... 'I am painfully conscious that I have lied to my employers at ITV, to my colleagues and friends, to my agents, to the media and therefore the public and most importantly of all to my family. I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife... 'I am resigning from ITV with immediate effect, expressing my immense gratitude to them for all the amazing opportunities that they have given me. 'I will reflect on my very bad judgement in both participating in the relationship and then lying about it.' Scandal: Kerry, who often appears on Loose Women, went on to claim that she has met the younger This Morning colleague Phillip confessed to having an affair with Bombshell: Last Friday, Phillip quit ITV and was dropped by his talent agency YMU after admitting to an affair with a young male This Morning colleague Responding to his statement, an ITV spokesman said: 'We are deeply disappointed by the admissions of deceit made tonight by Phillip Schofield. 'The relationships we have with those we work with are based on trust. Philip made assurances to us which he now acknowledges were untrue and we feel badly let down. 'We accept his resignation from ITV and therefore can confirm that he will not be appearing on ITV as had previously been stated.' Suva, June 1 (UNI) The Fiji police will take a more aggressive approach into various criminal activities over the next two months, in an effort to curb the increase in robbery, theft and other petty crimes. According to local news reports on Thursday, the public has raised concerns about an increase in grab-and-run, pick-pocketing, and other crimes, resulting in police stepping up their operations. The Fiji police said these crimes are often committed by opportunists who have mastered their target areas, adding that there will be a heightened presence of officers on the streets, particularly in hotspots prone to criminal incidents. Police will erect snap road-blocks, static roadblocks, aggressive foot patrols and investigations to be done in a mandate. They will also use sniffer dogs to patrol the streets to ensure the safety of people, reports said. At any given time, there are 15 police officers on patrol, which does not include those in civilian wear, in Fiji's capital Suva. UNI/XINHUA AKS GNK Kendall Jenner was spotted out and about in Los Angeles on Wednesday as she headed to lunch. The 27-year-old supermodel who made a racy appearance on Instagram earlier in the day dressed down in a camo sweatshirt and clinging black leggings. The reality television personality wore her long, dark hair loose and styled in a center part. Kendall shielded her eyes in a pair of narrow black sunglasses and slung a black leather bag over her shoulder. Her look was rounded out with a pair of white tube socks and gray sneakers with yellow, blue, and red accents. Outing: Kendall Jenner was spotted out and about in Los Angeles on Wednesday as she headed to lunch Casual: The 27-year-old supermodel dressed down in a camo sweatshirt and clinging black leggings Kendall appeared to go makeup-free underneath her shades and she wore tiny earrings. Taking to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday, Jenner shared new content in a sexy little black dress. The look, styled by Dani Michelle, was designed with a sheer nude panel over the chest, giving the illusion of bare skin. The mini dress had red accents in the form of a long, chic neck scarf and flower accoutrements placed over the breasts. The thigh-grazing dress showed off the runway regular's long, tanned legs. The ensemble was finished with a pair of black, pointy-toe, slingback heels. The former E! star looked staggering as she hit several poses on a yacht at nighttime. Kendall's rich, brunette locks were styled in a chic blowout and she wore a face of bronzy makeup. The influencer also shared with fans two photos of her beloved dog as she gave him a bath in her luxury bathroom. Low-key: Kendall appeared to go makeup-free underneath her shades and she wore tiny earrings Doberman: The influencer also shared with fans two photos of her beloved dog as she gave him a bath in her luxury bathroom Sizzling: Taking to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday, Jenner shared new content in a sexy little black dress Days earlier Kendall was spotted taking in the views of Antibes, accompanied by her longtime friend Fai Khadra. The superstar has been romantically linked to Puerto Rican music artist Bad Bunny in recent weeks. They first sparked dating rumors in February, when the gossip blog DeuxMoi reported that sources had seen the two making out at a club in Los Angeles. But Bad Bunny and Kendall later seemingly confirmed their romance when they shared a hug and kiss after a sushi date with her sister Kylie Jenner and their friends. Earlier this month, sources told People that the two have been spending 'almost every day together' amid their budding romance. After a 'slow start,' the two are reportedly rarely out of each other's sight. 'They are very cute together. Kendall is happy,' a source told the publication. 'He is a fun guy. Very much a gentleman and charming. She likes his vibe. He is very chill.' They added, 'He hangs out with her friends and she hangs out with his. It's more of a relationship now. Kendall is not seeing anyone else. She really likes him.' Racy: The look, styled by Dani Michelle, was designed with a sheer nude panel over the chest, giving the illusion of bare skin Pop of color: The mini dress had red accents in the form of a long, chic neck scarf and flower accoutrements placed over the breasts Season three of Kendall's family's Hulu docuseries The Kardashians premiered on the streaming platform last week. Trailers for the latest installment showed high tensions among the famous family, including a spat between Kourtney and Kim Kardashian, and a health scare for Khloe. The first episode saw Kim cope with the stress of single parenting after her high-profile divorce from Kanye West. The show will also document the inside of her breakup from comic Pete Davidson. David Koch has opened up about the terrifying moment he was rushed to safety by police during Sydney's Lindt Cafe siege. The Sunrise star revealed in an interview with Triple M's Rush Hour with Leisel Jones, Liam and Dobbo set to air on Thursday, the incident had a 'massive impact' on him and co-host Natalie Barr. An emotional Kochie explained on the day of the siege he left Channel Seven studios and went to a nearby gym. He was then called to the reception where police told him they would be coming to pick him up and take him home because they were worried he could be a target. 'I've never talked about it. It had a massive impact on both Nat and I,' he said in the interview published by news.com.au. David Koch (pictured) recalled the terrifying moment he was rushed to safety during Sydney's tragic Lindt siege Kochie also revealed he has a car that 'I haven't driven since because the police said it's too distinctive.' 'The bloke involved in that (Man Haron Monis) was on our security watch list because he'd tried to get to me a few times,' he said. The interview comes after Kochie stunned his colleagues on Monday when he announced his resignation from the hit breakfast show after 21 years. During his on air announcement, Natalie looked heartbroken when Kochie said he had spent more time with her over the past few years than with members of his own family. He said he was leaving the hit show to focus on his own businesses and to enjoy more flexible work hours to spend time with his growing family. The Sunrise star revealed in an interview with Triple M's Rush Hour with Leisel Jones, Liam and Dobbo set to air on Thursday, the incident had a 'massive impact' on him and co-host Natalie Barr Just before 10am on December 15 2015, Monis began a 16-hour siege at the Lindt Cafe which resulted in the death of Tori Johnson, the cafe manager, and Sydney barrister Katrina Dawson. During the siege, 12 hostages managed to escape before police smashed their way into the cafe at 2am. Monis was killed in the shoot-out with police and three women received gunshot wounds. The following morning, thousands of people lay flowers to honour the memories of the victims. Courteney Cox showed her continued mastery of the casual-cool ensemble during a brief outing in New York City on Wednesday afternoon. The 58-year-old Friends star was spotted out in Manhattan's Soho neighborhood as she stepped out of a white SUV and headed into a hotel. Although she is usually based on the West Coast, she appeared to be enjoying some time in the Big Apple. Courteney looked relaxed but cool in a plain black T-shirt that highlighted her toned arms. She tucked her shirt into a complementary pair of straight-cut black jeans, and she contrasted the pants with casual white sneakers that enlivened her look. Checking in: Courteney Cox, 58, looked cool in all black as she arrived at a hotel in Manhattan's Soho neighborhood on Wednesday Back in black: Courteney rocked a plain black T-shirt that highlighted her toned arms. She tucked her shirt into a complementary pair of straight-cut black jeans The television star stayed on point with a small quilted black handbag, and she carried a water bottle to help her stay hydrated during her busy day. Courtney added an extra stylish touch with a pair of aviator sunglasses with a modest amber tint. She framed her chic glasses and modestly made-up face by parting her raven tresses which were styled with faint waves down the middle. It's not clear if the Cougar Town star was in New York City to work on a project, or if she had other business going on. Seemingly missing from her outing was her partner Johnny McDaid, a member of the Scottish alternative band Snow Patrol. The keyboardist and guitarist has been dating Courteney for around a decade, and the two even got engaged in 2014, though they later ended their engagement five years later while still remaining in a relationship. Last year, Courteney spoke about her relationship with Johnny to People, and she revealed that their time being separated when he had to quarantine in the UK at the height of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic made her realize just how important her relationship is. 'I've learned that love is precious,' she said. 'As I've gotten older, I've realized that.' She went on to call the rocker a 'great listener,' and she said he is the most 'patient' person she has ever known. 'He's a great advice-giver. I love his heart, his intentions. His morals,' she gushed. 'He's extremely talented and obviously musical, but he's a poet and a writer. He's just so smart, and I find that really sexy. And then he is gorgeous.' Also seemingly sitting out the trip was Courteney's daughter Coco, whom she shares with her ex-husband David Arquette. Lightening up: She contrasted the pants with casual white sneakers that enlivened her look Too cool for school: Courtney added an extra stylish touch with a pair of aviator sunglasses with a modest amber tint. She wore her raven hair parted down the middle and styled in waves MIA: Seemingly missing from her outing was her partner Johnny McDaid, a member of the Scottish alternative band Snow Patrol Family advice: She also seemed to have traveled without her daughter Coco Arquette. Earlier this month she told Harper's Bazaar how she urges her daughter to avoid damaging her skin from the sun, as she did years earlier Earlier this month, the Ace Ventura: Pet Detective actress admitted that she regretted getting too much sun and not using protection when she was younger, and she said she tries to teach her daughter to learn from her mistakes. 'I mean, the obvious is sun care,' she told Harper's Bazaar that she had advised her daughter. 'Don't lay in the sun and dont fry. 'I always say to my daughter: "Coco, your skin is incredible. Let me show you my chest,"' she recounted. 'Then she's like, "Mom, I would never have that kind of skin." I'm like, "Yeah. Your face you always look at, but you forget your body. Wear sunscreen and care about your body. Really use the right products because it catches up."' Angela White has revealed her secret to becoming the best onscreen lover in the porn game during a podcast interview on Pillow Talk this week. The Aussie star, an iconic performer with nearly 10 million Instagram followers, revealed she used to edit her own scenes early in her career. 'You learn on the job,' Angela said, referring to her early days. The multi-talented star, who has been in 900 hardcore scenes over the course of her career, detailed her work behind the camera. 'Early on, I edited my own scenes, so it made me a better performer. I directed my own scenes,' Angela continued. Angela White reveals the secret to how she became the world's biggest porn star during an interview with Pillow Talk, amid fears the beloved star is set to quit making adult films. Pictured She went on to say while it sounds 'mortifying' it ultimately made her a better performer in front of the camera. 'It's mortifying in the beginning because you see everything you do terribly wrong. But it just makes you a better performer. You learn you shouldn't be positioning my body in [this or] that way,' she added. Angela went on to say small 'micromovements' is what makes the biggest differences when filming alongside male stars. 'You learn on the job,' Angela said. The star added she used to edit her own scenes. 'Early on, I edited my own scenes,' Angela said, saying it helped her learn what looks good on camera 'Very small micromovements makes the biggest difference in porn... It's not just about looking into the camera,' she added. Fans have been filled with concern Angela could soon turn her back on the porn industry after appearing in more than 900 scenes. After several high-profile TV and podcast appearances, the adult film star seems to be angling for a career in mainstream media or academia. 'It's mortifying in the beginning but it makes you a better performer. You learn you shouldn't be positioning my body in [this or] that way,' she added She hinted at her future career path last month when she spoke at a conference at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Angela posed for a photo on Instagram next to social sciences and media studies professor Constance Penley. 'Academic pursuit remains an interest of mine and something I wish to return to in the future,' she wrote in the caption. 'Very small micromovements makes the biggest difference in porn ...It's not just about looking into the camera,' she added. Here with Japanese star, Hitomi Tanaka During the college lecture, Angela spoke to film studies students about her career. Not only does Angela have an extensive body of work in adult cinema, but she also holds a degree in gender studies from the prestigious University of Melbourne. The performer, who popularised the sex position 'The Angela', took part in a question and answer session with students after her speech. Angela sparked fears she's set to leave the industry after sharing photos of herself at the University of California, Santa Barbara, alongside professor Constance Penley The performer, who popularised the sex position 'The Angela', took part in a question and answer session with students after her speech 'This is my third time as a guest speaker at this film studies class that approaches pornography as worthy of serious inquiry as a genre and as popular culture,' she said after the lecture. Angela thanked the students for their 'well-informed, thought-provoking questions' about her 'career as a performer and director' as well as her academic research. 'While it has been a number of years since my research dissertation was published in The Routledge Companion to Media, Sex, and Sexuality, academic pursuit remains an interest of mine and something I wish to return to in the future,' she added. Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker showed off their distinctive styles while stepping out in West Hollywood on Wednesday. The reality TV star, 44, and her rocker husband, 47, bundled up in warm clothes while grabbing matcha tea together. The Poosh founder who kept production waiting for '20 minute sex session' with Travis in a recent episode of The Kardashians on Hulu covered up in an oversized black hoodie and white cargo pants, which she paired with chunky black boots. She accessorized with black sunglasses and wore her raven tresses in a ponytail for the outing. Meanwhile Travis sported a large puffer jacket, a black and white graphic t-shirt with jeans and Converse sneakers. Staying warm: Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker showed off their distinctive styles while stepping out in West Hollywood on Wednesday In Kourtney's hand was a chic black purse. The mother-of-three appeared to go makeup-free for the outing. Travis finalized his outfit with a beanie on his head, and further spruced up his look with a silver necklace. The duo put on a playful show, with Travis putting his arm around Kourtney at one point, as she pulled down her hood over her face. Kourtney has been accompanying Travis on tour with his band Blink-182, which catapulted him to stardom in the 1990s. One of their stopovers was Baltimore, Maryland, where they played the CFG Bank Arena, a venue that can seat up to 14,000 people. While visiting 'Charm City,' Travis took advantage of some of his leisure time to indulge in a boat ride with Kourtney and his daughter Alabama, 17, over the weekend. The trio gathered together on deck for a picture that offered up a glimpse of the sun-dappled water and the city skyline behind. Travis, the longtime drummer for Blink-182, posted the photo to his Insta Stories for the benefit of his eight million followers. Bundled up: The reality TV star, 44, and her rocker husband, 47, bundled up in warm clothes while grabbing matcha tea together Cozy: The Poosh founder covered up in an oversized black hoodie and white cargo pants, which she paired with chunky black boots Playful: The duo put on a playful show, with Travis putting his arm around Kourtney at one point, as she pulled down her hood over her face Rocker look: Travis sported a large puffer jacket, a black and white graphic t-shirt with jeans and Converse sneakers After playing the CFG Bank Arena on Friday, the band headed immediately to Pennsylvania for a concert in Hershey. Their show their took place at Hersheypark, which was founded at the turn of the 20th century as a theme park for employees at the Hershey chocolatier's. Travis shares Alabama and a son called Landon, 19, with his first wife Shanna Moakler, a former beauty queen and Playboy Playmate. The drummer has also famously always been close to his erstwhile stepdaughter Atiana, 24, whom Shanna had with Oscar De La Hoya. Amid the band's travels, Kourtney and Travis marked their first wedding anniversary last Monday, choosing to celebrate on the date they signed their marriage license Kourtney and Travis famously had a drunken Las Vegas wedding on April Fool's Day last year, exchanging vows in front of an Elvis impersonator. However the Vegas ceremony turned out not to be legally binding as they had neglected to obtain the requisite paperwork ahead of time. After obtaining their civil marriage in California, the pair jetted off to Portofino in May for a luxurious wedding surrounded by family at Castello Brown. And the spark between the two appears to be stronger than ever after Kourtney kept sister Khloe Kardashian and production waiting for nearly 20 minutes on season three premiere of Hulu's The Kardashians, so she could enjoy a quick hookup with Travis. Family time: Travis and Kourtney enjoyed a boat ride in Baltimore, Maryland, with his daughter Alabama, 17, over the weekend TMI: It comes after Kourtney kept sister Khloe and production waiting for 20 minutes on a recent episode of The Kardashians on Hulu, so that she could enjoy a quick hookup with Travis Kourtney revealed to her younger sister who stopped by to visit the couple at their home that she's 'ovulating' and needs to quickly take advantage of the opportunity. 'If you give us five minutes to go do something really fast...,' Kourtney hinted through grinning teeth before leaving the room with the rocker. As she basks in the warm glow of newlywed life with Travis, Kourtney is also bringing up three children with her ex Scott Disick. The pair, who dated on-and-off from 2006 until 2015, are famously amicable co-parents to Mason, 13, Penelope, 10, and Reign, eight. On the premiere episode she also revealed that she stopped IVF treatments last year and is now leaving the chances of the pair welcoming a child to 'what God has in store for us.' 'We would love a baby more than anything but I just really believe in what God has in store for us,' she explained in confessional. Kourtney noted that she had 'seven frozen eggs from years ago before Travis' that those around her pushed her to get. 'When I was 38 or 39 everyone was like pushing me to do that and most of mine didn't survive the thaw because eggs are one cell and none of them made it to an embryo,' she reveals. IVF journey: Kourtney also confirmed to fans that she is done with IVF treatments, and that most of the seven eggs she had previously frozen 'didn't survive the thaw' The mother-of-three is aware that the 'freezing of the eggs is not a guarantee.' Regardless, Kourtney told Khloe that she's aware that her and Travis already 'have a full, blessed life.' 'All the thing that came with IVF took a toll on me physically. My health is still impacted because it's hormones. And also mentally it took a toll,' she explains. 'So, I think just being happy is most important and being a good parent to my kids. We are just embracing that whatever is meant to be will be.' Channel 10 is pulling out all the stops to save its ill-fated Bachelor franchise. And it appears the network has hatched a daring plan to inject some much-needed excitement and ratings magic into the show. Daily Mail Australia can reveal Warner Bros., the production company behind Ten's dating series, has managed to snatch a groom originally cast by Channel Nine to star on its upcoming season of Married At First Sight. Sources reveal that the groom in question was fast-track during the lengthy application process by Endemol Shine Australia to play the villain. However, it's understood Ten swooped in and snatched him up, ensuring that he will now take centre stage as the antagonist on the upcoming season of The Bachelor. It seems Channel 10 have a daring plan to inject some much-needed excitement and ratings magic into the franchise by stealing a groom set to appear on future season of the rival show Daily Mail Australia can reveal Warner Bros, the production company behind Ten's dating show has managed to snatch a groom originally cast by Channel Nine to star on it's upcoming eleventh season. Pictured: Felix Von Hofe (pictured) This bold maneuver sets the stage for a heated rivalry between the two shows as they will both be filming around the same time. This is the first time the shows will go head-to-head and the rivalry behind the scenes has already been described as savage. The upcoming season of The Bachelors will follow last year's three lead formula again and the theme will be something like 'The Good, The Bad and the Ugly', says the source. Sources reveal that the groom in question was fast-track during the length application process by Endemol Shine Australia to play the villain. Pictured: MAFS expert Mel Schilling However, it's understood Ten swooped in and snatched him up, ensuring that he will now take centre stage as the antagonist on the upcoming season of The Bachelor Both series are slated to start late January 2024 after the Australian Open. Channel 10 has secured Melbourne as the backdrop for their series and has put together a cast that promises to captivate even the most devout MAFS fans. As the battle for talent intensifies, cast and crew members find themselves caught in the crossfire, with producers and camera operators being fiercely fought over by both networks. This isn't the first time ambitious reality stars have jumped ship between shows. The upcoming season of The Bachelors will follow last year's three lead formula again and the theme will be something like 'The Good, The Bad and the Ugly', says the source. Pictured: Felix alongside co-stars Jed McIntosh and Thomas Malucelli Harrison Boon, who appeared on this year's season, was dropped at the eleventh hour due to being deemed 'too masculine' by producers. Janelle Han, a popular makeup influencer, revealed that she was in talks to join The Bachelor but ultimately chose MAFS, a decision that has paid off as she has gained a significant following and even garnered attention from the UK audience. 'I just knew I would gain more life lessons off MAFS instead of being locked down,' the 29-year-old told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday. 'I also didn't want to compete with other women for a man that I might not even like.' Harrison Boon, who appeared on this year's season was dropped at the eleventh hour due to being deemed 'too masculine' by producers Janelle Han, a popular makeup influencer, revealed that she was in talks to join The Bachelor but ultimately chose MAFS, a decision that has paid off as she has gained a significant following and even garnered attention from the UK audience The contestants on Channel 10's rival show not only struggled to gain a substantial online following, but also failed to achieve the coveted blue verification tick on social media platforms, further highlighting the success and influence of MAFS. With the stolen MAFS groom set to stir up drama on The Bachelor, Channel 10 hopes to breathe new life into the struggling franchise. Only time will tell if this audacious move pays off and if the battle for ratings between the two shows escalates even further. Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Channel 10 and Nine for comment. Do you have a TIP about Married At First Sight 2024 or The Bachelor? Email ali.daher@mailonline.com Vanderpump Rules alum Stassi Schroeder Clark was removed from the ride The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash for 'being pregnant' while visiting Universal Studios in Universal City, CA with her family on Wednesday. Expectant mothers are restricted from participating in a total of 10 attractions and rides at Universal, but they are permitted to enjoy the Silly Swirly Fun Ride, Super Silly Fun Land, and the WaterWorld stunt show. 'They just had to stop the Secret Life of Pets ride to kick me off because I'm pregnant,' the expecting 34-year-old - who boasts 3.8M social media followers - said via Instastory. 'I'm not embarrassed or anything. Also it goes like negative two miles an hour like [eyeroll emoji]...Don't worry about it. Don't worry about it.' Stassi (born Nastassia) showcased her bourgeoning bump in a black jumpsuit and matching Gucci loafers, which she topped with a chic beige double-breasted coat. Denied! Vanderpump Rules alum Stassi Schroeder Clark was removed from the ride The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash for 'being pregnant' while visiting Universal Studios in Universal City, CA with her family on Wednesday It's unclear how far along Schroeder is with her unborn son, but she was feeling well enough to walk around Southern California's second most popular theme park. The New Orleans-born blonde beamed as she held her two-year-old daughter Hartford Charlie Clark, who clutched a skull-laden wand she got at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Little Hartford also procured a stuffed animal toy of an owl, which she excitedly waved around. Stassi's husband of two years - commercial casting director Beau Clark - Instastoried a clip of their precious princess cuddling up to a statue of The Simpsons' character Milhouse Van Houten on a bench in the Springfield part of the park. At one point, Hartford sweetly asked to hold her mother's hand while clutching a pink shopping bag from Nectar Bath Treats at Universal CityWalk Hollywood. Schroeder joked that her hot dog-loving child's blue Elsa dress was their 'newest family member.' It's because Hartford wore the same exact costume from Disney's Frozen while visiting Disneyland in Anaheim with her parents on May 23. The Good The Bad The Baby podcaster is next scheduled to bring her 19-date Straight Up With Stassi LIVE - The Mommy Dearest Tour to the Balboa Theatre in San Diego this Saturday alongside her 43-year-old hubbie and co-host Taylor Strecker. Safety first! Expectant mothers are restricted from participating in a total of 10 attractions and rides at Universal, but they are permitted to enjoy the Silly Swirly Fun Ride, Super Silly Fun Land, and the WaterWorld stunt show The expecting 34-year-old - who boasts 3.8M social media followers - said via Instastory: 'They just had to stop the Secret Life of Pets ride to kick me off because I'm pregnant. I'm not embarrassed or anything. Also it goes like negative two miles an hour like [eyeroll emoji]' 'Don't worry about it': Stassi (born Nastassia) showcased her bourgeoning bump in a black jumpsuit and matching Gucci loafers, which she topped with a beige double-breasted coat Valet: It's unclear how far along Schroeder is with her unborn son, but she was feeling well enough to walk around Southern California's second most popular theme park 'Oh no. She might be a muggle': The New Orleans-born blonde beamed as she held her two-year-old daughter Hartford Charlie Clark, who clutched a skull-laden wand she got at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter 'Owls owls owls owls!' Little Hartford also procured a stuffed animal toy of an owl, which she excitedly waved around 'She just made Milhuse's day!' Stassi's husband of two years - commercial casting director Beau Clark - Instastoried a clip of their precious princess cuddling up to a statue of The Simpsons' character Milhouse Van Houten on a bench in the Springfield part of the park 'Hold my hand': At one point, Hartford sweetly asked to hold her mother's hand while clutching a pink shopping bag from Nectar Bath Treats at Universal CityWalk Hollywood Obsessed! Schroeder joked that her hot dog-loving child's blue Elsa dress was their 'newest family member' So nice she wore it twice! It's because Hartford wore the same exact costume from Disney's Frozen while visiting Disneyland in Anaheim with her parents on May 23 'One month left of touring, then I'm gonna nest the s*** out of life': The Good The Bad The Baby podcaster is next scheduled to bring her 19-date Straight Up With Stassi LIVE - The Mommy Dearest Tour to the Balboa Theatre in San Diego this Saturday 'One month left of touring, then I'm gonna nest the s*** out of life,' Stassi vowed on Monday. It's been two years since Bravo fired Schroeder off Vanderpump Rules after eight seasons for making 'racially-insensitive comments' on her Straight Up podcast as well as filing a false police report in 2018 against the only African-American on the show - Faith Stowers. The Off with My Head author was also dropped by her UTA agent and her Metro Public Relations representative - according to Variety. Stassi - who also competed in the eighth season of CBS' The Amazing Race with her family in 2005 - currently commands $12.99/month on her Patreon account. Part two of the Vanderpump Rules' explosive 10th season reunion airs Wednesday night on Bravo. Laura Harrier and fiance Sam Jarou put on a loved-up display on Wednesday as they stepped out in Los Angeles. The 33-year-old White Men Can't Jump actress who was seen at Cannes Film Festival and her fashion consultant beau interlocked hands while out and about. Laura, who hails from Chicago, looked chic in a layered look of a black tank top, button-up gray shirt, and a suede black jacket. She added a pair of narrow black sunglasses to the fashion-forward ensemble. For his part, Sam donned a navy blue crew neck sweatshirt and dark wash jeans. In love: Laura Harrier and fiance Sam Jarou put on a loved-up display on Wednesday as they stepped out in Los Angeles Sweet: The couple were spotted sharing an affectionate moment as Jarou adoringly caressed Laura's face Harrier wore her dark locks in a bob haircut that was styled in a center part with the front pieces tucked behind her ears. She wore a pair of silver-toned earrings, which coordinated with the buckle of her black belt. The silver screen siren tucked her shirt into charcoal-colored denim pants and left the buttons undone. She rounded out her timeless look with a pair of black ballet flats with a glossy toe and small string bows. Sam, who is based in Paris, rocked a shadow of a goatee and he wore a cuffed black beanie hat. He wore gray and black sneakers as he stepped out with his soon-to-be wife. The couple were spotted sharing an affectionate moment as Jarou adoringly caressed Laura's face. Lovebirds: The couple pictured at Paris Fashion Week in March 2022 The BlacKkKlansman actress and her love became engaged in September 2022. About the proposal, Laura told Cosmopolitan, 'It was really simple and sweet in Paris.' 'It was really simple and sweet in Paris,' she continued while speaking with the publication. 'The cliche of when you know, you know,' she went on. 'I never really believed it until that happened to me. It's a funny feeling when you just find peace and calm.' 'I also really do believe that you need to be ready within yourself before you can find somebody else to be with, which I also always thought was a cliche until I felt secure within myself and the person I am and where I'm at in life,' she finished. The future spouses met in 2019 but weren't romantically linked until July 2021 when they were spotted kissing during a vacation in Monaco. And the fashionista can rely on her fiance for sartorial advice, thanks to his career, she noted in her interview. Laura explained that Sam is the 'first man Ive dated where Ill actually listen when he gives me outfit advice.' Newly engaged: The BlacKkKlansman actress and her love became engaged in September 2022 Stunner: Harrier commanded attention at the Monster premiere during Cannes Film Festival two weeks ago Harrier commanded attention at the Monster premiere during Cannes Film Festival two weeks ago. She looked stunning in an elegant black gown with a plunging neckline as she walked the red carpet. Flashing a smile for the cameras, she slicked her dark bob haircut down with a flip at the ends. Monster [also known as Kaibutsu] was written and directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, who received praise for his 2018 film Shoplifters. She's met hundreds of celebrities during her 22-year radio career. And on Thursday, Jackie O Henderson revealed she recently had an uncomfortable encounter with a well-known celebrity. Speaking on The Kyle and Jackie O show, Jackie O, 48, said she attended Mamma Mia! The Musical and had an 'awkward' interaction with Melbourne Today presenter Clint Stanaway. 'We don't really have any interaction because we are in different cities but on the weekend I went to Mamma Mia the musical with my daughter,' she told her co-host Kyle Sandilands. 'We were all shuffling into the theatre because there are a lot of people trying to file in at once.' Jackie O Henderson (pictured) has revealed an awkward encounter with well-known celebrity after red carpet incident 'As I'm walking in, I saw Clint standing there facing in my direction. He was looking at me, but I didn't think he was looking directly at me,' she explained. Jackie said she did a 'little faint smile' when she approached him and realised he was actually looking at her. She then added: 'Clint is so lovely and I'm sorry that happened.' It comes after Jackie responded to rumours she's set to appear on The Bachelorette on Wednesday. Woman's Day magazine reported on Monday that the perennially single radio host had signed up to the Channel 10 dating franchise in the hopes of finding Mr Right. The publication alleged Jackie had even enlisted her best friend Sophie Monk, who previously starred on Bachelorette, to help her prepare for the show. Jackie was however quick to deny the rumours on Tuesday's Kyle And Jackie O Show, after her co-host Kyle Sandilands cheekily remarked: 'Congratulations on your new TV gig.' Speaking on The Kyle and Jackie O show , Jackie O, 48, said she attended Mamma Mia! The Musical and had an 'awkward' interaction with Melbourne Today presenter Clint Stanaway 'That's all untrue Kyle. That's bulls**t. No, I'm not doing that,' the mother-of-one scoffed. 'That's great, because I wouldn't have been happy about that,' Kyle replied, before describing why The Bachelorette was beneath Jackie. 'I put you up on a pedestal. You are a great woman that has achieved amazing things in your life, [you] raised a great daughter... And you're an award-winning, wonderful friend.' He went on to note that Jackie 'finally has a decent body' and is 'rootable again', following her recent 18kg weight loss. Two days celebrating their milestone 25th wedding anniversary, Cindy Crawford and husband Rande Gerber headed out on a romantic dinner date for two. The couple were spotted making their grand arrival to the celebrity hotspot restaurant Nobu, in Malibu, which boasts an incredibly ocean view. The legendary supermodel oozed summer cool when she stepped out of the passenger's seat of their car decked out in an all-white ensemble, consisting of fitted pants and a sheer, see-through blouse Just in case there was a temperature tumble along the shoreline of Malibu as the day gave way to night, the Illinois native also tied a stylish white sweater around her neck. Rounding out her overall look, Crawford also donned a pair of tan open-toe heels, and had her dark brown tresses styled long and flowing well past her shoulders with a part on the slight left. Romantic dinner: Cindy Crawford, 57, opted for all-white when she stepped out with her husband for a quiet dinner for two at the celebrity hotspot restaurant, Nobu, in Malibu, which came just two days after they celebrated their 25th wedding aniiversary Gerber, 61, opted for a little more of a laid back look in the fashion department in blue jeans with a black jacket over a matching button-down shirt and high-top sneakers. The Casamigos tequila co-founder looked to be in a great mood, from the looks of his big beaming smile on his face, just as he handed out the keys to his car to the valet workers. Once situated with his vehicle, the former model and businessman hurried to catch up to his lovely wife, and then the two walked into the entrance doors together. The handsome couple celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on Monday, May 29, with Crawford marking the occasion with a series of throwback snaps from their wedding in 1998 on her Instagram page that included some sweet sentiments about her husband. The cover photo shows the couple snuggling up together and flashing their newlywed smiles, which was followed by them staring into each other's eye on the beach. There's also an an aerial shot of the bride and groom surrounded by their wedding guests. a photo of them cutting their wedding cake, and couple of shots of them dancing the night away. '25 years ago today, Rande and I got married at the Ocean Club in the Bahamas,' the longtime catwalk queen began. 'It was a picture perfect wedding all captured by @arthurelgort. We spent a beautiful weekend surrounded by family and friends celebrating our love for each other. I would do it all over again in a second.' She then turned the focus to them as a couple and all they've achieved together as a family. Lady in white: The longtime supermodel wore fitted pants and a sheer, see-through blouse, tan open-toe heels and a matching white sweater tied around her shoulders just in case their was a serious temperature tumble along the coastline Casual-cool: Gerber, 61, opted for a little more of a laid back look in the fashion department in blue jeans with a black jacket over a matching button-down shirt and high-top sneakers 'I want to congratulate "us" on making it 25 years. We have been blessed in so many ways, especially our two children @presleygerber and @kaiagerber. She continued, 'I also want to acknowledge that even with all the blessings, life is full of ups and downs and challenges. Im proud of how we have navigated life together looking to each other for strength and comfort. You have been my best friend and rock and I cant imagine a life without you. Happy Anniversary @randegerber!!' About 90 guests attended their private beach wedding, which was catered with seafood, pasta and roast beef, along with Cindy's favorite three-tiered carrot cake, according to People. Their daughter, Kaia, would also take to Instagram and pay tribute to her parentd with a couple of photos. Gerber famously co-founded Casamigos (which translates to 'house of friends') Tequila with acclaimed actor and director George Clooney and Mike Meldman in 2013. Sweet sentiments: Crawford shared a series of throwback snaps from their wedding in the Bahamas in 1998 on to her Instagram page on Monday to mark their anniversary Crawford described their wedding as 'picture perfect' and 'surrounded by family and friends celebrating our love for each other' True love: The former catwalk queen confessed 'I would do it all over again in a second' Giving thanks: 'I want to congratulate "us" on making it 25 years. We have been blessed in so many ways, especially our two children @presleygerber and @kaiagerber,' she gushed Gratitude; 'Im proud of how we have navigated life together,' she added in the message Love letter: 'You have been my best friend and rock and I cant imagine a life without you,' she said of the Casamigos tequila co-founder In 2017, it was sold to the British multinational alcoholic beverage company Diageo for a whopping $700 million dollars, with an additional $300 million possible depending on the company's performance over the next ten years, according to CNBC. As for Crawford, she became one of the most recognizable supermodels in the world, having graced more than 1,000 magazine covers and walked for top designers all over the world since the 1980s. She would go on to become a television personality and actress, to go along with her many entrepreneurial endeavors. After several years of dating, Crawford and Gerber tied-the-knot in 1998, and then wasted little time in welcoming their two children to the world: son Presley, 23, and daughter Kaia, 21. Both of their adult children have followed their parents into the modeling industry, where Kaia, boasting a similar look as her famous mom during her heyday, has become a top, in-demand model for campaigns and runway shows. Lagos, June 1 (UNI) At least six people were killed by unidentified gunmen who attacked two communities in southern Nigeria, according to the police. The attackers stormed Abarikpo and Odiereke-Ubie communities in Rivers State on Wednesday morning, Grace Iringe-Koko, a local police spokesperson, told reporters in Port Harcourt, the state capital. "Yes, I can confirm that six people were killed. An investigation is ongoing to apprehend the suspects," she said. Security sources told Xinhua that the killings were suspected to be a reprisal attack linked to clashes with rival cultists in the area. Armed attacks have been a primary security threat in some parts of Nigeria, leading to deaths and kidnappings in recent months. UNI/XINHUA GNK Pregnant Roxy Horner cradled her baby bump in a black midi dress as she attended Machine Gun Kelly's private party at Apollo's Muse in London on Wednesday. The model, 31, - who is expecting her first child with comedian Jack Whitehall - looked incredible in the figure-hugging long sleeved number at the event, which was hosted by designer Marc Jacques Burton. She added inches to her frame in a pair of towering silver metallic pointed toe heels and toted her belongings in a chic matching bag. The beauty accessorised by layering two silver necklaces and styled her long blonde tresses poker straight. Roxy applied a flawless palette of makeup to accentuate her beauty including a dramatic swipe of bold plum lipstick. Mum-to-be: Pregnant Roxy Horner cradled her baby bump in a black midi dress as she attended Machine Gun Kelly's private party at Apollo's Muse in London on Wednesday Glowing: The model, 31, - who is expecting her first child with comedian Jack Whitehall - looked incredible in the figure-hugging long sleeved number at the event, which was hosted by Marc Jacques Burton She flashed her gorgeous while gently placing her hands on her blossoming bump as she posed for photos. Roxy was joined at the star-studded event held at the latest Private Members' Club from Richard Caring by VIPs including Megan Fox, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lottie Moss. Roxy's partner Jack, 34, shared the happy news they are expecting their first child together on his Instagram page last month, alongside a couple of adorable shots of the couple with a baby scan. In the snaps, a delighted looking Jack held up a role of photographs showing a scan of their unborn child, while his girlfriend beaming beside him. Roxy later revealed to HELLO she was relieved to 'finally fall pregnant' after the couple tragically suffered a miscarriage last year. In the social media post the model, who was wearing a pretty white summer dress, kept a protective hand on her stomach as she looked over at her beau. Ever the funnyman, he captioned the shots: 'And I thought I wasn't getting enough attention when the dog arrived' Roxy also posted the same images on her own page alongside the words: 'The best news to share [white heart emoji].' Glamorous: Roxy applied a flawless palette of makeup to accentuate her beauty including a dramatic swipe of bold plum lipstick Stunning: The beauty accessorised by layering two silver necklaces and styled her long blonde tresses poker straight Bumping along: She added inches to her frame in a pair of towering silver metallic pointed toe heels and toted her belongings in a chic matching bag Exclusive party: Roxy was joined at the star-studded event held at the latest Private Members' Club from Richard Caring by a host of VIPs (pictured Machine Gun Kelly performing) Following the announcement she told the magazine: 'We had a miscarriage last year and so there was a part of me that was worried to open up too soon about this baby because I was so worried something would happen again and I didn't want to have to kind of tell the world'. She went on to reveal the couple discovered they were expecting a baby during a trip with her family to Australia. Roxy explained: 'It was really lovely because I got to tell my mum pretty much straight away and I don't get to see my parents too often, so it was a really perfect moment before he went off on tour. 'We found out the same week my nan passed away. There's a part of me that feels like my nan knew we were trying for a baby and maybe this was her gift to us. Jack has been dating Roxy for more than two years and they reside in a 17.5million, five-bedroom home in Notting Hill with their pooch Coco. It comes soon after Jack admitted he was unsure about his path in life after losing some friends to 'rehab' while his other pals have had children. He spoke about his relationship with his girlfriend Roxy as he shared that they have bought a house together. He explained that although he has now 'settled down' with Roxy, he is still unsure about his future plans as he hinted he has not yet decided if he wants children. Appearing on Capital Breakfast with Roman Kemp, Jack said he has lost friends to 'rehab' and to having 'babies' as he spoke about his own path in life. Speaking to stand-in host Will Manning, he explained: 'I've settled down, I've got a long-term partner, I've bought a house with her, we've got a dog and doing all of that stuff. 'I don't want to say [my tour] is me raging against the dying of the light [laughs] but it's giving me a sense of this man-child getting through this moment in my life, losing half my friends to rehab, half of my friends to babies and trying to find out which path I'm going to take.' Sting and his wife Trudie Styler looked every inch the happy couple as they departed a private screening of her new film in London on Wednesday. The musician, 71, and the actress, 69, appeared in good spirits as they made their way home after hiring out a cinema for them and twenty guests to enjoy the flick. Sting sported a grey and burgundy blazer for the evening which he paired with a blue v-neck top and black trousers. Trudie, who is a prolific film producer along with her acting career, cut a stylish figure in a gold blazer and matching trousers along with a yellow blouse. The star added height to her frame with a pair of brown boots and let her blonde locks fall loose down her shoulders. Couple: Sting and his wife Trudie Styler looked every inch the happy couple as they departed a private screening of her new film in London on Wednesday Event: The musician, 71, and the actress, 69, appeared in good spirits as they made their way home after hiring out a cinema for them and twenty guests to enjoy the flick Sting and Trudie have been married since 1992 and are parents to Mickey, 39, Jake, 38, Eliot, 32, and Giacomo, 27. Mickey is an actress who has appeared in films including Frances Ha and Now Is Everything while Eliot is a musician. The outing comes after the couple attended the Ivor Novello Awards where Sting was awarded with a Fellowship which is the highest honour the Academy bestows. Speaking on the carpet, the British rocker said he 'loves' the Ivors Academy and was 'delighted' to be 'granted this wonderful honour'. He said: 'The last time I was here I got a lifetime achievement award which I thought was a bit premature... 'But the fellowship was obviously beyond lifetime and it sounds a bit like Lord Of The Rings, but I think there are more duties attached to a fellowship. 'The Ivors protect the rights of songwriters - that's one of the things they do, not just established songwriters like me, but up-and-coming songwriters. 'It is also a major export of Britain, our songwriting, so they need protecting, so I am very proud to be part of this organisation.' History: Sting and Trudie have been married since 1992 and are parents to Mickey, 39, Jake, 38, Eliot, 32, and Giacomo, 27 Noel Gallagher says his difficult separation from second wife Sara MacDonald changed the tone of his latest album and helped him come to terms with the prospect of divorce. The musician, 56, confirmed the end of his 12-year marriage to publicist MacDonald in 2023, blaming the pandemic and Britain's ensuing series of national lockdowns for putting an intolerable strain on their relationship. And he believes those personal difficulties impacted the musical direction of new album Council Skies, his latest offering with High Flying Birds, while recording at his north London studio. He told The Sun: 'Divorce is a long, drawn-out process, so it affects the mood of the album, for sure. 'The record goes up and down and for every kind of moody melancholy, there is an uplifting counterbalance after it. Inspiration: Noel Gallagher says his difficult separation from second wife Sara MacDonald changed the tone of his latest High Flying Birds album, Council Skies All over: The musician confirmed the end of his 12-year marriage to publicist MacDonald in 2023 'When youre an artist you write about what you know, and I dont really have much to say about life in general, as I dont really give a f**k about most things I see on the news. 'So when things happen in your life that you can articulate, I tend to jump on them, and it makes for better art and it helps you come to terms with it.' The Oasis legend wrote his latest album while Britain was paralysed by COVID-19, and he admits life became repetitive and frustrating as he isolated at the 8million South Downs mansion he shared with MacDonald. 'Id sit around all day, waiting to get p***ed at like, f***ing five oclock,' he recalled. 'Everybodys life had come to a bit of a standstill.' Gallagher has since moved out of the Hampshire property after confirming his separation from MacDonald, with whom he shares children Donovan, 15, and Sonny, 12, in January. A spokesperson for the couple confirmed their split to MailOnline in a joint statement, which read: 'Noel Gallagher and Sara Macdonald has confirmed that the couple are to divorce. 'Noel and Sara will together continue to look after their children who remain their priority. Noel and Sara ask the media to respect their privacy and that of our family at this time.' Gallagher met his second wife, a Scottish publicist, at Ibiza nightclub Space in 2000, a year before his divorce from his first wife Meg Matthews - the mother of his eldest child, 23-year old model Anais. Muse: He believes those personal difficulties impacted the musical direction of new album while recording at his north London studio It's over! The pair (pictured in October 2018) issued a statement to MailOnline in January announcing their split, saying that their two sons 'remain their priority' The former couple were notorious for a party-hard lifestyle at the height of Brit Pop in the mid '90s as they lived it up during rowdy nights with north London's notorious Primrose Hill set, among them supermodel Kate Moss and actress Sadie Frost. But following their split, it was reported that Gallagher had an affair with MacDonald during his first marriage - an allegation they both denied. The couple married in 2011 at the Lime Wood Hotel in the New Forest in a 60,000 ceremony with guests including Russell Brand in attendance - but younger brother and former bandmate Liam said he wasn't invited. 'He goes on about how he wasn't invited to my wedding. No one was at my wedding but Nic's [ex-wife Nicole Appleton] mum and my mum. Get over it, mate. I've not been invited to his wedding,' Liam told the Chicago Sun Times. Liam famously doesn't get along with MacDonald and has had a slew of public rows with the PR exec in the past. He even hinted that she was the reason that an Oasis reunion wouldn't be happening, with Gallagher furious over Liam's relentless public criticism of his wife. The brothers themselves have had little contact in the last ten years, after Gallagher quit the band in 2009. Succession came to an epic close on Sunday evening. And following the nail-biting finale, amid chatter around the world about the intricacies of the conclusion, Nicholas Braun, who plays Cousin Greg on the show, took to social media to give the mourning fans more. A gallery of incredible behind-the-scenes snaps showed his co-stars larking around on-set, including shots of Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, Kevin Culkin, Justine Lupe and Matthew Macfadyen - much to the delight of followers. One of the most epic of the images, showed his character's building pass, which contributed to the caption: 'Need to get a new keycard', alongside amazing images including a shot showing him speaking to the ultimate successor Matthew. Succession came to an epic conclusion on Sunday night with its 90-minute series finale, which has set social media ablaze, including with comments on Nicolas' photos, following his turn as the Roy sibling's cousin Greg Hirsch. Succeeding! Nicholas Braun, who plays Cousin Greg on the show, took to social media to give the mourning fans more on Thursday, with behind-the-scenes snaps Chatting away: Nicholas was seen speaking to Matthew, who played Tom Wambsgans, in front of a green screen, after the duo became a massive hit in the final series in their alliance as 'The Disgusting Brothers' which led to Tom promising: 'I got you' to Greg The bank of Ken: Kendall's birthday party prop was seen in one image The series finale - entitled With Open Eyes - lead up to the important Waystar Royco board meeting, where the final vote on the merger with Lukas Matsson's - played by Alexander Skarsgard - GoJo was held. The episode's many twists and turns, iconic moments and stand-out lines were so popular that topics like 'Tom Wambsgans,' 'Kendall,' 'Jeremy Strong' and 'I AM THE ELDEST BOY' were trending topics across Twitter on Sunday evening. Nicholas was seen speaking to Matthew, who played Tom Wambsgans, in front of a green screen, after the duo became a massive hit in the final series in their alliance as 'The Disgusting Brothers' which led to Tom promising: 'I got you' to Greg. The big man: Another shot saw the all reigning boss Logan Roy - played by Brian - reclining on a boat with a cigarette in hand Sweet: Sarah was also seen cuddling up to a teddy in a bizarre huge nursery featuring Kendall's name in blocks Stunner: Sarah looked radiant in a close up snap in front of rolling green hills Battling it out: The family were seen waging a war over four seasons Another shot saw the all reigning boss Logan Roy - played by Brian - reclining on a boat with a cigarette in hand, while another black and white shot was taken behind the camera in a rolling field. Nicholas posed for a selfie in front of a prop in the form of a vast mock-up black credit card featuring Kendall's face, after Jeremy's character threw a 40th birthday party adorned with pictures of his face. Sarah's character Shiv, who is the eventual victor by association thanks to Tom's victory, looked stunning in a beaming selfie. Sarah was also seen cuddling up to a teddy in a bizarre huge nursery featuring Kendall's name in blocks. Meanwhile, Justine, who plays former escort and wife of Connor Roy Willa Ferreyra, was seen kicking back in a chair in front of the trailers. Kevin then posed in front of a sensational backdrop while pulling a smouldering pose like his character Rome. Laidback: Meanwhile, Justine, who plays former escort and wife of Connor Roy Willa Ferreyra, was seen kicking back in a chair in front of the trailers Who's that? Kevin then posed in front of a sensational backdrop while pulling a smouldering pose like his character Roman Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter when the show wrapped filming, Nicholas said: 'Weve been doing it for so long it feels like: Of course well be doing more; Im sure we have a start date coming up where well be filming again... 'That isnt true. So Im kind of adjusting to the fact thats it. I feel so proud of the show and the finale. I just really feel a sense of pride and gratitude about it all.' When asked if he thought Greg had longevity in the show, he said: 'Yeah, I figured hed hang around. I kind of knew what the duty of that character is, structurally. It is to be the outsider, the beginner; lowest on the totem pole... 'So it felt like that was the arc. I didnt know where it was going to end up, but I hoped there would be something special happening that would make where he starts worthwhile for a viewer.' A vision: He shared further behind the scenes images Charlotte Dawson looked incredible in a one-shoulder sequin maxi dress as she posed for snaps by the sea in the Algarve on Wednesday. The soon to be mother-of-two opted for a one-shoulder embellished frock as she cradled her bump. Charlotte stunned as her brunette locks were tied in a top knot, whilst she opted for a bronzed glam make-up look. The former Ex On The Beach star paired her outfit with white sandals and finished the ensemble off with minimal accessorises to let the dress steal the show. The TV personality looked every inch of the glowing mum-to-be as she enjoyed a babymoon with her fiance Matthew Sarsfield, 33, and little Noah, two. Glowing: Charlotte Dawson looked incredible in a one-shoulder sequin maxi dress as she posed for snaps by the sea in the Algarve on Wednesday Soon-to-be four: The TV personality looked every inch of the glowing mother-to-be as she enjoyed a babymoon with her fiance Matthew Sarsfield, 33, and little Noah, two Charlotte showcased her babymoon with fans on Instagram as she shared snaps of their holiday. In a series of pictures she posted, Charlotte captioned: 'Last holiday as a fambo of 3, I cant believe we are going to have another little man joining our tribe so soon.. Ive been feeling so emotional/excited/nervous special memories made.' And taking to social media once more, she shared a selection of sweet family snaps from their time away. In one photo, Charlotte looked sensational in a yellow-figure hugging maxi dress as she stares down and cradles her bump adoringly. The beauty showed off her chic sense of style in the yellow number, which featured a thigh high split and paired the look with white sandals. She opened up to her fans admitting it hasn't been the easiest ride in the last few weeks as 'we've had a lot of s*** thrown at us', which she posted on Instagram. Recently Charlotte broke down in tears as she revealed 'disgusting weirdos' reported her to social services. In an Instagram video, Charlotte said that they said disgusting and disturbing things such as Noah is always injured in her care and she's always drunk around him. Stunning: Charlotte also looked sensational in a yellow-figure hugging maxi dress as she stared down and cradled her bump adoringly Support: Charlotte opened up to her fans admitting it hasn't been the easiest ride in the last few weeks as 'we've had a lot of s*** thrown at us' Stressed: Charlotte broke down in tears recently as she revealed 'disgusting weirdos' reported her to social services saying Noah, is always injured in her care She reminded her followers that last July, she got a phone call from social services, who had heard that Noah was always injured in her care. And she worries that they won't stop until Noah is taken away from her and Matt - something she said will 'never happen. Wearing a form-fitting brown belted dress, Charlotte said: 'Sorry, I've been quiet over the weekend, I needed a bit of a breather. Continuing, Charlotte said: 'My work is on here, [social media]. I don't want to come off else they will win and they will get what they want. I can't let them get what they want. They heard that she was always drunk around him, there were multiple hospital admissions and that she and Matthew were not capable of looking after him. She said: 'That was last last year, nothing has come of it.' Adding: 'This person makes accounts all the time. They mocked up Noah's name on a gravestone and say disgusting things all the time. 'They said "my mum's takeaway looks like my miscarriage" and ask why I am trying to make money out of my dad's name when I have never met him. 'They send stuff to family and friends and Matt.' Charlotte said: 'So this time around, I got another phone call on Friday from social services again saying the same thing. 'That Noah's always in hospital, always injured in my care. They are not going to stop until something drastically bad happens, Until Noah gets taken off us which is never goin to happen so stop now you absolute t**t. Breaking down, she said: 'Sorry but I am so heartbroken. I don't need the stress and they are wasting social service's valuable time when there are actual families that need their help. 'I get we will get trolled, but to go to the social services, it's just mad. I'm sick of hearing the same cr*p over and over again. She concluded: 'I need to be strong and positive. I don't wanna stress this baby out. Hopefully I will find this person and I will get them.' New Delhi, June 1 (UNI) India and Nepal on Thursday inked seven agreements and launched six cross-border projects, including for petroleum pipelines, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda held talks here, and resolved to take the bilateral ties to Himalayan heights. The six projects jointly launched by the two prime ministers were: 1. Handing over of Kurtha-Bijalpura section of railway line. 2. Inaugural run of an Indian railway cargo train from Bathnaha (India) to Nepal Customs Yard which is the newly constructed rail link under Indian grant. 3. Inauguration of Integrated Checkposts (ICPs) at Nepalgunj (Nepal) and Rupaidiha (India). 4. Ground breaking ceremony of ICPs at Bhairahawa (Nepal) and Sonauli (India). 5. Ground breaking ceremony of phase-II facilities under Motihari-Amlekhgunj Petroleum Pipeline. 6. Ground breaking ceremony of Indian portion of Gorakhpur-Bhutwal Transmission Line being built by a JV of PGCIL and NEA. The List of MoU/Agreements signed between India and Nepal are: 1. Treaty of Transit between the Government of India and the Government of Nepal 2. MoU between the Government of India and the Government of Nepal for cooperation in the field of Petroleum Infrastructure 3. MoU between Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service (SSIFS) and the Institute of Foreign Affairs, Nepal 4. MoU between the Government of India and the Government of Nepal for the development of infrastructure at Dodhara Chandani check post along Indo-Nepal Border 5. Project Development Agreement of Lower Arun Hydroelectric Project between M/S SJVN and Investment Board of Nepal 6. MoU between NHPC and VUCL, Nepal for the development of Phukot Karnali Hydroelectric Project 7. MoU between NPCIL and NCHL, Nepal for cross border payments In his remarks after holding delegation level talks with visiting Nepalese PM Dahal, PM Modi said: We will continue to work towards taking our bilateral ties to Himalayan heights. And with this sentiment in mind, we will seek to resolve all our bilateral issues, including of boundary. In his address, PM Modi recalled: I remember that nine years ago, in 2014, within three months after taking over in my first term, I travelled to Nepal for the first time. I had said that we will build such ties with Nepal that our borders should not act as our barriers. At that time I had given the hit formula for making the bilateral ties a hit of highways, e-ways and transways. Myself and PM Prachanda have taken important steps to make our partnership a superhit one, and in this context we have concluded the transit agreement. We have taken steps to open new railway routes for the people of Nepal, and along with that also arranged for inland waterways benefits. PM Modi also proposed fast-tracking work on the Ramayan circuit. India and Nepal have age-old religious and cultural ties, and PM Dahal and myself have agreed to fast forward the Ramayan circuit programmes. On the border issue, Nepalese PM Dahal said: PM Modi and I also discussed about border issues. I suggested that the border disputes should be resolved through established diplomatic mechanism. PM Prachanda also invited PM Modi to visit Nepal. He said that India is not only Nepal's closest neighbor but also its largest trading partner and added that he would soon welcome PM Modi on his visit to Nepal. Prime Minister Dahal said that there will soon be a tripartite agreement for the export of electricity to Bangladesh. PM Modi also said that India will purchase 10,000 megawatts of electricity from Nepal over the next 10 years. An agreement was reached between both sides for the construction of two important petroleum pipelines Two petroleum pipelines-- from Siliguri in India to Jhapa, Nepal; and from Amalekhgunj in Bara to Lothar of Chitwan (both in Nepal) would be constructed for smooth supply of petroleum products. A storage would be constructed in Jhapa. The Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam of India is to construct the Lower Arun Hydropower Project in Nepal, for which a bilateral agreement was inked today. The company has also been undertaking the construction of the Arun-III Hydropower Project. UNI RN ITV may be reeling from the fallout of Phillip Schofield's affair with a much younger colleague - but it is 'Brand Schofield' itself that has taken the biggest hit. As one of Britain's most famous and respected TV presenters, the 61-year-old racked up a series of lucrative advertising deals with the likes of Boots and We Buy Any Car - as well as several charity patronages. Schofield was reportedly paid 730,000 per year for This Morning, plus 200,000 per series of Dancing on Ice. Adding in the profits from his corporate gigs he brought in an estimated 1.73million a year. This was supplemented by other income including his biography, Life's What You Make It, which was released last year. The book became an instant bestseller, netting him a tidy reported sum of 1.45million. However, Schofield's admission that he lied about an affair with a This Morning runner has led to many of his partners reappraising their relationship with the veteran broadcaster. Below, MailOnline appraises the current state of Brand Schofield. Boots homeware and deli range Boots partnered with Schofield for its Christmas range last year but has now removed all mentions of the present from its website. The 61-year-old launched a selection of homeware and deli items with the Nottingham-based retailer, including an olive oil and balsamic vinegar set. But Boots stopped working with Schofield earlier this year and yesterday removed any mention of his products from his website. Schofield launched a selection of homeware and deli items with Boots, including an olive oil and balsamic vinegar set A spokesman said: 'We have already planned the majority of our Christmas range for 2023 and it does not include the Phillip Schofield food range. 'This decision was made at the beginning of the year.' Searches for Phillip Schofield on the Boots website now produce an error message. However, links to some items still show on Google. Searches for Phillip Schofield on the Boots website now produce an error message When in Rome wines Schofield's eponymous wine brand was pulled from sale within hours of the company he linked up with being asked about the issue. When In Rome Wine said their association with the presenter had come to a 'natural end'. However, they were still selling the wine through their website after the scandal broke, and it was only after they received media questions that Schofield's wines disappeared on Tuesday night. Schofield's wine label, which sold two premium Italian wines, launched in 2020 When in Rome joined forces with the former This Morning presenter in 2020 to launch two new boxed wines. Pictured is one of the adverts he featured in READ MORE - This Morning sponsor Arnold Clark 'won't renew' deal Advertisement When In Rome Wine issued a statement to the media yesterday, which read: 'We have worked with Phillip Schofield on his range of Italian craft wines for three years and this collaboration has drawn to a natural conclusion. There are no further plans to continue filling the Schofield range for future orders.' One industry insider told MailOnline that the timing of the 'natural' end of the relationship has raised eyebrows in the wine merchant business. They said: 'It's bizarre that it would be on sale in recent weeks, and in fact right up until the day before the press inquiry, and now seems to have come to a natural conclusion. 'But there's no doubt it would have happened sooner or later as Schofield as a brand is now toxic. To use an industry term, it's corked.' When in Rome's website now says 'there are no products in this collection' when you search Schofield's name When in Rome joined forces with the former This Morning presenter in 2020 to launch two new boxed wines, sold through their website as well as shopping giants Waitrose and Amazon. When in Rome chief executive and co-founder, Rob Malin, proudly said at the time: 'Having someone like Phillip on board to support the box wine category, demonstrates the size of the opportunity we have in the market to educate consumers that there is another way to enjoy high quality wine that doesn't have to be bought in a bottle.' We Buy Any Car We Buy Any Car included Schofield in its campaigns for nearly six years and encouraged shoppers to be 'more like Phil', with the TV personality reportedly paid 1 million per year to front the ads. He appeared in countless tongue-in-cheek WeBuyAnyCar ads, which often portrayed him as 'the most loved man in Britain'. But the firm allowed his contract to lapse last autumn when he and his co-host Holly Willoughby came under fire for queue-jumping while the Queen was lying-in-state. We Buy Any Car included Schofield in its campaigns for nearly six years and encouraged shoppers to be 'more like Phil'. He was reportedly paid 1million per year to front the ads READ MORE - Phillip Schofield breaks cover as ITV calls in barrister over affair Advertisement YouTube ads featuring the presenter have now been wiped. We Buy Any Car declined MailOnline's request for comment yesterday. It is unclear what specifically prompted the firm to now remove the adverts - months after the partnership with Schofield ended. Several of the campaign videos are still available for viewing on other channels on YouTube. We Buy Any Car, which purchases second hand vehicles for cash, was among several brand's teased in the wake of the scandal, with memes changing their branding to We Jump Any Queue shared widely on social media. WeBuyAnyCar dropped Mr Schofield from its advertising campaigns in October last year. He is pictured here in one of its adverts A spokesman told MailOnline at the time: 'WeBuyAnyCar and Phillip Schofield agreed earlier this year that the WeBuyAnyCar/Phillip Schofield campaign would come to an end in 2022, having worked together for over five years. 'The decision was made prior to any recent stories regarding Phillip.' Prince's Trust The Prince's Trust, a charity set up by King Charles back in 1976 to help support disadvantage people under 30, removed Schofield as an ambassador earlier as it was 'no longer appropriate to work together'. The King's charity, which has a number of celebrity partners including Fearne Cotton, Idris Elba and Gareth Southgate, has also taken steps to distance itself from Schofield. References to the Prince's Trust have since been cut from Schofield's own website. Schofield has also been removed as an ambassador from the Prince's Trust website. He's seen with King Charles at an event for the charity in 2019 The charity said it was 'no longer appropriate' to work with Schofield and he does not appear on its list of patrons READ MORE - Phil puts London 'love nest' on the market Advertisement It previously read: 'Outside of work, Phillip is an Ambassador for the charity The Prince's Trust, dedicating time to further the work of supporting vulnerable young people in the UK.' The page which details information 'about' the presenter is currently unavailable due to a website 'error'. Yesterday there were still photographs of Schofield laughing with the Monarch alongside Ms Cotton at a previous event, the Mirror reported. A Prince's Trust spokesperson, however, confirmed last night that Schofield would no longer work with the charity. They said: 'In light of Phillip's recent admissions, we have agreed with him that it is no longer appropriate to work together.' Shooting Star Hospice Surrey-based children's charity Shooting Star has also ended its relationship with Schofield after he spent more than 20 years as a patron. The charity sought to distance its decision to drop Schofield from recent controversies, with a spokesman saying: 'Phillip Schofield has not been an active patron since 2019 and therefore his patronage was formally ended earlier this year. 'The decision to stand down Phillip was part of our review of some of our longer-term inactive relationships.' Schofield used to host an annual clay pigeon shoot in support of the charity and raised hundreds of thousands of pounds while doing so Shooting Star Children's Hospice has ended its relationship with Schofield after he spent more than 20 years as a patron Schofield was listed on Shooting Star Children's Hospices' website as a patron most recently as of April 2. READ MORE - Kerry Katona breaks down in tears as she accuses Schofield of 'belittling' her in 2008 interview Advertisement But he was removed by the next update on May 8, according to internet archive site Wayback Machine - just days before his apparent feud with This Morning co-host Holly Willoughby emerged and a month after his brother, Timothy, was convicted for a string of child sex offences. Schofield used to host an annual clay pigeon shoot in support of the charity and raised hundreds of thousands of pounds while doing so. After the 2016 event, Shooting Star posted on its Facebook page to thank Schofield and described the presenter as an 'awesome patron'. In the post, Schofield was quoted as saying: 'I've known the charity for so long I remember having the plans for one of the hospices on my kitchen table. 'And if you visit, you realise it's not a place of sadness - it's a place of joy and celebration, and a place of happiness for families in those final hours, days, or months. 'It's awful to think anyone has to step through those doors but I'm so grateful the angels that work at Shooting Star Chase are on the other side. 'The charity does an utterly incredible job and that's why I'm proud to be involved.' Royal Voluntary Service The Royal Voluntary Service became the third major charity to distance itself from Schofield after a partnership of more than a decade. The organisation has also removed a statement from its website which thanked him for his support on 'several campaigns'. This includes Sing Your Heart Out, a fundraising initiative to raise money for vulnerable older people. The Royal Voluntary Service has become the third charity to distance itself from Schofield. He's pictured taking part in a fundraising campaign A spokesperson told the magazine Third Sector: 'Philip Schofield hasn't been a very active ambassador to date and we don't have any plans scheduled to work with him in the future.' Prior to yesterday evening the RVS featured a prominent photo of Schofield on its website alongside a section of text praising his work. It said: 'Phillip has been an ambassador for Royal Voluntary Service since 2011 when he supported us in ITV's Text Santa campaign, visiting services across Britain. 'He has since supported us on several campaigns, including Diamond Champions - a campaign to recognise the incredible contribution of Britain's older volunteers.' There was also a quote from Schofield, which read: 'I am very pleased to support the Royal Voluntary Service. The work of the charity makes a real difference to the lives of older people in this country.' It was revealed on Wednesday that Kim Cattrall will make a shock return as Sex And The City's Samantha Jones for the second season of spin-off And Just Like That... - despite her explosive feud with star Sarah Jessica Parker. Kim, 66, will return for only one 'cliffhanger', which she shot on March 22 in NYC, without seeing or speaking with stars SJP, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis. The scene was also shot without AJLT showrunner Michael Patrick King. In the scene, Samantha, who has moved to London, will have a phone conversation with Parker's Carrie Bradshaw - in a move that will no doubt stun fans. Their feud has long been documented, with Sarah remaining coy and defiant while Kin has lashed out in a spectacular fashion. Now, after public swipes, pay discrepancies and nasty digs, we take a look at the spat between Kim and Sarah Jessica... Fight? It was revealed on Wednesday that Kim Cattrall will make a shock return as Sex And The City's Samantha Jones for the second season of spin-off And Just Like That - despite her explosive feud with star Sarah Jessica Parker (the duo pictured in 2009) Anger: Their feud has long been documented, with Sarah remaining coy and defiant while Kin has lashed out in a spectacular fashion What pay discrepancy? COLD HARD CASH It was long reported that, Sarah earned a much larger salary than her costars during her time in the show - which eventually led to it going off the air in 2004. In a 2004 interview about the pay-difference: 'I felt after six years, it was time for all of us to participate in the financial windfall of Sex and the City... 'When they didnt seem keen on that, I thought it was time to move on.' Four years after the series finished, it was reported that Kim was furious over Sarah Jessica' executive producer title in the second season, which increased her salary to $300,000. When she learnt this, Kim is said to have tried to negotiate a higher salary - which was met with extreme anger as it was claimed the other stars 'wouldnt even sit with her at meal times. It was also flagged that in 2004, Kim didn't sit with the other actresses at the Emmys - to which she said: 'Are we the best of friends? No. We're professional actresses. We have our own separate lives.' On their friendship, Kim said to Piers Morgan: We've never been friends - we've been colleagues. And in some ways that's a very healthy place to be, as you have a clear line between your professional life, and your personal, too'. Confirmed! Season 2 of And Just Like That... will return June 22 on HBO Max She's back! Kim's public swipes at Sarah Jessica have been numerous, yet an unexpected reaction came after the tragic death of her brother Chris SCRAPS AND THE CITY: HOW DID KIM AND SARAH'S FEUD BEGIN? May 2008: SJP defended Kim when she was asked whether she supported her decision to delay the filming of the first SATC movie due to salary disputes December 2009: Kim and Cynthia Nixon attend SJP's premier for Did You Hear About The Morgans? in a show of support and SJP tells Elle that she wouldn't have done the SATC film without Kim January 2010: In an interview with the Mail, Kim expressed her exasperation over the never-ending feud rumours saying 'People don't want to believe that we get on' May 2010: Kim admits that 'sometimes feelings get hurt' during grueling filming hours due to the amount of time the women spent together August 2016: SJP wishes Kim a happy 60th birthday and addresses her as her 'old friend' October 2016: Kim once again defends feud rumours but admits not every day working together is easy or perfect September 2017: SJP confirmed a third SATC movie... and then announced it was happening Willie Garson, who played Carrie's BFF Stan tweeted, 'Disappointed for all crew holding on for negotiations to conclude for their jobs, and of course, for the fans. Leave it at that. #Truth.' October 2017: Kim Tells Piers Morgan that SJP 'could have been nicer' about the SATC 3 demise February 2018: Kim blasts 'cruel' SJP and says she is not a friend nor family to her Advertisement 'When will that Sarah Jessica Parker . . . leave you alone?' KIM'S BROTHER'S DEATH Kim's public swipes at Sarah Jessica have been numerous, yet an unexpected reaction came after the tragic death of her brother Chris. In February 2018, Chris, 55, went missing when he left the house unlocked without his phone and wallet, after which Kim issued a plea for information. With a heavy heart she then confirmed that he was found dead near his home in Alberta, Canada. Further details were not given, yet it was revealed that police 'had no reason to believe there was anything suspicious involved in his death.' Shortly his death, Kim took to Instagram to thank both her fans and her Sex and the City colleagues for support before hitting out at Sarah. Following her thank yous, four days later, Kim shared an image with words reading: 'You are not my family. You are not my friend. So I'm writing to tell you one last time to stop exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your 'nice girl' persona.' She added a caption on the shot directed at Sarah, reading: 'My Mom asked me today 'When will that, that hypocrite, leave you alone?' Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then and now... 'Let me make this VERY clear. (If I haven't already) You are not my family. You are not my friend. So I'm writing to tell you one last time to stop exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your 'nice girl' persona.' 'It's a no from me': KIM'S VOW TO SHUN AND JUST LIKE THAT... In 2019, whispers began surrounding And Just Like That, with the presence of Samantha causing widespread whispers, before it was announced that Kim was refusing to get on-board amid unrest behind-the-scenes. The first season of the new incarnation of the show, renamed And Just Like That, ran for ten episodes on HBO in 2021 and the new series is returning soon. Back in 2019, the network's chief content officer, Casey Bloys, reflected on Samantha's exit, saying: 'Just as in real life, people come into your life, people leave. Friendships fade and new friendships start.' It's a no for me: Explaining why she would not return, Kim said in 2019: 'It's a "no" from me. You learn lessons in life and my lesson is to do work with good people and try and make it fun Explaining why she would not return, Kim said in 2019: 'It's a "no" from me. You learn lessons in life and my lesson is to do work with good people and try and make it fun.' Even SJP has claimed she does not want Kim back - when asked by Variety in a 2022 interview if she would be 'OK' if Kim was able to come back to the show if some 'miracle were to happen,' after their very public feud exploded back in 2018. Parker responded: 'I don't think I would, because I think there's just too much public history of feelings on her part that she's shared. I haven't participated in or read articles, although people are inclined to let me know.' 'We didn't go to Kim for this, you know,' Parker said. 'After we didn't do the movie and the studio couldn't meet what she wanted to do, we have to hear her and listen to her and what was important to her.' 'It didn't fit into what was important or needed for us. There's a very distinct line between Samantha and Kim,' Parker continued. Anthony Cincotta has welcomed his first child, a baby boy, with partner Kate. The Married At First Sight star shared the glorious news to Instagram on Thursday evening, alongside a carousel of intimate family images. In the first image, the adorable newborn is seen sleeping, rugged up in a green blanket and matching beanie. Another image shows Anthony kissing Kate, as their bundle of joy lies atop his mother. In a third snap, Kate poses with the little one in her hospital bed, while a fourth image sees Anthony's muscle arms outstretched against the newborn. Anthony Cincotta has welcomed his first child, a baby boy, with partner Kate. Both pictured In the first image, the adorable newborn is seen sleeping, rugged up in a green blanket and matching beanie 'Welcome to the world Milan Michael Anthony Cincotta or Milo as he is affectionately known,' Anthony wrote beside the gallery of snaps. 'Mum and bubba are doing fantastic and we as a family couldn't be anymore in love. 'He has a beautiful mum, a loving sister and a very proud dad ready to take him through his journey. 'Thank you to all the staff at St John of God for their amazing work.' Anthony concluded his post with a sign of things to come. 'PS. This is a warning of future baby spam coming through,' he added. Another image shows Anthony kissing Kate, as their bundle of joy lies atop his mother In a third snap, Kate poses with the little one in her hospital bed A fourth image sees Anthony's muscle arms outstretched against the newborn The reality TV star's post was quickly inundated with well wishes from MAFS co stars. 'Congrats big man. Hes perfect,' wrote Brent Vitiello. 'Omg congrats guys! He is divine. Sending your whole family so much love!,' added Olivia Frazer. 'Welcome to the world little man! Congratulations to you and your gorgeous family,' wrote Domenica Calarco. 'This makes me so happy, congratulations guys. Love you both cant wait to meet the little cutie,' added Kate Laidlaw. Daniel Holmes, Steve Burley, Bryce Ruthven, Tamara Djordjevic and his MAFS wife Selin Mengu also joined the chorus. 'Welcome to the world Milan Michael Anthony Cincotta or Milo as he is affectionately known,' Anthony began beside the gallery of snaps The reality TV star's post was quickly inundated with well wishes from MAFS co stars Anthony revealed the couple were expecting their first child back in December. 'So Kate and I went to Italy a few months back just the two of us and came back as three (I blame the city of romance, Venice),' he wrote at the time. The couple is pictured with Anthony's daughter Gabriella Anthony revealed the couple were expecting their first child back in December. 'So Kate and I went to Italy a few months back just the two of us and came back as three (I blame the city of romance, Venice),' he wrote at the time. 'Pretty sure the travel agent wasn't planning on that, cos we certainly weren't. 'Gotta say this year has been a whirlwind but we keep falling more in love and now our little family is getting bigger. 'Gabby is going to be an amazing big sister and Kate is going to be a wonderful mum, this little boy will be spoilt, can't wait to meet you, mate.' Anthony debuted his relationship with Kate last year when the couple posed for photographs at the Bigger Dreams Foundation HEARTS4ARTS Event in Melbourne. The couple began dating shortly after his 'marriage' to Selin fell apart on Married At First Sight. Holly Willoughby is spending half term more than a thousand miles away from the This Morning drama as she holidays with family in Portugal, it has been revealed. The ITV star has been pictured out for dinner with her parents Linda and Brian, sister Kelly, and three children near to her 8million Algarve villa. An onlooker said Willoughby, 42, appeared to be trying to stay under the radar, wearing a hat and sunglasses. 'The area is a holiday hotspot for Brits, so she is probably worried about being asked about the This Morning scandal,' they told The Sun. 'At one point, Holly spoke at length to a waiter who it seemed like she knew personally. 'She seemed to be having a great time - unlike her old pal Phillip.' Holly Willoughby is spending half term more than a thousand miles away from the This Morning drama as she holidays with family in Portugal, it has been revealed (Pictured: Holly on a previous trip) Holly Willoughby has been spotted on holiday in Portugal. She is pictured with Phillip Schofield on this Morning earlier this month Schofield was seen today in London for the first time since quitting ITV and This Morning Willoughby is believed to have spent the week in the 23C sun as the Phillip Schofield scandal deepens. Just yesterday a former ITV director said Holly will have to leave This Morning amid the scandal over Phillip Schofield because she is now 'damaged goods'. Willoughby is due to return to This Morning next Monday following the half-term break, having taken the early holiday when news of Schofield's departure emerged. Former ITV commercial director Ian McCulloch said although it appears she is 'clinging on', producers now need to make a clean break and 'move the show on'. Mr McCulloch, who left ITV in 2007 after 27 years with the broadcaster, told GB News today: 'I do absolutely agree that none of the on-screen talent, well, those two, they cannot be associated with the show. She's damaged goods. The ITV star has been pictured out for dinner with her parents Linda and Brian (pictured together), sister Kelly, and three children near to her 8million Algarve villa. Holly has often spent time with her mother Linda while taking a break from her life on TV Holly has often posted photographs of herself and her mother to social media site Instagram She has even mimicked her mother's dress sense. For her 40th birthday (right) Holly wore a dark floral dress that her mother wore when she was younger (left) Holly has even attended red carpet events with her mother. Pictured: Holly and Linda at the 2102 Pride of Britain Awards in London Family: Holly is pictured with Terry in a beaming snap, which she previously shared to Instagram 'They need a fresh start. I'm not sure that the talent that they've got, sort of running through at the minute, is the right talent. But I think the show is a good show, but you certainly can't have those two. It comes after former presenter Eamonn Holmes predicted that Willoughby, 42, will not return to the sofa on ITV's daytime show following Schofield's bombshell exit. Schofield, 61, resigned from ITV on Friday and was dropped by his agency YMU after admitting to an 'unwise, but not illegal' affair with a younger male colleague. Willoughby has been silent since putting out an Instagram statement on Saturday which said it had 'taken time to process yesterday's news' following Schofield's statement, adding: 'When reports of this relationship first surfaced, I asked Phil directly if this was true and was told it was not. It's been very hurtful to now find out that this was a lie.' She is due to return to This Morning next Monday following the half-term break, but former presenter Eamonn Holmes predicted she will not return to the sofa following Schofield's bombshell exit. Former ITV commercial director Ian McCulloch also said although it appears she is 'clinging on', producers now need to make a clean break and 'move the show on'. Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on the sofa of ITV's This Morning earlier this month On Saturday, Willoughby wrote on Instagram that it had 'taken time to process yesterday's news' following Schofield's statement Schofield was also today seen for the first time since he quit ITV nearly a week ago. The former This Morning presenter was photographed being driven in London while sitting in the back seat of a car next to a woman believed to be his daughter Ruby. The presenter was spotted as it was revealed Willoughby may be grilled by a top barrister over the scandal - and the show's past and present presenting teams may also be quizzed about what they knew about his affair. Alison Hammond, Dermot O'Leary, Eamonn Holmes, Ruth Langsford and Dr Ranj Singh may all be asked to give statements to employment lawyer Jane Mulcahy KC. An ITV spokesman told MailOnline: 'We would expect the KC to be able to ask to talk to anyone she considers relevant in order to conduct the review'. In a humiliating climbdown after a crisis staff meeting, the broadcaster said it was bringing in a barrister to 'carry out an external review to establish the facts'. Since Schofield's resignation, the show has been plagued by allegations of 'toxicity' - which has also impacted Willoughby's standing. Producers have also faced guests turning down offers to appear on This Morning - and its biggest sponsor, car dealer Arnold Clark, has confirmed it will not be renewing an existing multi-million-pound deal with the channel in autumn. Yet Holly Willoughby is determined to fight to keep her spot on This Morning's sofa and hopes to 'ride out' the ongoing scandal surrounding Phillip Schofield that has plunged ITV into a crisis, a source has claimed. It comes amid fears that the programme will lose more of its advertisers as one insider said 'brands do not feel ITV is a safe bet at the moment'. Since Schofield dramatically left the programme earlier this month, photos of the long-time host have been removed from ITV studios in White City. A large framed picture of Schofield which hung in TV Centre in London where the show is filmed was also removed. All photos of Schofield are said to have been stripped out of the ITV studios following the star's statement on Friday where he confessed that he lied to his employer ITV, to his colleagues, his friends and his agents at the management firm YMU about his relationship with the younger man. READ MORE ITV bosses to face grilling by MPs next week over Phillip Schofield affair scandal as broadcaster faces questions about who knew what and when Advertisement Some have called for the mid-morning show to be cancelled all together, with the editor who launched it 36 years ago calling for it to 'die with dignity' yesterday evening. Dianne Nelmes said the show had become 'tired' and was now 'shipwrecked on scandal'. She added: 'The situation is very sad. Whatever has gone on, Phillip has been a stalwart presenter of the show. 'I dont think that Holly can hold this show on her own, not even with Alison Hammond which is said to be the favoured outcome. I dont think Holly can handle it. Phil will be missed.' As the scandal pushed into its third week, former This Morning star Dr Ranj slammed the 'toxic' culture at the ITV daytime show as the scandal at the programme continues into its third week. The TV doctor, who left the show last year, claimed he was 'managed out' after taking his concerns to 'the top' of ITV, raising even more questions for bosses about whether they knew and when. Dr Ranj - who is now the resident doctor on the BBC's Morning Live - said he thought 'long and hard' before weighing in on the scandal currently engulfing ITV but decided to speak out 'in light of recent events'. And last night, sources told the Mail that the former production assistant insists 'he was never asked' about the romance with the former TV host, while another ITV insider said: 'Everybody just knew about it'. He wrote on Instagram: 'I was on the show for 10 years and I genuinely loved and valued working there. However over time I grew increasingly worried about how things were behind-the-scenes and how people, including myself, were being treated. 'I didn't know the truth about what was going on with Phillip, but I do know the issues with TM go far beyond him. It takes more than one person to create a culture.' ITV said it was 'sorry' to read Dr Ranj's post, adding that its 'fully committed to providing every opportunity for anyone who works with us to raise any concern or comments they may have'. It's statement continued: 'Following a complaint made by Dr Ranj, we appointed an external and independent advisor to carry out a review. This external review found no evidence of bullying or discrimination.' The travel chaos that preceded her romantic honeymoon trip to Panama appeared to be forgotten as bikini-clad Sophie Habboo unwound on Thursday. The Made In Chelsea cast-member is currently relaxing in the Central and South American country with husband Jamie Laing, little more than a week after exchanging vows with her co-star in Spain. But while the couple were forced to visit four different countries and lost Jamie's luggage during a nightmare journey, the fiasco was clearly behind them as they updated followers on Instagram. Taking to the social media platform, Sophie, 29, showed off her slender physique in a geometric print bikini as she made the most of Panama's soaring 27 degree weather. The TV personality completed the look with a pair of high-slung denim shorts while encouraging Jamie, 34, to take pictures of her outside their lavish honeymoon villa. Don't mind me: The travel chaos that preceded her romantic honeymoon trip to Panama appeared to be forgotten as bikini-clad Sophie Habboo unwound on Thursday Good times: The Made In Chelsea cast-member is currently relaxing in the Central and South American country with husband Jamie Laing, little more than a week after exchanging vows While her husband confirmed his luggage has now been located by airline staff, he was dealt another blow by learning the case has been sent back to London - more than 5000 miles away. Consequently, Jamie has been forced to wear his boxers around the pool and borrow a 'very kind' staff member's clothes for dinner. Teasing her new husband, Sophie took to her Instagram Stories to document his ordeal on Thursday. In one video, Sophie films Jamie lounging by the pool in a pair of black boxers as he attempts to open coconuts for the couple. After his attempts fail, Jamie is then forced to leave their luxury villa and make his way down to reception for help. But unfortunately for him, Jamie is left with no choice but to depart in his underwear, leaving newlywed Sophie particularly amused. Later in the day, Jamie took to his Story to tell his fans about the latest saga with his lost luggage. He explained: 'Update on the luggage, good news and bad news. Good news - apparently they found the luggage, apparently. Bad news is that they've sent the luggage back to London. Fun for some: The Made In Chelsea stars had a nightmare start to their trip as Jamie's luggage got lost while jetting across countries in a bid to make it to South America Worth the wait: Jamie and Sophie finally arrived on their romantic honeymoon on Tuesday 'So apparently they found the luggage which I actually don't think is true, but it's back in London. We're in Panama so what the hell is the point in that? If one more person tells me to pivot or I should have put clothes in Sophie's bag. We 'know, get an Air Tag!' The couple arrived at their honeymoon suite on Tuesday after a nightmare start to their trip that saw travel to four different countries in 24 hours due to flight cancellations. En route to Panama the previous day, he told followers: 'Finally on flight two back to the UK from Amsterdam. This one was delayed 2.5 hours.' The TV personality shared a snap of Sophie looking at her phone while sat in the window seat of their plane as they jetted off on their third flight of the day to Columbia. He later added that he thought they were 'being pranked' as they also had no idea where in the world their luggage had found itself. Making fun: Jamie has been forced to wear his boxers around the pool while waiting for his lost luggage to be delivered after a nightmare journey to Panama resulted in his belongings being shipped back to the UK Jamie continued: 'We're now put on different flights to Columbia and our luggage is still in Amsterdam... I think we're being pranked....' Once landing in Columbia in the very early hours of the morning, the Made In Chelsea star shared a video as the couples 'journey continued'. He said laughing: 'A little update for anyone who cares. We have arrived in Bogota in Columbia it's 3:15am. 'We now have to change flights and go to Panama and then change again to get to the other place. 'We don't even know if our luggage is with us because we think it's still in Amsterdam. The journey continues.' Olivia Bowen was forced to spend the day in hospital after an accident. The Love Island star, 29, took to Instagram on Thursday to reveal she'd headed straight from her friend's hen do in Marbella to the hospital in order to get an X-ray on her wrist. After sharing a snap in the waiting room she gave fans an update four hours later, revealing she'd broken her wrist. Alongside a picture of her cast in a sling, she penned: 'Gutted doesn't cover it.' Later in the day she revealed she was being comforted by son Abel, 12 months, sharing a selfie of the pair having a cuddle. Ouch: Love Island's Olivia Bowen revealed she had to rush straight to the hospital on Thursday after getting back from her Marbella holiday after having a nasty accident Ouch: After sharing a snap in the waiting room she gave fans an update four hours later, revealing she'd broken her wrist While Olivia did not reveal how she sustained the injury, pictures from her trip to Marbella earlier in the week showed her wearing a wrist guard. MailOnline has contacted Olivia's representatives for comment. The injury will have come as a blow to Olivia who had been preparing to take part in a horse race. She revealed with fans last month that had 'a wobble' during training, writing: 'I cried to a couple members of the team & to my trainer on the phone. What am I doing? Am I mad for this? 'I just felt like I couldnt do it, the anxiety that morning was crippling, especially for someone who suffers with such confidence issues.' However, she was determined to get back in the saddle, revealing: 'I got back on, big girl knickers ON & remembering why Im doing this! 'Look were trying to prove that anything is possible as a woman if you give her the tools. So Im picking the tools back up & I am doing this, no matter how scared I am or how hard it gets. I know Ill miss it all when its over!' Olivia had recently taken some time out of training to enjoy a family holiday to Barbados last month. Oh dear: The star, 29, took to Instagram on Thursday to reveal she'd headed straight from her friend's hen do in Marbella to the hospital in order to get an X-ray on her wrist Sweet: Later in the day she revealed she was being comforted by son Abel, 12 months, sharing a selfie of the pair having a cuddle Bad timing: The injury will have come as a blow to Olivia who had been preparing to take part in a horse race The reality star and her husband Alex Bowen had enjoyed a sun soaked getaway alongside their son Abel. Olivia and Alex, formerly a sales executive and scaffolder respectively, soared to fame in 2016 when they appeared on ITV2's Love Island, where she was an original star and he was a late but popular entrant. After leaving the villa, their romance soon when from strength to strength and Alex popped the question in New York in 2016. The couple then tied the knot in a luxurious Essex ceremony two years after meeting on Love Island during the show's second series. Montana Brown displayed her growing bump as she stunned in a orange bikini during her babymoon, whilst practicing hypnobirthing in Marbella on Wednesday. The former Love Island star, 27, is expecting her first child, a baby boy, with fiance Mark O'Connor in a matter of weeks. The TV personality praised hypnobirthing for making her pregnancy journey a positive and mindfulness experience, in a video she shared on Instagram. The mother-to-be looked sensational as she sat peacefully cradling her bump in the shade while executing the birthing technique. In the video the star looked very relaxed as she can be seen rubbing her tummy while looking beautifully bare faced. Calm: Montana Brown displayed her growing bump as she stunned in a orange bikini for a babymoon, whilst practicing hypnobirthing in Marbella on Instagram on Wednesday She captioned the post: 'Mindfulness wins especially in new @swimsociety thank goodness for hypnobirthing its been such a positive and empowering experience.' Montana she shared a behind the scenes sneak peek of her latest swimwear shoot in her latest social media post as she teased fans of the bikini range. She teased the swimwear launch to her 1.2 million followers, revealing she was 'wearing the brand new collection, launching 08.06.23'. The stunner also looked sensational as she shared more pictures on social media of her holiday away. The TV personality looked sensational as she stretched out on a lounger by the pool in the idyllic Spanish setting. Montana styled her brunette tresses in a messy bun and showcased her natural beauty with a makeup-free look. The reality TV personality announced Mark had proposed to her during her exotic babymoon in April. The pair are now inseparable, having got engaged on a sun-soaked trip to Bermuda last year. Relax: The mother-to-be looked sensational as she sat peacefully cradling her bump in the shade while executing the birthing technique Ready to pop: The TV personality praised hypnobirthing for making her pregnancy journey a positive and mindfulness experience, in a video she shared on Instagram She has just returned from a dazzling appearance at Cannes. And Rebel Wilson was bringing the designer glam over to the UK on Thursday afternoon as she stepped out in London in a designer ensemble. The Pitch Perfect star, 43, looked sensational in an outfit which rang in at over 20k - and was casual in style but pricey in substance. The outfit comprised a Hermes Birkin 25cm Bleu Navy Swift, which costs 19,000, Gucci's women's maxi GG Gucci Jordaan loafer costing 620 and Burberry's Monogram Wool Silk Blend Oversized Cardigan, ringing in at 1,050. Having slimmed down her frame in recent years, she was showing off her svelte frame in light wash jeans and the stylish cardigan. Strutting her stuff: Rebel Wilson was bringing the designer glam over to the UK on Thursday afternoon as she stepped out in London in a designer ensemble Splashing out: She wore Gucci's women's maxi GG Gucci Jordaan loafer - costing 620 Bling bling: Rebel held onto a Hermes Birkin 25cm Bleu Navy Swift, which costs 19,000 Pared-back: The Pitch Perfect star, 43, looked sensational in an outfit which rang in at over 20k - and was casual in style but pricey in substance During her trip to Cannes, Rebel was joined by her Lemon Ve Limon founder fiancee Ramona Agruma, 42, in the midst of the 76th Cannes Film Festival. The lovebirds were initially introduced to one another by a mutual friend in late 2021. Rebel previously spoke to People and recalled how the couple had made an effort to establish a genuine connection prior to their first date. The pair had already been dating for several months before the Australian actress announced the relationship and came out of the closet. 'I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince... but maybe what I really needed all this time was a Disney Princess,' Rebel wrote on social media at the time. She announced the couple's engagement in February, posting photos to Instagram of the precious moment she proposed at Disneyland. Here she is: Having slimmed down her frame in recent years, she was showing off her svelte frame in light wash jeans and the stylish cardigan Blonde beauty: She wore her bleach blonde tresses scraped back with a loose fringe around her face The sweet snaps showed her getting down on one knee with a Tiffany & Co. ring for her future wife. Months later, Rebel surprised fans when she announced the birth of her daughter Royce Lillian, born via a surrogate. The outing comes after Rebel and Ramona celebrated their first Mothers Day sharing never before seen photos of their baby daughter. Despite being one of Hollywoods most recognised actresses, the Aussie star let her followers know she is just like everybody else and captioned the sweet pic of Royce in pink: 'Happy Mothers Day! (Just woke up at 5:30am and changed a big (poo emoji how about you?)' A jean-ius idea: She was looked trendy and chic in the ensemble Chariya Khattiyot has been named MasterChef Champion, making her the 19th amateur cook to claim the coveted title on BBC One's prestigious cooking competition. After seeing off 44 other ambitious contestants, Chariya triumphed against the exceptional remaining finalists, Anurag Aggarwal and Omar Foster, during Thursday evening's show. Chariya, 40, a master coffee roaster before taking part in the show, was subsequently awarded the revered MasterChef trophy by judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace. Reacting to her win, she said: 'This is unbelievable. It means the world, the sun, the moon and everything to me. I don't think anything can top this. I'm so happy! 'This just proves that if you dream something and you work really hard and you never give up, you can get it. That's what my grandad said to me never give up. He would be so proud of me!' Well done: Chariya Khattiyot has been named MasterChef Champion, making her the 19th amateur cook to claim the coveted title on BBC One's prestigious cooking competition Emotional: Reacting to her win, Chariya broke down in floods of tears as she became overwhelmed by her incredible achievement All yours: Chariya, 40, a master coffee roaster before taking part in the show, was awarded the revered MasterChef trophy by judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace On the very emotional night, both judges also shed a tear as they announced this year's winner, with Chariya sweetly apologising as they all became overcome with emotion. Torode said: 'Chariya's food has always been honest and from the heart. It's always exciting, it's always unusual and it's always been beautiful and addictive. 'And not just punchy, exciting Thai flavours that we saw at the start, but also exceptional, innovative and exciting technique all the way through. A proper master.' Co-host Wallace added: 'Chariya is outstanding and one of the best MasterChef contestants I can remember. Chariya has delighted and amazed me in equal measure. 'Some of her creations are absolutely beautiful - almost with an artist's touch. She is one of the most creative, skilful cooks I've seen on MasterChef for a long, long time.' Delighted viewers were quick to take to Twitter to gush over her victory, with some admitting they were reduced to tears, while others called it the best final in years. One person wrote: 'What an amazing series this has been. What a worthy winner Chariya was. Her food was top notch all the way through.' Another said: 'That has got to be the best #MasterChef final in years. All three were brilliant.' Streets ahead: After seeing off 44 other ambitious contestants, Chariya triumphed against the exceptional remaining finalists, Anurag Aggarwal and Omar Foster Thrilled: Delighted viewers were quick to take to Twitter to gush over her victory, with some admitting they were reduced to tears, while others called it the best final in years Emotional: Reacting to her win, she said: 'This is unbelievable. It means the world, the sun, the moon and everything to me. I don't think anything can top this. I'm so happy' Happy: Chariya couldn't have been happier as she was the 19th amateur star to be handed the revered trophy Overcome: On the very emotional night, both Wallace and Torode also shed a tear as they announced Chariya as this year's winner A third penned: 'Why am I crying with happiness about a cooking competition,' while a fourth tweeted: 'Fantastic result. Well done Chariya! Book me into your restaurant along with Monica please.' Another added: 'Absolutely cannot describe what a fab series Masterchef has been. 'Congrats to Chariya obviously (incredible) but seriously, all three finalists were worthy of a trophy. So, fly free Omar and Anuurag too.' While someone else gushed: 'Probably the greatest EVER winner of Masterchef.' Speaking ahead of the last cook-off, Chariya said: 'From a little girl who cooked in a kitchen with no walls, to lift that trophy is going to be the story I can tell to inspire a lot of girls who have a hard life. If you work really hard, I'm sure you can achieve something.' 'You really want to succeed in something, you set a goal and you go for it, that's what my granddad told me,' she added. Thursday's episode saw the final three take on the most intense challenge of the competition - cooking the best three-course meal of their lives. Chariya's winning menu started with a Thai Lotus Tuille, filled with Coconut Jelly, Fried King Prawns, Pomelo Fruit Salad, flavoured with Honey, Palm Sugar and Coconut. On tasting it, an impressed Wallace said: 'That's fabulous. That's a delicate little morsel, packing a very big punch.' Supportive: Though they missed out on the trophy, her fellow finalists Anurag and Omar appeared thrilled for her and embraced her as she won Tasty: Chariya's winning menu started with a Thai Lotus Tuille, filled with Coconut Jelly, Fried King Prawns, Pomelo Fruit Salad, flavoured with Honey, Palm Sugar and Coconut Ten out of ten: For her main course, Chariya served a traditional Northern Thai 'Khantoke' Sharing Platter of Wagyu Sirloin Steak in Hung Lay Curry Sauce, Minced Lamb in a Spicy Tomato and Shrimp Paste, Jackfruit and Scallop Salad, Sticky Rice and Scallop Crisp Crackers Sweet treat: Chariya finished her menu with her take on Strawberries and Cream - a Strawberry Jelly and Vanilla Cremeux Ring, filled with Macerated Strawberries in Strawberry Liqueur, Pistachio Sponge, Strawberry Shards and a Strawberry and Thai Basil Sauce Bird's eye view: The three dishes that helped Chariya win the 2023 MasterChef crown For her main course, Chariya served a traditional Northern Thai 'Khantoke' Sharing Platter of Wagyu Sirloin Steak in Hung Lay Curry Sauce, Minced Lamb in a Spicy Tomato and Shrimp Paste, Jackfruit and Scallop Salad, Sticky Rice and Scallop Crisp Crackers. 'I could eat that all day long,' Torode admitted after sampling the dish. Chariya finished her menu with her take on Strawberries and Cream - a Strawberry Jelly and Vanilla Cremeux Ring, filled with Macerated Strawberries in Strawberry Liqueur, Pistachio Sponge, Strawberry Shards and a Strawberry and Thai Basil Sauce. The desert was both a nod to the UK and a love of strawberries that stems from her childhood in Thailand, where she would look forward to eating strawberries once a year with her grandfather. After experiencing her menu, Wallace told Chariya: 'Since the first time you walked into this kitchen, it's been dish upon dish of exciting, beautiful food. 'What I really admire about you is just how hard you work in pursuit of perfection - to really uncover new technique, to find bigger and bigger flavour. 'Do you know who else has those qualities? Top professional chefs. You are the real deal. You're an amazing cook.' Chariya emotionally broke down in tears at the touching feedback, saying that her grandfather would be 'so proud', with Wallace reinforcing that he definitely would. She was sweetly comforted by her co-stars as she cried behind the scenes, appearing overwhelmed by her positive feedback. Runner-up Anurag also received glowing feedback from the judges for his dishes - a starter of golgappa, a main course of a roast cauliflower curry and a halwa lentil sponge pudding. Although he missed out on the trophy, Wallace gushed: 'I find your food highly addictive.' Inspirational: 'If you work really hard, I'm sure you can achieve something,' said Chariya following her win on Thursday evening Triumph: The Basingstoke based amateur chef conjured up the meal of her life to impress the judges and win this year's coveted trophy Well travelled: MasterChef viewers have seen Chariya travel to Istanbul, Turkey, for culinary inspiration during her time on the BBC1 show While Torode added: 'You've found where your culinary heart truly is.' Meanwhile, Omar also impressed the judges with a mango and scallop starter, a main course of beef cheek in a black bean and cherry sauce and a parsnip split dessert. Torode told Omar that he 'admired' him for taking a huge risk with his parsnip twist on the standard banana split, while Wallace also heaped praise on it. Wallace said Omar had challenged their minds and tastes throughout, adding: 'I hope you walk away from here knowing you are a very special cook.' A tearful Omar then said: 'I've given everything to this competition, to have the amazing feedback at this end point was perfect, I'll never forget that.' MasterChef viewers have seen Chariya travel to Istanbul, Turkey, where she got a taste of centuries-old cuisine, cooking traditional food for discerning locals in their historic village, mentored by one of Turkey's best known chefs, Refika Birgul. Then at two Michelin starred Istanbul restaurant, Turk, Chariya was tasked by chef Fatih Tutak to recreate a dish from his celebrated tasting menu during a busy service. The trip ended with a challenge at one of Istanbul's most exclusive addresses Pera House home to the British Consulate General. The amatuet chef worked under immense pressure to meticulously create her dessert a Turkish delicacy of chicken breast pudding, which delighted her lunch guests, including the British Consul General Kenan Poleo, Fatih Tutak and Refika Birgul and the three MasterChef Turkey judges. The penultimate challenge of the week saw Chariya face the once-in-a-lifetime culinary test of Chef's Table, hosted at Core - the three Michelin starred restaurant run by one of the most celebrated chefs in the world, Clare Smyth MBE. Here we go: Chariya is seen serving up another treat during Thursday's episode of the show High praise: Both John Torode and Gregg Wallace compared her food to that of any professional chef On her MasterChef experience, Chariya said: 'I've loved watching MasterChef for many years and decided to enter the competition so I could showcase Northern Thai cuisine. 'In some ways I've been mentally preparing for this for a while. I was initially nervous to cook for John and Gregg, but they were so supportive and they made me want to be the best! I'm also very competitive by nature and I think that's helped with my mindset in the competition.' She added: 'I hope there will be opportunities to work with food and I'm excited about getting experience and turning this love of cooking into a profession. 'Long term, my dream is to open a restaurant and eventually multiple restaurants - where I can showcase the food of my homeland in Northern Thailand and hopefully work towards earning a Michelin star! 'I want to show the world that Northern Thai food is amazing, because it really is. I just love to see people's faces light up when they eat my food.' Teen Wolf actor Tyler Posey has ecstatically announced he is engaged to his songstress girlfriend Phem. The 31-year-old actor got down on one knee at the beach in Central California this Valentine's Day and asked her to marry him. Phem broke the news on her Insta Stories this week, playfully posting a clip of herself brushing her hair from her face - and lifting her sparkling ring into view. 'We got engaged in Cambria, California. Phem's favorite place. We spend every Valentines Day there so it only felt perfect to do it there,' Tyler spilled to People. His proposal came two years to the day after he went Instagram official with Phem, whom he had begun dating in 2020. Side by side: Teen Wolf actor Tyler Posey has ecstatically announced he is engaged to his songstress girlfriend Phem; pictured in January Twinkling: Phem broke the news on her Insta Stories this week, playfully posting a clip of herself brushing her hair from her face - and lifting her sparkling ring into view Tyler dished that he designed Phem's engagement ring himself and divulged that the duo are planning to hold their wedding in October. 'It was a total surprise': Tyler made sure to integrate green into the design of the engagement ring because it is Phem's favorite color The proposal, she said, ' just us alone on the beach. I shouldve known when he propped his phone up on a rock to film that something was upbut I had no idea.' 'It was a total surprise,' said Tyler, who made sure to integrate green into the design of the engagement ring because it is Phem's favorite color. 'All my friends and loved ones kept it a secret and I designed the ring without her knowing, so Im very grateful she likes it!' he crowed. 'I didnt expect to feel too different when we got engaged, but it really did change. The love felt deeper and just more confident and settled in. I imagine itll grow even more when we get married,' the sizzling senastion added. Phem concurred, waxing rhapsodic: 'He got 10x hotter all the sudden. But ya, besides that the love feels deeper now.' They were first introduced by the music producer John Feldmann, who encouraged them to collaborate on a musical project together. Tyler shared that he and Phem 'bonded about singing about our exes,' while she cheekily insisted that she 'went into it strictly businessI swear. The thing I like the best is that we were friends first.' Hot couple: Tyler, who revealed in late 2020 that he had been with both men and women, has been exploring his sexual proclivities with help from Phem; pictured this March Their romance flowered, and the month after they went public with their relationship they released a duet called Shut Up featuring Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker. The wedding will be kept 'close to home,' Tyler said, teasing mysteriously that they have selected 'a very special place that means a lot to us.' Said he: 'We want a fairly intimate wedding. Or at least the ceremony but the reception will be the dance party everyone can join.' With regards to the venue, Phem hinted: 'Tyler and I are both very spiritually open people so it means a lot we are able to have the service at such a peaceful place.' Tyler, who revealed in late 2020 that he had been with both men and women, has been exploring his sexual proclivities with help from Phem. A few months after he went Instagram official with her, he told NME: 'Ive been with everybody under the sun, and right now Im in the best relationship that Ive ever been in with a woman, and shes queer too.' He explained: 'Shes helped me realize that I fit under the queer umbrella and that Im sexually fluid, I guess.. No, not "I guess." I dont want anyone to take this [interview] and be like: "Well, he was kind of wishy-washy about it."' Britain's Got Talent has become embroiled in a 'copycat' row after singing magician Lewis Fuller was accused of 'ripping off' a routine during his audition. The performer, 24, stunned viewers with his impressive audition last month, which included a woman that levitated and disappeared. But now illusionist Jamie Allan has claimed Lewis act is 'ripping off' a similar one he'd performed a decade earlier. Jamie told The Sun that there are similarities between Lewis' act and his own, particularly given his use of holograms during the show. He said: 'I was watching it through and I thought, 'OK that's really good'. I thought it was great actually and it was only at the end when the girl rose up and I thought, 'Oh no he's not going to do the end of my bit, is he?' Drama! Britain's Got Talent has become embroiled in a 'copycat' row after singing magician Lewis Fuller (left) was accused of 'ripping off' a routine (right) during his audition Nope! The performer missed out on a spot in the BGT finals on Tuesday, despite another impressive magic trick 'When that happened I thought, ''That's such a unique effect, that's never been done anywhere else.'' Then when you look back on the rest of it, you can see the similarities.' 'It's just it's frustrating when you see regular people saying, ''This is fantastic. It's so creative. So original.'' You think, ''Well, I did it 10 years ago''.' Lewis missed out on a spot in the BGT final after competing in Tuesday's semi-final. Jamie added that he has met Lewis on a couple of occasions, and admitted it's 'difficult' when audiences believe he got his magic ideas from the young performer. Ideas themselves cannot be protected by copyright and Jamie admitted that the 'law is very, very fuzzy' when it comes to protecting magic tricks. He also told the publication that Lewis was aware of his work as he previously bought his book. Jamie added that he's spent over a decade and nearly 100,000 honing his act, and he's received support from BGT runner-up Marc Spelmann who finished second in 2019. A representative for Lewis told the publication: 'These claims are false and damaging to Lewis' career. Floating away! The performer stunned viewers with his impressive audition last month, which included a woman that levitated and disappeared See the difference? But now illusionist Jamie Allan has claimed Lewis act is 'ripping off' a similar one he'd performed a decade earlier (pictured) Claims: Jamie (right) also told the publication that Lewis (pictured in his audition left) was aware of his work as he previously bought his book 'To allude that Lewis' act is not his own, is completely false. Lewis did not purchase the book ahead of his audition, and therefore it has no significance to Lewis' BGT act. 'He deserves to have his moment without false accusations being made.' Many BGT viewers claimed they'd figured out Lewis' magic trick during Tuesday's semi-final. He returned to the stage in a bid to gain a spot in the grand final with his unique combination of singing and magic. However, he failed to impress with his teleportation and telepathy trick, with viewers slamming it as 'boring' and 'cheesy'. He asked judges Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell to pick song titles out of a bag, which he then guessed correctly. Using Amanda's ring, Lewis set it alight to represent her song choice, Ring Of Fire by Johnny Cash. He then performed Simon's song and used his teleportation skills as he appeared to move around the stage whilst singing. The magician then seemed to vanish and then suddenly appear behind the judges at the end. But viewers at home complained that the solution to the trick was obvious, stating that the images of Lewis on stage were clearly pre-recorded videos. One said: 'He used a pre record of himself on the box, went down the trap door and there ya have it?' Another agreed, saying: 'Lewis Fuller - his audition was way better, like 100 times better. The boxes on stage were just video'. Really? Many BGT viewers claimed they'd figured out Lewis' magic trick during Tuesday's semi-final No? He failed to impress with his teleportation and telepathy trick, with viewers slamming it as 'boring' and 'cheesy' Others echoed that his audition had been superior, with one writing: 'Shame about Lewis Fuller. If he had done what he had in the audition, he'd have won the entire night. Amanda and Alesha ruined his act by calling it 'too cheesy'.' Another added: 'Lewis is great - however I found his audition better then this performance. The magic was too drawn out from the beginning and I'm not keen on his voice either. He should just stick with the magic and that's it. The singing isn't needed.' But several fans praised Lewis' efforts, with one tweeting: 'Honestly first half was a bit underwhelming, but when he did the singing and magic from his audition again it was utterly astounding. No idea how Lewis Fuller does any of that magic.' Lewis failed to make it to the final, with the two spots being taken by Viggo Venn and Olivia Lynes instead. Molly-Mae Hague looked incredible in a white swimsuit as she posed for an Instagram selfie in Barbados ahead of joining her manager's hen do on Thursday. The former Love Island star, 23, showcased her incredible figure in the one shoulder one piece which she teamed with a sheer co-ord. She opted for a pair of wide legged white trousers and a matching unbuttoned shirt which she teamed with a pair of comfy flip flops. The reality star turned up the heat in a pair of eye catching drop earrings and toted her belongings around in a large woven beach bag. The mum-of-one pulled her long blonde tresses back in a stylish half updo while hiding behind a pair of huge sunglasses. Boat party ready! Molly-Mae Hague looked incredible in a white swimsuit and sheer co-ord as she posed for an Instagram selfie in Barbados ahead of joining her manager's hen do on Thursday Party time: The former Love Island star, 23, coordinated with the rest of the hen party and manager Fran Britton as they posed for a snap in front of the ocean ahead of a boat party Molly-Mae seemed in high spirits as she joined the rest of the hens and bride Fran Britton, who all coordinated in white swimwear and cover-ups. The group were all smiles as they posed up a storm on a balcony over looking the ocean before heading on a boat trip. Molly-Mae also captured a fun snap of Fran, who looked amazing wearing a sheer white dress over a matching bikini, while holding up a bottle of champagne. The duo were later seen beaming for a black and white photo while partying on a lavish boat trip. Molly-Mae has been working alongside manager Fran since leaving the ITV dating show. It comes after Molly-Mae looked typically stylish as she arrived in sunny Barbados with her boyfriend Tommy Fury and baby daughter Bambi. The influencer, who recently returned from a holiday in Nice, posed for a slew of sizzling Instagram snaps on Wednesday. Molly-Mae flashed her abs in a tiny white crop top, teamed with a monochrome patterned shirt and trouser co-ord. Stunning: The influencer accessorised her look with eye catching pair of drop earrings as she beamed alongside Fran who rocked a pair of chic sunglasses Looking good: Molly-Mae also captured a fun snap of Fran, who looked amazing wearing a sheer white dress over a white bikini, while holding up a bottle of champagne The PrettyLittleThing Creative Director completed the look with beige sandals and a Chanel beach bag. She went makeup free underneath a pair of oversized sunglasses, while scraping her blonde locks back into a bun. Alongside the stunning snaps, she penned: 'Barbados. Ft. my bday present from Tommy, the nicest beach bag Ive ever seen' Before taking off on their trip, Molly-Mae took to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday to share a duo of adorable snaps of her baby daughter. Revealing she was off again on yet another holiday, accompanied by her five-month-old daughter, she shared a sweet photo from the plane. Molly-Mae cuddled up to Bambi, while wearing a white jumper and balancing a pair of sunglasses on her head. Her blonde tresses were swept up in an elegant French braid and she opted for a fresh-faced no make-up look for the journey. Cute: Before taking off on their trip, Molly-Mae took to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday to share a duo of adorable snaps of her baby daughter She tagged her manager Francesca Britton in the post, suggesting the getaway may be work related. Over the top she wrote: 'Off on our next adventure'. Molly-Mae also shared a black-and-white photo of Bambi sitting up in a giant double bed in a hotel room. Captioning it, she penned: 'The best few days in London with my little family'. Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham has clarified why she has had a puffy face after sparking fan concern months after backlash regarding her daughter. The reality star - who turned 32 on Wednesday - took to her Instagram to explain her different appearance after a make-up free video sent tongues wagging. She said: 'Hey all as it is my birthday I just wanted to say I have been having a puffy face because I have sinusitis, which is a chronic debilitating situation. 'So you get allergy shots, you get steroids in order to be diagnosed with sinusitis usually it takes a year for your doctor to understand that that's what it is.' Farrah went on to say that she is going to address the issue medically and also sent a defiant message to her haters. Hitting back: Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham has clarified why she has had a puffy face after sparking fan concern Interesting: The reality star - who turned 32 on Wednesday - took to her Instagram to explain her different appearance after a make-up free video sent tongues wagging She continued: 'So I'm actually going under surgery next week after my birthday. 'So thank you to others who are saying negative things and not being educated on the matter and most of us suffer from sinusitis and do not know that that's what is affecting our eyes, our cheeks, our whole nasal area, and so that is just what has happened. Our sinuses give out.' The MTV reality star is currently enjoying a fun birthday vacation with 14-year-old daughter Sophia as they are currently in Amsterdam. Farrah has certainly been focusing on self-improvement as back in March, the mother-of-one snapped a selfie of herself in her vibrant ensemble as she reflected on leaving a rehabilitation center last year. 'One year after my trauma center & I'm back flourishing more than ever! Back to set! Thank you 12 steps!' she captioned the image. In 2022, the Nebraska-born influencer revealed she spent 28 days in a trauma treatment center to improve her physical and mental health, which she called 'life-changing.' In a video, uploaded to her Instagram account at the time, the TV personality announced her plans to go off grid to focus on herself and working toward a 'brighter future.' 'I am taking time for my healing. I have ignored people for over 11 months after having a sexual assault and having my whole body break down, my whole brain break down,' the reality star told her three million followers. She said: 'Hey all as it is my birthday I just wanted to say I have been having a puffy face because I have sinusitis, which is a chronic debilitating situation. 'So you get allergy shots, you get steroids in order to be diagnosed with sinusitis usually it takes a year for your doctor to understand that that's what it is' Farrah went on to say that she is going to address the issue medically and also sent a defiant message to her haters as she said: 'So I'm actually going under surgery next week after my birthday. 'So thank you to others who are saying negative things and not being educated on the matter and most of us suffer from sinusitis and do not know that that's what is affecting our eyes, our cheeks, our whole nasal area, and so that is just what has happened' Bond: The MTV reality star is currently enjoying a fun birthday vacation with 14-year-old daughter Sophia as they are currently in Amsterdam Big day: She commemorated her 32nd birthday with this selfie Abraham added: 'No matter your traumas whether they are physical or mental, people see them or dont see them I wanted to take the time and say I am grateful for my family for hanging with me this year in one of my hardest years.' 'I am looking forward to understanding more medically what I can do for myself and transition,' she concluded. The My Teenage Dream Ended author also sent 'love and light to those who want to improve their lives [and] un-traumatize themselves.' In January, the MTV personality was arrested and taken into custody by the LAPD after allegedly assaulting a security officer at a club in Hollywood. Abraham, who was issued a citation for the misdemeanor following the incident, addressed her brush with the law later in a statement to TMZ. 'Im tired of being maliciously battered, attacked, conspired against while having dinner at Grand Master Records, this was a private person's arrest my lawyer is handling from here,' she said. 'It is terrifying and traumatizing that people attack me and I can not even enjoy dinner as Im the only person out of 3 attacked and harassed when. I look forward to court as always, warning this place is a danger to public figures [sic].' According to the publication, the 16 And Pregnant star said that staff members of Grandmaster Records assaulted her. Stronger than ever: Farrah has certainly been focusing on self-improvement as back in March, the mother-of-one snapped a selfie of herself in her vibrant ensemble as she reflected on leaving a rehabilitation center last year She also claimed that they had filmed the incident intending to leak it to new organizations. Later in the week, Farrah posted video of the altercation to her Instagram Stories, though she left it without audio. The man held her leg and back down, and she appeared to have something tied around her wrists that kept them behind her back. 'Never again,' she captioned the first clip. Rough night: Last year, Abraham was arrested for allegedly slapping a security guard following a confrontation in an LA club 'What a horrible dining experience being battered and assaulted by your staff. Such an unsafe, disturbing environment,' she continued in the next video, which also tagged Grandmaster Records. 'The staff yet again attack a paying customer and hold me against my will and hurt me,' she continued. 'The only 1 out of 3, woman abuse must stop. The staff @grandmasterrecords should be in jail.' Farrah continued her quest to get the employee who had held her down fired in a subsequent video filmed before police arrived. 'Why is a male on top of me holding me down when I was walking. This is scary and he should be fired and in jail for batterment [sic].' Traumatic: During an interview with In Touch magazine back in 2014, the 16 and Pregnant alum was 'drugged and raped more than once' following the release of her sex tape (seen in 2021) She claimed that the events leading up to her arrest were part of a pattern. 'I'm tired of people harassing me, holding me down, hurting me and lieing about me and selling things to tmz it's scary, it effects mothers, it is traumatizing and I'm hurt [sic],' she wrote. Farrah has previously had physical altercations with staff. Doing her best: As a single mother to 13-year-old daughter Sophia, whose father died in a car accident weeks before her birth, Abraham has worked hard to provide for her little girl and is currently focusing on becoming a lawyer; seen 2020 In 2018, she was arrested for allegedly hitting an employee of the Beverly Hills Hotel's Polo Lounge, which resulted in her being banned as punishment. During an interview with In Touch Weekly back in 2014, the 16 and Pregnant alum reflected on her personal trauma, including getting 'drugged and raped more than once' following the release of her sex tape. 'It was a dark time,' Abraham, who has previously spoken about being abused as a child, told the outlet. 'Violence has been a big part of my life.' As a single mother to 14-year-old daughter Sophia, whose father died in a car accident weeks before her birth, Abraham has worked hard to provide for her little girl and is currently focusing on becoming a lawyer. Love Island's Millie Court has given yet another hint she is back together with Liam Reardon after weeks of speculation. The 2021 Love Island winners, who split in July last year, are believed to have reconciled in April after being spotted together in the Lake District. Though they have not officially confirmed their romance, the pair then jetted off on a romantic Mediterranean cruise together and were seen kissing in an airport. Now, Millie, 26, has given yet another hint they are back together as she spoke about the Welsh bricklayer, 23, while attending a McDonald's party on Wednesday. Millie attended McNuggetWorthy: The Experience in Shoreditch, east London, with her pal Emily but did make reference to her rumoured boyfriend. Teasing: Love Island's Millie Court has given yet another hint she is back together with Liam Reardon after weeks of speculation Back together? The 2021 Love Island winners, who split in July last year, are believed to have reconciled in April after being spotted together in the Lake District She cheekily told how she would like to share a meal of McNuggets with Liam, in yet another sign they are still going strong with their romance. Millie also got a temporary tattoo at the party, which was in celebration of McNugget's 40th birthday. Speaking of the tattoo, Millie joked: 'I'm going to be trying to wash this off for days!' It comes after MailOnline revealed the couple had reconciled in April but were taking things slow after they were spotted on a weekend away together in the Lake District. They then set off for a Mediterranean cruise together and shared very similar social media snaps to their Instagrams, but made no reference of each other. Alongside a video montage of the couple's trip, Millie said: 'A week of travelling around the Mediterranean on a beautiful cruise, good food, belly laughs, and hungover mornings. Oh, and nearly missing getting back on the ship from Ibiza.' The pair were also seen sharing a passionate kiss at Barcelona airport, confirming they were very much back together. A source told MailOnline about Liam and Millie getting back together: 'There's no denying that Millie and Liam's romance is very much back on. Hinting: Now, Millie, 26, has given yet another hint they are back together as she spoke about sharing a meal with the Welsh bricklayer, 23, while attending a McDonald's party Holiday: Millie and Liam recently went on a Mediterranean cruise together and shared very similar social media snaps to their Instagrams, but made no reference of each other 'They wanted to keep their relationship private for as long as possible because problems between them happened when they were put under pressure by fans. 'But now they have got to know each other again away from the cameras and spotlight and have reignited the love they first found in the Love Island villa. 'Soon enough they will go public on Instagram but for now they have been enjoying holidays together and keeping their romance off social media.' Millie and Liam met on Love Island in 2021, winning the 50,000 prize fund after viewers voted them favourites ahead of runners-up Chloe Burrows and Toby Aromolaran. During their time on the ITV2 show, Liam played away with Casa Amor bombshell Lillie Haynes, later having to win back Millie once she discovered the betrayal. Liam's behaviour in Casa Amor has since led fans to believe that he would cheat on the outside world, which inevitably caused issues in his relationship with Millie. The reality star revealed the reason she and Liam split was because of continuous rumours surrounding his faithfulness, which put pressure on their romance. Speaking on YouTube, she said: 'Am I dating? There's been a lot of rumours and a lot in the press, but I am going to confirm that I am dating someone but I'm not ready to tell you guys yet 'I love you guys and I love your support but it's early doors and you experienced a whole, full blown, meeting someone, relationship on TV like my whole thing, and then everything afterwards. 'As much as that was the best experience of my life genuinely it is a lot when you have all eyes on you and your relationship, lots of judgements, lots of people sending you messages because they've seen the other person out and it means absolutely nothing just talking to another person and they're like 'they're cheating on you' when they're just having a chat, I chat to boys on a night out, making friends. 'I struggled with that a lot because it wasn't nice, and I don't really want people to be involved in my personal relationship. It ruined things and was a big part of why my last relationship ended. 'It's been a while since then this next chapter, I'll be keeping secret for a little bit just to see how it goes but I will tell you guys because I'm sure we will get pictured together.' All smiles: Liam also posed up for Instagram during the couple's holiday, holding a cocktail as he cheered to his romantic getaway Romance: Millie and Liam met on Love Island in 2021, winning the 50,000 prize fund after viewers voted them favourites ahead of runners-up Chloe Burrows and Toby Aromolaran After splitting in July, the couple moved out of the Essex home they shared together and Millie now lives with her former co-star and best friend, Chloe Burrows. During filming of Celebs Go Dating, Liam discussed his breakup with Millie, saying he had 'instigated' the end of their relationship. He told the show's experts that he needed to 'love himself' to care for Millie, admitting 'the past few months have been a bit you know I need to find myself again.' Liam hinted the pair could get back together, adding 'never say never, I feel like in the future we could rekindle.' Irina Shayk and Bradley Cooper were spotted stepping out in NYC on Thursday as they both held hands with daughter, Lea, while continuing to maintain a healthy co-parenting relationship. The mother of one, 37, and The Hangover actor, 48, first began dating in 2015 and welcomed Lea, six, two years later before their split in 2019. Their sighting comes after news that the Russian supermodel was once called for a meeting with the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a vast trove of his private calendars and emails were revealed. While strolling through the city streets, Irina put on a leggy display wearing a black, sleeveless minidress that clung to her toned frame. She slipped into a pair of white socks along with black, Nike sneakers to coincide with the color scheme of her outfit and to stay comfortable during the brief walk. Hand-in-hand: Irina Shayk, 37, and Bradley Cooper, 48, were spotted stepping out in NYC on Thursday as they both held hands with daughter, Lea, as they continue to maintain a healthy co-parenting relationship Shayk easily slung a black, drawstring bag over her left shoulder to hold a few items she needed during the daytime outing. In case she grew chilly, the beauty also carried a black jacket in her left hand. The media personality, who currently boasts 22 million Instagram followers, accessorized her simplistic ensemble by adding large, silver hooped earrings. The model also threw on a pair of black, oval-shaped sunglasses to protect her eyes from the bright sunshine. Bradley also dressed down while stepping out with Irina and their daughter by donning a pair of blue jeans along with a dark gray shirt. The actor rolled up with long sleeves towards his elbows in the warmer spring temperatures. The Oscar-nominated star, who was recently spotted enjoying lunch with Michael J. Fox, slipped into a pair of reddish-colored sneakers and also opted for a pair of stylish shades. The former couple both held hands with their six-year-old, who donned a sundress and slung a pink backpack over her shoulders. During a past interview with Elle, the beauty discussed raising Lea with her ex, Bradley, although the two were no longer a couple. 'I never understood the term co-parenting.' 'When Im with my daughter, Im 100 percent a mother, and when shes with her dad, hes 100 percent her dad. Co-parenting is parenting,' and also gushed that Cooper is 'the most amazing dad.' Stylish comfort: While strolling through the city streets, Irina put on a leggy display wearing a black, sleeveless minidress that clung to her toned frame In the past: The mother of one and The Hangover actor first began dating in 2015 and welcomed Lea, six, two years later before their split in 2019, but the pair continue to raise their daughter together In April, Irina also got candid while talking to Harper's Bazaar about how motherhood has changed her and boosted her confidence. The star admitted that she hasn't always been confident, even as a successful model. 'Its just that Ive learned to love my imperfections. You need to love all of you. My daughter is a big part of why I started to love myself even more.' 'Shell say, "I love Daddy so much, I love Mama so much, I love Nana, I love Babulya" who is my mom. Then she goes, "And I really love myself." And Im looking at my daughter and Im like, "Wow, I wasnt like that at six year sold."' Irina further expressed, 'We're teaching our daughter that the most important thing is to be kind to people. Every time we send her to school, we're like, "Just remember kindness and love." So I think thats what true beauty is.' While explaining that the world of social media that her daughter is growing up in sometimes 'scares' Shayk at times, the importance of 'teaching our daughter bigger values than being pretty on the outside' is key. Both Irina and Bradley, who crossed paths at the MET Gala earlier last month, have been filtering through busy schedules, with the Hollywood actor preparing for the release of his latest biopic titled, Maestro. The film follows the life of conductor, Leonard Bernstein, and his marriage to Felicia Montealegre. Other stars that have been cast in the project include Carey Mulligan, Matt Bomer, Jeremy Strong, Sarah Silverman, and also Maya Hawke. Cooper is not only starring in the project as Leonard, but also directed, produced and co-wrote the film. Other producers that joined the project include Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg. Maestro is slated to release on Netflix later this year. Upcoming project: Bradley has been preparing for the release of his latest Netflix biopic titled, Maestro, which he starred in, directed, produced, and also co-wrote; seen in April in Hollywood Linked: Their sighting comes after news that the Russian supermodel was once called for a meeting with the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein , after a vast trove of his private calendars and emails were revealed Solo outing: Later on Thursday, Irina was spotted once again, but on a solo outing, and donned the same ensemble that she had worn earlier with Bradley and daughter Lea Stylish: Irina donned a pair of silver-hooped earrings that peaked out through her long brunette locks that were parted in the middle and flowed down past her shoulders The Russian supermodel recently wowed during the 76th Annual Cannes Film Festival that came to an end on May 27, and strutted the runway for Versace in celebration of Dua Lipa's collaboration with the designer. It has also been revealed that she had been called for a meeting with late Jeffrey Epstein 11 years earlier. DailyMail.com obtained Epstein's private calendars and emails, with one mention of Irina that had occurred in February 2012. Later on Thursday, Irina was spotted once again, but on a solo outing, and donned the same ensemble that she had worn earlier with Bradley and daughter Lea. The supermodel was seen strolling through the bustling streets of the Big Apple as she made her way to her next destination. The hotly-anticipated extended trailer for And Just Like That... season two sees Carrie Bradshaw make the first move in reuniting with her cuckolded ex Aidan Shaw. The explosive new clip sees Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) - who famously cheated on Aidan (John Corbett) with her true love Mr Big (Chris Noth) - email her first great love while her unsuspecting fling Franklyn (Ivan Hernandez) sleeps in her bed. Elsewhere, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and her comedian partner Che (Sara Ramirez) are seen going from strength-to-strength on vacation - before Miranda realizes that Che's party lifestyle is threatening to overwhelm her. Miranda's scorned estranged husband Steve (David Eigenberg) also makes a long awaited appearance - after the former lawyer broke his heart by cheating on him in the first season. However, there is no sign of Samantha Jones, after it was sensationally revealed Kim Cattrall will make a superstar cameo in the new season - despite warring with SJP for years. Really Carrie? The hotly-anticipated extended trailer for And Just Like That... season two sees Carrie Bradshaw make the first move in reuniting with her cuckolded ex Aidan Shaw Oh dear: Elsewhere, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and her comedian partner Che (Sara Ramirez) are seen going from strength-to-strength on vacation - before Miranda realizes that Che's party lifestyle is threatening to overwhelm her The trailer begins with Carrie's voiceover: 'You don't move on because you want to, you move on because you've outgrown who you used to be.' She is seen opening a box with the bird she wore on her head during her failed first wedding to Mr Big, while Seema (Sarita Choudhury) is seen on a sizzling date with a new love interest A domesticated Carrie is seen cooking in her kitchen, having previously used her oven to store sweaters As a shocked Charlotte (Kristin Davis) looks on, Carrie says: 'I've repurposed my kitchen. Did you know stoves aren't just for storage' Reflecting on her ongoing grieving process for Mr Big, Carrie says: 'I thought I was doing so well. I got through that whole first year Charlotte says: 'The way you've moved on. We're so proud of you.' The voiceover continues: 'Life's too short not to try something new.' Miranda is seen on a romantic beach break with Che, with the pair seen kissing as she says: 'I'm on the precipice of doing something either really stupid or totally liberating.' Yes! Miranda's scorned estranged husband Steve (David Eigenberg) also makes a long awaited appearance - after the former lawyer broke his heart by cheating on him in the first season See you soon: However, there is no sign of Samantha Jones, after it was sensationally revealed Kim Cattrall will make a superstar cameo in the new season - despite warring with SJP for years Hey stranger: The explosive new clip sees Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) - who famously cheated on Aidan (John Corbett) with her true love Mr Big (Chris Noth) - email her first great love while her unsuspecting fling Franklyn (Ivan Hernandez) sleeps in her bed What a man: The trailer flash forwards to Carrie and Aida on a romantic date, with Aidan saying: 'Sitting here with you is like 10 years just -' and clicks his fingers I had a bird on my head! She is seen opening a box with the bird she wore on her head during her failed first wedding to Mr Big Wow: A domesticated Carrie is seen cooking in her kitchen, having previously used her oven to store sweaters Shock: As a shocked Charlotte (Kristin Davis) looks on, Carrie says: 'I've repurposed my kitchen. Did you know stoves aren't just for storage' Lol: Carrie seems to have turned over a new leaf as she moves on with her life Miranda then screams as she pulls a dead crab out of a bucket on the beach. The pair's relationship is seen being placed under strain as Che smokes weed in the living room with their pals, while an irate Miranda tries to get some sleep. Miranda says to Che: 'I don't know who you are. Is there something you're not telling me?' Meanwhile Charlotte is seen getting a job offer but says: 'But my kids need me even more these days.' Charlotte is seen on a boozy night out with pals before stumbling back to her penthouse, with Harry (Evan Handler), Lily (Cathy Ang) and Rock (Alexa Swinton) watching her and asking: 'Are you wasted?' A hiccupping Charlotte says: 'We did some shots!' Seema tells Nya Wallace (Karen Pittman) she will take her to 'the' bar to meet single men - before Nya waxes lyrical about her new love for one night stands. Carrie continues: 'We are all blissfully unaware of when our live are about to change.' Miranda hugs Brady (Niall Cunningham) during an emotional moment while a somber Steve makes his first appearance in the trailer - after his painful split from a cheating Miranda. PDA: Miranda is seen on a romantic beach break with Che, with the pair seen kissing as she says: 'I'm on the precipice of doing something either really stupid or totally liberating' Scream: Miranda then screams as she pulls a dead crab out of a bucket on the beach Not compatible: . The pair's relationship is seen being placed under strain as Che smokes weed in the living room with their pals, while an irate Miranda tries to get some sleep Mom and son: Miranda hugs Brady (Niall Cunningham) during an emotional moment Back on stage: Che is seen returning to their comedy roots Shopping are you? Carrie is seen buying yet more shoes for her cluttered digs Who is that? Seema (Sarita Choudhury) is seen on a sizzling date with a new love interest Carrie then says: 'We never know what tomorrow will bring' as she sends Aidan an email entitled 'Hey Stranger...' as her love interest Franklyn sleeps blissfully unaware in her bed. The email reads: ' Hey Stranger, it's me, Carrie. IF this is still your email, was just thinking about you the other day and wondered how you were doing. Would be good to hear from you.' The trailer flash forwards to Carrie and Aida on a romantic date, with Aidan saying: 'Sitting here with you is like 10 years just -' and clicks his fingers. Cattrall will make a shock return as Sex And The City's Samantha Jones for the second season of spin-off And Just Like That - despite her explosive feud with star Sarah Jessica Parker. According to Variety, Cattrall, 66, will return for only one 'cliffhanger' scene, which she shot on March 22 in New York City, without seeing or speaking with stars SJP, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis. The scene was also shot without AJLT showrunner Michael Patrick King. In the scene, Samantha, who has moved to London, will have a phone conversation with Parker's Carrie Bradshaw. New venture: Meanwhile Charlotte is seen getting a job offer but says: 'But my kids need me even more these days' Cheers: Charlotte is then seen on a boozy night out with pals Oh my: She stumbles back to her penthouse with Harry (Evan Handler), Lily (Cathy Ang) and Rock (Alexa Swinton) watching her and asking: 'Are you wasted?' Boozy: A hiccupping Charlotte says: 'We did some shots!' Moving on: Nya Wallace (Karen Pittman) is seen waxing lyrical about her new love of one night stands Duo: Lisa Todd Wexley (Nicole Ari Parker) and Herbert (Chris Jackson) are seen Party on: The gang attend a lavish masquerade ball On the prowl: Nya is seen looking for her next beau for the evening Reflective: Carrie is seen staring out her window as she reflects on Big Valentine: Carrie walks down the street in Manhattan ahead of her Aidan meet New guard: Carrie enjoys a drink with Seema in the series The New York Post also revealed that Cattrall's cameo was so secretive that her name did not even appear on the call sheet for the day, leaving people stunned at her presence. An insider said said show staffers were 'definitely shocked, very intrigued on how theyre gonna write this in - and very excited. She said shed never do it! She said shed never come back!' It was claimed her scene was filmed in a town car in a parking garage near Silvercup Studios in Queens. Sex And The City designer Patricia Field, who is not the costume designer for AJLT, returned to dress Cattrall for the scene. AJLT's second season will premiere on June 22 on Max. Samantha did feature in AJLT season one - but only over text message as Carrie repeatedly messaged her to try and repair their friendship. AJLT saw Carrie claim Samantha had cut her off and moved to London - due to fury at the writer firing her as a publicist - in a storyline Cattrall slammed for being inauthentic to the character. Hell has frozen over: According to Variety , Cattrall, 66, will return for only one scene, which she shot on March 22 in New York City, without seeing or speaking with stars SJP, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis (pictured together in SATC season six) Last seen: The explosive reveal will both delight and shock fans of SATC as Cattrall has previously refused to ever reprise her fan-favorite role as the man-hungry publicist - having last played the character in much derided 2008 film, Sex and the City 2 Confirmed! Season 2 of And Just Like That... will return June 22 on HBO Max The explosive reveal will both delight and shock fans of SATC as Cattrall has previously refused to ever reprise her fan-favorite role as the man-hungry publicist - having last played the character in much derided 2008 film, Sex and the City 2. Even SJP has claimed she does not want Kim back - when asked by Variety in a 2022 interview if she would be 'OK' if Cattrall, 65, was able to come back to the show if some 'miracle were to happen,' after their very public feud exploded back in 2018. Parker responded: 'I don't think I would, because I think there's just too much public history of feelings on her part that she's shared.' Adding: 'I haven't participated in or read articles, although people are inclined to let me know.' 'We didn't go to Kim for this, you know,' Parker said. 'After we didn't do the movie and the studio couldn't meet what she wanted to do, we have to hear her and listen to her and what was important to her.' Hailee Steinfeld looked sensational as she arrived at the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse premiere in London's Leicester Square on Thursday. The American actress, 26, sizzled in a figure-hugging grey gown as she walked the evening's blue carpet. Hailee's plunging frock also featured an abstract print, long ties and was completed with quirky sleeves that covered her hands. The stunner - who voices Spider-Man's love interest, Gwen Stacy, in the animated film - accentuated her features with a strong make-up look, opting for lashings of mascara and a smokey eye. Hailee wore a large bejewelled crucifix and choker around her neck, while styling her caramel tresses into loose curls. Glamour-puss: Hailee Steinfeld, 26, slipped into a tight grey gown for the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse premiere in London's Leicester Square on Thursday Sizzle: The American actress sizzled in the frock that also boasted a a racy plunging neckline Hailee has been busy promoting the highly-anticipated sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). The latest chapter follows Brooklyn teenager-turned-superhero Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) as he finds himself back in the Multiverse after reuniting with Gwen Stacy (Hailee). It is here that he 'encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. 'When the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles must redefine what it means to be a hero,' reads the official synopsis. While appearing on GMA last week, Hailee said it was 'incredible' to be reprising her role as Gwen Stacy and exciting to delve deeper into the character's story. 'I mean, to get the opportunity to come back and work with the same unbelievable team of filmmakers, animators - we have some amazing new additions, actors as well - it's incredible to dig a little deeper into Gwen's world,' she gushed. Touching on what it was like to voice the animated character, Hailee noted, 'It is far more physical than most people think. '[Our characters] are swinging from buildings and in order to portray that, you can't exactly stand still.' Roar: Hailee's plunging frock also featured an abstract print Quirky: The quirky look also had long ties and was completed with sleeves that covered her hands Gorgeous: The stunner - who voices Spider-Man's love interest, Gwen Stacy, in the animated film - accentuated her features with a strong make-up look Gothic glamour: She sported lashings of mascara and a smokey eye along with a matte lip 'To the best of our ability we try to portray that we are, in fact, swinging,' she explained to GMA presenter Lara Spencer. It comes after producer Amy Pascal confirmed to Variety on Tuesday evening at the movie's LA premiere that though the highly anticipated Spider Man 4 would be happening. 'Are we going to make another movie? Of course, we are,' said Amy. 'Were in the process, but the writers strike, nobody is working during the strike.' She added, 'Were all being supporters and whenever they get themselves together, well get started.' Sony boss Tom Rothman was not as direct as he was asked the same question about SM4, but only laughed, 'If I told you, Id have to kill you.' Pose: The beauty posed up a storm for the cameras Accessorise: Hailee wore a large bejewelled crucifix and choker around her neck, while styling her caramel tresses into loose curls Hello! Hailee posed for selfies with fans who waited in fancy dress to meet her Suave: Also present was Shameik Moore who voices the titular character of Miles Morales / Spider-Man Smart: He cut a suave figure in a white double-breasted suite (pictured with co-star Hailee) Cool: Daniel Kaluuya, who voiced Spider Punk in the film, looked cool in a a cream co-ord On stage: The stars later took to the stage to introduce the flick (L-R) moderator Yinka Bokinni, Daniel Kaluuya, Hailee Steinfeld and Shameik Moore Chinwag: They chatted with the audience ahead of the film Confidence: The stars oozed confidence on stage Legs 11: Dancer Abbie Quinnen put on a very leggy display in a black feathered skirt with racy thigh-high split Sensational: Abbie sported a glam make-up palette with her hair in loose curls Style: She also slipped into a black corset that hugged her trim physique Spider Man: No Way Home came out in December 2021 and has made almost $2B. There have not been too many details so far about Spider-Man 4. Kevin Feige said to Entertainment Weekly in February that scriptwriting was just starting. 'All I will say is that we have the story. We have big ideas for that, and our writers are just putting pen to paper now.' Spider-Man 4 does not have a confirmed release date. Meanwhile, the third Spider-Verse movie called Beyond The Spider-Verse comes out next year. Pascal also talked about a Spider-Woman movie. Red hot: Michelle Heaton turned heads in a pair of red high-waisted leather trousers Toned: The stunner showed off her toned arm as she posed with her hand on her waist Family: Michelle was joined by husband Hugh Hanley and their children Faith, ten, and eight-year-old son, AJ, Spider girl: Danielle Mason (centre) looked ravishing a spider themed frock for the star-studded evening alongside her children Fun times: Will Mellor (right) larked around with comedian Leigh Francis (left) LOL: The duo appeared to be having a great time Buff: Will looked buff in a white t-shirt which he wore with smart trousers and suede loafers Family: He was joined by glam wife Michelle McSween, son Jayden and daughter Renee Quirky: Leigh sported a quirky ensemble with a blue suit and trademark hat Beaming: The former Celebrity juice host beamed ahead of the special screening Figure: Olivia Hawkins showcased her curves in a dramatic sheer gown Lace: The dress featured perfectly placed lace to retain her modesty Hot stuff: The outfit hugged every inch of her jaw-dropping figure Wow: Ellie Spence teased a tint of lingerie beneath her own sheer dress which she layered with a blazer Pose: Actor David Harewood (left) posed alongside Heather Watson Dapper: David (left) cut a dapper figure in a blue suit alongside astronaut Tim Peake And there is also a live-action Miles Morales movie in the works. 'Youll see all of it. Its all happening,' she also told Variety reporter Marc Malkin. Producer Avi Arad added that a Spider-Woman movie will come 'sooner than you expect.' He added, 'I cannot tell you yet, but its coming.' Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse stars Shameik Moore as Miles Morales and Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy/Spider-Woman. Style: TV's Yinka Bokinn oozed cool in a pin-stripped suit adorned with graffiti Sweet: JLS' Aston Merrygold enjoyed the movie with son Macaulay Say cheese: Victoria Brown and Chris Kowalski also attended Fans: Spiderman fans all dressed to impress for the event Coming soon: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is released in cinemas June 2 And the Variety reporter guessed Hailee might be cast in the Spider-Woman movie after her warm comments about working on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. 'This is like my dream job, sign me up over and over again,' she said about doing voice work. 'I got to be comfortable! And its a dream to be in a space that feels so comfortable but also creative and free and just exciting to be a part of.' Al Pacino, 83, shocked the world this week when he revealed he was expecting a baby with eight-months pregnant girlfriend Noor Alfallah, 29. But mystery now surrounds the circumstances of the pregnancy after fresh claims emerged the actor had demanded a pre-natal DNA test after refusing to believe he could 'impregnate anybody', only found out about the impending arrival two months ago and believed the relationship with Noor was 'long over.' This comes after a source close to the couple confirmed to DailyMail.com on Wednesday that Pacino 'could not be happier' about the pregnancy, that he had not been kept in the dark about the baby for 11 weeks and that the pair were 'very much in love.' They also hit out at suggestions Noor is a 'gold digger' and said she had wanted a baby for years. But TMZ reports The Scent Of A Woman star did not believe the child was his at first due to medical issues that would 'commonly prevent a man from impregnating a woman.' Conflicting reports: Al Pacino, 83, shocked the world this week when he revealed he was expecting a baby with eight-months pregnant girlfriend Noor Alfallah, 29 - but claims have emerged the actor demanded a pre-natal DNA test (Pacino and his girlfriend pictured last month) It is also claimed Pacino only found out about the pregnancy when Noor was six months gone, and was 'shocked' at the revelation. It was further claimed Noor agreed to the DNA test which confirmed Pacino is indeed the father. Pacino and Noor's relationship came under further scrutiny when it was alleged the actor thought the relationship was over a 'long time ago'. Sources claimed to Showbiz411 that Pacino was 'hoodwinked' by Noor and added: 'She knew Al didnt didnt want to have more kids, they have no relationship, its a mess'. They claimed that Noor did not tell Pacino about the pregnancy for the first 11 weeks. Noor is said to have grown closer to Pacino after becoming good friends with his daughter Olivia, 22, whose mother is actress Beverly DAngelo. The actor's representative first confirmed the pregnancy news to TMZ Tuesday. Pacino and Alfallah have been romantically linked since April 2022. They were seen with one another last month at the upscale Los Angeles eatery E Baldi. Questions: It is claimed the actor refused to believe he could 'impregnate anybody' and only found out about the impending arrival two months ago and believed the relationship with Noor was 'long over' - Pictured last month in Beverly Hills The Scarface leading man is already father to three children with two women: he shares 22-year-old twins Olivia Pacino and Anton James Pacino with Beverly D'Angelo; and Julie Pacino, 33, with Jan Tarrant. News of the pregnancy comes the same month that the actor's longtime colleague Robert De Niro, 79, welcomed his seventh child with girlfriend Tiffany Chen. The Hollywood legends have shared the screen in movies including 2019's The Irishman, 1995's Heat and 1974's The Godfather Part II. Alfallah was previously in romances with Rolling Stones icon Mick Jagger and billionaire Nicolas Berggruen. She was seen out with Tinseltown icon Clint Eastwood, 93, in 2019, but said they were just family friends. The year before, she was seen out with Inglourious Basterds actor Eli Roth, 51. Alfallah's age gap with Pacino 'doesn't seem to be a problem,' a source told Page Six in April of 2022, adding that the Kuwaiti-American film producer 'mostly dates very rich older men. 'She moves with the wealthy jet-set crowd, and she comes from a family with money.' Alfallah is a native of Beverly Hills and attended the UCLA School of Film and Television, later pursuing a career as a producer. Dad to be : This comes after a source close to the couple confirmed to DailyMail.com on Wednesday that Pacino 'could not be happier' about the pregnancy - Alfallah posted a shot in Instagram last month alongside the acting icon and artist/filmmaker Bennett Miller The Scent of a Woman star was pictured in 2020 with his three kids, twins Anton and Olivia, 22, and daughter Julie, 33, at the Oscars in LA The couple was seen enjoying a meal with Aquaman star Jason Momoa and friends Beverly D'Angelo opened up about her longtime relationship with Pacino in an Instagram post earlier this month. The 71-year-old actress said she decided to share details about her relationship with Pacino after her 'dm box got filled up with questions' on the topic. 'My story with Al began 27 years ago, two artists meeting, falling in love,' said D'Angelo. The actress, who played Ellen Griswold in the National Lampoon's Vacation franchise, said that they 'lived together for seven years, had two children' and eventually 'broke up.' Despite their split, she wrote, they 'continued steadily on [their] journey as co parents- and came to share [their] lives with a deeper kind of intimacy, honesty and acceptance than a "traditional" relationship would have allowed.' D'Angelo said that she and Pacino bonded through their mutual passion of their craft. 'Weve always been linked on the creative level - our conversations about acting, the search/need for expression - thats a conversation that started in 96 and continues to this day,' she said. D'Angelo, who has been seen on the CBS series True Lies, called her relationship with the Dog Day Afternoon actor 'unique' and 'encompassing a wide breadth/depth of experiences and emotions, through thick and thin, a true friendship.' She added, 'There are infinite layers in every intimate relationship - and for me, Instagram isnt the place to go into detail really.. but I wanna make sure you know I see and hear you, so this vid is a little bare bones primer in response to your questions.' She added that most importantly she received the approval of her children before posting their images and story to social media. D'Angelo opened up in the clip about her start with the House of Gucci actor, saying, 'I lived with Al for seven years and we have two children; in 1996, we were on the same plane going from Los Angeles to New York. 'He was seated in front of me, he said come up and sit beside me and by the time the plane landed, it was on.' She said that the following year, 'He looked me in the eye and said, "I want you to be the mother of my children."' She continued, 'Although I'd avoided that role my while life, I was deeply in love and I was 100 percent in.' She said that they completed a round of in vitro fertilization in 1997, and 'with a lot of effort and the miracles of modern science,' they welcomed their twins in 2001. Beverly D'Angelo, 71, opened up about her longtime relationship with Pacino in an Instagram post earlier this month D'Angelo shared a slideshow of family shots of the twins in their younger years D'Angelo shared a slideshow of family shots of the twins in their younger years. She said that eventually, things 'got complicated' and their 'split was finalized in 2004.' She added, 'The power of our love for our children was the basis for resolving any conflicts and creating a new history as co-parents, leading individual lives separately but always intertwined as a family.' She wrapped up in saying that she and the Any Given Sunday star continue to share 'a unique and profound friendship between two artists that endures to this day - through thick and thin, 27 years now of doing it our way - and there you have it.' Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has confirmed he is returning to the Fast & Furious franchise for a spin-off about his 'legendary lawman' character Hobbs. A year ago his future in the film series was clouded by doubt amid his feud with Vin Diesel, a longtime mainstay of the movies. Near the end of 2021, Dwayne remarked that his time as Hobbs had come to an 'end.' However in last month's release Fast X, Dwayne shocked and delighted fans by briefly appearing in a mid-credits scene. Now in a new Instagram post this Wednesday he revealed that his cameo was the prelude to a full-scale comeback for his character. The 53-year-old also addressed his falling-out with Vin, writing: 'Last summer @vindiesel and I put all the past behind us. Well lead with brotherhood and resolve - and always take care of the franchise, characters & FANS that we love.' 'Just got lei'd': Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has confirmed he is returning to the Fast & Furious franchise for a spin-off about his 'legendary lawman' Hobbs Hunk-tastic: A year ago his future in the film series was clouded by doubt amid his feud with Vin Diesel, a longtime mainstay of the movies; pictured in Fast & Furious 6 in 2013 Dwayne broke the sensational news in an Instagram video that showed him wearing a lei while standing on a Hawaiian balcony overlooking a dazzling ocean view. He shared that he and Vin have 'been like brothers for years and despite having our differences, when you lead with the idea of number one, resolve, but then also, you just think about the future and you think about plans that are much bigger than ourselves, and those bigger plans are the bigger buildouts. 'Those bigger plans are the North Star, as I always like to say. The North Star is always my guiding light in whatever endeavor or opportunity that I am in that Im passionate about. I always keep a North Star in my clarity and in my focus,' he said. 'And in this case the North Star is the franchise that we love. The North Star our characters that we love. And the North Star our fans that we love. So when you add all that up, its really not a hard decision to make. Its a yes.' 'Hope youve got your funderwear on,' the Billions heartthrob teased in his caption, crowing: 'HOBBS IS BACK. And he just got leid.' Dwayne explained: 'Luke Hobbs will be returning to the Fast & Furious franchise. Your reactions around the world to Hobbs return in Fast X have blown us away.' He added: 'The next Fast & Furious film youll see the legendary lawman in will be the HOBBS movie that will serve as a fresh, new chapter & set up for FASTX: Part II.' After revealing that he had mended fences with Vin, The Rock wrote: 'Ive built my career on an " Audience First" mentality and that will always serve as my North Star.' 'HOBBS IS BACK': Dwayne broke the sensational news in an Instagram video that showed him wearing a lei while standing on a Hawaiian balcony overlooking a dazzling ocean view The Hollywood hunk went on: 'Congratulations to my Fast Family & Universal Studios on the global success of FAST X and as always, Hobbs & @SevenBucksProd [the production company Dwayne founded with his ex-wife Dany Garcia] are motivated to help take the Fast franchise to new and exciting places for fans worldwide.' He concluded his post by quoting one of his character's lines in the 2015 movie Furious 7: 'Daddy's gotta go to work.' Dwayne joined the series for the 2011 feature Fast Five and remained on board through the 2017 movie The Fate Of The Furious, the eighth in the chronology. His character Luke Hobbes was such a hit with viewers that he also led a 2019 spin-off called Hobbes And Shaw alongside action heartthrob Jason Statham. However The Rock was absent from F9 - and in an emotional Instagram post in November 2021, Vin begged him to return to the fold. Vin called Dwayne 'my little brother' and even invoked their late co-star Paul Walker, who had died tragically in a car crash eight years before. Using his nickname for Paul, Vin wrote in his Instagram appeal to The Rock: 'I told you years ago that I was going to fulfill my promise to Pablo. I swore that we would reach and manifest the best Fast in the finale that is 10!' Vin's post also invoked his own family: 'As you know, my children refer to you as Uncle Dwayne in my house.' Throwback: Dwayne joined the series for the 2011 feature Fast Five, in which he is pictured with Vin, and remained on board through the 2017 movie The Fate Of The Furious Hunk-tastic: His character Luke Hobbes was such a hit with viewers that he also led a 2019 spin-off called Hobbes And Shaw alongside action heartthrob Jason Statham The Bloodshot star doubled down: 'There is not a holiday that goes by that they and you dont send well wishes... but the time has come.' Dwayne responded by telling CNN: 'I was very surprised by Vin's recent post. This past June, when Vin and I actually connected not over social media, I told him directly - and privately - that I would not be returning to the franchise.' The Rock slammed his former co-star, saying: 'Vin's recent public post was an example of his manipulation. I didn't like that he brought up his children in the post, as well as Paul Walker's death. Leave them out of it.' However he had warm words for the franchise, noting: 'My goal all along was to end my amazing journey with this incredible Fast And Furious franchise with gratitude and grace. It's unfortunate that this public dialogue has muddied the waters.' The Knight family made their dramatic debut in EastEnders on Thursday evening. As the Albert Square residents mourned the tragic death of Lola Pearce (Danielle Harold) George (Colin Salmon) and daughters Gina (Francesca Henry) and Anna (Molly Rainford) arrived to stir up proceedings. As Elaine Peacock's lover and new Queen Vic landlord he soon integrated himself into the community, flirting with Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) and putting villain Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry) in his place. Elsewhere his outspoken offspring found new enemies in the form Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) and Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) But viewers were quick to predict the character's 'true identities' after numerous references to the girls' missing mum - as well as Anna saying Walford 'felt like home'. Debut: The Knight family made their dramatic debut in EastEnders on Thursday evening (L-R) Anna Knight (Molly Rainford) George Knight (Colin Salmon) and Gina Knight (Francesca Henry) Cheeky chap: As Elaine Peacock's lover and new Queen Vic landlord he soon integrated himself into the community, flirting with Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) and putting villain Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry) in his place George confided in Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) his daughters had grown up without a mother, despite his girls' secretly keeping a jewellery box to remember her. Rushing to Twitter fans were convinced that the missing parent was none other than Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) - who is set to return to the soap after 25 years. One fan said: 'Cindy Beale is Anna and Ginas mother! She faked her death after Cindy Jr was born and did it again with Anna and Gina'. While another wrote: ' I would love it if peoples theories about Cindy being the Knight girls mum is true, would be an amazing plot twist! '. A third commented: 'I've worked out how Cindy's coming back to #EastEnders - she faked her death and went to work under a new identity as a holiday rep for Janus Holidays in Marbella, where she met and had a fling with George Knight - you heard it here first'. While someone else mused: 'Eastenders theory: if Cindy is returning, could she be the mother of newbies Gina and Anna and ex-wife of George Knight? Wasn't Cindy's sister called Gina? (Little hint). I could imagine Cindy has been living her days out in Marbella for the past 25 years!'. Actress Michelle Collins starred as Cindy on the BBC soap opera from 1988 until 1998 and is reportedly due to make a return to screens alongside her on-screen husband Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), who is also heading back to the soap after a two-year break. And, although Cindy was meant to have died in childbirth, the character and Ian will be seen running a catering business in the South of France. Mystery: But viewers were quick to predict the character's 'true identities' after numerous references to the girls' missing mum - as well as Anna saying Walford 'felt like home' Back: Rushing to Twitter fans were convinced that the missing parent was none other than Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) - who is set to return to the soap after 25 years Sure! Racing to Twitter one fan said: 'Cindy Beale is Anna and Ginas mother! She faked her death after Cindy Jr was born and did it again with Anna and Gina' A source told The Sun: 'Bosses wanted to deliver a backstory which explains where theyve both been all these years.' It is claimed that in scenes set to air this summer, Cindy will be seen arriving in a Citroen van while Ian uses a translation app on his phone to speak to the locals. However, apparently the pair will be snubbed by the locals and Ian begins pining for Walford and its market on Bridge Street. The source added: 'Its not entirely clear how or when they got back together, or how they ended up in France but they seem to be a couple again. 'Its a clever and funny twist to have them continuing their catering work and working on stalls, just like they did on Albert Square.' MailOnline has contacted the BBC for comment. It was reported this week that actress Michelle will make her return even though her character was said to have died in childbirth off-screen whilst serving time in prison for attempted murder. A source told The Sun: 'This has been done so secretively but it's going to be an absolute bombshell an unbelievable twist. Ian and Cindy are one of the most memorable couples in soap history. 'But Cindy has been dead for 25 years and nobody will see this coming. 'The biggest surprise is that Michelle has so often said there's no chance she'd come back.' Comeback: Actress Michelle Collins starred as Cindy on the BBC soap opera from 1988 until 1998 and is reportedly due to make a return to screens alongside her on-screen husband Ian Beale ( Adam Woodyatt ), who is also heading back to the soap after a two-year break (pictured in 1989) Big return: Michelle is reportedly due to make a return to screens along with her on-screen husband Ian Beale, played by Adam Woodyatt (pictured last month) MailOnline has contacted the BBC, and representatives for Michelle and Adam for comment. Since her time on Albert Square, Michelle has carved out a successful career on both stage and screen, having enjoyed a stint as Rovers Return landlady Stella Price in rival soap opera Coronation Street. She has also appeared in stage productions of musicals such as Thoroughly Modern Millie and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. In 2019, the Two Thousand Acres of Sky actress - who during her time on the BBC soap saw her character have a string of affairs that led Ian to hire a private investigator - remarked that she had not been able to 'shake Cindy off' and remained adamant that a return could not happen because her character was deceased. She said: 'It's just too long now apart from the fact I'm dead. If I went back to EastEnders, that would be it. 'I still haven't shaken off Cindy after all these years. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but it has always been there and I've done a lot of other work over the years.' MasterChef viewers described Chariya Khattiyot as the BBC show's 'greatest ever' winner after she was crowned the 2023 champion on Thursday night. The master coffee roaster, 40, became the 19th amateur cook to be awarded the revered MasterChef trophy by judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace. After seeing off 44 other ambitious contestants, Chariya triumphed against the exceptional remaining finalists, Anurag Aggarwal and Omar Foster. Reacting to her win, Chariya broke down in floods of tears as she became overwhelmed by her incredible achievement. Judges Torode and Wallace also wiped away their tears at her sweet reaction, while viewers took to Twitter to heap praise on the newly crowned champion. Congratulations! MasterChef viewers described Chariya Khattiyot as the BBC show's 'greatest ever' winner after she was crowned the 2023 champion on Thursday night Emotional: Reacting to her win, Chariya broke down in floods of tears as she became overwhelmed by her incredible achievement Incredible: The master coffee roaster, 40, became the 19th amateur cook to be awarded the revered MasterChef trophy by judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace Fans of the prestigious cooking show lauded her as the show's 'greatest ever' winner as they admitted they too were left very emotional by her victory. Viewers also described Thursday's show as the best MasterChef final in years as they commented on the amazing talent of runners-up Anurag and Omar. One fan wrote: 'Fantastic final. Theyre all winners in my book. One of the best ever & 3 lovely humble people to boot.' Another said: 'Congrats to Chariya, one of the best ever Masterchef UK winners,' while someone else gushed: 'Probably the greatest EVER winner of Masterchef.' A third penned: 'What an amazing series this has been. What a worthy winner Chariya was. Her food was top notch all the way through.' A fourth commented: 'That has got to be the best #MasterChef final in years. All three were brilliant.' A fifth penned: 'Why am I crying with happiness about a cooking competition,' while a sixth tweeted: 'Fantastic result. Well done Chariya! Book me into your restaurant along with Monica please.' Another added: 'Absolutely cannot describe what a fab series Masterchef has been. Congrats to Chariya obviously (incredible) but seriously, all three finalists were worthy of a trophy. So, fly free Omar and Anuurag too.' Thrilled: Delighted viewers were quick to take to Twitter to gush over her victory, with some admitting they were reduced to tears as they described Chariya as the 'greatest ever' winner Streets ahead: After seeing off 44 other ambitious contestants, Chariya triumphed against the exceptional remaining finalists, Anurag Aggarwal and Omar Foster Chariya was completely overcome with emotion when judges Torode and Wallace confirmed she would be taking home the trophy after the very close final. Reacting to her win, she said: 'This is unbelievable. It means the world, the sun, the moon and everything to me. I don't think anything can top this. I'm so happy! 'This just proves that if you dream something and you work really hard and you never give up, you can get it. That's what my grandad said to me never give up. He would be so proud of me!' On the very emotional night, both judges also shed a tear as they announced this year's winner, with Chariya sweetly apologising as they all became overcome with emotion. Torode said: 'Chariya's food has always been honest and from the heart. It's always exciting, it's always unusual and it's always been beautiful and addictive. 'And not just punchy, exciting Thai flavours that we saw at the start, but also exceptional, innovative and exciting technique all the way through. A proper master.' Co-host Wallace added: 'Chariya is outstanding and one of the best MasterChef contestants I can remember. Chariya has delighted and amazed me in equal measure. 'Some of her creations are absolutely beautiful - almost with an artist's touch. She is one of the most creative, skilful cooks I've seen on MasterChef for a long, long time.' Overjoyed: Chariya was completely overcome with emotion when judges Torode and Wallace confirmed she would be taking home the trophy after the very close final Tasty: Chariya's winning menu started with a Thai Lotus Tuille, filled with Coconut Jelly, Fried King Prawns, Pomelo Fruit Salad, flavoured with Honey, Palm Sugar and Coconut Ten out of ten: For her main course, Chariya served a traditional Northern Thai 'Khantoke' Sharing Platter of Wagyu Sirloin Steak in Hung Lay Curry Sauce, Minced Lamb in a Spicy Tomato and Shrimp Paste, Jackfruit and Scallop Salad, Sticky Rice and Scallop Crisp Crackers Sweet treat: Chariya finished her menu with her take on Strawberries and Cream - a Strawberry Jelly and Vanilla Cremeux Ring, filled with Macerated Strawberries in Strawberry Liqueur, Pistachio Sponge, Strawberry Shards and a Strawberry and Thai Basil Sauce Bird's eye view: The three dishes that helped Chariya win the 2023 MasterChef crown Speaking ahead of the last cook-off, Chariya said: 'From a little girl who cooked in a kitchen with no walls, to lift that trophy is going to be the story I can tell to inspire a lot of girls who have a hard life. If you work really hard, I'm sure you can achieve something.' 'You really want to succeed in something, you set a goal and you go for it, that's what my granddad told me,' she added. Thursday's episode saw the final three take on the most intense challenge of the competition - cooking the best three-course meal of their lives. Chariya's winning menu started with a Thai Lotus Tuille, filled with Coconut Jelly, Fried King Prawns, Pomelo Fruit Salad, flavoured with Honey, Palm Sugar and Coconut. On tasting it, an impressed Wallace said: 'That's fabulous. That's a delicate little morsel, packing a very big punch.' For her main course, Chariya served a traditional Northern Thai 'Khantoke' Sharing Platter of Wagyu Sirloin Steak in Hung Lay Curry Sauce, Minced Lamb in a Spicy Tomato and Shrimp Paste, Jackfruit and Scallop Salad, Sticky Rice and Scallop Crisp Crackers. 'I could eat that all day long,' Torode admitted after sampling the dish. Chariya finished her menu with her take on Strawberries and Cream - a Strawberry Jelly and Vanilla Cremeux Ring, filled with Macerated Strawberries in Strawberry Liqueur, Pistachio Sponge, Strawberry Shards and a Strawberry and Thai Basil Sauce. The desert was both a nod to the UK and a love of strawberries that stems from her childhood in Thailand, where she would look forward to eating strawberries once a year with her grandfather. After experiencing her menu, Wallace told Chariya: 'Since the first time you walked into this kitchen, it's been dish upon dish of exciting, beautiful food. 'What I really admire about you is just how hard you work in pursuit of perfection - to really uncover new technique, to find bigger and bigger flavour. 'Do you know who else has those qualities? Top professional chefs. You are the real deal. You're an amazing cook.' Chariya emotionally broke down in tears at the touching feedback, saying that her grandfather would be 'so proud', with Wallace reinforcing that he definitely would. She was sweetly comforted by her co-stars as she cried behind the scenes, appearing overwhelmed by her positive feedback. Runner-up Anurag also received glowing feedback from the judges for his dishes - a starter of golgappa, a main course of a roast cauliflower curry and a halwa lentil sponge pudding. Although he missed out on the trophy, Wallace gushed: 'I find your food highly addictive.' Inspirational: 'If you work really hard, I'm sure you can achieve something,' said Chariya following her win on Thursday evening Triumph: The Basingstoke based amateur chef conjured up the meal of her life to impress the judges and win this year's coveted trophy Well travelled: MasterChef viewers have seen Chariya travel to Istanbul, Turkey, for culinary inspiration during her time on the BBC1 show While Torode added: 'You've found where your culinary heart truly is.' Meanwhile, Omar also impressed the judges with a mango and scallop starter, a main course of beef cheek in a black bean and cherry sauce and a parsnip split dessert. Torode told Omar that he 'admired' him for taking a huge risk with his parsnip twist on the standard banana split, while Wallace also heaped praise on it. Wallace said Omar had challenged their minds and tastes throughout, adding: 'I hope you walk away from here knowing you are a very special cook.' A tearful Omar then said: 'I've given everything to this competition, to have the amazing feedback at this end point was perfect, I'll never forget that.' MasterChef viewers have seen Chariya travel to Istanbul, Turkey, where she got a taste of centuries-old cuisine, cooking traditional food for discerning locals in their historic village, mentored by one of Turkey's best known chefs, Refika Birgul. Then at two Michelin starred Istanbul restaurant, Turk, Chariya was tasked by chef Fatih Tutak to recreate a dish from his celebrated tasting menu during a busy service. The trip ended with a challenge at one of Istanbul's most exclusive addresses Pera House home to the British Consulate General. The amatuet chef worked under immense pressure to meticulously create her dessert a Turkish delicacy of chicken breast pudding, which delighted her lunch guests, including the British Consul General Kenan Poleo, Fatih Tutak and Refika Birgul and the three MasterChef Turkey judges. The penultimate challenge of the week saw Chariya face the once-in-a-lifetime culinary test of Chef's Table, hosted at Core - the three Michelin starred restaurant run by one of the most celebrated chefs in the world, Clare Smyth MBE. Here we go: Chariya is seen serving up another treat during Thursday's episode of the show High praise: Both John Torode and Gregg Wallace compared her food to that of any professional chef On her MasterChef experience, Chariya said: 'I've loved watching MasterChef for many years and decided to enter the competition so I could showcase Northern Thai cuisine. 'In some ways I've been mentally preparing for this for a while. I was initially nervous to cook for John and Gregg, but they were so supportive and they made me want to be the best! I'm also very competitive by nature and I think that's helped with my mindset in the competition.' She added: 'I hope there will be opportunities to work with food and I'm excited about getting experience and turning this love of cooking into a profession. 'Long term, my dream is to open a restaurant and eventually multiple restaurants - where I can showcase the food of my homeland in Northern Thailand and hopefully work towards earning a Michelin star! 'I want to show the world that Northern Thai food is amazing, because it really is. I just love to see people's faces light up when they eat my food.' Kyle Sandilands has recounted a harrowing incident in which a former lover chased him while armed. The Kyle and Jackie O Show host told his shocked co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson he once fled from a furious woman 'who may have been carrying several knives'. When why the woman was so enraged, Kyle explained, 'Because I'd been having sex with both of her friends.' 'I can't say it was warranted because it was a very dangerous situation,' said the 51-year-old. The revelation comes after Sandilands tied the knot with new wife Tegan Kynaston earlier this month. Kyle Sandilands has recounted a harrowing incident in which a former lover chased him while armed. Pictured left with co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson The newlyweds will soon enjoy a honeymoon to the South of France surrounded by friends. The couple, who married earlier this month, will bring a posse of pals and stay at a chateau costing around $8200 a night, The Daily Telegraph claimed on Friday. As well as Kyle's KIIS FM co-host Jackie and her daughter Kitty, Kyle will be bringing along his manager Bruno Bouchet, and Bruno's partner Laura. Also coming for the jaunt is newsreader Brooklyn Ross and Kyle and Jackie O Show producer Jaimee Blazquez, as well as their partners. During the two week stay, Kyle is expected to continue recording his radio show as well as having days off. Kyle Sandilands and his new wife Tegan Kynaston will enjoy a honeymoon to the South of France surrounded by friends. Both pictured It comes after Jackie confessed that she has decided to crash the romantic getaway. The radio star appeared to get jealous on her radio show with Kyle that she won't be escaping to Europe soon, so she invited herself along for their post-wedding celebration. 'I'm coming on his honeymoon. Why not? I have never been to the south of France before,' Jackie O said on air. Kyle then said that Jackie will be a 'third wheel' on their romantic honeymoon to France. It comes after Jackie (pictured) confessed that she has decided to crash the romantic getaway The 51-year-old tied the knot with his wife Tegan, 37, in a $1million ceremony at the heritage-listed Swifts mansion in Sydney's Darling Point. Aussie celebrities in attendance at the wedding included NSW Premier Chris Minns, Today host Karl Stefanovic, and 'King of the Cross' John Ibrahim, among others. Kyle moved his wedding guests to tears as he shared a sweet tribute to his new wife. The radio star gave a touching speech in front of 130 guests at Swifts - a late-Victorian Gothic Revival property with a $60million price tag - during the reception. The 51-year-old Sandilands tied the knot with his wife Tegan, 37, in a $1million ceremony at the heritage-listed Swifts mansion in Sydney's Darling Point. Both pictured As the guests sat down to a three-course dinner at the reception that followed, Kyle took the microphone to tell his bride: 'Baby we've done it.' 'I always thought that the love I was looking for and that I wanted was a delusion and wasn't achievable,' Sandilands said in his speech. 'You've changed my life and made me a better man. I love you, baby.' Kyle added that watching Tegan become a mother to their son Otto 'made him fall in love with her all over again'. He was once the enfant terrible of the restaurant world, but is Marco Pierre White's daughter about to make her own mark on culinary culture? I can reveal Mirabelle, 22, appears to have shelved plans to become a ballerina and is now training as a pastry chef at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Oxfordshire the same kitchen her father worked in 40 years ago under Raymond Blanc. Television chef Raymond, 73, tells me: 'Mirabelle's learning all the basics about patisserie and she's lovely. I have high hopes that Mirabelle will come out very strong as she is being trained by the top patissiers.' 'The older generation like to say all the younger generation are rubbish when it comes to learning how to make food, but I disagree profoundly. They just need to be inspired and given the opportunity to be creative.' A proud Marco, 61, says of his Royal Ballet School-trained daughter: 'If I look at Mirabelle, she's very consistent and she's very fast and very driven. And so I think she'll do really well within that world.' Marco Pierre White's stunning ballerina daughter Mirabelle (pictured): Chef's 21-year-old joins him in Sydney for his Out of the Kitchen show in Sydney following the death of Jock Zonfrillo But he suggests his bad boy reputation stems from a misunderstanding. 'How could I have been a wild child? I worked in the kitchen six nights a week, I used to work over 100 hours a week in my kitchens,' he says. 'Most of my reputation is a product of exaggeration and ignorance. I've always been conventional and a classicist.' Mirabelle is Marco's daughter from his marriage to his estranged third wife, fiery Spanish bar manager Mati Conejero, with whom he also has sons Marco, 28, and Luciano, 29. They wed in 2000, but filed for divorce seven years later. They gave up on divorce proceedings in 2011 after years of negotiations, with legal bills reportedly reaching 3 million. In 2012, Mati admitted smashing the windows of Marco's Range Rover and daubing graffiti in blood and scarlet nail varnish on his West London house. The King this week undertook one of the most poignant duties of his reign so far. On Tuesday, at Buckingham Palace, he received Nicolas Bramall who, as custom dictates, returned the Insignia of the Order of the Garter worn by his father, Field Marshal The Lord Bramall. Due to delays caused by lockdowns, it was three and a half years after the death of the Field Marshal, whose final days were blighted by baseless allegations made by Carl Beech, who was jailed in 2019 for perverting the course of justice. Lucy and her hot new role as Marie Antoinette . . . Bohemian Rhapsody star Lucy Boynton says she was almost burnt to a crisp thanks to the billowing dresses she wore to play Marie Antoinette in new film Chevalier. The 29-year-old (right) plays the last queen of France in the story of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the illegitimate composer son of a slave owner. It was incredible, the scale, height, the width, you have to re-learn your spatial awareness, Lucy, who is dating Bohemian Rhapsody co-star Rami Malek, 42, tells me at the Gala Screening at Everyman Borough Yards in London. I almost caught on fire several times. Youre trained very quickly. Lucy Boynton (pictured May 30) arrives at the UK Gala Screening of "Chevalier" at Everyman Borough Yards Geri gets a spicy 760k dividend She prefers, so it is playfully said, to be known as Geraldine these days as that befits her life as chatelaine of an Oxfordshire estate. But though at ease in her 15th-century manor house, where she and her Red Bull F1 boss husband Christian Horner keep horses, its Geri Halliwells Spice Girls past that still brings home the hay. Twenty-seven years after the Spice Girls sold 23 million copies of their debut album, Geri, 50, has treated herself to a 762,240 dividend from Wonderful Productions. The firm she set up in 1997 holds 1.4 million in retained earnings, which could soon be much more if Geri sheds her jodhpurs to join a reunion tour that bandmate Mel B hankers for. Strong spirits help Ray see supernatural Not sure I had Hollywood hard man Ray Winstone down as a believer in the supernatural. And yet the 66-year-old Sexy Beast star claims to have had loads of encounters with unworldly entities, although there does tend to be a common denominator. I was usually p****d at the time, he tells me at the Gala Performance of Ghost Story 2:22 at the Apollo Theatre in Londons West End, which sees his 38-year-old daughter Jaime (pictured left, together) playing a starring role. And the actress also confirmed to being a believer, telling me at the after party: Of course I believe. Is it science, or is it magic? Its all of it. Before adding: Ive had a few drinks. Do I sense a pattern emerging? Ray Winstone (pictured left) claims to have had loads of encounters with unworldly entities Edith Bowman is a stalwart broadcaster however, the 49-year-old admits to still suffering from nerves before any of her big presenting gigs. I use them constructively, it keeps me alert, the former Radio 1 DJ tells me. I think when I dont get them its time to move on. I see them as a good thing because it shows you care. If you didnt feel anything, then it would be worse, wouldnt it? I still get nervous but it keeps me alive. Her father Lucian was given the Order of Merit and awards seem to keep coming for the Freuds. Novelist daughter Esther, 60, has been handed a sauna diploma, recognising her as a fully-fledged doyenne of dry heat. I am proud to say Im now a member of the Diplomatic Sauna Society, courtesy of the Finnish embassy, she says. I spent the evening with notable Finns, eating, drinking and testing our Sisu (grit) in the highest temperatures. As one does. Blindsided Brad Pitt learned that ex-wife Angelina Jolie had sold half of their celebrated French vineyard to a 'Russian oligarch' from a press release, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal. The former couple had a 'mutual and binding commitment' to the $160 million Chateau Miraval business and both agreed never to sell their share without the other's permission. But stunned Pitt, 59, discovered his ex-wife had 'secretly' sold her 50 percent stake when a 2021 press release announced that he had new business partners, according to the actor's lawyers. Worse still, the buyer was part of a 'Russia-affiliated' vodka conglomerate headed by a billionaire oligarch who would use the Hollywood connection to launder his reputation, a new filing alleges. 'As will be demonstrated at trial, Jolie's actions were unlawful, severely and intentionally damaging Pitt and unjustly enriching herself,' states the document, filed in LA Superior Court and obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com. Brad Pitt's lawyers claim that Angelina Jolie secretly sold a 50 percent stake in their French vineyard following their heated child custody dispute in 2021 Pitt states that he was blindsided when Jolie sold her share of Chateau Miraval, a 35-room estate and celebrated vineyard in the south of France that Pitt and Jolie bought for $60 million in 2011. The 1,000-acre estate now valued at $164million is where the couple tied the knot in 2014 Pitt and UN human rights activist Jolie, 47, split in 2016 but are still sorting out their labyrinthine financial affairs and custody arrangements to this day. The latest skirmish began as a protracted business dispute over the Chateau Miraval, a 35-room estate and vineyard they jointly acquired for $60 million in 2011 and the setting for their wedding three years later. Just as the fizz went out of their A-list marriage, this latest dust up has steadily devolved into an ugly mudslinging match with Pitt furious that Jolie has used privileged court documents to repeat unproven domestic violence allegations against him. By selling to Yuri Shefler, Jolie linked the Chateau Miraval to Russia, its homophobic laws, and the invasion of Ukraine - potentially tarnishing the reputation of its highly regarded rose, Pitt alleges In a revised complaint also filed this week, the Fight Club hunk insists he had first refusal on his ex-wife's share of the idyllic winery, situated in Correns, a village in the South of France. By selling instead to Yuri Shefler, Jolie linked the Chateau Miraval to Russia, its homophobic laws, and the invasion of Ukraine - potentially tarnishing the reputation of its highly regarded rose, Pitt alleges. In her $250 counterclaim Jolie accused Pitt of trying to force her into selling to his company, Mondo Bongo, on 'unreasonable terms' and spreading lies that Shefler was 'an ally of Vladimir Putin.' She also alleged that Pitt hid assets and squandered the chateau's funds on vanity projects, including a swimming pool and an ornate staircase that was rebuilt four times. 'The only thing that Jolie's Cross-Complaint gets right is that she and Pitt purchased Chateau Miraval as a 'loving home for their six children,' Pitt's lawyers protest in his latest riposte. 'As set forth in Plaintiffs' Second Amended Complaint, Pitt and Jolie had a mutual and binding commitment, reflected by their conduct and statements to one another over time, that they would hold Miraval together and, if the time came, that they would sell their interests separately only with the other's consent.' The filing says Pitt trusted his-then wife and thus 'devoted his time and his resources to renovating the estate and building a highly successful wine business'. 'Jolie, though supportive of Pitt's efforts on behalf of the family, did none of the work necessary for Miraval's success,' the filing goes on. 'Instead, she allowed Pitt to pour money and sweat equity into the business in reliance on her promise to hold Miraval together, as well as the contractual rights her holding company Nouvel owed his. By the time of their separation, Pitt's investment exceeded Jolie's by nearly $50 million.' Jolie and Pitt married in 2014 and are pictured together in November 2015. The filing says Pitt trusted his-then wife and thus 'devoted his time and his resources to renovating the estate and building a highly successful wine business' The filing argues that Tomb Raider star Jolie 'initially recognized' her obligation to Pitt and acknowledged that she had two options sell jointly or allow Pitt to buy her out. She even agreed that dividing the business up 68 percent to 38 percent in his favor would be fair, according to her ex-husband's filing. 'But in the summer of 2021, amid a heated child custody dispute with Pitt, Jolie terminated those discussions and secretly purported to sell a 50% stake in the family home and family business to Tenute del Mondo,' the filing adds. Pitt alleges that Jolie's sale to a 'Russian oligarch' would potentially tarnish the reputation of its highly regarded rose 'Tenute del Mondo is part of the Russia-affiliated spirits conglomerate Stoli Group, which is owned and controlled by billionaire Yuri Shefler. Shefler, who has been designated as an 'oligarch in the Russian Federation' by the U.S. Treasury Department, had previously sought to buy Miraval, and Pitt had turned him down. 'Pitt learned of Jolie's putative sale to Stoli by way of a press release announcing that Stoli was 'thrilled to have a position alongside Brad Pitt as curators' of Miraval rose. 'That was by design: Jolie collaborated in secret with Shefler and his associates to pursue and then consummate the purported sale, ensuring that Pitt would be kept in the dark as Stoli and Jolie knowingly violated Pitt's and Mondo Bongo's contractual rights and forced a stranger into Pitt's family home.' Pitt's revised complaint goes to accuse Shefler - a co-defendant and currently based in Switzerland of destabilizing the winery's operations and plotting a hostile takeover. 'Shefler's Russia-affiliated spirits conglomerate has been the subject of repeat boycotts in connection with Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine and homophobic legislative agenda,' it argues. 'While Shefler may be seeking to launder his reputation by forcing a partnership with one of the world's most well-known and popular actors, affiliation with Shefler and Stoli jeopardizes the reputation of the business.' It adds: 'All of this is the direct result of Stoli's and Jolie's secretive, unlawful and tortious conduct and that of others acting with them.' DailyMail.com previously reported that Pitt's allies are furious with Jolie for using the Chateau Miraval dispute to repeat unproven allegations that he attacked her and terrorized their kids after drinking heavily on a 2016 private jet ride. Jolie's filing claims Pitt flew into a rage, grabbing her by the head, shaking her, and shoving her into a bathroom wall before punching the ceiling numerous times. When one of their six kids, then-aged between eight and 15, came to their mom's defense, the two-time Oscar-winner is alleged to have 'lunged at his own child', prompting Jolie to grab him from behind. 'To get Jolie off his back, Pitt threw himself backwards into the airplane's seats injuring Jolie's back and elbow,' the countersuit states. 'The children rushed in and all bravely tried to protect each other. Before it was over, Pitt choked one of the children and struck another in the face.' Jolie and Pitt are pictured in November 2008 with their six children. The couple separated in 2016, following an explosive argument on a private jet The former couple are pictured at Brie-Champniers airport in France as they board a private jet with their kids in 2007, the year before they bought the Miraval property. Jolie's claims Pitt flew into a rage, grabbing her by the head, shaking her, and shoving her into a bathroom wall before punching the ceiling numerous times while on a private jet Pitt is adamant he never laid a finger on his children or philanthropist ex-wife, who filed for divorce five days later. She claims in filings that the incident left her 'increasingly uncomfortable with continuing to participate in an alcohol-related business, given the impact of Pitt's acknowledged problem of alcohol abuse on their family.' Both the FBI and reportedly the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services declined to take further action against him in the wake of the spat. But that hasn't prevented her from weaponizing the 'ever-evolving' allegations at every possible opportunity, according to Pitt's pals, who accuse Jolie of 'seeking revenge' and launching a 'misinformation campaign.' Pitt and Jolie met in 2005 on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, playing a bored married couple who discover they are both assassins hired by competing agencies to kill one another. They married at Chateau Miraval in 2014 and parented six kids - three biological and three adopted. Pitt has not shied away from his flaws, telling GQ magazine in the wake of their split that he was quitting booze and seeking therapy. 'It's hit me smack in the face with our divorce: I gotta be more. I gotta be more for them. I have to show them. And I haven't been great at it,' he said. About 40-50 foreign direct investment (FDI)proposals from countries sharing land border with India under the provisions of Press Note 3 are pending for approval with the government, official sources said. Under Press Note 3, the government has made its prior approval mandatory for foreign investments from countries that share land border with India. These countries are China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar and Afghanistan. As per that decision, FDI proposals from these countries need government approval for investments in India in any sector. About 40-50 proposals are pending with the commerce and industry ministry as they require security and political clearances, one of the sources said. Sources added that there is no consideration at present to ease norms under this press note. FDI is not totally banned from these countries. It is just that they (investors from these countries) have to follow the government approval route and of course that takes times, a source said. The government has a commitment to clear these proposals in three months time, but it takes about seven months. As per industry sources, MG Motor, a British brand owned by Chinas largest automaker SAIC Motor Corp, has been awaiting government approval for around two years now to raise funds from its parent. Fort Polk, LA (71446) Today Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon. High 87F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Mainly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Satsang is association with good people; It is also about the inner quality of sattva or purity IIt was a desolate sight to see my nonagenarian grandmother. A deeply religious person whose life was dedicated to the Almighty, she lay afflicted by Alzheimers, in an incapacitated condition in a small nursing home in Bangalore. There was just a nurse to attend to her needs. Misty-eyed, I entered the room along with two gentlemen. Grandma was quite unexpectedly injected with vital prana as she stared at us. Moorty garu! she exclaimed, much to the astonishment of the nurse who was involved in an animated conversation with Moorty garu. As we left, my grandmother looked forlorn and her benefactor blessed her. A somnolent 94-year-old woman abruptly awakening upon seeing Shri VSR Moorty, obviously meant that the satsangs he rendered were exemplary. There was one rendition of the Narada Bhakti sutras at our house in Hyderabad which is etched in my memory bank. The year was 2014 and it was a crisp and cool morning in early November. I was posted in Secunderabad on South Central Railway. As I was poring over files, I walked Shri VSR Moorty. Moorty Garu focused his attention on my computer screen. Pictures of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar were flipping across the monitor. He looked at Gurudevs photograph quite intently and uttered, Ravi, I would like to have an interaction with Guruji. This interaction or satsang would be recorded by Sri Venkateswara Bhakti Channel (SVBC). My jaws fell in astonishment. Millions of devotees of Gurudev wait to have a glimpse of the Master and I had this onerous task of organising an interaction with the Master himself. But that is a challenge for any seeker and I promptly sent a mail to the Master and his secretariat seeking an appointment. He then shared, Ravi, the Sankalpa needs to be pure, rest Almighty God will take ensure that things fall in place, Sai Ram. I was stunned that evening when the Secretariat agreed to fix the appointment at such short notice. We made the peregrination to the Bangalore Ashram of the Art of Living along with the staff from SVBC. For three days and three nights, we were witness to something transcendental. The interaction ranged on a variety of subjects from ancient Hindu practices, and various schools of Hindu philosophy to the present day. It is well-nigh impossible to decode the divine and pen the interaction. A senior teacher of the Art of Living, Shri Vinod Menon was to tell Moorty Garu, This is the closest one could unravel divinity, you are indeed blessed, coming so close to the Divine. In the amphitheatre on my mind the graphic scene of BR Chopras Mahabharata, the television serial played out, where Lord Krishna tells Bhishma, Arjun woh nar hai jo Narayan ke darshan karwayega. (That is, Arjuna is the person who will be the medium to reveal the resplendence of Narayana himself). So, this was satsang What does one mean by Satsang? (I quote Yogapedia to describe Satsang) Satsang is a Sanskrit term derived from two roots: sat meaning true and sangha meaning community, company, or association. It can be translated as associating with good people or simply being in the company of truth. It refers to the act of gathering like-minded, uplifting people, especially those on a spiritual path. Satsang is associated with the inner quality of sattva (goodness or purity), which is one of the three gunas (natural attributes) alongside rajas (passion) and tamas (inactivity). A sattvic person makes a natural Satsangi, or seeker of truth. So let us all be satsangis in quest of the quintessential truth. (The writer is an author and a spiritual teacher) To end this menace Govt must provide alternative employment opportunities and encourage mechanised cleaning technologies Death does not discriminate, but the system does, cried out Rukmani Devi, a grief-stricken relative who lost her cousin, Nand Kushwaha, and his son Nitesh, in a horrifying incident that unfolded in Bahora Ramnagar village. The tight-knit community mourns the loss of four lives, all victims of the archaic and inhumane practice of manual scavenging. On a sombre Sunday morning, tragedy struck as these brave souls descended into a septic tank, unaware of the deadly consequences that awaited them. The incident occurred under the jurisdiction of the Nebua Naurangia police station in the Kushinagar district of Uttar Pradesh, a region plagued by the persisting menace of manual scavenging. Despite numerous promises and legislative measures to eradicate this degrading practice, it continues to thrive, claiming innocent lives and shattering families. Manual scavenging, a practice that involves the manual cleaning of septic tanks, drains, and dry latrines, has been banned in India since 1993 under the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act. However, the law remains largely ineffective, with thousands of individuals still forced into this hazardous occupation due to poverty, social discrimination, and a lack of alternative livelihood options. Incidentally, the government, which has introduced several measures to prohibit manual scavenging and rehabilitate those involved, does not consider septic cleaning as manual scavenging, despite the National Human Rights Commissions (NHRC) recommendation to expand the definition of manual scavengers. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the hazardous conditions faced by manual scavengers. "Nand was our sole breadwinner," sobbed Rukmani Devi, her voice heavy with grief. "We had hoped for a brighter future for Nitesh, but now he is gone too. Why does no one care about our lives?" The tragedy that befell the Kushwaha family is not an isolated incident. According to a report by Safai Karamchari Andolan, an organization fighting for the rights of sanitation workers, there have been over 1,800 deaths related to manual scavenging in the past decade alone. In four years, between 2017-2021, 330 people lost their lives due to "hazardous cleaning of sewer and septic tanks" in India, as per the data presented in Lok Sabha in August 2022. Each death represents a life cut short, dreams left unfulfilled, and families left devastated, Dinesh Kanojia, an office-bearer of Safai Karamchari Aandolan said and added: We clean society's waste, but society refuses to acknowledge us as humans." Despite the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and the Rehabilitation Act of 2013, which outlawed the employment of manual scavengers and aimed to provide rehabilitation measures, the implementation has been woefully inadequate. The lack of political will, insufficient enforcement, and social apathy have perpetuated this grave injustice. The dangers of manual scavenging extend beyond the risk of asphyxiation and drowning. The workers are often exposed to toxic gases, disease-causing pathogens, and unsanitary conditions that pose serious health risks. The absence of social safety nets and adequate welfare measures further deepens their economic struggles, leaving them with limited choices. The persistence of manual scavenging in India is a grave violation of human rights, as it subjects individuals to dehumanizing conditions, health hazards, and social exclusion, Raghuvanshi, a Dalit activist, said. The tragedy in Bahora Ramnagar village should serve as a wake-up call for the authorities and society at large. Immediate action is needed to ensure justice for the victims and their families and to put an end to this brutal practice. To address this grave issue, a multi-pronged approach is necessary. Strengthening the implementation of existing laws, providing alternative employment opportunities, investing in mechanized cleaning technologies, and raising public awareness are crucial steps toward eradicating manual scavenging. Collaboration between government bodies, civil society organizations, and affected communities is essential to ensure sustainable change. "No more lives should be lost in the depths of septic tanks," declared Smita Yadav, a social worker. "It is time to break the chains of this exploitative practice and work towards a future where dignity and equality prevail." She said: As the Kushwaha family and the entire community grieve the loss of Nand and Nitesh, their deaths must not be forgotten. Their tragedy should ignite a collective resolve to eliminate manual scavenging and create a society where every life is valued and respected. Let us unite in our demand for justice and in our commitment to building a future free from this dark chapter of human suffering. (Writer is Political Editor, The Pioneer, Lucknow) PM Modi's recent tour of Japan, Papua New Guinea and Australia can be seen as a marker of his growing popularity and influence In a world filled with diverse cultures, ideologies, and ambitions, PM Modi Ji's engagements have gone beyond the realm of mere diplomacy, becoming more of a celebration of India's global leadership and cultural heritage. The immense respect and goodwill that the world leaders feel for India and its leader, PM Modi Ji is reflected in their various extraordinary gesturesbe it President Biden seeking his autograph or Prime Minister James Marape of Papua New Guinea showing his respect by touching PM Modi's feet at the airport or Australian PM Albanese referring to PM Modi as 'The Boss', The New Zealand Prime Minister specially came all the way down to Papua New Guinea to meet our leader, demonstrating a deep appreciation for India's leadership. All these countries may have varying opinions on several issues, but such heartfelt gestures highlight PM Modi Ji's popularity and Indias growing stature. Several unprecedented honours came Indias way too. The highest awards of Papua New Guinea (Companion of the Order of Logohu) and Fiji (Companion of the Order of Fiji) were conferred upon PM Modi Ji, symbolizing his tireless efforts in championing the unity of Pacific Island countries and spearheading the cause of the Global South. Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister, James Marape, referred to PM Modiji as the 'leader of the Global South'. These accolades firmly establish PM Modi Ji's standing as an international leader and further enhance India's reputation on the world stage. At the community reception in Australia, leaders of all hues-- the Australian PM accompanied by the Leader of the Opposition, Foreign Minister, former Prime Minister, and several other ministers walked hand in hand with PM Modi Ji. The illumination of the Sydney Opera House in the colours of the Indian flag, and the renaming of Harris Park to Little India further emphasize the influence of India and its diaspora in Australia. Great Push for Indian Culture, Values, and Ethos. PM Modi Ji also effectively utilized global platforms to showcase Indian culture, values, and ethos. By wearing recycled materials at the G7 and the Forum for IndiaPacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC), and hosting a lunch for FIPIC leaders featuring Indian cuisine and millet-based items, PM Modi Ji showcased India's commitment to sustainability. Hiroshima which was the first to face atomic bombing in the history of mankind, today serves as the most fitting setting for commemorating the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and PM Modi ji's unveiling his bust in this historic city symbolises the message of non-violence that Gandhi ji stood for. Also, the release of the timeless Tamil classic, "Thirukkural," in the Tok Pisin language, was an effort to bring Indian thought and culture closer to the people of Papua New Guinea. In his engagements with industry leaders, scientists, academicians, and cultural icons, PM Modi Ji positioned India as the world's preferred investment destination, fostering economic growth and job creation. Nobel Laureate Brian Paul Schmidt, who met the PM, highlighted India's scientific prowess and its ability to undertake world-class research. PM Modi is one of the most visible leaders that India has had in my lifetime. He takes an interest in whoever he talks to, whether its the President of USA or someone he meets for first time from society. Indias ability to do world class science has become an order of magnitude higher, he told reporters after the meeting. In Professor Toby Walshs words, India is absolutely worlds most extraordinary democracy. UPI is a wonderful example of how India can do things itself. During his diplomatic parleys in the Quad, FIPIC, and G7 summits, the Prime Minister underscored India's active role in shaping the global agenda and fostering collaborations among nations. He interacted with over two dozen world leaders throughout his visits. The community event in Sydney was attended by around 20 thousand people. In contrast to some leaders who blame others or badmouth the country, PM Modi Ji's speech singularly focussed on the India Story, highlighting its progress, achievements, and aspirations. From Japan to Papua New Guinea and Australia, the newspaper headlines widely featured PM Modi Ji, capturing the collective attention and fascination of readers everywhere. The world today looks at India with awe and respect. Under PM Modi Ji's leadership, India's ascent to becoming the 5th largest economy has been swift and promises peace, opportunity, development, and sustainability. Opposition politicians, like Rahul Gandhi, have developed a regrettable habit of resorting to abuse and falsehoods. They regularly undermine India's image, and our democracy and heap insults on our Prime Minister, our government and also our nation and leave no stones unturned to downplay Indias staggering achievements. By this, they are doing a huge disservice to the nation and people will never forgive them. PM Modi Jis leadership, diplomacy, and vision have strengthened international relations, garnered admiration from world leaders, attracted investments, and fuelled economic expansion. Without indulging in such petty politicking, we all must work together for India's progress, celebrate its growth and development, in line with the Prime Minister's principle of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas. (The writer is MoS, Electronics & Information Technology,) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit South Africa and Namibia starting Thursday. During his three-day visit to Capetown, he will participate in the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) conclave. Thereafter, Jaishankar will travel to Namibia for a visit from June 4 to 6, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) here on Wednesday. Incidentally, it will be the first visit by an Indian External Affairs Minister to Namibia. The BRICS brings together five of the largest developing countries of the world, representing 41 per cent of the global population, 24 per cent of the global GDP and 16 per cent of the global trade. Besides, Jaishankar will also hold a bilateral meeting with his South African counterpart Naledi Pandor. In poll-bound Rajasthan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched his partys month-long pan-India campaign, Maha Jansampark from Ajmer and urged people not to be misled by the guarantee habit of the Congress which he said is not new but 50-years-old. Addressing a public rally at Ajmer, Modi said people of Rajasthan have suffered on account of policies of the Congress which is in the habit of tricking people. Fifty years ago, the Congress guaranteed that it will remove poverty. But it turned out to be their biggest betrayal to the poor. It has been a policy of the Congress to mislead the poor. The Opposition insulted the hard work of 60,000 labourers (Shramik) and the sentiment of the country, by boycotting the inauguration of the new parliament, said Modi. The rally marked the start of a series of BJP public meetings over a month in a major outreach campaign as the party completes nine years in power at the Centre. Modi compared the slow speed of vaccination coverage in the country under the Congress with its speed under the BJP Government at the Centre. When there was a Congress Government, the vaccination coverage could reach only around 60 per cent. At that time, 40 out of 100 pregnant women, and children could not receive life-saving vaccines. Had there been a Congress Government (now), 100 per cent vaccination coverage in the country would have taken 40 more years. Several generations would have passed by then. Can you imagine the number of poor women and children who would have died in the absence of life-saving vaccines? Modi said. Modi launched the BJPs month-long country-wide Maha Jansampark which includes over 51 huge rallies, public meetings at more than 500 places, and over 600 Press conferences in over 500 Lok Sabha and 4,000 Vidhan Sabha constituencies. Around five lakh distinguished families will also be contacted in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. In the backdrop of the Congress winning the Karnataka elections where it offered five pre-poll guarantees, Modi in his rally cautioned voters in Rajasthan not to be swayed by the Congress guarantees. This guarantee habit of the Congress is not new, it is old. 50 years ago, the Congress gave the garibi hatao slogan to the country. This is the Congress partys biggest treachery with the poor, said Modi. He further said, The Congress strategy has been to trick the poor. People of Rajasthan have suffered due to this. The policy of the Congress has been to cheat the poor and make them suffer. The people of Rajasthan have also suffered a lot due to this. Reminding people of nine years of his Government at the Centre, Modi said, Nine years of BJP Government were dedicated to the service of the people of the country, good governance and welfare of the poor. All top BJP leaders from Rajasthan, including the freshly-inducted Law Minister Arjun Meghwal accompanied Modi during the rally. A court here has criticised the Delhi Police for serving summonses on public witnesses only through WhatsApp and referred the matter to the deputy commissioner of police, West district, for appropriate action. Additional Sessions Judge Hem Raj was hearing a murder case registered at Punjabi Bagh police station which was at the stage of prosecution evidence. Noting that one of the prosecution witnesses was absent and did not respond to repeated calls, the judge said the Delhi Police Commissioner had issued a standing order in February last year regarding the service of summons upon the witnesses. The judge also noted in another case, a letter was received from the DCP (west) stating there is no circular from Delhi Police to serve the summons on WhatsApp. Earlier also, this court has noted in several cases that the witnesses are being served by the police officials on WhatsApp..., the judge said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said here that the Government is committed to restore peace in Manipur and ensuring an early return of all internally displaced people back to their homes. Meeting victims from both Meitei and Kuki communities in relief camps in the State, he assured them of security and said the Governments focus is to ensure their safe return home. The Centre is working on a three-pronged approach to bring the warring Meitei and Kuki communities into a narrow common ground for lasting peace in trouble-torn Manipur, sources said on Wednesday. These include dialogue with the affected people, rehabilitating those who had to leave their homes with enhanced security and control over insurgents, the sources privy to the development said. The major task before the Government is to build confidence between the Meitei and Kuki communities. On his third day of a trip to Manipur to broker peace between warring communities, Shah visited Moreh in Tengnoupal district, followed by a tour to Kangpokpi district, and had wide ranging discussions with civil society organisations. Amit Shah said, We are committed to restoring peace in Manipur as early as possible and ensuring their (refugees) return to their homes. The home minister assured people that the supply of essential items in hill areas and helicopter services for emergency needs in Churachandpur, Moreh and Kangpokpi will be ensured. Speaking to media after meeting Shah at Raj Bhavan, Advisor of Meitei Council Moreh Ningthoukhongjam Pulendro Singh said we conveyed to him the need for our resettlement in Moreh and Churachandpur. The home minister is believed to have assured both a safe return home to all interally displaced persons as also return of those who fled to Myanmar, though officials said the latter may take some time. Later, the home minister visited a relief camp in Imphal where the members of the Meitei community from hill districts were sheltering. Our resolve remains focused on leading Manipur back to the track of peace and harmony once again at the earliest, Shah said. The Union Home Minister also held a security review meeting with top officials from Central and State forces in Imphal later in the evening. He directed them to take stern and prompt actions against armed miscreants and recover looted weapons to bring back normalcy at the earliest, the release said. Earlier he had held a similar meeting in Moreh. He was accompanied by Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla and Director of the Intelligence Bureau Tapan Kumar Deka on the trip. He met the delegation of the hill tribal council, Kuki Students Organisation, Kuki Chiefs Association, Tamil Sangam, Gorkha Samaj and Manipuri Muslim council in Moreh. The delegates expressed strong support for the governments initiatives to restore normalcy in the state, the home ministry said in a statement. In a tragic incident, an over speeding SUV knocked down a scooty, killing four members of a family, including two minors, in Vikas Nagar police station area in the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief at the deaths in the accident and directed the officials to take strict action against the driver of the SUV. A police team, which reached the scene of the accident on getting information, rushed the victims to the King Georges Medical University Trauma Centre and seized the SUV. The victims were pronounced dead by the doctors. Those killed were identified as Ram Singh (34), his wife Gyan Devi (31) and their sons Ansh (8) and Raj (13), all of Tambore locality of Sitapur district. As per reports, the victims, all riding a scooty, were passing near the Gulacheen temple in Vikas Nagar police station area when an over speeding Scorpio hit the two-wheeler. The scooty, which got stuck under the SUV, was dragged up to 100 metres from the spot of the accident. The high-speed Scorpio hit the scooty near Gulacheen temple at around 2 o'clock in the night on Wednesday. After the scooty got stuck under the Scorpio, the couple and the two children were dragged for about 100 metres. The couple and both the children who were trapped under the scooty were pulled out by the people and all four were rushed to the KGMU Trauma Centre where the doctors pronounced them dead, eyewitnesses said. DCP (North) Qasim Abdi said the accused SUV driver, identified as Rajendra Kumar Pal of Rajajipuram in Talkatora, had been arrested. The accused is a property dealer and has his office in Bakshi Ka Talab. He was heavily drunk when he was driving the SUV and that was why he could not apply brakes to avoid hitting the scooty, which was ahead of his SUV, he said. He said the SUV, which was abandoned at the accident scene, was seized. A police team found the owner of the SUV and he confessed to his crime during interrogation on Wednesday afternoon, he said. We are examining the CCTV footage to find the actual sequence of the heart-rending incident, he said. The president of Uttarakhand BJP Mahendra Bhatt has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a lot to Uttarakhand and now it is the turn of the people of the State to return the favour. Interacting with the media persons on Wednesday, Bhatt said that the party is going to the masses through its mega outreach programme with a request to provide support to PM Modi. Releasing the itenary of the month-long programme, the president of State BJP said that the State has been divided into two clusters for successful conduction of the programme. He said that senior leader Ashwini Tyagi and Rekha Verma would be the incharges of Kumaon region while former deputy chief minister of Gujarat Nitin Patel and party MP Vipin Thakur would be the incharges of Garhwal region. They would be assisted by Suresh Bhatt ( Kumaon) and Anil Goyal ( Garhwal). Bhatt said that the objective of the programme is to provide information about the achievements of the Modi government to the head of every family and get a miss call from him on mobile number 9090902024. He further informed that a total of seven media interactions, social media influencer meet and discussions with senior workers of the party would be held from June 1 to 5. Bhatt said that PM Modi would address a mega public rally in the State during the campaign and apart from it rallies would be organised in all five Parliamentary constituencies which would be attended by central leaders of the party. The media in-charge Manvir Singh Chauhan, state spokesperson Suresh Joshi, Vinod Suyal, Vipin Kainthola and others were present on the occasion. Fort Polk, LA (71446) Today Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon. High 88F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy with widely scattered showers or thunderstorms possible overnight. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%. As the Bharatiya Janata Party started a month-long mass contact programme in which party workers and leaders would interact with people to educate them about the achievements of the nine years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi rule, BJP state president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary said that Modis regime was a reflection of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas. Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, the BJP state president said that the Maha Sampark Abhiyan would be organised in all the 80 Lok Sabha and 403 assembly constituencies of Uttar Pradesh where party leaders would meet people from all walks of life. The programme will be held in all 1,918 mandals, 27,634 power centres and 1,74,359 booths. At the organisational level, a campaign committee has been formed at the state, region, district and divisional level for coordinating with the leaders, Chaudhary said. The BJP state president said that 80 Lok Sabha constituencies had been divided into 21 clusters. In each cluster, programmes have been prepared by assigning responsibilities to the Central ministers. The ministers in Yogi Adityanath government and senior office-bearers of BJP will also participate in this campaign. Guests from the Centre and the state will also participate in this programme. A press conference will be held on the achievements of the Central government. Conferences with intellectuals, traders, beneficiaries of the government schemes, women and students will be held in each Lok Sabha constituency, the BJP state head said. In each Lok Sabha constituency, 1,000 distinguished families such as Padma Shri awardees, sportspersons, artists, industrialists, doctors, former judges, martyrs family members and other famous families will be contacted. Besides, Chaudhary said, a joint convention of the seven frontal organisations comprising Yuva Morcha, Mahila Morcha, Kisan Morcha, Scheduled Caste Morcha, Minority Morcha, Scheduled Tribe Morcha, and Backward Classes Morcha would be organised in each district. On June 21, Yoga Day programme will be organised at all 27,634 Shakti Kendras in Uttar Pradesh, he said and added that from June 21 to June 30, every booth will be contacted door-to-door by the partys MP, MLA, public representative, ministers and workers. In a press conference at the state BJP office today, the party gave detailed information about the programs of the month-long Maha Sampark Abhiyan. Along with this, a missed call number 9090902024 was also issued, through which the leaders and workers of the state will get support from the beneficiaries, special families and the general public by making missed calls during public relations. State General Secretary and MP Aditya Sahu, Dr. Pradeep Verma were also present in the press conference. Addressing the press conference, BJP State President and MP Deepak Prakash said that the 9 years of the Modi government has been dedicated to making India a better India with inclusive development. He said that the Modi government is a government dedicated to service, good governance and poor welfare. It has raised the head of India in the world. Today, not only 141 crore people of the country, but crores of Indians living in different countries of the world are also feeling proud. He said that during the rule of 60 years, the Congress glorified the politics of Apna Parivar Apna Vikas, while the Modi government wrote a new saga of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas. The Prime Minister established the politics of development by ending the politics of casteism, familyism, corruption and appeasement. He said that in the last 9 years, from Policy Paralysis to Decisive Policy and Economy has travelled from Fragile Five to Top Five. He said that the Modi government has been dedicated to service, good governance and poor welfare. In the last 9 years, 48 crore Jan Dhan accounts were opened in the country, 9 crore gas connections were distributed, electricity was supplied to about 3.5 crore houses, more than 11 crore toilets were constructed, Kisan Samman Nidhi was sent to the accounts of 10 crore farmers, 12 crore households got tap water. Water facilities have been provided, 3 crore pucca houses have been built for the poor. Along with this, 55 crore people of the country are getting the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat scheme. Addressing the press conference, Dr. Pradeep Verma, BJP State General Secretary and coordinator of contact campaign, gave detailed information about the programs that will run for one month. He said that the public relations campaign in Jharkhand has been divided into 4 clusters and a program has been prepared for 14 Lok Sabha constituencies, 81 Vidhansabha constituencies and 29464 booths. Verma said that from June 1 to 22, there will be programs to contact specific families and individuals in each assembly constituency. On 2nd and 3rd June, Vikas Teerth program is organized at Vidhansabha level, in which MP, MLA and Lok Sabha level appointed team will visit the places developed by the BJP government and major development works. There will be social media influencers meeting at Vidhansabha level on 4th June, beneficiary conference at Vidhansabha level on 5th and 6th June, food and discussion programs with senior party workers on 7th and 8th June. On June 10 and 11, a huge public meeting would be organized in each Lok Sabha constituency of the state. From June 12 to 15, a joint conference program of all 7 fronts is being organized by the party in all assembly constituencies. A press conference will also be held in all Lok Sabha constituencies on June 15. There will be a business conference at the Lok Sabha level on June 16, 17 and 18. And on June 19 and 20 there will be beneficiary conferences at the assembly level. From June 20 to 30, a door-to-door contact campaign will be conducted at the booth level. And will get support on the missed call number. 21st June is dedicated to Yoga Day at Maha Sampark Abhiyan Mandal level. The Prime Minister will address workers and public at booth level through digital rally on 23rd June, the martyrdom day of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. On June 25, along with listening to the 102nd episode of Mann Ki Baat, an enlightened public conference will be organized in all the assembly constituencies. On 30th June, on the occasion of the martyrdom day of immortal revolutionary Sido Kanho of Jharkhand, the party scheduled by the BJP government discuss the works done for the development of caste. The Border Security Force Training camp and School Meru organized a farewell programme for the retired employees under Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) in the family Welfare center of the camp. Commandant cum IG Inderjeet Singh Rana was the chief guest of the programme. On this occasion the IG said that retirement is a such process which was fixed at the joining of the service. He further said that both the retired employees served the organization with full dedication and honesty. He said that the organisation will not forget their dedication in the future. They have given 21 years to the organization. he further said that this is the time when both the retired employees will start a new life He appealed to both the retired employees to make plans for betterment of the society with their experience in the organization. He assured both the employees that every member of the BSF will be always ready to cooperate in the future. Rana gave them mementoes and certificates and prayed to God for their better future. Those who have been retired under the voluntary retirement scheme are Anish AB and P Rehman. Both are residents of Kerala state. On this occasion IG Devi Sharan Singh, DIG ( Admn.) Rajesh Kumar, DIG R Lall, DIG DK Pramanik, and other officers and jawans were present. MC Chandigarh collects Rs. 42.47 crores as Property Tax for the current assessment Year Chandigarh: The Municipal Corporation Chandigarh collected over Rs. 42.47 crores as Property Tax for the Assessment Year 2023-24, during the rebate period, for which the timeline ended on Wednesday. The property tax amount has been collected from both commercial and residential properties of the city beautiful. As per the records, total amount of Rs. 42.47 crores was collected up to 31st May 2023 from 80520 assesses. Total Rs. 26.89 crores have been collected from 16185 commercial properties and Rs. 12.56 crores have been collected from residential properties. Total Rs. 1.07 crores have been collected from book entries and 1.95 crores have been collected as garbage charges. As the rebate period has ended, the owners of properties who have failed to deposit their dues shall invite 25% penalty and interest @ 12% per annum from the date of issue of the bill to the date of actual payment. In addition to that, action will be initiated in order to recover the arrears under section 138 of the Municipal Corporation Act. Punjab Govt extends deadline for general transfers to Jun 15 Chandigarh: Punjab Government has extended the time for general transfers and postings of employees and officials till June 15, 2023. A notification in this regard has been issued by the state Personnel Department. A Spokesperson said that the period for general transfers of employees and officers serving in various departments and institutions of the State was from April 10 to May 31, 2023. Now this deadline has been further extended till June 15, 2023, after which, there will be a complete ban on general transfers and transfers will be possible only in view of promotion or complaint. Punjab Minister honours brilliant students of Jandiala Guru Amritsar: Raising the level of education across Punjab is the State Governments first priority, said the state Power and Public Works Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO on Wednesday, adding that the State Government is paying special attention to improve the infrastructure of education from the very first day of assuming power. The Minister honoured the children of Jandiala Guru assembly constituency who had secured more than 90 percent marks in Classes X and XII exams. More than 250 children of Jandiala Guru constituency have secured more than 90 percent marks, he added. Punjab VB nabs SDO, PSPCL lineman taking Rs 5,000 bribe Chandigarh: Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Wednesday arrested a Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Mohan Lal and a lineman Hardeep Singh, posted at PSPCL Focal Point Division, Ludhiana, for accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000. Spokesperson said that the accused SDO and lineman have been arrested on the complaint of Lokesh Modi, a resident of Bittu colony of Bhamian village in Ludhiana. The complainant alleged that the SDO and lineman have visited his factory Jiwan Sons and threatened to pay the bribe otherwise they would disconnect the power connection of his unit. He also alleged that the duo had already taken bribe of Rs 34,000 from the complainant in instalments through PhonePe on different dates and demanding more money as a bribe. Holidays in Punjab Anganwadi Centres from Jun 1 to 30 Chandigarh: Punjab Government has declared summer vacation from June 1 to 30 in all Anganwadi Centres due to heat in the State. The Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister Dr Baljit Kaur on Wednesday said that all Anganwadi Centres in Punjab will open on July 1, 2023. In addition, to provide pre-school education to the children coming to Anganwadi centres, the Anganwadi workers have been instructed to provide take home ration and other services to the beneficiaries in a good manner in line with the orders of the Supreme Court. Directing officials to be on alert mode, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that saving lives and property was our priority during floods. He asked all the district-level officials to be on high alert mode and complete preparations for flood management by June 15. The chief minister on Wednesday, reviewed the ongoing preparations for flood management and gave necessary guidelines. The district magistrates of flood-prone districts informed the chief minister of their preparations. Because of the efforts made in the last six years to find a long-term solution to the flood problem, there has been an unprecedented reduction in the number of flood-prone districts. Coordination between departments has been effective in ensuring that people are safe from floods, he said. The chief minister said in the last six years, 982 flood projects had been completed, out of which 282 projects had been completed in this fiscal alone and the work was underway on 412 projects. There are 24 districts which are flood prone. These include Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Lakhimpur Kheri, Gorakhpur, Basti, Bahraich, Bijnor, Siddharthnagar, Ghazipur, Gonda, Ballia, Deoria, Sitapur, Balrampur, Ayodhya, Mau, Farrukhabad, Shravasti, Badaun, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh, Sant Kabir Nagar, Pilibhit, and Barabanki. Adequate reserve stock should be collected for flood emergencies in these vulnerable areas. Adequate lighting arrangements and necessary equipment should also be arranged at these places, the chief minister said. In UP there are 523 embankments with a total length of 3,869 km. In view of the possibility of flood, continuous monitoring of all the embankments should be done and all flood-prone embankments should be repaired. Designated officers in charge should be in 247 alert mode on all vulnerable embankments. The embankments were continuously inspected and monitored by the regional officers, he said. The Uttar Pradesh government also released 113 as flood emergency number and Uttar Pradesh Police Radio Headquarters has been asked to ensure it remains active round the clock during the entire monsoon period. The chief minister also directed that no one with criminal background, or having a bad reputation be permitted to bid on projects for the irrigation department. Any discrepancy in this will be strictly dealt with. Chances of the spread of diseases increase during and after floods. In such a situation, special health kits should be prepared by the Medical and Health Department and sent to the districts. In case of a dog or snake bite, the affected people should get immediate medical help, he said. The chief minister also urged the people to drink the water only after boiling it. There should be no compromise on the quality of relief material provided to the flood-affected people. The quality of food items should be ensured at the relief commissioner level and packaging material should be strong, and easy for people to carry. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan flagged off the Bhopal Gaurav Daud (Bhopal pride run) from the statue of Raja Bhoj at Bhoj Taal VIP road this morning. The citizens of Bhopal, especially the youths, enthusiastically participated in this run. Large number of citizens participated in the Bhopal Gaurav Daud of about 3 kilometers from Raja Bhoj Statue to Bhopal Boat Club. While congratulating the citizens on Bhopal Gaurav Diwas, Chouhan said that Bhopal did not become independent on August 15, 1947, at the time of the country's independence. At that time the then Nawab had refused to merge the princely state of Bhopal with the Indian Union. For this, the citizens had to struggle and Bhopal became independent on June 1, 1949 only after the sacrifice of many fighters as a result of the merger movement. Youngsters were also martyred in this movement in Boras of Raisen district. Chouhan paid floral tributes to the martyrs of the merger movement. Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang, Bhopal Mayor Smt. Malti Rai, former Mayor Alok Sharma, Commissioner Bhopal Division Mal Singh, Collector Bhopal Ashish Singh, public representatives and a large number of youths were present. Chouhan said that today thousands of youths and citizens of Bhopal are participating in the Gaurav Daud with a sense of pride and enthusiasm. Bhopal has got the status of the cleanest capital. Now Bhopal has to be made the cleanest city of India. Our Bhopal should be a clean and a green city, this should be the resolve of all of us. Chouhan said that he plants three saplings daily. The participation of citizens, especially the youth, in environmental protection is increasing. The city of Bhopal is the city of Raja Bhoj, the city of Queen Kamalapati and the city of all of us. Everyone together make Bhopal green and clean. The Chief Minister said that the immense enthusiasm of the youths is being seen in this Gaurav Daud on the Gaurav Diwas. It seems as if the whole of Bhopal is running. Let us all together take a pledge to take Bhopal forward. For this, every citizen has to adopt some noble deed. Do take the responsibility of doing at least one thing. These include cleanliness, planting trees, educating girls, conservation of energy, saving electricity, etc. Along with the government, the society should also become a partner in the works of development. In today's programme, Dr. Alok Gupta and Smt. Anuradha Gupta from the family of Bhai Ratan Kumar, a diligent patriot of merger movement, were also present on the occasion of flagging off of Bhopal Gaurav Daud. Earlier, Chouhan along with other public representatives flagged off the Bhopal Gaurav Daud releasing balloons and himself became a part of the run. A team of popular RJs from Bhopal handled the task of conducting the programme. Bhopal Gaurav Daud witnessed wide participation of citizens from both new and old parts of Bhopal. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan performed the Shila Pujan of the grand Devi Lok of Vijayasan Mata to be built at Salkanpur at a cost of Rs 211 crore today. He said that it is the responsibility of the government to promote religion and culture, which connects people, along with the works of development. About one lakh devotees witnessed the bhoomi-pujan of the grand Devi Lok construction in Salkanpur in the presence of sadhus, saints, mahants and priests from all over the country. In-charge Minister Dr. Prabhuram Chowdhary, Agriculture Minister Kamal Patel along with MLAs, Chief Ministers wife Sadhana Singh, son Kartikeya Singh Chouhan were also present in the programme. Chouhan along with a huge gathering also sang the stuti of Salkanpur Mata. He said that it is due to the blessings of the Mata that the government decided to enact a law for rapists and award them death penalty. The Chief Minister said that the state government is working on a grand Devi Lok with the Matas blessings. It is due to Matas blessings that the government initiated the Mukhyamantri Ladli Bahna Yojana for the honour of women and to meet their small requirements. Considering the honour of women as the topmost priority of the government, he said that many schemes including Ladli Lakshmi and Mukhya Mantri Kanya Vivah have been implemented for women empowerment. Chouhan told that along with the temple structures, replicas of 64 yogini, nine forms of Navdurga, Devi Mahatma, Durga Saptashati and various Shaktipeeths and verses will be engraved in the Matas temple premises with Rs 166 crore. The Chief Minister also offered prayers to the water and holy soil from all the Shaktipeeths of the country besides the Shilas. All these materials will be used in the construction of Devi Lok. He informed that construction work will be undertaken under the temple at a cost of Rs 45 crore for the convenience of the devotees. The Chief Minister sought the blessings of Mata and the saints for the happiness and prosperity of the state. MP Vidisha Ramakant Bhargava addressed the people. Earlier, Chouhan visited the Devi Lok exhibition in Salkanpur and the model of Mahadevi Lok under construction. He visited the replica of Mata Vijayasan Temple built at the stage site. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that with the implementation of Mukhyamantri Ladli Bahna Yojana, the families of eligible beneficiaries will get financial support. Also, with the implementation of the scheme on a large scale, there will be positive impact on the economy of villages and cities. This fact has also emerged from the impact study of the welfare schemes implemented in the past. Therefore, the Mukhyamantri Ladli Bahna Yojana will become a subject of study for economists, experts related to planning and policy-making. CM Chouhan held a meeting today at Samatva Bhawan CM's residence and discussed about the registration done under the scheme and the activities for the next 10 days. Chief Minister Chouhan discussed with Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang, Chief Secretary Iqbal Singh Bains and other concerned senior officials about the applications received under the scheme and related upcoming programmes. It was told that in the wards of urban areas, a plan has been made to provide acceptance letters to sisters in the presence of public representatives. Ladli Bahna Gram Sabhas will be held in the villages on 8th June. Chief Minister Chouhan said that Ministers, MPs and MLAs will take part in programmes to be held at various places. In the period from June 1 to 7, acceptance letters will be provided to the eligible sisters. Bhajans, Mangal-Geets and Ladli Bahna songs will also be presented in the villages. Some districts have also planned to stage effective street plays based on the scheme, which is commendable. CM Chouhan instructed that these activities should be organised in the form of festival. Chief Minister Chouhan was informed that more than one crore 25 lakh registrations have been done under the scheme. DBT related action has also been taken at the bank level to provide the benefits of the scheme to the eligible sisters. Where this work could not be completed cent percent due to technical reasons, the work is being done at a fast pace there. CM Chouhan will participate in the amount distribution programme in Jabalpur on June 10. He will address them while transferring an amount of one thousand rupees to the accounts of the eligible beneficiary sisters of the scheme. Chief Minister Chouhan will also visit various districts from June 1 to 9 to symbolically provide acceptance letters to the sisters. The Delhi Police on early Wednesday morning recreated the crime scene at the spot where a minor was brutally stabbed to death by her boyfriend. The accused Sahil also accompanied the police. Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has asked three friends of the Shahbad Dairy murder victim to join the investigation. According to police, due to security reasons, Sahil was taken to the crime spot at 4 am in the morning and the police tried to understand how he murdered the minor. They also asked him to explain where he waited for her to come to the area. The police are still trying to recover the murder weapon. Though the accused, Sahil has admitted to the crime, he is continuously changing his statements, the police said. The police have got only two days custody of Sahil, so they have only Wednesday to recover the murder weapon. Efforts are on to trace the weapon, the police said. Sakshi was stabbed over 20 times and then bludgeoned with a cement slab, killing her on the spot. She was found to have 34 injury marks on her body and her skull was smashed in. The accused Sahil (20) was arrested from Bulandshahar in Uttar Pradesh on Monday. The police has asked three friends of Sakshi to join the investigation. A senior police officer said three of Sakshis friends Bhawna, Ajay alias Jhabru and Neetu have been asked to join the investigation and provide the required details in connection with the incident. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North) Ravi Kumar Singh said, We have the accused in our custody and interrogation is underway. We are looking at all aspects to connect the links. We are working to see all the individuals involved in the incident. Our team is working to recover the weapon used in it. Sahil allegedly threw away the knife used to kill Sakshi into the bushes in Rithala. It is yet to be recovered, he said. Fresh CCTV footage has emerged in which the victim is seen walking into a street minutes before her murder. Ajay said Sakshi had complained to him about Sahil on Saturday. He said that On Saturday, Sakshi came and said Sahil pestered her. Me, along with Bhawna and Sakshi, went to meet Sahil and asked him not to bother her. However, on Sunday, he committed the crime. When I heard about the incident and went to the spot, I saw her body lying there. Her skull was ruptured and her intestines were hanging. I helped the police shift the body into the ambulance, he added. Sunil Kumar, another local who reached the spot, said he saw several people gathered there and Ajay was helping the police to carry the body. The police are yet to recover the weapon used to kill Sakshi. Sahil disclosed that he threw the knife near the metro station at Rithala after the murder. Sahil had planned the murder two days before he killed Sakshi, who had rebuffed him in front of her friends and refused to mend their relationship. Congress Poraiyahat MLA Pradeep Yadav on Wednesday evening reached the ED office at Hinoo in connection with a money laundering case. The four times MLA reached the ED office after the Central probe agency summoned him following raids at 12 places. At the time of filing of this report the ED officials are questioning him regarding his property and investment besides involvement in money laundering if any. An ED source informed that it was getting to 5 pm when the legislator reached the office. Sources said that ED will question Yadav about his properties and source of income. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted raids on the premises of Congress MLA Pradeep Yadav and his associates across Jharkhand in connection with a money laundering case. Several teams of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at 12 places in Jharkhand capital including the locations of Congress Poraiyahat MLA Pradeep Yadav, at Deoghar and other places in State. The raids were conducted at 12 locations across Jharkhand, including four in Ranchi and eight in Deoghar and surrounding areas. ED is investigating the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The case is related to income tax actions on Pradeep Yadav and others. Income Tax department had conducted raids a few months ago, informed sources. Already Yadav is on IT radar for tax evasion. In the raid, the ED got information about investment in movable and immovable properties besides some cash. The ED will now verify the related documents. In the raids conducted in Ranchi, raids were also conducted at the office of M/s Vaishnavi Construction and Supplier Pvt Ltd at Montessori Road HEC Colony, near the bus stand in Dhurva. It is reported that Suchitra Devi is also an associate in this company, who is said to be the wife of a former MLA from Goh in Aurangabad district of Bihar. The second place in Ranchi is of Shiv Kumar. Shiv Kumar has been an Engineer in Ranchi for 15 years. He has a residence at Arvind Marg Krishna Nagar near the firing range in Bariatu. This raid of ED has been done on the basis of inputs received in the raid of the Income Tax Department in the past. In this case, the ED has registered a new ECIR, in which EDs investigation is going on. At that time, two lakh rupees were recovered from the place of MLA Pradeep Yadav, Rs 40 lakh from his close Godda hotelier Shyamakant Yadav, nine lakh rupees from Vinod Kumar Lal of Dumka during the Income Tax raid. Sources said that the raids and searches were in connection with an alleged tax evasion probe against groups in coal trading and transportation, execution of civil contracts, extraction of iron ore and production of sponge iron in Jharkhand. Fort Polk, LA (71446) Today Cloudy skies this morning followed by thunderstorms during the afternoon. High 87F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Cloudy skies after midnight. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. Ignorance and excessive use of chemical fertilisers by farmers in Uttar Pradesh are posing a significant threat to both the soil and human health, according to a report prepared by the Agriculture department. The report, based on a survey conducted in 15 districts, highlights the need for creating awareness among farmers to prevent future crises. The excessive use of chemical fertilisers not only harms the soil but also poses risks to human health. The department has submitted a report to the government, emphasising the need to raise awareness among farmers to prevent future troubles, Ashok Mitta told The Pioneer on Wednesday. The impact of high nitrogen levels extends beyond the immediate health risks. It also contributes to climate change and groundwater pollution, affecting the environment and overall ecosystem. The excessive use of chemical fertilisers leads to nitrogen loss through evaporation and leaching, resulting in increased greenhouse gas emissions and contamination of water sources. The Agriculture departments report highlights the need for a shift towards more environmentally friendly farming methods to mitigate these consequences, Mitta said. While the government has been promoting natural farming, farmers in the state continue to rely heavily on chemical fertilisers in their quest for higher crop yields. This has led to a decline in soil fertility and an imbalance in essential elements. The report, presented by Joint Director Fertilisers Dr Amit Pathak to top officials of the Agriculture department, emphasises the urgent need for action. The survey focused on four major crops: paddy, sugarcane, potato and wheat. The nitrogen levels in these crops were specifically examined, with the recommended levels being 150 in paddy, 180 in sugarcane and potato, and 150 per hectare in wheat. However, it was found that farmers in 15 districts were using more nitrogen than the prescribed standards. In districts such as Shamli, Sambhal, Farrukhabad, Hapur, Kannauj, Prayagraj and Meerut, the nitrogen levels exceeded 200. Excessive use of nitrogen fertilisers not only hampers crop growth but also has serious consequences for human health. Plants only utilise around 30 per cent of the applied nitrogen as urea, while the excess is lost through evaporation and leaching. This excessive nitrogen use contributes to climate change and groundwater pollution, Dr Pathak said. He said urea seeping into the ground combines with nitrogen to form nitrosamines, which could lead to diseases like cancer, reduction of red blood cells and the formation of tumors when contaminated water is consumed. Furthermore, the purification process of fertilisers such as DAP, which is derived from rock phosphate, introduces heavy elements like cobalt, cadmium and uranium into the soil and water. These elements can have adverse effects on human health. Dr Pathak explains, During purification, heavy elements such as cobalt, cadmium and uranium remain in it, the use of which contaminates soil and water. Consuming crops grown in such contaminated soil can lead to health complications. To address these issues, the Agriculture department has established soil testing laboratories at the tehsil and block levels in the state. These labs assess the levels of various elements in the soil, including nitrogen, phosphorus, potash, sulphur, zinc and boron. Farmers are urged to get their soil tested to identify any deficiencies and adjust their fertiliser usage accordingly. Dr Pathak recommends using nano urea 40 days after sowing the crop, as it requires less quantity and provides longer-lasting benefits. Agriculture Production Commissioner Manoj Kumar Singh has directed the Agriculture department to conduct similar surveys for other crops as well. The aim is to formulate an action plan and raise awareness among farmers about the potential harms of excessive fertiliser use. Singh emphasises that just because there is no shortage of fertilisers does not mean they should be used beyond crop demand, as this can have detrimental effects. The findings of this report underscore the urgent need for a shift towards sustainable farming practices in Uttar Pradesh. Increased awareness among farmers about the appropriate use of fertilisers, coupled with regular soil testing, can help prevent further degradation of the soil and safeguard human health in the long run. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and his Himachal Pradesh counterpart Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu will meet on June 5 to discuss interstate issues. The issues include construction of Kishau dam, construction of a new parallel linked channel from Dadupur to Hamida Head, Saraswati River Rejuvenation and Heritage Development Project, SYL canal water via Himachal Pradesh and imposition of cess on electricity. The information was given in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Khattar with administrative secretaries to review projects worth more than Rs 100 crore. The Chief Minister directed the officers to formulate various schemes on a large scale to drain out water from the waterlogged areas to the low-water areas of the state; so that the farmers can get its benefit. Khattar said in the meeting that work is being done on various drinking water and irrigation schemes. It is the priority of the state government to provide clean drinking water in sufficient quantities to the citizens across the state uninterruptedly. Also, water will be available for irrigation to the farmers after these projects are completed, he added. The officers apprised the chief minister that work is underway to remodel the Gurugram Water Service channel and construction of the Mewat Feeder Canal project, besides increasing capacity of the JLN Canal and Hansi branch canals carrier system. These irrigation and water projects will provide relief in areas with groundwater crises and water for irrigation will be available to industries and farmers, he said. The officials added that work on remodelling of the augmentation canal in Yamunanagar, concrete linking and remodelling from the Munak Head (Karnal) to Khubru Head (Sonipat), increasing the capacity of the sewage treatment plant channel in Dhanwapur and Behrampur (Gurugram), among others, are being expedited. Khattar said the state government is endeavouring to strengthen the metro and road network in Gurugram and Faridabad. The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority will commence the civil work on the 28-kilometre metro network within a month. Metro connectivity from Rezang La Chowk to Dwarka Sector 21 and the Regional Rapid Transit System from Sarai Kale Khan to Panipat is also being formulated. Khattar directed the officers to expedite the work on the states first international-level convention centre being built in Faridabads Sector 78. The centre will include a 200-room hotel, an exhibition and an auditorium block. It is actually unclear as to why the Supreme Court refused to entertain a PIL seeking direction that the new Parliament building be inaugurated by the President and not the head of the executive, the Prime Minister. The petitioner had rightly referred to Article 79 of the Constitution of India, which says the Parliament comprises President at the top and the two Houses namely Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are expected to be under him or her. The petitioner had also cited Article 87, which says the Parliament session commences with a Special Address by the President. But the apex court bench wondered how the provisions cited were related to the inauguration of the new building. As was normal, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta said the petitioner should not be allowed to withdraw the petition as he would file the same petition in the High Court. But the kind-hearted judges paid no heed to the SG's appeal. Incidentally Article 79 of the Constitution points out that the President, the first citizen of the nation, has the power to summon and prorogue the Parliament sessions. It is the President who appoints the Prime Minister and other Ministers and all executive actions are taken in the name of the President. So, not inviting the President for the ceremony is a humiliation and a violation of the Constitution. President Droupadi Murmu was not even invited to the inauguration of the new Parliament building. As many as 19 opposition parties boycotted the inauguration ceremony saying Prime Minister Narendra Modis decision to ignore the President was not only a grave insult but a direct assault on our democratic setup as enshrined in the Constitution. The Parliament cannot function without the President. The boycotting signatories included the Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Aam Aadmi Party, Trinamool Congress, Janata Dal (United), Nationalist Congress Party, Shiv Sena (Udhav Thackeray), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Communist Party of India, Indian Union Muslim League, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, National Conference, Kerala Congress (Mani), Revolutionary Socialist Party, Rashtriya Lok Dal, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi. Strangely, the Biju Janata Dal decided joyously to participate by choosing to remain oblivious to the fact that the Odisha tribal woman President was being offended openly. Not one creature from the Odisha ruling party raised even a feeble voice to express displeasure. Participating in the event is no sin, but not expressing anxiety is a small sin on the part of BJD. There is a great deal of murmur now that there is some clandestine give-n-take arrangement between the BJD and the BJP up there, for which an absolute silence was maintained. Knowing people say it would be foolhardy to expect Prime Minister Modi, whose pet project is the new Parliament building, to let go the opportunity to bask in the limelight and extract maximum mileage from the event. At a time when the institution of Parliament is seriously imperilled, there are perhaps two things that are more important than the politicking over who gets to inaugurate the new building. The first is the new building itself -- how and why it was conceived and what it symbolises. Second is the choice of Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkars birth anniversary being chosen to be the date of inauguration. Even architect Gautam Bhatia wrote at the time that the process was approved in a veil of secrecy mired in an opaque processes'. This is in contrast to the way things work in other democracies, where such momentous architectural changes are carefully considered, opened for discussion, and formulated after a consensus'. Building new Parliament hoses in democracies is not an entirely uncommon proposition, but such a rush to approve designs and the complete lack of public engagement is unheard of. It is instructive to consider the example of the Parliament House in Australias capital Canberra, which took over a decade to plan and complete. In 1975, the Australian Parliament established a joint standing committee for planning, design and construction of the building. On its recommendations, a two-stage design competition was announced in 1979. A total of 379 entries from 32 countries were submitted, of which five were allowed to the second stage. The winner was announced in 1980 and subsequently the design and construction approved by the House of Representatives. The new building was officially opened in 1988. The process is in complete contrast with the undemocratic manner in which the new Parliament building in India was approved and got built. When Hindu religious priests of upper caste were conducting the inauguration of the new Parliament building, it was suspected by a few why Droupadi Murmu is not presiding over the function. This suspicion, though, appeared misplaced. The truth was that unless given the centre-stage, Modi would have no chance to perform theatrics to prove supremacy. He would not like to get lost in dark as the spotlight would fall on the President if she inaugurated the formers dream structure. The Adheenams' would never hand over the Sengol', a monarchical sceptre symbolising power, to a simple tribal woman. But mainly, the new building is intended to symbolise both Modis legacy and also the believable ancient origins of Indias democracy. This was why it was imperative for the new building to come up in time for the 2024 general elections despite the deaths and disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The other big issue was the choice of Savarkars birth anniversary for the inauguration. On one level, it reaffirmed the link of the current Government with the exclusivist idea of Hindutva for which Savarkar is best-known. This open Hindufication of the nation is a deviation of the Governments public rhetoric of emphasising inclusivity encapsulated in slogans such as Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'. Over the violently-kicked-up row, the most pathetically servile statement President Madam Murmu made has devastated many an Indian heart. As if held at gunpoint, she parroted out, "I am deeply satisfied" that Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new structure. Several opposition parties had boycotted the event over Modi's decision to inaugurate the new Parliament House and not the President. Obviously, she has been forced by the BJP honchos to vomit out this statement penned by the headless speech writer employed by the saffron gang. Madam Murmu, having been a dream come true' beneficiary, would not have any other choice than to blurp these words. KSDD felicitates Civil services qualifiers New Delhi: Khatu Shyam Dilli Dham felicitated the selected personalities in Sarvasamaj Pratibhawan Civil Services under the guidance of of the national president of the organization, Ghanshyam Gupta Zaveri. The Khatu Shyam Dilli Dham temple is being built in the national Capital, is also called the eighth wonder of the world. Under the guidance of the national president of the organization, Ghanshyam Gupta Zaveri , the talented personalities of the society were honored who were selected in (Civil Service). In the felicitation ceremony, Chief Guest Surendra Singh Yadav, Special Commissioner, Delhi Police, and Rajesh Goyal, Additional Private Secretary, Lok Sabha Speaker, while appreciating the Sarvasamaj Samman event organized by Delhi Dham, guided all the selected talents and honored them including Priyanka Goyal, Anshika Jain, Kunal Jain, Tarun Bansal, Mansi Dahiya, Ayush Goyal, Dimpy Rajoura, Pranjal Jain, Anshika Jain, Kritika Shukla, Shidhart Shukla etc. Fin Min reviews Trade & Taxes depts functioning New Delhi: Delhi Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot on Wednesday convened a meeting with senior officials from the Department of Trade & Taxes. He reviewed the current situation of the department, the problems which are being faced and discussed the measures to make the system of tax collection systematic and structured in Delhi. HC bans illicit websites streaming spiderman New Delhi : The Delhi High Court has restrained over 100 rogue websites from unauthorisedly streaming animation films SpiderMan: Across The Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse on their platforms. The courts order came on a lawsuit by Sony Pictures Animation Inc which stated it was the copyright holder of the upcoming release SpiderMan: Across The Spider-Verse and has not licensed the right to broadcast it to any website. Mayor Shelly chairs meeting on stray cattle New Delhi: Mayor Shelly Oberoi chaired a crucial meeting aimed at addressing the issue of stray cattle and capitalising on the potential of cow products. The Mayor said that the MCD explore the possibility for transforming gaushalas into profit centres. Minister unveils 4th issue of DCPCR journal New Delhi: Women and Child Development Minister Atishi unveiled the fourth issue of the DCPCR Children First-Journal on Childrens Lives on Wednesday at Veer Savarkar Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Kalkaji. The fourth issue delves deeper into various domains and multiple disciplines to address crucial issues impacting childrens lives. The condition of a minor girl was critical after she was gang-raped in Gorakhpur. She was admitted to the medical college hospital and the local police registered a case and claimed to have detained a suspect. The cops will record the statement of the victim before a magistrate before initiating further legal action. According to reports, three youths forcibly took a 15-year-old girl inside a closed factory in Kusamhi forest under Khorabar police station in Gorakhpur on Tuesday. It is alleged that the girl was kept hostage for the whole night and the youths raped her one by one after which her condition deteriorated due to excessive bleeding. The girl was admitted to the emergency ward of the district hospital in a critical condition from where she was referred to the medical college hospital. The police registered a case against Rajan Rajbhar, nephew of the sitting gram pradhan, and took him in custody. The villagers claimed that Rajan lured the victim from Khorabar area and took her to the closed factory. On Tuesday night, Rajan along with two of his accomplices raped the girl after taking her hostage and also thrashed her when she protested. On regaining consciousness on Wednesday morning, the girl raised an alarm following which a villager saw her and immediately called her family members. She was shifted to hospital and the local police were informed of the incident. Relatives of the victims claimed that two more accused along with local pradhans nephew were involved in the incident but the police registered a case against only the nephew. Circle Officer of Cantonment, Yogendra Singh, said that the accused had been taken into custody after registering a case. He said that the case was being investigated and action would be taken on the basis of investigation. Meanwhile, a teenage student, who was earlier abducted by a youth from Sultanpur and was set ablaze after being gang-raped in Surat, succumbed to her injuries after two months of ordeal at a hospital in Lucknow on Tuesday. At the end of January, a youth had kidnapped the girl student and gang-raped her along with his accomplice after taking her to Surat. On protesting, she was burnt by the accused who poured petrol on her. She was undergoing treatment in Lucknow. Police have sent two accused to jail in this case. Police said on January 30, the girl, who belonged to Jaisinghpur Kotwali area, was abducted by Mahavir alias Beere of Bahri village in Kotwali area, with the help of some others. The main abductor had taken her to Surat. On the complaint of the father, a case of kidnapping was registered against the youth and others. Two months later, on March 28, Mahavir and his associates raped the girl and when she protested, the accused poured petrol on her and burnt her. The accused himself informed the girls father about the incident on the phone. After this, on March 29, the victims father met Superintendent of Police Somen Verma and narrated the incident. On the orders of the SP, a police team went to the hospital in Surat and brought back the girl in a critical condition. Then her treatment started at SPM (Civil) Hospital in Lucknow. The SP formed three teams under the leadership of CO Prashant Singh that raided Surat and other places to arrest the accused. The police arrested Mahaveer alias Beere and Dhaniram and sent them to jail. The student, who was burnt up to 60 per cent, was brought back home on May 16. When suddenly her health deteriorated on Tuesday afternoon, the kin took her to hospital where she died during treatment. At a time when the BJP government in the State is busy highlighting the developmental achievements of the Narendra Modi government in its nine years tenure in the Centre, the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Karan Mahara alleged that the Modi government has remained apathetic to the developmental interests of Uttarakhand. Citing instances of the Centres apathy towards the development of the State, the Congress leader said that the Modi government has not cleared funds regarding some ambitious development projects of the State which, if implemented, could have provided new means of income for the people. This reveals that the Modi government is the least interested in the development of the State, he said. Slamming the Centre further, Mahara said that as Uttarakhand has limited sources of income, the externally aided projects can prove instrumental in the development of the State. But the BJP government at the Centre has been sitting on such projects, harming the long-term developmental interest of the state. Even those externally aided projects which were earlier approved are in jeopardy for lack of funds and the funds spent earlier on the projects may go down the drain, he said, adding that as many as 11 Centrally aided projects worth Rs 20,236 crore have remained in pipeline because of ceiling imposed by the Centre and it is uncertain whether they will ever be executed or not. He further said that the Dhami governments boast of making Uttarakhand a model State rings hollow. The ground reality stands in contradiction to the saffron boast of development, he said. The State Congress president urges the Union finance minister to immediately release the funds for the already approved projects of the State. NTPC Swayamsiddha Ladies Club, Coal Mining HQ on the occasion of Swaactha Pakhwada 2023 which was celebrated from May 16 -31,2023 distributed Sanitary Pad Vending Machine and Incinerator today at Ranchi Universitys Science block building, which included Department of Chemistry Department, Zoology and Botany. The Sanitary Pad Vending Machine and Incinerator was provided for better hygiene and comfort among college girls pursuing higher studies at Ranchi University. The noble initiative was held under the guidance of Padma Reddy, President, Swayamsiddha Ladies Club (SLC), NTPC Coal Mining HQ, A K Delta, HOD, Chemistry Dept, Dr Smriti Singh, Faculty cum PRO, Chemistry Dept, Laxmi Murthy, Vice President, SLC in the august presence of Mansa Verma, Secretary (CSR) & Amit Kumar Behera, Sr Mgr.(Corporate Communication) and other dignitaries from Ranchi University. During observance of Swaachta Pakhwada at NTPC Coal Mining HQ, Ranchi various activities like identification and disposal of obsolete/ unserviceable electronics or e-waste initiative through handing over of old desktops with other accessories to employees as per NTPC buyback policy which helped in managing e waste generated at CMHQ office. Further, under paperless initiative, digitization of 47 lakh pages is completed in the coal mining region, in this regard 379 boxes filled with digitized files are sent to Record Management Services(RMS) facility at Kolkata from Pakri Barwadih , Dulanga and Coal Mining Headquarters. To create awareness, banners and Posters with captions were displayed at CMHQ office and nearby schools for awareness on cleanliness. Renowned philanthropist Dr Syed Abid Hussain has been invited for the Dr Kalam Yuva Ratna Award 2023 as a national representative to receive the prestigious international award. Syed Abid Hussain has received a letter from Foundation President Munna Kumar for receiving the above honor, in which he has written that inviting Dr. Abid Abid Hussain as a national representative to represent Bihar in Kalam Youth Leadership. The felicitation ceremony is based on the theme "Preparing the Future with Prosperity through Youth Clubs to Bring Peace to the World" which is being organized by Khwab Foundation. The said ceremony will be organized at International Youth Center Chanakyapuri New Delhi on August 27, 28 and 29, 2023. The team of Khwab Foundation reviewed Abid's social service work and contribution and also recognized it as a tremendous service towards the society due to which Mr. Abid has been selected as one of the eligible selections for honour. It was said in the letter that Abid's contribution in bringing peace and prosperity to the world is important in paying tribute to Kalam on the occasion of Kalam Yuva Ratna Award 2023 Dr. APJ Abul Purnatithi. Abid has played an important role in bringing back more than 500 people stranded abroad, for which he is being commended. The residents of Ambedkar Nagar along with the family members, well wishers of Abid were happy after information of getting the international honour was received. Abid is basically a resident of Bhagahi village of Tanda tehsil of Ambedkar Nagar district, who is doing social service and lives in Bhopal. Bairagarh police have arrested the accused who used to rape a married woman by threatening to kill her, after the complaint accused went absconding and remained absconding for the past fifteen days, the accused was working in People's hospital by changing his apperance. Police got information about the accused who was working in the hospital. Based on the information police nabbed the accused on the night of Tuesday. On May 16, a 40-year-old married woman lodged a complaint with the Bairagarh police of sexual assault against Sameer Khan. The victim said that she used to do cleaning work in a private hospital where Sameer was the supervisor. At work, Sameer developed a friendship with her. The accused would make physical relationships by taking her to his house for about 2 years and used to threaten to kill if she would protest or report the incident to family members or police. Frustrated over the atrocity, the victim filed a complaint. A case was registered by the police against the accused of rape and threathening to kill. The police tried to search and nab the accused but the accused managed to remain absconding. On May 30, the police received information from the informer that the accused was working in People's Hospital. Based on the information, the police reached the hospital and found that the accused was working by changing his appearance. During interrogation, he was identified as Sameer alias Saddam of Ganjbasoda, Vidisha. The police would investigate those who have helped the accused in remaining absconding. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday envisioned that the Schools of Eminence, set up across the State by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government, will act as the harbingers for ensuring a bright future for the students. Mann, interacting with the students of the ninth standard studying in the Schools of Eminence across the State, said that these schools are a new experiment in the state aimed at ensuring the holistic development of the students. This is a step forward towards providing a good learning experience for the students to excel in various fields. Equipped with ultramodern infrastructure, these schools provide best quality education to the students, he said. The Chief Minister said that his Government is making concerted efforts to strengthen the education sector in the State. Total 117 Schools of Eminence have been set up in 23 districts of the state to provide quality education to the children. These schools are focusing on grooming the students for five professional and competitive courses, including engineering, law, commerce, UPSC and NDA, he said. These schools will set a new benchmark in quality educationThe results of these schools will be the dawn of a new era in school education. The government will felicitate the best performing schools of eminence across the state, said Mann while exhorting the students to work hard for carving a niche in various fields in the international arena. During the virtual meeting, the Chief Minister also asked the students about their experience in the school. He said that he will be holding such meetings regularly to take feedback from the students about the education being imparted to them. He also called upon the students to express their views freely without any fear adding that they can also list any complaint or shortcoming, if any, being faced by them. The District Collector of Kanker in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday suspended sub-divisional officer (SDO) R.L. Dhivar, for giving verbal approval to a junior officer to drain out a huge quantity of water from a weir to retrieve his mobile phone. Earlier, Dhivar was served a show cause notice. He has been suspended under the Chhattisgarh Civil Services (Classification, Control, and Appeal) Rules, 1966. He will be attached to Headquarters Superintending Engineer Indravati Project Circle, Jagdalpur, an official communication said. The suspension order states that Dhivar failed in his official responsibilities. On May 21, on his verbal assurance, Rajesh Vishwas, a food officer in Pakhanjore, released 4,104 cubic metres of water for four consecutive days from Paralkot reservoir. Vishwas drained out the water from the weir to retrieve his mobile phone. The government on Tuesday fined Vishwas Rs 53,092 and also suspended him. The Utkal Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ltd (UCCIL) conducted a workshop on Wednesday on Women Entrepreneurs Interface led by Jayashree Mishra, chairperson of the Women Entrepreneurs/ Narishakti Committee of UCCIL. Conducted in association with the World Trade Centre (WTC), Bhubaneswar, the participant women entrepreneurs displayed various indigenous products in textile, food processing, natural cosmetics and tin items manufacturing. Principal Secretary to Government of Odisha Usha Padhee as chief guest encouraged the women entrepreneurs by sharing her domain knowledge and advising them to keep a very positive attitude and a consistency in their pursuit. She said, Chase your dream, be competent, do good and it will return in many folds. Advisor of World Trade Centre and Chairperson of Mahila Atmanirbhar Abhiyan Dr Rina Ray drew examples from Indian mythology and said that women who perform their responsibility with the right spirit get their due respect and honour in society. Choudhury Jyoshna Das, convener of WTC Women Forum, World Trade Centre, urged the entrepreneurs for engaging more and more women from the downtrodden section. PK Gupta, Joint Director, MSME, DI, Cuttack responded to the queries raised by the entrepreneurs. UCCIL president Dr Brahma Mishra, under whose expert guidance and leadership the workshop of a unique kind was organised for the first time, drew examples from the Scandinavian countries like Sweden and Norway which have demonstrated the maximum empowerment of women entrepreneurs in the world. He assured a brighter future for the women entrepreneurs as the Government of Odisha is planning to set up 30 Industrial Parks dedicated for women entrepreneurs. A vote of thanks was offered by Garonica Mahapatra. Two people including an infant and a bus conductor were killed when a roadways bus of Uttarakhand Transport Corporation (UK 07 PA 2570) veered off the road near Chandi Chowki in Haridwar on Wednesday early morning. Four people also sustained serious injuries and were admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in Rishikesh, said the police. The police said that the accident occurred on Najibabad Road near Chandi Chowki in Haridwar on Wednesday. The Roadways bus was on its way from Rupadiya in Uttar Pradesh to Haridwar carrying nearly 40 people. The police said that the bus driver allegedly lost control of the bus and it fell about 20 meters below the main road breaking the side iron railing. They said that two people- the bus conductor identified as Vishwas Bahadur (35) and a 10-month-old girl died on the spot, four sustained serious injuries while the remaining sustained minor injuries. The police said that the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Fire Service personnel immediately reached the spot to rescue injured people after receiving information. The police said 37 patients were immediately admitted to the hospital and two were declared brought dead by doctors. They said that four critically injured passengers were admitted to AIIMS to get the required treatment. Though it appears that the bus driver allegedly lost control of the bus that led to the accident, the police are investigating the matter, said the officials. India and Nepal will strive to take their bilateral ties to Himalayan heights and resolve all matters, including the boundary issue, in this spirit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday after holding wide-ranging talks with his Nepalese counterpart Pushpakamal Dahal 'Prachanda'. In his media statement after the meeting, Modi said he and Prachanda have taken many important decisions to make the partnership between the two countries a "super hit" in the future. Following the talks, Modi and Prachanda jointly launched several infrastructure projects. The two sides also signed seven agreements to boost cooperation in several areas including trade and energy. The two leaders virtually inaugurated integrated check posts at Rupaidiha in India and Nepalgunj in Nepal. They also virtually flagged off a cargo train from Bathnaha in Bihar to Nepal custom yard. "We will continue to strive to take our relationship to Himalayan heights. And in this spirit, we will resolve all the issues, be it boundary related or any other issue," Modi said in presence of Prachanda. To further strengthen cultural and religious ties, PM Prachanda and I decided that projects related to the Ramayana circuit should be expedited, he added. Nepal is important for India in the context of its overall strategic interests in the region, and the leaders of the two countries have often noted the age-old "Roti Beti" relationship which refers to cross-border marriages between people of the two countries. The country shares a border of over 1,850 km with five Indian states Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Land-locked Nepal relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services. Nepal's access to the sea is through India, and it imports a predominant proportion of its requirements from and through India. The India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950 forms the bedrock of the special relations between the two countries. Pakistans former prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday appeared before an anti-terrorism court in four cases, including the attack on Lahore Corp Commander House, and submitted surety bonds in connection with his pre-arrest bail till June 2. Khan appeared before the ATC Lahore judge Ijaz Ahmad Buttar and submitted surety bonds worth PKR 100,000 each in the four terrorism cases in which he had already been given pre-arrest bail till June 2, a court official told PTI. As the 70-year-old chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party appeared in the court amid high security, a group of lawyers chanted slogans in his favour. Khans counsel also challenged the search warrants of the former premiers Zaman Park Lahore residence in the anti-terrorism court. The judge summoned the Punjab police DIG (operations) for next hearing and directed him to submit a reply. On May 9, violent protests erupted after the arrest of Khan by paramilitary Rangers in Islamabad. His party workers vandalised over 20 military installations and government buildings, including the Lahore Corps Commander House, Mianwali airbase and the ISI building in Faisalabad. The Army headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi was also attacked by the mob for the first time. Khan was later released on bail. Law enforcement agencies have arrested over 10,000 workers of Khans Pakistan party across Pakistan, 4,000 of them from Punjab. Police put the death toll in violent clashes to 10 while Khans party claims 40 of its workers lost their lives in the firing by security personnel. Meanwhile, two lawyers of Khan appeared before a joint investigation team probing the attack on Corps Commander House known as Jinnah House in Lahore. The joint investigation team - formed by the Punjab interim government to probe arson attacks on Jinnah House and the Askari Corporate Tower in Lahore on May 9 - had summoned Khan for Tuesday to record his statement but he sent his lawyers instead. Owl Rock Capital Co. (NYSE:ORCC Get Rating) Director Chris Temple purchased 5,900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 26th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $13.30 per share, for a total transaction of $78,470.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 36,000 shares in the company, valued at $478,800. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Owl Rock Capital Trading Up 0.2 % Owl Rock Capital stock traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $13.44. 1,287,597 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,761,015. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. Owl Rock Capital Co. has a fifty-two week low of $10.18 and a fifty-two week high of $13.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.44 and a beta of 0.93. The firms 50 day moving average is $12.77 and its 200-day moving average is $12.74. Get Owl Rock Capital alerts: Owl Rock Capital Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 30th will be paid a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 29th. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.82%. Owl Rock Capitals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.02%. Institutional Trading of Owl Rock Capital Analyst Ratings Changes Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Putnam Investments LLC increased its stake in Owl Rock Capital by 396.2% during the 1st quarter. Putnam Investments LLC now owns 324,142 shares of the technology companys stock worth $4,087,000 after purchasing an additional 258,816 shares in the last quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Owl Rock Capital during the 1st quarter worth approximately $351,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in Owl Rock Capital by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,439,192 shares of the technology companys stock worth $30,759,000 after purchasing an additional 169,673 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Owl Rock Capital by 41.8% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 220,089 shares of the technology companys stock worth $2,775,000 after purchasing an additional 64,908 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in Owl Rock Capital during the 1st quarter worth approximately $79,000. 42.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Several research analysts recently issued reports on ORCC shares. JMP Securities reiterated a market outperform rating and set a $15.00 price target on shares of Owl Rock Capital in a research report on Monday, March 13th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reduced their price target on shares of Owl Rock Capital from $15.50 to $15.00 in a research report on Friday, May 12th. Finally, TheStreet upgraded shares of Owl Rock Capital from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 31st. Owl Rock Capital Company Profile (Get Rating) Owl Rock Capital Corp non traded business development company seeks investment opportunities in middle market companies located in the United States with an EBITDA of USD 10 250 million and annual revenue of USD 50 million 2.5 billion. The fund focuses on broad range of sectors including business services, healthcare services, pharma & healthcare technology, aerospace & defense, software & technology and manufacturing & industrials. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Owl Rock Capital Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Owl Rock Capital and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Los Andes Copper Ltd. (CVE:LA Get Rating) was down 0.8% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as C$12.50 and last traded at C$12.50. Approximately 7,212 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 59% from the average daily volume of 17,445 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$12.60. Los Andes Copper Stock Performance The stock has a market capitalization of C$351.88 million, a P/E ratio of -37.88 and a beta of 1.19. The companys fifty day simple moving average is C$12.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is C$12.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.70. Get Los Andes Copper alerts: Los Andes Copper (CVE:LA Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 25th. The company reported C$0.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Los Andes Copper Ltd. will post -0.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Los Andes Copper Company Profile Los Andes Copper Ltd. acquires, explores, and develops copper deposits in Canada and Chile. It operates through three segments: Mineral Exploration, Hydroelectric Project, and Corporate. The company holds 100% interest in the Vizcachitas copper, molybdenum, and silver porphyry project located north of Santiago, Region V, Chile. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Los Andes Copper Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Los Andes Copper and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. FTI Consulting, Inc. (NYSE:FCN Get Rating) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,390,000 shares, an increase of 6.1% from the April 30th total of 1,310,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 255,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.4 days. Currently, 4.2% of the companys stock are sold short. Insider Activity at FTI Consulting In related news, General Counsel Curtis P. Lu sold 349 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.35, for a total value of $66,781.15. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 29,793 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,700,890.55. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CEO Steven Henry Gunby sold 9,428 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.87, for a total value of $1,705,242.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 458,717 shares of the companys stock, valued at $82,968,143.79. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, General Counsel Curtis P. Lu sold 349 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.35, for a total value of $66,781.15. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 29,793 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,700,890.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 50,100 shares of company stock valued at $9,263,683 over the last three months. 3.46% of the stock is owned by insiders. Get FTI Consulting alerts: Hedge Funds Weigh In On FTI Consulting Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in FCN. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in shares of FTI Consulting by 270.4% during the first quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 13,865 shares of the business services providers stock worth $2,195,000 after buying an additional 10,122 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of FTI Consulting by 33.4% during the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 22,159 shares of the business services providers stock worth $3,484,000 after buying an additional 5,542 shares during the period. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS boosted its position in shares of FTI Consulting by 10.5% during the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 12,566 shares of the business services providers stock worth $1,976,000 after buying an additional 1,198 shares during the period. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can boosted its position in shares of FTI Consulting by 8.3% during the first quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 19,575 shares of the business services providers stock worth $3,168,000 after buying an additional 1,505 shares during the period. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of FTI Consulting by 1.6% during the first quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 19,080 shares of the business services providers stock worth $3,000,000 after buying an additional 308 shares during the period. FTI Consulting Stock Performance FCN stock traded up $1.82 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $188.01. The company had a trading volume of 447,037 shares, compared to its average volume of 239,463. The company has a quick ratio of 2.51, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $189.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $175.72. FTI Consulting has a fifty-two week low of $140.09 and a fifty-two week high of $205.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.39 billion, a PE ratio of 30.08 and a beta of 0.28. FTI Consulting (NYSE:FCN Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The business services provider reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.67 by ($0.33). The company had revenue of $806.71 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $795.44 million. FTI Consulting had a net margin of 7.19% and a return on equity of 13.81%. The businesss revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.66 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that FTI Consulting will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several brokerages recently weighed in on FCN. StockNews.com initiated coverage on FTI Consulting in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Truist Financial lifted their target price on FTI Consulting from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, March 13th. FTI Consulting Company Profile (Get Rating) FTI Consulting, Inc engages in the provision of financial, legal, operational, political and regulatory, reputational and transactional advisory services. It operates through the following segments: Corporate Finance and Restructuring, Forensic and Litigation Consulting, Economic Consulting, Technology, and Strategic Communications. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for FTI Consulting Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for FTI Consulting and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Alger Mid Cap 40 ETF (NYSEARCA:FRTY Get Rating) shares traded down 0.5% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $12.14 and last traded at $12.14. 607 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 94% from the average session volume of 10,176 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.20. Alger Mid Cap 40 ETF Trading Down 2.4 % The firms 50-day moving average price is $12.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.09. The stock has a market cap of $28.39 million, a PE ratio of 24.07 and a beta of 0.87. Get Alger Mid Cap 40 ETF alerts: Institutional Inflows and Outflows Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Tradition Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Alger Mid Cap 40 ETF during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $146,000. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Alger Mid Cap 40 ETF by 59.8% during the 4th quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 25,925 shares of the companys stock valued at $299,000 after purchasing an additional 9,700 shares in the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV acquired a new position in Alger Mid Cap 40 ETF during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,044,000. Finally, Fred Alger Management LLC increased its stake in Alger Mid Cap 40 ETF by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 341,700 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,016,000 after purchasing an additional 11,594 shares in the last quarter. Alger Mid Cap 40 ETF Company Profile The Alger Mid Cap 40 ETF (FRTY) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the Russell Midcap Growth index. The fund is an actively-managed, non-transparent ETF that provides exposure to US mid-cap companies with growth characteristics. The fund utilizes the Precidian non-transparent model. FRTY was launched on Feb 26, 2021 and is managed by Alger. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Alger Mid Cap 40 ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Alger Mid Cap 40 ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Amplify Energy (NYSE:AMPY Get Rating) and Battalion Oil (NYSE:BATL Get Rating) are both small-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, profitability, institutional ownership, dividends, earnings, analyst recommendations and valuation. Institutional and Insider Ownership 44.4% of Amplify Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 89.0% of Battalion Oil shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.4% of Amplify Energy shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 41.0% of Battalion Oil shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term. Get Amplify Energy alerts: Analyst Recommendations This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Amplify Energy and Battalion Oil, as reported by MarketBeat. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Amplify Energy 0 0 1 0 3.00 Battalion Oil 0 2 0 0 2.00 Profitability Amplify Energy currently has a consensus price target of $12.00, suggesting a potential upside of 76.21%. Battalion Oil has a consensus price target of $28.00, suggesting a potential upside of 332.77%. Given Battalion Oils higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Battalion Oil is more favorable than Amplify Energy. This table compares Amplify Energy and Battalion Oils net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Amplify Energy 103.74% 186.60% 19.94% Battalion Oil 39.14% 0.80% 0.11% Earnings and Valuation This table compares Amplify Energy and Battalion Oils gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Amplify Energy $458.46 million 0.58 $57.88 million $11.33 0.60 Battalion Oil $359.06 million 0.30 $18.54 million $8.02 0.81 Amplify Energy has higher revenue and earnings than Battalion Oil. Amplify Energy is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Battalion Oil, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Risk & Volatility Amplify Energy has a beta of 2.39, meaning that its share price is 139% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Battalion Oil has a beta of 0.96, meaning that its share price is 4% less volatile than the S&P 500. Summary Amplify Energy beats Battalion Oil on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks. About Amplify Energy (Get Rating) Amplify Energy Corp. is an independent oil and natural gas company, which engages in the acquisition, development, exploration, and production of oil and natural gas properties. It focuses on operations in Oklahoma, the Rockies, offshore Southern California, East Texas and North Louisiana, and Eagle Ford. The company was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Houston, TX. About Battalion Oil (Get Rating) Battalion Oil Corporation, an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, production, exploration, and development of onshore oil and natural gas assets in the United States. As of December 31, 2021, the company held interests in 40,400 net acres in the Delaware Basin located in the counties of Pecos, Reeves, Ward, and Winkler, Texas. It also had estimated proved reserves of approximately 95.9 million barrels of oil equivalent comprising 58.7 million barrels of crude oil, 16.3 million barrels of natural gas liquids, and 125.0 billion cubic feet of natural gas. The company was formerly known as Halcon Resources Corporation and changed its name to Battalion Oil Corporation in January 2020. Battalion Oil Corporation was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. Receive News & Ratings for Amplify Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Amplify Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. On the afternoon of May 30th, the project signing ceremony of Volkswagen (China) Technology Co., Ltd. was held in Hefei. Han Jun, Secretary of the Anhui Provincial Party Committee, and Wang Qingxian, Deputy Secretary of the Anhui Provincial Party Committee and Governor, witnessed the signing. Ralf Brandstatter, Chairman and CEO of Volkswagen Group (China), delivered a speech. Yu Aihua, Member of the Standing Committee of the Anhui Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Hefei Municipal Party Committee, attended the event. Fei Gaoyun, Member of the Standing Committee of the Anhui Provincial Party Committee and Executive Vice Governor, presided over the ceremony. Representatives from Hefei Economic and Technological Development Zone and Volkswagen Group (China) signed the agreement. Han Jun, Wang Qingxian, and Ralf Brandstatter had in-depth and friendly exchanges, and learned in detail about the cooperation projects, as well as the planning and construction of Volkswagen employee living communities, Volkswagen talent apartments, and the Sino-German Co-Innovation Park. Han Jun said that as the largest new energy vehicle technology center of Volkswagen outside Germany, the establishment of Volkswagen (China) Technology Co., Ltd. in Hefei has a milestone significance. It will create a large number of high-quality employment opportunities in Hefei and is another significant achievement in deepening cooperation between the two sides. It is of great significance for our province to build a new energy vehicle industry chain ecological system integrating research and development, testing, manufacturing, sales, and core component supporting. It is hoped that Volkswagen Group (China) will accelerate the landing of cooperation projects, help Anhui gather more upstream and downstream enterprises, projects, and talents in the industrial chain, and help Hefei become a new energy vehicle capital. Relevant units of Hefei and the province should fully support the project construction, continuously create a first-class business environment, and make every effort to provide Volkswagen employees with living, medical, and children's education services, so that Volkswagen employees can work with peace of mind and work together to turn the vision of cooperation into a reality. Ralf Brandstatter expressed his gratitude for the strong support given by Anhui Province and Hefei City. He said that reaching an investment agreement in such a short period of time is a successful example of Anhui's speed and another milestone achieved on the basis of successful cooperation with Anhui Province, Hefei City, and JAC Motors. Volkswagen Group (China) will continuously strengthen its "in China, for China" research and development capabilities, more keenly respond to the needs of Chinese customers, better adapt to the rapid growth pace of new energy vehicles and intelligent connected vehicles in China, and provide high-quality research and development services for Volkswagen Anhui and other cooperative enterprises. The R&D company project will absorb a large number of local talents, attract high-quality talents from other regions to settle in Hefei, attract a group of supporting suppliers to invest in Hefei, and seek new opportunities in this technology highland, making greater contributions to the development of Anhui. It is reported that in order to improve R&D efficiency in response to the Chinese market demand and enhance the in-China R&D capabilities for the whole vehicle platform and core components, Volkswagen Group has set up a wholly-owned R&D company. The R&D company will cooperate with the German R&D headquarters to jointly undertake the R&D work of the new electric vehicle platform, the whole vehicle, and key components of Volkswagen Group, and undertake the core component procurement function of the new R&D electric vehicle platform. Reported by Zong He, Yang Zhu Translated by Zheng Chen Shares of Aviva plc (LON:AV Get Rating) have earned an average recommendation of Moderate Buy from the seven research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is GBX 526 ($6.50). A number of brokerages have issued reports on AV. Berenberg Bank reduced their price objective on shares of Aviva from GBX 546 ($6.75) to GBX 532 ($6.57) and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 24th. Barclays reiterated an equal weight rating and issued a GBX 545 ($6.74) price objective on shares of Aviva in a report on Wednesday, May 17th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an overweight rating and issued a GBX 520 ($6.43) price objective on shares of Aviva in a report on Tuesday, March 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Aviva from GBX 545 ($6.74) to GBX 535 ($6.61) and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 25th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a buy rating and issued a GBX 560 ($6.92) price objective on shares of Aviva in a report on Thursday, May 25th. Get Aviva alerts: Insider Activity In other news, insider Amanda Blanc sold 322,369 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 416 ($5.14), for a total transaction of 1,341,055.04 ($1,657,260.31). In other Aviva news, insider Pippa Lambert purchased 1,302 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 28th. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 419 ($5.18) per share, with a total value of 5,455.38 ($6,741.70). Also, insider Amanda Blanc sold 322,369 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 416 ($5.14), for a total value of 1,341,055.04 ($1,657,260.31). Insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock. Aviva Stock Performance Aviva Increases Dividend LON AV opened at GBX 394.20 ($4.87) on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 3.31, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 55.38. The firms fifty day moving average price is GBX 414.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 433.85. Aviva has a 1 year low of GBX 366.70 ($4.53) and a 1 year high of GBX 473.70 ($5.85). The firm has a market capitalization of 10.84 billion, a P/E ratio of -1,066.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.09 and a beta of 1.03. The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 30th were paid a dividend of GBX 20.70 ($0.26) per share. This represents a dividend yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 30th. This is a positive change from Avivas previous dividend of $10.30. Avivas dividend payout ratio is -8,157.89%. About Aviva (Get Rating) Aviva plc provides various insurance, retirement, investment, and savings products in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and internationally. The company offers life insurance, long-term health and accident insurance, savings, pension, and annuity products, as well as pension fund business and lifetime mortgage products. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Aviva Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Aviva and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. CAE (TSE:CAE Get Rating) (NYSE:CAE) had its price objective reduced by equities research analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from C$36.00 to C$35.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, The Fly reports. Royal Bank of Canadas price target would suggest a potential upside of 25.94% from the companys previous close. A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on CAE. National Bankshares raised their target price on CAE from C$34.00 to C$37.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, February 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on CAE from C$35.00 to C$37.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 11th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on CAE from C$33.00 to C$35.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 15th. CIBC boosted their price target on CAE from C$33.00 to C$37.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 15th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on CAE from C$30.00 to C$35.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of C$36.56. Get CAE alerts: CAE Price Performance Shares of TSE:CAE traded up C$0.03 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching C$27.79. The companys stock had a trading volume of 326,364 shares, compared to its average volume of 481,944. CAE has a fifty-two week low of C$20.90 and a fifty-two week high of C$34.85. The company has a market capitalization of C$8.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 2.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 73.28, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is C$30.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$29.37. About CAE CAE Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides simulation training and critical operations support solutions worldwide. It operates through three segments: Civil Aviation, Defense and Security, and Healthcare. The Civil Aviation segment provides training solutions for flight, cabin, maintenance, and ground personnel in commercial, business, and helicopter aviation; flight simulation training devices; and ab initio pilot training and crew sourcing services, as well as end to end digitally enabled crew management, training operations solutions, and optimization software. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for CAE Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for CAE and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new position in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM Get Rating) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 2,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $186,000. A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of ADM. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its holdings in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 71.9% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 18,699 shares of the companys stock worth $1,688,000 after purchasing an additional 7,821 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland during the first quarter worth about $277,000. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in Archer-Daniels-Midland in the 1st quarter valued at about $226,000. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. increased its stake in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 22.0% during the 1st quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 31,004 shares of the companys stock worth $2,798,000 after buying an additional 5,586 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 2.1% during the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 459,907 shares of the companys stock valued at $41,512,000 after acquiring an additional 9,327 shares during the last quarter. 78.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Archer-Daniels-Midland alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $87.00 to $85.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 12th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Archer-Daniels-Midland in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Archer-Daniels-Midland in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. They set an outperform rating and a $100.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays cut their target price on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $99.00 to $95.00 in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $94.00 to $85.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Archer-Daniels-Midland presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $100.33. Archer-Daniels-Midland Stock Down 0.1 % Shares of ADM traded down $0.08 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $70.57. 436,768 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,111,616. Archer-Daniels-Midland Company has a fifty-two week low of $69.92 and a fifty-two week high of $98.28. The stocks 50-day moving average is $77.02 and its 200-day moving average is $83.39. The company has a market cap of $38.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.51. Archer-Daniels-Midland (NYSE:ADM Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.38. Archer-Daniels-Midland had a return on equity of 18.39% and a net margin of 4.36%. The company had revenue of $24.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.90 EPS. Archer-Daniels-Midlands revenue for the quarter was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Archer-Daniels-Midland Company will post 6.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Archer-Daniels-Midland Announces Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 17th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 16th. Archer-Daniels-Midlands dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.58%. Archer-Daniels-Midland Company Profile (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. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ADM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM Get Rating). 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. Allego (NYSE:ALLG Get Rating) and Mister Car Wash (NYSE:MCW Get Rating) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, profitability, valuation, institutional ownership and earnings. Profitability This table compares Allego and Mister Car Washs net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get Allego alerts: Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Allego N/A N/A N/A Mister Car Wash 11.16% 13.15% 3.91% Earnings and Valuation This table compares Allego and Mister Car Washs revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Allego $141.10 million 1.04 -$321.11 million N/A N/A Mister Car Wash $883.05 million 2.89 $112.90 million $0.29 28.48 Risk and Volatility Mister Car Wash has higher revenue and earnings than Allego. Allego has a beta of 0.41, meaning that its share price is 59% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Mister Car Wash has a beta of 1.02, meaning that its share price is 2% more volatile than the S&P 500. Analyst Recommendations This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Allego and Mister Car Wash, as reported by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Allego 0 0 2 0 3.00 Mister Car Wash 1 4 0 0 1.80 Allego currently has a consensus target price of $7.10, suggesting a potential upside of 234.91%. Mister Car Wash has a consensus target price of $10.00, suggesting a potential upside of 21.07%. Given Allegos stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Allego is more favorable than Mister Car Wash. Insider & Institutional Ownership 34.2% of Allego shares are owned by institutional investors. 82.7% of Allego shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 71.2% of Mister Car Wash shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term. Summary Mister Car Wash beats Allego on 7 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks. About Allego (Get Rating) Allego N.V. operates as an electric vehicle (EV) charging company. The company offers charging solutions for electric cars, motors, buses, and trucks. It has a charging network with renewable energy and charging solutions for business-to-business customers, including leading retail and auto brands. The company has approximately 28,000 charging ports in Europe. It also provides Allego EV Cloud, a customer payment tool that offers essential services to owned and third-party customers comprising authorization and billing, smart charging and load balancing, analysis, and customer support. The company was founded in 2013 and is based in Arnhem, the Netherlands. About Mister Car Wash (Get Rating) Mister Car Wash, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides conveyorized car wash services in the United States. It offers express exterior and interior cleaning services. As of June 16, 2022, it operated 407 car wash locations in 21 states. The company was formerly known as Hotshine Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to Mister Car Wash, Inc. in March 2021. Mister Car Wash, Inc. was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. Receive News & Ratings for Allego Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Allego and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Gitterman Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Hudson Pacific Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HPP Get Rating) by 15.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 23,397 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after buying an additional 3,188 shares during the quarter. Gitterman Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Hudson Pacific Properties were worth $228,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in shares of Hudson Pacific Properties by 31.9% during the third quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 22,812,665 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $249,799,000 after acquiring an additional 5,516,360 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Hudson Pacific Properties by 0.7% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,183,249 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $615,584,000 after purchasing an additional 160,204 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Hudson Pacific Properties by 12.0% in the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 8,287,870 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $229,988,000 after purchasing an additional 885,181 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Hudson Pacific Properties by 12.3% in the second quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,298,007 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $63,782,000 after purchasing an additional 469,341 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PGGM Investments purchased a new stake in Hudson Pacific Properties in the third quarter worth approximately $40,154,000. Institutional investors own 95.57% of the companys stock. Get Hudson Pacific Properties alerts: Hudson Pacific Properties Stock Performance HPP stock traded down $0.02 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $4.65. The company had a trading volume of 1,100,496 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,299,458. Hudson Pacific Properties, Inc. has a 12-month low of $4.08 and a 12-month high of $20.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $5.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $8.34. Hudson Pacific Properties Dividend Announcement Analysts Set New Price Targets The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 20th were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 21.51%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 17th. Hudson Pacific Propertiess payout ratio is currently -249.99%. Several brokerages recently issued reports on HPP. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Hudson Pacific Properties from $10.00 to $6.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 31st. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Hudson Pacific Properties in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a sell rating on the stock. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Hudson Pacific Properties from $10.00 to $6.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Hudson Pacific Properties from $10.00 to $7.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Hudson Pacific Properties from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hudson Pacific Properties currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $10.46. Insiders Place Their Bets In related news, EVP Arthur X. Suazo purchased 10,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 28th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $5.86 per share, for a total transaction of $58,600.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president now directly owns 87,102 shares in the company, valued at $510,417.72. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Hudson Pacific Properties news, CIO Drew Gordon bought 25,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 27th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $5.96 per share, for a total transaction of $149,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive now owns 116,958 shares of the companys stock, valued at $697,069.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Arthur X. Suazo bought 10,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 28th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $5.86 per share, for a total transaction of $58,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 87,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $510,417.72. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased a total of 38,975 shares of company stock worth $232,523 in the last 90 days. 2.95% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Hudson Pacific Properties Company Profile (Get Rating) Hudson Pacific Properties, Inc is a real estate company, which acquires, repositions, develops, and operates sustainable office and state of-the-art studio properties in high-barrier-to-entry submarkets in California, the Pacific Northwest, Western Canada, and Greater London, United Kingdom. It operates through the Office Properties and Studio Properties segments. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding HPP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Hudson Pacific Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HPP Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Hudson Pacific Properties Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hudson Pacific Properties and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Martingale Asset Management L P lessened its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT Get Rating) by 9.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 342,887 shares of the retailers stock after selling 34,445 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for 0.9% of Martingale Asset Management L Ps portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Martingale Asset Management L Ps holdings in Walmart were worth $48,618,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Avalon Investment & Advisory lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Avalon Investment & Advisory now owns 2,070 shares of the retailers stock worth $294,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Financial Advisory Group lifted its holdings in Walmart by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Financial Advisory Group now owns 6,950 shares of the retailers stock valued at $901,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Transparent Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Transparent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,076 shares of the retailers stock valued at $436,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Elgethun Capital Management lifted its holdings in Walmart by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Elgethun Capital Management now owns 6,045 shares of the retailers stock valued at $784,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kistler Tiffany Companies LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Kistler Tiffany Companies LLC now owns 1,917 shares of the retailers stock valued at $272,000 after buying an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 31.27% of the companys stock. Get Walmart alerts: Walmart Price Performance Walmart stock traded up $0.55 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $147.42. The company had a trading volume of 3,176,285 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,200,334. The company has a market capitalization of $397.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.20, a P/E/G ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.48. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $117.90 and a 12-month high of $154.64. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $149.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $146.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart Walmart ( NYSE:WMT Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 18th. The retailer reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $152.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $147.91 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 1.82% and a return on equity of 21.30%. Walmarts quarterly revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 6.21 EPS for the current year. In other Walmart news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 1,957,377 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.72, for a total value of $275,442,091.44. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 255,973,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,020,593,171.52. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 4,375 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.00, for a total value of $660,625.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 286,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,279,167. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 1,957,377 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.72, for a total transaction of $275,442,091.44. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 255,973,516 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $36,020,593,171.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 18,427,491 shares of company stock worth $2,611,986,386. Insiders own 47.06% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $159.00 to $162.00 in a report on Sunday, May 21st. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $165.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Friday, May 19th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Walmart from $161.00 to $160.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Erste Group Bank reissued a hold rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, March 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $165.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Friday, May 19th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $166.13. 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. Read More 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. M&T Bank Corp boosted its position in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV Get Rating) by 4.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 105,301 shares of the airlines stock after buying an additional 4,434 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corps holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $3,547,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Korea Investment CORP grew its position in Southwest Airlines by 14.5% in the 4th quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 50,764 shares of the airlines stock worth $1,709,000 after purchasing an additional 6,430 shares in the last quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 330,806 shares of the airlines stock valued at $11,196,000 after purchasing an additional 28,088 shares during the last quarter. Concentric Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Concentric Wealth Management LLC now owns 57,845 shares of the airlines stock valued at $1,948,000 after purchasing an additional 1,845 shares during the last quarter. ING Groep NV grew its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 100,952 shares of the airlines stock worth $3,399,000 after acquiring an additional 7,956 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 118.4% in the 4th quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 21,533 shares of the airlines stock worth $725,000 after acquiring an additional 11,675 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.71% of the companys stock. Get Southwest Airlines alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth LUV has been the topic of a number of research reports. Redburn Partners lowered shares of Southwest Airlines from a buy rating to a neutral rating and set a $40.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, February 8th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Melius downgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and set a $39.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, February 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $64.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays cut shares of Southwest Airlines from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and reduced their target price for the company from $42.00 to $38.00 in a report on Friday, March 10th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Southwest Airlines currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $44.71. Insider Activity at Southwest Airlines Southwest Airlines Stock Performance In related news, EVP Ryan C. Green sold 4,936 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.94, for a total transaction of $147,783.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,361 shares of the companys stock, valued at $789,248.34. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink . 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Shares of NYSE LUV opened at $29.87 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $30.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $33.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market cap of $17.77 billion, a PE ratio of 29.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.14. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 1 year low of $28.40 and a 1 year high of $46.46. Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 27th. The airline reported ($0.27) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of ($0.21) by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $5.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.73 billion. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 6.99% and a net margin of 2.65%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 21.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.32) earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 2.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 20th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.41%. Southwest Airliness payout ratio is 72.00%. Southwest Airlines Company Profile (Get Rating) Southwest Airlines Co engages in the operation and management of a passenger airline. The firm also offers ancillary services such as early bird check-in, upgraded boarding, and transportation of pets and unaccompanied minors. It operates in the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Mexico, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Aruba, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Belize, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and Turks and Caicos. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Southwest Airlines Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Southwest Airlines and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. WebSafety Inc. (OTCMKTS:WBSI Get Rating) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $0.18 and traded as high as $0.23. WebSafety shares last traded at $0.23, with a volume of 20,485 shares trading hands. WebSafety Stock Performance The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $0.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $0.18. About WebSafety (Get Rating) WebSafety Inc, a software company, develops mobile apps for Android and iOS mobile operating systems. The company's WebSafety app allows parents to monitor their children's mobile device activities that include downloaded apps, websites visited, social media, GPS tracking, and curfew blocking. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for WebSafety Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for WebSafety and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. As per the NCERT, the decision has been taken to reduce the content load on students in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo: ANI) NEW DELHI: In a bid to reduce the burden on students, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has dropped the full chapter on Periodic Classification of Elements, a full chapter on Democracy and Diversity, a full chapter on Challenges to Democracy, and a full page on Political Parties from the newly released textbooks of Class 10 students. As per the NCERT, the decision has been taken to reduce the content load on students in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. Complete chapters on these above subjects now stand deleted as a part of a "rationalisation" meant to reduce the "burden on students". Among the topics dropped from the science textbook is also the chapter on environmental sustainability and sources of energy. According to the NCERT website, "The National Education Policy 2020, also emphasises reducing the content load and providing opportunities for experiential learning with a creative mindset. In this background, NCERT has undertaken the exercise to rationalise the textbooks across all classes. Learning Outcomes already developed by the NCERT across classes have been taken into consideration in this exercise." "Contents of the textbooks have been rationalised in view of the Overlapping with similar content included in other subject areas in the same class, Similar content included in the lower or higher class in the same subject, Difficulty level, Content, which is easily accessible to students without much interventions from teachers and can be learned through children through self-learning or peer-learning, Content, which is irrelevant in the present context," NCERT said. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has called for grand celebrations of the event across the state for 21 days, till June 22. He will kick off the celebrations with a public address in the morning. (File image: DC) Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao will launch Telangana's 10th Formation Day celebrations at the Secretariat on Thursday morning, after paying homage to those who died in the statehood struggle and unfurling the National Flag at the Secretariat. The Chief Minister has called for grand celebrations of the event across the state for 21 days, till June 22. He will kick off the celebrations with a public address in the morning. The BRS government and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao will also complete nine years in office on Thursday. With this, Chandrashekar Rao will become the longest-serving Chief Minister of a Telugu state, occupying the top post uninterruptedly for nine years across two successive terms. The previous record was held by N. Chandrababu Naidu, who served as Chief Minister of then-undivided Andhra Pradesh for eight years and 256 days, from September 1, 1995, to May 14, 2004. Late Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy held the post for five years and 111 days, across two terms, from May 14, 2004, to September 2, 2009, till his death in a helicopter crash. According to the itinerary shared for the statehood celebrations for the first week, June 3 will be celebrated as Telangana Farmers Day. Farmers meetings will be held at Rythu Vedikas in villages. Officials said that flexis and posters will be put up to explain the achievements of the BRS government in the agricultural sector, including free electricity, Rythu Bandhu and Rythu Bima. June 4 will be celebrated as Safety Day, with programmes planned on the day to explain the efforts, friendly approach and efficient services of the police to maintain law and order in the state. In Hyderabad, patrol cars will take part in a Blue Ccolts rally at P.V.N.R Marg (Necklace Road) All those under the jurisdiction of Hyderabad, Rachakonda and Cyberabad police commissionerates will take part in the event, with police bands holding demonstrations in front of the 125-foot Ambedkar statue. June 5 will be celebrated as Telangana Electricity Victory Day. At the constituency level, a meeting will be held with farmers, consumers, electricity employees, public representatives and at least 1,000 people, to explain the qualitative change achieved in the power sector. June 6 will be celebrated as the Telangana Industrial Growth Festival, with meetings set to be held in industrial and IT corridors to explain the progress achieved in the industrial sector. The details of investments in the state and the increased employment opportunities will be explained, said officials. A meeting of aspiring entrepreneurs will also be organised at T-Hub and We-Hub. June 7 will be celebrated as Irrigation Day, with the government preparing a documentary on the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project for screening across constituency centres. June 8 will see festivities at water bodies in every village, while June 9 will be observed as the Telangana Welfare Day, with constituency-level meetings planned with at least 1,000 Aasara Pension and Kalyana Lakshmi beneficiaries. A meeting will be held at Ravindra Bharathi, explaining the way Telangana achieved the golden age in welfare, officials said. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi speaks during an interactive session at Stanford University, in California, USA. (PTI Photo) Stanford (California): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said that he did not imagine his disqualification from Lok Sabha was possible when he joined politics but asserted that it has given him a "huge opportunity" to serve the people. Gandhi, who is in the US for a three-city US tour, made the remarks on Wednesday night in response to a series of questions from Indian students at the prestigious Stanford University Campus in California. The Wayanad (Kerala) Member of Parliament was disqualified from Lok Sabha earlier this year after he was convicted by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remark. In his remarks, Gandhi said that when he joined politics in 2000, he never imagined this is what he would go through. What he sees is going on now is way outside anything that he had thought when he joined politics. Referring to his disqualification from Lok Sabha as a Member of Parliament, Gandhi, 52, said he didn't imagine that something like this was possible. "But then I think it's actually given me a huge opportunity. Probably much bigger than the opportunity I would have. That's just the way politics works, he said. "I think the drama started really, about six months ago. We were struggling. The entire opposition is struggling in India. Huge financial dominance. Institutional capture. We're struggling to fight the democratic fight in our country, he said, adding that at this point in time, he decided to go for the Bharat Jodo Yatra'. "I am very clear, our fight is ours fight, he said. But there is a group of young students from India here. I want to have a relationship with them and want to talk to them. It's my right to do it, he said during his interaction with Indian students and academicians of Indian origin at the University here. He also emphasised in his frequent foreign trips like this, he is not seeking support from anybody. "I don't understand why the prime minister doesn't come here and do it, Gandhi asked amidst applause from the audience who had packed the entire auditorium at Stanford. The moderator said that the Prime Minister is welcome to come to Stanford anytime and interact with the students and academicians. Some of the students were denied entry as the auditorium was packed. Students started queuing up two hours before the event started. In the last one and a half years, several Indian ministers have interacted with Indian students. The iconic University College of Arts and Social Sciences, popularly called Arts College, on the Osmania University campus witnessed a spectrum of events unfolding before it all for the sake of separate Telangana. (DC File Image) HYDERABAD: Similar to the earlier phases of the Telangana movement, the students, especially from Osmania University, played a crucial role in its last phase which began late in 2009. The iconic University College of Arts and Social Sciences, popularly called Arts College, on the Osmania University campus witnessed a spectrum of events unfolding before itfrom silent student marches to brutal police crackdowns on peaceful protests by students from hunger strikes against injustices to massive celebrations that started after the Centre announced the process of forming Telangana all for the sake of separate Telangana. When the Supreme Court declared Hyderabad as a free zone for recruitment of police jobs in October 2009, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K. Chandrashekar Rao decided to protest against the free zone order. Accordingly, KCR launched his indefinite fast on November 29 opposing the decision to declare Hyderabad a free zone and urging the Central government to declare the formation of a separate Telangana state. On the intervening night of November 27 and 28, over a thousand students of Osmania University gathered in front of the Arts College, demanding the UPA government declare the formation of Telangana state. The universitys first semester exams had just begun. The students were ready to sacrifice their academic year for the greater cause of Telangana and had declared their support to the TRS president who was to begin his fast unto death the next day for Telangana. However, when media reports came in that KCR ended his fast on the third day, the OU campus witnessed protests denouncing KCRs move to end his fast. The OU students JAC, which was already formed in November 2009 for spearheading the Telangana movement, came down heavily on the TRS chief and announced that they would continue their protest demanding Telangana be granted statehood at the earliest. According to Mohammad Saleem Pasha, one of the founding members of OU Students Joint Action Committee (OUJAC), about 13 student unions came forward to form OUJAC to spearhead the movement urging the Union government to abolish the free zone status to Hyderabad and accordingly grant statehood for Telangana. OUJAC organised a massive rally on November 29 in support of KCRs hunger strike. However, the rally was stopped and students were brutally chased and beaten by the central forces which were already stationed on the university campus in the run up to the anti-free zone protest. The police crackdown and subsequent ending of fast by KCR angered the student community and the agitation got more vigorous and violent in the campus, says Saleem, who was a student of Nizam College and an inmate of E-2 hostel on OU campus. Hostel messes were closed and student leaders were picked up from the hostel rooms and were taken to different police stations further angering the student community. It was the student community that carried out a sustained-protest on the university campus, Saleem adds. The campus erupted in celebration on midnight of December 8-9, when Home Minister P. Chidambaram announced the process to form Telangana. However, the delight of students was short-lived with Chidambarams second announcement on December 23 that the Centre would consult all stakeholders on the Telangana issue. Students in thousands assembled at the Arts College and at least a dozen students began fast unto death the next day. Massive tents were erected in front of Arts College and leaders from all political parties would line up to extend their solidarity with the protesting students. Dozens of students would take up a relay hunger stir in support of students who were on an indefinite hunger stir which went on for eight days before police removed tents and shifted fasting students to various hospitals in Vidyanagar after the midnight crackdown. On every major development, the inmates of the 13-odd hostels on the OU campus then would rush to TV halls for evening bulletins to catch up with the latest developments on the Telangana statehood issue. The Vidyarthi Maha Garjana on January 5, 2010, organised OUJAC saw close to two lakh students converging on the OU campus from across the state. The success of the event encouraged students across the universities in Telangana region to take up agitations more vigorously. Professionals, and employees unions too supported the students. After the success of the Vidyyarthi Garjana, two teams of OUJAC leaders set on padayatra- one toured north Telangana, the other covered south Telangana district to mobilise support for the statehood movement. Student suicides on the campus also caused commotion and the statehood movement further got intensified. The first such incident took place on January 19, 2010 when a student K. Venugopal Reddy, an off-campus student, was found dead near Tagore Auditorium who took the extreme step as he was depressed over the delay in Telangana state formation. With the students death, the campus was on the boil again. While the students were planning a massive rally with the student body, police denied the same which eventually led to the firing of teargas shells and then a lathi charge on students. Another major event that sent shockwaves across the Telangana region and flared up emotions was the brutal crackdown on students on February 14, 2010. Police chased students of B-Hostel to their rooms. When students locked themselves inside hostel rooms, the police broke windows and fired tear gas shells inside hostel rooms. Dozens of students were injured and were shifted to DD Hospital in Vidyanagar post midnight. As if this was not enough, the very next day, the police attacked media personnel who were on the campus to cover the developments. The equipment of the TV crew was damaged and the scribes were mercilessly beaten near the State Bank of Hyderabad branch on the campus. Scores of journalists sat on protest on the campus seeking action against cops for attacking journalists. OU campus remained an epicentre of the statehood movement till the AP Bifurcation Bill was cleared by the Parliament. Lawyers, teachers, and employees would visit the campus and extend solidarity with students who stayed put under tents in front of Arts College to keep the statehood movement going until it was realised in early 2014. Prof Kodandaram, who headed JAC, which was formed after the Centres announcement on January 23, 2010, delaying the process of Telangana, told Deccan Chronicle that the role of Osmania University students in the Telangana movement is very crucial. Students kept the movement sustained and going despite facing severe hardships. It was their struggle that gave tense moments to both the AP government and the Centre and forced them to take a call on Telangana positively. The governments were under tremendous pressure to take a call in favour of Telangana, he adds, citing deliberation that took place during a meeting of all party leaders with then chief minister K. Rosaiah. However, the retired professor, who played an instrumental role in unifying different political and social organizations for Telangana cause, laments that the aspiration for which Telangana was formed still eludes. This government is going contrary to the values and ideas that were enshrined in the movement. The objectives of the Telangana struggle are irrelevant to the KCR government. The government is no longer interested in them. They feel there is no point in talking about them. That is the reason why they have even given up the name Telangana and renamed TRS to BRS, said the academician, who is now president of Telangana Jana Samithi. "OU students kept the movement sustained and going despite facing several hardships. It was their struggle that gave tense moments to both the AP government and the Centre and forced them to take a call on Telangana positively. The governments were under tremendous pressure." - Prof Kodandaram, TJS president Union minister for culture, Kishan Reddy will unfurl the National Flag at 7 am, followed by a parade by contingents of Central forces. (File photo: DC) Hyderabad: The Telangana Formation Day celebrations to be held at Golconda fort on Friday, being organised by the Central government, will see the attendance of a wide section of people who played an active role in the struggle for statehood, Union minister for culture G. Kishan Reddy has said. Speaking to mediapersons after inspecting the preparations at the fort, Reddy said Telangana was made possible not just by one person or a small group of people but with the involvement of every section of the society in the state. "The BJP played a key role and was the only national party to join the political joint action committee (JAC) and was also at the forefront of various agitations and stood solidly with the people of the state at every step of the way, including ensuring the passage of the Bill in Parliament that made statehood possible," he said. Kishan Reddy will unfurl the National Flag at 7 am, followed by a parade by contingents of Central forces. In addition to cultural programmes by well-known artistes at the fort and competitions for school children, there will also be two photo exhibitions, one depicting the work done by Prime Minister Narendra Modis government in the country over the past nine years, and another showcasing BJPs role in the statehood movement, he said. Last year, the Central government celebrated Telangana Formation Day in Delhi and this year, it is doing so in Hyderabad at Golconda fort," he said. Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy. (Image: Twitter) KURNOOL: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy disbursed financial assistance to farmers for the fifth consecutive year under YSR Rythu Bharosa-PM Kisan at an event held in Pattikonda on Thursday. With the press of a button, the Chief Minister distributed Rs 3,923.21 crore as the first tranche of this year to 52,30,939 farmers. With this, he said, each farmer receives Rs 5,500 directly into his bank accounts from the government. Another Rs 2,000 from the Centre as part of the PM Kisan Yojana was also disbursed to the beneficiary farmers across the state. The Chief Minister said," We have distributed Rs 61,500 to each farmer till now." With the present distribution of Rs 3,923 crore under Rythu Bharosa, the state government has disbursed Rs 30,985 crore to farmers in the last four years. "By comparison, the previous TD government, which had promised to waive Rs 87,000 crore of crop loans in 2014, paid only Rs 15,000 crore to them, betraying the mandate of the farmers, he said. Jagan Mohan Reddy said the YSRC government has distributed more than what was assured to the people by him during the 2019 elections. A financial assistance of Rs 12,500 per year for four years had been promised in the YSRC manifesto for the farmers in 2019. "However, this government has extended the scheme for its full five years, the extended assistance coming to Rs 13,500 every year," he stated. The Chief Minister said the TD government had procured 2.65 crore tonne of paddy from the farmers in its five years. By contrast, the YSRC government completed procurement of 3.09 crore tonne till now in a the past four years. "We are going to establish 11 district-level seed and soil testing laboratories attached to Rythu Bharosa Kendras," he said. "We are going to deposit insurance support to the farmers in July or August this year marking the birth anniversary of former chief minister late Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy," he said and assured the farmers that farm equipment worth of Rs 1,052 crore would be available for farmers at the RBKs with a 10 per cent beneficiary contribution, 40 per cent subsidy and 50 per cent of bank loan component. He said the government is converting Gram Sachivalayam offices in villages into sub-registrar offices for transactions at the doorsteps of villagers. "Farmers have benefited hugely in the dairy sector after the entry of Amul brand in the state. Amul has increased milk procurement price by Rs 10-17 per litre. As a result, the private dairies such as Heritage had to increase the milk purchasing price. Farmers relying on the dairy sector have gained significantly," he said. The Chief Minister described the TDs latest election manifesto as a "kichadi of imitative stuff copied from other manifestos," while the YSRC manifesto took birth from the hearts of the people." "The TD manifesto was born in Karnataka, like the bisi bele bath," he said in jest. Jagan Mohan Reddy mentioned some stories from Indian mythology, saying the TDs Mahanadu resembled episodes of Puthana in Bhagavad Gita, and Ravana and Mareecha in Ramayana, for "attracting the innocents" and said, "Chandrababu is a mixture of all these evil characters." He said Chandrababu Naidu backstabbed NTR when he was alive and now the TD is claiming him as a Yuga Purush, Rama and Krishna. "The opposition leader has no regard to truth, honesty and credibility and he doesnt even have candidates for all 175 constituencies." Jagan Mohan Reddy said the 2024 polls would be like a Kurukshetra battle in the Mahabharatha epic and there will be an ideological clash between the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of the YSRC government and DPT (Dochuko, Panchuko, Tinuko) policy of the Telugu Desam. He urged the people to make a wise choice in the upcoming polls. Finance minister Buggana Rajendranath, agriculture minister Kakani Govardhan, local MLA K. Sridevi, MLCs Gangula Prabhakar, Ishaq Basha, legislators Rambhupal Reddy, Hafeez Khan, Chennakesava Reddy, Arthur, Sudhakar and district collector Srijana, SPs Raghuveera Reddy and G. Krishnakanth were present. It's a known fact that compared to Google Play, Apple App Store has been more lucrative for app developers. However, not many know how big and wide the gap has grown over the years. In the latest report, the app developers made a whopping $1.1 trillion worth of business in terms of billings and sales on apple App Store. That's more than the annual Gross Domestic Product(GDP) of several countries around the world. There is a notion among commoners that Apple charges a premium of 30 per cent cut on every in-app purchase. However, in recent years, particularly during the Covid-19 outbreak-induced lockdown, Apple in a bid to support small and medium-sized app developer companies (with less than $1 million/year revenue), reduced the gate-keeping charge by 50 per cent. Add to that, Apple offers local payment options around the world. Currently, it supports more than 195 local payment methods and 44 currencies across 175 storefronts. Not just that, App Store allows developers to expand their reach beyond their nation's borders and help them become global brands. Thanks to such thoughtful initiatives, Apple App Store ecosystem is thriving better than ever before and registering a healthy 29 per cent growth. The independent study conducted by economists from Analysis Group says more than 90 per cent of the total revenue ($1.1 trillion) from sales and billings directly went to app developers, with no commission to Apple. Apple App Store statistics. Credit: Apple Weve never been more hopeful about or more inspired by the incredible community of developers around the world. As this report shows, the App Store is a vibrant, innovative marketplace where opportunity thrives, and were as committed as ever to investing in developers success and the app economys future, said Tim Cook, Apples CEO. The report also revealed that sectors such as travel and ride-hailing, rebound stronger and also there was good growth in advertising spend in apps like social media and retail apps. As App Store turns 15, Apple shared interesting statistics about its strong growth over the years since its inception in 2008. Apple App Store now houses more than 1.8 million apps, 123 times more than when it started operation. And, iOS users have downloaded apps more than 370 billion times from 2008 to 2022. Must read | WWDC 2023: Indore girl gets top honors at Apple Swift coding challenge Get the latest news on new launches, gadget reviews, apps, cybersecurity, and more on personal technology only on DH Tech. Taiwan and the United States will sign the first deal under a new trade talks framework on Thursday, both governments said, boosting ties between the two at a time of heightened tensions with China over the democratically-governed island. Taiwan and the United States started talks under what is called the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade last August, after Washington excluded Taiwan from its larger pan-Asian trade initiative, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. Taiwan's Office of Trade Negotiations said in a brief statement the first agreement under the framework would be signed in Washington on Thursday morning U.S. time, but gave no other details. Also Read | Taiwan excluded from WHO annual assembly following Chinese opposition The US Trade Representative's office said Deputy United States Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi would attend the event, but also did not elaborate. Last month, the two sides reached agreement on the first part of their trade initiative, covering customs and border procedures, regulatory practices, and small business. After the initial agreement is signed, negotiations will start on other, more complicated trade areas including agriculture, digital trade, labour and environmental standards, state-owned enterprises, and non-market policies and practices, the USTR has previously said. The pact is not expected to alter goods tariffs, but proponents say it will strengthen economic bonds between the United States and Taiwan, open the island to more U.S. exports, and increase Taiwan's ability to resist economic coercion from China. Beijing has denounced the trade talks as it does with all forms of high level engagement between Taiwan, which it claims as its own territory, and the United States. Taiwan strongly rejects China's sovereignty claims, which Beijing has been trying to push on Taipei through repeated military activities including war games around the island. The Centre on Thursday announced a slew of measures including investigation by a CBI special team and a Judicial Inquiry Commission in order to restore peace and bridge distrust in Manipur, which has been in turmoil since May 3. Home Minister Amit Shah, who was camping in Manipur since Monday evening, told reporters at Imphal on Thursday that the CBI team would take over six cases related to the riot while the Judicial Inquiry Commission headed by a retired High Court judge would probe into the genesis of the violence and identify those behind the possible conspiracy that pushed the Northeastern state into a turmoil. Also Read 3 cops injured in gunfight with alleged Kuki militants Shah reached Manipur on Monday evening and held meetings with leaders of at least 22 Meitei and 25 Kuki organisations, 11 political parties and others, both in the Valley and in the Hills, as part of the Centre's efforts to restore peace. The Home Minister further announced that a peace committee headed by Manipur Governor, Anusuiya Uikey, meanwhile, will talk to all stakeholders to restore peace. "The peace committee will have representatives from the field of industry, sports, politics and others. They will visit various parts of the state and will continue to hold talks with all stakeholders for restoring peace," Shah said. The Home Minister said that it was also decided to constitute an Inter-Agency Unified Command to be headed by Kuldip Singh, retired DG of CRPF, for better co-ordination among the security forces including the Army and Assam Rifles. Singh was rushed to Manipur on May 5 as the Centre's security adviser to the Manipur government. The Manipur government on Thursday removed Director General of police, P Doungel, a Kuki, and appointed IPS officer Rajiv Singh as the new chief of the state police. Doungel was appointed as Officer on Special Duty (Home), a newly created post. The riot involving the Meitei and Kuki community since May 3 have killed at least 75 persons and resulted in the displacement of over 35,000 others. Over 2,000 houses have been burnt down. The Army and other paramilitary forces, called in on May 3, controlled the riot but sporadic incidents of firing and house burning have remained a concern for nearly a month now. Incidents of firing and house burning were reported even during Shah's visit to the state. "Peace came back to Manipur due to our hard work in the past six years and the process of development started. But violence broke out due misunderstanding over a judgement of the High Court," he said. Violence broke out on May 3 after a protest march organised by the tribals (mainly Kukis), opposing an order of Manipur High Court that asked the BJP government in the state to submit a proposal to the Centre for ST status to the majority Meitei community. Relief and restoration Shah said a special package for relief and rehabilitation will also be announced on Friday. An ex-gratia of Rs. 10 lakh (Rs. five lakh each from the Centre and Manipur government) will also be given to the kin of those killed in the ongoing violence. "A total of 30,000 metric tons of food grains has been allotted for the next two months and the distribution will soon start. LPG, petroleum products and other essential items are being sent to Manipur for uninterrupted supply of essential commodities," he said. Warning to militants Shah also warned that the Centre would be compelled to end the Suspension of Operation agreement with the Kuki insurgent groups if they violated the ground rules of such agreement. Shah said biometrics of all people coming from neighbouring countries (mainly Myanmar) will be collected while the survey for fencing of the India-Myanmar border will be taken up. "We have already completed fencing of 10 km borders while a tender has been issued for fencing of another 80 km. Survey for such fencing in the remaining stretch will also be carried out soon," he said. Manipur shares about 400 km of border with Myanmar. "Illegal migration" from Myanmar has been a concern in the state, mainly by the Meiteis. A khap 'mahapanchayat' to discuss the ongoing protest by wrestlers against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh started in Soram village here on Thursday, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leaders said. The 'mahapanchayat' was called by BKU leader Naresh Tikait on Wednesday, a day after he and other farmer leaders managed to dissuade some of India's top wrestlers from throwing their medals in the Ganga river to protest police inaction against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief in two cases of sexual harassment. Also read | Wrestlers' protest: Security tightened at Delhi borders ahead of demonstrations called by farmers Tikait is the head of Balyan khap. The 'mahapanchayat' is being attended by khap leaders from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi. The 'mahapanchayat' will pass a resolution at the end of the meeting. It is likely to be passed by the evening after the khap leaders from all states have expressed their views on the issue, a BKU leader said. On Tuesday, Olympic medallists Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, and Asian Games gold medallist Vinesh Phogat went to Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar along with their supporters to throw their medals in the Ganga. However, they relented after khap and farmer leaders sought five days' time to address their grievances. The Delhi Police has filed two FIRs against Singh. While the first FIR relates to allegations by a minor wrestler and has been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the second is related to outraging modesty. Singh, who has repeatedly denied all charges against him, said on Wednesday that he would hang himself if a single allegation is proved against him. He is scheduled to hold a press conference later on Thursday in Gonda district to highlight the achievements of nine years of the Modi government. The Health Ministrys move, in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, to develop 100 food streets in 100 districts of the country is a welcome initiative intended to encourage healthy food habits and make affordable food accessible to large numbers of people. Street food is a major part of the food business in India and plays a great role in preserving the countrys diverse food traditions and local tastes. Street food is popular mainly because it is easily available in quick time and at affordable prices. These should be the guiding ideas of the proposed food streets. There will be a clear emphasis on cleanliness and hygiene which are not the top positive points of street food. Food streets already exist in many cities but the new proposal envisages the setting up of more of them with clear guidelines about their nature and functioning. The government has said that the practices to be followed on the food streets will promote the eat right campaign and improve the hygiene credibility of local food businesses, boost local employment, tourism and economy and lead to a cleaner and greener environment. Also Read | Serving hope on a platter: Congress to restore Indira Canteens This is intended as a pilot project to set an example for other food streets. The government will provide financial assistance of Rs 1 crore for each food street and the initiative will be supported by technical assistance from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The assistance will be given under the National Health Mission with the condition that standard branding of these food markets will be done in accordance with FSSAI guidelines. The project is expected to help reduce the incidence of food-borne diseases and improve overall health outcomes. The FSSAI has estimated that there are about 20 lakh street food vendors in the country. The street food map is changing with more food trucks coming on the scene, which is still dominated by food carts. Food trucks have greater mobility, more space and more items on the menu than carts. They can be more hygienic. The cart needs lower investment and the food may be less expensive. While the food street and the food trucks are promoted, it is necessary to help the street vendors to improve their quality and standards, mainly in terms of cleanliness and hygiene and waste disposal. The livelihood of lakhs of families depends on them and so they should not be pushed out of the streets. Food streets should be considered as another expression of the countrys food culture, and should add to its diversity, like the countrys diverse tastes and food traditions. All eyes are set on the State Cabinet meeting on Friday where a decision will be taken on implementing the five guarantees promised by the ruling Congress during the Assembly elections in May. The Congress had said that it will implement these schemes if its government is formed in Karnataka. The party stormed into the Vidhana Soudha by winning 135 out of 224 seats winning an absolute majority. Now it is the Congress's turn to fulfill its promises after the people reposed their faith in it. Also Read | Congress will stand with those who strengthened us: D K Shivakumar The five guarantees promised are 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), Rs 3,000 every month for unemployed graduate youth and Rs 1,500 for unemployed diploma holders (both in the age group of 18-25) for two years (YuvaNidhi), and free travel for women in public transport buses (Shakti). The Congress government has estimated that the implementation of these schemes may cost about Rs 50,000 crore. "We have announced five guarantees. We discussed them elaborately yesterday. Tomorrow we will take a decision. We have assured that we will give 10 kg rice. There is no second thought about implementing it but I will explain to you after the Cabinet decision," Food and Civil Supplies Minister K H Muniyappa told reporters on Thursday. Explaining further, he said, "We will implement the guarantees we have promised in a phased manner." With regard to the Anna Bhagya scheme, he said the state government will ask the Centre and the Food Corporation of India to provide rice to Karnataka. "In case, they (Centre and the FCI) refuse, we on our own will procure rice through tender or though organisations and distribute it to the beneficiaries, Muniyappa said. D During elections, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi had said these schemes will be implemented on the day the government took over. However, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah after assuming power on May 20 said the government has agreed in principle to implement the guarantees and sought time till the next cabinet meeting. "We have given approval in principle. We will get details, discuss, financial implications will be looked into and then we will do it for sure. Whatever the financial implications may be, we will fulfill these five guarantee schemes," Siddaramaiah told reporters after the first Cabinet meeting. When asked when it will be implemented, he said, "Most likely it will be implemented after the next cabinet meeting," and added, "Already cabinet decision has been taken. We need to work out details such as its financial implications." When asked why these aspects were not looked at before making the promises, the chief minister underlined, "The promises have been agreed upon. We will not go back." Also Read | Serving hope on a platter: Congress to restore Indira Canteens Siddaramaiah said spending Rs 50,000 crore on these guarantees will not be a burden for the state, whose budget is about Rs three lakh crore annually. The opposition BJP is also waiting with bated breath to see how the Congress implements these guarantees, which according to them, will push the state towards financial bankruptcy. The BJP has alleged that the government has no intention to implement the guarantees and had made false promises to come to power. "They said they will implement it on the day they assume power but they could not do it. The delay has proved that the Congress is a party of cheats," BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel said. According to some Congress leaders, there will be some conditions attached to these schemes. The Gruha Lakshmi promising Rs 2,000 to the women head of the families is meant for those who are Below Poverty Line. Even the Anna Bhagya scheme providing 10 kg food grains is for BPL families. Even Gruha Jyothi scheme offering 200 units of free power is for the economically weaker sections, they said. Regarding Shakti scheme, Congress leaders said there will be no conditions attached but it will specify in which buses women can travel free of cost. An estimate prepared by the BMTC shows that its operational cost itself is over Rs 12,000 crore whereas its revenues are just over Rs 9,000 crore. Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK Get Rating) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,640,000 shares, an increase of 6.2% from the April 30th total of 4,370,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,720,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.7 days. Insider Activity In related news, Director J Kenneth Thompson sold 3,500 shares of the firms 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 owns 29,907 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,452,882.06. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the companys stock. Get Alaska Air Group alerts: Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alaska Air Group Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 6.3% in the first quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 38,417 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $1,612,000 after purchasing an additional 2,261 shares during the period. American Trust grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 8.7% during the first quarter. American Trust now owns 8,455 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $355,000 after buying an additional 678 shares during the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 1.8% during the first quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 119,857 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $5,029,000 after buying an additional 2,118 shares during the last quarter. Impala Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the first quarter worth about $2,098,000. Finally, Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 1.6% in the first quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 74,112 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $3,110,000 after buying an additional 1,160 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.04% of the companys stock. Alaska Air Group Price Performance Alaska Air Group stock opened at $44.93 on Thursday. Alaska Air Group has a 12 month low of $37.19 and a 12 month high of $53.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $42.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $45.41. The company has a market cap of $5.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 97.67, a PEG ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.51. Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 20th. The transportation company reported ($0.62) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.48) by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $2.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.19 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 0.58% and a return on equity of 17.03%. Alaska Air Groups revenue for the quarter was up 30.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($1.33) EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group will post 6.3 EPS for the current year. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several research analysts have commented on the company. Raymond James raised Alaska Air Group from an outperform rating to a strong-buy rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $60.00 to $68.00 in a report on Monday, April 3rd. StockNews.com began coverage on Alaska Air Group in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Alaska Air Group from $71.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Monday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $91.00 to $70.00 in a report on Monday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays raised Alaska Air Group from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $54.00 to $62.00 in a report on Friday, March 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $63.86. 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. Further Reading 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. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in Vornado Realty Trust (NYSE:VNO Get Rating) by 23.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 153,947 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after acquiring an additional 29,218 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 0.08% of Vornado Realty Trust worth $3,204,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vornado Realty Trust by 1.0% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 27,358,232 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $633,617,000 after buying an additional 282,152 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vornado Realty Trust by 3.3% in the third quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 16,910,236 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $391,641,000 after buying an additional 540,856 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Vornado Realty Trust by 5.6% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 14,749,324 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $341,594,000 after buying an additional 776,978 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of Vornado Realty Trust by 22.4% in the second quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,868,704 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $139,196,000 after buying an additional 891,435 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Vornado Realty Trust by 6.4% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,233,871 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $51,736,000 after buying an additional 134,092 shares in the last quarter. 75.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Vornado Realty Trust alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Vornado Realty Trust from a market perform rating to an underperform rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $26.00 to $18.00 in a research report on Friday, March 3rd. StockNews.com began coverage on Vornado Realty Trust in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a sell rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Vornado Realty Trust from $18.00 to $13.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 31st. TheStreet cut Vornado Realty Trust from a c- rating to a d+ rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 15th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut Vornado Realty Trust from a neutral rating to an underweight rating and cut their target price for the company from $16.00 to $11.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vornado Realty Trust presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $18.00. Vornado Realty Trust Stock Down 1.3 % Vornado Realty Trust stock opened at $13.56 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $14.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $19.14. The company has a quick ratio of 4.75, a current ratio of 4.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The firm has a market cap of $2.60 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.37. Vornado Realty Trust has a twelve month low of $12.31 and a twelve month high of $35.27. Vornado Realty Trust (NYSE:VNO Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.62 by ($0.61). Vornado Realty Trust had a positive return on equity of 2.51% and a negative net margin of 20.39%. The company had revenue of $445.92 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $452.70 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.79 EPS. The firms quarterly revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Vornado Realty Trust will post 2.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Vornado Realty Trust announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, April 26th that authorizes the company to buyback $200.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the real estate investment trust to repurchase up to 7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the companys board believes its shares are undervalued. Insider Activity In other Vornado Realty Trust news, Director Russell B. Wight, Jr. acquired 5,341 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $11.30 per share, for a total transaction of $60,353.30. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 12,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $135,600. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Russell B. Wight, Jr. bought 16,000 shares of Vornado Realty Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $11.21 per share, for a total transaction of $179,360.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 7,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $78,470. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Russell B. Wight, Jr. bought 5,341 shares of Vornado Realty Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $11.30 per share, with a total value of $60,353.30. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 12,000 shares in the company, valued at $135,600. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders acquired 25,341 shares of company stock worth $285,033. Insiders own 8.03% of the companys stock. Vornado Realty Trust Company Profile (Get Rating) Vornado Realty Trust is a real estate investment trust, which engages in the ownership of office, retail, merchandise mart properties, and other real estate and related investments. It operates through the New York and Other segments. The company was founded by Steven Roth on March 29, 1993 and is headquartered in New York, NY. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VNO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Vornado Realty Trust (NYSE:VNO Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Vornado Realty Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Vornado Realty Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. REV Group (NYSE:REVG Get Rating) is scheduled to announce its earnings results before the market opens on Thursday, June 8th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $0.17 per share for the quarter. REV Group has set its FY 2023 guidance at EPS.Investors that are interested in participating in the companys conference call can do so using this link. REV Group (NYSE:REVG Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 8th. The company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.06. REV Group had a net margin of 0.10% and a return on equity of 8.49%. The business had revenue of $583.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $504.73 million. On average, analysts expect REV Group to post $1 EPS for the current fiscal year and $1 EPS for the next fiscal year. Get REV Group alerts: REV Group Stock Performance Shares of REVG stock opened at $10.14 on Thursday. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $10.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.22. REV Group has a 52 week low of $9.50 and a 52 week high of $16.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company has a market cap of $602.92 million, a PE ratio of 253.56 and a beta of 1.91. REV Group Dividend Announcement Institutional Inflows and Outflows The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 31st were paid a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.97%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 30th. REV Groups dividend payout ratio is presently 500.13%. Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in REVG. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in REV Group by 4,975.0% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 519,936 shares of the companys stock worth $6,562,000 after acquiring an additional 509,691 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of REV Group by 10.9% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,177,194 shares of the companys stock valued at $29,176,000 after buying an additional 214,781 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of REV Group by 32.8% in the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 791,875 shares of the companys stock valued at $10,645,000 after buying an additional 195,632 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of REV Group by 563.6% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 222,300 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,979,000 after buying an additional 188,800 shares during the period. Finally, BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of REV Group by 9.1% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 2,222,050 shares of the companys stock valued at $29,776,000 after buying an additional 186,146 shares during the period. 98.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several research firms recently issued reports on REVG. Robert W. Baird raised shares of REV Group from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and set a $16.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 6th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of REV Group in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a strong-buy rating on the stock. Credit Suisse Group lifted their price target on shares of REV Group from $9.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock an underperform rating in a research note on Thursday, March 9th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of REV Group from $12.00 to $13.50 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, March 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $13.17. About REV Group (Get Rating) REV Group, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the design, manufacture, and distribution of specialty vehicles and related aftermarket parts and services. The company sells its products to municipalities, government agencies, private contractors, and industrial and commercial end users. It operates through the following segments: Fire and Emergency, Commercial, and Recreation. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for REV Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for REV Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Sandys African Food Hub (SAFH)- the first African food restaurant in Derry and the Northwest- has opened its doors in the city. Situated on Bonds street, the restaurant and takeaway is an innovative food service located in the heart of Derry. SAFH offers customers a unique culinary experience centered around home-grown African vegetables, herbs, spices and recipes and ensuring high quality and taste. The business is focused on providing customers with a wide range of authentic African cuisines in a restaurant or takeaway setting. Owner, Sandra Nkechi Agoha, said the menu has been developed to include dishes that will appeal to African, Caribbean and European customers. Originally from Nigeria, Sandra said she wants to bring the taste of home to Derry and bring a new dining experience and culture to the city. Sandra has lived and worked in Derry for the past 10 years and currently works with the NHS as a senior nursing assistant. Sandra explained: "I have a passion for cooking and caring for people. I have had past experience in similar business from Nigeria which also comes from the family background. "I was brought up in a family where both parents worked in the hospitality industry and I was lucky enough to always be surrounded by good food, I will give the credit to my parents. "After good encouragement from family and friends, I decided to open the Sandys African Food Hub. My husband and four kids are so supportive. Sandra pictured with her husband and four children who are extremely supportive of her new business venture "SAFH is allowing me to follow my passion and also provide an avenue to bring a different kind of food culture to the city." The core service at SAFH is online food orders and delivery in collaboration with JUST EAT. Other services they provide includes outdoor catering and corporate services; birthday surprise packages, event planning, decorations and kid's birthday parties. Sandra added: "We bring a different kind of food culture into the city and if you are looking to taste something different from what you see in the menu, the good news is that you can now enjoy them from the comfort of your own home; Sandy's African Food Hub is here to have your back. "Whether you're looking for a quick lunch on the go or a sit-down dinner with friends and family, Sandy's African Food Hub has you covered." You can find Sandys African Food Hub (SAFH) located at 36 Bonds Street, Derry, BT47 6EE. The opening hours are Wednesday - Sunday from 1pm -9pm. You can contact via phone on 02871164424 or email at sandysafricanfoodhub@yahoo.com You can also follow their socials via Instagram:@Sandys African Food Hub or Facebook: @SandysAFH Christy Ring Final Derry vs. Meath Croke Park Saturday, 5pm Johnny McGarvey believes a first Christy Ring Cup win at Croke Park this Saturday will mean the world to everyone in red and white. After what can only be described as a rollercoaster start to his time as Derry boss, McGarvey will lead his team out against Meath this weekend, hooping for the win which he feels will be just rewards for his players, who have shown great resolve to make it this far. I think thats a fair enough remark to make, he said. Were there because of the effort that the boys have put in and the work rate that theyve put in. They left no stone unturned and this is just a testament to them, for me anyway. McGarvey and his players have had a time of it since he came in at the eleventh hour back in January, and on the back of turmoil, luck evaded the Oakleafers almost entirely in a league campaign that ended in relegation from Division 2A. But the Christy Ring campaign which has followed has revealed that with hard work and real belief, anything is possible. Thats a whole team job; thats the whole backroom team and the players buying into what were trying to do, McGarvey explained. If you dont have that, youre wasting your time. From the day I got there, our players have been exemplary, in everything that they have done. They are so professional, and they are so riven. They want to work hard and they want to be successful. To be honest, it makes my job fairly easy. It took a while, but the first win eventually arrived against Sligo at Owenbeg towards the end of April, a significant moment for everyone, including the boss himself. Winning the Sligo match, especially in the manner that we won the Sligo match was just such a relief at that time, he admitted. We had come close against Down in Ballycran, and we had come close in Omagh against Tyrone. We felt that had played reasonably well in spells in the league, and maybe not got what we deserved, but we didnt get results which we probably could have got. So finally getting the win over Sligo probably had the lads thinking Right, maybe we can push on here. Maybe we can make the Christy Ring final. Fair enough we lost the next match to Meath, but at least we had that wee bit of confidence that we knew we could play. Highlight The real highlight of the Christy Ring campaign was undoubtedly that incredible win in London, a 1-30, 4-19 victory which saw Derry come from behind to record a remarkable win. That experience in itself, should be enough to galvanise the players ahead of Saturdays final according to McGarvey. Our performance in London was as good maybe as Ive ever seen from a Derry team, he insisted. The character that we showed in London was unreal. The Mayo match was competitive for 15-20 minutes, but it petered out because they had nothing to play for and we were playing for a place in the Christy Ring final. It was alright now and I have to say that were happy with where were at. No matter how hard the match is at the weekend, I dont think it will be as hard as that. London threw absolutely everything at us, as Meath will at the weekend, but the London match was totally different circumstances. More than once in the match, we looked dead and buried and we fought our way back into it. The character that we showed was first class. I think thats more like what were about and where were at, at the minute. McGarvey now leads Derry into a third Christy Ring final, with defeats in 2015 and 2021 still fresh in the mind for the countys hurling fans. But there is a real belief that it will be third time the charm for the county on this occasion. It would mean the world to all of us, McGarvey stated. Meath are no different to us because they will have done the hard work as well and they will go in full of confidence. But it would mean the absolute world to us and we truly believe that we have worked hard enough to win this match and well give it absolutely everything we have on the day. The boys are looking forward to it, but weve been very clear; were not going down there to do the tour. Were going there and our only focus is to win the Christy Ring. The city is set to host the first ever Derry Peace and Conflict International Summer School. Organised by Bloody Sunday Trust, the Conflict Transformation Seminar will take place from Monday, June 5 to Monday, June 12. Speaking to Derry Now, Maeve McLaughlin the Director of the Bloody Sunday Trust said the event was the culmination of five years work around the conflict transformation work known as The Derry Model. Explaining the Model, Maeve said: Effectively we know that in this place we have delivered much in terms of outcomes. Among that could be: the Public Inquiry into Bloody Sunday; the public apology from former British Prime Minister, David Cameron; and the agreement on parading. In addition we have our ongoing processes around dialogue and around risk-taking and leadership. It is one of the dynamics of conflict transformation in Derry that we were very influenced by the Civil Rights Movement elsewhere. You only have to look back to the late 1960s and early 1970s. Now there is almost the reverse of that, where there is an international view which looks at Derry as a place that tackles injustice, promotes equality and actually delivers outcomes. The Bloody Sunday Trust has always been an organisation which looked creatively at human rights issues and made the connections around One World One Struggle. It is right that we should platform this work internationally, said Maeve. The participants attending the inaugural Derry Peace and Conflict International Summer School are from the Balkans Regions. They are: Valentina Gagic (co-founder of Sara-Srebrenica); Teresa Vazquez (Director of Development, International Coalition of Sites of Conscience); Sofija Todorovic (Youth Initiative for Human Rights, Serbia); Bio Nebojsa Glisic (B92 Fund, youth activism); Marko Klajic (Program Director, Post-Conflict Research Center); Marigona Shabiu (Executive Director, Youth Initiative for Human Rights - Kosovo); Justine Di Mayo (Senior Program Manager for the Global Networks department); Dzevada Susko (Chief-of-Office, International Cooperation and Bosniak Diaspora at the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina); Branka Vierda (Program Director, Youth Initiative for Human Rights - Croatia); and Amina Krvavac, (Executive Director, War Childhood Museum). Our participants are all high profile human rights and social justice activists in their own rights, said Maeve, and we are delighted to be welcoming them to Derry. The idea is they come here and they explore our models of dialogue. For example, they will look at the whole justice legacy piece. When you look at the Balkans, these are communities and societies which are coming out of conflict themselves. So, during the Conflict Transformation Seminar, we will examine what we have done around that here. We will also look at some of the challenges around the current legacy legislation going through Westminster, for example, in relation to the unresolved issues around legacy which is a major challenge for us all coming out of conflict. The participants will also hear about the process around the parading agreements in the city. They will meet with the Apprentice Boys, they will meet with the Bogside Residents Group, they will meet some of the Loyalist groupings through Action for Community Transformation (ACT) in Belfast, said Maeve. The ACT Initiative emerged in 2008 as a conflict transformation programme to facilitate the civilianisation of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), following its Statement of Intent (May 2007). Our visitors will meet former combatants to look at how peace was built and how it is maintained, added Maeve. Our hope would be that this would be an opportunity to platform what we have achieved and what remains unresolved and, importantly, I think, sharing those lessons and learnings. During the last few days of the Derry Peace and Conflict International Summer School, we will also examine the possibility of our participants developing a partnership project with Derry. That would be an outcome I would like to see. I think it is right the Bloody Sunday Trust would host this event. It is great that this is our first International Summer School but I would view it as something which would happen annually, for different parts of the world. There are many parts of the world that are coming out of conflict and are looking at shining a spotlight on systems and government and trying to hold systems to account, in the interests of justice and equality. We would hope that this would be a really, really successful week, that the participants would gain from it, the local panels would gain from it and potentially the city could develop this as an annual event. Dr. Mairead McCormack is celebrating 25 years employment with Glenshane Community Development Limited in Dungiven today (June 1). She was first appointed Project Manager in 1998, then Manager and now Chief Executive. Over this period, GCD has undertaken many projects including environmental improvements to Dungiven Main Street, the restoration of Dungiven Castle, the construction of Phase II of Glenshane Enterprise Centre, the acquisition of McCloskey House and sustaining the services of Dungiven Community Resource Centre. Her primary degree was the BSc (Hons) in Housing with Diploma in Industrial Studies, for which she shared the Chartered Institute of Housing Prize for Best Overall Student in her graduating class from Ulster University. Upon her commencement with GCD Ltd, she transferred the skills of residential tenancy management to commercial tenancies and went on to undertake studies which would support in the management of a rurally located social enterprise. This resulted in her gaining an MSc in Rural Development from Queens University, the Advanced Diploma in Management Practice and the Advanced Diploma in Social Enterprise both from the Ulster Business School at Ulster University and the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management from the ILM. In addition to this, she holds a certificate in New Perspectives of Economic Development from QUB and the Level 5 Diploma in Practical Economics from the Institute of Leadership and Management. She holds a Doctorate in Childhood Studies from Queens University and has overseen a number of projects supporting children, teenagers and young adults for Glenshane Community Development Limited. These include the Wider Horizons trans-national project, delivered in the Roe Valley, Co Leitrim and Canada, on behalf of the International Fund for Ireland; delivery of the Active Families programme on behalf of the Western Trust and as a facilitator for ASCERT (Action on Substances through Community Education and Related Training) on their parenting programme. In order to support migrant workers who were coming to Dungiven and presenting to Glenshane Community Development Limited for assistance, Mairead and Mary Brolly, Administrator with GCD, undertook training in Manchester to qualify as Immigration Advisors with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner in 2007 for which they complete annual continual professional development to keep their registrations alive. Mairead served for five years as a Board Member of the Foyle Multi-Cultural Forum. In addition to this, she has undertaken significant international study, studying Rural Development and EU Rural Policy at the Irish College in Leuven, Belgium; undertaking an Intensive Management & Development Training Programme at Boston College University, Massachusetts and attending the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro as a Santander Scholar. Owing to Glenshane Community Development Limiteds work promoting good relations and positive cross community interaction, she undertook part-time study with Queens University to complete her qualifications in Managing Conflict Through Dialogue Within The Shared Future Of Northern Ireland and Developing Facilitation Skills Skills for Peace and Reconciliation to support cross community working. She was appointed onto the organisational team which coordinated the Peace-x-Piece International Conference, held in Belfasts Waterfront Hall. There, she had responsibility for overseeing the Janet Benshoof workshop which covered the activities of the Global Justice Centre in New York and the Yvonne Galligan Lecture on Democracy within the European Union. Mairead has sat on each of the local EU Special Programme for Peace and Reconciliation Peace boards since their inception in Northern Ireland. She has represented Northern Ireland Rural Women as part of a delegation which made a presentation to the United Nations 52nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women which was held at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The presentation was entitled Emerging from Conflict - What has been the experience of Northern Ireland Women? Reflecting on her 25 year tenure, Mairead said: I am very grateful for the opportunities afforded to me by Glenshane Community Development Limited. I have met really amazing people and been part of a variety of remarkable projects over the years. A new organ donation law for Northern Ireland has come into effect from today. The Organ and Tissue Donation (Deemed Consent) legislation, known as 'Daithi's Law' in honour of six-year-old Daithi Mac Gabhann, will change the way consent is granted. The legislation means all adults in the region will be considered potential organ donors unless they choose to opt out or are in an excluded group. Social Democratic and Labour Party Leader Colum Eastwood MP paid tribute to the MacGabhann family . Mr Eastwood said the legislation would both change and save lives. Foyle MP Mr Eastwood said: The introduction of Daithis Law is a momentous day for both the MacGabhann family and the North as a whole. I cannot commend the MacGabhanns highly enough for the way they worked tirelessly to get this legislation over the line, no matter what obstacles were put in their way they refused to give up and fought for solutions that will have a profound impact on the futures of many people here. Anyone who has been lucky enough to meet young Daithi knows just how inspirational he is and the courage he and his family have shown in the face of his illness can be a lesson to us all. Not only did they push for these long overdue changes to help their son, but for the good of everyone in need of an organ transplant and their selflessness in the face of adversity has been astonishing. This legislation shows us what can be achieved when we set our differences aside and work together for the common good, unfortunately that has far too often been in short supply in recent times. As a result of Daithis Law people who have been waiting on organ donation waiting lists now stand a better chance of finding a donor which will change and, in many cases, save their lives and I cant think of many achievements more significant than that. Those excluded from deemed consent legislation are children under 18, people who lack the mental capacity to understand the change in law and visitors to Northern Ireland and temporary residents. A woman who is on bail charged in connection with an attack on a man in John Street last month has been given her 'final warning' at Derry Magistrate's Court after breaching her bail. Tanya Murray (34) of Lawrence Hill in Derry appeared charged with breaching her bail on June 1 by having taken alcohol. A police officer told the court that police were in attendance at Murray's address and noticed she was intoxicated. A breath test was carried out and she was found to have a reading of 96mgs with the legal limit being 35mgs. Bail was opposed as the officer said it was her second breach with the first one occurring some three days after her being granted bail. Defence solicitor Seamus Quigley said that this case was one of her being intoxicated at home and not in public. He said police were in attendance at her address due to an unrelated matter and there were no further offences. The solicitor said that Murray had alcohol issues and was seeking help for that. Deputy District Judge Liam McStay said that the difficulty for Murray was that she was on bail for 'very serious violence' and had received a warning on her last appearance. He told the defendant that this was her final warning and re-released her on bail to appear again on June 8. A judge at Derry Magistrate's Court today said that disorderly behaviour in the hospital 'deserves the longest possible sentence.' Deputy District Judge Liam McStay was speaking as he jailed Gary David Crossan (40) of no fixed abode who admitted a charge of disorderly behaviour in Altnagelvin Hospital on May 7 and a charge of criminal damage to a police vehicle. The court heard that police had taken Crossan to Altnagelvin Hospital for treatment. While there he became 'extremely aggressive' in front of children and was shouting about 'f-----g Taigs'. He became very abusive towards police using a variety of insults and despite being warned on numerous occasions he persisted in being abusive in A&E. Crossan was taken to a police cell van and he 'lashed out' kicking the van and spitting on the windows. He shouted to police 'open this door I will kick the f--k out of you both.' When interviewed about the incident he said his memory was 'scant'. Defence counsel Stephen Chapman said that his client realised custody sentence was inevitable. He said Crossan was 'remorseful' about his behaviour and it had brought 'a great degree of shame' on him. Judge McStay said that 'unfortunately' the maximum he could impose for the disorderly behaviour was six months and he had to give the defendant credit for his guilty plea. He sentenced him to 4 months on the charges but imposed a consecutive 4 months of a suspended sentence making Crossan's total prison term one of 8 months. The Press Council of Ireland is to enter a partnership with four leading Irish universities to launch a new annual Bursary to assist a student to pay the fees for a Masters Degree in Journalism. The Bursary is named after the late Lyra McKee, a brilliant young journalist aged 29, who was shot dead while observing riots in Derry in 2019. Lyra McKees family has welcomed the initiative. The Lyra McKee Bursary is worth 3,000, half of which will be paid by the Press Council and half by whichever of the universities the student is to attend. The participating universities are the University of Limerick, University of Galway, the Technological University Dublin and Dublin City University. It will be awarded to a student who has already been offered a place and will go directly towards paying their fees. The Press Ombudsman, Susan McKay, said the Lyra McKee Bursary was targeted at students who might not be able to afford to do a postgraduate degree without support. Lyra was keenly aware of the struggles faced by students from working class backgrounds, and she was passionate about promoting diversity and inclusivity in higher education and in the media, she said. Ireland has become a diverse country and our press needs to become more reflective of this. We see this Bursary as a signal of our intention to support such change. The Chair of the Press Council, Rory Montgomery, said the Press Council was looking forward to the partnership. The Press Council of Ireland promotes the highest standards in Irish journalism, and these four universities are offering first class courses for students who are serious about embarking on a journalistic career, he said. We are delighted that the four universities have joined with us in launching this exciting initiative in memory of Lyra McKee, whose own career was so tragically cut short. Details of the Lyra McKee Bursary can be found on the website of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, a link to which you will find here India wants to be a dominant player when it comes to repairing electronic goods, as the government flagged off a pilot program for electronics repair services in order to grow the sectors outsourcing industry. Currently, India is the world's biggest smartphone market and in addition to that the country is loaded with millions of purchases for laptops, wearables, television and others. The program is set to launch in Bengaluru for 3 months on a trial basis. Also read: Indian govt wants betting apps removed, Apple says its complicated Five companies, namely Flex, Lenovo, CTDI, R-Logic, and Aforeserve have volunteered for the pilot. Post the pilot a detailed assessment will be carried out and modifications made in the process and policy as necessary, the IT ministry said. The government with this program aims at building the electronics repair services for not just the Indian market but also for the services to be exported globally. As per the Manufacturers Association of Information Technology (MAIT) report, the sector is to generate revenues of $20 billion yearly in the next four years. The sector is speculated to become the fastest growing and eventually the largest industry across the globe. Hence, the program aims at grabbing hold over 20% of the global electronics repair industry. This is expected to be achieved through relaxations on e-waste rules and customs. In addition, giving permission to companies to repair electronics and telecom devices from other regions. Also read: Qualcomm and MediaTek under threat by this change in ARM licensing policy Currently, Indias revenue from the electronics repair services is approximately $350 million. It is speculated that within five years with the ERSO scheme India aims to hold 20% of the market which is currently worth $125 billion. According to reports, the electronics repair market is projected to grow to $241.79 billion by 2032 with a CAGR of 6.82% growth for the period 2023 to 2032 and the Asia Pacific region is projected to have the highest growth. This is an awesome opportunity for India to create a global expertise in. With the increasing use of refurbished gadgets the market for automated repair systems has also taken a flight and it is predicted that home appliances/consumer electronics would be the largest product market in coming years and currently out-of-warranty repairs dominate the market and may continue to. Also read: Flipkart's refurbished phone business: Buying and selling of used phones explained Currently, Europe holds the highest share, of 27%, in the electronics repair market next to North America and the United States. However, China, India and the UK are expected to have the highest CAGR growth 11.8%, 10.5% and 6.1% respectively. Save my User ID and Password Some subscribers prefer to save their log-in information so they do not have to enter their User ID and Password each time they visit the site. To activate this function, check the 'Save my User ID and Password' box in the log-in section. This will save the password on the computer you're using to access the site. Note: If you choose to use the log-out feature, you will lose your saved information. This means you will be required to log-in the next time you visit our site. Europe's 6G-IA and Taiwan's TAICS ink MoU on future 6G, bridging the gap between research, standards and industry The Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MoEA) and the European Union (EU) DG CONNECT co-hosted the "2023 EU-Taiwan 6G SNS Joint Workshop" at the Taipei International Convention Center (TICC) today. The purpose of the workshop is to share the vision for 6G and advanced research and development. Furthermore, Europe's 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G-IA) and the Taiwan Association of Information and Communication Standards (TAICS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to exchange information and establish a cooperative partnership in the field of future 6G communication systems and networks. In the future, there will be a strengthened collaboration between Taiwan and the EU in 6G technological research and development. Dr. Chyou-Huey Chiou, the Director General of DoIT, MoEA, indicated that 6G is expected to be commercially available in 2030, and it has become a key focus for many countries such as the US, Europe, Japan, and Korea. Starting from this year, the Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT) has been supporting the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and the Institute for Information Industry (III) in their research and development of advanced 6G technologies. The EU is leading in global 6G technology, and Taiwan and the EU already have a solid foundation and trust in 5G collaboration. This year both parties will focus on jointly discussing future industry development and collaboration directions for 6G. This will enable Taiwan to establish our own independent technological capabilities and stay ahead in 6G industry development opportunities. Taiwan's semiconductor and information and communications industries possess a strong technological foundation, while the EU holds a global leadership position in innovation. With highly complementary industries, this collaboration is expected to create a win-win situation for both parties, allowing us to seize huge business opportunities in the 6G market. Ms. Aleksandra Kozlowska, Section Head of the European Economic and Trade Office (EETO), stated that this is the first EU-Taiwan Innovation Week event after the lifting of pandemic restrictions. 6G is one of the key topics, and building upon the cooperative achievements of the EU and Taiwan in 5G development, we will continue to explore the bilateral opportunities for 6G development and cooperation. The aim is to deepen industry collaboration and strengthen the global supply chain capabilities of 6G. Dr. Colin Willcock, Chairman of SNS-JU and 6G-IA, in his remarks mentioned that they will invest 250 million in the first phase of the SNS-JU 6G research program under Horizon Europe. This funding will support 35 projects exploring the advantages of 6G and developing innovative technologies in key areas such as media, industrial IoT, energy, construction, automotive, smart healthcare, culture, agriculture, and education. Dr. Willcock is delighted to be invited to Taiwan by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MoEA) and establish a partnership with TAICS. The collaboration will focus on 6G, aiming to accelerate the development of the 6G ecosystem. He believes that by working together, the ICT industry on both sides can expand their influence and position in the global supply chain, creating mutual benefits. Dr. Jyuo-Min Shyu, Chairman of TAICS (Taiwan Association of Information and Communication Standards), acknowledged that in the coming years, 6G technology will become the mainstream trend in the global ICT industry. With its higher spectrum efficiency and stronger IoT capabilities, 6G technology brings tremendous business opportunities to the global digital economy. In preparation for the arrival of the 6G era, TAICS actively participates in global standardization and technological research, contributing to the development of the global ICT industry. Currently, Taiwan-EU cooperation at the working level for 6G has been actively initiated, but it requires strategic dialogue between high-level government officials to ensure effective progress. TAICS appreciates the support from the Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT), MoEA for promoting international collaborative research and facilitating the signing of the collaboration agreement between TAICS and 6G-IA. We look forward to working closely together with international partners to jointly promote the development and application of 6G technology. The event attracted over 130 participants from more than 20 countries, both online and on-site. This included domestic companies that have shown active interest in 6G, such as Chunghwa Telecom, Pegatron, Compal, Auden, LITEON, Askey, Alpha, Keysight, YTTEK, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), Institute for Information Industry (III), National Taiwan University, National Taipei University, and others. They attended the event to witness and engage in the workshop. After signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 6G-IA, TAICS will lead the industry, academia, research institutes, and EU counterparts in a series of collaborative business arrangements. Both parties will discuss future 6G cooperation projects through mutual visits and jointly organize events such as seminars on 6G technology development and application. This will assist Taiwan's industries in early positioning within the international 6G ecosystem and mark a significant milestone in Taiwan's 6G development. 6G-IA and TAICS signed a MoU to start 6G collaboration on research and standards under the witness of EETO and MOEA, Taiwan. Photo: Department of Industrial Technology, Ministry of Economic Affairs MOEA, Taiwan and DG CONNECT, European Commission jointly organized the "2023 EU-Taiwan 6G SNS Joint Workshop" on May 30th to explore future 6G cooperation between Taiwan and the European Union. Photo: Department of Industrial Technology, Ministry of Economic Affairs Computex 2023 opens with the world's best igniting the AI craze The 2023 Computex and InnoVEX will be held today, May 30, in Halls 1 and 2 of the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center. President Tsai Ing-wen, the Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs C.C. Chen, Deputy Director-General of the EU Growth Agency Maive Rute, James Huang, Chairman of Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), and Paul Peng, Chairman of the Taipei Computer Association (TCA), attended the opening ceremony of Computex. This year is the first in-person Computex since 2019. President Tsai Ing-wen extends a warm welcome to participants from around the globe at Computex, the biggest ICT tradeshow in Asia. Renowned for its cutting-edge expertise in areas such as foundry, PCB, and satellite positioning, Taiwan aims to leverage this year's tradeshow to enhance its global presence and foster stronger international collaborations. Moving forward, the government and local enterprises will continue to work hand in hand to cultivate a more resilient economy and industry, enabling Taiwan to wield a greater influence in the global supply chain. James Huang, Chairman of TAITRA indicated, "As a leading global ICT and computing technology exhibition, Computex has witnessed major breakthroughs in the human technology industry for more than 40 years. Humans are stepping into the era of AI. The key to artificial intelligence is computing power. Therefore, we redefine Computex as Computing Tech, which is the most important platform for driving computing power in the AI era." Computex focuses on cross-border cooperation in the ICT industry and outlines a blueprint for industry trends This year Computex establishes a new positioning - "Together we create," focusing on high-performance computing, artificial intelligence application, next-gen connectivity, hyperreality, innovations and startups, and sustainability. Over 1,000 exhibitors participate in 26 countries and regions, such as the US, Korea, Canada, France, Japan, Belgium, and Italy. Exhibitors include Acer, ADATA, ASRock, ASUS, BenQ, Delta, ESSENCORE, GIGABYTE, G.SKILL, Hanmi Micronics, InWire, Innodisk, Kioxia, MSI, Pro Gamersware GmbH, Quanta Cloud Technology, Realtek, Supermicro, Thermaltake, Transcend, YFC-BonEagle ELECTRIC CO., LTD., ZOTAC, Aten, AIC Inc., Chenbro Micom, Posiflex, Seasonic, PNY Technologies, Team Group, Ingrasys, and more, demonstrating the powerful energy of the global technology ecosystem. With the opening of borders, international visitors look forward to participating in Computex. More than 30,000 people from 126 countries have registered to visit. To strengthen the connection between Taiwanese industry players and international buyers and expand international cooperation opportunities, Computex will hold several matchmaking activities, including the Computex procurement meetings, the global ICT industry government procurement meetings, the Taiwan-EU business and industry cluster matchmaking meetings, European Bank ICT procurement, and more. In addition, representatives from the European Union Growth Agency and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development led a delegation to visit Computex, and representatives of industry associations such as the Mumbai Information Association in India and the Ho Chi Minh City Computer Association in Vietnam also organized buyer groups to visit Computex. It is the first time since 2019 that people from all over the world exchange again in Taiwan. With the ChatGPT craze sweeping the world and in addition to the exhibitors launching solutions equipped with AI technology, TAITRA has invited international technology companies to participate in the Computex Keynote & Forum. The keynote speakers include NVIDIA CEO and founder Jensen Huang, exploring how AI can reshape various industries around the world, as well as CEOs or global senior executives from companies such as Qualcomm, NXP, Acer, and Supermicro, who will share futuristic trends. In addition, with the rise of the green supply chain wave, the ESG GO! event will also be held during the exhibition to achieve the net zero transformation goal jointly. Finally, local and international technology influencers will be invited to unbox the highlights of Computex, striving to create a new look for the exhibition after the pandemic. InnoVEX showcases the strength of technological creativity while strengthening local innovation and international links InnoVEX 2023 joins hands with 400 startup teams and technology elites from 22 countries to showcase their diverse creativity. Eight countries: Belgium, Brazil, France, Italy, Japan, Israel, the Netherlands, and Poland organized national pavilions. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development led startup teams from Greece, Romania, and Egypt. The Epoch Foundation and FarEasTone Telecom Startups Accelerator also lead startup teams to participate. The exhibits cover 5G & IoT, AI & Data, Smart Devices, and other fields. To connect Taiwan with the global startup ecosystem, the InnoVEX exhibition holds a series of activities, including the InnoVEX Pitch Contest to help international corporate venture capital connect with target startup teams, Global Demo Day showcases innovative solutions from different regions, and holding "What's New: The future technology and the next startup trend 2023" to analyze the international startup ecosystem and discuss technological innovations such as AR, VR, and AI. Computex 2023 and InnoVEX 2023 are exhibited in Halls 1 and 2 of the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, respectively, showcasing hot technological trends, industrial applications, and the latest solutions. Chairman of TAITRA James Huang announces that this year is the first in-person Computex since the pandemic The Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs C.C. Chen hopes that the industry will stimulate innovation through international cooperation The 2023 Computex and InnoVEX will be held in Halls 1 and 2 of the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Regional competence centers key to EU-Taiwan semiconductor cooperation The European Union (EU) has been seeking deeper synergy with Taiwan's semiconductor ecosystem as it pursues greater autonomy in the sector. As a part of this effort, the EU-Taiwan Semiconductor Seminar was held in Taipei on May 30, gathering representatives from leading European semiconductor clusters. In her opening remarks, Lucilla Sioli, the director for AI and digital industry at the European Commission, pointed out that even though the European semiconductor industry leads in R&D, manufacturing equipment, and raw materials, it faces capability gaps when it comes to intellectual property (IP), digital design, design tools, manufacturing, and packaging. The director also noted that the EU is missing the capability to translate its R&D prowess into new markets. The EUR43 billion European Chips Act, finallized last month, partly aimed to "bridge the gap from lab to fab", according to Sioli. Alongside measures to develop new pilot lines, provide a virtual chip design platform, and set up a dedicated chip fund to faciliate SME access to equity and loans, a network of regional competence centers also underpins European efforts to bridge the gap. According to Sioli, these competence centers possess distinct areas of expertise that can match with user needs. In addition, they can also facilitate access to design platforms, pilot lines and support technology transfers. Participants of the event include representatives of such regional competence centers: Frank Bosenberg, the managing director of Germany's Silicon Saxony, Pascal Viaud, the ambassador of French Silicon Valley, and Maciej Nowakowski, the director of operations of the Polish Technology Platform for Photonics (PPTF). Ther German state of Saxony currently hosts the biggest microelectronics cluster in Europe, with every third microchip made on the continent coming from the region. Saxony is also the site where TSMC is considering to build its first European fab. As an independent industrial network, Silicon Sacony also has 460 members, mainly SMEs covering approximately 80% of the whole ICT value chain. With the potential investment from TSMC, the region hopes other players of Taiwan's semiconductor ecosystem to follow up. Though TSMC has grabbed most of the spotlight, Bosenberg also believes that green manufacturing presents a cooperation opportunity between Europe and Taiwan. When it comes to cooperation opportunities with Taiwan, Nowakowski points to Poland's strong competency and fast pace in the field of photonics. Currently, the Polish Technological Platform on Photonics coordinates the microelectronics, electronics and photonics cluster in Poland. According to Nowakowski, there are approximately 250 companies in Poland's photonics and microelectronics industry, with 90% of them being SMEs. Among the country's strengths are photonic IC design, III-V semiconductors, OLED and PV materials, and industrial femtosecond lasers. Sharing his observations on EU-Taiwan semiconductor cooperation, Dr. Mathieu Duchatel, director of the Asia program from Paris-based think tank Institute Montaigne, indicated that the main target of European public policies remains support for R&D and innovation, instead of manufacturing. However, manufacturing will present more supply chain opportunities for Taiwanese SMEs. Notably, as semiconductor and geopolitics become intertwined, Sioli from the European Commission emphasized that the EU is not pursuing a strategy to de-couple from China, but is instead "de-risking" its supply chain. Given the dual-use nature of semiconductors, especially compound semiconductors and silicon photonic technologies that have significant defense applications, DIGITIMES Asia asked if there are concerns that some technologies will be targeted by EU export controls regime in the future, thus impeding transnational technology cooperation. Giuseppe Izzo, STMicroelectronics' VP for Asia Pacific, observed the continuously evolving nature of export controls regimes as well as the blurred line between civilian and military applications, making it hard for the industry to anticipate relevant measures. Maciej Nowakowski, director of operations of Polish Technology Platform for Photonics Local Kilkerley mother Cecelia Sage has raised a whopping 18,139 for the Jack and Jill Childrens Foundation by running a gruelling 50 kilometre challenge on Saturday 27th May at Kilkerley Emmets GAA club, cheered on in the warm sunshine by family, friends and neighbours. Cecilias six year old daughter, Sarah, was born with an extremely rare brain abnormality called ZTTK Syndrome and has received great support from Jack and Jill, which left her parents Peter and Cecilia determined to give back to the charity by raising critical funds and awareness. Sarah is one of less than 100 children worldwide who have been diagnosed with this condition and has complex needs, requiring 24/7 care. She is non-verbal, suffers from a developmental delay but despite all these challenges is a very sociable little girl who loves the company of family and friends. Peter is vice chairman of Louth GAA and the family got great support from the GAA and wider local community throughout this big challenge in May and Jack and Jill is the charity partner of the Gaelic Players Association this year too. So that sense of local community was really at the heart of this family fundraiser. Jack and Jill CEO Carmel Doyle was at the start line on Saturday to wish Cecilia well, along with the charitys local liaison nurse manager Anne Reilly. Welcoming this great news she said: We are so proud and honoured to know Cecilia, Peter, Sarah and her brother Jamsie and their efforts will help the 400 families we support around the country, including 6 in county Louth and 11 in county Meath. "I was lucky enough to be there on the day, along with our local liaison nurse manager Anne Reilly, and I can tell you it took true grit determination from Cecilia to complete this gruelling 50k challenge in the heat and her smile never waned. "So many people turned up to support her on and it was a privilege to see such local community spirit in action. To every single person who donated to Cecilias 50k Challenge for Jack and Jill we say thank you and what a result! "To put this amount in context, this 18,139 will fund 1,008 hours of home nursing care and in-home respite for the 400 children we support across the country, including 6 in Co. Louth and 11 in Co. Meath. Or, to put it another way, it gives another family the kind of support Sarah received for up to 6 years which equates to a wonderful gift of time and peace of mind. "On behalf of all our families and nurses, we say and huge thank you to Cecilia who has been a real champion for Jack and Jill, along with her husband Peter who is such a great volunteer. Our charity wouldnt exist without the generosity of families like the Sages who understand the importance of community and giving back and we salute them and thank them most sincerely. According to proud husband Peter Sage: This event was made possible with the help of Kilkerley Emmets and Yvonne Quigley; Clive at Kelleher Insurance; Karl at Player Fit for the t-shirts; The Brew Cafe and Caoimh; Taste Smash; Beir Bua Bakes and Sean OMahoneys Kilkerley ladies who ran and walked laps with Cecilia and everyone who joined us on the day and, of course, everyone who donated. "However, I have to mention how proud I am of Cecilia, my wife, my hero who has the courage and compassion of an army, and who is was always going to keep going and finish this 50km, as her way of honouring the support we got from Jack and Jill which kept us going for so many years. I was so proud to cheer her on. The Jack and Jill Childrens Foundation is an Irish childrens charity that funds and delivers in-home nursing care and respite support for children with severe to profound cognitive delay, up to the age of six. This may include children with a brain injury, genetic diagnosis, cerebral palsy or undiagnosed conditions. Another key part of the service is end-of-life care for all children up to the age of six, irrespective of diagnosis. To do this, the charity must raise over 6 million per annum to keep its vital service going, and currently supports over 400 families with up to 80 hours of home nursing care per month at a cost of 1,440, or 17,280 per year. Jack and Jill mobilises a crew of community nurses and carers, operates seven days a week, with no means test, no red tape and no waiting list. In fact, over 2,800 families have been supported since Jack and Jills establishment 26 years ago. The support is often described as a gift of time or a lifeline, giving parent carers a break from their 24/7 care regime, safe in the knowledge that their child is well cared for at home, where they belong. For more information, visit jackandjill.ie 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. Lebanons military tribunal has today charged five men with the killing of Irish UN peacekeeper Sean Rooney in December, a senior judicial official said. The official said all five are linked to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The charges follow a six-month investigation after an attack on a UN peacekeeping convoy near the town of Al-Aqbiya in the south of Lebanon, a stronghold of Hezbollah. The shooting resulted in the death of Private Sean Rooney, 24 and seriously wounded Private Shane Kearney, 22. The wounded peacekeeper was medically evacuated to Ireland. Two other Irish soldiers sustained light injuries. The charges include evidence from bystanders statements, as well as audio recordings and video footage from surveillance cameras, the Lebanese official said. In some of the recordings of the confrontation, the gunmen reportedly could be heard telling the peacekeepers that they are from Hezbollah. Hezbollah has denied any role in the killing, and a spokesman for the group declined to comment on Thursday. One of the five charged, Mohamad Ayyad, is in the custody of Lebanese authorities. The four others facing charges, Ali Khalifeh, Ali Salman, Hussein Salman, and Mustafa Salman, are at large. Private Rooney and several other Irish peacekeepers were on their way from their base in the south to Beirut airport. Two UN vehicles apparently took a detour through Al-Aqbiya, which is not part of the area under the peacekeepers mandate. Initial reports said angry residents confronted the peacekeepers, but the charges conclude that the shooting was a targeted attack. The UN peacekeeper vehicle reportedly took a wrong turn and was surrounded by vehicles and armed men as they tried to make their way back to the main road. UNIFIL spokeswoman Andrea Tenenti said the charges were an important step towards justice. Attacks on men and women serving the cause of peace are serious crimes and can never be tolerated, she told the AP. We look forward to justice for Private Rooney, his injured colleagues, and their families. UNIFIL was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after Israels 1978 invasion. The UN expanded its mission following the 2006 war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, allowing peacekeepers to deploy along the Israeli border to help the Lebanese military extend its authority into the countrys south for the first time in decades. Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon frequently accuse the UN mission of collusion with Israel, while Israel has accused the peacekeepers of turning a blind eye to Hezbollahs military activities in southern Lebanon. Our website uses cookies We are always working to improve this website for our users. To do this, we use the anonymous data provided by cookies. Learn more about how we use cookies Cork City Council in conjunction with Creative Ireland, has announced their Cruinniu na nOg Cork city programme with over 40 free interactive events for young people taking place on Saturday, June 10. Over 40 cultural partners will host creative events suitable for young people of all ages in locations all over Cork city. Experience how much fun it is to read a poem out loud with the Munster Literature Centre and Nano Nagle Place, dance outdoors with New Moon Dance Company, discover clay hand-building with Shandon Art Studio, and try out your drama skills with UCC Youth Theatre. The Circus Factory is hosting a circus skills class, while a cave art workshop is taking place in The Glucksman. A wonderful day of creativity will take place at Rock the Block in Elizabeth Fort including songwriting, rap and traditional music for young people. There will be live performances from groups including Creative Tradition, Music Mash Up, Foroige Link Point Knocknaheeny, Mahon Youth Development Project, UBU, The Hut Youth Project CDYS, Mahon Community Pop Academy, Mahon Community Concert Band, and Cork Academy of Music. A range of arts, crafts, story, play experiences, exhibitions and competitions will take place in libraries across the city. Enjoy family friendly play activities in Ballincollig Library, trace your ancestors in Mayfield Library and take part in an art workshop and reading of the book The 13 Storey Treehouse in Blackpool Library. Parks and libraries in Cork city are hosting a special poetry jukebox, featuring poetry by young writers installed in city parks. Family friendly tours will take place at the Crawford Art Gallery, The Everyman and The Butter Museum. Triskel Arts Centre are screening the animation film Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit and there is a screening of youth productions hosted by The Everyman Theatre Making and Citizenship Programme with Rebel Youth Creatives. Full details at www.corkcity.ie/cnn. CORK City Councils refusal of planning permission for an apartment scheme in the heart of Douglas has been upheld by An Bord Pleanala. Sirio Investment Management Ltd had sought permission to construct 65 apartments, 45 of which would have been build-to-rent, as well as four commercial units for retail use at East Douglas Street and East Douglas Village. The application, lodged in October 2021, proposed that the apartments would be spread across three blocks, with 20 apartments in a four- to six-storey block, 15 apartments in a six-storey block, and 30 apartments in an eight- to 10-storey block. The proposed development would have involved the demolition of two existing buildings and associated structures. In documentation submitted with the application, it stated that the subject site contains a former Permanent TSB located to the north east of the site and a former Bank of Ireland branch to the south west. PLANNING REFUSAL Cork City Council refused planning permission for the proposed development on the basis that it would be out of character with the pattern of existing development and would be visually obtrusive within the Douglas village streetscape and the Church Street Architectural Conservation Area. In its reasoning, the council also noted that the application did not meet objectives set out in the Ballincollig/Carrigaline Municipal District Local Area Plan of 2017. Sirio Investment Management Ltd subsequently appealed this decision to An Bord Pleanala (ABP). In the appeal report, it stated that the applicants initial intention for the site was to provide a higher density development with around 130 residential units incorporating a taller building but, following pre-application consultation through the strategic housing development (SHD) process and with the benefit of views expressed by Cork City Council and ABP, the applicant and the professional design team decided to significantly reduce the scale of the proposed development and reduce the height of the tall building to 10 storeys. In its decision to uphold the councils decision, ABP stated that the density of the proposed scheme would fail to comply with the Core Strategy and the Density and Building Height Strategy of the Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028. The board also deemed that the proposed development by reason of its height, scale, and design would represent an overly dominant and monolithic form of development relative to its immediate environment. THE way has now been cleared for the ambitious redevelopment of Cork citys South Docks after appeals against two major developments have been withdrawn. The news has been welcomed by the Lord Mayor of Cork, councillor Deirdre Forde as a shot in the arm for the city. In December 2021, OCallaghan Properties (OCP), through Leeside Quays Ltd, lodged a planning application with Cork City Council seeking 10-year planning permission for a mixed-use development comprising four new buildings and the conversion of the long-idle Odlums building as well as a separate planning application with the council seeking 10-year planning permission for a proposed rehabilitation hospital, all within the citys South Docklands. Cork City Council granted conditional planning permission for both developments, but appeals were subsequently lodged with An Bord Pleanala (ABP). A spokesperson for OCP told The Echo on Wednesday that the appeals have been withdrawn, clearing the way for the redevelopment to begin. The site works will commence in Q4 on Kennedy Quay. All things going well its hoped that construction will begin in the middle of 2024. It is likely that the development will commence with apartment construction, the spokesperson said. OCP is delighted that the way is now clear for the roll-out of this very significant project for the Docklands and for the city. 'MACRO VIEW' The Lord Mayor said the update is an immensely positive one for the Cork. This news is a shot in the arm for us in Cork and its very welcome and I would like to pay tribute to the tenacity and the hard work of everyone concerned because Cork will really start to take off when we have projects like this getting the go-ahead, she said. Independent councillor Mick Finn also welcomed the update on the developments. Redevelopment of the Docklands is key to the future of Cork, from both residential, cultural and business perspectives and I think news that the OCallaghan plans can go ahead is a hugely positive leap forward for the city, he said. However, he said it is important that a macro view be taken in terms of the planning for the area and said he would like to see a cultural or museum space incorporated into the plans for the redevelopment of the former Odlums building. The development of Marina Park, the multi uses of Pairc Ui Chaoimh and the push of the city eastwards means that this is absolutely critical for the expansion of Cork and must be done right, he added. First-party appeals had previously been lodged by Leeside Quays Limited against conditions attached to Cork City Councils approval of both developments. Both conditions relate to the maximum parking permitted by the council. However, these appeals by Leeside Quays Limited have been withdrawn to allow the developments to proceed. Third-party appeals had also been lodged with ABP in respect of both developments. These appeals were lodged by Southern Milling Limited but have now also been withdrawn. The planning application lodged in December 2021 for the mixed-use development sought permission to demolish the R&H Hall silos and to construct four buildings in which office space, cafes, convenience retail and 80 apartments would be developed in blocks ranging from nine to 12 storeys over a double basement. The applicants also sought permission for a range of conservation works including part demolition, alterations, extension and change of use of the Odlums building to provide the likes of office space, food and beverage space, a cinema including a bar/dining area and 84 apartments. The way has now been cleared for the ambitious redevelopment of Cork citys South Docks after appeals against two planning applications have been withdrawn. The creation of amenity areas for residents and visitors and a public realm plan also formed part of the application. Cork City Council sought further information before deciding on the application which resulted in some changes. One request was that the developers would consider retaining a portion of the R&H Hall silos. Responding, OCP said that a review concluded that there would be significant financial and safety implications associated with retaining a portion of R&H Hall if its retention is possible at all. However, architects Henry J Lyons on behalf of the applicants, have said that the existing building offers a number of cues from which a sensitive response can be formed that pays tribute to the industrial and maritime heritage of the area. Meanwhile, the proposed rehabilitation hospital is set to be operated by ORPEA Group, a French multinational healthcare company. 'KEYSTONE' Independent councillor Kieran McCarthy said he believes the developments will be the keystone in unlocking further development in the area. The restoration of the old Odlums building is very positive. I am still very saddened though to see that the grain silos will be knocked. They are so iconic within that space. I appreciate that it is difficult to harness them into the proposed development because of their construction DNA, but my call remains to showcase much of the local dockland history as much as possible in a physical and storytelling way, within the proposed development, he added. Speaking about further ambitions, the spokesperson for OCP said the company intends to lodge a further application for more residential development elsewhere in the South Docks. Within the next few weeks, OCallaghan Properties are submitting a separate planning application for 1,325 apartments on the Goulding site [near Kennedy Quay], they said. That planning permission is dependent on Gouldings getting planning permission to move that operation to the former IFI [Irish Fertiliser Industries] site in Marino Point. That is under appeal at the moment. A personal trainer who was caught with cocaine for his own use was ordered to do a community service order to avoid jail. Judge Colm Roberts commented during the hearing at Cork District Court: Personal trainer and cocaine do not go. 27-year-old Brian Manning of Sydney Park, Wellington Road, Cork, pleaded guilty to the offence of having the drug for his own use. Sergeant Gearoid Davis said that on August 14 2021 at Grand Parade, gardai were notified by a passer-by of drug use in plain sight of the public. Gardai approached and one of the men was sniffing a substance off his wrist. This man Brian Manning was searched at the scene and found to have a small bag of cocaine worth 100 in his possession. Judge Colm Roberts said the accused could do 80 hours of community service instead of two months in prison. Cork City FC has confirmed that two individuals have received lifetime bans from Turners Cross as a result of their actions after last weeks game against Shamrock Rovers. Both persons have admitted their involvement in directing abuse at Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley and have apologised for their behaviour. Cork City FC had previously condemned the abuse directed at Stephen Bradley following the League of Ireland game at Turner's Cross on Friday last, saying it would work with all relevant authorities to identify those involved and apologising to Mr Bradley for the actions of the individuals. Mr Bradley had called for lifetime bans for the City fans that sang disgusting songs about his son and Cork City owner Dermot Usher posted on social media following the incident confirming that lifetime bans would be given out to those involved. In a statement issued by Cork City FC on Thursday, the club confirmed that investigations into the matter by the relevant authorities are ongoing and that the club has offered full support and cooperation with the process. The club wishes to reiterate its zero-tolerance policy with regard to abuse of this nature. We also commend all of those who have shown their support and solidarity with Stephen Bradley and his family in the aftermath of this incident, the statement read. BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met with Jens Plotner, foreign and security policy advisor to the German chancellor, on Wednesday in Beijing. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said that as all-round strategic partners, China and Germany should not only steadily develop bilateral relations, but also contribute to jointly addressing global challenges. He said that in the face of increasing instability and uncertainties in the international situation, China and Germany should work together to make the seventh China-Germany inter-governmental consultation a success, and send a positive signal to Europe and the world. Plotner said the foundation of Germany-China relations is solid and Germany will continue to firmly pursue the one-China policy. "We are full of expectations for the upcoming round of inter-governmental consultation between the two countries and will work together to speed up the preparatory work," Plotner said. The two sides also exchanged views on Ukraine and other international and regional issues of common concern. A MAN was arrested and charged with involvement in a break-in to Starbucks on Princes Street in Cork in the early hours of Tuesday, May 30. Garda Kevin Roche arrested Kieran Quilligan and brought him before Cork District Court where he objected to bail being granted to the accused. Quilligan was charged with causing criminal damage to the front window of Starbucks and burglary at the premises. Garda Roche said it was alleged that Quilligan kicked a front window of the premises until it smashed and this was seen on CCTV. It was further alleged that a second man went into the premises and took a cash register which he handed to Kieran Quilligan who remained outside the premises. Judge Colm Roberts said factors against him getting bail included the seriousness of the charges, the strength of evidence, and the defendants ongoing addiction difficulties. Eddie Burke, solicitor, called the accused to give evidence in his application for bail. The defendant said he was about to get into Riverview apartments through Cork Simon Community and was on a methadone treatment programme. The judge said there was a serious risk of re-offending and he was refusing bail. The strength of evidence is too strong. The risk is too high, he said and remanded the 48-year-old in custody until June 6. Kieran Quilligan said he was on a methadone treatment programme and was reducing the amount of methadone each week. Judge Roberts referred to two doctors with an expertise in heroin addiction who had informed him that for some addicts it was necessary to stay on a high dose of methadone for an indefinite period and that reducing the quantity was not always recommended even though some recovering addicts had a preference for reducing their methadone. Judge Roberts said that when methadone was reduced too quickly, users sometimes ended up supplementing the reduced methadone with actual heroin. A drunken man threatened a member of An Garda Siochana that he would rape him and rape his mother and also called him a dead pig. Judge Colm Roberts said gardai should not have to accept this sort of behaviour which he described as outrageous, disgusting and nasty. The same man, who has now been jailed for over eight months, also spat at gardai during the highly abusive incident. Gardai encountered Alan McCarthy of 50 Glencurrig, South Douglas Road, Cork, at Probys Quay on December 10 2022. Officers saw the 29-year-old at 8.30 p.m. that evening and observed that he had visible injuries. They had also received a report to go to Probys Quay where it was alleged that a man had been assaulted. However, Alan McCarthy said to the guard who approached him that he had fallen. Then he said, I will f***ing rape you and your mother. He added, Youre a f***ing dead pig. Ill cut your f***ing throat." He stood up and attempted to box the garda and to grab him by the neck. Incapacitant spray had to be used on the defendant and he was handcuffed, Sergeant Gearoid Davis said. During the incident there were members of the public present as well as an ambulance crew and the gardai. When he was being released on station bail he continued to threaten gardai and their families and also spat at them. He pleaded guilty to resisting arrest, engaging in threatening behaviour and being drunk and a danger. Judge Colm Roberts said that on the basis of the evidence that was outlined in court, much more serious charges could have been brought against Alan McCarthy. There is a threat of assault and a threat of a sexual assault. It is a serious matter. 'DISGUSTING BEHAVIOUR' Gardai should not be have to put up with outrageous and disgusting behaviour like this It is beyond anything that guards sign up for, Judge Roberts said. Previous convictions included 28 for being drunk and a danger and 15 for engaging in threatening behaviour, one for obstruction, two for assault and one for assault causing harm. Defence solicitor, Eddie Burke, said the accused was doing very well in prison and was engaging with addiction services. There is no excuse for his behaviour on the day. He had a very bad addiction to alcohol in the main, Mr Burke said. Judge Roberts said, He is not just a bad drunk, he is a nasty drunk If you know you are a nasty piece of work when you take drink you cannot go on with it. Mr Burke said the problem was that Alan McCarthy could not stop himself from drinking. Because of another offence of shoplifting at Centra, Maryborough Hill, Cork, over a month later on January 22 this year - the judge imposed consecutive sentences totalling just over eight months. Addressing the accused directly, Judge Roberts said, I hope you make changes to your life if this is who you are when you have drink or drugs. WE often here about bringing it all back home or making connections, and sometimes amazing things happen that may look like simple coincidences, but I often wonder: are they set somewhere in the stars? Like last Friday, as most of our parish were agog with film fever in anticipation of the local GAA clubs Big Night At The Oskars event. Well, the glamour and style of the red carpet is most associated with Hollywood and big cities in the USA. The lights, cameras and action command from producers and directors was always a world away from us in our local community. Then this Spring, all changed, utterly changed, and hundreds of us became part of that glamorous razzamatazz - if only for a few months! It was wonderful, gave us all a lift, and raised funds for the club. So, there I was on Friday, preparing to walk that red carpet at the Rochestown Hotel, when American visitors dropped in to see us in the midst of the silver screen mayhem. True, Id got an email from Gwenn Wilson some time back stating she was coming over to Ireland from the Home of Uncle Sam and could we meet. She reckoned she might be of the same clan as me, so on Oskar day I met this remarkable woman for the first time. The Arnolds round here go back a long time - 1687 is the oldest date on an Arnold headstone in Rathcormac Cemetery. I recall years ago when I first met 105-year-old Ciss Geaney in Fermoy - she died aged 110. Well, when Ciss heard my surname, she said: Ah, the Arnolds, ye were big people one time and yeve nothing now. In her youth in the late 1880s, the Arnolds had a public house, a shop, a bakery, a mill and a farm. They were like the merchant princes of the area. Ciss and myself became great friends and often laughed about her pithy summary of the fortunes of the Arnold family in Rathcormac. Different Arnolds went to England, Australia, New Zealand and America. Were we all related? Probably, and if not blood relatives, then certainly connected on a multi-branched family tree. In the early 1800s, Bartholomew Edward Arnold was born in Rathcormac - we think his father was William; this William was my great grandfathers father as far as I can make out. Edward married a girl from Lisgoold, Johanna Doyle, and like so many other Irish families, they emigrated to America and settled in the Connecticut area. The Arnold couple brought their children State-side with them. One of their sons was Michael Edward - always called Michael E. Arnold. The newly-arrived emigrants worked at different jobs over the years until they settled into the American way of life. Like so many who left Ireland, they seemed to have had no contact with their relatives back in the Rathcormac/Bartlemy area - understandable, I suppose, because they were starting a new life in a new country and in reality the prospects of ever seeing Ireland again were miniscule. Bartholomew Edward died in 1895 aged 70 and his son Michael E passed away in 1936. Michaels son, Harold Arnold, was a fairly successful businessman and became a meat salesman. He had sisters, one of whom, Helen, ran a very lucrative speak-easy establishment in New York during the Prohibition years. Her establishment was frequented by many upwardly mobile citizens, including several clergymen! Back down the country, Harold Arnold employed a housekeeper, Mary Elizabeth Lincinkis. They developed a relationship and she became pregnant. Harold was not married at the time but must have decided he was not accepting any responsibility for his romantic dalliance. When the time came for the child to be born in June, 1936, Harold drove Mary Elizabeth to a maternity Home some distance from where they lived. On June 6, their baby son was born. Harold registered him with the name Edward Raymond Thompson and wrote Edward Thompson down as the childs father - he recorded the correct name for the mother. Harold then high tailed it to New York where he worked in sister Helens unlicensed premises - basically, he abandoned his son and the childs mother. So the little boy grew up as Edward Raymond Thompson and was reared in different orphanages and institutions and with a few foster parents. He had really no family around him at all and no relations anywhere. His mother eventually married and had two sons, but young Edward knew nothing of this. He joined the US services just as World War II was ending. He married and had four children - Gwenn is one of these four. Growing up, Gwenn asked her father about his extended family and other relatives, but unfortunately Edward knew very little. He remembered his mother but had not met her since he was a child. With his permission, Gwenn started trying to unravel the mystery of her fathers background. It took her 12 years, but solve it she did. In 1994, she found her fathers mother, then aged 79. So after decades apart, Edward Raymond Thompson met his mother in 1994. She told them the full story of Harold Arnold and his departure from her life. For the next three years, mother and son had a good relationship, but he died aged just 61 in 1997. His mother lived until 2004. Gwenn told me her father had looked at the possibility of reclaiming his identity as an Arnold, but it was so complicated and he decided to leave things as they were. His mother had two sons from her marriage and he met both. Overall, the coming together and meeting up was very emotional but they all got on really well. After her grandmother passed away, Gwenn tried to trace other possible Arnold relatives, but with little success - until last week. We met on Friday afternoon, a tearful, joyful, happy and emotional meeting. We hugged for a long time. Gwenn was so overcome to be with her Arnold flesh and blood. The motions overflowed again when we stood amongst the rows of Arnold headstones in Rathcormac cemetery. We were both standing on the hallowed ground where our people had been buried since the 1600s. We met again on Saturday and Kieran Jordan and Robert Barry joined Gwenn and her husband ken. Kieran and Robert are brilliant genealogists and were quickly able to put branches, roots, twigs and leaves on our common Arnold family tree. I went back on old emails and letters Id got over the years from other Arnold relatives in America. Gradually, a tapestry of relations, cousins and connections was woven before our eyes. Gwenn and Ken left for home yesterday, but theyll be back. Gwenn was born a Thompson, married a Wilson, but now she knows that truly she is an Arnold. I have recently renewed my passport and I have the free travel, so theres an open invitation to cross the Atlantic, just like so many of my Arnold relatives did in the past. I won two Oskars last Friday - one for a part in a film and the second for Finding A New Family. IRISH National Operas stunning production of Cosi Fan Tutte opened last night at the Opera House, but if you werent able to get a ticket, try for tomorrow night, Friday, June 2, when they have arranged a second performance. Our own Majella Cullagh sings Despina, a character that, she says, suits her perfectly, being confident, sassy and energetic. I get to pull the strings, manipulate the cross-plots, and also disguise my voice from time to time, which is great fun, she said. On Saturday, its another kind of music at the venue, with Cash Returns, the multi-award-winning tribute act back by popular demand with all those great songs from both Johnny himself and June Carter. Speaking of great songs, thats followed on Sunday, June 4, by The Simon and Garfunkel Story. After sold-out performances in Londons West End, a worldwide tour, and standing ovations at every performance, this iconic show is sensational must-see. It uses huge projection photos and original film footage, as well as a full live band performing all those much-loved hits. A nostalgic evening is promised, as you remember where you were when you first heard Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Homeward Bound, The Sound of Silence A change of genre on Wednesday and Thursday next, June 7 and 8, when Bolt Productions present 12 Angry Men. Made famous by the 1957 film starring Henry Fonda, this viscerally gripping drama sees a boys life tremble in the balance as a jury composed of widely differing views and opinions argue over his guilt or innocence. And here is something you need to know of right away - Michael Flatleys Lord of the Dance is coming to the Opera House from Wednesday, August 9 to Sunday, August 13 and tickets are on sale now! It marks 25 years of worldwide success for a show people told Flatley could never be done. Booking for all Opera House events on 021 427 0022 or www.corkoperahouse.ie. Abigails Party, presented by London Classic Theatre at the Everyman, is a delightfully sharp black comedy and landmark of 20th century theatre. Directed by Michael Cabot, it runs until Friday at 8pm. On Saturday, Corks Choral Con Fusion Choir perform The 3 Years Late Show - a feast of music to celebrate their 10-year anniversary, albeit belated (thanks, Covid!). Then, Wednesday, June 7 brings The Magic of Motown, with all the hits, glittering costumes, dazzling dance routines and outstanding musicianship in a live concert spectacular. Celebrate Queen at the Everyman. Next Thursday, June 8, Radio Ga Ga promises a night like no other in the ultimate celebration of one of the biggest bands to have ever graced the stage - Queen. Two magical hours playing all your favourite hits including Dont Stop Me Now, I Want to Break Free, We Are the Champions, We Will Rock You, and of course Bohemian Rhapsody. And a complete change of style on Friday and Saturday when Pat Kinevane performs King, the story of Luther, a man from Cork named in honour of his Granny Bee Baws hero, Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Luther only leaves his apartment for essential journeys, and to perform as an Elvis impersonator. The play explores prejudice, privilege and resilience, as he struggles to live life to the full. Both poignant and compelling. Booking for these and all Everyman shows on 021 450 1673 or www.everymancork.com. Currently, at the Cork Arts Theatre, Oh Brother, by Callum Maxwell, is a witty but thought-provoking story of two boys, each of whom has always wanted a brother, and who have to juggle the dream with the reality when at last they meet. Shades of Blood Brothers here, we think. Until Friday at 8pm, with a matinee on Saturday at 2.30pm. Call 021 450 5624 or see www.corkartstheatre.com for all bookings at the venue. Thomson Reuters A military tribunal in Lebanon has formally accused five members of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement of killing an Irish peacekeeper last year, according to a senior Lebanese judicial source. Private Sean Rooney (23) was killed on December 15th in the first fatal attack on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon since 2015. The five accused are among seven already charged by Lebanon's judiciary in January, but a new court document filed on Thursday identifies some of them as members of Hezbollah, the armed group that controls the part of southern Lebanon where the attack took place. Hezbollah's media office did not immediately respond to attempts to reach it. The Amal Movement, which is headed by Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri, declined to comment. The judicial source said the military tribunal judge accused them of conducting a criminal act that led to Rooney's killing and to the attempted murder of three other soldiers. The source said the accusation was punishable by the death sentence, adding that the document referred to evidence drawn from camera recordings in which the accused refer to themselves as members of Hezbollah. A second judicial source confirmed that camera evidence was mentioned in the 30-page court document. One of the accused had already been detained in connection with the case in late 2022 by the Lebanese military and charged with murder. He was identified at the time as a supporter of Hezbollah. The other six suspects face charges ranging from attempted murder to damaging a vehicle. None are in custody. Hezbollah has officially denied involvement in the incident, calling the killing an "unintentional incident" that took place solely between the town's residents and UNIFIL, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon. On December 16th last year, then-minister for foreign affairs and defence Simon Coveney told RTE that he did not accept Hezbollah's assurances that it had no involvement. UNIFIL has operated in Lebanon since 1978 to maintain peace along the border with Israel and was expanded by the UN resolution that halted the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war in southern Lebanon. Pte Rooney was killed when the UNIFIL vehicle he was in was fired on as it travelled in southern Lebanon last year. David Raleigh Celebrity fitness model and nurse Judy Fitzgerald was one of a kind and a beautiful person inside and out, her funeral mass heard on Thursday. Ms Fitzgerald (32), who had a successful modelling and nursing career, died suddenly in Adare, Co Limerick, last Saturday. One of Irelands frontline nursing heroes during the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms Fitzgerald provided maternity healthcare and support to expectant mothers whose family were restricted from visiting them in hospital during the worst of the pandemic. In a loving tribute to his sister, William Fitzgerald told mourners who attended the funeral mass at St Nessans Church, Raheen, Limerick: We are all gathered here to celebrate Judys life, for she was one of a kind. Judy touched the lives of so many people in her short lifetime, she was successful in everything she did, be that in her nursing, midwifery and modelling careers. She travelled the globe working with top designers and photographers, yet Judy remained a very down to earth person who would do anything for anyone. During the Covid restrictions she brought presents to new mothers who werent allowed visitors. She nursed our late grandmother when she was very ill, and she always checked in on her friends. Mr Fitzgerald said his family are shocked by the untimely death of my sister Judy, and we will miss her very much as she always lit up a room. Paying tribute, he said Ms Fitzgerald had just completed a Green Cert which qualifies a person as a trained farmer, and she was planning to build a house on the family farm. She loved animals and the outdoors and she often visited my uncle PJ to help him with his sheep when she was growing up. She had talked about so many plans for the future, he said. Mr Fitzgerald thanked all those who had provided the family with such beautiful support by our lovely neighbours and our family after they received the devastating news last Saturday. We thank everyone for their kind words of sympathy and the condolences we have received, he added. Items symbolising Ms Fitzgeralds life were placed on a table next to a coffin and photograph of the model and nurse. Ms Fitzgeralds nursing degree to remember Judys care and dedication to mothers and babies; a self-penned healthy living book to symbolise her passion for health and fitness; and a framed photograph of her walking the catwalk at New York Fashion Week in 2015 to represent her modelling career were brought to the altar by friends. Miss Bikini Ireland Ms Fitzgerald rose to fame in 2014 when she was crowned Miss Bikini Ireland. A well known ambassador and advocate for positive mental health, she had developed a successful modelling career, appearing on the covers and pages of magazines and newspapers and online platforms, culminating in an appearance on the catwalk at New York Fashion Week in 2015. She had also qualified as a fitness instructor and had competed in fitness modelling events around the world. In 2019 she was crowed overall European Fitness Model Champion 2019. Fr John OShea said the heart of the community had been filled with sadness at the untimely passing of this kind-hearted beautiful lady. Conscious that we are very vulnerable and very fragile and in need of kindness, Fr OShea said the emphasis of the mass was a celebration of Judys life, and the joy she brought during her life. Ms Fitzgerald, who is survived by her parents Liam and Imelda, siblings Lucy and William and brother-in-Law Pedro, was laid to rest in Castlemungret Cemetery in Co Limerick. US beef producers oppose USDA proposal to allow Paraguayan imports A proposal by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to permit beef imports from Paraguay into the US market is facing strong opposition from American producer groups, Agri-Pulse reported. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) recently concluded a comment period on the proposed rule, which outlines the conditions for allowing Paraguayan fresh beef imports, including the requirement that the product must not come from a region where foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has been detected in the past 12 months. Justin Tupper, representing the US Cattlemen's Association, expressed concerns about the USDA's underlying information, which is based on visits conducted in 2014. Tupper pointed out the nearly 10-year gap since the last site visit and questioned the confidence it inspires in Paraguay's regulatory approach. The possibility of an FMD outbreak, coupled with APHIS's acknowledgment that Paraguay is not free of the disease, raises serious concerns about the safety of the US cattle herd if the proposal moves forward. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) also raised concerns about the outdated information and the presence of FMD in Paraguay. While the NCBA supports expanding international markets for US beef, the organization said there is a need for caution in trade and diplomatic relations. The NCBA's trade lobbyist, Kent Bacus, said that while building alliances in South America may be a long-term interest of US diplomacy, it should not come at the expense of US cattle producers or jeopardize the health and livelihood of the world's safest and most efficient cattle and beef production system. - Agri-Pulse Australian dairy farmers face lower price offerings for upcoming season Australian dairy farmers are bracing for a challenging season ahead as the country's major dairy processors revealed lower price offerings, Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. Leading processor Fonterra Australia has announced a significant 10% reduction in its farmgate milk price, setting the opening offering at AUD 8.65 (~US$5.64; AUD 1 = US$0.65) per kg of milk solids or AUD 0.65 (~US$0.42) per litre. Despite stating that it is higher than the international market, this decision has left many dairy farmers concerned about their future prospects. Other dairy companies have also revealed their price offerings. Bulla took the lead earlier in the week, offering a starting position of AUD 8.80 (~US$5.74) to AUD 9.90 (~US$6.46) per kg of milk solids. Mondelez, the parent company of Cadbury, said that it would offer AUD 8.73 (~US$5.69) per kg or AUD 0.66 (~US$0.43) per litre to farmers who supplied them exclusively, while non-exclusive contracts would receive AUD 7.93 (~US$5.17) or AUD 0.60 (~US$0.39) per litre. Canadian dairy giant Saputo announced an opening weighted average of AUD 8.90 (~US$5.80) to AUD 9.05 (~US$5.90), which represents an approximate 8% decrease compared to last season's price. Rene Dedoncker, the managing director of Fonterra Australia, expressed pride in the relationships built with farmer suppliers and the company's commitment to continue the partnership. Victorian dairy farmer Greg Peddle, who operates a sizable herd of 800 cows in Yarram, south Gippsland, believes that Fonterra's pursuit of profit is leaving dairy farmers at a disadvantage. Peddle said that Fonterra seems to have forgotten what it means to lead the industry and should be taking a more proactive role to attract supply. Alan Davenport, chairperson of the Fonterra Australia Suppliers Council, echoed the sentiment, describing the news as "disappointing but not surprising." He said there is a significant financial impact on dairy farms, such as a potential AUD 270,000 (~US$176,000) drop in income for an average dairy farm in Tasmania. - Australian Broadcasting Corporation Saudi Arabia invests in BRF SA, Brazil's largest poultry producer Saudi Arabia continues its rapid expansion into the global food industry through a significant agreement to acquire shares of BRF SA, Brazil's largest poultry producer, Gulf News reported. Under the deal, state-owned Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Co., also known as Salic, and Brazil's Marfrig Global Foods SA have agreed to purchase up to US$890 million worth of new BRF shares. This transaction will provide Salic with a stake ranging between 10% and 15% in the company. Leandro Fontanesi, an analyst at Bradesco BBI, said that Saudi Arabia has been a major importer of chicken from BRF in recent years, accounting for approximately 7% of the company's total sales. Having heavily relied on food imports, Saudi Arabia has actively pursued agricultural investments in recent years. In 2015, Salic acquired a majority stake in the former Canadian Wheat Board, marking the beginning of the kingdom's agricultural deal spree. The country has intensified its focus on agriculture in the aftermath of the pandemic and disruptions in global trade caused by Russia's attack on Ukraine, which has led to soaring food prices and exposed vulnerabilities in the world's supply chains. - Gulf News Norway officially adopts 25% salmon farming tax After an intense eight-month period, the Norwegian parliament has finally approved the implementation of a 25% tax on salmon farming, IntraFish reported. The highly debated ground rent tax for the aquaculture industry received a 93 to 76 vote in favour of adoption. The proposal for a new tax on the salmon industry was initially introduced by the government in September, suggesting a 40% tax rate. After considering feedback received during the consultation period in the fall, an updated proposal of a 35% tax was presented in March. Last week, the Norwegian government unveiled the final revised details, settling on a tax rate of 25%. The final proposal gained the necessary majority support in the Norwegian Parliament from the Labor Party (AP), the Center Party (SP), the Liberal Party (Venstre), and Patient Focus. It maintained the minimum threshold of NOK 70 million (~$6.3 million; NOK 1 = US$0.090) at which companies are required to pay the tax, as previously suggested in March. The Norwegian salmon industry expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome. Geir Ove Ystmark, CEO of Seafood Norway, said there are significant flaws in the tax model, adding that it is burdensome for companies to administer and retroactively imposed. He also said that the overall tax burden along the coast remains excessively high, even with the downward adjustments made from the government's initial and revised proposals. - IntraFish Depression in children is more common than some parents may realize. Approximately 2.7 million children in the United States have depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Research shows depression is on the rise in kids and teens. The proportion of children whove been diagnosed with depression increased by 24 percent from 2016 to 2019, and the direction of these trends continued in 2020, according to a study published in March 2022 in JAMA Pediatrics. Factors such as social media, mass violence, the fallout from COVID-19, natural disasters, climate change, and political polarization have all contributed to rising depression rates among kids and teens in the United States, according to a report published in January 2023 by the American Psychological Association. There are also significant disparities when it comes to racial and ethnic minority youth and youth that identify as LGBTQ+, says Ernesto Lira de la Rosa, PhD, New York Citybased psychologist and media advisor for the Hope for Depression Research Foundation. Thats because of factors including discrimination, lack of access to high quality mental health care, and cultural stigma related to mental health care, among other contributors, according to the American Psychiatric Association. Some signs of depression may appear differently in kids than adults, which is why knowing the signs of childhood depression is crucial, says Mayra Mendez, PhD, a licensed marriage and family therapist and program coordinator for intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental health services at Providence Saint John's Child and Family Development Center in Santa Monica, California. One reason it can be difficult to recognize depression in children is that they may explain or express their depression differently than adults do, especially if theyre young and learning how to express their emotions. A tantrum, for example, may not just be a kid being mad at the moment, but a sign that they are emotionally struggling, notes Dr. Mendez. When a child struggles with depressive symptoms but does not show behaviors that are typically associated and recognized as signaling depression, the negative behaviors may be misinterpreted, and the signs of depression missed, says Mendez. 7 Key Signs of Depression in Children Its normal for kids to experience emotional ups and downs, but feeling down for at least two weeks could mean that a child has depression, especially if what theyre experiencing interferes with their usual routines, activities, and interests, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Missed signs of childhood depression can lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment. Without early intervention, depressive symptoms can worsen and lead to many emotional, behavioral, and academic challenges in a kids life, Dr. Lira de la Rosa says, This may mean that by the time a child receives mental health treatment, their depression may have worsened and may take longer to treat. Here are seven signs your child may be experiencing depression. 1. They Seem Angrier or More Irritable Than Usual For some kids, depression may show up in the form of angry outbursts at the dinner table or in class, for instance. This sign of depression in children is sometimes mistaken for troublemaking, according to the CDC. Some of the common signs may include anger and irritability more so than feelings of sadness that may be more common in adults who have depression, says Lira de la Rosa. They may also begin to act out or misbehave at home and at school or experience significant fluctuations in their mood. 2. Theyve Withdrawn From Friends and Their Favorite Activities Similar to adults, kids who have depression may also have behavioral changes such as withdrawal from friends or social activities they normally love, Mendez says. This is often due to anhedonia, a common sign of depression involving loss of interest or pleasure in activities they used to enjoy. 3. Youve Noticed Changes in Their Appetite Typically, I would recommend keeping an eye out for changes in a childs appetite, Lira de la Rosa says. Consistently eating more or less than they usually do and resulting weight loss or gain are potential signs of depression in children, according to Boston Childrens Hospital. RELATED: How Depression Affects Your Appetite Plus, 5 Ways to Manage It 4. Their Sleeping Patterns Have Changed Sleeping more than usual or having trouble falling or staying asleep can signal depression in a child, says Lira de la Rosa. Not only are sleep issues a potential sign of depression in kids, but theyre also a risk factor for developing depression in the first place, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis of 16 studies published in JAMA Network Open. 5. Their Academic Performance Has Slipped A decline in grades at school can be a sign of depression, especially among middle and high school students, says Mendez. Survey data published in the fall of 2022 by the nonprofit YouthTruth showed that among nearly 223,000 students in grades 6 through 12 across the country, depression, stress, and anxiety were the biggest obstacles to learning at every grade level. 6. They Have Unexplained Aches and Pains Unexplained physical symptoms such as headaches or stomachaches can be a sign of depression, according to the U.K. National Health Service. Headaches in particular can be common among kids with depression who have difficulty recognizing feelings of loneliness or sadness, according to Mayo Clinic. 7. They Talk About Death or Dying Talking about death or dying can be a sign of suicidal thoughts, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Thoughts of death or suicide are a potential sign of depression, and having depression is a known risk factor for suicide. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among children ages 10 to 14, CDC data show. Other warning signs that a child may be thinking of suicide, per the Cleveland Clinic, are: Self-harm and increased risky or self-destructive behaviors Social withdrawal Feelings of hopelessness Giving away their possessions without a logical reason for doing so What Should You Do if You Think Your Child Has Depression? If you suspect your child has depression, start by talking to them about it. Consider these tips for getting the conversation started, suggests Lira de la Rosa: For younger kids, make the conversation part of play time or another activity, and bring up feelings like sadness. Lira de la Rosa recommends Sesame Workshops Emotional Well-Being resource as a potential tool to help young children learn about their emotions. For older kids and teens, consider planning a fun activity with them, such as getting ice cream or going to their favorite store, and ask them how theyre doing emotionally. Oftentimes, older kids and teens have already been exposed to the topic of depression through media and school, Lira de la Rosa adds. When talking to your child about depression, try to emphasize how common this mental health condition is. If it's relevant, consider sharing your own experiences with depression in an age-appropriate way. Its important to note that the aforementioned signs dont automatically mean your child has depression, but if you notice them in your child, its worth talking to a doctor. Your childs pediatrician or a licensed mental health professional can screen your child for depression if theyve experienced the signs for at least two weeks. This means theyll ask you and your child some questions to determine if what your child is experiencing is depression or something else. If your child does have depression, its important to work closely with their pediatrician or a mental health professional to come up with a treatment plan. Evidence-based treatments for childhood depression, according to Boston Childrens Hospital, include: Amid the looming US debt deadline, recent developments have triggered a turn towards gold as an instrument of risk hedge. Investors are closely examining the potential impact of a US debt ceiling agreement and its implications for federal spending. "Fitch moved the US sovereign rating on a watch negative radar as debt deadline looms. Investors are also assessing the possible impact of a US debt ceiling deal and how it could cut federal spending" says Ehsan Khoman, Head of Commodities, ESG and Emerging Markets Research at MUFG. Gold is being eyed as a promising refuge in the light of certain economic conditions. Khoman adds, "This had pushed investors towards gold, as a hedge against risk." The complexity of the current financial environment has particularly strengthened gold's attractiveness. Gold Outperforming in a Challenging Economic Environment While the Federal Reserve persists in tightening despite the rise in producer prices, money supply, and bank deposits, gold has emerged as a shining performer. Khoman mentions, "The unprecedented combination of the Fed still tightening in H1 2023 despite elevated producer prices, money supply and bank deposits, favour gold." The precious metal has outdone other constituents of the Bloomberg Commodity index on an annualised basis. According to the analyst, gold's beneficial position is likely to persist as the world navigates beyond the Federal Reserve's hawkishness. "Golds value proposition remains constructive as we are moving past Fed hawkishness since the US is seemingly slowing without derailing growth elsewhere," says Khoman. This economic slowdown could spur increased investment demand for gold, which has been relatively dormant in recent years. Emerging Market Central Banks Keep the Demand for Gold High Central banks in emerging markets (EM) are actively acquiring gold, a trend that has kept the demand for the precious metal robust. This purchasing pace is driven by geopolitical risks and de-dollarisation trends. "EM central banks continue to purchase gold at pace a trend that we expect to continue to dominate gold demand on the back of elevated geopolitical risks and de-dollarisation trends," Khoman explains. Amid these forces, the trajectory for gold prices is set to rise, albeit at a potentially slower pace than seen previously. The analyst further states, "Overall, this suggests gold is poised to move higher, although it may be more of a slow grind than continued spike." MUFG's gold price models project an average of USD1,980 per ounce this year, with a tendency for the price to exceed this prediction. Khoman suggests, "Our gold price models signal an average of USD1,980/oz this year, with risks skewed to the upside." The gold analyst concludes that in a climate of increasing anxiety and looming recession risks, the potential downside for gold under a soft landing or further hawkish moves from the Fed is significantly less than the upside in the event of a growth shock pushing the US economy into recession. However, it might be challenging for gold to cross the USD2,100 per ounce threshold without the Fed resorting to rate cuts in response to a recession that necessitates pivoting towards growth support. Fairfield, MT (59436) Today Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 54F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 54F. Winds light and variable. Twelve years ago, FBI agents in Baltimore sought to wiretap former Brookings Institution analyst Igor Danchenko on suspicions he was spying for Russia. But the counterintelligence analyst they were assigned to work with a Brian Auten a told them he could not find their target and assumed the Russian national had fled back to Moscow. But Danchenko had not left the U.S., court documents show. He was living in the Washington area. In fact, he had been arrested in Maryland in 2013 by federal Park Police for being drunk and disorderly, something the FBI analyst could have easily discovered by searching federal law enforcement databases. Clueless, the FBI closed its espionage case on Danchenko. Auten would quickly rise to become the FBIs top Russian analyst. In 2016 and 2017, he failed to properly vet the Steele dossier, a collection of salacious allegations created for Hillary Clintons campaign which sought to tie Donald Trump to the Kremlin, before clearing it as the central piece of evidence used by the FBI to obtain warrants to spy on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. Working out of headquarters as a supervisor, Auten knew Danchenko helped Christopher Steele compile the dossier while living in the area. But instead of contacting the Baltimore agents, Auten secretly groomed him as an informant, arranging payments of $220,000 to target Donald Trump and his former aide Page. One result: Danchenko, the suspected Russian spy, falsely accused Page, a former U.S. Navy officer who had previously helped the FBI, of being a Russian spy in the dossier. Auten also never informed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court about the FBIs longstanding concerns about Danchenko. Like the Baltimore agents, investigators at FBI headquarters relied on Auten to build their counterintelligence cases on Page and three other Trump advisers. Auten provided the reports and memos they used to establish probable cause in each case. Auten also supported investigators working on Special Counsel Robert Muellers probe. Autens conduct was first singled out for rebuke by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who in 2019 issued a report detailing how Auten cut corners in the dossier verification process. Horowitz referred Auten to the FBI for discipline, which does not appear to have been administered. His earlier and deeper connections to Danchenko have only been more recently revealed in the report issued by Special Counsel John Durham. His findings suggest that if Auten had done his job over a decade ago, chances are the now-discredited dossier never would have been created and used by the FBI to eavesdrop on Page and help launch the Russiagate probe. Its likely that Danchenko, the main source of the dossiers allegations, would have been deported years earlier and flagged in the system, according to the recently released Durham Report. The embattled analyst was recommended for suspension from the bureau last year, and his case has been under disciplinary review for several months. Contacted by RealClearInvestigations, an FBI spokeswoman declined to say if Auten has been suspended. In keeping with our usual practice, she said, we have no comment on personnel matters. According to the Durham Report, Danchenko came onto the radar of agents working out of the Baltimore field office in 2010 after two former Brookings colleagues entering the government told the FBI that he had solicited classified information. The agents subsequently opened an espionage case after discovering Danchenko had previous contacts with the Russian Embassy and known Russian intelligence officers. In particular, the FBI learned that in September 2006, Danchenko informed one Russian intelligence officer that he had an interest in entering the Russian diplomatic service, the report stated. Four days later, the intelligence officer contacted Danchenko and informed him that they could meet that day to work on the documents and then think about future plans. The next month, Danchenko contacted the intelligence officer so the documents can be placed in [the following days] diplomatic mail pouch, according to the report. In addition, Danchenko had been identified as an associate of two other espionage suspects, Durham learned from a review of his case file. In July 2010, the FBI initiated a request to obtain a FISA warrant to conduct surveillance on Danchenko. Auten helped research Danchenko and provided information for wiretap applications. However, the investigation was soon closed after the FBI incorrectly concluded Danchenko had left the country in September 2010. Danchenko and his wife continued to reside openly in the Washington area. But the probe wasnt completely dead. In 2012, Auten exchanged emails with one of the Baltimore agents in which they speculated whether Danchenko had actually left the country. Then in 2013, the U.S. Park Police arrested Danchenko in Greenbelt, Md., on drunk-and-disorderly charges, court records first obtained by RCI show. Danchenkos case was visible in the federal law enforcement database and prosecuted by then-U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein, who years later, as acting attorney general, would sign one of the 2017 applications to renew a wiretap targeting Page and authorize an expansion of the FBIs Trump-Russia investigation. The Russian-born Danchenko, who was living in the U.S. on a work visa, was released from jail on the condition he undergo drug testing and participate in a program of substance abuse therapy and counseling, as well as mental health counseling, the records show. His lawyer asked the court to postpone his trial and let him travel to Moscow as a condition of his employment. The Russian trips were granted without objection from Rosenstein. Danchenko ended up several months later entering into a plea agreement and paying fines. Despite the flurry of legal records generated on Danchenko in the federal system, it is not clear why the FBI failed to take note of his presence in the country. What the record does show is that the bureau did not reopen the espionage case against him. Danchenko reappeared on Autens radar in late 2016 as he and the FBI were using the Steele dossier he helped create on Trump to seek warrants to spy on Page. Auten identified his old espionage target in December 2016 as the primary subsource of the document. Instead of wiretapping Danchenko, the FBI recruited him as an informant and paid him $220,000 to help the bureau continue wiretapping the former Trump aide. FBI headquarters proposed paying Danchenko an additional $300,000 even as Durham was actively investigating him as the linchpin to the uncorroborated allegations contained in the Steele Reports. After asking officials at FBI headquarters about the bureaus relationship with Danchenko, Durham determined that they were unable to justify keeping him open as a confidential source, much less making hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments to him. After examining FBI documents, Durham discovered that Auten interviewed Danchenko over three days in January 2017 as part of a plan to recruit him as a paid informant, despite the unresolved counterespionage investigation. Working with then-DOJ official David Laufman, the FBI offered immunity from prosecution to the longtime spy suspect and invited his lawyer to sit with him during the interviews. If this recruitment was successful, the FBI planned to mine Danchenko for information that was corroborative of the damaging allegations about President-elect Trump in the Steele Reports, Durham said in his report. Auten confessed to Durham that Danchenko was not able to provide any corroborative evidence related to any substantive allegation contained in the Steele Reports a and critically a was unable to corroborate any of the FBIs assertions contained in the Carter Page FISA applications, according to the Durham report (emphasis in the original). Danchenko was kept on the FBI payroll for more than three years. In internal FBI documents, Danchenkos handling agent Kevin Helson incorrectly stated that there was no derogatory information associated with Danchenko and that he had not been a prior subject of an FBI investigation. This was clearly not true as there had previously been the unresolved Baltimore FBI counterespionage investigation of Danchenko that was only closed because it was believed he had left the country and returned to Russia, Durham pointed out. Agent Helson later learned that the informant he was assigned to handle had been investigated as a suspected spy. However, Auten advised Helson that the espionage case against Danchenko was interesting, but was not a significant matter, according to the Durham report. Notably, the report added, Auten did not inform Helson that he had previously assisted in the Baltimore investigation. A Suspected Kremlin Agent 'Hiding in Plain Sight' The Baltimore agents were shocked to learn from Durhams office that Danchenko had been signed up as a confidential FBI source. One of them interviewed by Durhams investigators believed Danchenko was a Kremlin agent hiding in plain sight in the U.S., while frequently traveling overseas to be debriefed by Russian intelligence. The other Baltimore agent said the counterintelligence case on Danchenko remained unresolved and, in her opinion, certainly a lot more investigation should have been conducted on Danchenko. It is extremely concerning that the FBI failed to deal with the prior unresolved counterespionage case on Danchenko, Durham concluded in his report. Given Danchenkos known contacts with Russian intelligence officers and his documented prior pitch [to colleagues at Democratic think tank Brookings] for classified information, the Crossfire Hurricane teams failure to properly consider and address the espionage case prior to opening Danchenko as a CHS [confidential human source] is difficult to explain, particularly given their awareness that Danchenko was the linchpin to the uncorroborated allegations contained in the Steele Reports, the special prosecutor added. Crossfire Hurricane was the code name for the FBIs Russia investigation. In an RCI interview, Danchenkos lawyer denied his client ever spied for the Russian government. He said Danchenko feared Russian President Vladimir Putin and was concerned for his personal safety. However, Durham examined immigration records which revealed that Danchenko lived in the U.S. but traveled frequently to Russia, casting doubts about his security concerns. Yet in sworn affidavits to obtain the FISA warrants targeting Page, FBI agents led judges on the secret surveillance court to believe Danchenko was Russian-based and therefore presumably more credible as a source of the allegations that Page was a Russian agent. By 2017, Auten knew the Russian-based claim was untrue. Even so, he let case agents slip it into two FISA renewal requests targeting Page. And so the Russian-based fraud lived on through 2017. Auten assured the court that Danchenko was truthful and cooperative, never telling the judges about unresolved questions that made him a suspected Russian agent. And Autens imprimatur carried great weight. In Durhams telling, Auten was known internally as one of the Triumvirate of Control in the Crossfire Hurricane investigation, along with senior counterintelligence official Peter Strzok and intelligence section chief Jonathan Moffa. Some case agents working under them believed the surveillance of Page was a dry hole, but the triumvirate insisted they continue secretly intercepting his emails, text messages, and other communications, according to Durham. On Sept. 19, 2016, the FBIs Crossfire Hurricane team formally received a dossier report alleging that Page had held secret meetings with sanctioned Kremlin officials in Moscow earlier that summer in which they allegedly discussed lifting U.S. sanctions on Russia. That same day, an anxious Auten urged department lawyers to consider including the dossier report as part of the initial FISA application targeting Page. In an email to attorneys, Auten forwarded an excerpt from the dossier report and asked, Does this put us at least *that* much closer to a full FISA on [Page]? The attorneys thought it was a close call when they first discussed a FISA targeting Page in early August, but the dossier report in September pushed it over the line in terms of establishing probable cause. Except that the dossier allegation about secret Kremlin meetings was bunk. Auten knew there were serious doubts about it a yet withheld those concerns from FISA judges. On Oct. 17, 2016, Auten received an email alerting him to a conversation an informant covertly recorded with Page that day in which Page outright denied meeting with the Russian officials a or even knowing them. Nevertheless, Durham noted, Pages exculpatory statements were not included in the initial FISA application signed just four days later. Before the application was submitted, Auten also was aware that the dossier was being funded and promoted by Hillary Clintons campaign. On Sept. 2, 2016, CIA personnel briefed Auten at FBI headquarters about credible foreign intelligence they received about the Clinton campaigns machinations. Yet Auten took no steps to analyze the intelligence and how it might impact the Trump campaign investigation and surveillance requests. Nor did he inform the FISA court about it. Asked why he failed to disclose the Clinton plan intelligence, Auten told Durhams office that it was just one data point. As the FBI made requests to renew its spy warrants throughout 2017, Auten continued to gloss over major holes in the dossier. He even pressured agents and analysts to back off looking into a questionable source of key allegations, according to the Durham report. It turns out that source, Charles Dolan, was also tied to the Clinton campaign and the Democratic Party. Agent Helson told Durham that Auten told him to hold off on interviewing Dolan, who was never interviewed. Auten also told a female FBI analyst working for Mueller to cease all research and analysis related to Dolan, according to the Durham report. She wrote a memo in September 2017 documenting Dolans ties to the dossier, but said that Auten had made edits to her memorandum, some of which removed information regarding Dolan. She said she was frustrated by the censorship and wondered if there was a political motive behind it. The analyst told Durham she prepared a contemporaneous timeline in case she was ever questioned about her role in the Mueller investigation. Perhaps most concerning was Autens reluctance to corroborate even the existence of a ghost-like source Danchenko claimed had provided him a stream of bombshell allegations that were essential to the FBIs case for probable cause against Page. The alleged source, Belarus-born businessman and Trump booster named Sergei Millian, actually had no connection of any kind to Danchenko. There is no evidence the two men ever met or spoke. Yet Danchenko attributed to Millian the dossiers core allegation: that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to steal the 2016 election in a well-developed conspiracy of cooperation. This claim, which Durham found to be completely conjured up by Danchenko, formed the backbone of all four of the FBIs applications to the FISA court to spy on Trump. Auten knew there were serious problems with the attribution. While debriefing Danchenko in January 2017, Danchenko was dodgy about his supposed conversations with Millian. Still, Auten made no effort to validate Millian as a source. He never examined either Danchenkos or Millians phone records, for starters. Durham did pull the call records, however, and easily determined that Danchenko never actually spoke with Millian. He also learned from Danchenkos email records that he fabricated his conversations with Millian, which means he also made up the dossier allegation that Carter Page masterminded the Democratic National Committee email leak, a claim the FBI also vouchsafed to the FISA court to attain the Page wiretaps. Nevertheless, the information allegedly provided by Millian remained in the Page FISA applications, Durham stated in his report. Auten told Durham that he did, however, check with the FBIs partners at the CIA to see if they had anything on file to corroborate Danchenkos areporting in the dossier. They received no corroborating information back, Durham said. Durham interviewed a career counterintelligence analyst at Langley who said the dossier was transparent fiction. Indeed, after the dossier was leaked and became public, Durham relayed in his report, that [CIA] experts reaction was to ask the FBI, You didnt use that, right? For several years, Auten moonlighted teaching law enforcement, intelligence, and surveillance courses at Patrick Henry College in North Virginia. He was removed from the Patrick Henry website soon after RealClearInvestigations published a July 2020 story first identifying him as the anonymous Supervisory Intelligence Analyst singled out in 2019 by DOJ Inspector General Horowitz for cutting corners verifying the dossier. Auten also is no longer listed as a member of the colleges Strategic Intelligence Board of Advisors. Patrick Henrys communications director did not reply to requests for an explanation for Autens removal from the website. But a faculty spokesman confirmed over the phone that he is no longer teaching there. He is, however, apparently, still employed by the FBI. Autens most recent activities that have come to light? Possibly using false information to undermine allegations of criminal activity on the part of Hunter Biden. According to a July 25, 2022, letter from Sen. Chuck Grassley to FBI Director Christopher Wray, Autens scheme entailed using deceptive and derogatory information to derail the FBIs investigation. First, its been alleged that the FBI developed information in 2020 about Hunter Bidens criminal financial and related activity, Grassley wrote. It is further alleged that in August 2020, FBI Supervisory Intelligence Analyst Brian Auten opened an assessment which was used by an FBI Headquarters (FBI HQ) team to improperly discredit negative Hunter Biden information as disinformation and caused investigative activity to cease. Correction, Thursday, June 1, 2023, 10:28 AM Eastern Because of an editing error, an earlier version mischaracterized Brian Auten's recollection of an interaction with the CIA. He told Special Counsel John Durham that he did check with the agency in an effort to corroborate Igor Danchenkosareporting in the Steele dossier. It is not the case that he said he never checked. The Jeannette Rankin Foundation has awarded grants to 51 Indigenous women attending Montana tribal colleges. The Native Woman Scholar Grant program launched earlier this year and provides $2,500 unrestricted education grants to Native women. Grants this year total $127,500. Every reservation in Montana has a tribal college, which offer various two- and four-year degrees. The grants are awarded directly to students and aim to ease financial burdens associated with pursuing an associate's or bachelor's degree. Sandra Boham, president of Salish Kootenai College, said education "empowers (Native) women to achieve economic independence, build self confidence and allow for the integration of Indigenous knowledge, culture and language into all aspects of the workplaces and organizations in the communities where they live." Several grant recipients said the funds will help them achieve their educational and career goals. Sara Meyers, who is pursuing an associate's degree in Native Language education at Salish Kootenai College, said she wants to be part of the "revival of our Salish language." "With my education, I aim to be a Salish language teacher and encourage others to get their education, be rooted in their culture and serve the community," she said. Morgan Harrison-Woolf, a student at Blackfeet Community College, said as a mother, stroke survivor and student, "I am thrilled to keep pushing forward and continue facing the odds. I hope to be fully independent again and find a position within my community." Cheyenne Robinson, a student at Little Big Horn College on the Crow Reservation, is pursuing a degree in business marketing. "I plan to use my degree to run a nonprofit I've founded to help encourage, inspire and protect our community while bringing awareness to missing and murdered Indigenous people," she said. The Rankin Foundation will accept applications for its second round of Native Woman Scholar Grants in November 2023. The foundation was founded in 1976 to honor Jeannette Rankin, who was the first U.S. Congresswoman and first woman to hold federal office. For more information, visit rankinfoundation.org. Judge Michael Moses of Yellowstone County at a court hearing on July 11, 2022 (Photo by Darrell Ehrlick of the Daily Montanan). In a court case dealing with how to change a birth certificate in Montana, previous hearings have been so contentious that the states Supreme Court had to step in to clarify to the state how a preliminary injunction works, Thursdays district court hearing struck a completely different tone. Thane Johnson, who represented the State of Montana on Thursday, apologized to the court, saying the department understood the rulings and had not followed the orders, while assuring the court it would change course. Yellowstone County District Court Judge Michael Moses had the hearing on a motion for summary judgment of the two-year-old case that spun out of the 2021 legislature and why the state should be held in contempt for not complying with several court orders. At issue is how Montanans can change birth certificates. In 2021, the legislature changed the law, saying residents could only change the sex designation on a birth certificate by a surgical procedure and a judges order, a departure from the 2017 rule that allowed residents to change the marker with a simple, one-page form. Almost as soon as it was passed, the ACLU of Montana challenged the law, and Moses issued a preliminary injunction that should have halted the new law and kept the 2017 process in place. However, the state repeatedly tried to maneuver around that order by proposing new rules, or saying Moses previous orders were unclear. Despite the state Supreme Court affirming the process Moses used by a unanimous decision, the state has still not relented, and that led attorneys with the American Civil Liberties Union of Montana, which is representing two plaintiffs, to ask Moses to hold the state in contempt and issue an order finding the 2021 law unconstitutional. Thursdays hearing was meant to address both issues. Contempt Attorneys for the ACLU argued the state should be held in contempt because it refused to acknowledge the orders by the district and state Supreme Court. The defendants saying they were not obligated to do so is unprecedented behavior by a state agency and co-equal branch of government, said ACLU staff attorney Akilah Deernose. No agency is above the law. Court orders must have meaning and they must be followed. Never to our knowledge has a state agency disregarded a lawful court order. Its not acceptable for any individual, let alone a state agency. Attorneys for the ACLU have asked Moses to hold the department in contempt if granted, an order that may be unprecedented in state legal history as well as impose sanctions and award attorneys fees for the work that has taken a team of lawyers to fight the states intransigent position. Johnson, who arrived at the department in January and took over the case, said it was his top priority to come up to speed on the case and determine how to handle it. Today, your honor, I come to you with my hat in hand, Johnson said, apologizing for how the State of Montana had handled the case. Its very hard to justify non-compliance, and I can only explain it and apologize, he said. Johnson told the court that he couldnt divulge the conversations hes had with the department due to attorney-client privilege, but he said the attorneys on the case understood the order and agreed there is no legal uncertainty about the rules. The law was clear at the time of the original injunction and even clearer in the second order, Moses said. The preliminary injunction rule is to be enforced in the same way, and it applies to cases like this all across the U.S. The law is clear as a bell and it has been clear for years and was clarified by the Supreme Court. Now, I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but when the Supreme Court says what the law is, I follow it and I expect the counsel to follow it. Johnson said in 30 years of practice, hes only stood before the court one other time on possible contempt sanctions and was willing to take whatever the court decided, and only asked that attorneys fees be kept reasonable. Deernose clarified with the court that Johnson and the attorneys had been cooperative and the ACLU has advocated for sanctioning the executive department, not the current attorneys. Even though Johnson apologized and said attorneys for the department were clear on the rule, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, which has oversight for the vital statistics division, has still not reverted back to the 2017 rule change procedure. The Daily Montanan reached out to the DPHHS on Thursday morning for comment and clarification on its current practice, but received no response by the time of publication. Summary judgment Thursdays hearing also marked a legal strategy shift. Both sides argued that Senate Bill 280 should be declared void and unconstitutional because the law was so vague that it was impossible to enforce. For example, changing a birth certificate requires a surgical procedure, according to the law, but it doesnt say what type of procedures suffice. Meanwhile, attorneys for the State of Montana argue that sex cannot be changed by any surgical procedure. Attorneys for the ACLU also argued that the law does not give enough guidance to an average Montana citizen about how they could comply with the vague law to change a birth certificate, so the law violated a constitutional guarantee of equal protection. Moses told the attorneys that he would likely issue an order quickly, but stopped short of declaring the law void from the bench. He also appeared pleased that attorneys had finally agreed with the what the law and courts had previously said. He called Thursdays hearing outstanding and told both sides he appreciated the civil discussion. The State of Montana took 14 months and the court had looked at this matter and given it a hard look a long, long time ago, Moses said. Plaintiffs, you were right. Even though it appeared likely that Moses would grant the contempt motion as well as strike down Senate Bill 280, the issue of amending a birth certificate will likely face a new challenge, this time from the 2023 legislature. Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte recently signed legislation that narrowly defines sex. Several different groups have said they plan to challenge the states law, which could violate portions of federal law, leaving Montana open to the possibility of losing federal funding. Moses will likely rule on this 14-month lawsuit quickly. He is scheduled to retire at the end of the end of the month. Gianforte has named City of Billings Assistant Attorney Thomas Pardy as Moses replacement. The post Court likely to declare birth certificate rule unconstitutional and hold state agency in contempt appeared first on Daily Montanan. Under the Gianforte Administration, Montana is opting out of $10 million of federal money that would have paid for childrens meals this year, according to an estimate from the Montana Food Bank Network. Citing administrative burdens, a Department of Public Health and Human Services spokesperson said in an email Tuesday the state will not participate in the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer program, or P-EBT a program meant to be temporary for the 2022-23 school year or summer. The decision brings the total amount of dollars to address hunger the state has left on the table to more than $135 million since 2021, according to the Montana Budget and Policy Center. What Ive gathered from the state is that they dont see the need for P-EBT, said Jackie Semmens, with the Budget and Policy Center. And as a parent, Im getting emails every week from my school saying theyre doing a food drive, theyre doing a coin drive, to assist families over the summer. The need is very real. There are kids who are not sure where their meals are going to come from this summer. The decision also comes as at least one food bank, the Missoula Food Bank and Community Center, experienced a record daily high of individuals coming through 428 on Tuesday compared the last record of 390, which the nonprofit hit one day last month, said executive director Amy Allison Thompson on Wednesday. She said 30% of the people the organization serves are children; one year ago, the food bank served 3,500 households a month, and its now serving 4,500 a month. This decision means that as a state, we are leaving over $10 million in federal food assistance for children on the table, Thompson said. So we are extremely concerned about that, especially because of what were seeing here at the Missoula Food Bank and Community Center. Congress created P-EBT in March 2020 to help families whose children would have received free or reduced-price meals at school if the pandemic had not struck, and all 50 states used the program, according to the Childrens Defense Fund. The national organization said it reached as many as 12.9 million children. Currently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture lists 35 states, Puerto Rico, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands as having approved plans to help school children receive meals this summer. Montana has received $94 million in P-EBT benefits since 2020, according to the Budget and Policy Center. But the program isnt easy to administer, according to the Health Department. The reality is the requirements of the P-EBT program are labor intensive for both school districts and DPHHS, said agency spokesperson Jon Ebelt in the email. The program does not follow traditional SNAP processes or rules. Instead, it requires manual processes for data integrity, quality control and benefits issuance, which is a significant administrative burden for what was meant to be a temporary program. SNAP is the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Last year, after public outcry, the Health Department reversed course and applied for the funds for the 2021-22 school year, and former agency director Adam Meier then praised the federal government for being flexible with requirements. The application made the state eligible for summer support as well, and Montana received some $27 million last year, according to an earlier estimate from the Food Bank Network. This program has been a valuable resource for thousands of Montana families in helping to supplement their food budgets, in a time when grocery costs continue to rise, said Meier in a May 2022 update from the Health Department about the program. The Health Department lists 96 schools or districts that participated last summer. In Montana, the program would have helped 73,000 students this summer, when schools and their cafeterias are generally closed and families have a more difficult time making sure their children get enough to eat, according to the Budget and Policy Center. Rob Watson, with School Administrators of Montana, said he spoke with a couple of administrators about the program, and he didnt get the impression from them it was a lot of extra work, at least during the summer, a less busy time. He said administrators are adamant that during the school year, its difficult for kids to learn if theyre hungry. He also said many districts run summer meal programs because children are vulnerable then and dont have the same access to food through their schools. The insecurity happens in the summer, Watson said. Bruce Day, executive director for Helena Food Share, said the food bank serves roughly one in five children in the Helena area. Since the pandemic, he said the organization has seen rising need. Helena Food Share provides roughly 1,200 Kid Packs for children each week of the school year, a program thats specific to youngsters, he said. The packs contain healthy snacks and nutritious, easy-to-prepare meals. Day said Helena Food Share has seen an increasing number of families seeking assistance as well, 15% to 20% more every month year over year. Thats 1,500 to 1,600 families a month, or roughly 3,000 individuals. Since coming out of COVID, we just continue to see the numbers rise, Day said. In a blog post this month, Semmens, policy analyst with the Budget and Policy Center, noted the money from P-EBT would have been spent at 750 grocery stores that accept the benefit. She also noted one in eight children in Montana faces food insecurity, or three students in a classroom of 24. However, the analysis also noted a pattern has emerged in Montana of politicians foregoing food assistance to children. Montana ended its additional pandemic assistance before nearly every other state, denying the opportunity for these federal funds to support families during a period of sharply rising food prices, Semmens said in the post. In the analysis, she pointed to Gov. Greg Gianfortes veto of a 2021 bill that would have helped SNAP recipients buy more fruits and vegetables at local farmers markets; the state ending a pandemic-related boost to SNAP worth $125 million to communities; the states decision not to apply for food assistance for children on free and reduced lunch last school year; and the tabling this legislative session of a bill that would have provided free school meals for students. This pattern of denial is having devastating consequences on Montana families, the blog post said. Typically, Semmens said the program would split administrative costs so the state and the federal government each would pay half, but currently, the feds are picking up 100% of those costs. They could really be getting their systems figured out while theres full federal funding, Semmens said. The Montana Food Bank Network had urged the governor and DPHHS Director Charlie Brereton to apply for the funding, and in an email Wednesday, chief policy officer Lorianne Burhop described the states decision as incredibly disappointing. She said there isnt a deadline to apply, but because all the benefits have to be issued by the end of September, the state is quickly running out of time, even if it did decide to change direction. This decision comes at a time when families are hurting, trying to keep up with the cost of housing, childcare, and food, Burhop said. The need for this program has not gone away. Montanas food pantries are struggling to provide enough food for the people coming through their doors. The states decision to turn down these federal funds is a lost opportunity to help Montana families make ends meet and keep food on the table. The post DPHHS declines millions in federal food assistance for children as food banks see soaring need appeared first on Daily Montanan. BUTTE, Mont. -- It's spring, and that means it's time for some good old-fashioned spring cleaning. But instead of throwing that unused appliance in the trash, you might be able to find it a happy home. That's where Butte's Habitat for Humanity ReStore is here to help. Doors, lighting fixtures, various knobs, and even toilets are just a few of the items available for sale at the ReStore. To promote sustainability and affordable living in the Mining City, Habitat for Humanity is encouraging Butte residents to bring in their unused wares for resale at cheaper prices. As assistant manager Maria Ralph says, it helps provide affordable resources to the less fortunate. And it really brings out all the creativity that Butte has to offer. "We see all kinds of folks come in here," Ralph said. "Our demographic covers everybody from people who run and rent properties, people that have just bought their first home and are trying to fix it up, DIYers who just want to give it a go and do their first project at home." "We enjoy working with those people," Ralph continued. "They come in and they've got cool ideas or questions, and a lot of times, we can kind of guide them in the right direction." The ReStore has also been instrumental in addressing the growing issue of affordable housing, as the profits from sales go right back into Habitat for Humanity's home construction program--the results of which can be viewed far and wide across the Mining City. "Take a look at where the Habitat neighborhoods are, and you'll definitely see an improvement in the area," Ralph said. "That creates this home pride--you've got a beautiful house, well-built, and everybody else takes notice of that, and that also helps the neighborhood and the area." "There are quite a few Habitat neighborhoods in Butte, and you can almost spot them," Ralph said. "They make things look nice when they're there." The ReStore is open for donations and purchases every Wednesday through Saturday. Their spring sale lasts through the end of this week, Saturday, June 3. Fairfield, MT (59436) Today Mixed clouds and sun this morning. Scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. High 78F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 53F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. GREAT FALLS, Mont. - A man involved in an officer-involved shooting in March has been charged with attempted deliberate homicide. On March 7, the Great Falls Police Department warned of a critical incident going on in the 1100 block of 5th Ave. S that started with a routine traffic stop. An officer attempted to stop a car for a traffic violation, but the driver refused to pull over. A second officer spotted the car on 6th Ave. S, and one suspect, identified as Jacob Kane Bradley, got out and fled on foot. Bradley was located near 12th St. and 5th Ave. S, and an officer pursued him on foot. According to Great Falls Chief of Police Jeff Newton, shortly after the start of the chase, Bradley reportedly turned and fired several rounds at the officer, who was seriously injured. Medical procedures were performed on the injured officer, who was taken by another officer to the hospital in a patrol car. The officer has since been released from the hospital. Bradley continued to flee, but was confronted by another officer a block away. Newton reported several shots were fired, and Bradley was shot in the head and taken to the hospital by an ambulance with critical injuries. On Wednesday, May 31, an arrest warrant was signed, and Jacob Kane Bradley was charged with attempted deliberate homicide. A second suspect, identified as Nikki Snell, remained on scene and was charged with criminal possession of dangerous drugs, unlawful possession of a firearm by convicted person and criminal possession of drug paraphernalia. UPDATE, MARCH 15: The Great Falls Police Department shared this information on the officer who was injured in a recent shooting: On March 7, 2023, a routine traffic stop turned violent when Senior Police Officer Tanner Lee was shot in the chest and arm by a fleeing suspect. Officer Lees bullet resistant armor stopped the shots to the chest but his arm sustained serious injury. Officer Lee underwent surgery and has been released from the hospital. Though the prognosis is positive, he will need further medical care, likely more surgery, and re-habilitation. Officer Lee, GFPD badge 343, is just short of his four-year anniversary with the Great Falls Police Department. Officer Lee is currently assigned to the Patrol Services Bureau as a Patrol Officer. He and his wife, Harly, both from Great Falls, have two children. Officer Lee is Graduate of Great Falls High School and holds a Bachelors Degree in Animal Science from Montana State University. In 2019, Officer Lee was recognized with a GFPD Lifesaving Award for the actions he and two other GFPD officers took, saving the life of a suicidal female. Our department is dedicated to lending continued support to Officer Lee and his family, as they move forward. We are proud to serve the Great Falls community and are grateful for the continued support for the Department and Officer Lee. The incident remains under investigation by the Montana Department of Justice - Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI). Details of the event will only be released with the authorization of DCI. On March 13, 2023, DCI authorized this release of the name of the officer shot during the incident. We do not allow links to fundraising efforts on this page, unfortunately any such links posted in the comments will be deleted. UPDATE, MARCH 8 AT 3:36 PM: Great Falls Chief of Police Jeff Newton shared more information on Tuesdays officer-involved shooting. The incident started around 3:50 pm when an officer tried to pull over a vehicle for a routine traffic violation. According to Newton, the driver of the car did not stop, and the officer chose not to pursue. Shortly after, a second officer saw the car on the 1400 block of 6th Ave. S, and one suspect abandoned the car, fleeing on foot. The suspect was located near 12th St. and 5th Ave. S, and an officer pursued him on foot. Shortly after the start of the chase, the suspect reportedly turned and fired several rounds at the officer, who was seriously injured. Medical procedures were performed on the injured officer, who was taken by another officer to the hospital in a patrol car. The suspect continued to flee, but was confronted by another officer a block away. Newton reported several shots were fired, and the suspect was shot in the head and taken to the hospital by an ambulance with critical injuries. The suspect has been identified as Jacob Kain Bradley, 37, who is on parole out of Yellowstone County. Charges against Bradley are pending. A second suspect, identified as Nikki Snell, remained on scene and was charged with criminal possession of dangerous drugs, unlawful possession of a firearm by convicted person and criminal possession of drug paraphernalia. As of the writing of this update, the injured officer has serious, but not life-threatening injuries. The names of the officers involved have not been released. The Montana Department of Justice has been requested to lead the inquiry into the incident. Several crime scenes related to the incident are expected to be released soon. We would also like to thank several law enforcement agencies who responded to assist, including the Cascade County Sheriffs Office, the MT Department of Corrections, Adult Probation and Parole Great Falls office, the United States Marshal Service, and Homeland Security Investigations. In addition, we would like to thank Great Falls Fire Rescue, the Great Falls Emergency Services, and emergency medical personnel at Benefis Health System. Last, but certainly not least, we would like to thank the community for their support during this time, Newton said. UPDATE - 5:20 PM: Great Falls Police have shared additional information about an active investigation in the area of 5th Avenue South. In an update on their Facebook page, GFPD says they attempted a traffic stop of a car, and the driver failed to pull over. The suspects in the car fled the scene on foot. GFPD says officers found the suspects within a couple blocks of the area, and began to chase the suspects on foot. Shortly after the pursuit began, shots were fired. Police say one officer and one suspect were shot. Both were taken to a hospital with serious injuries. There was no indication as to who fired shots that injured either person. Several scenes are being processed in connection to the incident, and will likely be heavily restricted for what they're saying will be an undetermined amount of time: 1100 block 5th Ave S 500 block 12th St S 1200 block 6th Ave S 1400 block 6th Alley S GFPD says they are not looking for anyone else at this time, and thank the public for their patience and support. UPDATE - 4:48 PM: Cascade County Sheriff's are also at the scene and authorities have blocked the alleyway as well as parts of 5th Ave South and 12th St. While school is out for the day this is located by Lady of Lourdes School as well as Longfellow Elementary. Great Falls, MT - This announcement was taken directly from the Great Falls MT Police Department Facebook Page. We are working on getting more information as it becomes available. Montana Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signs Senate Bill 419, which bans TikTok in Montana, on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. (Handout photo) They heard the pitch and they believed in it. At least two of the Montana residents who have sued the state over its first-of-a-kind ban of the social media app, TikTok, told the Daily Montanan: They believed it when Gov. Greg Gianforte and other state leaders went on a campaign to recruit young couples back to Montana, where the restrictions were few and the opportunities plentiful. Now, theyve said the same state leaders, including Gianforte, himself a multi-millionaire who founded a tech company out of his garage after moving to Bozeman, are putting their livelihoods at risk through the ban, which could force them to relocate in order to pay the bills and feed their families. Thats why they decided to file a first-of-its-kind lawsuit, challenging the states ability to ban the popular app. They filed before social media giant even waged its now-filed lawsuit. Currently, there are two lawsuits that are challenging Senate Bill 419, which bans TikTok from Montana beginning on Jan. 1, 2024, and fines any company who allows the app to be downloaded as much as $10,000 per download. While TikTok filed suit against Montana, claiming that its rights were being violated, and along with it, the constitutional rights of all of its American users, five Montanans also filed a separate suit, saying it was important to stand up for their rights in the place they call home. Its a big deal to have this taken away in such a state with a small population, said Samantha Alario, one of the plaintiffs. Alario lives in Missoula and uses TikTok to market her sustainably-sourced swimwear company, Gemini Mountain Swimwear. She said she and other TikTok users are concerned about data security, but that is a larger issue, much bigger than just one social media app. This is a step into censorship, she said. She said the actions by the Montana Legislature this year seem to be an erosion of rights from healthcare to what state residents can watch online. She explained that TikTok offers things other social media applications do not. For example, Facebook, which is owned by Meta, doesnt allow her to market to new users without advertising. The algorithms, or codes which help select content, are not the same. On TikTok, a wider audience sees her products, which helps build a different community. Alario said that she uses both applications and must to keep her business afloat, but theyre different tools. I sell bikinis. In Montana. We cant even wear them here half the year, Alario said. In Montana, the only other way would be going door to door or word of mouth. This ban is taking away my livelihood. For Carly Ann Goddard, one of the other plaintiffs, the ban is even more profound. She and her husband grew up in the South and wanted to move to the West where they could continue their dream of ranching. She and her husband worked hard to get into the business, him managing a feedlot for a time in Belfry, her working as a waitress. We literally had ramen every night. Thats what we ate because thats what we could afford, she said. She started on TikTok as a way to connect with others who lived in rural areas and wanted to raise a family there. Now, they live on a small acreage in Custer. Even though the small town is in the same county as the largest city in Montana its a world away. She and her husband are raising a family, him working a small cattle operation while she earns income from product reviews and a popular blog about parenting and rural lifestyles. Goddard connected with similar folks scattered throughout the U.S. She talked about different products she used as she was parenting and decorating. The extra money she earns from product reviews means no more ramen, but it also pays for more important things, like a recent trip to the doctor. You wouldnt imagine what this income does, Goddard said. Its a lifeline. We love it here and we want to be here. Alario said her business helps pay the expenses of her household, which includes two young children. This app allows us to enjoy and provide for our families, Alario said. Were not living big luxurious lives. For Goddard, if the TikTok ban stands, she not only loses her connection to nearly 100,000 followers, but also essential family income. We may have to figure out something. But we want more kids, but were waiting to see what happens, she said. Both Alario and Goddard said they share concerns about data, and believe if politicians would have done more outreach, they may have crafted something that protected data better without targeting one company. Alario said even though she wrote letters and reached out to the entire Montana delegation, only one politician responded, Jon Tester. If you are using Amazon or Google or any apps, they are doing the same thing with our data, she said. The data issue needs to be processed better. The Daily Montanan also reached out to Gianforte about his marketing campaigns to recruit residents to Montana as well as his stance on TikTok. It received no response. After she joined the lawsuit with other TikTok users in Montana, Goddard said shes been getting a lot of hate, mostly by people who dont understand that the terms and agreements of other apps are similar to that of TikTok. And shes built a community of followers that extends beyond the states borders a group that she calls supportive and amazing. I do love Montana and I want to stay here, she said. I feel like I am supporting small business and I hope the governor looks at what creators do for the state. They dont realize how I use it to put food on my table for my family. Thats why I am fighting. I wish I could make them understand. Alario said that she is proud of her Montana business and is happy to contribute as a resident of the state, but the laws are making it harder to do that. They want us to come here and now they dont want us to contribute to the State of Montana? Alario said. The post We use it to feed our families: Montanans talk about why theyre challenging TikTok ban appeared first on Daily Montanan. The following is a condensed version of "Taylor Sheridan's Fallen World" by Mark Eckel, published at Law & Liberty. Each 21st century Taylor Sheridan hero fights for ideals in realitys gray landscape. Sicario offers a hard look at the drug trade, questioning whether a man can be a hero when he himself does heinous things. Hell or High Water displays an economic system that punishes the generational poor encouraging anti-hero brothers to steal to balance the financial scales. The Mayor of Kingstown shows the defects of the prison system and explores the volatility of holding a tension between good and evil, where the definitions of those terms are anything but clear. Wind River calls to account those who would forget the marginalized, specifically, missing Native American women for whom no ledger is kept. Sheridan always shows a desire for universal idealswhat he calls transcendent concernsin tension with the hard realities of life. Sicario, for instance, shows Sheridans scriptural worldview, a seemingly black-and-white world, the clarity of good and bad, right, and wrong. As the film opens, Benicio del Toros character first appears to us as a righteous, avenging angel. But given the heinous drug cartel warfare that begins the movie, del Toros Alejandro Gillick must himself be the very essence of evil to battle the evil he faces. Sheridan returns to his oft-used metaphor explaining almost any protagonist in his writing, Im trying to let characters live in the gray, let the hero do some really bad things. I dont think Ive ever met a purely good person. It is the streaming series Yellowstone where America sees its reflection in this struggle. Sheridan expects America to be answerable for her sins, showing the reverberations of consequence over the nations 400 years. At the very same time, Yellowstone shows that no one is without excuse; those once wronged now want to bear the cudgel against those they can dominate. Here is where Sheridan's storylines turn into American history lessons with application for our present day. Sheridan desires sameness that will give this country a sense of community, what America needs. Acknowledging wrongdoing, in Sheridans narrative, begins by conceding, As a nation the problems affecting anyone in that society are a problem affecting everyone in that society, holding in tension the ideal and the real. As viewers come to know John Dutton, patriarch of Yellowstone Ranch, they may conclude he is a moral tyrant. Yet all the characters are deeply flawed. Everyone seeks their view of justice, which is sometimes a simple pretense for power. The Native American leader Thomas Rainwater desires a return to the land of his ancestors, but also fashions his own authoritarian rule within his tribe. Beth Dutton protects the ranch by turning the flame of her childhood sin into a raging inferno, consuming every enemy who dares cross her path. Even Native American Monica Dutton, despite her honorable commitment to remain unsullied from Dutton sin, lives within Yellowstones advantages, using its power to her benefit. Every external foe, from developers to environmentalists to political opponents to business conglomerates, wants what they want, when they want it. They are really no different from the Dutton family whom they so often envy and despise. Living in the tension between ideal and real, the protagonist and antagonist are constantly changing roles. Just ahead of the finale in Hell or High Water, the two marshals chasing the bank-robbing brothers discuss the universal principle of people changing roles. Alberto Parker, a Native American marshal, instructs his European American partner Marcus Hamilton in the way of all flesh. The marshals look across the street at a bank branch from which the brothers are stealing to right the wrongs perpetrated against their family. Parkers soliloquy speaks the principle for all people, all time, all places, and all cultures. A long time ago your people were the Indians, till someone came along and killed them, broke them down, made you into one of them. One hundred and fifty years ago, all this was my ancestors land. Everything you could see. Everything you saw yesterday. Shifting from ethnic to economic injustices, Parker concludes, Till the grandparents of these folks took it. And now its been taken from them. Cept it aint no army doin it. Then pointing at the bank, he says, Its those sons o bitches right there. In Yellowstones opening episode, Sheridan has a Native American grandfather explain what makes all humans the same: Nothing will change until they find a cure for human nature. None of us is unsullied from the ills of society because we are society. There is no nation, and no group that can claim to pontificate on goodness when evil resides in every human heart. All humanity seeks Sheridans transcendent ideals yet Sheridan makes us all look in his mirror. Mark Eckel is president of the Comenius Institute. From 1980 to 1986, the U.S. Army allowed former service members to slip away with unpaid bills totaling $150 million over $415 million in 2023 dollars for things like unpaid bar tabs and reenlistment bonuses they didnt deserve. Sen. William Proxmire, a Democrat from Wisconsin, awarded the Army his Golden Fleece Award for this egregious lack of accountability and oversight. According to Proxmire, not only did the Army lose track of tens of millions of dollars worth of expenses members owed it, but it also refused repayments from former service members that tried to settle their debts. Citing a General Accounting Office report, Proxmire details how one former service member owed $942 to the Army, but returned an unsigned affidavit claiming he had no money, family, or assets and couldnt pay it back. The Army wrote off his debt despite having documentation he had a family, $23,000 a year salary, and a $70,000 house. In another case, a soldier discharged due to drug use was required to pay back his $973 reenlistment bonus for not serving out his full term. The soldier offered to pay back $5 a month until it was paid off, but the Army simply closed his case and wrote off his debt. In another case, the Army offered a $50 per month payment plan to a debtor, who then never made a payment. That debt was also written off, according to Proxmire. Other stories detail similar cases of the Army skirting official policy to discharge large amounts of debt at its discretion. Its official policy was already lax, giving service members that had less than $600 in debt and that didnt respond to their mail and automatic write off. If you owe money to a landlord, a private company, or a bank, you must pay it back, or else theyll send it to collection and force you to pay it back. If you owed money to the Army, however, you got blanket forgiveness courtesy of the taxpayer. The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com Sedimentation is the number one resource concern in all of eastern Ohio. Soil erosion has many effects, both at the site and elsewhere. Loss of soil productivity is the main effect, but sedimentation and increased nutrient load of our waterways and reservoirs are common. The costs of soil erosion are far-reaching, but when intensified by human activity, it can have negative environmental, societal and economic impacts. Soil erosion happens when there is not enough cover on the soil, causing the soil to leave due to rain or wind. Activities like tilling farmland and clearing land of trees leave the soil vulnerable to erosion. The soils that are washed away contain nutrients and sometimes herbicides and pesticides. Once that soil leaves it eventually ends up in our streams, rivers and lakes causing harmful algal blooms. Water quality issues Algal blooms occur when algae grow out of control and can produce toxic or harmful effects to people and wildlife. Oftentimes, these lakes are used to supply fresh drinking water to towns and cities and these algal blooms make the water dangerous for consumption. Im sure everyone has heard about the issues within the City of Toledo and its harmful algal blooms that caused issues with their drinking water. But lets think about a more local example, the Village of Cadiz uses surface water drawn from Tappan Lake, which was created by impounding Little Stillwater Creek. Besides drinking water quality, soil erosion is also the main cause of lakes needing to be dredged, a process that removes nutrient-rich sediments to increase the depth and health of the lake and costs a lot of money. Economic loss Lets take a different look at soil erosion. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, lost farm income is estimated at $100 million per year due to soil erosion in the U.S. If the soil that leaves your farm is rich in nutrients, how much money is leaving your farm? While most erosion is not visible to the naked eye it is happening, but some soil erosion can be so severe that you visibly see it in your farm field, yard or stream bank. The average soil loss rate is 5.8 tons per acre per year. That is 1/32 inches of soil across an acre which amounts to a little more than the thickness of a dime and when you lose soil, youre losing yield, to the tune of about 15 bushels per acre per year. With last years average price per bushel of soybeans that is equal to $210 in earnings lost. But thats not all! According to the soil scientist Francisco Arriaga, of the University of Wisconsin, 1 ton of optimal soil contains 2 pounds of nitrogen, 9 pounds of phosphorus and 31 pounds of potassium. If the average soil loss is 5.8 tons, that value is $77.02 per acre just in lost nutrients, not to mention loss of future productivity. Thats a loss of $287 per year per acre, which amounts to $43,050 per year on a 150-acre farm! Remember, when soils are eroding off your field, thats dollars washing away and it takes many years to replace what is lost in moments. And this example is with average soil erosion. If you till your ground or you find yourself having to disc your gullies back in, you are losing much more than the average soil erosion, both in money and productivity. Food for thought, according to the USDA, it takes 500 years to form one inch of new life-giving soil. One of the easiest ways to protect your soil and keep it from eroding is to cover and protect what is thereand stop tilling it. Examples of covers that could be used to protect the soil include cover crops if used in a crop field, or trees or other vegetation on a stream bank. But you dont have to do this alone. If you are interested in saving the soil on your property or farm and dont know where to start, call Carroll Soil and Water Conservation District. Our staff has the knowledge and tools to help you get started conserving your soil today. Because, as Theodore Roosevelt once said, I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural resources of our land: but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob, by wasteful use, the generations that come after us. Over 50 percent of the food calories eaten daily by the worlds 7.9 billion people come directly from grains. In impoverished nations, that percentage is 60 percent and, in the poorest, it tops 80 percent. The three most important grains, in order of production, are corn, wheat, and rice. All are critical elements in global food security but all are not equal. Corn and wheat each serve both as a foodgrain for people and a feedgrain for animals. Rice, however, is and has been for millennia the worlds most widespread, most critical foodgrain. More than 3.5 billion people get 20 percent or more of their calories from the fluffy grains, reported Science News in Sept. 2021. And both those numbers are increasing in Asia, Latin America and especially Africa. As human pressure on rice ratchets up, humans are also ratcheting up assorted problems growing it, reports the May 20 New York Times. In fact, Rice is in trouble as the earth heats up, threatening the food and livelihood of billions of people. Todays rapid climate change, notes the Times, is creating never-before-seen problems that will require never-before-seen solutions. Sometimes theres not enough rain when the seedlings need water, or too much when the plants need to keep their heads above water, the story explains. As the sea intrudes, salt ruins the crop. As nights warm, yields go down. And its happening now. A study in China found that extreme rainfall reduced rice yields over the past 20 years. India limited rice exports [to ensure] enough to feed its own people. In Pakistan, heat and floods destroyed harvests, while in California drought led many farmers to fallow their fields. The May 2023 Rice Outlook, the most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report examining both the U.S. and world rice markets, reversed dire forecasts of last winter. USDA now foresees a spike in U.S. and global rice production this year, mostly due to expanded plantings fueled by earlier, higher price forecasts. Still, U.S. rice imports are projected at a near-record 39.0 million cwt (raw rice is measured in hundredweight, or cwt, by USDA, not bushels) mostly because last years carryover was 31 percent lower. At the same time, U.S. exports of rice will increase 21 percent to 74 million (cwt). The combined domestic and residual use in the coming year is projected at a record 154.0 million cwt, up almost 8 percent from a year earlier. While thats good news for rice-loving Americans, the 2023/24 season-average farm-price for long-grain rice paid to American farmers is projected to drop 11 percent to $15.00 per cwt. The unforeseen production increase here, says USDA, will boost global rice production two percent, to a record 520.5 million tons. But that now-rosier, 2023 forecast cannot mask a years-long decline in global stocks, reckons USDA; world stocks are slated to drop for the third consecutive year. The biggest cause for the growing shortfall is extreme weather, notes the Times. But weather isnt the only problem. The very solutions pushed by Big Ag for 50 yearssuch as high-yielding hybrid seeds and chemical fertilizers are now delivering new, more intractable woes. Today, that very system has created new problems [like] depleted aquifers, driven up fertilizer use, reduced the diversity of rice breeds that are planted, and polluted the air with the smoke of burning rice stubble. In short, the rhythm of sunshine and rain that rice depends on has been upended. Solutions, if found, will take years to implement. Researchers like Dr. Argelia Lorence, an Arkansas State University plant biochemist, tells the Times that rice itself holds the key, the genetic key, to enable rice plants to survive hot nights, one of the most acute hazards of climate change. Maybe. Hopefully. In the meantime, rice is todays singing canary to warn farmers and governments alike that climate change is real and carries real consequences. And not just about how well grow tomorrows food, but who may get to eat what we grow. Farm and Dairy reporter Rachel Wagoner took home top honors in an international writing contest. Wagoner earned first place in the features category of the North American Agricultural Journalists 2023 Writing Awards. Her story, Balancing love, loss and life after a farmers suicide, was selected from among 49 entries. The story, published in September 2022, explores how a family moves forward after the sudden loss of their beloved husband, father, and what can be learned about how to save a life in a farm community. The contest judge wrote in her comments that Wagoner combines aching human experience with solid information on mental health to breach the wall of silence that too often surrounds this timely topic. Rachel Wagoner has created an extraordinary canvas on which to explore the deep aftershocks of one mans death as well as the broader mental health crisis so many others face and fear, the judge said. She brings the man and the woman who survives him to vivid, relatable life, while adding solid advice on recognizing the risks and finding help. The North American Agricultural Journalists is a professional international group of agricultural editors and writers with members in the U.S. and Canada. The writing award winners were recognized during the groups annual meeting April 24 in Washington, D.C. Biosecurity experts Livetec Systems have launched a national outbreak plan (NOP) for farmers and backyard bird keepers. As UK farmers count the cost of the worst season of avian influenza yet, Livetec Systems the industry leader for livestock protection and biosecurity - has launched the NOP to help protect flock health. The NOP is the first step toward more robust farm contingency planning and will help poultry farmers take a more preventative approach to safeguard their flocks and farm workers. As the disease continues to spread at alarming levels amongst commercial, backyard and wild birds, contingency planning has never been more important. Gordon Samet, commercial director at Livetec, said this was the worst season of AI the country had ever faced. He said: "Its only through increasing the standards of contingency planning everywhere, while applying more stringent biosecurity measures that seek to prevent AI, that we can be truly vigilant and mitigate the risks of avian influenza." The NOP is a comprehensive document that simplifies the regulations and legislation set by assurance schemes and the UK government. As suitable for backyard flocks as it is for commercial producers, it gives vital information for all poultry keepers to help them protect their birds and be prepared in case an outbreak of HPAI impacts them. Julian Sparrey, technical director at Livetec, said: The plan is filled with up-to-date information, detailing everything farmers need to know to and the steps they should take if a disease outbreak is confirmed in their area. "It covers everything from licensing issues, to what to do in restriction zones, such as the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) or a Surveillance Zone (SZ), it is also packed with information on avian influenza including the symptoms of the disease and virus survivability of different strains. "Having all the information at hand will save farmers time and allow them to be as robust as possible in their response, taking a firm prevention rather than cure stance. The Livetec National Outbreak Plan includes: A how-to guide for disease declaration Information reporting when zones are implemented Explanation of movement restrictions Movement licensing and their conditions of use Zone definitions and their requirements How to deal with the media Farming related support services and mental health planning A guide on how to change or update your CPH number Updates of the Governments exotic diseases control and AI policy An acronym glossary to quickly define key terms Julian Sparrey, technical director at Livetec, said: Despite being over 18 months into the largest AI outbreak we have known, many poultry keepers are still unaware or confused about the measure the government take. "This booklet explains the response process and disease prevention requirements in simple language, to save you time. It is designed to support you, your birds and your staff. "An outbreak of AI on your farm is distressing to everyone and understanding the process and planning for it reduces the impact on you and your birds. "The NOP from Livetec is designed to enhance preparedness and understanding of the current landscape and how farmers should operate within it. It is available for free to everyone in the UK for a limited time, including poultry farmers and backyard keepers by using code NOP2023. Get your free National Outbreak Plan here. Who are Livetec? Livetec were established in 2010 and is dedicated to shaping the future of biosecurity. Their primary focus lies in providing tailored disease prevention solutions for on-farm operations, assisting farmers in developing proactive strategies to safeguard their livestock and secure their livelihoods. With over a decade of experience, Livetec has collaborated with farmers dealing with a wide array of challenges. Additionally, they have partnered with esteemed academic institutions, as well as commercial and industry organisations, to advance evidence-based research in the field of biosecurity. A new 1m project will research new varieties of peas to reduce the UKs reliance on soya imports while offering new economic opportunities for farmers. The pea protein project is being spearheaded by Aberystwyth University and grass and forage seed specialists, Germinal. In 2022, the UK imported three million tonnes of soya for use in human and animal feeds. Soya is also a crop associated with deforestation in South America, which contributes to the acceleration of climate change. Demand for plant-based proteins is increasing, as soya forms the basis of most plant-based protein options, but they are currently difficult to grow in a UK climate. The aim of this project is to use peas as a home-grown protein source that can replace soya in human foods. Researchers say peas are suited to the UK climate, are environmentally friendly, boost soil health by fixing free nitrogen from the air and even leave some in the ground for the next crop. The project also aims to offer new economic opportunities for farmers to replace soya with a home grown alternative. The project will include testing on farms to ensure that only the varieties that meet market demands and the agronomic requirements of UK farmers will go to market. Germinal Horizon, the companys research division, will collaborate with Aberystwyth University, the John Innes Centre, and PGRO on the project. Dr Catherine Howarth from Aberystwyth University, one of the researchers on the project, said peas had an excellent nutritional profile and were an important part of sustainable rotations in UK agriculture. "They can also help reduce our reliance on imported soya, which will support society in meeting the governments net zero target," she said. "There is a vast array of products that include peas as an ingredient, and we are excited to be part of this project. Paul Billings, managing director of Germinal UK, said finding a sustainable alternative to soya was a priority for the food industry. "Protein crops such as peas are ideal for the UK climate but one of our challenges is their flavour profile in human food. "Pea flavours are undesirable for consumers in processed food, so the goal is to produce peas that are tasteless but retain nutritional value. This exciting breeding programme will use innovative research in pea genetics to develop new varieties without the traditionally associated problems. The programme is part-funded by Defras Farming Innovation Pathway via Innovate UK, which is part of UK Research and Innovation. An Aberdeen Angus breeder has tapped into the generosity of the British beef industry to raise 27,000 to support fellow farmers in war-torn Ukraine. Following his own journey across Europe to deliver a fully loaded pickup earlier in the year, Daniel Whiteford came up with an initiative to create a unique Pedigrees for Peace online sale of top British beef genetics. Donations from around the UK of Angus, Hereford, Limousin and Charolais genetics, gave auctioneer Harrison & Hetherington (H&H) a quality online sale of 51 lots. The lots sold out on 25 May and 26 for a total of almost twice the expected target of 15,000, reaching 27,000. The money will pay for three or four used pick-up trucks and their full complement of supplies, to be delivered to the 24th Lviv Danylo Separate Mechanized Brigade, as part of the Pickups for Peace campaign. Daniel Whiteford, of Borewell Farm in Berwick-upon-Tweed, said he could hardly believe how successful his fundraising venture had been. When I went out to Ukraine last month to donate my own truck, I saw for myself what the Ukrainian people were facing, and what a difference these pickups are making to the 24th Brigade," he said. "Working with Josh we started asking other beef farmers if they would donate lots for an online sale, and the response and generosity was incredible. "So was the response from H&H and Mart Eye, who organized and carried out the sale at no charge, and from the buyers who raised this amazing total of over 27k." Scott Donaldson, managing director of Harrison & Hetherington, added that the initiative was "a wonderful testimony" to the UK farming community. "Daniel secured some top class lots from the leading beef breeds and buyers from the four corners snapped them up for very generous prices to give us a result far beyond our expectations. "Congratulations to Daniel for the idea and the energy to make it happen, and thank you to every single donor and buyer who made this such an unbelievably successful sale in the best possible cause. Pickups for Peace is an initiative aiming to send at least 200 used pickups filled with essential supplies to farmers in Eastern Ukraine. The sheep sector has raised concerns over 'pandemic puppies' following a spike in livestock worrying incidents. The National Sheep Association (NSA) believes an increase in dog ownership, which rose during the pandemic, could be to blame for a spike in sheep attacks. The issue has been of growing concern during recent years, with evidence gathered from sheep farmers showing a particular rise in attacks during the past few years. The NSA said that across the UK, sheep farmers were faced with "the ongoing stress and worry associated with attacks on their livestock". And figures released by the British Veterinary Association (BVA) suggest that half of UK vets have seen a rise in clients with concerns about their dogs' increasingly aggressive behaviour. It is estimated that around 3.2 million households in the UK acquired a dog in the first year of the Covid pandemic. The NSA said 'pandemic puppy' owners were more likely to be first-time dog owners that may be unaware of the risk to livestock from dogs. The body said these dogs were "allowed to run off their lead in the countryside, potentially chasing and attacking sheep." NSA chief executive, Phil Stocker said: NSA survey results from the past few years combined with recently reported figures from industry partners show a concerning increase in the number of cases of sheep worrying by dogs since the pandemic began. With dog ownership increasing so significantly during the covid pandemic and this latest research from BVA suggesting dog aggression is on rise and dog owners do not know what to do about it, it is no surprise were seeing more cases. "Action must be taken, to educate people about the responsibilities of dog owners and to strengthen both the law and law enforcement around protecting livestock. Periods of lockdown may have prevented new dog owners from accessing adequate training and socialisation for their new pets, the NSA said, factors that "are crucial in the development of puppies future behaviour". Concerns over dog behaviour were also highlighted in a People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) survey in 2022. This showed 45% of owners had concerns walking their dogs, with reasons for this including 11% of dogs not returning on recall, 10% concerned about their pets behaviour during walks and 6% stating their dog was too strong for them. Mr Stocker said the sheep sector wanted the public to be responsible and to keep their dogs safe, as well as livestock and farmers' livelihoods. "As dogs are natural predators they will often follow their instincts to chase sheep if given the opportunity. "Chasing and barking as well as a physical attacks can be enough to severely distress sheep with often devastating consequences. But this really does not have to be the case. If dogs are kept on a lead and walked at a distance away from sheep the risk is significantly reduced." A social media campaign looking to improve ATV safety has launched, with farmers and contractors invited to share photos of themselves wearing a helmet. The National Association of Agricultural Contractors (NAAC) is behind the campaign, which has a particular focus on the importance of wearing a helmet. In the last five years, ATVs were involved in 14 deaths in agriculture - the most significant cause of deaths involving moving vehicles in the industry. NAAC said: "Thats fourteen families destroyed. Many, other serious and life-changing incidents are happening all the time. Yet there is still resistance to wearing a helmet." The body wants to raise the question why anyone would choose to ride, or deliberately send a worker or family member out on a job with a sit-astride ATV, with no helmet. It added: "The aim is to make all operators ask why anyone would put themselves, or their workers, at risk by not wearing a helmet on a sit-astride ATV." It is a legal requirement for farmers and farm workers to wear a helmet when using a quad bike. HSE has confirmed if there is an incident and someone was not wearing a helmet, this will be a key part of the investigation and could result in enforcement, including prosecution. Enforcement action will also be taken if an inspector sees someone working without a helmet on farm.? Wearing a helmet applies to the farmer, self-employed workers, employees and any other person using the farm quad. This includes children or farm visitors. Jill Hewitt, NAAC chief executive said ATV users should "take pride" in wearing a helmet to protect their safety. "None of us are infallible and the NAAC wants the industry to get behind us by sharing photos of themselves wearing a helmet under #wearitandshareit." The dangers of wildfires have been highlighted by landowners after firefighters say they have contained one of the largest ever recorded in the UK. Nearly 3,000 hectares of land has been burned by a wildfire in the Cannich area of the Scottish Highlands. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said they have now brought it under control, since the incident started on Sunday (28 May). Two firefighters responding to the blaze on Tuesday were injured when their ATV collided. They were airlifted to a nearby hospital for treatment and have since been released. At the wildfire's height, SFRS mobilised nine appliances, and a helicopter was used to water bomb the area. It follows on from the huge wildfire near Glenuig in April, which was estimated to be the second largest ever recorded in the UK. (Photo: Balintore Fire Station/SFRS) Scottish Land & Estates (SLE), a group which consists of landowners, said wildfires had a "devastating impact on wildlife and habitats, generating catastrophic carbon emissions". The group said they were becoming increasingly frequent in Scotland "partly due to climate change and partly due to a lack of fuel load management in some areas". Ross Ewing, director of moorland at SLE said: This wildfire demonstrates how important it is to utilise all the tools at our disposal to manage the fuel load of vegetation, which has been shown to increase wildfire risk. We urge anyone going out into the countryside to take care and follow guidance in relation to campfire cooking and when the ground is so dry its recommended not to use either a campfire or a camping stove. (Photo: Balintore Fire Station/SFRS) A wildfire warning in place since Friday (26 May) has been extended to 5 June by the SFRS. As the warm and dry weather continues, so too does the risk of wildfire, said SFRS group commander, Niall MacLennan. Advice for public Rural groups have issued guidance and advice to the public to help prevent wildfires: Do not discard cigarettes. Do not start fires or use BBQs as they frequently cause wildfires. Dispose of all litter appropriately. Do not release sky lanterns. Once released, there is no control over where they end up. If anyone finds themselves in a position where they encounter a wildfire that they are unable to bring under control safely, move to a safe location up wind and call the emergency service on 999 immediately, giving an accurate location of the fire. Emmanuel Macron believes that the West may have to negotiate with Vladimir Putin in the Ukraine war. Emmanuel Macron isn't ruling out talks with Vladimir Putin Ukraine's allies are pursuing for Putin to face justice in a war crimes trial but the French president has suggested that Europe cannot rule out talks with the Russian leader and other Kremlin figures if the conflict continues to rage. In a speech at an EU leaders conference in Bratislava, Macron insisted that Russia had lost all legitimacy but did stress that Europe would have to assess the nature of future support for Kyiv if the impending Ukrainian counter-offensive did not meet its objectives. Macron said: "The timing issue and this is where I want to be very transparent and honest with you. The question is if in a few months to come, you have a window for negotiation with the existing Russian political power, the question will be an arbitrage between a trial and a negotiation, I will be very frank with you. "And you will have to negotiate with the leaders you have, de facto, even if the day after you will have to judge them in front of them of the international justice. So this is a question of articulation. Because otherwise you can put yourselves just in an impossible situation where you say: I want you to go to jail, but you are the only one I can negotiate with.'" A Russian politician has sensationally called for Vladimir Putin to be removed from power on state television. A Russian politician has called for Vladimir Putin to be ousted from power The opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin - who has criticised Putin's decision to invade Ukraine - has called for the country to select a different leader in the elections next year. The outspoken Putin critic told the NTV channel: "We need to choose somebody else, and not Putin. Everything will be good then." Britain's Ministry of Defence says it marks the first time anyone on state TV has called for the tyrant to be ousted since the war in Ukraine started in February 2022. Nadezhdin warned that there is "no way" that Russia will be accepted back into Europe as long as Putin rules the country. He said: "We simply have to choose different authorities to govern the country that would stop this story with Ukraine." Nadezhdin argues that having a different government in power would enable Russia to "build relations" with other European nations and "everything will come back into place". The show's anchor, Putin propagandist Ivan Trushkin, appeared to be shocked by the politician's rant against the despot. In a frantic attempt to interrupt his guest, he said: "I wasn't expecting you to say all of this word for word." Bruce Willis daughter sensed something was wrong with her dementia-stricken dad for a long time before he was diagnosed with a rare form of the condition. Bruce Willis daughter sensed something was wrong with her dementia-stricken dad for a long time before he was diagnosed with a rare form of the condition Tallulah Willis, 29, who father-of-five Die Hard actor Bruce, 68, had with his ex-wife Demi Moore, 60, spoke about noticing the early signs he was sick before his family publicly announced his illness in March 2022 as part of a long essay she wrote for Vogue magazine. She said: Ive known that something was wrong for a long time. It started out with a kind of vague unresponsiveness, which the family chalked up to Hollywood hearing loss: Speak up! Die Hard messed with Dads ears. Later that unresponsiveness broadened, and I sometimes took it personally. Tallulah added she felt like her dad had lost interest in her when he had his two daughters, Mabel, 11, and Evelyn, eight, with his second wife, Emma Heming Willis, 44, and was struggling with an eating disorder as his condition worsened. She said about her fear he was focusing too much on his new family: Though this couldnt have been further from the truth, my adolescent brain tortured itself with some faulty maths: Im not beautiful enough for my mother, Im not interesting enough for my fatherI admit that I have met Bruces decline in recent years with a share of avoidance and denial that Im not proud of. The truth is that I was too sick myself to handle it. For the last four years, I have suffered from anorexia nervosa, which Ive been reluctant to talk about because, after getting sober at age 20, restricting food has felt like the last vice that I got to hold on to by the spring of 2022, I weighed about 84 pounds. I was always freezing. I was calling mobile IV teams to come to my house, and I couldnt walk in my Los Angeles neighbourhood because I was afraid of not having a place to sit down and catch my breath. She insisted she can now bring an energy thats bright and sunny to Bruce and can savour time with him. Tallulah added: I know that trials are looming, that this is the beginning of grief, but that whole thing about loving yourself before you can love somebody else its real. Bruces family announced he had frontotemporal dementia, known as FTD, in a statement signed by Emma Heming Willis, Demi Moore, and his five daughters, who also include Rumer, 34, and Scout, 31. It said: Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis. Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead. As Bruces condition advances, we hope that any media attention can be focused on shining a light on this disease that needs far more awareness and research. Jason Oppenheim has split from Marie-Lou Nurk. Jason Oppenheim has announced his split from Marie Lou Nurk The 46-year-old reality star has taken to social media to announce that he's split from Marie-Lou after ten months together. Jason - who is the president and founder of The Oppenheim Group, a real estate brokerage in Los Angeles - wrote on Instagram Story: "While we still love and care about each other very much the distance between us has proven to be too great a challenge to overcome." Jason also insisted that they will remain friends. The 'Selling Sunset' star said: "We remain close friends and continue to talk often and support each other and we want the very best for one another. We thank everyone for their support throughout our relationship." Marie-Lou recently confessed that she's found it tough to maintain a long-distance relationship. The 25-year-old model - who splits her time between Los Angeles and Paris - said on Instagram: "The truth is, we both knew from the beginning that I would have to move back because of my job, friends, and family being here. "Long distance relationships can be tough, but we're both committed to making it work. We make sure to communicate regularly and make time for each other despite the distance." Prior to that, Jason suggested that he was open to the idea of marrying Marie-Lou. The reality star explained that he was actually more open to tying the knot than becoming a dad. He told PEOPLE: "I'm more open to being a husband than I am a father right now. I like the idea that there's no pressure, or a thought about having to have a child with Lou. So it just makes it easy for us." Sydney Sweeney has experienced a series of "pinch-me" moments over the last five years. Sydney Sweeney has likened her success to a dream The 25-year-old actress has enjoyed huge success in recent years, starring in shows such as 'Euphoria' and 'The White Lotus', and Sydney has likened the experience to a "long dream". Speaking about her 'Euphoria' experience, Sydney told the Irish Times newspaper: "It did change my life for sure. And 'White Lotus' was like a double whammy. "When people come up to me, they might say they know me from 'White Lotus' or they might say they know me from 'Euphoria'. Sometimes its 'The Handmaids Tale'. Its all over the place. But I find fan interactions are supersweet. "Its great to get these reactions and meet all these amazing people. I feel like the last five years have been a long dream. I keep having pinch-me moments." Sydney credits her success to her work ethic, revealing that she's fully committed to all of her projects. She said: "I love doing homework. Its no matter if Im on a role or a project for a day or if Im on it for five months. I will put the same exact amount of work and ethic and effort behind what I do." Meanwhile, Sydney recently revealed that she feels "excited" to shoot season three of 'Euphoria'. The actress stars as Cassie Howard in the HBO teen drama, and Sydney can't wait to reprise the role for season three of the show. Sydney told Variety: "I just hope that I get to continue to challenge myself as an actor and get to go to crazy places through her, because shes such a crazy, dramatically heightened character and its fun to play her. "Whatever Sam [Levinson, the show's writer] decides he wants to do with her, I fully entrust in Sams vision. Im excited." Tina Turner is said to have died unafraid of death. Tina Turner died unafraid of death The late Private Dancer designers long-time friend Stephen Sills said he spoke with the music icon, who died of natural causes on 24 May at her Swiss estate, just before she died and added she was ready for whatever lay ahead after years of battling health issues. He told People: She told me two years ago, she said, Stephen, Im ready to go anytime. Im not scared of death. Ive had a wonderful last part of life. Ive enjoyed it, but I'm tired. Tina had finally found love in 2013 with her husband Erwin Bach, a former music executive she married after 27 years together and following her marriage to abusive Ike Turner. A source told People: In her final years, she was happy and secure in her relationship. She had found true love and was able to live without fear. She had a group of friends in Switzerland, and truly loved the people she was around. Stephen helped the star decorate her home in the South of France and said Tina struggled with dialysis after receiving a kidney from Erwin in 2017, but remained optimistic. He added about a recent phone conversation with Tinas housekeeper about three weeks ago, as he had plans to visit the star at her home in Switzerland this spring: I said, How's she doing? He said, Shes happy and shes comfortable. Everythings good. She was such an amazing friend and she had such a force of creativity. The Tina Turner persona of performing, that was a made-up person. We used to talk about it, and she created that and it was a beautiful image. But she was absolutely positive and energetic and interested and curious. She was just an amazing person. The Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) has granted registration certificates to three new investment projects that necessitate a combined capital of $15.4 million. The projects, which are anticipated to generate over 3,000 jobs, will be implemented by Bolito Garment Co, Ltd, Xin Li An Shoes Co, Ltd, and New HM Knitting Clothing (Cambodia) Co, Ltd. The CDC announced that Bolito Garment plans to establish a garment tailoring factory in Kandal Province, committing an investment of approximately $3.6 million. The venture is set to create 1,003 jobs, according to the CDCs statement on its Facebook page. The Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) has approved investment projects with a total capital of $15.4 million by Bolito Garment, Xin Li An Shoes, and New HM Knitting Clothing. The new projects will be focusing on clothes and shoe accessories manufacturing. More than 3,000 jobs for Cambodians are expected to be created as a result. The second investment project comes from Xin Li An Shoes, intending to set up a shoe accessories factory in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. With an investment of around $4.1 million, the project will generate around seven jobs. Lastly, New HM Knitting Clothing (Cambodia) is set to launch a garment tailoring factory in Kampong Speu Province. This project, involving an investment of about $4.1 million, is expected to create 1,211 jobs. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (NB) Vietnams ministry of transport recently unveiled a plan to develop logistics infrastructure until 2030 in the southeast region. The plan, with a vision till 2045, covers Ho Chi Minh City and the provinces of Dong Nai, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc and Tay Ninh. A national- and international-level logistics system will be set up in association with current seaports, airports, international border gates, key economic corridors and inter-regional trading routes. The ministry will cooperate with related localities to create an air logistics centre linked to Long Thanh International Airport as well as a port logistics system in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province and HCMC, especially at deep-water seaport in Cai Mep-Thi Vai area, according to a report in a Vietnamese media outlet. Vietnam's transport ministry has devised a plan to develop logistics infrastructure until 2030 in the southeast region. With a vision till 2045, the plan covers Ho Chi Minh City and the provinces of Dong Nai, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc and Tay Ninh. An appropriate legal corridor for the management of the logistics market will be first prepared. The ministry will initially prepare documents necessary to create an appropriate legal corridor for the management of the logistics market to cultivate coherence and harmony among different transport modes, multi-mode transportation and logistics services. Next, it will study feasible support measures to improve the operational performance of transport trading floors while encouraging transport businesses to implement advanced technology in monitoring their own vehicles and actively participating in road freight trading floors to optimise current routes and minimise movement of empty vehicles. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS) Hrithik Roshan news: For Vikram Vedha, Hrithik Roshan didn't just play Vedha but became Vedha embracing the character's eccentricities and flaws - The massive effort and prep paid off as Hrithik took home the IIFA Award for 'Best Actor - Male'. As the audience, critics and fellow-industry mates echo how deserving Hrithik Roshan's IIFA Best Actor win was, we take a look at the performances over the years that bagged the superstar multiple 'Best Actor' awards - Kaho Na Pyaar Hai - Hrithik in his debut film pushed the boundaries by attempting a dual role. Essaying the characters of Raj and Rohit, the superstar made a splash with his very first film that made him an overnight sensation. For his portrayal, Hrithik became the first actor to win both the 'Best Debut - Male' and 'Best Actor' award. Koi Mil Gaya - A performance that was listed amongst Filmfare's Top 80 Performances of Bollywood, Hrithik Roshan's portrayal of Rohit, a developmentally disabled young man, won him awards for 'Best Actor' and 'Best Actor (Critics)'. Critics unanimously praised the superstar's performance calling Hrithik 'the turbojet that propels the film to the realm of the extraordinary'. Krrish - Becoming Bollywood's first and most loved superhero, Hrithik Roshan stepped into the shoes of Krrish. Blood, sweat and tears went into the role as Hrithik travelled to China to train with Tony Ching for the cable work that would be needed to make his character fly. Among the several injuries he sustained during production, Hrithik tore the hamstring in his right leg and broke his thumb and toe. Dhoom 2 - For his role as an enigmatic master thief in Dhoom 2, Hrithik won an Award for Best Actor. Bored by playing the "good guy", HR was excited to play an anti-hero who lacks heroic attributes, for the first time. For the role, Hrithik underwent intense prep including learning skateboarding, snowboarding, rollerblading and sand surfing. Jodhaa Akbar - Director Ashutosh Gowariker believed Hrithik Roshan possessed the regal bearing and physique required to play the role of a king. For the role, he learned sword-fighting and horse-riding, and also took Urdu lessons. The superstar slipped into the character and stayed there and his performance earned him another Best Actor Award. Guzaarish - Essaying the role of a former magician suffering from quadriplegia, who after years of struggle, files an appeal for euthanasia, Hrithik Roshan won over audiences and the critics with his nuanced and heart-touching performance in Guzaarish. He received the Best Actor (Critics) and several nominations for his performance. Agneepath - With Agneepath, Hrithik proved that when it comes to reimaging iconic roles no one does it better than him. The Kaabil star mentioned in an interview that Agneepath was "the hardest [project] he ever worked on in his life", citing the exhaustion he felt while shooting the flick. Breathing fire and soul into the role, that some critics mentioned was even better than the original, Ageenpath won Hrithik an Award for Best Actor in a Drama. Super 30 - Hrithik Roshan won the 'Best Actor' award for his performance in Super 30. Playing the role of Anand Kumar, mathematics teacher and educator who established an educational program, Hrithik Roshan was heavily praised for his performance and his ability to get under the skin of the character - so much so that even Anand Kumar said no one could essay the role better than Hrithik. Vivek Agnihotri Cannes: Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri is known for his unfiltered views and controversial tweets, taking a dig at Bollywood celebs and everything related to them. He once again initiated a debate when he tweeted about fashion taking over films at the Cannes Film Festival. The filmmaker reminded people that the recently concluded 76th Cannes Film Festival is about films and is not about "showcasing films and it's not a fashion show". And now, Vivek has elaborated on his views, lashing out at Bollywood for remaining silent over fashion usurping films at Cannes. VIVEK AGNIHOTRI LASHES OUT AT BOLLYWOOD FOR REMAINING SILENT ON FASHION TAKING OVER FILMS AT CANNES Elaborating on his opinion, Vivek Agnhotri said that fashion has replaced films. Speaking to the Hindustan Times in an interview, Vivek Agnihotri bashed Bollywood actors for not voicing their opposition to fashion taking over films at the Cannes Film Festival and said, "They are busy doing brand promotions, and that's why they have to keep quiet." 'Death Of Cannes: Vivek Agnihotri Shares Disappointment With Films Replaced With Fashion At Film Festival He added, "It's like if you dance at somebody's wedding and take money for it, you can't criticize the food at the wedding. They have no spine left. Also, Bollywood actors have become social media influencers, so they are not acting anymore. For them, life is cool." Further, taking a sly jibe at the presence of several social media influencers on the red carpet, he stated, "And they even got a lot of limelight. I don't understand what do these influencers have got to do with feature films? It was very unfair for audiences in general because this is a dumbing down process." "You are corrupting (the festival). Nobody cares about the central theme of the festival. Nobody knows which film was being screened or which won in what category. I am not commenting on anyone's competence or capability, but most actors who attended Cannes from India had none of their films being there, and some didn't even have a release in many years," he added. Cannes Is Not A Fashion Show: Vivek Agnihotri Passes Snide Remark At Celebs Attending Festival's Red Carpet Professionally, Vivek Agnihotri is known for films such as The Kashmir Files, Buddha in Traffic Jam, Hate Story, and others. His most recent movie, The Kashmir Files, established him as one of the leading directors in the industry. Next, Vivek's projects include The Vaccine War and The Delhi Files. Sunny Hinduja, the versatile actor known for his roles in popular web shows like "Aspirants" and "The Family Man," was mobbed by an enthusiastic crowd while shooting for his new project in Allahabad. Surrounded by fans chanting his name, Sunny graciously posed for selfies and signed autographs, deeply touched by the overwhelming support, from his fanbase. The frenzy began as news of Sunny's presence spread, attracting a massive gathering of fans eager to catch a glimpse of the beloved actor. Despite his fame in urban areas, it was the Sunny, renowned for his humility and warmth, greeted the crowd with a smile, expressing his gratitude for their unwavering support. As he continues his shoot in Allahabad, Sunny remains grateful for the affection and looks forward to captivating audiences once again in his upcoming projects. His upcoming projects include second season of the popular show 'Aspirants', YRF's 'The Railway Men' along with other exciting unannounced projects. Actress Abhirami Reveals Personal Experience Of Colorism: Abhirami, a renowned actress among Malayalis, has made a mark in the film industries of Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu with her stellar performances. After a period of relative absence, Abhirami is making a comeback and recently shared a troubling experience she had to endure. In an interview with Movie World Media, Abhirami candidly discussed facing discrimination based on her skin colour. Known for expressing her opinions and taking a stand, Abhirami is also active on social media, where she addresses various issues. Navya Nair Opens Up About A Post-Marriage Folly: Once Seen As Romantic, Now Regarded As A Misstep According to Abhirami, the discrimination she faced was not within the film industry itself but rather during her time living abroad. The most distressing experience occurred due to her dark complexion. The actor mentioned severing ties with the person responsible for the incident. "I have faced rejection due to my colour. On the Indian spectrum, I may appear slightly fairer, but during my seventeen years in America, I was considered dark-skinned. I have had many negative experiences because of it," revealed Abhirami. However, she also emphasised that she hadn't experienced discrimination based on skin colour in India, though she acknowledged experiencing other forms of discrimination in India. Abhirami went on to share her personal encounter in America, clarifying that it was a one-on-one interaction. Recognising the person's biassed mindset, she decided to distance herself from them. The actor firmly stated that she terminated the relationship upon realising the individual's true nature. Furthermore, Abhirami clarified that she did not encounter any such negativity within the film industry. Misogyny Prevalent In The Films Previously, Abhirami had openly discussed the misogyny prevalent in the films she had acted in, and this topic also arose during the interview. She emphasised the importance of evolving perspectives over time. Films from the past reflected the prevailing mindset of that era, and it wasn't limited to a single movie but rather a prevailing trend. However, she noted that society and perspectives have changed significantly since then. "Now we are more aware and engage in discussions. I have realised that my past actions were wrong. It wasn't about any particular individual; it was about acknowledging the mindset of that era. I am glad that such perspectives are not prevalent today," expressed Abhirami. Actress Geetha Addresses RUMOURS: Dispels Misinformation And Reveals The TRUTH When watching movies that perpetuate body shaming and other incorrect notions, Abhirami strongly believes that such films should never have been made. She further added that if she disagrees with certain dialogues, she speaks up. Being a respected and courageous industry veteran, Abhirami is unafraid to voice her opinions. She also acknowledged positive changes implemented in many films based on her feedback. The issue lies in glorifying wrongdoing. While negative characters may exhibit such traits, applause should not be sought through the glorification of villainous behaviour. Abhirami stressed that this sentiment applies not only to Malayalam cinema but also to other languages. Venkatesh About His Role In Rana Naidu Photo Credit: Gallery Rana Naidu is one of the web series which stirred up quite some controversy and received backlash for its content from the Telugu audience. Although the OTT platforms have erased all borders for viewers all over the world, who are now used to watching anything on the show, if it is successful, Rana Naidu hit otherwise. The main reason for the amount of criticism Rana Naidu drew was Venkatesh. The veteran star, who has no haters and is absolutely loved by his audience in the two Telugu states, shocked everybody with his experimentation in his debut web series. Rana Naidu showcased Venkatesh in a different and rather new light, which didn't go down well with the people who love him. Venkatesh mouthing vulgar dialogues and foul language, coupled with his hand gestures and body language for portraying the role of Naga Naidu, was heavily trolled. Venkatesh gave his all and was genuinely expressive as his role demanded but his characterization was what didn't impress his fans. Venkatesh On Rana Naidu's Sequel Venkatesh, who was interacting with the media about Abhiram Daggubati's debut film Ahimsa by director Teja, was questioned about his take on Rana Naidu issues. Venkatesh reportedly said, "Despite all the criticizm and backlash, the series has been getting raving reviews and good response from the viewers. It is irrespective to think about what has happened, and we should only look forward. It is true that a couple of scenes in the first part showed an impact but the second season will definitely impress all. I can assure this much," added the Saindhav star. Ahimsa The movie which is going to hit the screens on June 2 marks the acting debut of Abhiram Daggubati, Rana's younger brother. The movie stars Geethika Tiwary, Bindu Chandramouli, Kalpalatha, Sadhaa, Rajat Bedi, and Kamal Kamaraju among others in key roles. The movie was made under the banner of Anandi Art Creations, produced by P Kiran and P Kumar. Teja's close aid and friend, RP Patnaik, who composed many successful music albums with Teja has united with Teja for Ahimsa. Mohanlal In SSMB 29? Photo Credit: Gallery The Oscar-Award-winning Naatu Nattu from RRR is the brainchild of epic filmmaker SS Rajamouli. The director, who is settling down from the RRR buzz and is now working on his next with Mahesh Babu for SSMB 29, hit the headlines again. SS Rajamouli is reportedly looking for a versatile actor from South Industries to play an important role in the film, which is not only crucial but has an impact on the story's narration. Mohanlal In SSMB 29? According to the available information, Rajamouli is in talks with the team of Mohanlal, and the actor, for an important role in SSMB 29. Looks like the director had already narrated the basic point of the story and the veteran was keen on considering the offer. However, by the end of June, the actor might respond to the offer, as per the sources. SSMB 29 The movie carries heavy expectations as the Oscar Award-winning director SS Rajamouli has been joining forces with Mahesh Babu, for the very first time. In addition to this terrific combination, the movie is said to be a globe-trotting drama, along the lines of Indiana Jones. Fans of such adventure films are kicked about the same. However, the movie will only hit the screens in another 3 years. The movie will be made on a budget that is over Rs 500 Crore and could even touch Rs 1000 Crore. As suggested, this adventure drama requires the team to plan their shooting schedules in several places all over the world. According to an inside birdie, the movie will largely depend on CGI, VFX, and AI, to bring down the costs, stress, and the number of shooting days and to maximize the use of tech for the best output. Meanwhile, the writer of the film, Vijayendra Prasad, has hinted that the movie's story and screenplay are under process and it would be suitable to be made in several parts with sequels. SS Rajamouli earlier said, "SSMB 29 could be a trilogy but it is not clear if Mahesh Babu will play the lead in all three parts. My next with Mahesh Babu is a globetrotting actioner. It will be like James Bond or Indiana Jones film with Indian roots." SSMB 29 Crew As usual, the film's entire music and background score will be composed by the Oscar-Award-winning composer MM Keeravani. SS Rajamouli's staple cameraman KK Senthil Kumar will be cranking the camera. Highlights Solis signs binding agreement effective May 29, 2023 to acquire the "Jaguar" project in Bahia state, north-east Brazil Jaguar pegmatite has confirmed Spodumene grades in oxidised pegmatite up to 4.95% Li 2 O from rock chip samples Extensive pegmatite body mapped over 1km of strike, with widths in excess of 50m with coarse visible Spodumene exposed across pegmatite body Solis' largest shareholder, Latin Resources, to provide exploration guidance and country experience The Jaguar pegmatite is located proximal to a large granitic source, and its geological setting is consistent with other hard rock lithium provinces in Brazil Jaguar project is located on a granted mining lease with permits in place to commence drilling. Solis has secured a drill rig and plans to initiate drilling in June Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 31, 2023) - Solis Minerals Ltd. (ASX: SLM) (TSXV: SLMN) (OTCQB: SLMFF) (FSE: 08W) ("Solis Minerals" or "the Company") is pleased to provide shareholders with an update on its entry into a binding option agreement to purchase the "Jaguar" hard rock Lithium project in Bahia State Brazil. Executive Director Matthew Boyes quoted: "Brazil is fast becoming a significant player in the hard rock Lithium space. Solis's primary objective is to quickly position itself by acquiring highly prospective underexplored projects in the northeast of Brazil. The Jaguar pegmatite hosts confirm LCT-bearing pegmatites with some of the coarsest and most abundant Spodumene occurrences I have seen. These tenements in what may be a new Lithium province are a fantastic addition to our already large tenement position in the northeast of Brazil, and with drilling to commence immediately, I am excited by this opportunity to better understand the potential of this very exciting system." Sampling and Li2O grade confirmation A series of surface samples were collected from the exposed portion of the Jaguar pegmatite within an artisanal open pit or "Garimpo" located at the Jaguar project (see Table 1 and Figures 1 & 2). Samples were taken from the Spodumene-rich pegmatite quartz core primarily to confirm the grade of the visible Spodumene mineralisation. All samples were assayed at SGS GEOSOL Laboratories Ltda Brazil (see Appendix 2 for additional information on the quality of assay data and laboratory tests). A field campaign will commence in the coming weeks to complete systematic geochemical sampling of all the known outcrops plus mapping and target generation for follow-up drill programmes; Solis has secured a drill rig and plans to commence drilling in June. Sample ANM Easting Northing R.L. Litho1 Lab_Number K ppm Rb Li2O% RSA0401 871427/2006 361024 8883732 690 Spodumene GQ2304332 16656 368 2.84 RSA0402 871427/2006 361031 8883730 690 Spodumene GQ2304332 6826 162 4.29 RSA0403 871427/2006 361016 8883731 691 Lepidolite GQ2304332 51301 2284 0.11 RSA0404 871427/2006 361017 8883727 690 Spodumene GQ2304332 9113 238 4.95 RSA0405 871427/2006 361024 8883706 692 Spodumene GQ2304332 5876 222 0.43 Table 1: Results of grab samples taken from the Jaguar artisanal working. *Samples were selectively taken from outcropping Spodumene crystals strictly to confirm Lithium contents within weathered minerals, samples are not to be considered representative on the entire exposed width of the exposed pegmatite body within the workings Project Location The tenements 871427/2006 and 873426/2021 are located in the province of Bahia in northeast Brazil. The tenements cover a combined area of 1,143Ha with mineral extraction rights granted for the extraction of dimension on the northernmost tenement. The Jaguar project is located 86km from Petrolina and Juazeiro, two major regional cities on the San Francisco River, which forms the border between Pernambuco and Bahia states. Road access is via a paved highway and 4km of unsealed track to the project. Hydro-generated power is distributed along the main highway and located within 4.5km of the northern 871427 tenement. Land use is restricted to goat pasture and vegetation and is typical of a semi-arid tropical environment. Figure 1: Artisanal workings with exposed pegmatite and Spodumene mineralisation visible, Geologist standing in front of face for scale * Samples RSA0401,402,403,404 were collected from positions along exposed face To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1134/168274_solisfigure1.jpg Figure 2: Large white weathered spodumene crystals within Jaguar artisanal workings-G Pick for scale To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1134/168274_solisfigure2.jpg Figure 3: Location map showing infrastructure and tenements acquired at the Jaguar project To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1134/168274_solisfigure3.jpg Figure 4: Tenement map with satellite image and mapped pegmatite body with proposed drill hole locations To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1134/168274_solisfigure4.jpg Terms of Agreement As consideration for the acquisition of 100% of the tenements 871427/2006 and 872376/2021 from Marico Mineracao ltda and Igramar Industria de Ganitos e Marmores Ltda ("Vendors"), Onca Mineracao Ltda a 100% owned subsidiary of Solis has agreed to; pay the Vendors an upfront option fee of USD$300,000 ("Option Fee") which will grant Solis (via Onca) a 90-day period to conduct due diligence on the Jaguar project ("Due Diligence Period"); Pay to the Vendors, prior to the expiry of the Due Diligence Period and at the election of Onca, a fee of USD$700,000 in order to exercise the option and acquire a 100% interest in the Jaguar project ("Option Exercise Fee"); and within 12 months from payment of the Option Exercise Fee, pay USD$2,900,000 ("Deferred Consideration"); and simultaneously with payment of the Option Exercise Fee and subject to the exercise of the option, utilising Solis's Listing Rule 7.1 placement capacity, issue to the Vendor (or its nominees) 3,000,000 performance rights ("Performance Rights") which convert on a one-for-one basis into fully paid ordinary shares in the capital of SLM ("Shares") upon delineation of an inferred (or greater) mineral resource of 10Mt at 1.0% Li2O or greater within 24 months from the issue of the Performance Rights. About Solis Minerals Ltd. Solis Minerals is a Latin American battery mineral-focused mining exploration company. The Company recently acquired a 100% interest in the Borborema Lithium Project in NE Brazil, covering 24,800 ha, and holds a 100% interest in 32,400 ha of combined licences and applications of highly prospective IOCG (iron oxide copper/gold) and porphyry copper projects in southwestern Peru within the country's prolific coastal copper belt - a source of nearly half of Peru's copper production. This Announcement has been authorised for release to the TSX-V by the Board of Solis Minerals. For further information, please contact: Australia Matt Boyes Chief Executive Officer Solis Minerals Limited +61 8 6117 4798 Stephen Moloney Investor Relations Corporate Storytime +61 (0) 403 222 052 North America Jason Cubitt Non-Executive Director Solis Minerals Limited +01 (604) 209 1658 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. The transaction is subject to review and approval by the TSX Venture Exchange. Securities of the issuer will remain halted until relevant documentation is received and reviewed by the TSX Venture Exchange. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains certain forward-looking statements that relate to future events or performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made and information currently available to the Company. 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, but not limited to, market conditions, availability of financing, actual results of the Company's exploration and other activities, environmental risks, future metal prices, operating risks, accidents, labour issues, delays in obtaining governmental approvals and permits, and other risks in the mining industry. All the forward-looking statements made in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements and those in our continuous disclosure filings available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof, and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances save as required by applicable law. Qualified Person Statement The technical information in this news release was reviewed by Fred Tejada, P.Geo, a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101). Mr. Tejada is an arm's length consultant to the Company. Competent Person Statement The information in this ASX release concerning Geological Information and Exploration Results is based on and fairly represents information compiled by Mr Anthony Greenaway, a Competent Person who is a Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Mr Greenaway is an employee of Solis Minerals Ltd. and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of mineralisation and types of deposit under consideration and to the exploration activities undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the "Australian Code for Reporting of Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves". Mr Greenaway consents to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on information in the form and context in which it appears. Mr Greenaway has provided his prior written consent regarding the form and context in which the Geological Information and Exploration Results and supporting information are presented in this Announcement. All information about exploration results that were previously released to the market is appropriately referenced in this document. APPENDIX 1 Borborema and Jaguar Project licence areas Licences - acquired by Onca Mineracao Ltd (100% owned subsidiary of Solis Minerals Ltd). Number License Number Registered Owner Status Ha 1 846.232/2022 Onca Mineracao Ltda. Waiting for publication 675 2 846.233/2022 Onca Mineracao Ltda. Waiting for publication 172 3 846.234/2022 Onca Mineracao Ltda. Waiting for publication 460 4 848.411/2022 Onca Mineracao Ltda. Waiting for publication 1,666 5 848.412/2022 Onca Mineracao Ltda. Option for a license area due to interference 1,563 6 848.413/2022 Onca Mineracao Ltda. Waiting for publication 714 7 848.414/2022 Onca Mineracao Ltda. Waiting for publication 1,488 8 848.415/2022 Onca Mineracao Ltda. Ongoing 3-year exploration license 1,839 9 848.416/2022 Onca Mineracao Ltda. Waiting for publication 614 10 848.417/2022 Onca Mineracao Ltda. Waiting for publication 710 11 848.418/2022 Onca Mineracao Ltda. Waiting for publication 381 12 848.419/2022 Onca Mineracao Ltda. Waiting for publication 1,275 13 848.420/2022 Onca Mineracao Ltda. Waiting for publication 70 14 848.423/2022 Onca Mineracao Ltda. Waiting for publication 1,572 15 848.424/2022 Onca Mineracao Ltda. Waiting for publication 1,689 16 848.425/2022 Onca Mineracao Ltda. Ongoing 3-year exploration license 1,918 17 848.426/2022 Onca Mineracao Ltda. Waiting for publication 1,662 18 848.427/2022 Onca Mineracao Ltda. Waiting for publication 798 19 848.428/2022 Onca Mineracao Ltda. Ongoing 3-year exploration license 1,667 20 848.429/2022 Onca Mineracao Ltda. Waiting for publication 664 21 848.430/2022 Onca Mineracao Ltda. Waiting for publication 1,688 22 848.431/2022 Onca Mineracao Ltda. Waiting for publication 1,525 23 871427/2006 Mineracao Marico Ltda. Preliminary mining license granted. 294 24 872376/2021 Igramar Industria de Granitos e Marmores Ltda. Ongoing 3-year exploration license 849 Total 25,953 Table 1: Licence areas acquired with total ground accumulated licence areas from Borborema and Bahia provinces Brazil APPENDIX 2 Criteria JORC Code explanation Commentary Sampling techniques Nature and quality of sampling (e.g. cut channels, random chips, or specific specialised industry standard measurement tools appropriate to the minerals under investigation, such as down hole gamma sondes, or handheld XRF instruments, etc). These examples should not be taken as limiting the broad meaning of sampling. Include reference to measures taken to ensure sample representivity and the appropriate calibration of any measurement tools or systems used. Aspects of the determination of mineralisation that are Material to the Public Report. In cases where 'industry standard' work has been done this would be relatively simple (e.g. 'reverse circulation drilling was used to obtain 1 m samples from which 3 kg was pulverised to produce a30 g charge for fire assay'). In other cases more explanation may be required, such as where there is coarse gold that has inherent sampling problems. Unusual commodities or mineralisation types (e.g. submarine nodules) may warrant disclosure of detailed information. Sampling was predominantly cut channels and rock chips. Sampling was focused on confirmation of mineralisation of Lithium from selected mineral species in the case of Jaguar "Weathered Spodumene". Samples are not to considered representative of exposed widths of the pegmatite body, samples were not collected over standard widths or perpendicular to orebody orientations. Samples size ranged between 1.5-3kg and industry standard an acceptable weight to ascertain a representative sample for preparation and assay. Drilling techniques Drill type (e.g. core, reverse circulation, open-hole hammer, rotary air blast, auger, Bangka, sonic, etc) and details (e.g. core diameter, triple or standard tube, depth of diamond tails, face- sampling bit or other type, whether core is oriented and if so, by what method, etc). N/A - No drilling has been undertaken. Drill sample recovery Method of recording and assessing core and chip sample recoveries and results assessed. Measures taken to maximise sample recovery and ensure representative nature of the samples. Whether a relationship exists between sample recovery and grade and whether sample bias may have occurred due to preferential loss/gain of fine/coarse material. N/A - No drilling has been undertaken. Logging Whether core and chip samples have been geologically and geotechnically logged to a level of detail to support appropriate Mineral Resource estimation, mining studies and metallurgical studies. Whether logging is qualitative or quantitative in nature. Core (or costean, channel, etc) photography. The total length and percentage of the relevant intersections logged. Solis Minerals geologists logged all sample noting mineralogy, lithology, alteration and weathering sate of samples obtained. Logging is both quantitative and qualitative in nature. All samples including any submitted CRM material are individually photographed before submission. Sub-sampling techniques and sample preparation If core, whether cut or sawn and whether quarter, half or all core taken. If non-core, whether riffled, tube sampled, rotary split, etc and whether sampled wet or dry. For all sample types, the nature, quality and appropriateness of the sample preparation technique. Quality control procedures adopted for all sub-sampling stages to maximise representivity of samples. Measures taken to ensure that the sampling is representative of the in-situ material collected, including for instance results for field duplicate/second-half sampling. Whether sample sizes are appropriate to the grain size of the material being sampled. Samples were taken to check the grades of exposed spodumene mineralisation, no systematic sampling across known exposed pegmatites was completed, samples were rock chips only and no systematic channel sampling completed to date. Duplicate samples were taken and stored for future reference. Samples are considered to be representative of exposed Spodumene crystals within Jaguar open pit and of appropriate size with respect to sampled material. Quality of assay data and laboratory tests The nature, quality and appropriateness of the assaying and laboratory procedures used and whether the technique is considered partial or total. For geophysical tools, spectrometers, handheld XRF instruments, etc, the parameters used in determining the analysis including instrument make and model, reading times, calibrations factors applied and their derivation, etc. Nature of quality control procedures adopted (e.g. standards, blanks, duplicates, external laboratory checks) and whether acceptable levels of accuracy (i.e. lack of bias) and precision have been established. All samples were assayed at SGS GEOSOL Laboratories Ltda Brazil. Analysis procedures are considered to be appropriate for Lithium and multielement analysis. Rock chips and grab samples are assayed via ICM90A (fusion by sodium peroxide and finish with ICP-MS/ICP-OES) for a 56-element suite at the SGS Geosol Laboratorios located at Vespasiano/Minas Gerais, Brazil. If lithium results are above 15,000ppm, the Lab analyze the pulp samples just for lithium through ICP90Q (fusion by sodium peroxide and finish with ICP/OES). Solis inserted industry standard OREAS CRM for analysis, standards utilised were OREAS 750 and OREAS 22h, reported values are within 1SD of CRM certified values. Verification of Sampling and assaying The verification of significant intersections by either independent or alternative company personnel. The use of twinned holes. Documentation of primary data, data entry procedures, data verification, data storage (physical and electronic) protocols. Discuss any adjustment to assay data. All Solis Minerals data is verified by the Competent person. All data is stored in an electronic Access Database. Assay data and results is reported, unadjusted. Li2O results used in the market are converted from Li results multiplying it by the industry factor 2.153. Location of data points Accuracy and quality of surveys used to locate drill holes (collar and down-hole surveys), trenches, mine workings and other locations used in Mineral Resource estimation. Specification of the grid system used. Quality and adequacy of topographic control. Data is shown using the UTM SIRGAS 2000 zone 23 South grid system. All samples were captured using a handheld GPS. Data spacing and distribution Data spacing for reporting of Exploration Results. Whether the data spacing and distribution is sufficient to establish the degree of geological and grade continuity appropriate for the Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve estimation procedure(s) and classifications applied. Whether sample compositing has been applied. No set sample spacing or pattern has been applied die to the preliminary nature of the sampling programme. Orientation of data in relation to geological structure Whether the orientation of sampling achieves unbiased sampling of possible structures and the extent to which this is known, considering the deposit type. If the relationship between the drilling orientation and the orientation of key mineralised structures is considered to have introduced a sampling bias, this should be assessed and reported if material. N/A - No drilling has been undertaken. Sample security The measures taken to ensure sample security. N/A - No drilling has been undertaken. Audits or reviews The results of any audits or reviews of sampling techniques and data. There have been no detailed external audits or reviews undertaken. Solis Minerals has conducted an internal technical review of the available geological and other publicly available data. Section 2 Reporting of Exploration Results (Criteria listed in the preceding section also apply to this section) Criteria JORC Code explanation Commentary Mineral tenement and land tenure status Type, reference name/number, location and ownership including agreements or material issues with third parties such as joint ventures, partnerships, overriding royalties, native title interests, historical sites, wilderness or national park and environmental settings. The security of the tenure held at the time of reporting along with any known impediments to obtaining a licence to operate in the area. The Jaguar Project area consists of 2 exploration licences held in the name of Marica Mineracao Ltda, and Ingramar Ltda. Onca Mineracao has signed a binding option agreement sheet with both companies giving Onca the right to purchase 100% of both licences "see section terms of agreement" in release. Exploration Licences: 871427/2006, 872376/2021 . . Licences are in good standing and have no known environmental or liabilities of any kind. Exploration done by other parties Acknowledgment and appraisal of exploration by other parties. N/A - the Company is not aware of any previous exploration being undertaken within the tenements. Geology Deposit type, geological setting and style of mineralisation. Prospective potential host units for the mineralised pegmatites are similar to the suite hosting the Colina-Salinas pegmatites held by Latin Resources Limited (ASX:LRS) in the state of Minas Gerais. They consist predominantly of metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks (schist, gneiss and quartzites) located close to the large Granitoids from the G3 suite with batholiths, stocks and dykes represented. Pegmatites are located within 0-5km of the granite contacts. Drill hole Information A summary of all information material to the understanding of the exploration results including a tabulation of the following information for all Material drill holes: easting and northing of the drill hole collar elevation or RL (Reduced Level - elevation above sea level in metres) of the drill hole collar dip and azimuth of the hole hole length If the exclusion of this information is justified on the basis that the information is not Material and this exclusion does not detract from the understanding of the report, the Competent Person should clearly explain why this is the case. N/A no new drilling data is included in this report. Data aggregation methods In reporting Exploration Results, weighting averaging techniques, maximum and/or minimum grade truncations (e.g. cutting of high grades) and cut-off grades are usually Material and should be stated. Where aggregate intercepts incorporate short lengths of high-grade results and longer lengths of low-grade results, the procedure used for such aggregation should be stated and some typical examples of such aggregations should be shown in detail. The assumptions used for any reporting of metal equivalent values should be clearly stated. N/A no new drilling data is included in this report. Relationship between mineralisation widths and intercept lengths These relationships are particularly important in the reporting of Exploration Results. If the geometry of the mineralisation with respect to the drill hole angle is known, its nature should be reported. If it is not known and only the down hole lengths are reported, there should be a clear statement to this effect (e.g. 'down hole length, true width not known'). N/A no new drilling data is included in this report. Diagrams Appropriate maps and sections (with scales) and tabulations of intercepts should be included for any significant discovery being reported These should include, but not be limited to a plan view of drill hole collar locations and appropriate sectional views. The Company has included various maps and figures showing the sample results and geological context. Balanced reporting Where comprehensive reporting of all Exploration Results is not practicable, representative reporting of both low and high grades and/or widths should be practiced avoiding misleading reporting of Exploration Results. N/A no new results are included in this report. Other substantive exploration data Other exploration data, if meaningful and material, should be reported including (but not limited to): geological observations; geophysical survey results; geochemical survey results; bulk samples - size and method of treatment; metallurgical test results; bulk density, groundwater, geotechnical and rock characteristics; potential deleterious or contaminating substances. N/A no new results are included in this report. Further work The nature and scale of planned further work (e.g. tests for lateral extensions or depth extensions or large-scale step-out drilling). Diagrams clearly highlighting the areas of possible extensions, including the main geological interpretations and future drilling areas, provided this information is not commercially sensitive. Solis Minerals will undertake extensive validation field confirmation and sampling of the regional geological setting including all known outcropping pegmatites. Solis has signed a diamond drill contract for 2500m of HQ diameter drill core to be performed on existing targets and below the known outcropping mineralisation at the Jaguar project. It is premature to provide diagrams of possible extensions. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/168274 NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 31, 2023 / Joint actors of JW Asset Management, LLC ("JW"), an adviser to several funds (the "Acquiror"), have acquired 411,208 common shares of TerrAscend Corp. (CSE: TER; OTCQX: TRSSF) ("TerrAscend") between December 28, 2022 and May 31, 2023. As a result of the issuance of additional Common Shares by Terrascend, primarily related to the conversion of exchangeable shares into common shares, as well as the expiration of warrants held by joint actors of the Acquiror, the Acquiror's total percentage holding in TerrAscend has decreased by 4.08%. JW and its joint actors now beneficially own or exercise control or direction over (a) 88,621,984 common shares of TerrAscend (b) 7,129,517 warrants to acquire common shares of TerrAscend (c) 10,000 convertible preferred shares of TerrAscend (d) 1,200,000 options to acquire common shares of TerrAscend and (e) 23,923 restricted stock units of TerrAscend, carrying 36.51% of the total voting power attached to all TerrAscend securities on a partially diluted basis (assuming conversion of only the TerrAscend convertible securities owned or over which JW or its joint actors exercise control or direction and no others). This press release is being issued pursuant to section 5.2 of National Instrument 62-104 - Take-Over Bids and Issuer Bids. For inquiries or a copy of the related early warning report for the above-named companies, which will be filed on www.sedar.com, please contact: Jason Klarreich, Chief Financial Officer at jk@jwfunds.com. SOURCE: JW Asset Management, LLC View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758535/JW-Asset-Management-Announces-Changes-to-Holdings-in-TerrAscend-Corp Dongguan, China--(Newsfile Corp. - May 31, 2023) - Direct Drive Tech stole the limelight at the ICRA 2023 (2023 International Conference on Robotics and Automation) held in London on May 29th, as the company proudly unveiled its groundbreaking product: TITA Robot. Direct Drive Tech Launches TITA Robot: Introducing a New Era of Advanced Wheeled Bipedal Robotics To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8520/167977_ab622c7094d2787d_001full.jpg Combining exceptional perceptual capabilities with advanced decision-making capability, TITA Robot is a wheeled and bipedal robot. With an impressive 8 degrees of freedom, this innovation harnesses the speed and agility of wheeled robots while leveraging the adaptability of their legged counterparts through state-of-the-art, direct-drive joints and hub motor drive technology. Its streamlined, integrated design and superior maneuverability makes it a standout performer across various tasks. Featuring versatile rails on its upper body, TITA Robot offers quick modular disassembly of accessories. Additionally, these rails enable the stacking of built-in speakers, catering to the specific demands of individual scenarios. Equipped with exceptional anti-falling capability, enhanced self-recovery capability, instantaneous responsiveness, and heightened obstacle avoidance awareness, TITA Robot effortlessly adapts to complex terrains, ensuring efficient movement. TITA Robot supports secondary development in multiple modes, empowering users to operate it at any level through RPC (Remote Procedure Call) or on-board programming. This includes behavior-level and joint-level operations, offering users unparalleled flexibility and control over the robot's functionalities. The impressive launch once again exemplifies Direct Drive Tech's dominance in the robotics area. The introduction of TITA Robot opens up new horizons of innovation and application possibilities across a wide range of industries, providing flexible and efficient solutions for users. With its cutting-edge features and limitless possibilities, TITA Robot is poised to revolutionize the field of robotics, empowering users with unparalleled potential. Contact info Company: Direct Drive Technology City: Dongguan City Website: https://shop.directdrive.com/ Contact Person: Xin Gou Email: MKT@directdrivetech.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/167977 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 31, 2023) - RDARS Inc. (CSE: RDRS) ("RDARS" or the "Company"), an autonomous robotics and drone technology company developing advanced systems for alarm system augmentation and surveillance, is pleased to announce that its board of directors have approved a consolidation (the "Share Consolidation") of the Company's share capital on a twenty-for-one basis. The Share Consolidation was approved at the Company's annual and special meeting of shareholders held on May 31, 2023. The Company will begin trading on a post-consolidation basis on June 6, 2023, at the commencement of trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE"). The Share Consolidation will reduce the number of issued and outstanding common shares ("Common Shares") from 354,425,745 Common Shares to approximately 17,721,287 Common Shares. A letter of transmittal will be sent by mail to registered shareholders advising them that the Share Consolidation has taken effect. The letter of transmittal will contain instructions on how registered shareholders can exchange their share certificates or Direct Registration System ("DRS") statements evidencing their pre-consolidation Common Shares for new share certificates or new DRS statements representing the number of post-consolidation Common Shares to which they are entitled. The exercise or conversion price and the number of Common Shares issuable under any of the Company's outstanding warrants and stock options will be proportionately adjusted to reflect the Share Consolidation in accordance with the respective terms thereof. The Company will provide further details regarding the Share Consolidation as soon as they become available. Completion of the Share Consolidation remains subject to the approval of the CSE. About RDARS Inc. RDARS possesses a disruptive technology that is advancing the security industry's approach to protecting commercial, industrial, and residential properties, by introducing protection with autonomous artificial intelligence systems that allows for real time response, situation awareness, verification, intervention, evidence recording, data capture, analysis, and immediate downstream transmissions to public safety agencies. RDARS has the ability, upon a property security breach, in real time to receive, analyze, and downstream the data and inform public safety agencies who the perpetrators potentially are before they even arrive at the property. Founded in 2019, RDARS is an originator in its innovative equipment manufacturer of its flagship product, the Eagle Watch Platform comprising of Eagle Eye, a drone, Eagle Nest, a drone station, Eagle Rover, an indoor robotic system, and Eagle Watch Command & Control Software. The Company's autonomous robotic systems provide situational awareness in a cost effective and reliable manner. The Company's mission is to improve alarm response and situational awareness by obtaining required approvals from federal regulatory agencies for BVLOS operations. RDARS is currently developing its technology for private and enterprise customers in the United States and Canada, where these customers require a more reliable and advanced understanding of their property security. For more information about RDARS, please visit its website at www.rdars.com and its profile page on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Cautionary Statements Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or future performance of the Company. The use of any of the words "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "may", "projected", "estimated" and similar expressions, and negatives thereto, and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on the Company's current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Actual future results may differ materially. In particular, this press release contains forward-looking information relating to the Company completing the Share Consolidation and the timing thereof. Various assumptions or factors are typically applied in drawing conclusions or making the forecasts or projections set out in forward-looking information. Those assumptions and factors are based on information currently available to the parties. The material factors and assumptions include the Company completing the Share Consolidation and receiving all necessary regulatory and stock exchange approvals to complete the Consolidation. Forward-looking information necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Such risks and factors include, but are not limited to, risk that the Company may not complete the Share Consolidation and may not receive all applicable regulatory and stock exchange approvals. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof and the parties are not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Because of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein. For further information, please contact: RDARS Inc. Charles Zwebner Chief Executive Officer T: (786) 564-5602 E: charles.zwebner@rdars.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/168298 Hyundai Mobis held a groundbreaking ceremony for global EV dedicated battery system plant, attended by 150 guests including local government officials on 31. The new plant to supply battery systems for local flagship models in the first half of 2024, completing an EV ecosystem that covers EV cells, battery systems, and automakers. Invests a total of KRW 80 billion (approx. USD 60 million ) on this new plant near an automaker and a joint cell venture to maximize supply efficiency. JAKARTA, Indonesia and SEOUL, South Korea, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Mobis began construction of a new EV dedicated battery system plant in Indonesia, which it plans to have completed by the first half of next year. Hyundai Mobis intends to set Indonesia as a beachhead as the country is emerging as the heart of the ASEAN market, and catapult to being a leader of the electrification ecosystem, which include cells, battery systems, and OEMs. Hyundai Mobis announced that it had held a groundbreaking ceremony for the battery system plant in Bekasi, West Java (Jawa Barat) on the outskirts of Jakarta on 31. The ceremony was attended by about 150 participants, including Mochamad Ridwan Kamil, Governor of West Java Province, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea Lee Sang-deok, Oh Heung-sub, Senior Vice President of Electrification at Hyundai Mobis, Indonesian Government officials, industry leaders, and local journalists. The battery system plant in Indonesia will become a solid footing for Hyundai Mobis' global electrification business targeting the ASEAN market in particular. Building on the country's ample natural resources, the Indonesian government is accelerating efforts to secure leadership in the EV market. The need for EVs in ASEAN region, centered on Indonesia, is increasing rapidly. Hyundai Mobis will use battery cells supplied by a joint battery cell venture, HLI Green Power, and will turn them into modules that include a controller and a heat controller. They will then be supplied to global automakers as large battery systems. Hyundai Mobis will play a role of an intermediary and complete the EV ecosystem. Hyundai Mobis' plant in Indonesia will be located in Deltamas industrial complex, about 60km southeast of the capital city of Jakarta. It is 3km from Hyundai Motor Company's plant in Indonesia and 10km from HLI Green Power, which will maximize the delivery efficiency of the battery system. For the plant, Hyundai Motor Group has invested a total of USD 60 million on a land area of approximately 33,000?. The battery systems will be supplied first to flagship EV models slated to be released in Southeast Asia next year. The Indonesian Government was reportedly highly supportive with administrative matters necessary for the construction of the plant, which was in line with their policy to strengthen the local EV market and the ecosystem. They provided enthusiastic support on various fronts not only in the construction approval process, but also in the environmental assessment, logistics costs, and tax benefits. Oh Heung-sub, Senior Vice President of Electrification at Hyundai Mobis, thanked the Indonesian Government for their generous support in his congratulatory remarks saying, "Hyundai Mobis will become a partner for Indonesia and will play a pivotal role in establishing the EV ecosystem." Hyundai Mobis holds half of the stake (Hyundai Mobis 25%, Hyundai Motors 15%, Kia 10%) in Hyundai Motor Group's total investment in HLI Green Power, a joint battery cell venture currently being built near the company's local plant. With the rise of the ASEAN market, Hyundai Mobis seeks to expand and develop the Indonesian plant into a long-term strategic base capable of accommodating major customers worldwide. Hyundai Mobis is currently producing EV components, including battery systems, in both Korea and Europe (Czech Republic, Slovakia). In October last year, the company announced a plan to invest USD 1.3 billion by 2030 in a bid to expand the electrification production base in North America. Today, Hyundai Mobis is constructing a total of five additional electrification component plants in Alabama and Georgia, USA. This will complete the electrification value chain that links major continents stretching from Asia (Korea and Indonesia), and Europe, to North America. This is also expected to reinforce Hyundai Mobis' capability to respond to the EV market. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2090286/image.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1166884/hyundaimobis_CI_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/hyundai-mobis-breaks-ground-in-indonesia-for-a-new-battery-system-plant-301839457.html Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR Schweiter strengthens its Core Materials business - acquisition of JMB Wind Engineering completed Schweiter Technologies is increasing its 40% minority holding by taking over the remaining 60% of the stock. The agreement to purchase the rest of the shares in JMB Wind Engineering ("JMB") has been signed and completed, further strengthening the Core Materials business of 3A Composites. Steinhausen, 1 June 2023 - JMB) is a leading developer and producer of core material kits - primarily balsa and PET products for wind turbines. It is headquartered in Goleniow, Poland and has subsidiaries in Poland, Portugal and Brazil. The company acquired has approximately 430 employees and achieved sales of around EUR 70 million in the 2022 business year. Schweiter Technologies acquired a 40% share of JMB in 2021 to establish a strategic partnership with a leading European kitting company. The acquisition of the remaining holding in JMB and the successful commissioning of a new PET production line at JMB Poland in early 2023 saw 3A Composites further expand its leading global market position for balsa and PET core material solutions for the production of wind turbine rotor blades. This addition to the value chain will enable the company to offer an even better portfolio of solutions to wind customer OEMs and place itself in an ideal position to benefit further from the pending growth cycle in the wind energy industry, which is expected to last for a number of years. For further information please contact: Martin Kloti, CFO Tel. +41 41 757 77 00 investor@schweiter.com ABOUT SCHWEITER Schweiter Technologies, with its head office in Steinhausen, Switzerland, is a globally active Group focusing on composites solutions with its division 3A Composites. The main activities include the development, production and distribution of high-quality composites, plastic sheets, foamboards and core materials based on balsa wood and PET foam. These materials are used primarily in the areas of visual communication (display), architecture, wind energy, industry, train and bus manufacturing and shipbuilding. The company has offices, distribution facilities and production sites at 40 locations in Europe, America, and the Asia-Pacific region, and employs 4,300 people. Schweiter Technologies AG is listed on SIX Swiss Exchange with the ticker symbol SWTQ. Please find the Media release in the PDF attached: Media release BRUSSELS, June 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On World No Tobacco Day, Members of the European Parliament expressed their concern with the EU's approach towards smoking cessation and emphasised the need for a sensible, risk-based approach, following the Swedish smoke-free policies. MEPs Charlie Weimers and Johan Nissinen called for a more open approach towards harm reduction in the EU at the press conference in Brussels, hosted by the World Vapers' Alliance. "The Swedish case presents the third and final determining pillar in the pro-harm reduction argument. The science, the experience of the consumers, and now the Swedish example are proof that harm reduction works in achieving a smoke-free society. Now we have an undeniable case that the EU-wide regulation must be risk-based and evidence-supported," said Michael Landl, director of the World Vapers' Alliance. "Policy should be evidence based. WHO will soon classify Sweden as Europe's first smoke-free country because of harm reduction policies and widespread use of snus. Sweden has a wide range of harm reduction products: we have snus, nicotine pouches, vaping, etc. People are given a choice!" commented MEP Charlie Weimers. "Sweden is reducing harm and it's working very well," concluded MEP Weimers. To reinforce the impact of the Swedish model, MEP Johann Nissinen said: "It is clear that smoking kills, and we need to do everything we can to prevent those unnecessary deaths. Sweden is the best example of how this is achievable, namely with a pragmatic harm reduction approach. It is the only country in the EU where snus is legal and popular with 18% of the population using it. Consuming snus instead of cigarettes saved many Swedish lives. It is time that the EU Commission expects this reality and starts acting accordingly." "Snus has been used since the 1800s, so we have more than two hundred years of a case study that proved that tobacco harm reduction works. Snus is a great way to continue consuming nicotine without harmful chemicals you take from the traditional combustible cigarettes," said Carissa During, the Director of the Considerate Poachers. "Many countries in Europe are trying to overregulate or ban alternative nicotine products. Policymakers believe that banning something will make them disappear. We know that it is not true." "World No Tobacco Day is a sad reminder that a new approach in the fight against smoking is needed. Instead of fighting less harmful alternatives like vaping or pouches, the EU must start accepting reality: harm reduction works! Only with the harm reduction approach as a centrepiece of the new Tobacco Products Regulation, so the EU can achieve its smoking-free goals before the target," concluded Landl. Following the press conference, the World Vapers' Alliance hosted an installation called Beat Smoking Like The Swedes, with vikings deflating the 5-metre tall cigarette as a symbol of the Swedish success in achieving smoke-free status. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5584596b-4521-4528-b2df-1bfc13e296d0 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/daa9eca4-7647-4a1d-94a1-f11d4328bad1 Sandoz AG to remain based in Basel, Switzerland following proposed spin-off from Novartis Announcement of planned city-center HQ marks important milestone as Sandoz prepares to become independent company Basel, as a global life sciences center, ideally located to attract top talent Basel, June 1, 2023 - Sandoz AG, a global leader in generic and biosimilar medicines, has announced the location of its future permanent headquarters in central Basel. The Sandoz AG headquarters plans to move to a landmark office building called "Elsassertor" in the center of Basel, right by the Basel SBB train station. Sandoz expects to move from the Novartis Campus to its new headquarters in mid-2024. The announcement confirms the Sandoz commitment to Basel following its proposed separation from Novartis in the second half of 2023. Sandoz CEO Richard Saynor says: "I'm delighted to confirm that we will continue to call Basel home. This is an important milestone on our way to becoming an independent company. "Our planned location in the heart of the city will allow us to create a working environment that meets our business needs and reflects our identity, culture and values. Basel is a global center for the life sciences industry, attracting an unrivalled pool of talent and experience that will help us to grow further and achieve our ambition of being the sustainable global leader in generics and biosimilars." The planned new workspace will be designed to enable closer collaboration and teamwork across the organization. The move into the new office building will not impact the management of the Sandoz global business. Sandoz Pharmaceuticals AG, the local Swiss affiliate, and Sandoz Group AG, the entity planned to be listed on the Swiss SIX stock exchange, remain based in Rotkreuz, Switzerland. In August 2022, Novartis announced its intention to separate Sandoz, its off-patent medicines division, via a 100% spin-off. The proposed spin-off is due to complete in the second half of 2023 and would see Sandoz listed on the SIX Swiss exchange. Disclaimer This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as "potential," "can," "will," "plan," "may," "could," "would," "expect," "anticipate," "look forward," "believe," "committed," "investigational," "pipeline," "launch," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for the investigational or approved products described in this press release, or regarding potential future revenues from such products. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Neither can there be any guarantee that, if approved, such generic or biosimilar products will be approved for all indications included in the reference product's label. Nor can there be any guarantee that such products will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding such products could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; competition in general, including potential approval of additional generic or biosimilar versions of such products; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures and requirements for increased pricing transparency; litigation outcomes, including intellectual property disputes or other legal efforts to prevent or limit Sandoz from selling its products; general political, economic and business conditions, including the effects of and efforts to mitigate pandemic diseases such as COVID-19; safety, quality, data integrity or manufacturing issues; potential or actual data security and data privacy breaches, or disruptions of our information technology systems, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. # # # About Sandoz Sandoz, a Novartis division, is a global leader in generic pharmaceuticals and biosimilars. Our purpose is to pioneer access for patients by developing and commercializing novel, affordable approaches that address unmet medical needs. Our ambition is to be the world's leading and most valued generics company. Our broad portfolio of high-quality medicines, covering major therapeutic areas, accounted for 2022 sales of USD 9.2 billion. Sandoz on social media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sandoz (https://www.linkedin.com/company/sandoz) Twitter: https://twitter.com/sandoz_global (https://twitter.com/sandoz_global) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandozglobal/ (https://www.facebook.com/sandozglobal/) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandoz/global (https://www.instagram.com/sandoz/global) CEO Richard Saynor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-saynor/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-saynor/) # # # Air Liquide announces that it has entered into exclusive negotiations with Safran Aerosystems for the sale of its oxygen and nitrogen aerospace technology activities, excluding marine-related cryogenic activities. Regulatory News: Air Liquide's (Paris:AI) oxygen and nitrogen aerospace technology activities have been developed since 1983 on the Campus Technologies Grenoble site to serve the aerospace market in the field of on-board gases and associated equipment. Today, these activities represent 218 employees located on the Campus Technologies Grenoble, France, and more specifically concern its portable oxygen breathing equipment, its on-board oxygen and nitrogen generation, storage and distribution solutions, as well as its ground support and optronics1 activities. Air Liquide will also continue to operate the remaining advanced Technologies activities located on its Campus Technologies Grenoble, and will retain the possibility of supplying hydrogen cryogenics technologies to the aerospace industry. This decision reflects Air Liquide's strategy of regularly reviewing its business portfolio in order to focus on the Group's key activities or territories and thus maximize its performance. This operation, which should be finalized by early 2024, is subject to final and definitive agreement between the parties, and will be carried out within the framework of the regulatory social processes and ongoing dialogue with the employee representative bodies. Campus Technologies Grenoble The Campus Technologies Grenoble, which gathers about 1,400 employees, is responsible for designing and manufacturing innovative high-tech solutions for the growing deep tech and energy transition markets. Expert in extreme cryogenics, the Campus Technologies Grenoble serves customers worldwide, particularly in the areas of industry, space, scientific research and new energies such as hydrogen and biomethane. A world leader in gases, technologies and services for Industry and Health, Air Liquide is present in 73 countries with approximately 67,100 employees and serves more than 3.9 million customers and patients. Oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen are essential small molecules for life, matter and energy. They embody Air Liquide's scientific territory and have been at the core of the company's activities since its creation in 1902. Taking action today while preparing the future is at the heart of Air Liquide's strategy. With ADVANCE, its strategic plan for 2025, Air Liquide is targeting a global performance, combining financial and extra-financial dimensions. Positioned on new markets, the Group benefits from major assets such as its business model combining resilience and strength, its ability to innovate and its technological expertise. The Group develops solutions contributing to climate and the energy transition-particularly with hydrogen-and takes action to progress in areas of healthcare, digital and high technologies. Air Liquide's revenue amounted to more than 29.9 billion euros in 2022. Air Liquide is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange (compartment A) and belongs to the CAC 40, CAC 40 ESG, EURO STOXX 50, FTSE4Good and DJSI Europe indexes. 1Optronics generally combines an optical sensor, an image processing system, and a display or memory system and is used in equipment or systems using both optics and electronics. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230531006079/en/ Contacts: Corporate Communications media@airliquide.com Investor Relations IRTeam@airliquide.com New evaluation recognizes model-driven approach of AVEVA MES AVEVA, a global leader in industrial software, driving digital transformation and sustainability, announced that it has been positioned in the Leaders Category in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Process Manufacturing Execution System 2023 Vendor Assessment (doc EUR150526323, April 2023). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230601005060/en/ Keith Chambers, Vice-President, Operations Management Software, AVEVA. (Photo: Business Wire) According to the IDC MarketScape, "AVEVA MES is a model-driven solution that supports the modelling of operational workflows, production processes, and equipment. This configurable business process management approach enables standardization of operational processes across multisite operations and provides a centralized management platform for data analysis with visualization." In explaining the strengths of AVEVA MES, the report said, "The model-driven and process-based approach have been some of AVEVA's core strengths for a long time now. This is a differentiator for the company, aligning with the needs of core industries served by AVEVA. Over time, the company also built a comprehensive core domain knowledge in process manufacturing both through the manufacturing execution side and the plant design optimization. These capabilities are essential to drive digital transformation (DX) across the asset and operational life cycle for capital-intensive industries. These features, together with a strong momentum in innovation toward a new cloud architecture, will contribute toward AVEVA's long-term success in process manufacturing." Lorenzo Veronesi, Associate Research Director, IDC Manufacturing Insights, said: "Companies in continuous process or batch and hybrid manufacturing sectors should consider a Manufacturing Execution System that provides strong operational agility across multiple facilities and locations has." Keith Chambers, Vice-President, Operations Management Software, AVEVA, said:"We're proud that AVEVA has been recognized as a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Process Manufacturing Execution System Software Providers 2023 Vendor Assessment. Manufacturers continue to see every link in their value chains massively disrupted. With this assessment, they can be assured AVEVA MES will bridge the business-to-plant collaboration gap and improve the efficiency of their manufacturing networks by proving agility and resilience at a time when it is desperately needed." The IDC MarketScape noted the following among a list of AVEVA's distinctive MES capabilities: "Model-based approach: AVEVA's MES includes a built-in full business process management (BPM) functionality. Pre-configured workflow templates provide a reusable option for execution of business logic in standard operator workflows. This enables multi-site standardization and deployment, standardization of global key performance indicators (KPIs), industrial best practices, and continuous improvement. AVEVA's MES includes a built-in full business process management (BPM) functionality. Pre-configured workflow templates provide a reusable option for execution of business logic in standard operator workflows. This enables multi-site standardization and deployment, standardization of global key performance indicators (KPIs), industrial best practices, and continuous improvement. " Production optimization analysis: AVEVA Insight is a cloud-based tool in which native AI cloud capabilities/models sit and data is analyzed to provide predictive warnings and prescriptive actions. In the future, the company intends to deliver artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) capabilities for AVEVA MES as value-added cloud services in AVEVA Insight by connecting on-premises AVEVA MES and PI System historical data to the cloud. AVEVA Insight is a cloud-based tool in which native AI cloud capabilities/models sit and data is analyzed to provide predictive warnings and prescriptive actions. In the future, the company intends to deliver artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) capabilities for AVEVA MES as value-added cloud services in AVEVA Insight by connecting on-premises AVEVA MES and PI System historical data to the cloud. "Breadth of adjacent solutions: AVEVA provides a broad range of solutions to complement its MES product functionalities including asset performance management and value chain optimization (integrated production planning, scheduling and execution capabilities). AVEVA System Platform and the AVEVA PI System are also integrated with MES to enable agnostic device and control system connectivity for production event detection and automatic and semi-automatic data collection." AVEVA has a significant presence in process manufacturing, food and beverage and consumer packaged goods sectors, with key references cited in the report including Danone, Henkel, Valmet Automotive, Barry Callebaut, and Borg Manufacturing. In February, AVEVA launched its AVEVA Manufacturing Execution System 2023, which helps standardize and introduce best practice more quickly and at scale, to improve operational and cost efficiency and promote sustainability. The new product also promotes increased supply chain resilience and agility with unified visibility, reporting and KPIs across multi-site operations. A complimentary copy of the report excerpt is available from the AVEVA company website at https://engage.aveva.com/IDC-MarketScape-Worldwide-Process-Manufacturing-Execution-Systems.html About IDC MarketScape: IDC MarketScape vendor assessment model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of ICT (information and communications technology) suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each vendor's position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of IT and telecommunications vendors can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a 360-degree assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and prospective vendors. -ENDS- About AVEVA AVEVA is a global leader in industrial software, sparking ingenuity to drive responsible use of the world's resources. The company's secure industrial cloud platform and applications enable businesses to harness the power of their information and improve collaboration with customers, suppliers and partners. Over 20,000 enterprises in over 100 countries rely on AVEVA to help them deliver life's essentials: safe and reliable energy, food, medicines, infrastructure and more. By connecting people with trusted information and AI-enriched insights, AVEVA enables teams to engineer efficiently and optimize operations, driving growth and sustainability. Named as one of the world's most innovative companies, AVEVA supports customers with open solutions and the expertise of more than 6,400 employees, 5,000 partners and 5,700 certified developers. With operations around the globe, AVEVA is headquartered in Cambridge, UK. Learn more at www.aveva.com Copyright 2023 AVEVA Solutions Limited. All rights reserved. AVEVA Solutions Limited is owned by AVEVA Group. AVEVA, the AVEVA logos and AVEVA product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of AVEVA Group plc or its subsidiaries in the United Kingdom and other countries. Other brands and product- names are the trademarks of their respective companies. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230601005060/en/ Contacts: Catherine Singh catherine.singh@aveva.com The event will serve as a unique opportunity to promote the Dominican Republic within the international aviation ecosystem SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With the presence of the Vice President of the Republic, Raquel Pena; the Minister of Tourism David Collado; the CEO of AERODOM, Monika Infante Henriquez; and more than 200 international guests have kicked off to the CONNECT New World event, a prominent forum where aviation decision makers are participating in a series of seminars with high-level speakers, one-to-one meetings and a programme of featured events. Thanks to the management carried out by AEROODM and VINCI Airports with the Ministry of Tourism, the Dominican Republic was selected to host this important international event in recognition of the extraordinary recovery of post-pandemic air traffic and the outstanding performance of the tourism industry exhibited by the country globally. With more than 15 years of production, CONNECT is a leading event in Europe and other markets. Throughout its history, it has established itself as one of the main meeting points for airlines, airports and tourism authorities, with the purpose of discussing the strategy of air transport in the region. CONNECT is being held in the city of Santo Domingo on May 30, 31 and June 1 in the event hall of the fifth country of the JW Marriott hotel, with the participation of relevant CEOs and executives of airlines, airports and service companies in the air transport industry. "On behalf of AERODOM and our parent company VINCI Airports, I am delighted to welcome you to the international event CONNECT New World. In this show, we are making history since it will be here where airlines, airports and tourism authorities will define and discuss the strategy of air transport in the region, which we trust will allow us to have new routes and frequencies to more destinations" said Monika Infante Henriquez, general director of AERODOM. CONNECT is a route development event established by The Airport Agency. The forum offers its participants unlimited face-to-face meetings and a diverse conference program, as well as social events including evening functions, morning activities and excursions. The Minister of Theology, David Collado, said: "We are sure that Santo Domingo will be an excellent host and that we will continue to connect a new world. In the last two years we have had an exemplary performance in this industry and we are convinced that through shared experiences, the identification of solutions to global challenges and openness to new strategies, we will be able to take tourism development to new levels." The Ministry of Tourism, AERODOM and VINCI Airports are the main sponsors of CONNECT. Similarly, to welcome the delegates the event has 3 official operators that offer discounts on their rates: Arajet, Air Europa and Sky High Dominicana. CONNECT New World also has the support of Air Europa, Altice, Aps International, Arajet, Aviam, Banco Popular Dominicano, Banreservas, BD Experience, Dufry, Globocambio, Grayline, Iberia Lineas Aereas, Induban with its brand Cafe Santo Domingo, Inprotec, MGI, Samsic Handling Dominicana, Servicolt, Avis Rent a Car, Budget Rent a Car, Hertz Rent a Car, Nelly Rent a Car, Europcar, Sichala, Simlimites, Sky Cana, Sky Cateers, Sky High, Terpel, Universal Aviation. Likewise, CONNECT has the presence, participation and support of all airports in the country: Punta Cana International Airport, Cibao International Airport, La Romana International Airport, in addition to the concessioned state airports operated by AERODOM. For more information about CONNECT, you can visit: https://newworld.connect-aviation.com/ About AERODOM AERODOM is a Dominican company that holds the concession to operate six state airports in the country, expiring in 2030. It is responsible for the International Airports of the Americas, Jose Francisco Pena Gomez, in Santo Domingo; President Dr. Joaquin Balaguer, in Santo Domingo Norte; Gregorio Luperon, in Puerto Plata; Maria Montez, in Barahona and Presidente Juan Bosch in the province of Samana; in addition, the Arroyo Barril Aerodrome, also located in Samana. Since 2016, the company has been part of the French international airport group VINCI Airports. www.aerodom.com | @AerodomRD About VINCI Airports VINCI Airports, the world's leading private airport operator, manages more than 65 airports in 12 countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Thanks to its experience as a global integrator, VINCI Airports develops, finances, builds and manages airports by contributing its investment capacity and know-how in terms of optimising operational performance, modernising infrastructures and deploying its environmental transition. In 2016, VINCI Airports was the first airport operator to commit to implementing an international environmental strategy to achieve net-zero emissions across its network by 2050. For more information: www.vinci-airports.com | @VINCIAirports https://www.mitur.gob.do/ Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2089815/MITUR_CONNECT.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2081402/4063069/MITUR_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/santo-domingo-hosts-the-international-aviation-event-connect-new-world-301839668.html Survey of 1,000 employees in Japan 76 percent of employees in Japan welcome AI services like ChatGPT to help them make the right decision at the workplace. A big majority of 80 percent though wants such digital tools to be instantly recognizable as machines. These are results of the automatica trend index 2023. For the study, 1,000 employees were surveyed in Japan on behalf of the leading trade fair for smart automation and robotics "automatica" (June 27 June 30 in Munich, Germany). "Robotics and Artificial Intelligence software like ChatGPT rapidly shape the workplace of the future. If we get the use of these technologies right, we can vastly improve workplaces," says Patrick Schwarzkopf, advisory board member of automatica at Messe Munich in Germany. Japan is highly robotized, with a density of 399 robots per 10,000 employees in manufacturing. Japan ranked third after the Republic of Korea and Singapore, the International Federation of Robotics reports. As machines and humans interact more closely, people in Japan advocate for a human-in-command approach. 81 percent say the use of digital technology needs to leave control to people. Today, demand for industrial robots in Japan is strongly driven by the global semiconductor scarcity. This is benefitting the electrical and electronics industry. The country is also taking strong efforts to decarbonize its economy. In addition, Japan's chronic worker shortages drive the need for investment in modern production technology. 70 percent of people think that robots help manufacturers to deal with the lack of factory workers. The majority embraces the benefits smart machines can provide: 77 percent welcome robots in a factory, taking on harmful work like lifting heavy loads or dangerous tasks involving hazardous materials e.g. chemicals. "We need to actively manage the transition to good collaboration between machines and humans, making sure that people are not left behind," says Patrick Schwarzkopf. "How traditional manufacturing changes and how the workplace of the future will evolve is one of the key topics at the world's leading exhibition for smart automation and robotics 'automatica 2023' in Munich, Germany. About automatica automatica The Leading Exhibition for Smart Automation and Robotics (automatica-munich.com) View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230601005555/en/ Contacts: econNEWSnetwork Carsten Heer +49 (0) 40 822 44 284 newsroom@econ-news.com The Engagement Appeal ("TEA"), a platform for inclusive investor relations, announced today that a Yonder research showed that a majority of UK retail investors feel undervalued by the companies in which they invest, with shareholders aged 35 years and above statistically being the most likely to feel overlooked. Results of a recent survey commissioned by TEA indicate that 52% of shareholders who participated feel the companies to which they have committed capital do not sufficiently engage with them in terms of ease of access to information and levels of communication. This percentage rises to 59% for those investors over 35 years old who are likely to have contributed significant equity to improve their personal wealth, or perhaps to secure their financial future for them and their families. Such objectives are typically pursued via a traditional investment strategy, in the hopes of increasing their pension pots, retirement plans and various funds for children once they reach adulthood. As such, these investors are all the more expecting communication and greater reassurance from companies that their capital is safe. This is further evidenced by greater utilisation of wealth managers by older generations, who are governed by strict mandates to protect their clients' best financial interests. In contrast, Millennials and Gen Z- investors are typically more tech-savvy, and more likely to primarily invest via mobile apps which lack this level of protection. The survey affirms findings made by TEA independently and its belief that much more needs to be done to ensure retail investors have their voice heard. Over the past 20 years, TEA has noted that there has been a genuine democratisation of buying and selling shares. However, this trend has not resulted in or led to any meaningful improvement on the engagement side. Lord Lee of Trafford, an active private investor and the UK's first ISA millionaire, said: "We currently live in an era of rapid and ever-increasing digitisation. The traditional model, by which retail shareholders are updated via written communications and physical AGMs, is no longer sustainable. It is important that we adopt a hybrid model of dialogue allowing equitable access for all stakeholders with the companies in which they invest. So, whilst I believe there should still be the option of a physically attended AGM, remote access should also be made available." Sheryl Cuisia, co-founder and director of The Engagement Appeal said: "The Engagement Appeal believes that all investors should have equal voice in how their investments are managed. We are committed to driving real change by developing solutions that meet the needs of companies and shareholders alike, allowing all stakeholders to benefit from corporate decision making." Sheryl and Lord Lee will both be speaking at the Quoted Companies Alliance (QCA) Annual Conference 2023 "Energising Public Markets", on Thursday 8th June. This will be followed by an 'Afternoon TEA' talk on inclusive investor relations and capital markets, which will take place in the City. For more information, please visit the TEA website https://teaxall.org/. Note to editors About Sheryl Cuisia, Co-Founder of The Engagement Appeal Sheryl is a social entrepreneur, individual investor, and advocate of stakeholder capitalism. In 2011, she founded Boudicca Proxy, the leading shareholder engagement consultancy, which became part of the FTSE 250 company Equiniti Group in 2018. Over 20 years in corporate governance advisory, she has overseen 1,000 campaigns across multiple industries and markets. She was briefly a director and then Chair of the UK Individual Shareholders Society (ShareSoc) between September 2021 and March 2022. Sheryl was the inaugural Entrepreneur-in-Residence at King's College, Cambridge, and a non-executive director of CTFN UK. Please visit https://teaxall.org/, or email social@TEAxAll.org to learn more. Lord Lee of Trafford A private investor for over 50 years, he has written over 300 articles for FT Money and published two investment books: 'How to Make a Million Slowly: Guiding Principles From A Lifetime Of Investing' and 'Yummi Yoghurt -- A First Taste of Stock Market Investment' aimed at novice investors. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230601005150/en/ Contacts: Enquiries The Engagement Appeal Sheryl Cuisia, Director https://teaxall.org/ c/o Gracechurch Group Gracechurch Group Harry Chathli, William Moray, Anysia Virdi +44 (0)20 4582 3500 LILLE, France, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Openbravo, global provider of a cloud-based unified commerce platform for retail chains, today announced the roll-out of its store solution to SMCP Group. Close to 200 stores in France and Netherlands are today already using Openbravo which is to be increased to around 350 before summer including stores in other countries like Ireland, which will be followed by all other stores in the months after the summer, for managing the store operations of the four group brands. To accelerate SMCP's unified commerce strategy and to further strengthen its reputation for a premium shopping experience and personalized services, the group chose Openbravo as a single cloud-based commerce platform for its four brands: Sandro, Maje, Claudie Pierlot and Fursac, in over 1.600 stores and 46 countries. The new solution will help SMCP to gain centralized management and visibility of all stores and POS terminals from one single point and facilitate the deployment of new features and faster innovation sharing across brands. "We chose Openbravo because of its modular, cloud-based technology and its broad unified commerce coverage. We are betting on a fast-growing company that offers us a true strategic partnership. With a strong focus on the future, we believe that the Openbravo solution will give us agility to innovate for our customers and achieve our business objectives," said Marie-Caroline Benezet, Director of Operations and Transformation at SMCP. Thanks to Openbravo, SMCP will be able to support more efficiently a variety of shopping scenarios and options. These include unified commerce services such as Ship-from-Store, more flexible management of prices and in-store operations, as well as enhanced payment options through Openbravo's certified connector with Adyen. The new solution will also allow to improve visibility and management of in-store inventory during all daily and end-of-season operations. The project will also include integration with various legacy systems facilitated by Openbravo's rich web-services based API. "We are very proud to work with SMCP, a reference customer in the accessible luxury fashion & accessories sector, through a strong co-innovation partnership that shows again our value for this type of retailer. We are delighted to accompany them in this journey, which will result in key benefits for the business to support SMCP future growth and challenges," said Marco de Vries, CEO Openbravo. 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. To learn more visit smcp.com. About Openbravo Leveraging its modular and high-performance cloud technology, Openbravo, as part of DL Software, enables retail chains to accelerate their unified commerce strategies, delivering great shopping experiences and increasing agility and innovativeness of their operations. With international customers such as BUT, Decathlon, Norauto, Sharaf DG, SMCP, Toys'R'Us Iberia and Zodio, who have a presence in more than 50 countries, Openbravo today has over 10,000 back office users and more than 40,000 touch points, such as POS and self-service terminals, kiosks and others, managing over 20 billion euros per year in sales transactions. www.openbravo.com www.dlsoftware.fr Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2088736/Openbravo_Logo.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2089333/SMCP_Logo.jpg Contact: Xavier Places Marketing Director +34 607 676 568 xavier.places@openbravo.com View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/leading-french-accessible-luxury-fashion-group-smcp-chooses-openbravo-to-reinforce-its-premium-shopping-experience-301838379.html Microsoft Azure customers worldwide now gain access to SQL Express on Windows Server 2022 to take advantage of the scalability, reliability, and agility of Azure to drive application development and shape business strategies. PRAGUE, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Belinda CZ s.r.o., with 25 years of IT experience, today announced the availability of SQL Express on Windows Server 2022 in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, an online store providing applications and services for use on Azure. Belinda CZ s.r.o customers can now take advantage of the productive and trusted Azure cloud platform, with streamlined deployment and management. Moving business computing needs to a high-performance cloud solution is an exciting prospect that promises to revolutionize every process in the organization. But also moving local servers into the cloud is a very complex and time-consuming process. If the cloud servers are not standardized, it may result in different configurations in deployment, which in turn will lead to many problems in the final production environment. Therefore, providing Azure cloud servers should be done by means of pre-configured templates. SQL Express on Windows Server 2022 is powerful and reliable to use Windows Server 2022 template which contains pre-installed SQL Server Express as well as SSMS to manage SQL databases. This version of Windows Server 2022 is ideal for a small and large business. The standard pre-configured virtual server template provides a fast and easy installation without wasting time. You don't need more big data centers to have a server, only internet access and access to Azure. "Through our standardized solutions, we can minimize the complex and time-consuming processes of our customers," says Andre Stippel, CEO of Belinda CZ s.r.o. "The availability of Windows Server 2022 with SQL Server Express in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace gives us the opportunity to offer our advantages to a wider range of organizations." Belinda CZ s.r.o. has set itself the goal of automating and standardizing server provisioning to prevent different configurations during provisioning, which can lead to problems in production. Therefore, the server deployment on Azure should only be done through templates. "Jake Zborowski, General Manager, Microsoft Azure Platform at Microsoft Corp. said, "We're pleased to welcome Belinda CZ s.r.o. to the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, which gives our partners great exposure to cloud customers around the globe. Azure Marketplace offers world-class quality experiences from global trusted partners with solutions tested to work seamlessly with Azure." The Azure Marketplace is an online market for buying and selling cloud solutions certified to run on Azure. The Azure Marketplace helps connect companies seeking innovative, cloud-based solutions with partners who have developed solutions that are ready to use. Belinda CZ s.r.o. are highly skilled engineers with excellent technical knowledge and experience. The company helps customers grow their business by providing modern technology/service support and individual solutions. Focused on decreasing IT costs, whilst increasing team productivity, Belinda CZ s.r.o. work with large and start-up scale companies across any industry to deliver impactful software solutions that maximize benefits. For more information, press only: Belinda CZ s.r.o. www.belinda-cz.com (+420) 228 887 715 info@belinda-cz.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2089727/belinda_cz_sro_azure_marketplace.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/belinda-cz-sro-now-available-in-the-microsoft-azure-marketplace-301838959.html LONDON, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- enfinium is pleased to announce the appointment of Peter Emery as a Non-Executive Director to the Board. Peter Emery is Chair of Greater Manchester's Energy Innovation Agency and the energy appointee to the Board of Innovation Greater Manchester, part of the Government's Innovation Accelerator Policy. Mr Emery has held senior management and Board positions at Drax Group plc, Electricity North West Limited and Capture Power. He was recently a non-executive director at N G Bailey and is Deputy Chair of the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership. Sir Peter Gershon, Chairman of the Board said "I am delighted to welcome Peter Emery to the Board as a Non-Executive Director. Peter brings power, energy, and decarbonisation expertise at an important time for the development of enfinium's business. These capabilities are complemented by a wide range of expertise gained in his earlier career in the broader power sector and will further strengthen the experience, skills and attributes of the existing Board and leadership team". Notes to editor About enfinium enfinium is one of the largest energy from waste businesses in the UK and is an industry leader in the conversion of non-recyclable residential and business waste into heat and partially renewable power. enfinium currently has a platform of six (two in construction) strategically located facilities across the UK. Today, enfinium has an annual waste processing capacity of over 2.3 million tonnes, and a total combined electric generating capacity of 265MW (gross) - enough energy to power more than 500,000 UK homes. For more on enfinium, please visit www.enfinium.co.uk. About Igneo Infrastructure Partners Igneo Infrastructure Partners invests in high-quality, mid-market infrastructure companies in the UK, Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand. Operating since 1994, the team works closely with portfolio companies to create long-term sustainable value through innovation and proactive asset management. Igneo manages US$16.5 billion in assets as at 31 December 2022 on behalf of more than 120 institutional investors around the world. It is an autonomous investment team in the First Sentier Investors Group. For more information, visit www.igneoip.com. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2089912/Peter_Emery.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1852291/4063298/enfinium_Logo.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/enfinium-appoints-non-executive-director-peter-emery-to-the-board-301839114.html Money20/20, the world's leading fintech show, regarded as the place where money does business, is set to host a series of regulatory sessions featuring top policymakers at its upcoming European show in Amsterdam. Taking place at RAI Amsterdam on 6-8 June 2023, the show's sessions focused on regulatory developments have been carefully curated to provide its over 8,000 expected delegates with valuable insights and understanding into Europe's ever-evolving regulatory landscape. "Money20/20 is the place where the entire money ecosystem comes together to debate and understand the rules for the future of financial services," said Scarlett Sieber, Chief Strategy Growth Officer at Money20/20. "As one of the regulatory centres of the world, Europe is driving advancements in open banking, digital assets, privacy and security, and the conversations taking place on our stages in Amsterdam will have a direct impact on every player in the industry, from surging startups to global banks and tech giants." Kicking off the regulatory conversations will be Alexandra Maniati, Senior Director, Innovation and Cybersecurity at the European Banking Federation, on Tuesday, 6 June at 10:35 CET on the Fusion Stage. She will be part of a session titled "Cloud on Europe's Terms: Sovereignty and Security in the Banking Sector", which will explore what a newly ignited sovereignty focus means for Europe's financial sector and how cloud service providers have created dedicated initiatives to serve European customers. Beyond Europe, Orly Grinfeld, EVP, Head of Clearing at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) and Gil Cohen, Senior Deputy Accountant General, Head of Debt, Finance and Credit Division at the Israel Ministry of Finance will share insight from Israel's pilot to issue government bonds using a blockchain platform. "Digitising the Financial System, One Bond at a Time" will take place on the Fusion Stage on Tuesday, 6 June at 11:40 CET. On Tuesday, 6 June at 12:10 CET, Petra Plompen, Head of New Initiatives at EBA Clearing will be joined by Barclays and Swift on a session on "What Makes a Successful ISO 20022 Implementation?". Hear from early adopters who have embraced this change and understand why the new format has a number of significant implications for all participants across the industry. Wondering how you can strike the right balance between openness and protection? That's what Patrick De Neef, Chief Innovation Officer at De Nederlandsche Bank (Dutch Central Bank), Sheldon Mills, Executive Director, Consumers and Competition at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Emily Martin, Assistant Secretary, Policy, and Engagement Branch, Consumer Data and Digital Division at The Treasury (Australia), will debate on a session titled "Open Banking: The Quest for Harmony" on Tuesday, at 12:30 CET on the Elements Stage. And if you're looking to understand how regulators are creating competition between payment methods in Europe, how open finance will unlock opportunities outside of core banking, and discover whether Europe's ambition to be the global trailblazer for open finance will be realised, make sure you tune in for the "What's Next for Open Banking and Open Finance in Europe?" session with Eric Ducoulombier, Head of Retail and Payments at the European Commission's Department of Financial Stability and Capital Markets (DG FISMA) on Tuesday, 6 June at 15:50 CET on the Fusion Stage. "Making sense of MiCA" on the Elements Stage on Wednesday, 7 June at 11:20 CET is Vishal Sacheendran, Director, MENA Europe at Binance. The European Union has greenlighted its MiCA regulation plans, offering the first major step towards international legal clarity in crypto asset regulation. But while legal experts will be poring over every page of MiCA, what does a typical crypto professional or entrepreneur need to know? Among this year's most anticipated sessions counts "Finding DORA: A Deep Dive with European Banking Authority (EBA) Director Marilin Pikaro", which will take place on the Encore Stage on Wednesday, 7 June at 14:05 CET. Marilin will share the next steps from the EBA and its partners on the new regulatory framework, the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), which is meant to strengthen the IT security of financial entities such as banks, insurance companies and investment firms against cyber attacks. At 15:20 CET on Wednesday, 7 June on the Fusion stage, it's Germany's turn to discuss tokenised securities. Dr Florian Toncar, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Finance (Germany) will take on the stage to share how German regulators are driving the adoption of blockchain in the financial ecosystem on a session titled "Fully Regulated Tokenization of Real World Assets: Germany". Discover all of the regulatory sessions at Money20/20 Europe by exploring the full agenda here. Media can register for a complimentary press pass here. ENDS About Money20/20 Founded in 2011, Money20/20 creates destination shows where the most innovative people in payments, fintech and the broader financial services industry connect. Famed for their high-impact networking, the Europe edition, held in Amsterdam (6-8 June 2023) and the USA edition, held in Las Vegas (22-25 October 2023), are regarded as the place where money does business by financial services professionals. Money20/20 today officially launched an Asia edition in Bangkok on 23-25 April 2024. Money20/20 is the space where the industry's smartest visionaries and innovators come together to create the future of money. Visit Money20/20's Asia site here. Money20/20 is an Ascential show. Follow Money20/20 on Twitter and LinkedIn for show developments and updates. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230601005590/en/ Contacts: Media contacts Tina Loncaric Global Head of Public Relations Money20/20 tina@money2020.com +1 469 288 5556 A renowned Cold Plasma medical device manufacturer globally, celebrates the establishment of the business as a separate entity on Thursday 1stJune 2023. LONDON, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Adtec Healthcare Limited, originally part of the European subsidiary of its parent company Adtec Technology Japan, was the first company worldwide to introduce Cold Plasma on wounds in clinical trials. It is a leading technology delivering a pioneering treatment for chronic and infected wounds, with strong antibacterial properties and no side effects. Adtec Healthcare's demonstration of the strong clinical benefit of microwave-powered Cold Plasma for the management of infections in chronic wounds, has paved the way for further Cold Plasma research on additional clinical applications. Adtec Healthcare's flagship medical device, the SteriPlas, has the most extensive collection of clinical trials and studies of any cold plasma company, is already CE marked and is being widely used across the UK and Europe. The purpose of this spin-out is to enable Adtec Healthcare to further expand the use of Cold Plasma in regions that have yet to adopt it in the clinic. Adtec Healthcare seeks to meet with investors and wound care companies to introduce its patented technology and collaborate to accelerate sales in Europe as well as launching the technology in the USA where a strong interest for Adtec Healthcare's Cold Plasma from clinicians has already been established. The new investment will be used towards clinical studies and gaining FDA approval. Adtec Healthcare offers its thanks and praises to Adtec Technology Japan for its continued financial support and guidance which without whom they would not be the leading Cold Plasma company they are today. The experienced Adtec Healthcare team, led by Mary McGovern, are excited to start this next chapter on their mission to revolutionize the global wound care market working alongside financial and strategic partners. Contact: Mary McGovern 0208 737 5500 mary@adtecplasma.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2090650/Adtec_Healthcare_Limited.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/adtec-healthcare-limited-a-leading-cold-plasma-medical-device-manufacturer-spins-out-from-adtec-europe-ltd-301839802.html Held under the Patronage of The Private Office of Sheikh Saeed Bin Ahmed Al Maktoum, the 41stGlobal edition of World AI Show is set to take place on 7-8 June 2023 at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai. The event will bring together Investors, global AI leaders, government officials, and industry experts to explore the latest trends, applications, and solutions in AI. DUBAI, June 1, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - The rapid advancement in the field of Artificial Intelligence continues to create a seismic impact on the technological landscape especially in the Middle East and North Africa region. With global big tech players vying for an advantage in the market, new innovators continue to weave their magic in the field. In a recent PWC report, the AI industry could contribute up to US$ 15.7 trillion to the global economy in 2030. While the world all over is slowly integrating AI into their ecosystem, the report suggests a bright future for the MENA region. The report estimates that by 2030 the region will accrue 2per cent of the total global benefits equivalent to US$ 320 billion. The annual growth is estimated to be between 20-34 per cent per year. With AI having a potential to disrupt industries and create new opportunities, the region has embraced the winds of change. Enterprises in the UAE play a central role as a part of their strategic vision in becoming a global innovation and technology leader. Initiatives such as the Dubai AI Ethics Board and AI Lab ensure the ethical use of AI while helping innovators in developing state-of-the-art technology. The MENA edition of World AI Show will play a crucial role in shaping the future of AI in the region by bringing together thought leaders and experts from various industries to share insights and best practices. Attendees will also have the opportunity to explore the latest AI solutions and technologies at the event. The show will also provide a platform for discussions on the role of government regulations in shaping the future of AI. According to Naveen Bharadwaj, Group CEO, Trescon, "World AI Show is a unique platform that will bring together global AI experts, government officials, and industry leaders to discuss the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in AI." He added, "We are excited see this event grow every year in Dubai, which is quickly becoming a hub for AI innovation and growth." "World AI Show is a remarkable gathering of top leaders, innovators, and disruptors in the AI industry. It is an opportunity to witness the latest trends and advancements in AI while exploring its impact on businesses, society, and the world at large." stated Dr. Salim Al-shuaili, Director, Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology at Ministry of Transport, Communication and Information Technology. He further stated "The show will provide a platform for meaningful discussions, knowledge-sharing, and collaboration that will shape the future of AI. It's an honour for me to participate in and witness the vibrant AI community in Dubai. I am excited to see new ideas and initiatives that will be sparked at the show and how they will continue to drive innovation and progress in AI." Notable speakers include: Dr. Ramadan Alblooshi - Senior Advisor to the Director General, Dubai Health Authority, UAE Salwa Al Blushi , Head of Digital Standards and Operations, MOHAP, UAE Dr. Fethi Filali, CTO, Qatar Mobility Innovations Center (QMIC), Qatar Dr. Salim Al-shuaili , Director, Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology at Ministry of Transport, Communication and Information Technology, Oman Fatmah Alabdouli , Director of Data Management & Statistics, Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure, UAE Ali Abdulla -Chief of Information Technology, Ministry of Oil and Environment, Bahrain Mamoun Alhomssey - GCEO Technology Advisor, ADIB, UAE Debbie Botha - Chief Partnership Officer, Women in AI; UAE, to name a few According to Ali Abdulla - Chief of Information Technology, Ministry of Oil and Environment "World AI Show will be a great opportunity for technology leaders to get together with global AI experts, witness real-world use-case presentations, product showcase, and panel discussions." Additionally, World AI Show will be hosting the World AI Awards, recognizing the most innovative and impactful AI solutions and implementations across various industries. The awards ceremony will showcase the best practices and success stories of AI adoption, highlighting the transformative potential of AI for businesses and society. The 41st Global edition of World AI Show is supported by: Gold Sponsor: Almawave Official Cybersecurity Partner: Darktrace Silver Sponsor: Voiceweb; Soothsayer Analytics , data iku Bronze Sponsors: Run:ai; Aventior; E42 ; Beinex ; Zoho Start Up Exhibitor: BasicAI , Scaletorch ; DSW | Data Science Wizards ; NeuralSpace ; TechVariable ; Banuba ; Qualitas Global ; Veriom Association Partner: Women in AI Affiliate Partner: Enlightened Minds ; AIFB (AI for Business) Ecosystem Partner: Entrepreneur Middle East Regional Media Partner: Sky News Arabia Official Arabic Business News Partner: CNN Business Arabic About World AI Show World AI Show is a thought-leadership-driven, business-focused, global series of events that takes place in strategic locations across the world. As part of the world tour, the Dubai edition is gathering pre-qualified CIOs, CEOs, CTOs, Heads of AI, Chief Digital Officers, Heads of Innovation and International AI experts from the industry. The show features exciting keynotes, enterprise use-case presentations, product showcase, panel discussions and tech talks to discuss the latest challenges for the sector arising out of the pandemic situation. Witness next-gen AI solutions from global leaders and explore its relevance and impact on your organisation. For more information visit: www.worldaishow.com About Trescon Trescon is a global business events and consulting firm that provides a wide range of business services to a diversified client base. Trescon is founded and managed by a group of specialists with more than 10 decades of combined expertise in successfully developing business events, training, and consulting for corporates, governments, associations, and high-net-worth individuals across the world. With a deep understanding of the realities and requirements of the growth markets we operate in - we strive to deliver innovative and high-quality business platforms for our clients. For more information, visit: www.tresconglobal.com For further details about the announcement, please contact: Nupur Aswani Head Media, PR and Corporate Communications Trescon +91 95559 15156 media@tresconglobal.com Source: tresconCopyright 2023 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. CHICAGO, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Offshore Support Vessel Market is projected to reach USD 31.4 billion by 2028 from USD 22.6 billion in 2023 at a CAGR of 6.7% according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. An offshore support vessel (OSV) is specially designed to support offshore exploration, drilling, production, and construction activities in the oil & gas industry. These vessels provide a range of services, such as transportation of personnel, equipment and supplies, maintenance and repair, and oil spill response. The market growth of OSVs is driven by substantial investments in the offshore oil & gas and renewable sectors. The rise in deepwater activities and the decommissioning of aging offshore infrastructure present promising opportunities for the offshore support vessel market. However, the volatility of crude oil prices has hindered the growth of the market in recent years, leading to an oversupply of vessels. As a result, this is expected to restrain the market's growth during the forecast period. Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=1212 Browse in-depth TOC on "Offshore Support Vessel Market" 248 - Tables 57 - Figures 292 - Pages Offshore Support Vessel Market Scope: Report Coverage Details Market Size USD 31.4 billion in 2028 Growth Rate 6.7% of CAGR Largest Market Asia Pacific Market Dynamics Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities & Challenges Forecast Period 2023-2028 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered Offshore Support Vessel Market by material, fuel type, type, application, end-user industry, and region Geographies Covered Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, South America, and Middle East & Africa. Report Highlights Updated financial information / product portfolio of players Key Market Opportunities Decommissioning and replacement of aging offshore infrastructure Key Market Drivers Increasing investments in offshore wind and oil & gas projects The MPSV, by type, is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Based on type, the offshore support Vessel market has been split into AHTS, PSV, MPSV, Standby & Rescue Vessels, Crew Vessels, Chase Vessels, Seismic Vessels, and Other Vessels. MPSVs, or Multi-Purpose Support Vessels, play a crucial role in subsea operations within the offshore oilfield industry and offshore wind farms. These versatile vessels are specifically designed to carry out maintenance and supply functions. They are equipped with various specialized equipment such as cranes, moon pools, and helipads. With their dynamic positioning capabilities and firefighting systems, they have the capacity to handle equipment weighing up to 120 tonnes at depths of up to 3,000 meters. One notable advantage of MPSVs is their ability to accommodate a large crew and carry substantial equipment. In addition to their supply role similar to that of a PSV, they are capable of performing an array of tasks including accommodation services, pipe laying, diving operations, well intervention, and the deployment of remotely operated vehicles and cranes. The offshore oil & gas segment, by end-user industry, is expected to be the largest segment in the offshore support Vessel industry This report segments the offshore support Vessel market based on end-user industry into two segments: offshore oil & gas and offshore wind. The offshore oil & gas segment is expected to be the largest segment during the forecast period. Offshore support vessels are purposefully designed to provide essential support services for a wide range of oil and gas operations. They play a crucial role in supporting offshore drilling rigs and oil-producing assets, including production platforms and FPSO units. These vessels are instrumental in facilitating pipe laying activities and the decommissioning of offshore rigs. In the oil and gas sector, particularly in regions like the North Sea, where a significant number of platforms, pipelines, and wells are expected to undergo decommissioning by 2040, the demand for offshore support vessels is projected to be substantial. Asia Pacific is expected to be the largest region in the offshore support Vessel market Asia Pacific is expected to be the largest offshore support Vessel market during the forecast period. The Asia Pacific region, comprising major economies such as China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand, is witnessing a significant focus on expanding offshore exploration and production (E&P) capital expenditures (CAPEX). According to Scottish Development International, the region is expected to account for approximately 25% of global spending on new offshore developments, highlighting its crucial role in the offshore industry. Policymakers in Asia Pacific are placing emphasis on advancing offshore activities in deep and ultra-deep waters, marking a strategic shift in the region. Prominent offshore projects in the region include Australia's Briseis, Scarborough, and Laverda projects, Malaysia's Rotan, Gumusut-Kakap, and Petai projects, India's KG-D6 complex, and Indonesia's Gehem project. Furthermore, the region is witnessing an increase in the number of offshore support vessels, with a growing presence of vessel manufacturers, particularly from China and South Korea. In February 2021, China National Offshore Oil Corporation unveiled its business strategy for the year, outlining plans to enhance hydrocarbon production. The growth of the offshore support vessel market in the Asia Pacific region is driven by factors such as escalating deepwater activities, the development of new oil fields, and the expansion of offshore wind farms, signifying a positive outlook for the industry in this dynamic region. Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=1212 Key Market Players: Some of the major players in the Offshore Support Vessel Companies are DOF ASA (Norway), Solstad Offshore ASA (Norway), Tidewater Inc. (US), A.P. Moller - Maersk (Denmark), Siem Offshore (Norway), BOURBON (France), and Vroon (Netherlands). The major strategies adopted by these players include sales contracts, agreements, alliances, partnerships, acquisitions, and expansions. Recent Developments In April 2023 , Bourbon Marine & Logistics announced its partnership with the Guyanese company- Tethys Marine & Logistics, which will become a 51% shareholder of the Bourbon Guyana Joint Venture. With 75% Guyanese Directors, Bourbon Guyana will become the first indigenous offshore support vessel operator, fully compliant with the most recent local content regulations. , Bourbon Marine & Logistics announced its partnership with the Guyanese company- Tethys Marine & Logistics, which will become a 51% shareholder of the Bourbon Guyana Joint Venture. With 75% Guyanese Directors, Bourbon Guyana will become the first indigenous offshore support vessel operator, fully compliant with the most recent local content regulations. In March 2023 , Maersk entered into a three-year contract with Petrobras, a state-owned Brazilian multinational corporation in the petroleum industry, to use three L-class anchor handlers to carry out a range of anchor handling activities and rig movements. This move is part of Maersk's efforts to strengthen its position in the Brazilian market for supply chain services and become a respected integrated solutions provider in the region. Maersk Supply Services has already secured several contracts, including a series of solutions contracts for the FPSO Fluminense on behalf of Shell and the Mero 2 contract for. , Maersk entered into a three-year contract with Petrobras, a state-owned Brazilian multinational corporation in the petroleum industry, to use three L-class anchor handlers to carry out a range of anchor handling activities and rig movements. This move is part of Maersk's efforts to strengthen its position in the Brazilian market for supply chain services and become a respected integrated solutions provider in the region. Maersk Supply Services has already secured several contracts, including a series of solutions contracts for the FPSO Fluminense on behalf of Shell and the Mero 2 contract for. In March 2023 , Tidewater Inc. announced a definitive agreement to purchase 37 of Solstad Offshore ASA's (SOFF) platform supply vessels (PSVs). , Tidewater Inc. announced a definitive agreement to purchase 37 of Solstad Offshore ASA's (SOFF) platform supply vessels (PSVs). In January 2023 , Maersk entered into an assignment agreement with TechnipFMC for the comprehensive towing and mooring campaign of Petrobras's Buzios 6 Project, the seventh module of Buzios, offshore Brazil . The scope of work includes the pre-installation of the mooring system and hook-up of the FPSO P-78, which will be the seventh FPSO in the Buzios field, located in the Santos Basin, Brazil . The project is expected to take nearly two years to complete, with onshore work already underway, including engineering, procurement, and project management. Speak to Analyst: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=1212 Browse Adjacent Markets: Energy and Power Market Research Reports & Consulting Related Reports: Marine Engines Market - Global Forecast to 2027 Offshore Decommissioning Market - Global Forecast to 2027 Dynamic Positioning Systems Market - Global Forecast 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. 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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/offshore-support-vessel-market.asp Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/offshore-support-vessel.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/offshore-support-vessel-market-worth-31-4-billion-by-2028---exclusive-report-by-marketsandmarkets-301839686.html LD Micro, a wholly owned subsidiary of Freedom US Markets, was founded in 2006 with the sole purpose of being an independent resource in the micro-cap space. Whether it is the Index, comprehensive data, or hosting the most significant events annually, LD's sole mission is to serve as an invaluable asset for all those interested in finding the next generation of great companies. For more information on LD Micro, visit www.ldmicro.com. 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. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 1, 2023) - HighGold Mining Inc. (TSXV: HIGH) (OTCQX: HGGOF) ("HighGold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, at the annual general and special meeting of the Company held on May 30, 2023 (the "Meeting"), the shareholders of HighGold (the "Shareholders") approved the proposed Plan of Arrangement (the "Arrangement") involving HighGold and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Onyx Gold Corp. ("Onyx Gold"). For details regarding the Arrangement, see the news releases of the Company dated May 24, 2023, March 17, 2023 and February 22, 2023. At the Meeting, the special resolution approving the Arrangement (the "Arrangement Resolution") was overwhelmingly approved by 99.56% of the Shareholders present in person or represented by proxy. Accordingly, the shareholder approval required to proceed with the Arrangement has been obtained. The Arrangement is expected to become effective on or about June 6, 2023 (the "Effective Date"), subject to, among other things, HighGold obtaining a Final Order from the Supreme Court of British Columbia in respect of the Arrangement and final acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") of the Arrangement and other conditions customary in transactions of this nature. All HighGold shareholders as of the Effective Date will receive one (1) common share in the capital of Onyx Gold for every four (4) common shares held in the capital of HighGold. At the Meeting, all other matters submitted to the shareholders for approval as set out in the Company's Notice of Meeting and Information Circular dated April 25, 2023, were approved by the requisite majority of votes cast at the Meeting. Update on Onyx Gold Concurrent Financing The Company is also pleased to note that, further to its news release dated May 24, 2023, due to strong demand the Company intends to upsize the Onyx Gold concurrent financing to C$7 million, consisting of units and flow-through units for Onyx Gold (the "Concurrent Financing"). The Company expects to apply to list the common shares of Onyx on the TSXV and expects to close the Concurrent Financing concurrent with listing, which will be subject to the receipt of TSXV approval. About HighGold HighGold is a mineral exploration company focused on high-grade gold projects located in North America. HighGold's flagship asset is the high-grade Johnson Tract Gold-Zinc-Copper Project located in accessible Southcentral Alaska, USA. The Company also controls one of the largest junior gold miner land positions in the Timmins, Ontario gold camp. This includes the Munro-Croesus Gold property, which is renowned for its high-grade mineralization, and the large Golden Mile and Timmins South properties. HighGold also has 100% ownership of a group of properties in Yukon's emerging new Selwyn Basin Reduced Intrusive Related Gold district. HighGold's experienced Board and senior management team, are committed to creating shareholder value through the discovery process, careful allocation of capital, and environmentally/socially responsible mineral exploration. On Behalf of HighGold Mining Inc. "Darwin Green" President & CEO For further information, please visit the HighGold Mining Inc. website at www.highgoldmining.com, or contact: Darwin Green, President & CEO or Naomi Nemeth, VP Investor Relations Phone: 1-604-629-1165 or North American toll-free 1-855-629-1165 Email: information@highgoldmining.com. Website: www.highgoldmining.com Twitter: @HighgoldMining Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-looking statements: This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements include predictions, projections and forecasts and are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "forecast", "expect", "potential", "project", "target", "schedule", "budget" and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions and includes the negatives thereof. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's plans to complete the Arrangement, the anticipated closing date of the Arrangement, the anticipated listing of Onyx Gold on the TSXV, the completion by Onyx Gold of the Concurrent Financing, and the closing of the Concurrent Financing 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. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Company's expectations include, among other things, the ability of the Company to obtain requisite approvals for the Arrangement and the listing of Onyx Gold on the TSXV, future metal prices, availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, uninsured risks, regulatory changes, defects in title, availability of personnel, materials and equipment on a timely basis, accidents or equipment breakdowns, delays in receiving government approvals, unanticipated environmental impacts on operations and costs to remedy same, and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause such actions, events or results to differ materially from those anticipated. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and accordingly readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/168306 Empowering German Patients: Cheech and Chong's Global Holding Co. and WEECO Pharma GmbH Unite to Deliver High-Quality Cannabis Products LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2023 / Cheech and Chong's Global Holding Co., a leading cannabis lifestyle brand, is proud to announce its exclusive partnership with WEECO, a European multi-country operator dedicated to patient safety and responsible dispensing of medical cannabis. This strategic collaboration marks Cheech & Chong's entry into the European medical cannabis market, with WEECO serving as the sole distributor of Cheech & Chong products in Germany. Cheech and Chong's Global Holding Co. Company Logo "We are excited to partner with WEECO to bring our premium cannabis products to the German market," said Cheech Marin, co-founder of Cheech and Chong's Global Holding Co. "Germany is a rapidly growing medical cannabis market and we are thrilled to offer our safe and innovative products to the German patients in need." "With Cheech and Chong's Global Holding Co., a true cannabis legend and industry hero enters the arena of pharma grade Cannabis. We are proud to warmly welcome them to the German medical cannabis market," said Borge Diessel, CEO of WEECO Pharma GmbH. "By combining our proven competencies, we will continue to drive growth and innovation in a developing German cannabis industry. Together, we are committed to further improving the well-being of every German patient in need." WEECO Pharma GmbH is the pharmaceutical arm of the WEECO Group and a leading distributor of high-quality cannabis products throughout Europe. Based on multiple years of industry experience in several U.S. states, the company has quickly established itself as a trusted source for premium cannabis products with real dedication to the plant. "We chose WEECO as our exclusive partner in Germany because of their reputation for excellence within the industry," said Jonathan Black, CEO of Cheech and Chong's Global Holding Co. "Their commitment to quality aligns perfectly with ours, making them an ideal collaborator for this venture." The partnership between Cheech and Chong's Global Holding Co. and WEECO represents a powerful combination of two industry leaders, united by their commitment to quality and innovation. With over 50 years of combined experience, both companies have established themselves as leaders in their respective fields. The partnership will allow patients throughout Germany to experience the unique culture and high-quality products that have made Cheech & Chong a household name. About Cheech and Chong's Global Holding Co. Cheech and Chong's Global Holding Co. is a leading cannabis lifestyle brand that has been entertaining and educating for over 40 years. Their mission is to provide high-quality, safe, and reliable cannabis products to their customers while promoting the benefits and positive impact of the plant. At Cheech and Chong's Global Holding Co., they believe that cannabis is more than just a plant; it is a lifestyle that brings people together and promotes well-being. Their company's history and legacy are rooted in humor and activism, and they continue to honor those values today. Cheech and Chong's Global Holding Co. is not just a brand; it is a cultural phenomenon that has stood the test of time. At Cheech and Chong's Global Holding Co., they are dedicated to providing the highest quality cannabis products, promoting sustainability and responsible production practices, and maintaining their legacy as a leading brand in the industry. https://cheechandchong.com/ About WEECO, GmbH WEECO unites the world's most outstanding EU-GMP producers and brands on one single distribution platform. The company holds all necessary approvals and licenses to distribute medical cannabis products in Germany and is permitted to export its products worldwide. Its sustaining commitment to quality made WEECO a well-known actor in shaping the early German Medical Cannabis Landscape and a trusted partner to most of the major domestic brands. The group's pharmaceutically licensed cannabis breeding and clone-export facilities in Denmark supply L.A. heritage genetics to the world's leading GMP-Producers and directly to tens of thousands of international Medical Cannabis patients. An active role in the roll-out of the Swiss cannabis pilot projects reflects the group's laser focus on the forefront of European cannabis legalization and allows it to cater a unique experience into an emerging German recreational- or pilot project scenario. https://weeco.com/ Media Contact Cheech and Chong's Global Holding Co. Brooke Mangum CMO brooke@cheechandchong.com WEECO Pharma GmbH Jessica Koy Head of Communication jessica.koy@weeco.com International Partner Inquiries David Epp davidepp@cheechandchong.com SOURCE: Cheech and Chong's Global Holding Co. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758432/Cheech-and-Chongs-Global-Holding-Company-and-WEECO-Pharma-GmbH-Partner-to-Bring-Iconic-Cannabis-Brand-to-European-Medical-Market Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 1, 2023) - Plurilock Security Inc. (TSXV: PLUR) (OTCQB: PLCKF) ("Plurilock" or the "Company"), an identity-centric cybersecurity solutions provider for workforces, is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement of up to 5,337,772 units of the Company ("Units") at a price of $0.145 per Unit, for aggregate gross proceeds of up to approximately $773,997 (the "Offering"). Each Unit will be comprised of one common share in the capital of the Company (a "Share") and one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to acquire one additional share (a "Warrant Share") at a price of $0.20 per Warrant Share for a period of 48 months from the closing date of the Offering, provided that if the volume weighted average closing price of the Shares on the TSXV (or such other stock exchange on which the Shares are traded) is equal to or greater than $0.25 for any ten consecutive trading days, the Company may at its option to elect to accelerate the expiry of the Warrants by providing notice to the holders thereof, in which case the Warrants will expire thirty calendar days following delivery of such notice. The Offering is being completed pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption under Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions and therefore the securities issued in the Offering will not be subject to a hold period in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. There is an offering document related to the Offering that can be accessed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com and at https://plurilock.com/. Prospective investors should read this offering document before making an investment decision. In addition to the Offering, the Company intends to complete a concurrent private placement of up to 3,103,448 Units (the "Placement Units") to certain purchasers pursuant to applicable exemptions under NI 45-106 for aggregate gross proceeds of up to approximately $450,000 (the "Concurrent Placement"). The Concurrent Placement will be subject to the same term as the Offering. The Placement Units will be subject to a four-month and one day hold period following the closing date. In connection with the Offering and the Concurrent Placement, the Company may pay certain finders (each, a "Finder") a cash commission equal to 7% of the aggregate gross proceeds raised from those purchasers introduced by such Finder and/or issue such Finder such number of non-transferable share purchase warrants equal to 7% of the total number of Units sold to investors introduced by such Finder, which provide that such Finder may acquire common shares of the Company (each a "Finder's Warrant Share") at $0.145 per Finder's Warrant Share for a period of 48 months from the date of issuance. The Company intends to use the proceeds raised from the Offering and Concurrent Placement for general corporate purposes and market awareness advertising. The Offering and Concurrent Placement may close in tranches. The first tranches of the Offering and Concurrent Placement is expected to close on or around June 16, 2023. The Offering and Concurrent Placement are subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, receipt of all necessary approvals including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. The securities issued pursuant to the Offering and Concurrent Placement have not, nor will they be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons in the absence of U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from the U.S. 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 the United States or in any other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About Plurilock Plurilock secures workforces, delivering least privilege access management and advanced IT solutions to commercial and government customers worldwide. With industry-leading artificial intelligence and patented real-time identity confirmation technology, Plurilock combines next-generation cybersecurity with a comprehensive line of products and services that enable teams across North America and the globe to compute safely in a remote work world. For more information, visit https://www.plurilock.com or contact: Ian L. Paterson Chief Executive Officer ian@plurilock.com 416.800.1566 Prit Singh Investor Relations prit.singh@plurilock.com 905.510.7636 Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the TSX Venture Exchange policies) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") related to future events or Plurilock's future business, operations, and financial performance and condition. Forward-looking statements normally contain words like "will", "intend", "anticipate", "could", "should", "may", "might", "expect", "estimate", "forecast", "plan", "potential", "project", "assume", "contemplate", "believe", "shall", "scheduled", and similar terms. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, actions, or developments and are based on expectations, assumptions, and other factors that management currently believes are relevant, reasonable, and appropriate in the circumstances. Although management believes that the forward-looking statements herein are reasonable, actual results could be substantially different due to the risks and uncertainties associated with and inherent to Plurilock's business. Additional material risks and uncertainties applicable to the forward-looking statements herein include, without limitation, the impact of general economic conditions, and unforeseen events and developments. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect the Company's forward-looking statements. Many of these factors are beyond the control of Plurilock. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as at the date hereof, and Plurilock undertakes no 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. Risks and uncertainties about the Company's business are more fully discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in its most recent Annual Information Form. They are otherwise disclosed in its filings with securities regulatory authorities available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Not for distribution to United States 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/168318 Cristiano Fagnani named CEO of Off-White; remains responsible for the Reebok Business as CEO of NGG++ Stephanie Phair appointed Chair of New Guards Group (NGG); retains her role as Group President, FARFETCH NGG co-founders Davide De Giglio and Andrea Grilli step down from their roles nearly four years after FARFETCH's acquisition of NGG FARFETCH, the leading global platform for the luxury fashion industry, today announced that Cristiano Fagnani has been named CEO of Off-White and also remains responsible for NGG's Reebok business as CEO of NGG++. Stephanie Phair has been appointed Chair of NGG. The company also announced that NGG CEO, Davide De Giglio, along with his co-founder, Executive Director and Off-White CEO, Andrea Grilli, are stepping down from their roles. The existing leadership team for Palm Angels remains unchanged; with Stefano Robino as General Manager and Francesco Ragazzi as Founder and Creative Director. The leadership of the other NGG brands remains unchanged as well. Founded in 2015 and based in Milan, NGG manages the design, production and distribution for a range of global brands, including Palm Angels, Off-White and Reebok. It was acquired by FARFETCH in 2019. Mr. Fagnani has over 20 years of industry experience, including as Chief Marketing Officer for NGG where he worked closely with Off-White. Prior to joining NGG more than three years ago, he had a highly successful career at Nike, where he led Energy Marketing, Brand Experience and Product Collaborations. Stefano Robino has more than two decades of experience in the luxury fashion industry, having held senior roles with brands including Ami, Tom Ford, Zegna and Lanvin, prior to joining NGG more than three years ago. Under Mr. Robino's leadership, the Palm Angels brand more than doubled its revenues from 2020 to 2022. Ms. Phair, who has been working closely with the NGG Group, including as a member of the operational boards for the NGG brands, will support the NGG leadership team toward achieving the goals set out for the business and foster the continued successful integration with the FARFETCH Group. She maintains her role as Group President, FARFETCH. A seasoned luxury executive, she founded TheOutnet.com while an executive at Net-a-Porter, and has held roles with Issey Miyake and Vogue. Previously, the multi-lingual Ms. Phair also served on the Board of Directors for Moncler S.p.A., and was the Chair of the British Fashion Council. Jose Neves, Founder, CEO and Chair, FARFETCH, said: "New Guards has performed extremely well since 2019, and has continued to execute on its strategy with the recent launch of Reebok. I would like to thank Davide and Andrea for their dedicated leadership over the past four years, and for building a very strong team of successors to continue driving the strategy and operations of NGG. They leave with my fondest best wishes for their future endeavours. With a very experienced management team in Cristiano, Ib, Stefano and Francesco and the added benefit of Stephanie's oversight, I am confident in the continued success of NGG." Davide De Giglio said: "As the co-founder of NGG, I take this moment to reflect on the remarkable decade that has transpired since the inception of our platform. This journey, filled with challenges, learnings, and victories, has been nothing short of extraordinary. From an initial idea to a leading light in the fashion world, NGG's evolution has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. We've been a symbol of innovation, creativity, and independence, setting trends and collaborating with phenomenal talent. We are indebted to FARFETCH, who recognized our potential and backed our ambitions. Their acquisition has not just fostered our growth but has also ensured our global presence and influence. Today, after a beautiful ten-year journey, I step down from my position at NGG. My heart is filled with gratitude for the opportunities I have been given, the extraordinary individuals I had the privilege to work with, and the collective successes we achieved. I leave behind a resilient, dynamic, and robust group that I'm confident will continue to flourish and uphold our shared vision. I look forward with excitement to seeing where the next decade will take NGG." Andrea Grilli said: "Nine years, more than 800 employees, over 70 stores, customers in more than 100 countries and over 170 collaborations and capsule collections. Behind these numbers are endless emotions that can't really be summed up in a few lines. Contributing to the development of NGG by helping the brands gain global visibility and respect in the luxury industry since day one is a priceless experience because it highlights all the efforts made by the wonderful people who I've had the good fortune to work with. NGG, today more than ever and thanks to the involvement and support of FARFETCH, is in an incredible position. I wish them and the team all the best and will carry this experience with me forever." ENDS Forward-Looking Statements This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements contained in this release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding the future operational and financial performance of our New Guards Group business, as well as statements that include the words "expect," "plan," "aim," "enable," "believe," or the negative of these terms and similar statements of a future or forward-looking nature. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to the important factors discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, as such factors may be updated from time to time in our other filings with the SEC, accessible on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and on our website at http://farfetchinvestors.com. In addition, 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 that we may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release are inherently uncertain and may not occur, and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, you should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. In addition, the forward-looking statements made in this release relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this release. 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. 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 global 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 Future Retail, which develops innovations such as our Connected Retail solutions. For more information, please visit www.farfetchinvestors.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230601005627/en/ Contacts: Media Contacts: Susannah Clark EVP Communications, FARFETCH Limited susannah.clark@farfetch.com +44 7788 405224 Brunswick Group farfetch@brunswickgroup.com US: +1 (212) 333 3810 UK: +44 (0) 207 404 5959 Investor Relations Contact: Alice Ryder VP Investor Relations, FARFETCH Limited ir@farfetch.com New Collaboration Set to Onboard Mainstream Gamers into Web3 Games TORONTO, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Telos Foundation ("Telos") today announced a strategic collaboration with GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) ("GameStop") that will allow the Telos blockchain to access mainstream gaming distribution via GameStop's upcoming Web3 game launcher, GameStop Playr . This collaboration signifies a meaningful opportunity to expand the global GameFi ecosystem and bring Web3 gaming to mainstream users. The collaboration will enable users to enjoy Web3 games supported by Telos, which is a decentralized blockchain with proven scalability, affordability, low carbon footprint, and impressive lifetime track record of continuous uptime. "We are thrilled to enter into this transformative collaboration with GameStop," said AJ Dinger, Head of Business Development at the Telos Foundation. "We believe this collaboration will be a meaningful driver of new users into the Web3 space. By combining GameStop Playr with Web3 games utilizing Telos' high performance blockchain infrastructure, we can break down many of the barriers currently deterring Web2 players from embracing Web3." Justin Giudici, CEO of the Telos Foundation, shared Mr. Dinger's excitement. "Telos offers an ideal environment for GameStop's push into Web3 game distribution," said Giudici. "We believe the prerequisites for advancing this dynamic space require a platform that's fast, secure, sustainable and scalable." As traditional gaming studios, publishers and distributors explore Web3 technology, the collaboration's objective is to help bridge the gap between the conventional gaming community and the Web3 audience. About Telos Foundation: The Telos Foundation is a decentralized, independent, not-for-profit organization that oversees the development and governance of the Telos blockchain. In 2021, Telos introduced tEVM, the world's fastest Ethereum Virtual Machine to run concurrently alongside the native Telos Network. In an ever-evolving world, Telos is focused on advancing decentralization through sound, reliable, eco-conscious and trustless technology while providing solutions that can lead to greater adoption of blockchain technology globally. Press Inquiries: press@telosfoundation.io Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2090312/Telos_Foundation_Telos_Announces_Strategic_Collaboration_with_Ga.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/telos-announces-strategic-collaboration-with-gamestop-to-expand-web3-gaming-301839485.html 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. Quarterly Report Highlights Fashion Brands Gaining Traction with Influencer Strategies Tagger Media, the global technology leader powering influencer marketing and social intelligence, releases its inaugural Fashion Influencer Marketing Report today. The report, which looks at data for Q1 2023, unveils how and where consumers interact with influencers and which brands are gaining traction as a result. Leveraging the company's social intelligence engine, Signals, the report looks at overall brand performance for the first quarter and how high-profile events like New York Fashion Week and London Fashion Week increased visibility for many. The Fashion Influencer Marketing Report shows an impressive 10 million influencer posts across social platforms in Q1, with Instagram leading the pack as the most popular. However, TikTok has the highest engagement rate of any platform at 2.36%. This is a trend Tagger sees across all industries as followers respond positively to the platform's short-form video format. "The fashion industry has long been a leader in influencer marketing, and Q1 reflects the extraordinary investment made by brands," said Dave Dickman, CEO at Tagger Media. "But, this industry is constantly evolving with fresh trends and captivating content resonating with audiences. Our Fashion Report helps make sense of the space, empowering brands to discover the path to success and seize existing opportunities to build awareness and loyalty." Here are some key takeaways from the Fashion Influencer Marketing Report: Format is Everything: There are clear top performers for fashion influencers when it comes to content types. Tagger found that TikTok videos, Instagram Reels and Instagram Carousels are the best content types by a mile, with engagement rates surpassing 1.6%. There are clear top performers for fashion influencers when it comes to content types. Tagger found that TikTok videos, Instagram Reels and Instagram Carousels are the best content types by a mile, with engagement rates surpassing 1.6%. Organic Chatter Wins: Zara, Amazon, and Christian Dior are the Q1 organic chatter winners, with 23,000+ profiles posted and 65,000+ posts collectively. In addition, Christian Dior was the most discussed brand during the major Fashion Weeks for the quarter, followed by Prada and Gucci. Zara, Amazon, and Christian Dior are the Q1 organic chatter winners, with 23,000+ profiles posted and 65,000+ posts collectively. In addition, Christian Dior was the most discussed brand during the major Fashion Weeks for the quarter, followed by Prada and Gucci. Talking Twitter: Interestingly, Twitter is the second most popular for post volume across social channels but has the lowest engagement rate at 0.17%. It's clear this platform and its content types are not resonating with followers, possibly due to its text-heavy nature. As a result, brands may want to shift their focus to other platforms and invest less in Twitter content. "The inaugural Fashion Report highlights how leading brands are making noise and gaining momentum through strategic influencer relation efforts," explained Dickman. "One prime example is Dolce Gabbana, a brand leveraging the Tagger platform and experiencing undeniable results, with an overwhelming surge in organic social chatter. So, we feel confident about the benefits our solution provides leaders in the space, and we are excited to keep a pulse on how it evolves." For Tagger Media's full Q1 Fashion Influencer Marketing Report, visit: https://www.taggermedia.com/research/fashion-index-q1-2023 About Tagger Media Tagger Media has revolutionized the social media marketing industry for some of today's biggest brands and agencies, including Omnicom, Havas Media, Ketchum, Social Chain, Spindrift, Takumi, Valvoline, and Dolce Gabbana. The data-driven social intelligence platform allows marketers to research and analyze industry trends, plan campaigns, maximize workflow efficiencies, discover, and connect with creators, and accurately measure ROI. To learn more, visit taggermedia.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230601005155/en/ Contacts: Katie Huff Trevelino/Keller 404.214.0722 khuff@trevelinokeller.com Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - June 1, 2023) - Fathom Nickel Inc. (CSE: FNI) (FSE: 6Q5) (OTCQB: FNICF) (the "Company" or "Fathom") is pleased to announce that with the final cash payment of $75,000, it has now fulfilled all requirements under the agreement to acquire the Watts Lake Mineral Claims ("Watts Lake") from SKRR Exploration Inc. ("SKRR"), dated March 21, 2023 (the "Acquisition Agreement")1. As a result, Fathom now holds 100% of Watts Lake, consisting of twenty-four (24) mineral claims totalling 13,708 hectares. Watts Lake, together with the lands covered by the original Gochager Lake Option Agreement and subsequent staking (ten [10] mineral claims in all, totalling 5,851 hectares) now encompasses a contiguous land package of 19,559 hectares, collectively referred to as the "Gochager Lake Property". (See Figure 1). Ian Fraser, CEO and VP Exploration, stated, "With the acquisition of Watts Lake now complete, we have begun the process of incorporating the historic exploration data obtained as part of the Acquisition Agreement with our modeling and data information system covering the original Gochager Lake dispositions. We are particularly excited to assess the Watts Lake ground that is covered by the historic 2008 VTEM survey. Based on initial analysis of the VTEM survey area, our geophysical consultants have now identified 11 prospective nickel targets away from the historic Gochager Lake deposit. These have become high-priority areas (areas not previously explored), for additional geophysics/geological mapping, prospecting, soil geochemistry and, ultimately, drilling as we continue our exploration work at Gochager Lake. We will also begin analysing the Borys Lake VMS-style Pb-Zn deposit occurring within the Watts Lake ground. The VMS mineralization, coincident with the known magmatic Ni sulphide mineralization at the Gochager Lake deposit and Mal Lake occurrence within this contiguous property, speaks to the potential of a significant metal endowment and the tremendous exploration potential of this combined land package". Summer Exploration Update The Company is currently finalizing its plans for the initial phases of exploration at both Gochager Lake and Albert Lake. Geophysical crews are expected to mobilize to Gochager Lake on June 6 and initiate a geophysical program expected to last two to three weeks. A separate geophysical crew is expected to mobilize to Albert Lake later in June. Gochager Lake Program The Gochager Lake geophysical program will consist of additional borehole electromagnetic ("BHEM") surveys on all drillholes probed in the Q1-2023 drilling program (see Press Release April 12, 2023) utilizing a multiple-loop configuration and Induction and Fluxgate ("FG") Probes. The same loop configuration will be used to run surface profiles in the area of the high-grade nickel mineralization encountered in the Q1 drilling. The goal of these surveys will be to better define the orientation and geometry of what we anticipate are steeply plunging, highly-conductive, semi-massive to massive sulphide, nickel bearing lenses. It is anticipated that certain historic drillholes drilled in 1989-1990 will be open for additional BHEM surveys. Once the BHEM and surface EM results are interpreted and modelled, the Company can then design proper drilling azimuths and dips to be utilized in a drill program expected to begin mid-summer. Albert Lake Program The Albert Lake geophysical program will consist of surface, time domain electromagnetic surveys ("TDEM") utilizing multiple fixed loop configurations within the area of the very robust soil geochemistry anomaly occurring within the Tremblay-Olson Claims area (see Press Release January 17, 2023). It is anticipated this survey will better define airborne conductors outlined in an AirTEM survey conducted by Fathom in Q2/Q3 2022 and results from a VTEM survey flown over the area in 2008. Furthermore, this survey will better define and orient the off-hole conductors defined in drillholes AL23073 and AL23074 drilled Q1 2023 (see Press Release May 5, 2023). This program, expected to last approximately three weeks, will produce a deeper view and better-defined imagery and Maxwell Plate models. The results from the summer program will lead to additional drilling to be conducted in Fall-2023/Winter-2024. Figure - 1 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7843/168328_41f22da2b42208b0_001full.jpg Qualified Person and Data Verification Ian Fraser, P.Geo., CEO, VP Exploration and a Director of the Company and the "qualified person" as such term is defined by National Instrument 43-101, has verified the data disclosed in this news release, and has otherwise reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release on behalf of the Company. About Fathom Nickel Inc. Fathom is an exploration company that is targeting magmatic nickel sulphide discoveries to support the rapidly growing global electric vehicle market. The Company has a portfolio of two high-quality exploration projects located in the prolific Trans Hudson Corridor in Saskatchewan: 1) the Albert Lake Project, a 90,000+ hectare project that was host to the historic and past producing Rottenstone deposit (produced high-grade Ni-Cu+PGE, 1965-1969), and 2) the Gochager Lake Project, a 19,560-hectare project that is host to a historic, open-pitable resource consisting of 4.3M tons at 0.295% Ni and 0.081% Cu2. 2The Saskatchewan Mineral Deposit Index (SMID#0880) reports drill indicated reserves of 4,262,400 tons grading 0.295% Ni and 0.081% Cu mineable by open pit. Fathom cannot confirm the resource estimate nor the parameters and methods used to prepare the reserve estimate. The estimate is not considered NI43-101 compliant and further work is required to verify this historical drill indicated reserve. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Ian Fraser P.Geo." CEO, VP Exploration, Director For Further Information Please Contact: Ian Fraser, Chief Executive Officer and Vice-President, Exploration 1-403-650-9760 Email: ifraser@fathomnickel.com Or Doug Porter, President & CFO +1-403-870-4349 Email: dporter@fathomnickel.com Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains "forward-looking statements" that are based on expectations, estimates, projections and interpretations as at the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "seek", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "suggest", "indicate" and other similar words or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur, and include, without limitation, statements regarding payment of terms under the Option Agreement, permitting for the Property, receipt of an exploration permit, timing of the exploration program on the Property and the Company achieving the earn-in thresholds under the Option Agreement. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections. 1 Under the terms of the Acquisition Agreement, Fathom acquired 100% interest in Watts Lake by making an initial cash payment of CAD$75,000, issuing 2,000,000 common shares of Fathom to SKRR and making a final cash payment of $75,000 within 60 days of the execution of the Acquisition Agreement.. The Acquisition Agreement provides for a 2% net smelter return ("NSR") royalty in favour of Edge Geological Consulting Inc., a company controlled by Ross McElroy. The NSR is subject to a buy down to 1% for CAD$1,000,000. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES. ANY FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS RESTRICTION MAY CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF U.S. SECURITIES LAWS To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/168328 PETACH TIKVA, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. (NYSE American: CANF) (TASE: CANF), a biotechnology company advancing a pipeline of proprietary small molecule drugs that address oncology, inflammatory and liver diseases, today announced financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2023. Clinical and Corporate Development Highlights Include: NAMODENOSON Oncology Pivotal Phase 3 Liver Cancer Study-Can-Fite's ongoing pivotal Phase 3 liver cancer study is designed to assess Namodenoson in the treatment of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and underlying Child Pugh B7 (CPB7) who have not responded to 1 or 2 other lines of therapy. The primary endpoint is overall survival. An interim analysis will be performed. During the first quarter, a study titled "Targeting the A3 adenosine receptor to treat hepatocellular carcinoma: anti-cancer and hepatoprotective effects" was published in the peer-reviewed journal Purinergic Signalling. Phase 2a Pancreatic Cancer Study-Can-Fite is preparing for an open-label Phase 2 exploratory trial to assess the safety and efficacy of Namodenoson in the treatment of patients with pancreatic cancer who have received at least one previous systemic therapy. Safety and efficacy endpoints including objective response, progression-free survival, duration of response, disease control, and overall survival will be monitored. The study will be conducted by Dr. Salomon Stemmer, an oncology key opinion leader and Professor at the Institute of Oncology, Rabin Medical Center, Israel. In pre-clinical studies, Namodenoson had a significant anti-cancer effect in pancreatic carcinoma as a monotherapy and an additive effect when combined with gemcitabine, the standard-of-care chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer. The mechanism of action entails de-regulation of the Wnt signal transduction pathway, a key modulator of pancreatic carcinoma cell growth. Can-Fite filed a patent application that covers the use of Namodenoson for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Moreover, Can-Fite's pancreatic cancer program received recognition from ASCO when its study titled "Effects of Namodenoson on Pancreatic Carcinoma: Preclinical Evidence" was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology supplement of the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting Proceedings. Pancreatic cancer is an unmet medical need. According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), in 2020, an estimated 496,000 people were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer globally and an estimated 466,000 died from the disease. The 5-year survival rate for people with pancreatic cancer in the U.S. is 11%. Acumen Research estimates the global pancreatic cancer therapeutics market was valued at approximately $3.6 billion in 2021 and is projected to grow to approximately $6.6 billion by 2030. Liver Diseases Phase 2b NASH Study-A Phase 2b NASH study is currently ongoing to evaluate Namodenoson's efficacy as compared to placebo, determined by a histological endpoint. Namodenoson met its primary endpoint of reducing liver fat, inhibiting fibrosis, and demonstrating an anti-inflammatory effect in a prior Phase 2a NASH study. Compassionate Use in Patients with Decompensated Liver Cirrhosis-Based on data showing that Namodenoson has liver protective effects, Namodenoson is now given to patients with decompensated cirrhosis, an advanced form of cirrhosis associated with liver failure for which there are no therapeutic options other than liver transplantation. Patients will be treated with Namodenoson at the Soroka Medical Center in Israel under compassionate use. Decompensated cirrhosis is an acute deterioration in liver function in patients with cirrhosis, characterized by jaundice, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, hepatorenal syndrome, or variceal hemorrhage. This is an unmet medical need and there is no therapeutic approach that has shown efficacy in slowing disease progression. An estimated 10.6 million people globally had decompensated cirrhosis in 2017, with few treatment options available aside from liver transplants if the decompensated cirrhosis has reached an advanced stage. The treatment of liver cirrhosis in the U.S. is estimated to become an approximately $15 billion market by 2030. PICLIDENOSON Green Light from EMA for a Pivotal Phase 3 Psoriasis Study-The European Medicines Agency (EMA) gave Can-Fite a positive opinion on its registration plan for a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial for Piclidenoson in the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis. The pivotal study and the safety of the 3 mg twice daily dose of Piclidenoson are accepted by the agency. Can-Fite has submitted a comparable data package to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and expects a similar response. Corporate Developments New Management Structure as Advanced Stage Pipeline Moves Toward Commercialization-Effective June 30, 2023, executive changes go into effect to support the Company's continued success. Motti Farbstein will lead Can-Fite as Chief Executive Officer and continue to serve as its Chief Financial Officer. Dr. Pnina Fishman, Can-Fite's Scientific Founder, will move from her position as CEO to become Executive Chairman of the Board as well as continuing to serve as Chief Scientific Officer. Raised $7.5 Million-In January 2023, Can-Fite raised $7.5 million through a concurrent registered direct offering and private placement. The Company's cash and equivalents on March 31, 2023 was $12.4 million and is expected to cover all clinical development programs and general and administrative expenses for more than a year from the date of this press release. "During 2023 we plan to increase our efforts towards establishing additional distribution deals and partnerships. We continue to make progress with our two main indications, liver cancer and psoriasis, as we open additional avenues with niche indications based on evidence of the efficacy and safety of our drugs," stated Can-Fite CEO Dr. Pnina Fishman. Financial Results Revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2023 were $0.19 million, a decrease of $0.01 million, or 4.40%, compared to $0.20 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022. The decrease in revenues is considered to be immaterial. Research and development expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2023 were $2.06 million, an increase of $0.24 million, or 13.17%, compared to $1.82 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022. Research and development expenses for the first quarter of 2023 comprised primarily of expenses associated with the completion of the Phase 3 study of Piclidenoson for the treatment of psoriasis and two ongoing studies for Namodenoson, a Phase 3 study in the treatment of advanced liver cancer and a Phase 2b study for NASH. The increase is primarily due to an increase in expenses associated with Namodenoson. General and administrative expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2023 were $0.84 million an increase of $0.09 million, or 12.33%, compared to $0.75 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022. The increase is primarily due to the increase in travel expenses and increase in accrued bonuses to the Company's employees. We expect that general and administrative expenses will remain at the same level through 2023. Financial income, net for the three months ended March 31, 2023 was $0.16 million compared to finance expense, net of $0.06 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022. The increase in financial income, net was mainly due to exchange rate differences which in 2023 was recorded as income and in 2022 was recorded as expense and revaluation of our short-term investment which in 2023 was recorded as income and in 2022 was recorded as expense. Net loss for the three months ended March 31, 2023 was $2.55 million compared with a net loss of $2.43 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022. The increase in net loss for the three months ended March 31, 2023 was primarily attributable to an increase in research and development expenses which was partly offset by an increase in finance income, net. As of March 31, 2023, Can-Fite had cash and cash equivalents and short term deposits of $12.4 million as compared to $7.98 million at December 31, 2022. The increase in cash during the three months ended March 31, 2023 is due to the issuance of share capital and warrants which was offset by ongoing operations of the Company. The Company's consolidated financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2023 are presented in accordance with US GAAP Reporting Standards. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS U.S. dollars in thousands (except for share and per share data) March 31, December 31, 2023 2022 Unaudited ASSETS CURRENT ASSETS: Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,264 $ 2,978 Short term deposit 11,135 5,001 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 962 1,170 Short-term investment 18 8 Total current assets 13,379 9,157 NON-CURRENT ASSETS: Operating lease right of use assets 70 84 Property, plant and equipment, net 40 42 Total non-current assets 110 126 Total assets $ 13,489 $ 9,283 CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS U.S. dollars in thousands (except for share and per share data) March 31, December 31, 2023 2022 Unaudited LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY CURRENT LIABILITIES: Trade payables $ 963 $ 896 Current maturity of operating lease liability 42 48 Deferred revenues 783 783 Other accounts payable 1,103 775 Total current liabilities 2,891 2,502 NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES: Long - term operating lease liability 6 14 Deferred revenues 2,099 2,295 Total long-term liabilities 2,105 2,309 CONTIGENT LIABILITIES AND COMMITMENTS SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY: Ordinary shares of no-par value - Authorized: 5,000,000,000 shares at March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022; Issued and outstanding: 1,224,837,393 and 815,746,293 shares as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 - - Additional paid-in capital 160,763 154,192 Accumulated other comprehensive income 1,127 1,127 Accumulated deficit (153,397 ) (150,847 ) Total equity 8,493 4,472 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $ 13,489 $ 2,983 CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS U.S. dollars in thousands (except for share and per share data) Three months ended March 31, 2023 2022 Unaudited Revenues $ 196 $ 205 Research and development expenses (2,061 ) (1,821 ) General and administrative expenses (847 ) (754 ) Operating loss (2,712 ) (2,370 ) Total financial income (expense), net 162 (64) Net loss attributed to ordinary shareholders (2,550 ) (2,434 ) Basic and diluted net loss per share (0.00 ) (0.00 ) Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in computing basic and diluted net loss per share 1,178,872,101 815,746,293 About Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. (NYSE American: CANF) (TASE: CANF) is an advanced clinical stage drug development company with a platform technology that is designed to address multi-billion dollar markets in the treatment of cancer, liver, and inflammatory disease. The Company's anti-inflammatory drug Piclidenoson reported topline results in a Phase 3 trial for psoriasis and is expected to commence a pivotal Phase 3. Can-Fite's cancer and liver drug, Namodenoson, is being evaluated in a Phase 2b trial for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), enrollment is expected to commence in a Phase 3 trial for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and the Company is planning a Phase 2a study in pancreatic cancer. Namodenoson has been granted Orphan Drug Designation in the U.S. and Europe and Fast Track Designation as a second line treatment for HCC by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Namodenoson has also shown proof of concept to potentially treat other cancers including colon, prostate, and melanoma. CF602, the Company's third drug candidate, has shown efficacy in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. These drugs have an excellent safety profile with experience in over 1,500 patients in clinical studies to date. For more information please visit: www.can-fite.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements, about Can-Fite's expectations, beliefs or intentions regarding, among other things, its product development efforts, business, financial condition, results of operations, strategies or prospects. All statements in this communication, other than those relating to historical facts, are "forward looking statements". Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "believe," "expect," "intend," "plan," "may," "should" or "anticipate" or their negatives or other variations of these words or other comparable words or by the fact that these statements do not relate strictly to historical or current matters. Forward-looking statements relate to anticipated or expected events, activities, trends or results as of the date they are made. Because forward-looking statements relate to matters that have not yet occurred, these statements are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Can-Fite's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include, among other things, our history of losses and needs for additional capital to fund our operations and our inability to obtain additional capital on acceptable terms, or at all; uncertainties of cash flows and inability to meet working capital needs; the initiation, timing, progress and results of our preclinical studies, clinical trials and other product candidate development efforts; our ability to advance our product candidates into clinical trials or to successfully complete our preclinical studies or clinical trials; our receipt of regulatory approvals for our product candidates, and the timing of other regulatory filings and approvals; the clinical development, commercialization and market acceptance of our product candidates; our ability to establish and maintain strategic partnerships and other corporate collaborations; the implementation of our business model and strategic plans for our business and product candidates; the scope of protection we are able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering our product candidates and our ability to operate our business without infringing the intellectual property rights of others; competitive companies, technologies and our industry; risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine; risks related to not satisfying the continued listing requirements of NYSE American; and statements as to the impact of the political and security situation in Israel on our business. More information on these risks, uncertainties and other factors is included from time to time in the "Risk Factors" section of Can-Fite's Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on March 30, 2023 and other public reports filed with the SEC and in its periodic filings with the TASE. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Can-Fite undertakes no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by any applicable securities laws. Contacts Can-Fite BioPharma Motti Farbstein info@canfite.com +972-3-9241114 Former UK CAA Director takes on instrumental role to launch airline Stephenson will deputise for CEO, James Asquith , and lead commercial and operational development LONDON, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Airlines, the world's newest long-haul airline, has announced the appointment of Richard Stephenson OBE as a board director and chief commercial officer. Stephenson, who has been advising Founder and CEO, James Asquith, since last summer, has now taken up a fulltime post within the business, with more senior appointments imminent. Stephenson started his career on an industrial placement at British Airways in 1998 and describes his role with Global Airlines as 'a dream come true'. He spent six years as a director of the UK Civil Aviation Authority, during which he managed some of the biggest crisis situations to hit the sector and vigorously defended consumer rights. James Asquith, CEO and Founder of Global Airlines said, "I could not be more delighted to welcome Richard to our team. His leadership and vast aviation experience, not to mention his communications, political and consumer background, makes him an invaluable addition to the Global team as we prepare to launch our transatlantic services next spring. We've now acquired our first aircraft, with more to follow soon, and Richard will be instrumental in leading the team responsible for getting us ready to take to the skies." Richard Stephenson said, "James' vision for Global Airlines is compelling and this is the most exciting role; indeed a dream come true. As the aviation industry continues to thrive, our ambition is to offer passengers the very best service and experience. As aviation lovers, we are committed to bringing the very best to the sky and working with our amazing partners, we will do just that. We have built an excellent team and we are on the cusp of making a number of exciting appointments and announcing some game changing partnerships that will really demonstrate our ambition and determination." Global Airlines plans to use its fleet of owned A380 aircraft to reinvigorate the flying experience, courtesy of the unrivalled spaciousness offered by the super jumbo. Global Airlines is poised to revolutionize the travel industry and establish itself as the preferred choice for long-haul travel. The airline is now in advanced discussions to acquire three more A380 aircraft and is expected to announce more hires and a crew recruitment drive in the weeks ahead. Global Airlines is now focused on working closely with the relevant authorities and partners in preparation for inaugural flights in the Spring of 2024. About Global Airlines Global Airlines was launched in 2023 with an aspiration to offer passengers the best way to fly. The airline is a wholly owned subsidiary of Holiday Swap and headquartered in London, United Kingdom. The airline is led by CEO James Asquith and backed by aviation experts and investors around the world. The airline has commenced an aircraft acquisition programme with one A380 secured and more to follow in the summer of 2023. The inaugural transatlantic flights are expected in the Spring of 2024. About Richard Stephenson OBE Richard Stephenson is an award-winning executive who has served at and advised Board level operations across business, politics, charity and regulation. Richard undertook an industrial placement at British Airways in 1998 and went on to develop his career in the City of London. In 2015, Richard joined the UK Civil Aviation Authority as an executive committee director and attending member of the authority's Board. In six years at the regulator, Richard led the award-winning strategic communications function and directed the response to some of the biggest crisis situations to face the aviation industry. Richard has advised a number of aviation companies on a range of strategic issues. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's New Year Honours in 2019 for his public and charitable service and was named 'Communications Professional of the Year' by CorpComms Magazine in November 2019. He is a Life Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts. In 2004 he was nominated by the US State Department to join the prestigious 'International Visitors Leadership Programme' in Washington DC. He has around 40 hours of supervised flying time, mostly in Cessna aircraft, and is hoping to get his PPL one day. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2090505/Richard_Stephenson_OBE.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/richard-stephenson-appointed-as-global-airlines-board-director-and-chief-commercial-officer-301840004.html ISACA will provide 20,000 free memberships to students across Europe to acquire crucial cybersecurity skills ISACA, a leading global professional association helping individuals and organisations in their pursuit of digital trust, is proud to announce its pledge with the European Commission to grow and empower the cybersecurity workforce in Europe. This pledge signifies ISACA's commitment to supporting the cybersecurity agenda of the European Union (EU) and fostering innovation, economic growth, and societal well-being. ISACA welcomes the establishment of the EU Cybersecurity Skills Academy as a key initiative launched in 2023, as part of the "European Year of Skills," to increase the number of skilled cybersecurity professionals in the EU. The current cybersecurity landscape in Europe faces significant challenges, with ISACA's State of Cybersecurity research revealing that 62% of cybersecurity teams are understaffed, and 60% struggle to retain skilled staff. Recognising the vital importance of cybersecurity in fostering digital trust, ISACA is dedicated to creating a holistic cybersecurity workforce in Europe and closing the skills gap by equipping cybersecurity professionals with knowledge and skills across digital trust domains. The pledge aims to ensure a secure digital environment while advancing the success and innovation of European organisations in this way. The guidance and certifications provided by ISACA, which map to the European Cybersecurity Skills Framework, actively support the development of a high-quality cybersecurity workforce that instills confidence among employers. As revealed by ISACA's recent State of Digital Trust research, a lack of skills and training remains a significant barrier to achieving digital trust, according to 49% of the respondents in Europe. By eliminating this barrier, ISACA aims to equip cybersecurity and digital trust professionals with the holistic knowledge to address evolving cyber threats effectively. ISACA pledges to reduce the cybersecurity skills gap by offering: Digital skills in education: ISACA will collaborate with over 60 training organisations and academic institutions to ensure teachers and trainers possess the necessary knowledge and credentials to deliver comprehensive cybersecurity training based on ISACA's industry-leading guidance. Digital skills for the labour force: ISACA will provide 20,000 free memberships to students in Europe, enabling them to access ISACA's extensive network in the region. These student members will have the opportunity to enhance their knowledge through access to ISACA's vast resources, credentials, training, and events. ISACA will support the identification of qualified candidates for organisations by facilitating contacts between student members and executives/senior professionals through virtual and in-person events held by over 40 ISACA chapters throughout Europe. ISACA is committed to expanding the reach and impact of its training and credentialing programs throughout Europe, surpassing the milestone of 46,000 certified individuals in alignment with the European Cybersecurity Skills Framework. Digital skills for all citizens: ISACA will disseminate knowledge to citizens across each European country through a series of events and publications facilitated by its chapters in the region. This effort aims to raise awareness and understanding of cybersecurity among the general public, fostering a cybersecurity-conscious society. Tracey Dedrick, CEO at ISACA, said: "I am excited to announce our pledge to the European Union, emphasizing our commitment to strengthening the cybersecurity workforce in Europe through enhanced education and resources." Chris Dimitriadis, Chief Global Strategy Officer at ISACA, explained: "This pledge underscores our dedication to supporting the cybersecurity agenda of the European Union by equipping professionals with the knowledge and resources they need to thrive in a secure digital environment." More information about ISACA credentials is available here, and ISACA cybersecurity resources can be found here. ABOUT ISACA ISACA (www.isaca.org) is a global community advancing individuals and organizations in their pursuit of digital trust. For more than 50 years, ISACA has equipped individuals and enterprises with the knowledge, credentials, education, training and community to progress their careers, transform their organizations, and build a more trusted and ethical digital world. ISACA is a global professional association and learning organization that leverages the expertise of its 170,000 members who work in digital trust fields such as information security, governance, assurance, risk, privacy and quality. It has a presence in 188 countries, including 225 chapters worldwide. ISACA's member base in Europe exceeds 30,000, and the organization has further strengthened its presence in the region by establishing a regional office in Dublin, Ireland, in 2022. Through its foundation One In Tech, ISACA supports IT education and career pathways for underresourced and underrepresented populations. Twitter: www.twitter.com/ISACANews LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/isaca Facebook: www.facebook.com/ISACAGlobal Instagram: www.instagram.com/isacanews View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230601005475/en/ Contacts: ISACA Esther Almendros, +34 692 669 722, ealmendros@isaca.org Firstlight group, +44 7526 565 507, isacateam@firstlightgroup.io As part of the fight against rare diseases discussed extensively at European level, the 'All United for MG"1 coalition, a group of patient associations and representatives2, is organising the first European Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Day. The objective is to raise awareness of this rare neuromuscular autoimmune disease and its consequences for patients and their caregivers. The disease has a huge impact on patients' social, professional and family lives as 80% of them have difficulty working, 80% feel frustrated and almost 60% find it hard to meet family needs 3. To elevate the understanding of the disease and improve MG patients' lives, All United for MG issues a call for action with six concrete recommendations in the European Parliament, with the support of European leaders. BRUSSELS, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The #AllUnitedforMG coalition, with the institutional support of argenx, brings together European patient associations and representatives from Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Poland and Spain and aims to create awareness and gain recognition of this life-threatening disease, strengthen patients' rights for a better quality of life and obtain better patient care. The disease affects between 56.000 and 100.000 people in Europe 4. "Raising awareness about myasthenia gravis is not just about spreading knowledge, it's about empowering those who are living with it. It's about fostering compassion and understanding amongst the general public to improve healthcare, break down stigmas, and ultimately create a world where people with MG can thrive. Our aim is to enhance patients' quality of life and reduce their mental burden," conclude the founders of the European Myasthenia Gravis Day. The burden of the disease is not universally well-understood or recognised across Europe, which creates inequalities in patient care and leaves many patients with underserved needs. The first-ever European Myasthenia Gravis Day is meant to challenge the status quo and is meant to be the kick-off for a broader campaign, in the context of the global MG Awareness month. The coalition - which was formed in February 2023 - is organizing an event today at the European Parliament to raise awareness about the disease and patients' needs, but also to share concrete policy propositions for the EU. "The first European Awareness Day for Myasthenia Gravis marks an important milestone towards increasing awareness and understanding of this rare disease. The call for action and recommendations contribute to a broader reflection of the role and added value the European Union can have in improving lives of all rare disease patients. It is our responsibility to ensure that the voices of those affected by rare diseases are heard and that they receive the support they need to live their lives to the fullest. By shining a light on the challenges faced by those living with Myasthenia Gravis, we can work towards improving the necessary care." - Istvan Ujhelyi, Member of the European Parliament. The AllUnitedforMG coalition formulated six concrete recommendations aimed at championing real change for people living with MG and rare diseases, more broadly: Expand knowledge and expertise of rare diseases and reduce diagnosis errancy by ensuring that healthcare professionals both GP's and specialists, such as neurologists and opthalmologists for MG, have easy access to informative resources and materials on the disease Reinforce cross-border cooperation for the treatment of rare diseases like MG, notably by ensuring that patients are eligible for reimbursement of treatments received in other EU Member States. Ensure mutual recognition of MG patients' disability status and its associated benefits across all EU Member States Raise awareness about the disease amongst the broader public by creating a European Day dedicated to Myasthenia Gravis, in coordination with stakeholders in each EU Member State Provide patients and caregivers access to resources on the disease and its potential impact to their daily lives Promote the creation of centres of expertise across all EU Member States, particularly in Member States where none currently exist. "The call for action is only a first step towards the improvement of the awareness, understanding and management of this devastating disease. We hope that many more European and national representatives from the health community at large will support our recommendations and help us translating them into tangible actions at European and national level." - Tomislav Sokol, Member of the European Parliament. Understanding the devastating and life threatening impact of Myasthenia Gravis MG is a serious, rare and debilitating neuromuscular autoimmune disease with complex and chronic physical symptoms that weaken the body's muscles and can be potentially life-threatening. Up to 58 % of patients suffering from MG may have difficulties in their daily activities 5, which requires more than 50 hours per week6 of support from a caregiver. 15.6% of caregivers needed to cut back their working hours, and up to 20,8% of caregivers needed to give up paid employment due to the demands of caregiving tasks.6 The unpredictability and invisible nature of the disease creates long-term challenges for both the patient and caregiver. "Myasthenia gravis often manifests first in the face, with early symptoms such as drooping eyelids, or double or blurry vision due to weakness in the eye muscles. Additionally, facial expressions, speaking, chewing, swallowing and breathing may be affected, as well as arm and leg movements. The higher the symptom burden of the patient, the more help they need from a caregiver: amongst patients most severely affected by MG, 4 out 5 require a caregiver," says Dr. Renato Mantegazza, Director of the UOC IV Neurology of the IRCCS Carlo Besta Foundation in Milan. "Because it is a rare disease, some medical professionals are not fully aware. It is frustrating as this regularly results in misdiagnosis, mismanagement and misunderstanding. That is why it is crucial to raise awareness to ensure early diagnosis and proper treatment." Significant challenges in daily life Living with a chronic disease can be incredibly challenging, not only physically but also mentally. Patients often struggle with anxiety, depression and other mental health issues as they navigate the challenges of living with their condition. Furthermore, the burden of the disease also impacts the social and professional lives of both patients and caregivers. Because of the difficulties to plan their lives, they often have to abandon their careers or change their working hours, leading to potential financial problems, as well as isolation, frustration and guilt. According to a study that was conducted by MyRealWorld MG3, 80% of patients have difficulty working due to their illness. On top of that, only 50% are employed, while the employment rate of the general European population aged 20-64 is approximately 73%. In addition, 80% of patients feel frustrated or overwhelmed, due to the daily obstacles they face. Finally, 59% experience difficulty responding to family needs and 43% of patients struggle with their social activities and moving around in public places. "Living with Myasthenia Gravis is a daily battle, where each breath, each movement, is a continuous effort. The constant physical limitations and emotional strain take a toll not only on me, but on my loved ones as well," says a patient. "Furthermore, our illness is invisible and hard to understand. Therefore we are very happy that there is finally a European Myasthenia Gravis Day to put a spotlight on this disease." This press release was produced with the institutional support of argenx. 1 MG is short for "Myasthenia Gravis", the English name for the disease. 2 Belgium: ABMM, MG Liga, Scientific board member of MG LIGA. France: AMIS, AFM-Telethon Myasthenia interest group. Italy: AIM, Besta Institute. Spain: AMES, San Pau Hospital Barcelona. And with the institutional support of Argenx. 3 MYRealWorld MG Survey; data collected in April 2021. 4 Sanders DB, Wolfe GI, Benatar M, Evoli A, Gilhus NE, Illa I, et al. International consensus guidance for management of myasthenia gravis: Executive summary. Neurology. 2016;87(4):419-25. 5 Publication BMJ OPEN: Patient-reported burden of myasthenia gravis: baseline results of the international prospective, observational, longitudinal real-world digital study MyRealWorld-MG, Sara Dewilde et al 6 Productivity Losses for Myasthenia Gravis Patients and their Caregivers: Association with Disease Severity ICNMD presentation, July 2022 Jacob, S MD, Dewilde, S, PhD, Qi, C, MBA, Sacca, F, MD, Meisel, A, MD, Palace, J, MD, Claeys, K, MD, PhD, Mantegazza, R, MD, Paci, S, PhD, Phillips, G, PhD,.1argenx US Inc., Boston, MA, USA. 2Services in Health Economics (SHE), Brussels, Belgium View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/all-united-for-mg-organises-first-ever-european-myasthenia-gravis-day-on-june-2nd--leads-to-pan-european-call-for-action-supported-by-european-leaders-301835934.html SAN FRANCISCO and BERLIN, June 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- T-knife Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing T cell receptor-based immunotherapies that deliver transformational benefits to cancer patients, today announced presentation of a poster titled, "MAGE-A1 targeting TK-8001 TCR-T cells currently being investigated in the IMAG1NE Phase 1/2 clinical trial demonstrate broad in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor activity and are superior to human-derived MAGE-A1 TCRs" at the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT) Annual Meeting being held from May 31 - June 3, 2023 in Paris, France. "These preclinical findings further highlight that TCRs derived from T-knife's unique MyT platform provide differentiated results when compared to TCRs isolated from human donors," said Elisa Kieback, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer of T-knife. "Specifically, leveraging our MyT platform, we isolated TK 8001, a naturally optimized high-affinity TCR specific for the cancer testis antigen MAGE-A1. TK-8001, has repeatedly demonstrated superior in vitro anti-tumor activity against cancer cell lines derived from a wide range of tumors and superior in vivo anti-tumor activity in a very challenging syngeneic tumor mouse model." MAGE-A1-specific TCRs were isolated from MyT platform mice immunized with the MAGE-A1 epitope. Human donor-derived TCRs reactive to the same epitope were synthesized based on publicly available sequences, including a clinical-stage TCR. All TCRs were expressed in primary T cells and compared in assays measuring cytotoxicity, peptide sensitivity, T cell engraftment, IFN-? secretion, anti-tumor response and potential to recognize and kill cancer cell lines with different expression levels of MAGE-A1. The data demonstrated that T cells expressing TCR 8001, the TCR in our lead program TK-8001, performed better than human donor-derived TCRs in all evaluated metrics, including: Higher peptide sensitivity, a measure of affinity; Longer cytotoxic capacities upon repeated antigen stimulation; Long-term cytotoxic capacity, in a variety of different tumor types, at very low effector-to-target ratio; Superior T cell engraftment, leading to significantly enhanced relapse-free survival in a challenging tumor model; And higher IFN-? secretion upon tumor cell recognition, even in instances with low levels of MAGE-A1 expression. About The IMAG1NE Study The IMAG1NE Phase 1/2 trial is an accelerated dose-titration, open-label, multi-center Phase 1/2 trial designed to evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of TK-8001 in patients with MAGE-A1 positive solid tumors. The dose escalation part of the study is focused on the selection of the recommended Phase 2 dose to advance into the dose expansion part of the study. Once the recommended Phase 2 dose has been identified, TK-8001 will then be evaluated in the expansion part of the study. About T-knife Therapeutics T-knife is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing T cell receptor-based immunotherapies that deliver transformational benefits to cancer patients, initially focused on T cell receptor (TCR) engineered T cell therapies (TCR-Ts), a modality that holds the potential to generate transformational responses in patients with solid tumors. The company's unique approach leverages its proprietary MyT Platform, a next-generation T cell receptor and epitope discovery engine that produces fully human, tumor-specific TCRs, naturally selected in vivo for optimal affinity and specificity. T-knife is advancing a portfolio of TCR-T product candidates against targets with high unmet medical need, including cancer testis antigens and commonly shared tumor-driving neoantigens. The company's lead program targeting MAGE-A1 positive solid tumors is in a Phase 1/2 clinical study. T-knife was founded by leading T cell and immunology experts utilizing technology developed at the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine together with the Charite - Universitatsmedizin Berlin, and is supported by a leading group of international investors, including Andera Partners, EQT Life Sciences, RA Capital Management and Versant Ventures. For additional information, please visit the company's website at www.t-knife.com. The expanded Professional AudioVisual and Transformative Technology Solutions tradeshow attracted 7,298 business visitors and hosted close to 600 high-profile buyers. BANGKOK, Thailand, June 1, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - The three-day InfoComm Asia 2023 came to a close on 26 May, marking another successful showing for the annual event. This year's 38% larger InfoComm Asia - featuring 160 exhibiting companies from 18 countries, some 60 of whom are new at the Show - attracted 7,298 unique business visitors from all over Asia. THE EXHIBITION Where Valuable Tech Discoveries and Partnerships are Made Visitors comprised of AudioVisual (AV) and IT professionals looking to stay updated and for collaborative opportunities, entrepreneurs in search of technology-based inspirations, and technology end-users seeking solutions to advance their organizations and businesses. The energetic interactions on the show floor and comments that emerged reveal what a rewarding outing it had been. Exhibitor Aleksandr Yakimov, Business Development Manager, Unilumin enthused, "We have had a remarkable experience at the Show, and our participation has been consistently strong. The Asia Pacific region holds immense potential as a robust market, and we anticipate significant growth." "We've had very good response at the Show, having met so many end-users from different parts of the region. And as such we have even decided to expand our space for next year," another exhibitor, Jerry Park, Executive Director, Crestron added. "We're very excited to tap on InfoComm Asia as a catalyst to drive and promote our technologies and solutions." Some exhibitors - Jabra and Bose, for example - even took the opportunity to gather more than 150 of their regional partners and distributers collectively in one location, in conjunction with InfoComm Asia, and conducted their own activities to deepen connections with their associates. INVITED GUEST PROGRAM Top-profile Solution Seekers from All Over Asia Get Inspired by Latest Solutions and Technologies Among the business visitors, InfoComm Asia hosted close to 600 key senior decision-makers - 65% more than last year - under the Invited Guest Program. From Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, The Philippines and various parts of Thailand outside of Bangkok, these guests come from government agencies involved in education, healthcare, defense and security, smart cities, urban planning, transportation and citizen services, as well as private sectors involved in retail, media and advertising, and real estate development. Invited Guest Andi Permadi, Director of Operational & Digital Transformation, PT Jakarta Tourisindo (Jakarta Experience Board) beamed as he commented, "InfoComm Asia offers unique opportunities to see the latest AudioVisual technologies in the market which is exactly what we need now. The products and solutions featured at the Show can help accelerate the digital transformation and efficiency in our organization." Mr Permadi also added that PT Jakarta Tourisindo is currently renovating seven of their hotels in Indonesia and this is the best time for him to explore new AV technologies that can be implemented in those properties. Another Invited Guest was glad to have been accorded the chance to see first-hand and up-close the latest technologies and solutions in action. Nguyen Xuan Tung, Deputy Head of Academic Office, Hanoi University of Science and Technology said, "Through the Invited Guest Program, I now have the opportunity to meet face- to-face with solution providers, talk to them, and experience live product demonstrations to understand the solutions better." THE SUMMITS AND AV TECHNICAL TOURS Where Sharing, Learning and Networking Open Minds and Doors The InfoComm Asia Summit and NIXT Summit saw 1,057 delegates attended the 42 free-to-attend learning sessions, which cut across five different tracks, each catering to a different vertical market like education, retail, healthcare, agriculture, smart cities and urban planning, banking and finance, and enterprise. Delegates found these sessions highly relevant in addressing current and foreseeable challenges facing vertical market decision-makers and AV industry stakeholders. Fernando Paras, Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development, University of the Philippines expressed, "Attending the Summits, I learnt a great deal, including current trends and future direction in the education sector." Some 87 visitors joined the fast booked-out AV Technical Tours that provided a close-up live presentation of Hikvision's customizable, high-performing LED screens that were recently installed in the meeting rooms and along high-traffic routes at the newly-built Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. INFOCOMM ASIA 2024 Anticipation for a Larger Showcase with Expanded Halls "At the close of this year's Show, more than 90% of the exhibitors have booked their booth space for InfoComm Asia 2024 Show. Next year's Show will occupy halls 2, 3 and 4 of the same venue, a 50% increase in show floor space compared to this year," said Alicia Chen, Project Director, InfoCommAsia. Show Organizer InfoCommAsia announce that InfoComm Asia 2024 is slated for 17 to 19 July next year, at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC). Stay informed of latest updates at www.infocomm-asia.com. About InfoCommAsia InfoCommAsia Pte. Ltd. is the region's preeminent organizer of tradeshows for the Professional AudioVisual (Pro-AV) and Transformative Solutions industries. Through industry-leading shows for China, India and Asia, InfoCommAsia connects global and regional solution providers, vertical market end-users and the supply chain with the most important markets of Asia Pacific. Additional information is available at: infocomm-china.com | nixt-china.com | infocomm-india.com | infocomm-asia.com For more information, please contact: Rest of the World Angie Eng Marketing Director InfoCommAsia Pte Ltd angieeng@infocommasia.com Thailand Kanokwan Sukchaisri Managing Director Expo Inter Co., Ltd kanokwan.infocommasia@expointer.net Source: InfoCommAsiaCopyright 2023 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. BalticSeaH2 project creates a large-scale, cross-border valley around the Baltic Sea. The main valley is between southern Finland and Estonia. BalticSeaH2 builds the first significant, cross-border hydrogen valley in Europe. The goal is to create an integrated hydrogen economy around the Baltic Sea to enable self-sufficiency of energy and minimise carbon emissions from different industries. The project includes 40 partners from nine Baltic Sea area countries. Combining local areas into a broader valley supports creating an integrated, interregional hydrogen economy, which has not been done previously on this scale in Europe. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230531005647/en/ BalticSeaH2 builds the first significant, cross-border hydrogen valley in Europe. (Photo: Business Wire) The area between Finland and Estonia is an optimal location for a cross-border hydrogen market. The necessary infrastructure natural gas pipelines, electricity grids, and active marine traffic already exist in the Gulf of Finland. The project will support the reduction of the carbon emissions from existing marine traffic. In addition, Gasgrid Finland is already preparing hydrogen infrastructure: Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor, Baltic Sea Hydrogen Collector and Nordic Hydrogen Route enable strong growth for hydrogen economy and hydrogen markets in the Baltic Sea region. BalticSeaH2 projects enables 25 demonstration and investment cases to showcase the different sectors of hydrogen economy, adding up to over 4000 million euros in total investments. The production potential for hydrogen will reach 100 000 tonnes of hydrogen annually by the end of the project. The hydrogen and its derivatives can be utilised or sold by different industries brought together by the project. ABB, for example, develops and demonstrates megawatt-class fuel cell solutions that enable emission-free maritime transport in collaboration with its partners. Another key objective at ABB is to optimize the interplay between the various sectors of the hydrogen valley and the entire value chain using digital platforms. Finnish energy company Helen intends to produce green hydrogen with a PEM electrolyser. The first pilot plant should be running by 2024 and serve primarily heavy transport. Hydrogen can also be delivered to industry needs in containers. The faculty decreases carbon dioxide emissions in traffic and district heating production by 400 000 tonnes within the 20-year life cycle of the plant. With the hydrogen production pilot project, Helen can create necessary expertise and skills for widescale Power-to-X production needs. Finland ambitiously targets carbon neutrality by 2035, supported by our significant wind power potential. Producing and refining clean hydrogen for industry use, transport, and into new products creates new export opportunities. BalticSeaH2 project has prerequisites to create a fast-growing clean hydrogen market to accelerate the development of hydrogen economy in the Baltic Sea region and the whole Europe. The project starts in the beginning of June and lasts five years. The consortium includes 40 partners from nine Baltic Sea region countries: Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The project and consortium were prepared by Finnish CLIC Innovation, who is also the project coordinator. Gasgrid Finland is a co-coordinator for the collaboration in the project. The total volume of the project is 33 million euro, with a 25 million funding from the EU. Clean Hydrogen Partnership supports European hydrogen valley projects with RePowerEU funding from the commission. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230531005647/en/ Contacts: Press contacts: Jatta Jussila, CLIC Innovation CEO, CLIC Innovation p. +358 40 825 6500 jatta.jussila@clicinnovation.fi Sara Karki, Gasgrid Senior Vice President, Gasgrid Finland Oy and at COO Gasgrid vetyverkot Oy sara.karki@gasgrid.fi p. +358 40 158 1722 Interview requests through Gasgrid communications: satu.linkola@gasgrid.fi, puh 046 877 3392 Simo Saynevirta Head of ABB Green Electrification ecosystem Chairman of Hydrogen Cluster Finland simo.saynevirta@fi.abb.com p. +358 50 332 4475 Jaana Viitakangas, Helen Development manager, Hydrogen and P2X, Helen jaana.viitakangas@helen.fi p. +358 44 751 3879 Onera Health has announced the formation of a Medical Advisory Board ahead of SLEEP 2023, the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC (APSS) annual meeting, where the company exhibits and presents two poster abstracts. Onera Health, a leader in transforming sleep medicine and remote monitoring, today announced the formation of a Medical Advisory Board to continue delivering on its commitment to making clinical-grade remote diagnostics and monitoring broadly accessible and user-friendly. The Medical Advisory Board consists of Prof. Dr. Ludger Grote (Gothenburg), Prof. Dr. David White (Boston/Denver), and Prof. Dr. Hartmut Schneider (Baltimore/Frankfurt), with each of these experts offering scientific and medical expertise as well as profound knowledge and perspective on a variety of sleep health-related topics. "When we founded Onera in 2017, we set out to define a new gold-standard in sleep diagnostics by building our solution on a strong scientific base. Today, we further strengthen that foundation with the formation of our Medical Advisory Board," says Ruben de Francisco, Founder and CEO of Onera. "The insights and guidance from this respected and passionate group of advisors will be critical in ensuring that we remain rooted in science as we grow as a company. We are honored and excited to work closely with each of them and tap their unparalleled expertise "I look forward to aligning with the expertise of my colleagues and adding to Onera's clinical perspective and vision," says Hartmut Schneider, Chief Medical Officer and Onera Co-Founder. "Onera's groundbreaking technology offers such great potential in our field at scale. Ensuring the delivery of clinical-grade data is vital to this opportunity. Alongside my fellow advisors, it is fantastic to work with an organization like Onera that puts scientific validation and the needs of patients and physicians at the heart of its innovative solutions Sleep disturbances are linked to poorer overall health and chronic diseases. I believe Onera's solution for conducting sleep studies in the patient's home will provide physicians with the necessary tools to improve health outcomes beyond sleep. The board will convene regularly, with different topics being highlighted for discussion during each meeting to get comprehensive and constructive feedback on Onera's technologies and solutions. Furthermore, Onera will exhibit its solution and will present its latest research at the 37th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS), SLEEP 2023, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis from June 5-7, 2023 (Booth #934). Details of Onera's abstract and poster sessions are as follows: Title: A wireless patch-based polysomnography system for conducting in-lab sleep studies Presenting author: Hartmut Schneider Abstract ID: 507 Poster Presentation Session: P-30 Poster Presentation Date and Time: June 6, 2023, 5-6 PM Poster Board Number: 190 Title: Patient-reported experience with a wireless patch-based polysomnography system results from a pilot study Presenting author: Steven Coughlin Abstract ID: 546 Poster Presentation Session: P-30 Poster Presentation Date and Time: June 6, 2023, 12-1:15 PM Poster Board Number: 191 About Onera Onera Health is a leader in transforming diagnostics and monitoring. Their breakthrough products and technologies are poised to help millions of people struggling with health ailments and chronic conditions in a variety of medical fields, including sleep, neuro, cardiac and respiratory care, ultimately improving the health and quality of life for patients around the world. The company's innovative solutions provide comprehensive physiological and health-related data to physicians in a variety of clinical and non-clinical environments to optimize patient care and reduce healthcare costs. Onera has offices in the Netherlands and the US. For more information, go to www.onerahealth.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230601005076/en/ Contacts: Swea Ann Hagenhoff P: +31 (0)40 3082177 E: media@onerahealth.com BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- In an effort to prevent major workplace accidents, Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing on Wednesday called for workplace safety risks to be eliminated and for the fulfillment of management responsibilities to be ensured. Zhang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks at a ceremony in Beijing marking the launch of the country's annual workplace safety month. The campaign should be used as an opportunity to improve safety awareness, strengthen management, and enhance emergency response capabilities, Zhang said. The vice premier also stressed the importance of screening safety hazards, including illegal outsourcing and chaotic management, and said that local authorities must fulfill their responsibilities and improve the quality of risk detection and rectification. SAINT HELIER, Jersey, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Elwood Capital Management Limited ("Elwood" or "the Company"), a leading OTC Desk providing institutional access to digital asset markets, has announced it has successfully obtained an Investment Business license by the Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC). Today's announcement is the first Investment Business licence granted to a native digital asset business in Jersey, further enhancing Elwood's OTC capabilities. Elwood can now provide trading in security tokens and derivatives, in addition to non-securities, under Elwood Capital Management Limited's Virtual Asset Service Provider ('VASP') Schedule 2 Registration. As one of the world's most respected offshore financial regulatory authorities, the JFSC rigorously evaluates and monitors businesses operating within the Jersey financial service market. Commenting on the announcement, Oliver Butlin, Director & Global Head of Trading, said, "We are incredibly proud of the Elwood team working with the Jersey Financial Services Commission to secure this Investment Business licence. This step is an essential milestone in bringing the same regulatory expectations of our clients in traditional asset classes to digital assets." Elwood remains dedicated to providing their clients a positive and user-friendly experience while ensuring the highest security and regulatory compliance standards. Disclaimer: Trading in security tokens and/ or derivatives may not be available to all clients and is available only to institutional clients that are non-U.S. persons located outside of the U.S.. About Elwood Capital Management Limited Elwood Capital Management Limited is a leading digital asset trading firm, delivering execution services that offers deep liquidity and client led solutions for institutions, family offices and professional investors. Leveraging Elwood Technologies' crypto-native platform and connectivity, Elwood Capital Management allows financial institutions to access the digital assets market quickly and efficiently, minimising market impact. For further information, contact: press@elwood.io View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/elwood-secures-investment-business-licence-strengthening-the-firms-digital-asset-otc-capabilities-301840048.html Ivanhoe Mines to release Kamoa-Kakula production results for month of May on Monday, June 5 London, United Kingdom--(Newsfile Corp. - June 1, 2023) - Ivanhoe Mines (TSX: IVN) (OTCQX: IVPAF) announced today that it is not aware of any company-specific reason that might be contributing to the recent decline in the company's share price, other than general market volatility. Ivanhoe will release production results for the month of May from the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex on Monday, June 5, 2023. About Ivanhoe Mines Ivanhoe Mines is a Canadian mining company focused on advancing its three principal projects in Southern Africa; the expansion of the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the construction of the tier-one Platreef palladium-nickel-platinum-rhodium-copper-gold project in South Africa; and the restart of the historic ultra-high-grade Kipushi zinc-copper-germanium-silver mine, also in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ivanhoe Mines is also exploring for new copper discoveries across its circa 2,400km2 of 90-100% owned exploration licences in the Western Foreland, which are located adjacent to the Kamoa-Kakula Mining Complex in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Information contact Follow Robert Friedland (@robert_ivanhoe) and Ivanhoe Mines (@IvanhoeMines_) on Twitter. Investors Vancouver: Matthew Keevil +1.604.558.1034 London: Tommy Horton +44 7866 913 207 Media Tanya Todd +1.604.331.9834 Website www.ivanhoemines.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/168335 NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2023 / McDonald's Corporation Think about the last time you stepped inside a McDonald's restaurant. Did you notice anything that surprised you? Perhaps you enjoyed table service for the first time or lounged in the comfort of a stylish interior. Many McDonald's restaurants, both inside and out, look and feel different than they did in years past - and that's no accident. Meet Nika Samedova and Silke Korporal: two women who are helping change the way McDonald's restaurants look and feel around the world. Combined, Nika and Silke have spent more than a half century working under the Golden Arches, and their work can be seen at McDonald's restaurants around the world. Together, they're challenging the status quo to make McDonald's restaurants more modern, sustainable and welcoming for customers and crew. "It never gets boring," Silke says. How Nika and Silke's Careers Crossed Paths Silke - now McDonald's Lead for Global Design Standards - started her McDonald's career as a restaurant crew member in Hamburg, Germany at age 18. "I wanted to buy designer jeans, and I needed a job," she remembers. She worked at the restaurant throughout her time at university, and ultimately landed a job with the German McDonald's development department after graduating and becoming a trained architect and urban planner. Because of her experience as a restaurant crew member, Silke always pays attention to how small changes to restaurant design can impact the people working there. She's proud that McDonald's invites architects the company works with to experience a "restaurant day," where they spend time in a McDonald's kitchen to understand where changes may be necessary. "It's so important to consider the crew's perspective," Silke says. Nika, who was raised in Azerbaijan, began her career with an approved design and production supplier for McDonald's in the United States. Years later, Nika joined McDonald's, and she and Silke became coworkers at the McDonald's Design Hub in Europe. Now, they've worked closely together for more than a decade, with Nika ascending to Global Restaurant Design Lead - IRLX (In Real Life Experience) and New Format Design. For years, Nika dedicated her efforts to enhancing the family and play experience for customers in McDonald's restaurants, including re-imagining McDonald's play strategy and deploying new solutions across markets. Nika has helped bring many family-focused McDonald's restaurants to life, with her current favorite located in Fulvio Testi, Italy. Today, Nika leads the development of design concepts and in-restaurant solutions suitable for a wide range of customers, occasions, locations and store types. This means that she's the mind behind many of the things customers see, feel and experience when they visit McDonald's restaurants. Silke, meanwhile, leads the technical and material side of restaurant design development. She works with external design agencies, whose drawings are turned into prototypes and value engineered, and helps select raw materials that meet our high sustainability and quality standards. Silke also works closely with the McDonald's Global Strategic Sourcing Services to ensure countries receive the best materials to maintain the caliber of their unique spaces. All these steps result in the creation of restaurant standards, product catalogues and design guidelines. Transforming The McDonald's Customer Experience One Restaurant at a Time One of the highlights of Silke's career thus far has been helping McDonald's improve the customer experience by integrating self-order kiosks and table service into restaurants. "Table service allows people so much more time to relax," Silke explains. "It can feel like an elevated experience." Another highlight of Silke's career has been helping McDonald's become more sustainable. She helps discover building efficiencies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sources more sustainable materials that help McDonald's improve its carbon footprint. Nika is equally as passionate about keeping McDonald's agile as the world keeps changing. "Different restaurant formats and new building types with full ranges of fulfillment channels for our guests are new ways to push boundaries," she says, adding that McDonald's is challenging the status quo through innovative thinking and approaches. As delivering great "on-premise" experiences remains one of McDonald's key business priorities, Nika is dedicated to ensuring restaurant design creates feel good moments for customers and employees. "We want our spaces to feel comfortable and playful, and we encourage cheerful gatherings and carefree moments in our restaurants," she explains. One of the projects she's most proud of is renovating the McDonald's restaurant she would visit as a little girl. "I remember waiting in line to visit my first McDonald's restaurant 30 years ago," Nika says. "Years later, I was part of the team that modernized that very restaurant." View original content here View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from McDonald's Corporation on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: McDonald's Corporation Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/mcdonalds-corporation Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: McDonald's Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758589/Meet-the-Team-Making-McDonalds-Restaurants-More-Modern-Sustainable-and-Welcoming CHELTENHAM, England, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cylera, a global leader in healthcare IoT cybersecurity and intelligence solutions, has partnered with Oman's first and largest integrated telecommunications services provider, Omantel. Omantel plays a significant role in the development and digital transformation of Oman. It contributes to the country's economic growth by facilitating communication, connectivity, and digital services for businesses, individuals, retail, and government entities. Omantel's services are crucial for Oman's social and economic progress. The partnership will further cement Cylera's position in the Middle East and increase its global market reach, following the successful rollouts of its cybersecurity and asset management platform, and its patented technologies in the UK, U.S., and Europe. Together, Omantel and Cylera will deliver advanced solutions designed specifically to support the rapid digitalisation of healthcare in Oman, a region which will see 11 new hospitals built and upgraded over the next two years. Global healthcare's critical infrastructure is digitalising at pace as demand grows for better patient care and services. In 2020 it was estimated that 646 million new and legacy devices worldwide were connected to hospital networks, with tens of thousands more added each year. This uptake in IoT and IoMT (Internet of Medical Things) is contributing to the complexity of hospitals' digital estates and expanding their online attack surface, driving the need for better management and visibility of devices on the network to reduce cybersecurity risk and streamline patient care. Timur Ozekcin, CEO and Co-Founder of Cylera, said: "The increased global usage of IoT and IoMT in healthcare settings is critical to helping improve patient care and safety. However, with these organisations being a continued focus for cybercrime, hospitals must be able to view and map their entire connected landscape including their unmanaged and unknown devices, to efficiently assess risk while also being able to deliver the best in service." Cylera's platform provides a centralised dashboard for IT teams to view, profile, manage and risk assess their entire connected environment in one platform. Its partnership with Omantel will combine the telecommunication giant's best-in-class data analysis capabilities and innovative approach to digital transformation with Cylera's pioneering healthcare cybersecurity technologies to bring world-leading enterprise management solutions for complex connected environments. Aladdin Bait Fadhil, Chief Commercial Officer at Omantel, said: "This is a partnership which will greatly enhance the cybersecurity of growing connected environments and continue to enable the rapid digitalisation occurring in Oman, positioning the country as a world-leader in healthcare. Adding Cylera's ground-breaking technologies to our existing class-leading product portfolio will further strengthen our offering in Oman's medical space, delivering the most advanced digital healthcare solutions to the region." Timur added: "Cylera is honoured to be working closely with Omantel. With the continued investment in critical infrastructure in the region, Oman is an exciting market for Cylera to be operating in and is playing a pivotal role in our ambitious global expansion plans." Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2088659/Cylera_Omantel.jpg Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2088836/Cylera_Omantel.mp4 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/pioneering-healthcare-iot-cybersecurity-specialist-cylera-partners-with-omans-leading-telecommunications-services-provider-omantel-301840066.html True Talent Group announces their new Client Success Partner focused on driving growth and expanding reach in the Chicagoland and Milwaukee markets. CHICAGO, IL / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2023 / We are excited to announce that True Talent Group has hired Alexis Blank to direct growth in the Chicagoland market. She will focus on serving mid- to large-sized corporations and marketing agencies with creative consulting and direct placement services. Alexis brings deep industry experience and years of Chicagoland service to the role, a first of its kind for True Talent Group. "This is an exciting phase of our growth, and we're thrilled to welcome Alexis to the team to take us to the next level. With her passion for client service and great Marketing experience, we know she'll serve our clients well," says Stacey Stratton, CEO and Founder. "As companies re-evaluate their relationships with traditional marketing agencies, they're looking for creative solutions to their talent needs. That's where Alexis comes in-to provide best-in-class marketing talent solutions for companies in Chicago." True Talent Group is headquartered in Minnesota and has been an award-winning provider of best-in-class marketing, creative, and digital talent solutions for 15 years. They provide staffing and direct placement for marketing, creative, and digital talent professionals in over 20 states. Contact Information Alexis Blank Client Success Partner, True Talent Group alexis@truetalentgroup.com 872-254-4882 Stacey Stratton Founder & CEO, True Talent Group stacey@truetalentgroup.com 612-860-0370 SOURCE: True Talent Group View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758109/True-Talent-Group-Expands-Commitment-to-the-Chicagoland-Market-With-New-Client-Success-Partner-Hire VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2023 / Silver X Mining Corp. (TSX-V:AGX)(OTCQB:AGXPF)(F:AGX) ("Silver X" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Enrique Garay, P.Geo., as Chief Operating Officer ("COO") effective June 1, 2023. The appointment of a new COO is part of the Company's commitment to operational improvement and its overarching strategy to ensure its growth potential at the Nueva Recuperada Project (the "Project") in Peru. Mr. Garay is a seasoned senior exploration and mine geologist with almost 30 years of experience in maximizing the potential of operating assets and bringing new mines into production in the Americas. Throughout his career, he was a key member in the evaluation, acquisition, development, construction, commissioning and operation of three gold mines: Pierina, La Arena and Shahuindo, all in Peru. Mr. Garay served as Senior Vice President, Geology, for Rio2 Limited from 2018 to 2022, monitoring $100 million CapEx and $10 million OpEx budgets with exploration teams based in Peru and Chile. Prior to joining Rio2 Limited, Mr. Garay was Corporate Manager, Geology and Exploration, for Nexa Resources in Peru, supervising the Cerro Lindo mine, Peru's largest underground polymetallic mine, and El Porvenir and Atacocha mines and Nexa's exploration program in Peru. Mr. Garay has also held positions with Rio Alto Mining Limited, Consorcio Minero Horizonte, Hochschild Mining PLC, and Minera Barrick Misquichilca S.A. Mr. Garay holds a degree in Geological Engineering from the National University of Engineering, Lima, Peru, a Master of Science, Mineral Economic degree from Queen's University, Canada, and is a Professional Geoscientist in British Columbia. As part of his appointment as COO, Mr. Garay will also become the Qualified Person (QP), as such term is defined in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, for Silver X. "I am very excited to have Enrique join our team, one of the leading mining professionals in Peru" stated Jose M. Garcia, President & CEO of Silver X. "This appointment is a key step forward in Silver X's strategy to establish itself as an intermediate silver producer in the Americas. Enrique brings unparalleled experience in the management and growth of operating mining companies. Enrique's focus will be on building a sustainable and profitable operation, bringing our costs in line with our performance in the third quarter of 2022, and demonstrating the growth potential of our Project." As ramp up to nameplate capacity at the Nueva Recuperada mill continues, the Company has focused its resources on the development of the Tangana Mining Unit with record performance in terms of development and mine preparation as well as accessing higher grade areas. In addition, among other measures, the Company has reduced headcount and engaged contractors to carry out most of its operations making changes to the management team and appointing Carlos Trillo Medrano as General Manager of Operations. These adjustments are expected to deliver more sustainable levels of production in future quarters while improving effectiveness and reducing costs. RSU and Options Grant The Company also announces it has awarded of 70,000 restricted share units of the Company ("RSUs") pursuant to the Company's Restricted Share Unit Plan to an officer of the Company. The RSUs have a term of one year and vest as to 50% on the date that is six months from the date of grant and as to the other 50% on the date that is 12 months following the date of the grant. Additionally, the Company announces that it has granted 250,000 stock options (the "Options") to purchase common shares of the Company pursuant to the Company's Stock Option Plan to an officer of the Company. The Options are exercisable to purchase common shares of the Company at an exercise price of $0.29 per common share for a period of five years expiring on June 1, 2028, and vest as to 30% immediately upon grant, as to 35% on the date that is six months following the date of grant and as to the final 35% on the date that is 12 months following the grant. Non-Brokered Private Placement Further to the Company's announcement on May 17, 2023, of its intention to complete a non-brokered private placement (the "Financing"), the Company has amended the terms of the warrants forming part of the units of the Company that are expected to be issued under the Financing to remove the acceleration clause. About Silver X Mining Corp. Silver X is a rapidly-expanding silver developer and producer. The Company owns the 20,000-hectare Nueva Recuperada Silver Project in Central Peru and produces silver, gold, lead and zinc from the Tangana Mining Unit. Our mission is to be a premier silver company delivering outstanding value to all stakeholders and we aim to achieve this by consolidating and developing undervalued assets, creating value by adding resources and increasing production while aspiring to social and environmental excellence. For more information visit our website at www.silverxmining.com. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Jose M. Garcia CEO and Director For further information, please contact: Fiona Grant Leydier Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Marketing T: +1 647 259 6901 x 101 E: f.grant@silverxmining.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation ("forward-looking information"). 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 acts, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". All information contained in this press release, other than statements of current and historical fact, is forward looking information. Forward-looking information contained in this press release may include, without limitation, exploration plans, results of operations, expected performance at the Nueva Recuperada Project (the "Project"), the ability of the new zones at the Project to feed production at the Company's Nueva Recuperada Plant in the near term, the expected ramp up at the Nueva Recuperada mill; the expected resource expansion potential at the Tangana Mining Unit,; the expectation that the Company will have sustainable levels of production and reduced costs in the future quarters; and the expected financial performance of the Company.The following are some of the assumptions upon which forward-looking information is based: that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner; demand for, and stable or improving price for the commodities we produce; receipt of regulatory and governmental approvals, permits and renewals in a timely manner; that the Company will not experience any material accident, labour dispute or failure of plant or equipment or other material disruption in the Company's operations at the Project and Nueva Recuperada Plant; the availability of financing for operations and development; the Company's ability to procure equipment and operating supplies in sufficient quantities and on a timely basis; that the estimates of the resources at the Project and the geological, operational and price assumptions on which these and the Company's operations are based are within reasonable bounds of accuracy (including with respect to size, grade and recovery); the Company's ability to attract and retain skilled personnel and directors; and the ability of management to execute strategic goals. 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 the Company, as the case may be, to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to those risks described in the Company's annual and interim MD&As and in its public documents filed on www.sedar.com from time to time. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. SOURCE: Silver X Mining Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758511/Silver-X-Mining-Announces-the-Appointment-of-New-Chief-Operating-Officer-and-Bolstered-Operational-Focus-for-2023 Brampton, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 1, 2023) - Star Navigation Systems Group Ltd. (CSE: SNA) (OTC Pink: SNAVF) (FSE: S3O) ("Star" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the Letter of Intent "LOI" with Caverton Helicopters Limited for the STAR-ISMS (In-Flight Safety Monitoring System) as its complete aviation solution for their current Fleet of Helicopters and Aircraft. Caverton will also become a Channel Partner, and Maintenance Repair and Overhaul ("MRO") installation service provider in West Africa. Caverton Helicopters Limited is a subsidiary of Caverton Offshore Support Group Plc. Caverton Offshore Support Group is the first fully integrated offshore support company in Sub-Saharan Africa providing quality Aviation and Marine logistics services to businesses operating in the oil and gas industry. By embracing technology and building a formidable asset base and several physical infrastructures in the region, the Caverton Group is well positioned to harness the abundant opportunities currently available in the African market with the highest level of Safety and Efficiency. With a total staff strength of 650 employees across 4 West African countries and a combined fleet of 30 Helicopters and Aircraft, the Caverton Group has emerged as a true Pan African success story and partner of choice for the major players in the oil and gas sector, and certainly the Partner of choice for Star Navigation in bringing this technology to West Africa. Capt. Ibrahim Bello, Managing Director and Accountable Manager of Caverton Helicopters Limited stated, "Our focus has always been to provide an efficient unwavering commitment to highest standards of safety' reliability, quality and customer experience, which has uniquely positioned Caverton to exceed all our clients' expectations with the STAR-ISMS product and provide for Maintenance, Engineering, Offshore Oil & Gas, Military/Defense, the inspiration in embracing the latest Technological improved developments within the aviation sector of Africa." Capt. Jonathan Kordich Executive VP, Star Navigation Systems stated, "We are very impressed by the capability, services, forward-looking thinking of Caverton. We praise the intent of Caverton to implement such significant technological changes in the interest of Air Incidents and Accident Preventions, Operational Optimization, Cost Savings, and precision Tracking to the ICAO GADSS (Global Aeronautical Distress Safety Systems) Standard. Additionally, we are pleased to announce our intent to become a Channel Partner with Caverton Helicopters in Lagos, Nigeria and are confident the relationship will be further solidified within 30 days of this LOI." About Star Navigation Systems www.star-navigation.com Star Navigation Systems Group Ltd. manufactures the In-flight Safety Monitoring System, STAR-ISMS, the heart of the STAR-A.D.S. System. The STAR-A.D.S. System has real-time capability with GADSS capability Tracking, All Aircraft Systems Performance trends and predicting incident-occurrences which enhances aviation safety and improves fleet management while reducing costs for the operator. In addition, Star's MMI Defense Division designs and manufactures high performance, mission critical, flight deck flat panel displays for defence and commercial aviation industries worldwide. About Caverton Offshore Support Group Plc. www.caverton-offshore.com Caverton Offshore Support Group Plc is an integrated provider of logistics, aviation, and marine services in Africa, listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and operates out of Lagos, Nigeria. The group's flagship company, Caverton Helicopters Limited, is the largest indigenous aviation logistics support company in Nigeria, with two decades of experience providing services to the oil and gas industry. Since 2021, our aviation business is also offering third party training and maintenance services via a recently commissioned Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility and the Caverton Aviation Training Centre, both in Lagos. The marine subsidiary, Caverton Marine Limited, is one of Nigeria's oldest shipping companies and has been repositioned for growth through a foray into the local manufacturing of Glass Reinforced Plastic boats servicing the growth of Nigeria's mass transit ferry transportation. Forward-Looking Information Certain statements in this news release may constitute "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are statements that address or discuss activities, events or developments that Star expects or anticipates may occur in the future. When used in this news release, words such as "estimates", "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "projects", "will", "believes", "intends" "should", "could", "may" and other similar terminology are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations and beliefs of Star's management. Because forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, actual results, performance or achievements of Star or the industry may be materially different from those implied by such forward-looking statements. Examples of such forward-looking information that may be contained in this news release include statements regarding; growth and future prospects of our business; our perceptions of the industry and markets in which we operate and anticipated trends in such markets; expectations regarding the operation of our app; and our future revenues. Material factors or assumptions that were applied in drawing a conclusion or making an estimate set out in the forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, our ability to execute on our business plan, increase visibility amongst consumers and convert users to revenue producing subscribers and the success of the business of our partners. Forward-looking statements involve significant uncertainties, should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be an accurate indication of whether or not such results will be achieved. The risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic to the airline industry are real and substantial but cannot be defined or measured in any meaningful way at this time. Should one or more of these factors or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Accordingly, readers should exercise caution in relying upon forward-looking statements and Star undertakes no obligation to publicly revise them to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as required by law. 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. Please visit www.star-navigation.com or contact Anoop Brar, Interim-Chief Executive Officer at 1-416-252-2889 anoop.brar@star-navigation.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/168336 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 1, 2023) - Tenet Fintech Group Inc. (CSE: PKK) (OTC Pink: PKKFF) ("Tenet" or the "Company"), an innovative fintech technology services provider and operator of the Cubeler Business Hub, announced today that it intends to complete a non-brokered private placement financing of units of the Company ("Unit") for proceeds of up to $3,000,000 (the "Offering"), conducted in tranches of a minimum of $300,000 per tranche over a period of six months. The First Tranche Offering will be comprised of 2,142,858 Units. Each Unit sold in the First Tranche Offering (referenced below) is comprised of one common share of the Company (each, a "Common Share") and one common share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant") to purchase one Common Share at a price of $0.175 per share any time prior to two years following the closing of the First Tranche Offering, subject to certain terms and conditions. The first tranche offering (the "First Tranche Offering") of 2,142,858 Units is offered at a price of $0.14 per Unit (the "First Tranche Offering Price"), for gross proceeds of $300,000.12. The First Tranche Offering will take place by way of a private placement to a Cayman Segregated Portfolio Company, Open-Ended Fund, (the "Investor") managed by an investment firm headquartered in Hong Kong. It is the intention of the parties that the offering of the Units will be made in reliance on the exemptions available in OSC Rule 72-503 Distributions Outside Canada. The Company expects to close the First Tranche Offering on Thursday June 7th 2023. Subsequent tranches of Units in the Offering will be priced at the time of each such tranche, within the pricing policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Private Placement for working capital requirements and for other general corporate purposes, including safeguarding the Company's financial position in the short-term and allowing the Company to meet its payroll obligations. Forward-looking information Certain statements included in this presentation constitute "forward-looking statements" under Canadian securities law, including statements based on management's assessment and assumptions and publicly available information with respect to the Company. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. The Company cautions that its assumptions may not materialize and that current economic conditions render such assumptions, although reasonable at the time they were made, subject to greater uncertainty. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of terminology such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "assumes," "outlook," "plans," "targets", or other similar words. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from the outlook or any future results, performance or achievements implied by such statements. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Important risk factors that could affect the forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, holding company with significant operations in China; general economic and business conditions, including factors impacting the Company's business in China such as pandemics (ex.: COVID-19); legislative and/or regulatory developments; Global Financial conditions, repatriation of profits or transfer of funds from China to Canada, operations in foreign jurisdictions and possible exposure to corruption, bribery or civil unrest; actions by regulators; uncertainties of investigations, proceedings or other types of claims and litigation; timing and completion of capital programs; liquidity and capital resources, negative operating cash flow and additional funding, dilution from further financing; financial performance and timing of capital; and other risks detailed from time to time in reports filed by the Company with securities regulators in Canada, the United States or other jurisdictions. We refer potential investors to the "Risks and Uncertainties" section of the Company's MD&A. The reader is cautioned to consider these and other risks and uncertainties carefully and not to put undue reliance on forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements reflect information as of the date on which they are made. The Company assumes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect future events, changes in circumstances, or changes in beliefs, unless required by applicable securities laws. In the event the Company does update any forward-looking statement, no inference should be made that the Company will make additional updates with respect to that statement, related matters, or any other forward-looking statement. All amounts are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated. About Tenet Fintech Group Inc.: Tenet Fintech Group Inc. is the parent company of a group of innovative financial technology (Fintech) and artificial intelligence (AI) companies. All references to Tenet in this news release, unless explicitly specified, includes Tenet and all its subsidiaries. Tenet's subsidiaries provide various analytics and AI-based services to businesses and financial institutions through the Business Hub, a global ecosystem where analytics and AI are used to create opportunities and facilitate B2B transactions among its members. Please visit our website at: http://www.tenetfintech.com For more information, please contact: Tenet Fintech Group Inc. Christina Boyd, Director, Investor Relations 416-428-9954 cboyd@tenetfintech.com Follow Tenet Fintech Group Inc. on social media: Twitter: @Tenet_Fintech Facebook: @Tenet LinkedIn: Tenet YouTube: Tenet Fintech To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/168337 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 1, 2023) - Doubleview Gold Corp. (TSXV: DBG) (OTCQB: DBLVF) (FSE: A1W038) (the "Company or "Doubleview") is pleased to announce assay results of Hat Project drill holes H045, H046, H047, H048, H050 and H051. Drill hole H050 intersected the strongest Cobalt mineralization yet with 2240g/t over 3 meters. Drill hole H045 intersected one of the longest and strongest sections of mineralization reported in this news release with 459m at 0.91% CuEq. The Hat Project is a large alkalic copper-gold porphyry-type deposit located in northwestern British Columbia that since 2011 has been explored by Doubleview utilizing technical surveys and diamond drilling operations. Hat Property surveys and drilling have been largely directed to the Lisle copper-gold-cobalt-scandium mineral zone. Principal minerals are chalcopyrite, pyrite and magnetite hosted in volcaniclastic and gabbroic formations. The Lisle Zone has indicated dimensions of approximately 2.7 km by 1.7 km and is still being delimited laterally and at depth. Drill holes reported in this news release were positioned as follows: H045 and H046 expanded the West Lisle area, H047 extended an area of strong mineralization north-northeast of the Main Lisle Zone that was discovered by drilling in 2022 and holes H049, H050 and H051 added significantly to the west side of the Main Lisle Zone. Assay data are included in Table 1. Assays are summarized as follows: North-Northeast of Lisle Zone: Drill hole H047 intercepted 343.6 meters* with 0.91% Cu Equivalent** from surface, including 120.9 meters with 1.05% CuEq. West of the Lisle Zone: Drill hole H045: intercepted 459.0 meters with 0.92% Cu Eq from 28m depth, including 127.0 meters with 0.98% Cu Eq. Drill hole H046: intercepted 315.1 meters with 0.81% Cu Eq from 66m depth, including 141.0 meters with 0.97% Cu Eq. Main-west of the Lisle Zone: Drill hole H049: Assays pending. Drill hole H050: intercepted 290.1 meters with 1.03% Cu Eq from near surface, including 207.6 meters with 1.08% Cu Eq. Drill hole H051: intercepted 313.4 meters with 0.96% Cu Eq from near surface, including 44.8 meters with 1.30% Cu Eq. Note: (*) Drill hole intercepts are presented as drilled. The company does not have sufficient information to provide true deposit dimensions. Significant intercepts are presented in Table 1 and discussed below. Drill hole locations and sections are shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 and coordinates and other location details are presented in Table 2. Farshad Shirvani, Doubleview's president and CEO, comments that "Recent drilling exploration has shown continuity and strength of mineralization in the Lisle deposit, although boundaries in all directions are not yet known. The year 2023 is crucial for the development of the Hat project, as it involves metallurgical studies and the maiden resource estimation, which will provide insights into the significance of this deposit. I am delighted that we have one of the largest and potentially viable Scandium and Copper deposits in the Western Hemisphere." TABLE 1. Assay results DDH From (m) To (m) Length (m) Ag (g/t) Au (g/t) Co (g/t) Cu (%) Sc (g/t) CuEq (%)* incl Sc2O3 H045 28.0 487.0 459.0 0.49 0.09 87.4 0.15 29.5 0.92 Inc. 28.0 184.0 156.0 1.00 0.07 85.0 0.20 27.7 0.91 Inc. 91.0 184.0 93.0 1.10 0.09 93.5 0.28 27.0 0.98 Inc. 336.0 463.0 127.0 0.31 0.16 141.1 0.22 26.8 0.98 Inc. 338.0 418.0 80.0 0.37 0.19 183.6 0.26 29.2 1.11 Inc. 338.0 385.0 47.0 0.43 0.22 205.1 0.30 32.9 1.27 Inc. 352.0 385.0 33.0 0.49 0.28 228.3 0.37 30.0 1.30 H046 44.0 359.1 315.1 0.53 0.10 108.8 0.16 23.8 0.81 Inc. 128.0 281.0 153.0 0.92 0.15 142.7 0.26 24.0 0.95 Inc. 128.0 356.0 228.0 0.66 0.14 119.7 0.20 22.2 0.84 Inc. 128.0 269.0 141.0 0.70 0.15 145.9 0.26 25.0 0.97 H047 7.6 351.2 343.6 0.55 0.11 73.9 0.12 30.0 0.91 Inc. 14.0 336.7 322.7 0.57 0.11 75.2 0.13 29.4 0.91 Inc. 99.0 219.9 120.9 0.86 0.20 97.1 0.17 31.0 1.05 Inc. 99.0 158.3 59.3 1.22 0.37 135.8 0.25 32.0 1.26 Inc. 99.0 120.3 21.3 0.37 0.58 147.6 0.09 31.5 1.24 Inc. 145.5 158.3 12.8 3.83 0.45 195.5 0.75 29.3 1.71 Inc. 219.5 219.9 0.4 18.70 0.36 192.0 2.28 18.1 2.76 H050 64.2 342.3 278.1 0.85 0.11 143.9 0.21 29.0 0.99 Inc. 12.8 302.8 290.1 0.81 0.10 148.3 0.19 31.0 1.03 Inc. 99.1 306.7 207.6 1.11 0.13 178.9 0.26 29.2 1.08 Inc. 99.1 165.6 66.5 2.96 0.24 350.9 0.55 29.6 1.49 Inc. 127.3 130.2 3.0 45.90 1.31 1715.0 5.87 16.4 7.19 Inc. 146.5 149.5 3.0 2.85 0.23 2240.0 0.34 3.1 1.58 Inc. 202.5 247.4 45.0 0.35 0.14 190.3 0.20 29.8 1.04 H051 7.0 320.4 313.4 0.35 0.06 76.4 0.11 33.7 0.96 Inc. 107.9 152.7 44.8 1.78 0.27 221.4 0.51 24.9 1.30 Inc. 117.5 118.7 1.2 19.60 2.41 1490.0 5.17 14.7 6.98 Notes: - Metal equivalents should not be relied upon for future evaluations. - Drill hole intercepts included in this news release are core lengths that may or may not be true widths of mineralization. It is not possible to determine true widths. **Copper Equivalent (CuEq%) is estimated using the following metal values and equations: - *CuEq(%) =(Ag(g/t) x Price_Ag x Rec_Ag/31.1035 + Au(g/t) x Price_Au x Rec_Au/31.1035 + Co(%) x Price_Co x Rec_Co x 22.0462 + Cu(%)x Price_Cu x Rec_Cu x 22.0462 + Sc(g/t) x Price_Sc x Rec_Sc x Sc_con) / (Price_Cu x 22.0462) - Price_Ag = $22.20/troy oz, Price_Au=$1,812.14/ troy oz, Price_Co = $23.30/lb, Price_Cu = $3.84/lb, Price_Sc TABLE 2. Drill Hole Data Drill Hole ID UTM - East UTM - North Elevation Max-Depth Azimuth Dip Area H044 347,148 6,454,257 972 18 290 -55 Lost Hole H045 347,151 6,454,269 972 562 45 -60 Lisle West H046 347,151 6,454,269 972 482.3 180 -65 Lisle West H047 348,035 6,454,681 1,034 352.2 0 -90 Lisle West H050 347,471 6,454,073 964 557.5 0 -59.33 Lisle West H051 347,471 6,454,073 964 461.5 30 -67.5 Lisle West Quality Assurance and Quality Control: Core samples were prepared at the North Vancouver facility of ALS Canada Ltd. using their PREP-31, PGM-ICP24, ME-MS61, and ME-ICP06 packages. Each core sample is dried, then crushed to 70% passing a 2mm screen. All material is processed in an automatic Riffle splitter to yield a 250g homogenized, representative sample. This sub-sample is then pulverized to 85% passing a 75-micron screen. All samples are analyzed for Au, Pt, Pd by 50g fire-assay fusion/ICP-ES finish, using PGM-ICP24 package. A separate 0.25g pulp split is analyzed by Four Acid digestion/ICP-MS finish, reporting 48 elements. Over limit elements are analyzed by Ore Grade Four Acid digestion/ICP-ES finish using ME-OG62 assay package. All of Doubleview's core samples are analyzed or assayed at independent ISO 17025 and ISO 9001- certified laboratories. The following map and sections show the location of the reported drill holes. Figure 1. Drill PLAN MAP To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8003/168327_57d8eee8c4f4c907_001full.jpg Figure 2. Section A - A' To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8003/168327_57d8eee8c4f4c907_002full.jpg Figure 3. Section B - B' To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8003/168327_57d8eee8c4f4c907_003full.jpg Figure 4: Section C - C' To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8003/168327_57d8eee8c4f4c907_004full.jpg Doubleview maintains a website at www.doubleview.ca which is under construction at the moment. Qualified Persons: Erik Ostensoe, P. Geo., a consulting geologist, and Doubleview's Qualified Person with respect to the Hat Project as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed, and approved the technical contents of this news release. He is not independent of Doubleview as he is a shareholder in the company. Cautionary Note: Although a mineral resource estimation is currently being prepared by an independent engineering firm, no mineral resources have been estimated at the Hat Property and there is no assurance that further work will result in the Lisle Zone, or other zones if present, being classified as mineral resources. About Doubleview Gold Corp Doubleview Gold Corp., a mineral resource exploration and development company, is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and is publicly traded on the TSX-Venture Exchange (TSXV: DBG), (OTCQB: DBLVF), (GER: A1W038), (FSE: 1D4). Doubleview identifies, acquires and finances precious and base metal exploration projects in North America, particularly in British Columbia. Doubleview increases shareholder value through acquisition and exploration of quality gold, copper and silver properties and the application of advanced state-of-the-art exploration methods. The Company's portfolio of strategic properties provides diversification and mitigates investment risks. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Farshad Shirvani, President & Chief Executive Officer For further information please contact: Doubleview Gold Corp Vancouver, BC Farshad Shirvani President & CEO T: (604) 678-9587 E: corporate@doubleview.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. Certain of the statements made and information contained herein may constitute "forward-looking information." In particular references to the private placement and future work programs or expectations on the quality or results of such work programs are subject to risks associated with operations on the property, exploration activity generally, equipment limitations and availability, as well as other risks that we may not be currently aware of. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/168327 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 the Progress of A-Share Repurchases through Centralized Bidding Transactions 01.06.2023 / 14:51 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 the Progress of A-Share Repurchases through Centralized Bidding Transactions Qingdao / Shanghai / Frankfurt / Hong Kong, 1 June 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 an announcement in accordance with applicable trading rules of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, and applicable PRC laws in relation to the Progress of A-Share Repurchases through Centralized Bidding Transactions. The announcement is fully available at: https://smart-home.haier.com/en/dggg/P020230601683269799069.pdf?appdesc=Announcement%20on%20the%20Progress%20of%20A-Share%20Repurchases%20through%20Centralized%20Bidding%20Transactions 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. 01.06.2023 CET/CEST The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.eqs-news.com VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2023 / Brigadier Gold Limited (the "Company") (TSXV:BRG)(FSE:B7LM)(OTC PINK:BGADF) is pleased to announce that Phase-1 exploration has commenced at its recently expanded Nemaska2 Lithium Property ("Nemaska2"), James Bay, Quebec. The focus of the program is to confirm and further delineate pegmatite outcrops mapped and sampled in historical government work programs that will lead into a mid-summer drill program. The Phase-1 program at Nemaska2 is being carried out by the Company's technical partner Geologica Groupe-Conseil ("Geologica") of Val D'or Quebec. Spring 2023 Exploration Program Exploration at Nemaska2 will feature a particular focus on the ~20 white pegmatite outcrops, each approximately 1,000 square metres in size. Particular attention will be applied to discover the possible existence of additional pegmatite dykes or other favorable structures. The Company anticipates this initial program will delineate targets for a mid-summer inaugural drill program. "We are excited to initiate our Phase-1 of work on the Nemaska2 Property", stated Robert Birmingham, President, and CEO of Brigadier Gold. "This crucial first step of exploration alongside our technical partner Geologica, will help aid us in advancing the property to reaching our objective of launching a drill campaign this season." Nemaska2 may be one of the most conveniently located properties in the region for access, logistics and infrastructure, which will allow Brigadier to conduct its exploration programs and publish results in an efficient and timely manner. With the recently closed private placement the Company is fully funded to carryout Phase-1 exploration at Nemaska2. Historical Exploration The Quebec government has previously carried out a large sampling program and also an airborne magnetometric survey over Nemaska2 which shows the presence of several low magnetic anomalies likely corresponding with fractures or shear zones within the granitic Valiquette Pluton. These structures are generally favourable to the formation of pegmatites and other metals. The presence of pegmatites recognized during the regional reconnaissance mapping, anomalous values of Li and Cs in regional till sampling, and the presence of a major lithium deposit (Whabouchi Deposit) in the area, are all elements favourable to the existence of mineralization sought by the Company. More information can be found in the National Instrument 43-101 technical report filed by the Company under its SEDAR profile on March 14, 2023 Nemaska2 Expansion On March 20, 2023, the Company entered into a property option agreement (the "Option Agreement") with a private British Columbia corporation (the "Optionor"), to acquire a 100% undivided interest in one hundred and five (105) mining claims, covering approximately 5,300 hectares, located in the Nemaska area of Quebec, approximately 160 kilometres west of James Bay, Quebec (the "Nemaska2 Extension") (see press release dated March 22, 2023). The Nemaska2 Extension is a continuous extension of the Company's existing Nemaska2 lithium project (see March 17, 2023 Press Release for details) bringing the total land package to 8,300 hectares. The Nemaska2 Extension covers several geological areas, containing Archean pink granite and pegmatite as well several outcrops with similar geology as Pontax Lithium showing with the Formation d'Anatacau-Pivert 1 amphibolitized basalt and amphibolite. The Pontax Lithium showing is located 40km to the west. There are several lithium metal lake bottom sediment anomalies combined with other anomalous critical elements. The geochemical signature is comparable to that observed at Pivert-Rose and Pontax-Lithium, with higher values in the secondary environment. Under the terms of the Option Agreement, in order to acquire a 100% interest in and to the Nemaska2 Extension, subject to a 2% NSR and Bonus in favor of the Optionor, the Vendor must pay an aggregate of $250,000, including a cash payment of $10,000 within fourteen days of the effective date of the Option Agreement (paid); a cash payment of $40,000 within ninety days of the effective date of the Option Agreement; and cash payments of $100,000 or at the Company's discretion, issuance to the Optionor of shares in the Company with a then equivalent value of $100,000, on each of the first, and second anniversaries of the Effective Date of the Option Agreement. Under the terms of the Option Agreement, the Optionor will receive a one-time payment in the amount of $1 million, in cash or shares of the Company, in the event a report compliant with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") establishes mineral resources valued over $100,000,000 with respect to the Nemaska2 Extension (the "Bonus"). Qualified Person Mr. Garry Clark, P. Geo., a member of the Company's Board of Directors, a "Qualified Person" under NI 43-101, has reviewed the technical contents of this news release and has approved the disclosure of the technical information contained herein. For further information, please contact: Brigadier Gold Limited www.brigadiergold.ca Robert Birmingham, Chief Executive Officer rob@brigadiergold.ca (604) 424-8131 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Information Cautionary Statement This release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company regarding future events. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or "occur". Forward-looking statements include those relating to the focus of the Phase-1 exploration program, the discovery of additional pegmatites, and target generation for and the timing of future drill programs. The Company cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to Company's ability to complete all payments and expenditures required under its mineral property option agreements; and other risks and uncertainties relating to the actual results of current exploration activities; the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with adjacent properties and the Company's expectations; operational risks and hazards inherent with the business of mining (including environmental accidents and hazards, industrial accidents, equipment breakdown, unusual or unexpected geological or structural formations, cave-ins, flooding and severe weather); environmental and regulatory requirements; availability of permits, possibility of equipment breakdowns and delays, exploration cost overruns, availability of capital and financing, general economic, political risks, market or business conditions, regulatory changes, timeliness of government or regulatory approvals and other risks involved in the mineral exploration industry, and those risks set out in the filings on SEDAR made by the Company with securities regulators. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company 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, other than as required by applicable securities legislation. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. SOURCE: Brigadier Gold Limited View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758527/Field-Work-Commences-at-Brigadiers-Nemaska2-Lithium-Project-James-Bay-Quebec BOSTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2023 / Fortify, a leading full-stack materials science and additive manufacturing company, announced today that it has raised $12.5 million in a funding round from investors, including Lockheed Martin Ventures and RTX Ventures, the venture capital arms of Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies, respectively. This strategic investment will enable Fortify to expand its capabilities and accelerate the development of its groundbreaking Digital Composite Manufacturing (DCM) platform. Fortify's DCM platform revolutionizes the manufacturing of complex structures by offering unique mechanical, electrical, thermal, and electromagnetic properties. The platform has garnered significant interest across more than 50 Fortify partners and customers in digital tooling, medical devices, electronics, aerospace, and defense. Key customers in the A&D space beyond Lockheed and Raytheon Technologies include: In-Q-Tel, US Department of Energy, Rogers Corporation, Lawrence Livermore National Labs, TTM Technologies, and Ierus Technologies. "We are thrilled to have Lockheed Martin Ventures and RTX Ventures as strategic investors in this funding round," said Lawrence Ganti, CEO of Fortify. "Their expertise and global reach in the aerospace and defense industries will be invaluable in helping us to continue to innovate and scale our Digital Composite Manufacturing platform. We are excited to work together to drive the next generation of advanced materials and additive manufacturing." "Lockheed Martin Ventures' continued investment in Fortify underpins the strategic advantage the company can bring to the defense industrial base," said Chris Moran, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Ventures. "We believe Fortify has the potential to deliver tailored solutions not only to the aerospace and defense industry, but a range of sectors that can benefit from their platforms." Daniel Ateya, President of RTX Ventures, added, "The Fortify team has demonstrated an innovative and laser-focused vision that should advance additive manufacturing capabilities to the next level. Their DCM platform aligns with our commitment to investing in cutting-edge technologies that can deliver significant value to our customers and partners." Eric Wolford, Partner at Accel, and an early investor in Fortify, was pleased to have Lockheed Martin Ventures and RTX Ventures join the team. "This investment from Lockheed Martin Ventures and RTX Ventures confirms the potential behind the Fortify technology platform. It is my understanding that this is the first time these two A&D giants have co-invested. So, this is a big win for the company and a strong validation." Fortify has raised funding from Accel, Cota Capital, Neotribe, Prelude, Mainspring, and Ocean Azul. These investors continue to support the growth of Fortify through follow-on investments. With this latest funding round, Fortify is poised to strengthen its position as a leading innovator in materials science and additive manufacturing and has the potential to unlock new possibilities in advanced materials and manufacturing technologies, and transform industries across the globe. About Fortify Fortify is a full-stack materials science and additive manufacturing company based in Boston, MA. Its innovative Digital Composite Manufacturing (DCM) platform enables the production of complex structures with unique mechanical, electrical, thermal, and electromagnetic properties, revolutionizing the way advanced materials are developed and manufactured. For more information, visit www.3dfortify.com. Contact Information Holly Hitchcock holly@gofrontlines.com SOURCE: Fortify View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758529/Fortify-Secures-125-Million-in-Funding-From-Investors-Including-Lockheed-Martin-Ventures-RTX-Ventures-to-Accelerate-Growth-in-Advanced-Materials-Additive-Manufacturing AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2023 / DataSnipper, the Amsterdam-based Intelligent Automation company focused on transforming data in the audit and financial industry, today announced the appointment of Vidya Peters as its new Chief Executive Officer to further accelerate the growth of DataSnipper. Vidya Peters Vidya Peters - CEO at DataSnipper A large part of audit and finance work involves the manual review and reconciliation of data. DataSnipper provides audit and finance teams with an intelligent automation platform that automates the process of finding, matching, and reconciling unstructured data from multiple sources to drastically boost productivity and efficiency, saving time to focus on what matters. Backed by Insight Partners, DataSnipper is used by over 500K audit and finance professionals in 85+ countries and serves all four of the largest global auditing firms: KPMG, Ernst & Young, Deloitte, and PwC, and other enterprises across the world. "As DataSnipper continues to scale globally, it is the perfect moment to bring in Vidya Peters as the new CEO of DataSnipper," Maarten Alblas, founder at DataSnipper, explains. "She strongly believes in DataSnipper's mission and has extensive experience leading fast-growing organizations at this scale and beyond." Vidya was the Chief Operating Officer at Marqeta, leading the go-to-market organization of 350+ people. Before Marqeta, she was the Chief Marketing Officer at MuleSoft. Vidya helped both Marqeta and MuleSoft go public in 2021 and 2017. Prior to those roles, she led teams in Product and Marketing at Intuit, where she developed a deep understanding of the accounting and financial software industry. "DataSnipper solves a problem that has been long overlooked - identifying, verifying, and reconciling unstructured data, freeing up auditors to be more strategic assessors of the business," said Vidya. "I see tremendous opportunity for growth and expansion globally and am excited to lead this next chapter at DataSnipper." Alessandro Luciano, Board member at DataSnipper and Vice President at Insight Partners, said, "We are delighted to welcome Vidya as the new CEO of DataSnipper. Vidya is a dynamic, values-driven business leader with a track record of delivering in high-growth markets. Her strategic capabilities, proven operational effectiveness, and strong experience in both developed and developing markets convinced us that Vidya is the right person to lead DataSnipper in this exciting journey ahead." DataSnipper aims to become the global brand for an intelligent automation platform for audit and finance professionals. As part of this strategy, the company will focus on expanding its operations globally. The company will also continue to innovate on its "Intelligent Automation Platform" and "Financial Statement Suite" products, making them more powerful for both auditors and other finance professionals. DataSnipper founders Maarten Alblas and Jonas Ruyter will join the DataSnipper Board and will continue to operate within the company: advising the DataSnipper team on product innovation and the strategy going forward, while continuing to work closely with customers. About DataSnipper DataSnipper is a global tech scale-up focused on transforming data in the audit and financial industry. Founded in 2017, DataSnipper provides audit and finance teams with an intelligent automation platform to drastically increase the quality and efficiency of audit and finance procedures. DataSnipper is used by over 500K audit and finance professionals in 85+ countries and serves all four of the largest global auditing firms: KPMG, Ernst & Young, Deloitte, and PwC. DataSnipper's team is driven by shared values to help auditors and finance professionals across the globe to be more successful and impactful. About Insight Partners Insight Partners is a global software investor partnering with high-growth technology, software, and Internet startup and ScaleUp companies that are driving transformative change in their industries. As of Dec. 31, 2022, the firm has over $75B in regulatory assets under management. Insight Partners has invested in more than 750 companies worldwide and has seen over 55 portfolio companies achieve an IPO. Headquartered in New York City, Insight has offices in London, Tel Aviv, and Palo Alto. Insight's mission is to find, fund, and work successfully with visionary executives, providing them with right-sized, right-time practical, hands-on software expertise along their growth journey, from their first investment to IPO. For more information on Insight and all its investments, visit insightpartners.com or follow us on Twitter @insightpartners Contact Information: Bas Willems VP of Marketing bas.willems@datasnipper.com SOURCE: DataSnipper View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758583/DataSnipper-Appoints-Vidya-Peters-as-CEO Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 1, 2023) - Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. (TSX: AVL) (OTCQX: AVLNF) ("Avalon" or the "Company") is pleased to announce final assays from the 2022-2023 drilling program at the Company's flagship Separation Rapids Lithium Project, confirming potential to significantly expand its lithium resource at depth. New significant intercepts shown below are from three of the four final drill holes. SR23-85: 1.56% Li2O over 47.71 metres ("m") SR23-91: 1.06% Li2O over 10.38m and 1.66% Li2O over 7.01m and 1.36% Li2O over 10.61m SR23-92: 1.47% Li2O over 3.42m and 1.14% Li2O over 4.35m and 1.49% Li2O over 4.52m The assays for drill hole SR23-93 (the fourth hole) have confirmed the petalite mineralization to 566-metre depth increasing the potential depth of the deposit by 80%. The drilling has also confirmed that the deposit is open to the east and west, and to depth, over a 300-strike length, with similar grades to the current mineral resource estimate, supporting a conceptual target to double the size of the deposit through future drilling. "These drill results truly demonstrate what our team has always believed - the resource at Separation Rapids is potentially much larger than what is currently understood," commented Rickardo Welyhorsky, Chief Operating Officer at Avalon. "I am extremely excited to begin the next drilling program to reveal its true potential." Drilling Program Final Assay Details The 2022-2023 drill program consisted of 12 drill holes on the existing resource and one vertical drill hole on the centre of the deposit; all 13 holes totalled 4,179m and was designed to examine the potential to expand mineralization to the east and west as well as the depth extent. Hole SR23-85 (see Figure 1) was one of six targeting either gaps in existing drilling (for 85) or below the current mineral resource estimate, with hole SR23-85 intercepting 1.56% Li2O over 47.7m (estimated true width). As a result, all six holes (SR23-81 to SR23-86) confirm that the deposit is open to depth. All drill holes will be used to update the existing mineral resource estimate, which is currently underway. Drill hole SR23-93 was drilled vertically to test the depth extent of the deposit (see Figure 2). This hole was terminated at 570m due to weather constraint and the start of early spring breakup. SR23-93 assays returned 1.51% Li2O over 565m (drilled width) confirming the previous report of visual petalite mineralization to depth. This extends the depth of the deposit by 249m from the previously reported deepest intercept at 315m (drilled in 2017) below surface. The grade of the lower half of hole SR23-93 returned 1.48% Li2O over 244.45m (from 321.6m to 566.10m) (see Table 1), which indicates that the mineralization continues at a virtually identical grade to the current mineral resource estimate. The two holes (SR23-91 and SR23-92) that were drilled in a gap on the western part of the deposit have confirmed the extension and openness of the deposit to the west with intercepts of cumulative about 27m (estimated true width) in hole SR23-91 and cumulative 12 metres in hole SR23-92. They have also, similar to hole SR23-85, potentially improved and expanded the mineralized area. All drill hole data has been brought into Avalon's database and resource block model in order to develop an independent updated resource estimate for the deposit. "As a consequence of our refreshed strategic plan, we are delivering on key milestones and accelerating developments at Separation Rapids," noted Zeeshan Syed, President of Avalon. "Ontario continues to be well positioned as an international economic hub within the critical minerals value chain and Avalon is poised for growth to help support that important mandate." Future Drilling at Separation Rapids The recent drill program indicating the significant resource expansion potential is an encouragement for very significant future drilling program in order to both increase the inferred resources and upgrade inferred and indicated resources to indicated and measured categories. Such a program may be between 10,000m and 30,000m. The results of the recent program suggest a conceptual exploration target of doubling the existing resource estimate at similar lithium grades. This may be between 15 and 20 million tonnes at 1.2 to 1.6% Li2O. At present there is insufficient drilling below the recent holes SR23-81 to SR23-92 to delineate a resource and it is uncertain that a deeper resource will be delineated. This news release was reviewed by the Dr. Bill Mercer, P. Geo. (ON). Dr. Mercer is a qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101, who has reviewed and approved the technical information included in this news release. About Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. is a Canadian mineral development company specializing in niche market metals and minerals with growing demand in new technology. The Company has three advanced stage projects, all 100%-owned, providing investors with exposure to lithium, tin and indium, as well as rare earth elements, tantalum, niobium, and zirconium. Avalon is currently focusing on its Separation Rapids Lithium Project, Kenora, ON and its East Kemptville Tin-Indium Project, Yarmouth, NS. Social responsibility and environmental stewardship are corporate cornerstones. For questions and feedback, please e-mail the Company at ir@AvalonAM.com, or phone Zeeshan Syed, President at 416-364-4938. This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, that there is potential to significantly expand its lithium resource at depth, that there is support for a conceptual target to double the size of the deposit through future drilling, that the resource at Separation Rapids has the potentially to be much larger than what is currently understood, that certain drill holes will be used to update the existing mineral resource estimate, that the recent drill program indicating the significant resource expansion potential is an encouragement for very significant future drilling program in order to both increase the inferred resources and upgrade inferred and indicated resources to indicated and measured categories, that such a program may be between 10,000 to 30,000 metres, that the results of the recent program suggest a conceptual exploration target of doubling the existing resource estimate at similar lithium grades, that this may be between 15 and 20 million tonnes at 1.2 to 1.6% Li2O. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "potential", "scheduled", "anticipates", "continues", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "scheduled", "targeted", "planned", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be" or "will not be" taken, reached or result, "will occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking 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 Avalon to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable at the time such statements are made. Although Avalon 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. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from expected results described in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to market conditions, and the possibility of cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses as well as those risk factors set out in the Company's current Annual Information Form, Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure documents available under the Company's profile at www.SEDAR.com. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Such forward-looking statements have been provided for the purpose of assisting investors in understanding the Company's plans and objectives and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Avalon does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that are contained herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Figure 1: North-South Drill Section, Separation Rapids Lithium Deposit To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3386/168339_33b26edfa46ecbbc_002full.jpg Figure 2: West-East Long Section, Separation Rapids Lithium Deposit To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3386/168339_33b26edfa46ecbbc_003full.jpg Table 1: Significant drill intersections Drill hole From (m) To (m) Drilled Width (m) Estimated True Width (m) Li2O % SR-22-81 325.00 371.50 46.50 19.65 1.69 SR-23-82 336.00 367.70 31.70 11.36 1.50 and 378.10 390.80 12.70 4.55 1.66 and 397.35 412.75 15.40 5.52 1.10 SR-23-83 269.45 321.80 52.35 17.90 1.35 and 357.75 380.60 22.85 7.82 0.99 SR-23-84 187.00 410.00 223.00 76.27 0.96 including 203.00 321.25 118.25 40.44 1.46 SR-23-85 158.00 275.30 117.30 47.71 1.56 SR-23-86 167.25 300.00 132.75 45.40 1.01 and 216.00 248.90 32.90 11.25 1.53 and 274.40 300.00 25.60 8.76 1.92 SR-23-87 40.10 54.80 14.70 7.35 1.16 and 62.30 72.00 9.70 4.85 0.95 SR-23-88 84.25 93.00 8.75 4.38 1.13 SR-23-89 7.00 17.00 10.00 5.74 1.69 and 47.55 52.05 4.50 2.58 1.44 SR23-90 13.15 36.35 23.20 9.80 1.76 and 69.00 73.35 4.35 1.84 1.54 SR23-91 67.40 83.55 16.15 10.38 1.06 and 91.10 102.00 10.90 7.01 1.66 and 110.50 127.00 16.50 10.61 1.36 SR23-92 42.80 50.90 8.10 3.42 1.47 and 61.00 71.30 10.30 4.35 1.14 and 77.10 87.80 10.70 4.52 1.49 SR23-93 1.25 566.10 564.85 NA 1.51 Including 321.65 566.10 244.45 NA 1.48 Notes to TABLE 1: True widths are estimated assuming the mineralized zones are vertical and true width is horizontal. The near vertical nature is clearly apparent in drill sections. "NA" indicates for the vertical hole that the mineralization width is not known. For interval calculations a cutoff grade of 0.50% Li2O was utilized which is similar to that used in previous resource estimates. Mineralized intervals with overall grades considerably below 1% Li2O are not quoted. All drill core was split by Avalon staff on site near Kenora and shipped to ALS Global in Thunder Bay for preparation and on to ALS Vancouver for analysis by methods ME-MS81, ICP-06, and ME-4ACD81for multielement analysis including Li, Ta, Cs and Rb. Some drill core samples had lithium values overlimits for the initial analytical method (>10.000ppm Li) and were reanalysed utilizing ALS method ME-ICP82b. As a result, some intervals increased in grade from those announced in News Release 23-04. Avalon inserted company certified lithium standards and blanks into the sample stream for QAQC purposes. The results of the Avalon and laboratory standards and blanks were reviewed for acceptance by the QP, Dr. Bill Mercer, P. Geo. (ON), qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101, prior to accepting the laboratory results. Lithium (Li) analyses in ppm were converted to Li2O values by multiplying by 2.1527. The drill program was supervised in the field by J.C.Pedersen (P.Geo) and A. Meek (P.Geo). To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/168339 FintechOS and fintech enablement allow banks and insurers to innovate and modernize at the same time, rapidly creating digital products, journeys, and channels for both existing and new books of business without disrupting their core systems FintechOS, the leading fintech enablement platform, today announced a series of accomplishments from 2022 to the present, illustrating its momentum and leadership in the new industry category of fintech enablement. The accomplishments illustrating the momentum of FintechOS, and the interest of financial institutions in modernizing and innovating with FintechOS and fintech enablement, include launching in North America with five banks in 2022; overall revenue growth of 70% year over year; cash-in increases from customer operations by more than 200% year over year; 300% year-over-year insurance revenue growth; a new release of the FintechOS platform; and a SOC 2 Type2 report assuring the security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy of FintechOS in addition to previously received ISO 27001 and ISO 9007 certifications. FintechOS also added Glenn Anschutz to its management team as COO in November 2022. Anschutz formerly served for 21 years as president and CEO of a leading provider of cloud-based insurance platforms. FintechOS customers experience major momentum from fintech enablement. FintechOS customers also report major momentum and ROI as a result of implementing FintechOS for fintech enablement. ROI that FintechOS customers experienced includes 70% lower cost of building new financial products; 80% reduction in servicing costs; three times faster time to market with new products; and 120% growth in profitability. "Established financial services and insurance companies are facing a perfect storm of challenges including nimble fintech and insurtech startups, legacy core platforms that aren't sufficiently agile to support modern imperatives such as digital transformation, personalization, and rapid application development, and pressure to modernize core platforms safely and securely," said Teodor Blidarus, CEO and co-founder, FintechOS. "The momentum that we and our customers are experiencing indicates that we're addressing these challenges and advancing fintech enablement with solutions empowering digital transformation and low code/no code development while allowing customers to continue using legacy core platforms or modernize them at their own pace. This combination of capabilities is the essence of fintech enablement." Fintech enablement integrates legacy and modern systems. Fintech enablement is the synthesis of modern cloud-native systems and rapid application development methodologies with the ability to leverage and integrate legacy core platforms, enabling incumbent financial services and insurance companies with legacy systems to operate and innovate like fintechs and insurtechs. Fintech enablement also allows incumbents to leverage their financial resources, industry expertise and brand awareness to enter new markets and better compete in the creation of new products and revenue streams that often are the domain of fintechs and insurtechs. Fintech enablement with FintechOS reduces time to market for new products from years using legacy systems to as little as three months. Banking industry experts agree on the importance of fintech enablement and modernization. Banking industry experts recognize the importance, timeliness and increasing momentum of fintech enablement and modernization. For example: According to Aite-Novarica Group in a report, The Benefits of Fintech Enablement: New Strategies for Scalable Innovation, "Financial organizations that can innovate and offer smarter, better, faster financial products and services that are contextually relevant to both consumers and business customers will achieve greater differentiation and revenue growth. The ability to rapidly innovate and iterate is fast becoming a competitive differentiator. However, the demand for innovation poses a significant resource management challenge, one made worse by financial institutions' ongoing reliance on legacy architecture and an extremely competitive market for technical staff." As recently discussed by a leading analyst for IDC Financial Insights' Worldwide Banking Digital Transformation Strategies program, "Now is the time for banks to modernize core banking. Between modern technology approaches like microservices and APIs and the use of cloud platforms ensuring scalability and resiliency for the bank's back office, banks would do well to start the journey to core system modernizations without delay." According to Capgemini in its World Retail Banking Report 2022, "Structural challenges keep most banks from fully leveraging data-driven analytics to attract customers and grow relationships. In our executive survey, 95% said outdated legacy systems and core banking modules inhibit efforts to optimize data- and customer-centric growth strategies, while 80% agreed that underdeveloped data capabilities hinder customer lifecycle process improvements. For example, 82% said they have difficulties identifying new customer segments; 55% struggle to provide seamless onboarding experiences." FintechOS increased its product momentum and capabilities with new release. FintechOS also introduced major enhancements to its product this year. With the most recent release of the FintechOS platform, FintechOS customers can: Further accelerate the launch of financial products, while also measuring their impact New accelerators for small business provide predefined products and digital journeys based on industry best practices. Reusable UI libraries enable teams to more effectively manage their design assets, reducing maintenance and accelerating development. Product performance analytics provides a dashboard for customers to view and analyze their financial product's sales performance. Supplement their existing core with key servicing capabilities for loan and policy administration, contract lifecycle management, third-party distribution management and operational ledger New service extension apps enable FintechOS servicing capabilities such as loan management and policy administration to be extended using no code and low code without creating friction during upgrades. Workflow and task management upgrades include improvements to the inbox, routing and delegation, activity history, and new dashboards for employees and managers. Innovate quickly and securely on top of a purpose-built fintech operating system Observability and telemetry upgrades help developers troubleshoot issues and identify potential performance issues before they become a problem. New tools for developers include support for the latest JavaScript versions, remote debugging, upgraded code editors' capabilities and more. The product momentum will continue with additional investments in 2023. This year, FintechOS will continue to fuel its momentum and the capabilities of fintech enablement to support modernization through legacy integration by increasing its customer operations and success investments by 30%; and by investing millions in research and development and these planned product enhancements to the FintechOS platform: A product factory will enable customers' business teams to autonomously innovate their financial products with no training required across businesses such as personal and SME loans, savings, mortgages, general insurance, health and life insurance. A journey designer will let anyone including business teams design digital journeys, using prebuilt templates. Hyperscaling capabilities will be further enhanced through cloud-native infrastructure. Additional back-office servicing capabilities will enable customers to automate their back-office processes across the entire contract lifecycle. About FintechOS FintechOS is the leader in fintech enablement, with a mission to make fintech innovation available to every company. The FintechOS platform simplifies and accelerates the launching, servicing, and expansion of financial products and services, helping businesses recognize value five to 10 times sooner than with other approaches: with FintechOS, companies can get up and running with new financial solutions in as little as 12 weeks. Unlike others, FintechOS breaks data free from the core, enabling the creation of personalized and differentiated products and customer journeys at scale. FintechOS connects with any ecosystem tech or service financial and non-financial and can plug anywhere in the tech stack, working with existing and legacy tech that companies want to keep. A global employer co-headquartered in London and New York, FintechOS customers range from globally strategic companies like Groupe Societe Generale, Admiral Group, and BPCE Oney, to game-changing players like Vibrant, eMag, and Howden. Its partners include both niche consulting agencies and global consulting firms and systems integrators. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230601005152/en/ Contacts: Grant Zehnder PRforFintechOS@bospar.com Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 1, 2023) - Pool Safe Inc. (TSXV: POOL) ("Pool Safe" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the closing of the first tranche of its previously announced non-brokered debenture financing (the "Debenture Financing"). The Company closed on 420 Debenture Units ("Debenture Units") for gross proceeds of $420,000. Under the terms of the Debenture Financing, each Debenture Unit consists of (a) one $1,000 face value debenture ("Debenture"), and (b) 28,500 common share bonus warrants of the Company (the "Financing Warrants"). The Debentures mature thirty-six (36) months from the date of the issuance (the "Maturity Date"), and bear interest at a rate of eight percent (8%) per annum (the "Interest"). Each Financing Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one (1) common share of the Company ("Common Share") at an exercise price of $0.05 for a period of 36 months from the closing date of the Debenture Financing (the "Closing Date"). If at any time the Common Shares trade at higher than $0.15 per Common Share (on a volume weighted average basis) for a period of 20 consecutive trading days (the "Early Expiry Event"), the Company has the right to accelerate the expiry date of the Financing Warrants by providing the holder with written notice of an Early Expiry Event (the "Early Expiry Notice"). The period whereby the holder is entitled to exercise any portion of outstanding Financing Warrants shall expire 30 calendar days following the date on which the company provides Early Expiry Notice to holders (the "Early Expiry Date"). Furthermore, if a portion of the Debentures are repaid during the first year following the Closing Date, a proportional number of the Financing Warrants shall have their term reduced to the later of one year from the Closing Date and 30 days from repayment of that portion of the Debenture. All Debentures and Financing Warrants issued pursuant to the Debenture Financing are subject to a statutory hold period of four months plus one day from the date of issuance, in accordance with applicable securities legislation. As part of the first tranche of the Debenture Financing, the Company has not paid any finder's fee. The Company intends to use approximately 30% of the net proceeds from the Debenture Financing to increase its inventory and production capacity for future Loungenie builds. In addition, approximately 10% of the net proceeds will be used to evolve the Company's communication technology and enhance Loungenie's IoT capabilities. The remainder of the net proceeds will be applied to working capital and general corporate purposes. In addition, due to ongoing investor interest, it is extending the Debenture Financing for a period of 30 days until June 30, 2023. As previously announced, the Company intends to raise up to $1,000,000 through the sales of up to 1,000 Debenture Units at a price of $1,000 per Debenture Unit. The terms of the Offering remain the same as disclosed in the Company's news release dated April 17, 2023. About Pool Safe Inc. Pool Safe Inc. designs, develops and distributes a product known as the "PoolSafe," recently rebranded to the "Loungenie," which functions as a multi-purpose personal poolside attendant. The Loungenie is designed to provide safety, convenience and peace of mind for hotels, resorts, waterparks and cruise ship guests. Functions include: lockable safe, solar-powered charger for USB compatible electronic devices including phones, cameras and tablets, in addition to a server call-button, a beverage cooler and holders. Conveniently located alongside pool or beach lounge chairs, the Loungenie is a unique way of providing vacationers with a comforting sense of security for their belongings, while they enjoy their vacation. For more information, please visit www.poolsafeinc.com or www.loungenie.com. Pool Safe Inc. is a fully reporting publicly traded company which is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "POOL". Neither the 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 release. Cautionary Statements This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such information and statements, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements" are made as of the date of this press release or as of the date of the effective date of information described in this press release, as applicable. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by use of words such as "outlook", "expects", "intend", "forecasts", "anticipates", "plans", "projects", "estimates", "envisages, "assumes", "needs", "strategy", "goals", "objectives", or variations thereof, or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "can", "could", "would", "might", or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms or similar expressions, and other similar terminology) are not statements of historical fact and are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on the Company's current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof and the Company is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Because of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: information with respect to the Debenture Financing and the use of proceeds from the Debenture Financing. Such forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that may prove to be incorrect, including but not limited to, use of the proceeds from the Debenture Financing, the general state of the economy will not materially worsen and Pool Safe is able to sustain its level of sales and earning margins. Pool Safe considers these assumptions to be reasonable in the circumstances. However, there can be no assurance that any one or more of the operational or financial targets as set out herein will be achieved. Inherent in the forward-looking statements are known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to, risks associated with the failure of Pool Safe's inability to effectively use the proceeds of the Debenture Financing and Pool Safe's inability to develop and implement a business plan in general and for any reason whatsoever. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and reflect the Company's expectations as of the date hereof and are subject to change thereafter. The forward-looking statements contained herein are current as of the date of this press release. Except as required by law, Pool Safe does not have any obligation to advise any person if it becomes aware of any inaccuracy in or omission from any forward-looking statement, nor does it intend, or assume any obligation, to update or revise these forward-looking statements to reflect new events or circumstances. Any and all forward-looking statements included in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement, and except as otherwise indicated, are made as of the date of this press release. Pool Safe Inc. Steven Glaser C.O.O. & C.F.O. E: sglaser@poolsafeinc.com T: 416-630-2444 Not for distribution to U.S. Newswire Services or for dissemination in the United States. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of U.S. Securities laws. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/168341 HAMILTON, BERMUDA / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2023 / Bacardi Limited, the world's largest privately held international spirits company, announces the appointment of Alicia Enciso to the Company's Board of Directors. Alicia brings more than 30 years of experience with multinational Fortune 100 Companies in the Food and Beverages sectors with roles as General Manager, President, Chief Marketing Officer, and E-Business Officer. Since 2017, she has served as Chief Marketing Officer of Nestle USA and previously served as President of the Beverages Division. She recently announced her retirement from Nestle. Prior roles include Principal Consultant and Managing Director of Zyman Group, a subsidiary of MDC Partners and various marketing leadership roles at Procter & Gamble and Estee Lauder. "Alicia is a well-rounded business leader and global marketer who has presided over some of the world's best-known brands," says Facundo L. Bacardi, Chairman of Bacardi Limited and fifth-generation family member. "Her enthusiasm for modern marketing and building sustainable brands are a great complement to our long-term business ambitions and to continuing the family legacy for generations to come." Originally from Mexico, Alicia has been recognized as one of "Most Influential 100 Latinas" by Latino Leaders Magazine and named "Latino Marketer of the Year" by the Hispanic Marketing Council. Alicia also serves on the Executive Board for the Association of National Advertisers and the Board of the Alliance for Multicultural & Inclusive Marketing. She previously sat on the Advisory Board of Google 21st Century Marketing. The Bacardi Limited Board of Directors is comprised of 13 members. About Bacardi Limited Bacardi Limited, the largest privately held international spirits company in the world, produces and markets internationally recognized spirits and wines. The Bacardi Limited brand portfolio comprises more than 200 brands and labels, including BACARDI rum, GREY GOOSE vodka, PATRON tequila, DEWAR'S Blended Scotch whisky, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin, MARTINI vermouth and sparkling wines, CAZADORES 100% blue agave tequila, and other leading and emerging brands including WILLIAM LAWSON'S Scotch whisky, ST-GERMAIN elderflower liqueur, and ERISTOFF vodka. Founded more than 162 years ago in Santiago de Cuba, family-owned Bacardi Limited currently employs approximately 9,000, operates production facilities in 10 countries, and sells its brands in more than 160 markets. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited. Visit http://www.bacardilimited.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter. Media Contacts: Jessica Merz, VP Global Corporate Communications, jmerz@bacardi.com View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Bacardi Limited on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Bacardi Limited Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/bacardi-limited Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Bacardi Limited View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758604/Bacardi-Limited-Appoints-New-Director-to-Board Engage Mobilize's intelligent field operations software streamlines complex field service workflows by unifying E&P operators and oilfield service companies on a single digital platform - from ticket to invoice. Engage Mobilize's flagship E-ticketing solution set the standard for fluid hauling and logistics efficiency, and its capabilities now include electronic invoicing and more than 250 oilfield services. DENVER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2023 / Engage Mobilize Inc. (Engage Mobilize), the foremost provider of intelligent field operations software, is pleased to announce the launch of its new brand, complete with an updated logo and website. This strategic rebranding effort aims to align Engage Mobilze's visual identity with its future vision and enhance the overall user experience. Engage Mobilize Logo Engage Mobilize Logo The new logo incorporates fresh elements representing the evolving mission and commitment to innovation. With a bold color palette, the redesigned logo symbolizes the company's energy and dynamism as it revolutionizes the field operations landscape through digitalization. The sleek and contemporary typography conveys Engage Mobilize's brand values: innovation, moxie, customer focus, integrity, sustainability, and thinking differently-core values ingrained in the company's culture. Engage Mobilize has also unveiled a revamped website offering an improved and intuitive user experience to complement the new logo. The updated website boasts a clean and modern design, making it easier for visitors to navigate and find relevant information about Engage Mobilize's software solutions, industry insights, and customer success stories. "Engage Mobilize's rebranding is an exciting milestone for our company," said Scott Cilento, Chief Executive Officer at Engage Mobilize. "Our updated logo and website align with our vision to provide intelligent field operations software that helps businesses achieve new levels of operational efficiency, productivity, and cost savings. We think the new brand reflects our commitment to delivering innovative solutions to help organizations simplify and streamline our customer's field workflows." We invite you to explore the enhanced Engage Mobilize website. About Engage Mobilize Engage Mobilize's intelligent field operations software streamlines complex field service workflows by unifying E&P operators and oilfield service companies on a single digital platform - from ticket to invoice. Engage Mobilize's flagship E-ticketing solution set the standard for fluid hauling and logistics efficiency, and its capabilities now include electronic invoicing and more than 250 oilfield services. Engage Mobilize enables clients to achieve new levels of operational efficiency and reduce costs while increasing transparency and mitigating risk. Discover more at engagemobilize.com. Contact Information Engage Mobilize Marketing Marketing Team marketing@engage-m.com (303) 809-7458 SOURCE: Engage Mobilize View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758324/Engage-Mobilize-Unveils-New-Brand-Logo-and-Website-to-Enhance-User-Experience-and-Reflect-Its-Vision-for-Achieving-New-Levels-of-Operational-Efficiency-in-Field-Workflows HOUSTON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2023 / Techwave, a prominent global IT and engineering service firm, receives the prestigious "President's Volunteer Service Award (PVSA)" in recognition of its unwavering commitment to volunteerism and community service. This esteemed accolade highlights our steadfast dedication, honoring our employees for their positive impact on communities globally and serving as an inspiration to others. It serves as a testament to our resolute dedication in confronting and effortlessly tackling the pressing challenges. Mr. Raj Gummadapu, CEO of Techwave, along with his team Techwave prioritizes volunteerism and community service, encouraging every Techwavian to contribute to the betterment of the community. One of our notable initiatives includes partnering with the Houston Food Bank and America's Grow-a-row for a Seed to Table initiative. Techwavians actively participated in various stages of the food chain, such as planting seeds, harvesting crops, and distributing food to local families in need. We covered the associated expenses, including seeds, crop management, packaging, and transportation, demonstrating our commitment to making a difference. In addition, throughout the year, Techwavians enthusiastically volunteered their time and effort to assist the Houston Food Bank in providing nutritious food to individuals in the Greater Houston area who are grappling with chronic health conditions as part of their Food for Change Program. During the challenging times of the Covid pandemic, Techwave launched the Feed the Frontline initiative, where our team personally showcased support to frontline workers and local Houston restaurants that were impacted by the uncertainty of the pandemic. Speaking of the Celebration, Mr. Raj Gummadapu, CEO of Techwave said, "We are delighted to receive the President's Volunteer Service Award. This recognition truly humbles and honors our team at Techwave. It underscores our unwavering commitment to giving back and creating a positive impact in communities worldwide. We firmly believe that through the power of volunteerism, we can effectively address the pressing challenges our world faces today." Adding to it, he said "Techwave's employees have consistently demonstrated their passion and dedication by actively engaging in various community initiatives, volunteering their time and expertise to make a lasting difference. We take immense pride in our employees, whose efforts have transcended local boundaries, making a global impact and inspiring others to join our cause. Their dedication and passion have touched communities far and wide, serving as a catalyst for positive change." About Techwave: Techwave is a leading global Information Technology and Engineering services and solutions company revolutionizing digital transformations. They believe in enabling clients to maximize the potential and achieve a greater market with a wide array of technology services, including, but not limited to, Enterprise Resource Planning, Application Development, Analytics, Digital, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Founded in 2004, headquartered in Houston, TX, USA, Techwave has a team of experts, leveraging Digital Transformation, Enterprise Application, and Engineering Services expertise, in 11 countries. Visit us on https://techwave.net Contact Information Sravya P Sr. Public Relations Executive sravya.palukuru@techwave.net 6302616391 SOURCE: Techwave View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758586/Techwave-Earns-Prestigious-Presidents-Volunteer-Service-Award-for-Exemplary-Commitment-to-Community-Service Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 1, 2023) - Bayhorse Silver Inc, (TSXV: BHS) (OTCQB: BHSIF) (FSE: 7KXN) (the "Company" or "Bayhorse") is pleased to provide a Corporate Update on the Company's progress on its Bayhorse Silver Mine Operations, ongoing permitting, as well as other corporate activities. Bayhorse Mine In March, 2023, the Company received a comprehensive structural analysis of the Bayhorse Silver Mine from its long time geological consultant, Dr. Clay Conway, P.Geol. The Company was finally able to access all the historic underground workings in 2022 and this allowed Dr. Conway to better understand the complexity of the geological structure and potential trends of the high grade mineralization. Subsequent to the analysis, and reviewing the Big Dog mineralization evident in the 2021-2022 drill program, and surface sampling of rock faces in the exposed underground mineralized zones, the Company now believes it has identified a strike length of the Big Dog mineralized zone of between 250 - 300 ft, (75- 90 meters) with widths varying between 2.5 ft (0.7 meters) to 20 ft (6 meters) and a vertical extent of 40 ft (12 meters). Subject to financing, the Company intends to do confirmation drilling both from the south and north across and down dip of the mineralized zone with the objective of better determining the strike length, the grades and vertical extent of the Big Dog Zone. The Company is now able to safely access the southern area of the Big Dog mineralized zone that appears to be trending more westerly than the historic workings would indicate. This will allow for an underground drill program to drill to the north across the zone, and down dip, with the intent of extending the vertical extent and to confirm the continuity of grades along strike. Structural analysis is ongoing and will be reviewed when further drill data is available. Safe access to the historic workings in the Big Dog Zone was completed in 2022. Panel samples taken by the Company at the eastern end of the exposed hanging wall of the Zone ranged from 91.7 oz/t (2,836.63 g/t) to 184.2 oz/t oz/t 5791.47 g/t ) silver, (see BHS2018-34 News Release) The strike length of the Zone t was only confirmed after a drill intersection, 300 feet (90 meters) along strike, returned 20 ft (6 meters) of silver with an average grade of 210 g/t (6.75 oz/t), including a 0.6 meter intersection (2 ft) grading 668g/t (21.48 oz/t) (see BHS2022-08 News Release). During development of the intermediate drill station, approximately midway between the exposed eastern end of the Big Dog Zone, and the drill intersection as described in BHS2022-08, the Company took panel samples across and down an exposed 2.5 ft wide and 10 ft vertical face, that returned combined silver assays of 1,642 g/t (54.8 oz/t). Two prior faces sampled before safety blasting was conducted returned 549 g/t (17.65 oz/t) and 112.6 g/t (3.63 oz/t) respectively.(BHS2022-05) Ongoing Operations Permitting In February 2023 the Company was notified by Oregon's Department of Geology and Mining Industries ("DOGAMI") that there were deficiencies in its Operating Permit Application, and the Company has been working towards remedying those deficiencies. The major concern was the confirmation of baseline data in support of the Application. The Company has engaged Mark Abrams, CPG, an Oregon Licensed Professional Geologist, who has experience in permitting Oregon mines, to assist in reviewing the supporting baseline data submissions and the geological reports, and eliminating the deficiencies for the full Operating Permit documentation with DOGAMI. The Company has access to the substantial availability of baseline data by Idaho Power Corporation on the Brownlee Reservoir, where the mine is located, that was developed by Idaho Power through its relicensing of the Brownlee Dam and Reservoir. Additionally, with the availability of current data from air quality monitoring stations maintained by Idaho and Oregon DEQ in the immediate area, and water quality stations maintained by Idaho Power on the Brownlee Reservoir, we anticipate completing the deficiencies for resubmission to DOGAMI in the third quarter of this year. Approval of the Operating Permit will allow the Company to recommence full mining and processing operations. Bayhorse Mill. Preliminary discussions have been held to process silver and gold mineralization from a nearby third party Idaho gold/silver mine that is in the process of reopening. The Company will provide an update as more information becomes available. Reclamation Bond. The Company's prior project, the Flagstaff Project, has a reclamation bond of US$140,000 with the US Bureau of Land Management, that is being held subject to completion of the reclamation on the Flagstaff property. Reclamation commenced in late October 2022, however, an early snowfall, and late Spring thaw, made the property inaccessible to complete the reclamation. The Company estimates with a week's work, the balance of the reclamation will be complete. Subject to availability of equipment, the Company intends to complete this work by mid July 2023. The Flagstaff Mine, at Northport, Washington, was operated by the Company prior to the acquisition of the Bayhorse Silver Mine. Once the reclamation work is approved by the US Bureau of Land Management, the reclamation bond will be refunded to the Company. Brandywine The Brandywine high grade gold silver project fully permitted drilling program is on hold as the Company is prioritizing permit completion at the Bayhorse Silver Mine. Dr. Stewart Jackson Bayhorse CEO, Graeme O'Neill, regrets to announce that Dr. Stewart Jackson, P.Geol., a long time and highly valued geological consultant to the Company, and a good friend, passed away in April of this year, after a short illness. This News Release has been prepared on behalf of the Bayhorse Silver Inc. Board of Directors, which accepts full responsibility for its content. Dr. G.E Ray, P.Geo., a Qualified Person and Consultant to the Company has prepared, supervised the preparation of, and approved the geo-technical content of this press release. On Behalf of the Board. Graeme O'Neill, CEO 866-399-6539, 604-684-3394 About Bayhorse Silver Inc. Bayhorse Silver Inc. is an exploration and production company with a 100% interest in the historic Bayhorse Silver Mine located in Oregon, USA. With state of the art Steinert Ore-Sorting technology reducing waste rock entering the processing stream by up to 85%, we have created a minimum environmental impact facility capable of mining 200 tons of mineralization per day and the ability to process and supply 3,600 tons per year of silver/copper concentrate ranging between 7,500 to 15,000 g/t using standard flotation processing at its milling facility in nearby Payette County, Idaho, USA, with an offtake agreement in place with Ocean Partners UK Limited. The Company also has an option to acquire an 80% interest in the Brandywine high grade silver/gold property located in B.C. Canada. The Company has an experienced management and technical team with extensive mining expertise in both exploration and building mines. The Company is not basing any decision to produce on a feasibility study of mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability and advises there is an increased uncertainty and specific economic and technical risk of failure with any production decision. These risks include, but are not limited to, (i) a drop in price of commodities produced, namely silver, gold, copper, lead and zinc, from the pricing used to make a production decision; (ii) failure of grades of the produced material to fall within the parameters used to make the production decision; (iii) an increase in mining costs due to changes within the mine during development and mining procedures; and (iv) metallurgical recovery changes that cannot be anticipated at the time of production. 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/168350 The "Global Infrared Imaging Market Size By Type (Fixed IR Imaging Products, Portable IR Imaging Products), By Wavelength (Far-Infrared, Long-Wave Infrared), By Technology (Cooled IR Imaging, Uncooled IR Imaging), By Application (Aerospace, Defense and Military, Automotive), By Geographic Scope & Forecast, 2023-2030" report has been published by Verified Market Research. The report provides an in-depth analysis of the global Infrared Imaging Market, including its growth prospects, market trends, and market challenges. JERSEY CITY, N.J., June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Infrared Imaging Market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.70% from 2023 to 2030, according to a new report published by Verified Market Research. The report reveals that the market was valued at USD 6.24 Billion in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 12.17 Billion by the end of the forecast period. Download PDF Brochure: https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/download-sample?rid=6013 Browse in-depth TOC on "Infrared Imaging Market" 202 - Pages 126 - Tables 37 - Figures Infrared Imaging Technology Drives Advancements in Disease Detection and Surgical Applications Infrared imaging, a non-invasive technique utilizing infrared radiation for disease detection, is revolutionizing the healthcare industry. This innovative imaging method has demonstrated its effectiveness in identifying a range of diseases, including schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, depression, and breast cancer. By minimizing patient discomfort and providing enhanced magnification capabilities for soft tissue tumor detection, infrared imaging offers distinct advantages over alternative techniques. One of the key benefits of infrared imaging is its ability to measure hemoglobin and oxygen levels in the brain, muscles, and other bodily tissues, facilitating real-time image assessment during surgical procedures. This feature ensures heightened safety for patients and enables surgeons to make informed decisions during operations. Moreover, the field of infrared imaging is witnessing significant advancements with numerous novel technologies undergoing clinical testing, particularly in the context of surgical applications. Within this domain, near infrared imaging has emerged as a standout technology, experiencing notable growth due to its superior tissue penetration capabilities. The increased adoption of near infrared imaging has proven invaluable during surgical interventions, offering improved visualization and enhancing patient outcomes. Additionally, near infrared imaging market exhibits great potential in identifying coronary artery blockages, further expanding its applications in cardiovascular health. The application of near-infrared technology extends across various surgical disciplines, including plastic and reconstructive surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, cancer surgery, cardiovascular surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, and neurovascular surgery. By incorporating near infrared imaging into these procedures, surgeons can effectively monitor tissue viability, blood flow, and perfusion, contributing to better patient care. The rising prevalence of diseases such as cancer, neurovascular disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and gastrointestinal diseases has stimulated the demand for infrared imaging systems, with continued growth anticipated in the forecast period. Notably, near infrared imaging market play a critical role in cancer-related procedures by facilitating the differentiation between healthy cells and cancerous cells. This factor is expected to drive the adoption of infrared imaging systems in the coming years. Key Market Segments: Short-Wave Infrared Segment: The Short-Wave Infrared segment is predicted to hold the most significant compound annual growth rate (CAGR) during the forecast period due to its wide range of applications. Short-Wave Infrared imaging is increasingly being adopted in various appliances such as high-temperature thermography, surveillance, spectroscopy, moisture detection, semiconductor inspection, scientific research, and art inspection. Uncooled IR Imaging Segment: The Uncooled IR Imaging segment currently dominates the market, holding the largest market share. This segment's popularity is attributed to the lower cost of uncooled infrared imaging cameras compared to cooled counterparts, leading to a significant rise in demand. Key Players in the Infrared Imaging Market: FLIR Systems (US) Fluke (US) Sensors Unlimited (US) Leonardo DRS (US) Xenics (Belgium) Axis Communications (Sweden) Allied Vision Technologies (Germany) Opgal Optronic Industries (Israel) New Imaging Technologies (France) Sofradir (France) To maintain their market positions and drive innovation, these key players focus on product benchmarking, SWOT analysis, and the implementation of key development strategies. In conclusion, the remarkable advancements in infrared imaging technology are transforming disease detection and revolutionizing surgical applications. With its non-invasive nature, enhanced imaging capabilities, and real-time assessment during surgical procedures, infrared imaging is paving the way for improved patient outcomes and enhanced safety. The forecasted growth in the market, coupled with the increasing adoption of near infrared imaging, emphasizes the significance of this technology in the healthcare industry. Based on the research, Verified Market Research has segmented the global Infrared Imaging Market into Type, Wavelength, Technology, Application, And Geography. Infrared Imaging Market, by Type Fixed IR Imaging Products Portable IR Imaging Products Infrared Imaging Market, by Wavelength Far-Infrared Long-Wave Infrared Mid-Wave Infrared Near-Infrared Short-Wave Infrared Infrared Imaging Market, by Technology Cooled IR Imaging Uncooled IR Imaging Infrared Imaging Market, by Application Aerospace Defense and Military Automotive Consumer Electronics Fire Fighting Industrial Medical Surveillance and Security Infrared Imaging Market, by Geography North America U.S Canada Mexico Europe Germany France U.K Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China Japan India Rest of Asia Pacific ROW Middle East & Africa Latin America Browse Related Reports: Near-Infrared Imaging Market Size By Product (Devices, Probe/Dye), By Application (Preclinical Imaging, Clinical Imaging), By End-Users (Hospitals & clinics, Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies), By Geography, And Forecast Medical Imaging Workstations Market By Component (Visualization Software, Display Units), By Usage Mode (Thin Client Workstations, Thick Client Workstations), By Application (Diagnostic Imaging, Clinical Review), By Modality (Ultrasound, Mammography), By End-User (Hospitals, Diagnostic Centers), By Geography, And Forecast Preclinical Imaging Market By Modality (Optical Imaging Systems, Nuclear Imaging Systems), By Reagent (Preclinical Optical Imaging Reagents, Preclinical Nuclear Imaging Reagents), By Geography, And Forecast Artificial Intelligence In Medical Imaging Market By Product (Deep Learning, Computer Vision, Others), By Application (Neurology, Cardiovascular, Breast & Lung, Other), By Geography, And Forecast 10 Best Diagnostic Imaging Services Brands facilitating better health management Visualize Infrared Imaging Market using Verified Market Intelligence -: Verified Market Intelligence is our BI Enabled Platform for narrative storytelling in this market. VMI offers in-depth forecasted trends and accurate Insights on over 20,000+ emerging & niche markets, helping you make critical revenue-impacting decisions for a brilliant future. VMI provides a holistic overview and global competitive landscape with respect to Region, Country, Segment, and Key players of your market. Present your Market Report & findings with an inbuilt presentation feature saving over 70% of your time and resources for Investor, Sales & Marketing, R&D, and Product Development pitches. VMI enables data delivery In Excel and Interactive PDF formats with over 15+ Key Market Indicators for your market. About Us Verified Market Research is a leading Global Research and Consulting firm servicing over 5000+ customers. Verified Market Research provides advanced analytical research solutions while offering information-enriched research studies. We offer insight into strategic and growth analyses, Data necessary to achieve corporate goals and critical revenue decisions. Our 250 Analysts and SMEs offer a high level of expertise in data collection and governance use industrial techniques to collect and analyze data on more than 15,000 high impact and niche markets. Our analysts are trained to combine modern data collection techniques, superior research methodology, expertise and years of collective experience to produce informative and accurate research. We study 14+ categories from Semiconductors & Electronics, Chemicals, Advanced Materials, Aerospace & Defense, Energy & Power, Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Automotive & Transportation, Information & Communication Technology, Software & Services, Information Security, Mining, Minerals & Metals, Building & Construction, Agriculture industry and Medical Devices from over 100 countries. Contact Us Mr. Edwyne Fernandes Verified Market Research US: +1 (650)-781-4080 US Toll Free: +1 (800)-782-1768 Email: sales@verifiedmarketresearch.com Web: https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/ Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2015407/VMR_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/infrared-imaging-market-zooms-towards-billion-dollar-valuation-estimated-to-reach-usd-12-17-billion-by-2030-verified-market-research-301840057.html BANGALORE, India, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Natural Surfactants Market is Segmented by Type (Anionic Natural Surfactants, Nonionic Natural Surfactants, Cationic Natural Surfactants, Amphoteric Natural Surfactants), by Application (Industrial & Institutional Cleaning, Detergents, Personal Care, Agricultural Chemicals, Oilfield Chemicals): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast 2023-2029. It is published in Valuates Reports under the Chemicals Industry Category. The global Natural Surfactants market was valued at USD 11470 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 15650 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 4.1% during the forecast period 2023-2029. Major Factors Driving the Growth of the Natural Surfactants Market: Due to increased industrialization and urbanization, the demand for the commodity has grown among industries. The market is expanding as a result of rising consumer demand for detergents and personal care items as well as stringent government restrictions on the use of conventional surfactants. The Natural Surfactants market is expanding as a result of rising R&D spending, technical developments, and applications in numerous sectors. Download Free Sample: https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/QYRE-Auto-0A7465/Global_Natural_Surfactants TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF NATURAL SURFACTANTS MARKET: Surfactants have the ability to produce micelles that trap oil, dirt, or sebum because of their amphiphilic nature. It removes them from your skin's surface so they can simply be wiped off. They are included in goods including face washes, shampoos, and soaps. Due to their propensity to produce the largest foam and the finest cleaning power, anionic surfactants are the most widely utilized surfactants in detergent. This factor is expected to drive the growth of the Natural Surfactants market. Surfactants are used in cosmetics to clean, froth, thicken, emulsify, solubilize, increase penetration, have antibacterial actions, and provide other specific effects. Surfactant molecules' ability to coexist with both water and oil is the primary characteristic that makes them valuable as ingredients in cosmetic products. When creating skincare or haircare products with a surfactant foundation, natural and organic skincare formulators primarily use non-ionic surfactants. Due to their compatibility with various surfactant kinds, they first choose non-ionic surfactants. All the other groups we described in the previous chart get along well with non-ionic surfactants. Second, it is simple to formulate with non-ionic surfactants. This factor is expected to drive the growth of the Natural Surfactants market. In recent years, petroleum biotechnology has improved. This is a result of the rising petrochemical processes in the oil sector and the strong global demand for renewable technology. The petrochemical-based synthetic surfactants are widely used in the petroleum industry as mobilizing agents to enhance the availability or recovery of hydrocarbons and different extraction, handling, washing, and transportation applications. This factor is expected to drive the growth of the Natural Surfactants market. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-0A7465/global-natural-surfactants NATURAL SURFACTANTS MARKET SHARE During the forecast period, the market for natural surfactants (bio-based surfactants) is anticipated to grow at the highest CAGR in APAC. Get Regional Reports: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-0A7465/global-natural-surfactants/3 A Large Share of the Global Market Will Be Held by the Anionics Segment. Anionic surfactants dominate the surfactant market, which includes uses in dishwashing and laundry. The three most prevalent anionic surfactants in terms of volume are linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS), alcohol ether sulfates (AES), and alpha-olefin sulfonates (AOS). The two major sustainable anionic surfactants, alcohol ether sulfate (AES) and methyl ester sulfonate (MES), are produced from palm or coconut oil. MES can be used in place of LAS because it is biodegradable. AES can be used to replace ethylene-based surfactants and petroleum-based AES. Both MES and AES give detergents useful surfactant characteristics. The sector for detergents held the biggest market share globally and is anticipated to expand quickly over the coming years. Due to the growing adoption of washing machines in developing nations, demand is anticipated to increase. A number of vendors set up factories in developing nations where there are abundant business opportunities in an effort to increase their footprint. The rising use of washing machines in homes in developing nations' economies supports this tendency. For instance, Indian consumers overwhelmingly favored fully automatic washing machines to semi-automatic ones. In general, urban areas have a higher need for washing machines than rural ones. Key Companies Profiled: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-0A7465/global-natural-surfactants/6 By Company BASF Dow Air Products and Chemicals Stepan Company Clariant Croda International Kao Corporation Sasol India Glycols Galaxy Surfactants Akzonobel Solvay Enaspol Buy Chapters: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-0A7465/global-natural-surfactants/1 Buy Now for Single User + Covid-19 Impact : https://reports.valuates.com/api/directpaytoken?rcode=QYRE-Auto-0A7465&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 - Organic Laundry Detergents Market - Beauty and Personal Care Surfactants Market - Surfactants market size is projected to reach USD 38320 Million by 2027, from USD 31910 Million in 2020, at a CAGR of 3.1%. - Agricultural Surfactants market size is projected to reach USD 1732.1 million by 2027, from USD 1376.8 million in 2020, at a CAGR of 3.9% - Alkyl Polyglycoside Surfactant Market - Superwetting Surfactants Industry - Bio-based Anionic Surfactants Market - Amphoteric Surfactants Market - Specialty Surfactants and Bio-Surfactant Industry - The Biosurfactants market was valued at USD 1386.4 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 1697.6 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 2.9% during the forecast period 2023-2029. - Cationic Fluorosurfactants Market - Cosmetic Anionic Surfactants Market - Cationic Surfactants market was valued at USD 111.6 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 157.1 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 4.9% during the forecast period 2023-2029. - Silicone Surfactants For Flexible Foam Market - Amino Acid-based Surfactants market was valued at USD 728 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 1613.8 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 11.9% during the forecast period 2023-2029. - Anionic Surfactants market size is estimated to be worth USD 15420 million in 2022 and is forecast to be a readjusted size of USD 17780 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 2.4% during the review period. - Liquid Nonionic Surfactant Market - Alkyl Polyglucosides (APG) market was valued at USD 312 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 379.4 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 2.8% during the forecast period 2023-2029. - Amphoteric Fluorosurfactant market was valued at USD 523 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 650.5 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 3.1% during the forecast period 2023-2029. - Anionic Surfactant for Personal Care Market - Oilfield Surfactants market was valued at USD 1064.5 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 1354.2 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 3.5% during the forecast period 2023-2029. - Hand Sanitizers Market - Hydrogen Peroxide market size is estimated to be worth USD 4338.3 Million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 5240.8 Million by 2028 with a CAGR of 3.2% - The cleanroom consumables market was valued at USD 3688.38 million in 2020, and it is anticipated to reach USD 6658.35 million by 2030, registering a CAGR of about 5.40% - Quaternary Ammonium Compounds market was valued at USD 1178.6 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 1545.5 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 4.3% - Antiseptic and Disinfectant market size is about 46 Billion in 2021, growing at a CAGR of 6.3% - Lung Surfactants Market - Surfactant Blend Market - Sustainable Bio-based Surfactant Market - Natural Source Surfactant Market - Polymeric Surfactant Market Click here to see related reports on Natural Surfactant Market ABOUT US: Valuates offers in-depth market insights into various industries. 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CONTACT US: Valuates Reports sales@valuates.com 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 Sitemap: https://reports.valuates.com/sitemap/html/reports https://reports.valuates.com/sitemap/html/reports/887 https://reports.valuates.com/sitemap/html/reports/888 https://reports.valuates.com/sitemap/html/reports/889 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1082232/Valuates_Reports_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/natural-surfactants-market-to-grow-usd-15650-million-by-2029-at-a-cagr-of-4-1--valuates-reports-301840222.html NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2023 / SkysTheLimit.org, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering a vibrant community of entrepreneurs and their allies, brings the community together to celebrate Pride Month by spotlighting the success of entrepreneur Amnoni Myers and inspiring others to make their dreams happen. LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs represent a significant portion of the entrepreneurial landscape. According to the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, there are 1.4 million LGBTQIA+ business owners, who are contributing $1.7 trillion to the U.S. economy annually. Amnoni Myers embodies the spirit of resilience, determination, and innovation. Amnoni became a ward of the state at birth, and through her experiences, in foster care, she became committed to helping others understand the importance of their voice and experiences so that they can break the cycle of poverty. She is the Founder of You Are the Prize LLC., a service-based company that offers speaking, training and consulting to child welfare agencies, educational institutions and foster parents who work with young people who have experienced trauma. With the success of her book: You Are the Prize: Seeing Yourself Beyond the Imperfections of Your Trauma and her experiences working with the White House and Congress, she developed a brand to help people working with children understand the impacts of trauma. "Mentors are a form of social capital, and I am realizing that an essential element to building a business is being able to rely on people where you may lack experience. Each mentor has given me more confidence by affirming the work I am doing. They each have encouraged me to seek after clients who are willing to pay for my services. Because I've stayed firm on my prices, I've seen that I have gained about three clients since," said Amnoni. Read more about her remarkable success story here. To further honor Amnoni's achievements and inspire others, Sky's the Limit will be hosting the highly anticipated Limitless! premiere featuring founder Amnoni Myers. Limitless! is a groundbreaking series, where entrepreneurs can share their experiences, insights, and strategies for success. This episode will provide a unique opportunity for attendees to learn from Amnoni's journey, gain valuable knowledge, and connect with like-minded individuals. More details can be found here. As an organization committed to building a global community that embraces diversity, Sky's the Limit recognizes that inclusivity is the key to innovation and progress. By providing a platform for entrepreneurs of all backgrounds, identities, and orientations, we foster an environment where creativity thrives, ideas flourish, and meaningful relationships are formed. Join Sky's the Limit this Pride Month in celebrating the diversity, strength, and resilience of the LGBTQIA+ community. Together, we can create a future where every entrepreneur's potential knows no bounds. For more information about how to get your company involved in mentoring, please visit skysthelimit.org/partnerships. Sky's the Limit offers opportunities for traditionally marginalized entrepreneurs - typically those who identify as LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, women, veterans, disabled people, and people from low-income backgrounds - to connect with mentors to come together to foster, grow, and shape modern and future enterprise. # # # About SkysTheLimit.org: SkysTheLimit.org is a digital platform that connects young, historically excluded entrepreneurs with one-on-one support from experienced business advisors and mentors, entrepreneurship training, and community-voted startup grants. SkysTheLimit.org is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Amnoni Myers, Founder of You Are the Prize LLC. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Skys the Limit on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Skys the Limit Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/skys-limit Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Skys the Limit View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758624/SkysTheLimitorg-Celebrates-Pride-Month-Amplifying-the-Success-of-Amnoni-Myers-and-Fostering-the-Future-of-Entrepreneurship NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2023 / Suncor Energy The morning was calm and quiet when Mike climbed into the passenger's seat of a truck to make the commute to his worksite south of Fort McMurray, Alta. Both he and the driver were Suncor summer students in 2006, each taking turns driving to work. It was Mike's turn to sit back and nap on the drive, so he reclined his seat and dozed off. He was startled awake as the truck hit a ditch along Highway 63, the only road leading in and out of town. "The truck was upside down and I was having difficulty breathing, so I was mostly focused on trying to breathe, not on what happened," says Mike. "It took a couple of hours to get me out of the truck using the Jaws of Life. But once I got out, I was in good spirits; joking around with everyone and laughing." Fortunately, both Mike and the driver survived the accident, but Mike had a spinal injury that left him paralyzed. "I'm paralyzed from the chest down and technically classified as a quadriplegic because I lost some use of my hands as well as my legs," explains Mike. "I was also burned on my legs and needed skin grafts, but because of my spinal injury, I didn't feel much pain." Since the accident, Mike has become a passionate accessibility advocate, working to raise awareness of everyday tasks that can be challenging for those with disabilities. "There are so many 'invisible,' life-changing accessibility features that make navigating the world easier for me," says Mike. "A lot of time, thought, care and the voices of countless people with disabilities and allies have advocated for these benefits and I'm privileged to take advantage of them." Although features like ramps, elevators, automatic doors and accessible washroom stalls are familiar to all of us, there are other accessibility tools that are less obvious such as alt text on images in a social media feed, and screen readers for computers and mobile devices. "Things like being able to use the tap feature debit and credit card machines; taking my kids to tourist attractions designed with accessibility in mind ensuring I have a clear view; not having to worry if my wheelchair will fit through doorways or having hand controls installed in rental cars are just some 'luxuries' that would be less common had I been injured a decade before." Mike returned to Suncor as a student the following summer, and eventually met another student who would later become his wife. "At this point, after meeting my wife and raising two amazing young girls, the accident seems like a lifetime ago. But because of it, accessibility will always be a part my life," he says. Almost 20 years after the accident, Mike now works for Suncor as an accounts payable administrator and is an active member in Suncor's accessibility employee inclusion network, enABLE. Through the network he hosts regular sessions on accessibility, providing a safe space for persons with disabilities, caregivers and allies to discuss a range of disability related topics. "Many people don't speak up about things they know will make their life easier, often because they're worried about what their colleagues might think," adds Mike. "But when we are vulnerable and open up, we give our coworkers the chance to help make this an even better place to work." National AccessAbility Week runs from May 28 to June 3, and is an opportunity to celebrate the valuable contributions and leadership of persons with disabilities, highlight the work of people, organizations and communities that are removing barriers and improving accessibility, and reflect on the ongoing efforts to become more accessible and more inclusive. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Suncor Energy on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Suncor Energy Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/suncor-energy Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Suncor Energy View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758626/Why-Suncors-Mike-Barker-Advocates-for-Accessibility NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2023 / Inogen Alliance is proud to announce that we will be an official sponsor exhibitor at The Global Summit on ESG reporting for the Energy & Extractive Industries! The conference will be held in Brussels, Belgium on June 20th. Our global Alliance team will be represented by six co-sponsoring Associates, including Antea Group Belgium, Ayrton Group in Ireland, Baden Consulting in Switzerland, denxpert in Hungary, HPC Germany and HPC Italy. According to the Global Summit on ESG Reporting website, "The conference aims to bring together the senior decision-makers from the Energy, Mining and Oil & Gas Industries for a business networking-oriented event. The attendees will have the opportunity to witness a program that focuses on insightful case studies and panels which will promote in-depth exchanges and discussions that address the industry's challenges." This conference aims to promote transparency and accountability in the extractives sector by providing a forum for discussing key ESG issues such as climate change, biodiversity, and human rights. Program highlights include: ESG Metrics and KPIs ESG Commitments that are "Greenwashing Proof" Reporting Requirements Collecting Quality Data Accurate Visibility Across your Carbon Footprint Data Transparency Misinterpretation of ESG Disclosures Green Bonds and Sustainability-Linked Finance Investor Relations and Sustainability Social Issues in the Context of ESG Reporting Standards Bill MacDonald, Antea Group USA, Energy Working Group leader states "The collective energy project experience of the Alliance membership rivals any global consulting firm. Our mission is to collaborate with each other to expand our consulting capabilities geographically, and to win multinational client opportunities." This is a unique opportunity to exchange experiences with energy and mining industry leaders and build connections with members of the wider community. Check out more on the event and request a brochure to register on the site here and make sure to connect with our Associates in attendance at the table exhibit! Or watch for more content to come from our team that will be attending representing the Global Energy Transition Working Group and Sustainability Working Group. Inogen Alliance is a global network made up of dozens of independent local consultancies with more than 6,000 team members and experts skilled in delivering solutions and supporting client success across the globe. Click the links below to learn more about us and how we can use our global expertise to meet your local needs. Explore our Associates, News & Blog updates, Contact Us or follow us on LinkedIn. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Inogen Alliance on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Inogen Alliance Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/inogen-alliance Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Inogen Alliance View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758628/Inogen-Alliance-Sponsors-The-Global-Summit-on-ESG-Reporting-for-the-Energy-Extractive-Industries Strategic combination accelerates US expansion Domestic General Group ("D&G"), the leading appliance care specialist headquartered in London, UK, has entered into an agreement to acquire US based, post-sale warranty specialist After Inc ("After"), a Galway Holdings company. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230601005779/en/ Gayle Terry, President of D&G US (Photo: Business Wire) The acquisition will significantly strengthen D&G's proposition and operations in the US, enabling the group to meet strong US consumer demand for post-sale appliance care and protection. The combined capabilities of the companies will accelerate D&G Group's expansion into the US warranty market, helping to build on the Group's track record of more than 20 years of consecutive revenue and profit growth. To lead D&G's growth in the US, today we announce that Gayle Terry has been appointed President of D&G US, with immediate effect. Gayle has been with D&G for over nine years and until recently has held the position of Group CMO as well as being executive lead in the US for 12 months; successfully building our warranty subscription business in the US and accelerating our global vision. The Board are confident that Gayle's leadership and expertise are well placed to lead the US business at this strategically critical time. Matthew Crummack, CEO of D&G said: "We are really excited to combine with the After Inc. team with the aim of creating the very best in domestic appliance care and protection in the US market. By combining D&G's innovative and market leading subscription program with After's strong reputation and consistent service delivery, we will build a market-leading appliance care business in the US. I'd like to personally welcome the After team to the D&G family and look forward to our new journey together." Nate Baldwin, CEO of After said: "We are delighted to be joining forces with D&G. From the first conversation, we had a common vision of the opportunity ahead of us where we can leverage our combined resources and expertise to seize new opportunities, service our customers better and drive even greater growth in the US market. We look forward to working together to achieve our shared vision by serving the needs of our customers and giving them the best possible service" D&G Group With a strong focus on sustainability and customer-care, D&G's appliance care plans protect individuals and families against the unexpected costs of appliance repairs and replacements. Present in 12 countries across Europe, Australia and the US, D&G protects over 21 million appliances for approximately 13 million customers. Globally D&G has ~3000 employees. It has a leading position in the UK market and is present in 1 in 3 households. D&G has been present in the US for 18 months and this acquisition supports D&G's ambitious global growth plans. After Inc Headquartered in Connecticut, and with operations in Louisville, Kentucky, After Inc has been a pioneer in the warranty industry sector since 2005, and helped some of the world's top manufacturer brands transform their businesses after the point of sale with its industry-leading technology, analytics, and marketing. After has ~100 employees. For more information, please visit https://investors.domesticandgeneral.com/ - END - Notes to editors: The extended warranties market in the US is estimated to be worth $58.63 billion in 2023 and is projected to be worth $63.80 billion in 2025, demonstrating consistent growth driven by a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 4.6% from 2020 to 2028 (U.S. Extended Warranty Market globenewswire.com) View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230601005779/en/ Contacts: Investor enquiries to: For investor related enquiries please use your existing contacts or email us at: investor.relations@domesticandgeneral.com Media enquiries to: Sam Turvey (Maitland) Telephone: +44 7827 836246 Email: domesticandgeneral@h-advisors.global Tori Rees (Domestic and General) Telephone: +44 7342 093331 Email: tori.rees@domesticandgeneral.com MONTREAL, QC / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2023 / Tarku Resources Ltd (TSXV:TKU()FRA:7TK)(OTCQB:TRKUF) (the "Company" or "Tarku") is pleased to provide an update on its marketing and social media strategy and the results of its efforts to raise awareness within the retail investor community over the last year. A growing number of studies and articles, such as a recent Forbes article (March 3rd, 2023), show that most young adults and a rising number of older adults get not just their basic information on companies but also their financial advice from social media platforms, hence the Company's decision to complement its marketing efforts with a larger social media presence. Over the last year, the Company has been working on increasing its social media presence to reach current and potential investors in Canada, the United States and Europe, with the help of Global One Media Limited ("Global One"). Global One manages Tarku's social media channels, including distribution of interviews and company news and other similar services. This initiative, which mainly consists of the sharing of posts, descriptive videos and interviews about the Company's mining projects, have resulted in a significant increase in the number of Tarku followers in the last year, on Facebook (+145%), Instagram (+51%), Twitter (+27%) and LinkedIn (+15%), and an increased presence on YouTube. During the same period, the average daily trading volume of Tarku's shares rose significantly on both its Canadian and U.S. listings, which the Company believes to be linked in part to its social media activity. Julien Davy, President and CEO of Tarku Resources, said: "We are delighted with the impact our social media campaign has had over the last year. It is important for us to reach as many potential investors as possible around the world and we understand that the various social media platforms play different roles and reach different people. We have seen a marked increase in trading on our stock, which now has greater liquidity. We are also thrilled with the exploration results we have achieved and our success in communicating them to a larger group of potential investors. Social media is by far the most cost-effective means of communicating, with global reach. We are pleased to have Global One as our social media partner and to be able to benefit from their marketing strategy, content creation and execution expertise." Commenting on the partnership, Bastien Boulay, Managing Partner at Global One Media, said, "With millions of young, savvy investors turning to social media for investment advice, we are very excited to be able to introduce Tarku and enhance the Company's exposure to its target audience, who consume investment information on digital channels such as YouTube, TikTok, Spotify and Instagram. By presenting the information in a way that is relevant to that audience and easy to digest and understand, we aim to help Tarku Resources develop a dynamic online following across their social media channels." Follow @TarkuResources Over the last year, Tarku has significantly improved its presence on various social media platforms to expand its reach to a larger number of investors. On top of its website at www.tarkuresources.com, the Company is active under @TarkuResources on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tarkuresources Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tarkuresources LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tarkuresources Twitter: https://twitter.com/TarkuResources YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGS5QFh4A4Tk9u3L9hc_APw About Global One Media Global One Media is an innovative investor-focused digital marketing agency solving the needs of small and mid-cap listed companies. We deliver creative and effective solutions for brand positioning and strategic communications across all industries, specializing in investor engagement and growth marketing for listed and pre-IPO companies. Using our global network, we help public companies dominate their sector amid the web and social media landscape, tell their story in an engaging manner, and reach millions of investors around the world. About Tarku Tarku Resources Ltd. (TSXV: TKU | FRA: 7TK | OTCBQ: TRKUF) is a mining exploration company focused on advancing the development of new discoveries by using modern techniques in favourable mining jurisdictions such as Quebec and Arizona. In Arizona, within the famous Tombstone District, Tarku owns 100% of the 29 km2 Silver Strike project. Silver Strike has been interpreted by management to have the potential for similar Carbonate Replacement Deposits (CRD) comparable to the Hermosa project, located 80 km west in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, which South32 acquired for USD 1.8 billion in 2018. In Quebec, Tarku owns 100% of the "Three As" exploration projects (Apollo, Admiral and Atlas) in the Matagami Greenstone Belt, interpreted by management as the eastern extension of the Detour Belt, which has seen recent exploration successes by Midland Exploration, Wallbridge Mining Company and Probe Metals. In addition, the Company owns the MAX Lithium project, located 4 km southwest of Sayona Mining's North American Lithium mine. On behalf of Tarku Resources Ltd. Julien Davy, President and CEO Tarku contact information: Email: investors@tarkuresources.com Website: www.tarkuresources.com Please follow @TarkuResources on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. 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 and activities to vary materially from targeted results and planning. Such risks and uncertainties include those described in Tarku's periodic reports including the annual report or in the filings made by Tarku from time to time with securities regulatory authorities. SOURCE: Tarku Resources ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758632/Tarku-Sees-Rise-in-Investor-Awareness-Thanks-to-Social-Media-Strategy MIAMI, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- During the Italian National Day, celebrating Italian Republic Day, organized by the Italian Consulate General in Miami, 1000 Miglia presented upcoming events to be organized in the United States. The evening, which took place at the Biltmore Hotel Miami Coral Gable, was an important opportunity to announce developments in the Red Arrow's activities on the East Coast. Three cars, representing examples of Italian automotive history, were on display during the event, a 1955 Lancia Aurelia B24S Spider America, a 1950 Maserati A6GCS 2000 'Monofaro' by Fantuzzi and a 1972 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS. 1000 Miglia has confirmed the fourth edition of Warm UP USA, scheduled from October 31 to November 5, 2023 in the Washington DC area. The event is open to the 1000 Miglia Era (built up to 1957) and Post 1000 Miglia Era (built 1958 to present) classes of cars. It will consist of a one-day training session on the techniques peculiar to Italian regularity races and a three-day competition in full 1000 Miglia style that will pass through the fall scenery of West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland and finish in the center of the U.S. Capital city. For 2024, 1000 Miglia is previewing 1000 Miglia Experience Miami: the vibrant Florida city will be the perfect setting to welcome classic car enthusiasts and offer them an unparalleled driving experience surrounded by spectacular scenery and a unique atmosphere. Participants will be able to immerse themselves in the local culture and enjoy an extraordinary event. "First of all, I would like to thank the Consul General for offering 1000 Miglia the opportunity to introduce itself in this setting that celebrates Italy and the excellence that makes it unique in the world," said Alberto Piantoni, CEO of 1000 Miglia Srl."The almost 100-year history of the 1000 Miglia, combined with the daring and pioneering spirit that, true to its DNA, continues to renew and innovate, allows us today to export these events to every part of the world, narrating the uniqueness of the places that host us and giving exclusive experiences to fans. With this opportunity I would like to remind you that the 1000 Miglia 2023 is just around the corner: from June 13 to 17, in fact, the forty-first re-enactment of the Race will take place, travelling through Italy from Brescia to Rome and back, offering the more than 400 historic cars in the race a unique experience that only the most beautiful race in the world can give." Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2090807/Mille_Miglia.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2090867/1000_Miglia_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/1000-miglia-presents-upcoming-events-in-the-united-states-in-miami-on-the-occasion-of-the-italian-national-day-the-presentation-of-warm-up-usa-2023-and-the-launch-of-1000-miglia-experience-in-florida-301840272.html Balanced Commercial Property Trust Ltd - Result of AGM PR Newswire LONDON, United Kingdom, June 01 Balanced Commercial Property Trust Limited (formerly known as BMO Commercial Property Trust Limited) LEI Number: 213800A2B1H4ULF3K397 (The "Company") 01 June 2023 RESULT OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING At the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 31 May 2023, all Ordinary Resolutions set out in the Annual General Meeting Notice sent to Shareholders dated 25 April 2023 were duly passed. Details of the proxy voting results which should be read alongside the Notice are noted below: Ordinary Resolution For Against Abstain 1 404,976,231 4,299 1,933,127 2 398,918,135 7,811,119 184,403 3 398,928,581 7,826,153 158,923 4 406,868,891 2,143 42,623 5 401,901,531 4,884,675 127,451 6 395,508,866 11,278,323 126,468 7 401,871,815 4,914,808 127,034 8 401,898,568 4,887,638 127,451 9 406,332,230 454,393 127,034 10 406,590,169 220,918 102,570 11 406,752,720 35,277 125,660 12 406,653,048 190,252 70,357 Special Resolution For Against Abstain 13 403,410,993 3,446,521 56,143 14 377,408,074 27,297,221 2,208,362 Note - A vote withheld is not a vote in law and has not been counted in the votes for and against a resolution. The Special Resolutions were as follows: Special Resolution 13 THAT the directors of the Company be and they are hereby generally empowered, to allot and issue ordinary shares in the Company or grant rights to subscribe for, or to convert securities into, ordinary shares in the Company ("equity securities'') for cash, including by way of a sale of ordinary shares held by the Company as treasury shares, as if any pre-emption rights in relation to the issue of shares contained in Article 6.2 of the Company's articles of incorporation did not apply to any such allotment of equity securities, provided that this power: (a) expires at the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting of the Company after the passing of this resolution or on the expiry of 15 months from the passing of this resolution, whichever is the earlier, save that the Company may, before such expiry, make an offer or agreement which would or might require equity securities to be allotted after such expiry and the Directors may allot equity securities in pursuance of any such offer or agreement as if the power conferred hereby had not expired; and (b) shall be limited to the allotment of equity securities up to an aggregate nominal value of 701,550 being approximately 10 per cent of the nominal value of the issued share capital of the Company (excluding treasury shares), as at 17 April 2023. Special Resolution 14 THAT the Company be authorised, in accordance with section 315 of The Companies (Guernsey) Law 2008, to make market acquisitions (within the meaning of section 316(1) of The Companies (Guernsey) Law 2008 of ordinary shares of 1p each ("Ordinary Shares'') (either for retention as treasury shares for future resale or transfer, or cancellation), provided that: (a) the maximum number of Ordinary Shares hereby authorised to be purchased shall be 14.99 per cent of the issued Ordinary Shares on the date on which this resolution is passed; (b) the minimum price which may be paid for an Ordinary Share shall be 1p (exclusive of expenses); (c) the maximum price (exclusive of expenses) which may be paid for an Ordinary Share shall be the higher of (i) 105 per cent of the average of the middle market quotations (as derived from the Daily Official List) for the Ordinary Shares for the five business days immediately preceding the date of purchase; and (ii) the higher of the last independent trade and the highest current independent bid on the trading venue which the purchase is carried out; and (d) unless previously varied, revoked or renewed, the authority hereby conferred shall expire at the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting of the Company after the passing of this resolution, or on the expiry of 18 months from the passing of this resolution, whichever is the earlier, save that the Company may, prior to such expiry, enter into a contract to purchase Ordinary Shares under such authority which will or may be executed wholly or partly after the expiration of such authority and may make a purchase of Ordinary Shares pursuant to any such contract. Enquiries: Northern Trust International Fund Administration Services (Guernsey) Limited The Company Secretary Trafalgar Court Les Banques St Peter Port Guernsey GY1 3QL Tel: 01481 745001 END VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2023 / EvokAI Creative Labs Inc. (TSX-V:OKAI) ("EvokAI" or the "Company"), a leading MedTech AI-powered company dedicated to the development of transformational and innovative technologies for the healthcare sector, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive agreement (the "Share Purchase Agreement") dated effective May 16, 2023, that was negotiated at arm's length, pursuant to which the Company intends to acquire (the "NeuroCarrier Acquisition") all the issued and outstanding securities of NeuroCarrier Oy ("NeuroCarrier"). NeuroCarrier combines cognitive neuroscience, extended reality ("XR") and artificial intelligence ("AI") technologies for enhanced performance screening and spatial perception of a person as well as risk behavior. Following the closing of the NeuroCarrier Acquisition, NeuroCarrier will be a wholly owned subsidiary of EvokAI. Completion of the NeuroCarrier Acquisition is subject to a number of standard conditions, including receipt of all regulatory approvals and the acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV"). The NeuroCarrier Acquisition is expected to close in June, 2023. "The acquisition of NeuroCarrier allows us to redefine the evaluation of human performance, enhance safety in various contexts, and transform the early detection and management of brain diseases. NeuroCarrier's unique technology provides a comprehensive and objective assessment of an individual's cognitive abilities, risk behavior, and driving maturity. In the United States alone there are 233 million licensed drivers, and when it comes to accidents, people aged 21 to 24 are most at risk1. There is an urgent and growing need to assess brain health, not just because people live longer but also because the importance of cognitive enhancement in today's fast-paced world. NeuroCarrier's virtual reality driving simulator using high performance eye-tracking technology fills this need, allowing EvokAI to exponentially increase its revenues given the low-cost XR test and its easy-to-scale path," commented Alejandro Antalich, CEO and Director of EvokAI Creative Labs. "With a deep understanding of deep brain simulation from our previous acquisition of Head Instruments, we recognize the significant challenges faced by individuals with neurological disorders, as well as those seeking to optimize their cognitive abilities, which motivates us to take a significant step towards brain implants, enabling precise interventions and personalized treatments. By providing neurostimulation, neural modulation, and real-time monitoring, our implants could potentially alleviate symptoms, restore lost functions, and improve overall quality of life for patients," added Antalich. "Our team of dedicated scientists, engineers, and medical professionals work tirelessly to refine brain implant solutions that are safe, effective, and designed to target a wide range of neurological disorders such as epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and traumatic brain injuries. We envision a future where brain health and cognitive function are no longer hindered by neurological disorders or limitations. Through our relentless pursuit of breakthrough technologies, we strive to transform lives, empower individuals, and contribute to the greater understanding of the human brain," concluded Antalich. NeuroCarrier is a private company founded in 2021 under the laws of Finland by renowned professionals with unique expertise in psychophysics and neural mechanisms of the somatosensory system (tactile system and haptics) to biases in spatial attention and perception. Its CEO is a former Finnish Air Force Officer who has over 15 years of experience in training and high-tech simulation starting from flight instructor and reaching the position of Chief of Air Force Training. "The science of assessing cognitive performance in a virtual reality driving environment, measuring more than thirty variables from reaction times to eye movement and fixations or reaction curves provide unprecedented accuracy. Our AI-powered technology allows us to handle large amounts of data, finetune the XR test and determine performance thresholds individually. Traffic has become an area of life that concerns millions of people every day and we are excited to provide a scientifically valid solution to increase safety," said Jarmo Majapuro, Founder and CEO of NeuroCarrier. "We are proud to see that XR-technology originating from our university finds a route to commercialization through EvokAI. We are ready to support the further development of the technology also in the future," commented Professor Vesa Taatila, President & CEO of Turku University of Applied Sciences, Finland, shareholder of NeuroCarrier. Pursuant to the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement, holders of 100% of NeuroCarriers' common shares ("NeuroCarrier Shares") will be issued 2,202,000 common shares of the Company (the "Shares") having an aggregate value of EUR 3,000,000, as consideration in exchange for their NeuroCarrier Shares. The Shares issued will be subject to an agreed hold period ending 1 year from the date of issuance. Up to an additional 367,000 common shares of the Company may be issuable to the current holders of NeuroCarrier Shares upon NeuroCarrier achieving certain milestones on or before November 16, 2023. 1Statista: Total number of licensed drivers in the United States in 2021 About EvokAI Creative Labs Inc. EvokAI is a MedTech AI-powered company dedicated to the development of transformational and innovative technologies for the modern healthcare sector. We deploy machine learning models to search medical data and uncover insights to help improve health outcomes, patient experiences, drug development, preclinical and clinical decisions and provide more accurate diagnoses. EvokAI tailors its AI algorithms across the whole healthcare system, from hospitals, private clinics, research institutions, pharmaceutical companies, contract research organizations, to medical professionals, patients, healthy individuals aiming at preventing any kind of disease and beyond, protecting the aging genome. On behalf of the Board of Directors of EvokAI Creative Labs Inc. Alejandro Antalich CEO & Director For more information, please contact: EvokAI Creative Labs Inc. Alejandro Antalich Chief Executive Officer Email: hello@evokailabs.com Phone: +358 50 5512 848 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 news release contains certain "forward-looking information" 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 news release. Generally, 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 information or statements. The forward-looking information or statements in this news release may relate, among other things, to: the completion of the NeuroCarrier Acquisition; the anticipated benefits of the NeuroCarrier Acquisition to the Company and its shareholders; the future growth potential of the Company on a post-transaction basis; the intention to scale operations; the accretive nature of the NeuroCarrier Acquisition, including expected synergies thereof; future financial performance; and receipt of all regulatory approvals. These forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time such statements were made. Actual future results may differ materially as 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 materially differ from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include: the expected results from the completion of the NeuroCarrier Acquisition; receipt of all required regulatory approvals including the approval of the TSXV; business integration risks; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; the Company's limited operating history; future capital needs and uncertainty of additional financing; the competitive nature of the technology industry; unproven markets for the Company's product offerings; lack of regulation and customer protection; the need for the Company to manage its planned growth and expansion; the effects of product development and need for continued technology change; protection of proprietary rights; network security risks; the ability of the Company to maintain properly working systems; foreign currency trading risks; use and storage of personal information and compliance with privacy laws; use of the Company's services for improper or illegal purposes; global economic and financial market conditions; uninsurable risks; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be evaluated; and those factors described under the heading "Risks Factors" in the Company's filing statement dated March 27, 2023 available on SEDAR. 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. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information, or the material factors or assumptions used to develop such forward-looking information, will prove to be accurate. The Company does not undertake any obligations to release publicly any revisions for updating any voluntary forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities law. SOURCE: EvokAI Creative Labs Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758644/EvokAI-Creative-Labs-to-Acquire-Extended-Reality-AI-Powered-Company-NeuroCarrier-Oy Regulatory News: Median Technologies (ALMDT) announced today that the Company will be participating in the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting taking place from June 2 to 6, McCormick Place, Chicago, IL, USA. The Median team, with iCRO and iBiopsy representatives as well as the Company clinical team will be pleased to welcome the ASCO participants at booth #2050, South Building, Hall A, McCormick place, from June 3 to 5 (exhibition dates), from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Two Median Technologies' abstracts have been selected for online publication: Abstract e20599: CT Based Radiomics Signature for Phenotyping Histopathological Subtype in Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer The study in this abstract aimed to use a CT-based radiomics model to predict the histopathological subtype of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The study included 678 patients, with 531 used for training and 147 for testing. The robust radiomics features extracted from the CT scans were used to train a support vector machine (SVM) classifier, which achieved an accuracy of 0.80 on the training set and 0.77 on the test set. The study showed that CT-based radiomics can accurately predict the histopathology subtype of NSCLC patients, offering a less invasive and more cost-effective alternative to traditional tissue analysis methods. Abstract e20515 Multicenter Evaluation of AI-Based CT Radiomics for EGFR Mutation Prediction in NSCLC This abstract discusses using CT image-based radiomics model as a non-invasive solution to predict EGFR mutation status in NSCLC. The study collected CT images from multiple centers and open-source databases to investigate the performance of the model. The model achieved promising results with an AUC of 0.83 on cross-validation and an AUC of 0.76 on the test set. The authors conclude that AI-powered medical image analysis has the potential to serve as predictive biomarkers for guiding targeted therapies in the future. The Median's Imaging Lab team will be at booth #2050, to discuss abstract results. The team will also host two sessions on June 3rd and June 4th, at 4:15 pm CDT at booth, to highlight how Imaging Lab is shaping the future of clinical development with the latest in AI-powered imaging intelligence. The ASCO Annual Meeting is the world's premier oncology conference, organized by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the largest oncology society in the world. Each year, the ASCO conference brings together more than 35,000 oncologists from all around the globe, and is attended by all medical, educational and industrial stakeholders involved in the field of oncology worldwide. More about the ASCO Annual Meeting: https://am.asco.org/ About Median Technologies:Median Technologies provides innovative imaging solutions and services to advance healthcare for everyone. We harness the power of medical images by using the most advanced Artificial Intelligence technologies, to increase the accuracy of diagnosis and treatment of many cancers and other metabolic diseases at their earliest stages and provide insights into novel therapies for patients. Our iCRO solutions for medical image analysis and management in oncology trials and iBiopsy, our AI-powered imaging platform for the development of software as medical devices (SaMD) help biopharmaceutical companies and clinicians to bring new treatments and diagnose patients earlier and more accurately. This is how we are helping to create a healthier world. Founded in 2002, based in Sophia-Antipolis, France, with a subsidiary in the US and another one in Shanghai, Median has received the label "Innovative company" by the BPI and is listed on Euronext Growth market (Paris). FR0011049824- ticker: ALMDT. Median is eligible for the French SME equity savings plan scheme (PEA-PME). For more information: www.mediantechnologies.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230601005030/en/ Contacts: Median Technologies Emmanuelle Leygues Head of Corporate Marketing Financial Communications +33 6 10 93 58 88 emmanuelle.leygues@mediantechnologies.com Press ALIZE RP Caroline Carmagnol +33 6 64 18 99 59 median@alizerp.com Investors ACTIFIN Ghislaine Gasparetto +33 6 21 10 49 24 ggasparetto@actifin.fr Tampa, Florida--(Newsfile Corp. - June 1, 2023) - In a significant stride towards eradicating period poverty, Florida has passed a groundbreaking law, H.B. 389: Menstrual Hygiene Products in Public Schools. The legislation, enacted on May 17, 2023, authorizes school districts across the state to provide their students with menstrual hygiene products free of charge. Aanya Patel, the founder of the Global Girls Initiative, collaborated with Representative Kelly Skidmore to garner support for the bill and bring it to fruition. Anaya Patel of Global Girls Initiative The law stipulates that menstrual hygiene products should be readily available in various locations within schools, including the nurse's office, health service facilities, and restrooms, ensuring accessibility for all students, including those requiring wheelchair-accessible facilities. The enactment of this law is set to have a profound impact on over 1.5 million students in Florida's school system. By providing direct access to menstrual hygiene products, the legislation enables students to manage their menstrual cycles with dignity. The benefits extend beyond physical health and comfort; the law improves students' mental and social well-being by fostering a sense of confidence among students, encouraging participation in after-school activities, and increasing class attendance, thereby allowing them to reach their full academic potential. Anaya Patel of Global Girls Initiative Aanya Patel expressed her enthusiasm for the new law, stating, "I am very excited that Florida now has a structured solution addressing young menstruators within the school system so they do not miss out on educational opportunities simply because they lack access to a basic hygiene necessity". Patel further emphasized the importance of Menstrual Hygiene Day, calling for increased conversation and awareness to break social stigmas surrounding period poverty. About Global Girls Initiative The Global Girls Initiative (GGI), a Tampa-based non-profit organization, was founded by Patel. Over the past three years, GGI has donated over 350,000 menstrual hygiene products to students and youth in underserved communities. The organization also provides free educational workshops, known as P.A.D.S (Period Awareness with Dignity & Self Esteem), to empower young menstruators and help them manage their cycles with dignity. In addition, GGI has pioneered the development of cost-effective menstrual hygiene dispensers, which are being installed in various institutions, including Hillsborough County's Title I middle & high schools, the University of Tampa, Johns Hopkins University, and more, as part of its mission to end period poverty. Contact Details Contact Person: Aanya Patel Email: aanya.p@globalgi.org Website: https://globalgi.org/ To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/167721 WACO, TX / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2023 / SBR Energy announces that it has engaged DelMorgan & Co. (www.delmorganco.com), an internationally recognized investment banking firm, to explore strategic growth options on a capital raise to finance projects in its robust pipeline of new high-quality projects in the upstream oil and gas space. "We have optimized methods in the oil and gas extraction process that can deliver excellent long-term results to shareholders while at the same time being responsible stewards of the environment," Spencer Brown, CEO of SBR Energy, commented. DelMorgan's Chairman, Rob Delgado, commented, "We are excited to be working with the team at SBR Energy. They have some exciting prospects, and we look forward to helping them establish the financial strategies and partnerships to realize their potential." Neil Morganbesser, President & CEO of DelMorgan, added, "We are confident that this is an exciting time in the oil & gas sector for investors to hear about the development opportunities that SBR Energy currently has to utilize its transformative approach and technology to truly deliver speedy and impressive financial returns." With over 100 years of collective team experience, SBR Energy leverages its advanced exploration and production technologies to redevelop leases into profitable producers. The Texas-based company is looking to acquire under-producing, low-risk oil and gas reserves. SBR Energy develops smaller lease blocks that are less expensive and can be completed faster with more oversight. It uses technologies such as nitrogen injection and refrigeration units to increase production of oil and gas wells. We are very focused on maximizing the total barrels of oil that can be recovered per well. "We leverage advanced technologies to claim untapped oil and gas reserves," Brown said. "Our experts use different production techniques to add value and ensure the most cost-effective and efficient results." SBR Energy already has established business relationships with BML Crude Oil Marketing, Energy Transport Logistics, Enterprise Products, GulfMark Energy Inc, Shell, Sunoco, Supply Partners, Truth Resources L.P., and Valero. About SBR Energy SBR Energy is an innovative upstream oil & gas producer with a focus on advanced efficient recovery methods which are underutilized by the industry. Our Motto: Energy Innovators In Motion. Its Corporate headquarters are located in Waco, Texas. For more info, go to sbrenergy.net. About DelMorgan & Co. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, DelMorgan & Co. is an internationally recognized investment bank and financial advisor. With over three decades of experience and over $300 billion in successfully completed transactions, the professionals at DelMorgan & Co. provide world-class financial advice to companies, institutions, governments and individuals around the world. For more information, please visit www.delmorganco.com. Contact Information Spencer Brown , Jr. CEO spencer@sbrenergy.net 2547443713 SOURCE: SBR Energy, LLC View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758206/SBR-Energy-Engages-DelMorgan-Co-for-Energy-Financing MEMPHIS, TN / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2023 / FedEx Corp. (NYSE:FDX) partnered with legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz on an iconic storytelling series to celebrate the company's 50th birthday on April 17. Named Driving Passions, this collection incorporates the power and possibilities of FedEx by showcasing three small businesses that represent the startups, innovators, and legends in the making-individuals and teams intrinsically connected by the innovative FedEx spirit bridging now and the next 50 years. The collection will be available on FedEx.com and on display at the Memphis International Airport. "This campaign is an opportunity to celebrate our customers-the entrepreneurs and visionaries of tomorrow," explained FedEx Chief Customer Officer, Brie Carere. "These three FedEx small business customers were chosen to be photographed to serve as a direct reflection of the modern FedEx brand- inclusive, innovative, and intelligent." Driving Passions portrait series tells the story of how the visionary founder of FedEx, Frederick W. Smith, brings the support and dream of entrepreneurship to small businesses full circle. Unlimited Tomorrow was founded by Easton LaChappelle, a millennial inventor who wanted to create affordable prosthetic limbs using 3D printing technology. With his team of engineers, LaChappelle is changing lives by providing customizable prosthetics that are both personalized and functional. Terra Beauty Bars is co-founded by three Brazilian-American sisters, one a U.S. Army Veteran, and their mother. The women cultivated their combined skills and heritage as building blocks for a small business success story. Terra provides award-winning products that are good for you, sustainably made, cruelty-free, plant-based, and always crafted with a dash of family love. Ginjan Bros. is a beverage company founded by two brothers who wanted to share the taste of their African heritage with the world. Their signature drink, ginjan, is made from a blend of ginger, pineapple, and hibiscus, and enjoyed by people of all ages. "Every day, these entrepreneurs break barriers and change lives with their innovative ideas, commitment to their customers, and products," added Carere. "These photographs capture their essence in a way that is both authentic and inspiring." Lifting up customers has been the company's top priority over the past 50 years, and it will continue to remain front and center as FedEx moves into the next 50. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from FedEx Corporation on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: FedEx Corporation Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/fedex-corporation Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: FedEx Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758669/FedEx-Collaborates-with-Annie-Leibovitz-to-Spotlight-and-Elevate-Small-Business-Customers NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2023 / Comcast Corporation: Each year, Comcast is proud to celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). Founded in 2012, GAAD represents a moment for us all to reflect on the importance of creating equitable and inclusive experiences. We've made a lot of progress, which is inspiring, but there are always new technologies on the horizon, like AI for example, that make it exciting to think about future applications. At Comcast, accessibility isn't an afterthought. My team and I partner with teams across the company to deliver first-rate, accessible products and services. From day one, we have a seat at the table working closely with product teams to identify solutions to enhance the experience for the widest possible audience. In addition, we spend a lot of time talking with external audiences-through direct customer interactions and in partnership with leading disability organizations like the American Council of the Blind, the National Association of the Deaf, National Federation of the Blind, Team Gleason, United Spinal Association and many others-to get their feedback about how we can improve our products to be even more inclusive for people with a variety of disabilities. As a consumer with a disability myself, I can always tell when I'm using a product that has taken accessibility to heart. It shows when a company has brought individuals with different types of disabilities into the product design conversation early as well as throughout the entire development lifecycle. I'm proud to say that for more than a decade at Comcast this approach has been fundamental to our product innovations. Most recently, we followed this method with our Large Button Voice Remote, which was launched last fall. Since then, it has been lauded by USA Today and FastCompany for its inclusive design. During the development process, we worked with our Experience Design research team in senior centers, independent living facilities and at disability-focused technology and consumer conferences where we could talk directly with people who offered us a wide range of perspectives and feedback. Last week, I revisited one of those locations, New Horizons, near Hartford, Connecticut, which houses seniors and adults with physical disabilities. I had the opportunity to thank them for their input and participation in helping us build such an innovative device. The Large Button Voice Remote builds on our many years of other product innovations. These include our Xfinity Web Remote app, which won TIME Magazine's "Best New Invention" in 2019, and enables customers to independently control Xfinity X1 and Flex using their preferred assistive technologies. We also have our " Talking Guide" that reads the menu of our X1 TV menu as you move through the screens. All these options are important because we know accessibility isn't a one-size-fits-all solution for everyone. So, on Global Accessibility Awareness Day we reflect on all that we've been able to accomplish so far, but we're also thinking creatively about what other new solutions are just around the corner. Comcast is proud to join with other organizations to raise awareness and inspire others to have conversations about creating a more inclusive world. Tom Wlodkowski is Vice President of Accessibility at Comcast. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Comcast Corporation on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Comcast Corporation Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/comcast-corporation Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Comcast Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758693/Recognizing-Global-Accessibility-Awareness-Day-and-Beyond SAN JOSE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2023 / With growing concerns about the business impacts of biodiversity loss and the climate crisis, GreenBiz Group is launching Bloom 23, a conference focused on company strategies to protect and regenerate nature, to be co-located with VERGE 23, the largest climate tech event in North America. Over the course of two interactive days, Bloom 23 will help catalyze a community of companies, innovators and experts from leading organizations and Indigenous groups. Participants will explore the markets, technologies and partnerships key to addressing the climate and biodiversity crises hand-in-hand. "Corporations are waking up to the reality that biodiversity impacts their operations' bottom lines, including their ability to deliver on climate commitments," said Theresa Lieb, Senior Director of Nature and Food Systems at GreenBiz. "Bloom aims to build and nurture a new community focused on accelerating solutions to both." VERGE 23 is the center of gravity for the climate tech community - leaders from business, government, finance and startups - working together to address the climate crisis across the six key programs that comprise the event: Buildings, Carbon, Energy, Food, Startups and Transport. The annual event attracts thousands of participants and convenes some of the biggest actors leveraging the power of technology to confront the climate crisis and ensure a just transition to a clean economy. "The co-location of Bloom 23 with VERGE 23 acknowledges the inextricable interconnection between climate and biodiversity," said Shana Rappaport, Senior Vice President of Climate Tech and Executive Director of VERGE. "While the climate crisis has been front and center for much of today's business world, companies are recognizing that we can't solve the climate crisis without also solving for biodiversity loss. We are thrilled to expand our scope and reach by co-locating Bloom and VERGE." The co-location of the two events underscores that flourishing ecosystems are critical to both mitigating and adapting to growing climate impacts. Moreover, companies are recognizing the importance of global biodiversity to the overall health and resilience of their operations and supply chains. Among the topics to be covered at Bloom 23: Creating a "nature-positive" business strategy Engaging Indigenous and local groups, suppliers and other partners Understanding the fast-changing biodiversity policy landscape Emerging tools, technologies and other resources Case studies from leadership companies "We are in a race against time, and the private sector has a critical role now to turn risk into opportunity at speed and scale. We need all innovators, disruptors and ecopreneurs on deck for nature and climate," said Tim Christophersen, Vice President of Climate Action at Salesforce. "As Indigenous Peoples, we think long term, and we try to do what we think is going to be best in the long term. Land, culture, and identity are interwoven, they are one and the same, resulting in 80% of the remaining global biodiversity being on Indigenous Peoples' lands and waters. I look forward to participating in Bloom to help other stakeholders understand how to respect Indigenous Peoples' jurisdictions and invest in their knowledge," said Steven Nitah, former Chief of the LuTsel K'e Dene First Nation. Bloom 23 is launching with the support of more than two dozen allied organizations, including the Biomimicry Institute, Business for Nature, Capitals Coalition, MRV Collective, Nature for Justice, Science Based Targets Network, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Wildlife Habitat Council and WWF. "There's a powerful, pivotal movement taking shape: companies acknowledging, measuring and addressing the value that nature brings to their operations and supply chains," said William Sisson, Executive Director of WBCSD North America. "WBCSD is proud to partner with Bloom as we work alongside our members who will play critical roles in accelerating this important movement." Professionals interested in learning more can visit the Bloom 23 and VERGE 23 websites. Select media are invited to attend for free. To apply, contact Sam Dow, samantha@greenbiz.com. Category-exclusive sponsorship and brand integrations for Bloom 23 and VERGE 23 are still available. For more information, contact Natalie Rasmus, natalie@greenbiz.com. ABOUT GREENBIZ GreenBiz Group empowers professional communities to confront the climate crisis. We do this through media, events and peer networks that help professionals understand the emerging technologies, business practices, policies and societal expectations that companies, cities and others need to know to succeed. www.greenbiz.com View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from GreenBiz on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: GreenBiz Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/greenbiz Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: GreenBiz View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758694/GreenBiz-Launches-Bloom-23-to-Highlight-How-Business-Leadership-Can-Confront-the-Climate-and-Biodiversity-Crises Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 1, 2023) - Iconic Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: ICM) (OTCQB: BVTEF) (FSE: YQGB)(the "Company" or "Iconic") is pleased to announce that the Supreme Court of British Columbia has granted the final order approving the previously announced arrangement (the "Arrangement") whereby Nevada Lithium Resources Inc. ("Nevada Lithium") will acquire, by way of plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia), Iconic's 50% interest in the Bonnie Claire Lithium project located in Nye County, Nevada (see news releases dated March 27, 2023 and May 29, 2023). As previously announced, the Arrangement was approved by Iconic shareholders at the annual general and special meeting of shareholders held on May 26, 2023. The completion of the Arrangement remains subject to the receipt of all necessary approvals, including final acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") of the Arrangement, and satisfaction by the parties of the TSXV's closing conditions and other conditions customary in transactions of this nature. Further information on the Arrangement can be found in the Iconic management information circular dated April 28, 2023, which is available on Iconic's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. On behalf of the Board of Directors SIGNED: "Richard Kern" Richard Kern, President and CEO For further information on Iconic, please visit our website at www.iconicminerals.com, or contact: Keturah Nathe, VP Corporate Development at (604) 336-8614. The Company's public documents may be accessed at www.sedar.com. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, the expected completion of the Arrangement, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Often, but not always, forward looking information can be identified by words such as "pro forma", "plans", "expects", "may", "will", "should", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "potential" or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that Nevada Lithium and Iconic will obtain all necessary approvals for the Arrangement, that market fundamentals will result in sustained lithium demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future development of the Bonnie Claire project in a timely manner, the availability of financing on suitable terms for the development, construction and continued operation of the Bonnie Claire project, 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, operating and technical difficulties in connection with mineral exploration and development and mine development activities at the Bonnie Claire project, estimation or realization of mineral reserves and mineral resources, requirements for additional capital, future prices of precious metals and copper, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates, possible failures of plants, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays or the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required, including TSXV acceptance, financing or other planned activities, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims limitations on insurance coverage and the timing and possible outcome of pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, risks relating to epidemics or pandemics such as COVID 19, including the impact of COVID 19 on the Company's business, risks related to joint venture operations, and risks related to the integration of acquisitions, as well as those factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's latest Management's Discussion and Analysis and other filings of the Company with the Canadian Securities Authorities, copies of which can be found under the Company's profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements. Except as otherwise required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking information in this news release or incorporated by reference herein. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/168399 EQS Post-admission Duties announcement: Adtran Holdings, Inc. / Third country release according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 of the WpHG [the German Securities Trading Act] Adtran Holdings, Inc.: Release according to Article 50 of the WpHG [the German Securities Trading Act] with the objective of Europe-wide distribution 01.06.2023 / 20:15 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Post-admission Duties announcement according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 WpHG transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2023 / On Monday, May 1, Miss America 2023 Grace Stanke visited Vogtle Units 1-4 to tour the project and talk with nuclear professionals across the station. Grace, a senior at University of Wisconsin majoring in nuclear engineering, is using her national platform to promote her platform "Clean Energy - Cleaner Future" and educate audiences about the value of nuclear energy in a carbon-free environment. The Vogtle 1&2 Women in Nuclear chapter hosted her for breakfast, where she shared details about her passion for nuclear energy and her desire to encourage students, especially women, to pursue careers in STEM - science, technology, engineering, and math. "That was particularly meaningful for me - her drive to empower females in STEM careers, where we sometimes face challenges as women," said WIN Chair Irimar Bradl. "She's a phenomenal communicator who is dispelling the myths and misconceptions about nuclear energy through her interactions across the country and even internationally." Seeking to learn more about core design, she met with reactor engineers at Vogtle 1&2 and visited the spent fuel pool. Later, the Vogtle 3&4 chapter of North American Young Generation in Nuclear (NAYGN) hosted Grace for lunch and a Q&A session, where she talked about what drew her to nuclear (her dad was an engineer who has survived cancer with the aid of nuclear medicine). She answered questions based on her classwork, research on advanced reactors, and internships related to fusion and commercial nuclear power. She also shared stories from her childhood, competition experiences and fun facts such as she's a classical violinist who also learned fiddle tunes like "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." "Grace is a rockstar for nuclear!" said Vogtle 3&4 NAYGN Chair Paul Rodi. "She was relatable, down to earth, and hilarious! Our NAYGN members are excited to hear more from her as a keynote at our national annual conference next month." Grace was thrilled to be on site as the project announced a new milestone for Unit 4 - the completion of Hot Functional Testing. She went in Unit 4 containment to see the reactor vessel firsthand, visited the Unit 3 Control Room, and was able to run simulations at the Unit 3&4 Training Center - including initiating a manual reactor trip. She noted how exciting it was to experience first-hand the digital modernization at the site. "The energy industry is fortunate to have Grace as an ambassador," said Communications Coordinator Mike McCracken, who accompanied her throughout her time in Augusta. "As a nuclear engineer, she understands the importance of a diverse energy mix and helps her audiences, who typically don't know anything about either nuclear or the energy grid, understand how all of the technologies work together to ensure clean, reliable electricity. It's exciting to watch her tell our story." Following graduation, Grace wants to have hands-on plant experience while learning energy policy and continuing to positively advocate for the future of the nuclear industry. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Southern Company on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Southern Company Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/southern-company Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Southern Company View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758718/Miss-America-Grace-Stanke-Visits-Georgias-Plant-Vogtle-Nuclear-Site One in four Brits will choose tropical tipples like the pina colada and mojito over a pint of beer HAMILTON, Bermuda, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With the weather warming up across the UK this week, new research from BACARDI Rum has revealed over a quarter (29%) of Brits asked are opting for rum-based drinks this Summer, over cold pints of lager (15%). In fact, the pina colada ranks top as Brits' favourite summer cocktail (9%), followed by sex on the beach (7%) and a mojito (5%). Londoners are particularly partial to a pina colada, with 1 in 3 (35%) Londoners revealing Rum is their spirit of choice in Summer months. With warmer months on the horizon, the research has also seen Brits rank their top summer scents and flavours, with coconuts (31%) topping the chart along with freshly mown grass (74%) and chip shop chips (22%). In fact, over half of Brits asked (59%) confirmed to choosing the flavour of coconut as soon as the Summer sets in, with coconut (59%), pineapple (52%) and mango (43%) being the top tastes of the summer that transport them to warmer climes. The research follows the launch of the new BACARDI Caribbean Spiced which features pineapple and coconut as core flavours, alongside vanilla and cinnamon, it's sure to set the nation's tastebuds tingling, transporting them to the tropics every single sip. Marie Peyto, UK Brand Director of BACARDI Rum said "With a combination of aged rum, pineapple, coconut, and spices, I'm delighted that our new BACARDI Caribbean Spiced includes the UK's favourite summer flavours. It's made for mixing, perfect for the nation's favourite tropical serves or adding the taste of the Caribbean to simple drinks. We're opening the Caribbean Flavour Rooms next week to give Brits the chance to experience their favourite flavours and our new rum in a truly immersive way. With the weather warming up, it'll be a great way to kick off BACARDI Rum's series of events across the country this Summer". To celebrate the UK's favourite summer flavours, Londoners will be able to visit the BACARDI Caribbean Flavour Rooms, devised with sensory expert Natalie Alibrandi to bring the flavours to life. The unique sip-along experience will take cocktail lovers on a sensory journey designed to engage with the sensory system through sight, sound, smell, and taste. Highlighting the pineapple, coconut, vanilla, and cinnamon tasting notes of the new BACARDI Caribbean Spiced. BACARDI Rum's Caribbean Flavour Rooms is open from Saturday 3rd - Sunday 4th June. Tickets for this exclusive cocktail experience are available from Secret London for 8 . For anyone unable to make it, the flavours of the summer can be enjoyed at home with a bottle of the new BACARDI Caribbean Spiced, available on Amazon and nationwide for 24. BACARDI and the bat device are trademarks of Bacardi & Company Limited, please drink responsibly. *Research of 2,011 respondents, May 2023, Prospectus global NOTES TO EDITORS: About BACARDI Rum - The World's Most Awarded Rum In 1862, in the city of Santiago de Cuba, founder Don Facundo Bacardi Masso revolutionised the spirits industry when he created a light-bodied rum with a particularly smooth taste - BACARDI. The unique taste of BACARDI rum inspired cocktail pioneers to invent some of the world's most famous recipes including the BACARDI Mojito, the BACARDI Daiquiri, the BACARDI Cuba Libre, the BACARDI Pina Colada and the BACARDI Presidente. BACARDI rum is the world's most awarded spirit, with more than 1,000 awards for quality, taste, and innovation. Today, the Caribbean Island of Puerto Rico is home to BACARDI rum where it is crafted to ensure the taste remains the same today as it did when it was first blended in 1862. www.bacardi.com The BACARDI brand is part of the portfolio of Bacardi Limited, headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited. LIVE PASSIONATELY. DRINK RESPONSIBLY. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2091094/BACARDI__CoconutChamber_PopUp.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2091128/BACARDI__Lifestyle.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2091131/BACARDI__VanillaCloudRoom_PopUp.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2091148/BACARDI__CaribbeanSpiced_CocoDaiquiri.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2091199/Summer_Drinks.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/1-in-four-brits-will-pick-tropical-tipples-over-beer-this-summer-301840577.html Bringing together an intricate collection of iconic hairstyles, this unique photobook pays tribute to East Williamsburg's vibrant community, demonstrating the resilience and creativity of Salon87 stylists Hiro+Mari during the pandemic. Maru Teppei's exceptional photography further amplifies the compelling narrative of the Brooklyn neighborhood. BROOKLYN, NY / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2023 / Hiro+Mari, renowned hair stylists and founders of Salon87, in collaboration with acclaimed photographer Maru Teppei, proudly announce the release of their anthology photobook, "87 Heads." 87 Heads Hair Photobook Cover "East Williamsburg Shines in '87 Heads': An Artful Hairstyling Photobook by Hiro+Mari & Maru Teppei" An embodiment of innovative hairstyling, fashion, and artful photography, "87 Heads" is a unique love letter to East Williamsburg, a neighborhood revered for its vibrant culture and community. The photobook captures the iconic hairstyles and beauty trends conceptualized and created by Hiro+Mari, transforming everyday individuals into extraordinary models. Originally intended to deepen connections with locals of Graham Avenue, the project experienced a temporary hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges, Hiro+Mari and Maru Teppei resumed their project, creating a testament to resilience, beauty, and creativity amidst adversity. "87 Heads" celebrates not just craft but the resilient spirit of East Williamsburg. The community was a constant source of inspiration. In the face of an unprecedented pandemic, Hiro+Mari wondered what they could give to their community. By creating hair art on their neighbors, family and friends, they realized they could bring joy through their creative work. Featuring the meticulous Japanese techniques and New York style that Salon87 is known for, "87 Heads" takes readers on a journey to showcase and celebrate diverse counterculture styles ranging from nostalgic Japanese Sukeban perms to iconic flat-tops with Basquiat embellishments. Maru Teppei's photography, which has previously been recognized for its surrealistic aesthetics and vivid engagement with the subject, adds an arresting visual depth to the anthology. This collection is a testament to Salon87's mission: to create new trends in the fashion and beauty industry worldwide from Brooklyn, NY. "87 Heads" is a tribute to the perseverance and passion of its stylists: Chika Nishiyama, Izumi Sato, Miwako Urasugi, and Yu Nakata. The photobook serves as a testament to the profound talent and vision of Hiro+Mari and Maru Teppei and as a tribute to the resilient East Williamsburg community. "87 Heads" is more than just a showcase of hairstyles; it's a portrait of a community, a snapshot of a moment in time, and a celebration of human connection, solidarity, and creative expression. "87 Heads" is available for purchase now. Join us in celebrating this incredible achievement of hair art, community resilience, and the beauty of East Williamsburg. About Salon87 Salon87 is home to a team of expert stylists from Japan, with world-class beauty techniques that combine meticulous Japanese sensibilities with New York style and flair. Salon87 is also the base of 87 Artists Agency, which expands stylists' activities into wider creative industries, including art and fashion. Contact Information: Elle Gillette PR and Publishing Coordinator salon87contact@gmail.com 9144821636 Related Files Screenshot 2023-05-31 at 4.13.23 PM.png Screenshot 2023-05-31 at 4.12.24 PM.png SOURCE: Salon 87 View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758737/East-Williamsburg-Shines-in-87-Heads-An-Artful-Hairstyling-Photobook-by-HiroMari-Maru-Teppei WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2023 / The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) has published a new, first-of-its-kind study on how neo-Nazi, white supremacist, and other extremist groups and individuals are using or planning to use using artificial intelligence (AI) for criminal activities. The study, from MEMRI's Domestic Terrorism Threat Monitor (DTTM) project, is titled "Neo-Nazis And White Supremacists Worldwide Look To Artificial Intelligence (AI) - A National Security Threat In The Making To Which No Government Is Paying Attention - For Purposes Such As Recruitment, Harassing Minorities, And Criminal Activity Including Hacking Banks, Overthrowing Government, Attacking Infrastructure, Promoting Guerilla Warfare, And Using WMDs." Noting that while it has been clear for some time that extremists are using artificial intelligence (AI) for nefarious purposes, and that it allows extremism, the study examines how extremists around the world - some with programming experience - are viewing AI as a tool for spreading their message. They are also exploring the use of AI-generated voices to bypass voiceprint verification to hack into bank accounts, using it to write articles about guerilla warfare, and more - for example, one leading extremist used ChatGPT to find out where "American critical infrastructure" is most vulnerable to attack. The answer was "the electrical grid." Another prominent extremist called for engineers with experience in AI to contact him, and discussed the potential uses of ChatGPT. Since January 2023, there has been a major increase in online chatter about AI by leading extremists on platforms they favor. Many of the individuals listed in this report are tech-savvy, and have created their own software and platforms. The threat of terrorist groups and entities using AI is a growing national security issue; NATO warns that AI is one of the "emerging and disruptive technologies" that "represent new threats from state and non-state actors, both militarily and to civilian society." This report reviews online discussion of AI, including plans for using it, by neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and other extremists. As MEMRI Executive Director Steven Stalinsky, Ph.D., lead author of the study, explains, "The most troubling examples found by the MEMRI Domestic Terrorism Threat Monitor (DTTM) research team in its work studying this topic involve extremists actually discussing the use of AI for planning terror attacks, including making weapons of mass destruction. One accelerationist group which seeks to bring about the total collapse of society recently conducted, in a Facebook group, a conversation about trying to trick an AI chat bot into providing details for making mustard gas and napalm. These and other examples are detailed in a new MEMRI DTTM report to be released later this month." Dr. Stalinsky adds: "Others are talking about using AI to plan armed uprisings to overthrow the current U.S. governmental system, and sharing their AI-created versions of U.S. flags, military uniforms, and graphic designs of the White House. They also discuss AI's use for recruitment and for spreading their ideology and propaganda online, including with videos they create." Government agencies and media may request access to this report by emailing dttmsubs@memri.org with their full credentials. ABOUT THE DOMESTIC TERRORISM THREAT MONITOR (DTTM) PROJECT For over three years, the MEMRI DTTM team has been monitoring and analyzing the online activity of white supremacists, neo-Nazis, accelerationists, and other domestic extremists in the U.S. and worldwide. The project's main focus is these groups' activity as reported, discussed, and documented in their online communications, including incitement, calls to action (including to violent attacks), real-world activity such as rallies and vandalism, and recruitment and outreach efforts by these groups aimed at a wide range of populations. Most importantly, we monitor violent threats against Jewish organizations and institutions; the Black, Asian, and other minority communities; the LGBTQ+ community; political and other public figures; government officials and agencies, and government in general; and the public at large. ABOUT MEMRI Exploring the Middle East and South Asia through their media, MEMRI bridges the language gap between the West and the Middle East and South Asia, providing timely translations of Arabic, Farsi, Urdu-Pashtu, Dari, Turkish, Russian, and Chinese media, as well as original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends. Founded in February 1998 to inform the debate over U.S. policy in the Middle East, MEMRI is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization. MEMRI's main office is located in Washington, DC, with branch offices in various world capitals. MEMRI research is translated into English, French, Polish, Japanese, Spanish, and Hebrew. MEMRI - Middle East Media Research Institute: www.memri.org MEMRI TV - www.memri.org/tv Jihad & Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) - www.memri.org/jttm Cyber & Jihad Lab (CJL) - www.memri.org/cjlab MEMRI Twitter: https://twitter.com/memrireports/ MEMRI YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC59Cpk70K2TwdmApJOTuW9g/videos MEMRI Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/memrireports/ Contact Information: MEMRI media@memri.org 202-955-9070 www.memri.org SOURCE: MEMRI View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758749/New-MEMRI-Domestic-Terrorism-Threat-Monitor-DTTM-Study-Focuses-On-National-Security-Threat-From-Artificial-Intelligence-AI-Use-By-Neo-Nazi-And-White-Supremacists-Worldwide WESTBURY, NY / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2023 / FAVO Capital Inc. (OTC Pink:FAVO) Key Highlights from The FAVO Group of Companies: Exponential year on year revenue growth since entering the alternative finance business in Q4 of 2020. Revenues 2020 - $122,000 Revenues 2021 - $10.6 million Revenues 2022 - $17.5 million Participated in over 12,300 business fundings across multiple states and industries. Participated in the Syndication of approximately $840 million worth of capital to small and medium size businesses across the United States, which equates to a total Right to Receive (RTR) of over $1.1 billion of which the company represents 10% of the portfolio. Directly Funded $24.1 million in capital through our direct sales organization. Raised over $22.8 million in Long-Term Debt. Benefited from a further $3.5 million in additional capital through existing and new syndication partners. Developed best in class in-house underwriting protocols and guidelines which are tailored to each individual merchant's specific needs. Implemented industry leading software and service providers to facilitate the growth of our direct funding operations. Partnered with key funders in the industry to secure deal flow and spread portfolio risk. FAVO Capital is pleased to announce the acquisition of all entities comprising of the FAVO Group of Companies. Over the past two and half years the FAVO Group of Companies have built a multi-faceted business providing working capital to small and medium size businesses across the United States. FAVO Group of Companies have been key strategic partners with multiple industry leaders over the past two and a half years. This acquisition allows FAVO Capital to take the lead funding role and benefit from the foundation built by the FAVO Group of Companies. Vincent Napolitano, CEO, stated, "I am pleased to confirm that we have reached an agreement and the transaction has been executed. This is an historic day for FAVO Capital. This merger will provide the platform for our continued growth and steps to becoming a top tier funder in our space." He added, "FAVO Capital intends on expanding operations and adding new and exciting products to our platform." With this acquisition FAVO Capital will have the necessary resources, expertise, and relationships to expand on its current portfolio and product lines. FAVO Capital will now be able to provide small to medium-sized businesses with end-to-end financial solutions. Shaun Quin, President, stated, "We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Stewards Investment Capital Limited. The level of skill and expertise this brings to the organization will provide value for our entire ecosystem and our future growth strategies." He added, "We plan on investing in our employees, bringing value to our investors and shareholders and dealing ethically with our merchants to help them grow and thrive in any economic environment." Stewards Investment Capital ("SIC") is part of the Stewards affiliation of financial services companies, which has been established for two decades. SIC specializes in providing investment management services to high-net-worth individuals and institutional investors across various asset classes. Holding a Global Business License and an Investment Adviser (Unrestricted) License from the Mauritius Financial Services Commission, SIC is committed to driving and nurturing successful investment portfolios. Strategically located in Mauritius International Financial Centre (IFC), SIC's philosophy, centers around preserving and enhancing assets, while mitigating risks. Glen Steward, Chairman of Stewards Investment Capital Limited, stated, "This strategic partnership marks a milestone for us as a company, along with our partners and associates. This transaction gives our network access to true global alternative investment opportunities in a fully regulated environment, creating the conduit for emerging market investors to gain access to developed world assets." Bilal Adam, CEO of Stewards Investment Capital, stated, "We are impressed by the incredible growth trajectory FAVO has achieved to date. Tightened liquidity in big banks present a massive opportunity for FAVO Capital by supporting the smaller business sector. The timing of this transaction is strategically opportune for Stewards as we assist our institutional clients to diversify their emerging market portfolios into currency hedged USD income strategies". FAVO Capital Inc. will continue to have two divisions - Lending and Commercial Real Estate (CRE). Lending will fall under the FAVO Capital brand and CRE will be under the FAVO Realty brand. Both divisions will focus on adding long-term value to the brand, shareholders, investors, and partners. More About FAVO Capital Inc.: FAVO CAPITAL is a Direct Funding Company, which provides customized, short-term funding to small and mid-sized businesses nationwide. FAVO Realty is a Real Estate Investment Company which invests in a diversified portfolio of quality commercial real estate properties throughout the United States. "FAVO" is "Honeycomb" in Latin - The Honeycomb (Hexagon) is the most efficient shape in the universe. FAVO Capital Inc. intends to be Efficient, Flexible & Durable. www.favocap.com More About Stewards Investment Capital ("SIC"): www.stewardsinvestment.com More About Favo Group of Companies: A fully integrated group of companies that provide short-term alternative financing to small and mid-sized businesses nationwide. FAVO Group's Management Team has over 100 years of collected business and finance experience with offices in Westbury, NY and Hollywood, FL. www.favogrp.com CONTACT: Email: info@favocapital.com Tel: 833.328.6477 Safe Harbor/Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, statements, estimates, and projections of future trends and of the anticipated future performance constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Series' expectations, beliefs, or future strategies that are signified by the words "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "believes," or similar language. These forward-looking statements concern the Company's operations, economic performance and financial condition and are based largely on the Company's beliefs and expectations. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from expected results. Given these uncertainties, the reader is advised not to place any undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release FAVO Capital, Inc and its Management Team expressly disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements in this document to reflect any change in its expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements, unless specifically required by law or regulation. SOURCE: FAVO Capital, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758734/FAVO-Capital-Inc-has-Acquired-the-FAVO-Group-of-Companies-The-Transaction-is-Valued-at-37-Million-Dollars-Which-Includes-Cash-Stock-Assumption-of-Debt-The-Company-has-Partnered-with-Stewards-Investment-Capital-Limited-to-Expand-Its-Global-Footprint Outlines Artificial Intelligence Principles for Development Asana, Inc. (NYSE: ASAN)(LTSE: ASAN), a leading work management platform, announced its latest product capabilities focused on generative artificial intelligence. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230601005825/en/ With goal-based resource management, Asana monitors and intelligently surfaces resource recommendations based on team capacity and changing business needs to accelerate decision-making. (Graphic: Business Wire) Launched today, Asana Intelligence makes enterprise AI capabilities core to Asana's work management platform, powering organizations to accelerate decision-making, improve productivity, and focus on what matters. Leveraging the Asana Work Graph?, the essential foundation for facilitating human and AI collaboration, leaders will get real-time clarity into team, project, and business health, empowering organizations to make faster, more informed decisions. With Asana Intelligence, teams become more productive and gain the edge needed to accelerate their missions and business outcomes. "Asana was made for this moment. We've been laying our AI foundation and product building blocks for years, and the recent developments in AI play right into our core strengths," said Dustin Moskovitz, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Asana. "Asana is an AI-first product now and we intend to help customers maximize impact by weaving AI into the fabric of our architecture. We see a future where AI and human ingenuity combine to radically improve the lives of individuals and how teams work together, unleashing the full potential of every business and organization." Asana Intelligence Powers Human-AI Collaboration With these latest product introductions, Asana Intelligence will support individuals and teams to do their best work and drive focus on what matters. Only Asana combines the power of artificial intelligence with the Asana Work Graph?, a rich, connected map of an organization's work data, to amplify the impact of teams. Asana Intelligence enables companies to: Accelerate decision-making Goal-based resource management: Monitors and intelligently surfaces resource recommendations to hit goals based on team capacity and changing business priorities. (Now available in beta) Health check: Identifies unseen issues and roadblocks, enabling efficient progress toward company objectives. Improve productivity Self-optimizing workflows: Creates automated plans based on goals; suggests and implements workflow improvements to achieve results faster. (Now available in beta) Writing assistant: Enhances communication clarity and tone. (Now available in beta) Instant summaries: Transcribes and summarizes action items and highlights from meetings, tasks, and comment threads. Maximize impact (Now available in beta) Ask Asana anything: Offers timely answers and insights on projects without additional meetings. (Now available in beta) Work organizer: Auto-generates custom fields, smart rules, and suggestions to add structure to projects. Asana is quickly building in-product AI capabilities with new LLM features, powered by OpenAI, now available to customers in a closed beta. "I'm incredibly excited about our participation in the Asana Intelligence beta and the possibilities it will unlock for our teams at Benevity," said Rob Woolley, VP of Technology Operations, Benevity. "These capabilities will enable us to work more efficiently than ever, allowing us to better fulfill our mission of powering purpose-driven business." Asana AI Principles Additionally, Asana has codified a set of artificial Intelligence principles that guide its research and development efforts. As a company we are committed to using AI in service of helping humanity thrive. This includes ensuring AI safety and transparency in practice and in product. Achieving this vision for the application of AI requires meaningful co-creation between Asana, our customers, and our partners. Asana's Five Guiding Principles for human-centered AI AI should help people achieve their goals: We focus on helping individuals and teams achieve their goals and helping organizations deliver on their mission faster. AI should be used in service of augmenting, supporting, and celebrating people's contributions like never before. Humans should always set the destination; AI is a tool to help them get there. We design for human AI teams: AI has joined the team. We see enormous potential for AI to help teams to work together more effectively and efficiently. We will prioritize our efforts towards fostering the right workflows and partnerships between people and AI-catalyzing human-AI teamwork and ultimately empowering people. People are accountable for decisions: With Asana, AI will assist and enhance human decision-making. However, we believe accountability rests with people and will design our product accordingly. We also believe in providing people with choice and control over the role of AI in their work. We are committed to safety-in the short and long run: We believe AI will be transformative for humanity and for our mission, but we will balance speed with responsibility. In the near term, we will prioritize safety and security with AI providers. And we'll take the same approach while developing AI solutions. In the long run, we are motivated to ensure AI remains aligned with human values and objectives in Asana. We promote transparency, in practice and in product: We commit to being open and clear about our partnerships, security, data collection, data protection, and management practices. Transparency is also fundamental to our product ethos. We will build solutions that lead AI and humans alike to unpack their thinking and assumptions in order to strengthen our collective thought processes, foster trust, and build on each other's ideas. To learn more and see Asana Intelligence in action, join the live demo waitlist. About Asana Asana helps organizations orchestrate their work, from small projects to strategic initiatives. Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, Asana has millions of users in over 200 countries and territories. Global customers such as Amazon, Affirm, Japan Airlines, and Sky rely on Asana to manage everything from company objectives to digital transformation to product launches and marketing campaigns. For more information, visit www.asana.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are based on management's beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about our ability to execute on our current strategies, our technology and brand position, expected benefits of our offerings, Asana's market position, and potential market opportunities. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or Asana's future financial or operating performance. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts and in some cases can be identified by terms such as "anticipate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "believe," "continue," "could," "potential," "may," "will," "goal," or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. However, not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including factors beyond Asana's control, that may cause Asana's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties related to: Asana's ability to achieve future growth and sustain its growth rate, Asana's ability to attract and retain customers and increase sales to its customers, Asana's ability to develop and release new products and services and to scale its platform, including the successful integration of artificial intelligence, Asana's ability to increase adoption of its platform through Asana's self-service model, Asana's ability to maintain and grow its relationships with strategic partners, the highly competitive and rapidly evolving market in which Asana participates, Asana's international expansion strategies, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and broader macroeconomic conditions. Further information on risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from forecasted results or anticipated impact are included in Asana's filings with the SEC, including Asana's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 31, 2023 and subsequent filings with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on assumptions that Asana believes to be reasonable as of this date. Except as required by law, Asana assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons if actual results differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statement. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230601005825/en/ Contacts: Stephanie Hess press@asana.com Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 1, 2023) - Pegmatite One Lithium and Gold Corp. (CSE: PGA) ("Pegmatite One" or the "Company") announces the resignation of Mike England from its Board of Directors. The Company's Board of Directors would like to thank Mr. England for his valuable contributions and wishes him success in his future endeavours. About Pegmatite One Lithium and Gold Corp. Pegmatite One is a publicly traded company exploring for lithium and gold. The company is committed to responsible mining practices and operates two mining properties in Northwestern Ontario and on Vancouver Island. The Morrison River property consists of 222 claims and 335 cell claim units in the Morrison River area, Muskrat Dam Lake, Northwestern Ontario. The Morrison River property is Pegmatite One's flagship lithium asset; the company sees its potential lithium production to be part of the world's continued shift toward electric vehicles and green technologies. The Georgina property, a gold prospect located in the Nanaimo mining division, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, consists of one mineral claim covering an area of 2,069 hectares. For more information, please contact: Kelly Abbott Chief Executive Officer and President E: Kelly.abbott1117@gmail.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/168415 GEORGETOWN, KY / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2023 / Ananda Professional, the leading brand of practitioner and independent pharmacy cannabinoid products, has been certified by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration, the governing authority responsible for regulating therapeutic goods. The certifications cover Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) manufacture and full product medicine manufacture for medicinal cannabis oil. The TGA is renowned for its high standards of quality validation and is considered one of the strictest regulatory agencies in the world. Ananda Professional manufacturing facility This new certification enables Ananda Professional to continue to execute on its mission to bring premium cannabis products to healthcare practitioners in the U.S. and Australian markets. Practitioners in both markets require strict compliance to quality and safety regulations and in Australia, all cannabinoid products are regulated by the TGA. Alex Nance, President of Ananda Professional, added, "Achieving this certification is a milestone in Ananda Professional's continued efforts to push the level of quality in this ever-evolving industry. By holding both the TGA certification along with our SGS Certification, our customers know they are getting the quality and patient outcomes they've come to expect from Ananda Professional." Ananda Professional operates several brands across the U.S. and Australian markets and offers private label, white label, and bulk manufacturing for owned and external brands. Operating in a 50,000-sq-ft. LEED Platinum facility, Ananda Professional has full oversight of the growing, extraction, and manufacturing of all consumer goods. For manufacturing opportunities, contact cbd@ecofibre.com. About Ananda Professional: Since 2018, Ananda Professional has been a pioneer in the hemp and CBD industry, with a core focus on improving patient outcomes through professional healthcare channels. Top-quality seed genetics, a team of clinical formulators and a state-of-the-art production facility make Ananda Professional the most trusted brand of practitioners, pharmacists, and patients. Contact Information Chris Lee Brand Director - Ananda Professional chris.lee@anandahealth.com 888-388-1119 SOURCE: Ananda Professional View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758684/Ananda-Professional-Expands-Its-List-of-Good-Manufacturing-Practice-GMP-Certifications-With-the-Addition-of-Australias-Therapeutic-Goods-Administration-TGA-Certification Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 1, 2023) - Canadian Nexus Team Ventures Corp. (CSE: TEAM) ("Canadian Nexus", "the Company" or "TEAM") The Company announces that its Board of Directors has approved a consolidation of the Company's issued share capital on the basis of seven (7) common shares for one (1) new share of the Company (the "Consolidation"). The Company currently has 62,836,878 common shares outstanding and will have 8,976,696 common shares outstanding after completion of the Consolidation, subject to rounding and the elimination of any fractional shares resulting from the Consolidation. The number of outstanding stock options and warrants of the Company will similarly be adjusted by the Consolidation ratio, and the exercise prices adjusted accordingly. The Consolidation is being implemented to position the company for future strategic opportunities. The Consolidation is subject to Exchange approval. The Company will continue to trade after the Consolidation under the name "Canadian Nexus Team Ventures." If the Consolidation is approved by the Exchange, the Company will disseminate a further news release which will set out the effective date for the Consolidation. Upon completion of the Consolidation, a letter of transmittal will be sent by mail to registered shareholders advising them that the Consolidation has taken effect. The letter of transmittal will contain instructions on how registered shareholders can exchange their share certificates or DRS statements evidencing their pre-consolidated common shares for new share certificates or new DRS statements representing the number of post-consolidated common shares to which they are entitled. No action is required by non-registered shareholders (shareholders who hold their shares through an intermediary) to affect the Consolidation. The Common Shares are expected to begin trading on the Exchange on a post-Consolidation basis, after the Exchange issues its final bulletin advising of the effective date of the Consolidation. About Canadian Nexus Team Ventures Corp. Canadian Nexus (CSE: TEAM) is an investment issuer that actively invests in a diversified portfolio of early-stage to mid-level companies and projects. Canadian Nexus leverages its extensive network of operators and global thought leaders to provide investors with a unique multi-opportunity portfolio. From time to time the company may acquire or dispose of shares in the open market as defined in the Company's investment policy that can be found on Sedar under Canadian Nexus Team Ventures Corp. Contact: Scott Young, CEO 604-960-1878 Forward-Looking Statements: This news release includes certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements the timing, consideration, and completion of the joint venture are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by words such as "pro forma", "plans", "expects", "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. 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 statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, statements as to the completion of the Acquisition, the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, including the Acquisition, the ability of the Company to obtain sufficient financing to fund its business activities and plans, delays in obtaining regulatory approvals (including of the Canadian Securities Exchange), changes in laws, regulations, and policies affecting the Company's operations and the Company's limited operating history. 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 presentation or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise required by law. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/168434 Launches New AdvertiseCast 5x5 Podcast Referral Program PITTSBURGH, PA / ACCESSWIRE / June 1, 2023 / Today, Liberated Syndication Inc. ("Libsyn"), the leading all-in-one podcasting platform for creators and advertisers, announced its May 2023 Podcast Advertising Rates, including the highest and most accessible CPM categories. Additionally, the Company launched a new AdvertiseCast 5x5 Podcast Referral Program designed to reward referrals for the industry's premier podcast advertising marketplace. AdvertiseCast's 5x5 Podcast Referral Program The Advertisecast 5x5 Podcast Referral Program allows individuals to refer a podcaster to AdvertiseCast and earn a 5% commission on their revenue for the first five months for each successful referral. By leveraging their networks and advocating for AdvertiseCast's comprehensive advertising platform, including its Automatic Ads solution, anyone can generate additional income while supporting the growth of the podcasting industry. "We believe in the power of word-of-mouth and the incredible influence our community holds as valued ambassadors," said Trevr Smithlin, Chief Innovation Officer and Head of Publisher Relations at Libsyn's AdvertiseCast. "We've established AdvertiseCast as a trusted platform, connecting podcasters with reputable advertisers and enabling them to monetize their content effectively. With our new referral program, we're making it easy for our members to earn rewards while introducing others to the benefits of AdvertiseCast. It's a win-win for all." To learn more about the AdvertiseCast referral program and start earning rewards, visit the official program page. May 2023 Podcast Advertising Rates The following rates, which are denoted as cost per thousand or CPM, are published monthly by Libsyn's AdvertiseCast, the industry's premier podcast advertising marketplace that connects advertisers with podcasters. The Company releases the figures to empower the podcaster and advertiser communities to readily monitor market pricing and provide greater insight into podcasting advertising as a monetization vehicle. The data is derived from actual sales data across AdvertiseCast's network of thousands of shows, including more than 225 exclusive podcasts. Dave Hanley, Chief Revenue Officer at Libsyn's AdvertiseCast remarked, "Our podcast advertising rates are fueled by the dynamic interplay between the expanding listenership and the rising demand from advertisers. The diverse range of content is drawing in more brands that are recognizing the tremendous potential to forge intimate connections with listeners that's translating to a more memorable and effective ad experience." For May 2023, the average CPM rate was $23.09 for a 60-second ad spot. That figure is fairly stable compared to last month (April 2023 avg. CPM rate: $23.06) and has decreased year-over-year (May 2022 avg. CPM rate: $23.71). The three highest CPM categories in April based on delivered advertising were: Technology: $26 Education: $26 Business: $26 Moreover, three categories where advertisers can effectively tap into highly engaged audiences at more accessible CPM rates include Fiction, Music, and History, which averaged around the high teens in May. Libsyn's AdvertiseCast combines an industry-leading ad buying and management platform with full-service capabilities that makes it easy for podcast advertisers to initiate and manage highly targeted and measurable campaigns, while providing maximum return for creators. Historical monthly CPM rates can be found on AdvertiseCast's website at: www.advertisecast.com/podcast-advertising-rates. 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.comor investor.libsyn.comfor 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/758821/Libsyn-Unveils-May-2023-Podcast-Advertising-Rates Credit Genie, a Plymouth Meeting, PA-based provider of a digital personal finance platform, raised $4M in Series A funding. The round was led by Tippet Ventures and Khosla Ventures, with participation from Gabriel Investments. In connection with the Series A financing, Credit Genie has also secured a credit facility with affiliates of Fortress Investment Group, to help it finance its cash advance and credit card receivables. The company intends to use the funds to expand products and hire talent. Founded by Ed Harycki, Credit Genie provides a mobile platform delivers financial insights and credit-related services that use personal transaction data instead of traditional credit data to extract financial intents and desires behind the transactions. From a single app, members can get a snapshot of their financial lives and have access to personalized tips and products to build and improve their credit. The platform also utilizes machine learning and AI algorithms as well as Open AI to identify patterns and predict credit risk, resulting in accurate credit scores and improved lending decisions. FinSMEs 01/06/2023 Left Yair Vardi and Guy Katsovich Credit: Bar Cohen Santa Monica, CA and Tel Aviv, Israel-based accelerator program Fusion closed its $20m fund. The fund is backed by industry leaders, including global software investor Insight Partners, Gigi Levy-Weiss, Liad Agmon and Ofer Ben-Noon, among 70 other serial entrepreneurs and venture capitalists from Israel and the US. The funds special advisors include Daniel Shinar, Michael Ronen, Perry Wallack, Hagi Schwartz, Hemi Zucker, Clancey Stahr and Shani Zanescu. Founded in 2017 by Guy Katsovich and Yair Vardi, Fusion VC invests in pre-seed startups built by Israeli entrepreneurs. The firm invests $150K in startups across verticals that are between the idea stage and the initial product/revenue stage. Its platform supports entrepreneurs targeting the American market- with California offices, as well as direct access and introductions to future investors, mentors, advisors and potential clients. The fund has already invested in over 30 Israeli startups since its first closing last year. Fusion intends to remain the most active pre-seed platform in Israel targeting 60-80 new investments by 2026. Twice a year, Fusion holds an intensive bootcamp in Tel Aviv with leading investors and entrepreneurs. After completing a two-month bootcamp, the participating founders fly to a three-week roadshow in Silicon Valley, New York and Los Angeles, where they meet American investors and mentors. Throughout the program, founders meet over 150 mentors from Israel and the US. After completing the accelerator program, founders join Fusions alumni network which provides a broad platform of ongoing workshops and forums covering fundraising, management of a company/board in later stages, hiring, sales and partnerships. The programs alumni network includes over 200 founders, who use supportive forums to share their dilemmas, lessons, and tools for leading a startup in uncertain times, overcoming obstacles and dealing with stress and anxiety. Since 2017, Fusion has invested in over 100 startups through 12 cohorts, including Agora, DigitalOwl, Base.ai, Innplay Labs and Hoopo. FinSMEs 01/06/2023 Elon Musk has once again become the worlds richest person. The Tesla CEO surpassed Bernard Arnault after shares of latters LVMH tumbled 2.6 per cent in Paris trading. As per Bloomberg, Elon Musks total net worth now stands at $192.3 billion, while Bernard Arnaults assets stood at $186.6 billion. Musk and luxury tycoon Arnault have been neck-and-neck this year for the top spot in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index that lists the worlds 500 richest people. How Elon Musk once again became worlds richest person? Wealth of Arnault, the chief executive of luxury brand Louis Vuittons parent company LVMH, slid this week after a 2.6 per cent drop in LVMHs stock in Paris trading on Wednesday. This worked in favour of Musk. The drop in LVMHs shares pushed Arnaults networth down and in turn helped Musk to reclaim his position of the worlds richest person. There was a point in trading when the volatility in market wiped out $11 billion from the 74-year-old Arnaults net worth in a single day. When did Arnault surpassed Musk? In December last year, Arnault surpassed Musk after his wealth climbed due to a boom in sales of luxury goods which pushed up LVMHs stock price. Also, a steep drop in value of Teslas stock worked in favour of the Frenchman. Musks net worth dropped below $200 billion in 2022 as investors dumped Teslas shares on worries the top executive and largest shareholder of the worlds most valuable electric-vehicle maker was more preoccupied with Twitter, which he bought last year for $44 billion. However, Musks networth rebounded this year with gains valued at over $55.3 billion, as Tesla shares rallied 66 per cent year-to-date. Meanwhile, Arnault worth gained $24.5 billion year-to-date, Bloomberg report said. Besides Tesla, Musk also heads rocket company SpaceX and Neuralink. 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. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has decided to stop creating shows and writing memoirs that criticise the Royal British family. The abrupt change would prevent further attacks on royal family and avoid revealing additional details about their decision to step back from royal duties. An Insider told the Sun magazine that the couple has run out of material to discuss, which will be welcomed by the audiences and the audiences too are simply tired of their complaints. And if Prince Harry plans to make a journey back to UK without Meghan Markle, which many British experts are speculating, Its time he stops disgracing the Royal British family. On the other hand, there is a strong rumour floating around about Harry and Meghans divorce. According to GeoTv report, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle seem to be heading in different directions five years after their marriage, according to an article published on the fifth wedding anniversary of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. In fact, according to sources, Prince Harry has a separate room to get away from Meghan Markle. As per reports a royal commentators believe all is not well in the Sussexs marriage. Eagle-eyed observers say the couple did not release a family photograph on Christmas and Harry was seen promoting his book Spare without Meghan by his side earlier this year. They think no acknowledgment of their five-year wedding anniversary, Harrys solo appearance at the coronation of King Charles and Meghans solo brand relaunch with WME are enough of evidence to corroborate their claims that the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is on the rocks. According to Sky News Contributor Daisy. The Royal Family would absolutely welcome Prince Harry back home and most of them expect him to return. So, is the brand Harry & Meghan finally breaking up? Experts believe that its for sure, since all is not well in the fairytale marriage. Prince Harry has been called the prodigal prince for years. Charles will take him back home with open hands. William will also welcome him back; after all they are brothers. On the other hand, ex-royal staff believes that Meghan Markle brainwashed Prince Harry and tied him down to the California mansion. On a lighter note sky news also mentioned that probably Harry was whipped. Harry & Meghan leading separate lives Looks like this was bound to happen; the breakup of Harry and Meghan. Harry was just too much under the spell of Meghan Markle who was kind of ruling her life and every decision he too, Meghan was the mastermind. Celia Walden told GB News that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pursuing different agendas. She added that the couples public duties are resulting in them leading slightly separate lives. Relationships is about sharing and caring, but here Meghan is completely overpowering Harry and kind of poisoning him against his family. Meghan Markle was the mastermind behind Harrys controversial memoir, Spare. It was she who encouraged him to write the book. According to marca.com report experts had mentioned that Meghan would be tired of her husband and could be looking for an exit plan in the not too distant future. The rumors, according to royal expert Tom Bower, are coming out of London. There are many now in London who say Meghan is getting tired of Harry. There is speculation that the Duchess of Sussex, 41, will at any moment say This is enough and negotiate with King Charles III some deal to break off the marriage. Harry has a separate room to get away from Meghan a new report has surfaced that could be shocking for their fans and critics alike. The report goes like this- Prince Harry has an escape place, a room in a hotel that he uses to get away from his wife Meghan Markle and kids, from time to time. But Harrys representative has dismissed all such claims by saying all these reports doing the reports are not true. The story according to a British newspaper, says, He occasionally stays there without Meghan Markle. The hotel in question is allegedly San Vicente Bungalows, a club that is extremely big on maintaining the privacy of its members. Meghans half-sister confirms that the couple is heading for a divorce According to the Daily Mail report, Meghan Markles estranged half-sister has launched another blistering attack on the Duchess of Sussex by claiming that her marriage to Prince Harry will end in divorce unless they get extensive counselling. Samantha Markle suggested the Duke may already be questioning the marriage and predicted it could get nasty until he starts dissenting or pulling back from her. The 56-year-old American also called on the Sussexes to go on an apology tour after the couple made accusations of racism within the Royal Family during their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. A royal commentator had earlier mentioned that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are breaking apart and leading separate lives. The rumors, according to royal expert Tom Bower, are coming out of London. There are many now in London who say Meghan is getting tired of Harry. There is speculation that the Duchess of Sussex, 41, will at any moment say This is enough and negotiate with King Charles III some deal to break off the marriage. (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. Cast: Arshad Warsi, Barun Sobti, Anupriya Goenka, Meiyang Chang Director: Oni Sen Language: Hindi Spoilers Ahead I first heard the term Asur while watching Akshay Kumar ranting about his father-in-law in 2017s Toilet- Ek Prem Katha. He snarled- Sasur nahin asur hai asur. The whole theatre erupted and I struggled to understand what it meant. Three years later, creators Gaurav Shukla and Vibhav Shikdar and director Oni Sen came up with a show on that name. Asur means demon. And the show was indeed about destruction and demonic intentions. The final episode saw a cliffhanger and three years later, season two drops on JioCinema. Asur 2 isnt only about unfinished business, its about redemption, revenge and regrets. Hidden purposes have been unraveled and the mystery to find that demonic child Shubh continues. Just like The Kerala Story, Asur bases its narrative on brainwashing. Shubh quotes mythological references and Shlokas with both fluidity and sternness, successfully creating his disciples out of even the educated. Its all about the battle between the good and the evil, with a murder mystery thrown in for kicks. What psychology does it take to create monsters out of sanity? In the last three years, the three central characters are all washed-out and emotionally scattered. Arshad Warsi suffers from regret, Barun Sobti and Anupriya Goenka go through a sinking marriage and the loss of their daughter. Asur returns, and so does the trios conscience. Its not over until its over. The series shows some unseen modus operandi and certain scenes keep you hooked. Its all very dense and complicated for people who havent really re-watched season one. Warsi has always been a delightful and dazzling actor to watch, and he needed an equally delightful and dazzling material to truly capture his flair. Here, he playes Dhananjay Rajpoot aka DJ, a CBI officer who can be both cool and cold-blooded. Look how coolly he interrogates a lead in the murky case, or how cold-blooded and remorseless he is when he stabs and slices a culprits neck. But the series is definitely not seamless. Warsis suspicion on Rasul (Amey Wagh) that acted as the cliffhanger of season one in the form of the last stare is never addressed. When Naina tells DJ about this suspicious mole in the team, his reaction suggests he nearly forgot about his existence. When we first meet DJ in season two, hes almost turned into a monk, praying and turning to spirituality at Dharamshala. When a 11-year old miracle boy imparts some life lessons, Warsi tells him exactly what he told Shubh in season one. I cracked a smile. However, its nearly impossible to binge-watch the show; there are eight episodes with an average runtime of 50 minutes. Given how complicated the first season was, the second one is equally dense if not more, with new characters thrown in that have conflicts of their own. Also, the whole idea of sacrificing your own life over throwing in the towel feels too convenient and cliched now. Also convenient is how quickly Naina (Goenka) shows up whenever Nikhil (Sobti) needs her for assistance or help, be it in office or one of the masterminds hideout. And every time the two meet this season, a sense of awkwardness and aloofness fills the room, theres an unhandy stare, a stutter before the conversation can truly begin. The series captures the scenic beauty of Himachal and the hideous side of Varanasi meticulously. The latter, in particular, has been purposely shot with a certain sense of gloom, whereas Dharamshala bursts with liveliness. This could be to suggest two contrasting behaviours or beings- Demonic and Angelic. The angel here is the aforementioned miracle boy. Its hard to think if theres ever going to be a more powerful and effective antagonist than Shubh. As the show progresses, it keeps digging deeper into his psyche. Hes not a murderer or a serial killer. Who is he? In season one, we saw his fathers brutal assaults on him and how he always considered his son a monster and a curse. Most of the villains need an origin story, a justification of why they became what they did; for Shubh, it was a haunting and terrifying past. For all his intimidating gaze and discourses, he finally breaks down while talking to his grandfather, and blames his father for the birth of this demon. Also, another scene informs (or spoon-feeds?) us about who he really is. Its about the five stages of anarchy that range from denial to negotiation to war. The whole nation is on its feet and on the brink of absolute collapse. The makers throw some nice twists and turns that may seem amusing, but since the battle has turned way too personal, anything goes, no holds barred. But in between so much chaos, mayhem and murders, the idea to have a live television debate between the good and the evil seems implausible. I think one of the news readers also imitated Arnab Goswami in a film very recently. No parody of him here mercifully. But not so very mercifully, season 2 has a cliffhanger too, and now the wait for season 3 has begun. What the show is trying to preach is that bodies die, spirits dont. In that case, the show may never see an end despite an impressive story. Anyones k(asur)? Asur 2 is now streaming on JioCinema 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 government will appear in a federal court next Tuesday to answer questions regarding Prince Harrys visa application after he admitted to using illegal drugs. Prince Harry admitted in his book Spare mentioned that he used psychedelic drugs to deal with him mother Lady Dianas death. During Harrys interview with Anderson Cooper for 60 Minutes, he touched upon a topic from his book about how he used psychedelic drugs to deal with the death of his mother several years later. He mentioned that he had a lot of trouble coping with the loss, even having a hard time believing she was truly dead. According to Dailymail report, the Heritage Foundation, a Washington DC-based conservative think-tank, is suing Joe Bidens administration to force officials to release the Duke of Sussexs immigration files. The organisation wants to know how the prince managed to get into the US, considering he subsequently confessed in his bombshell memoir Spare to taking cocaine, cannabis and magic mushrooms. Legal experts have concluded Prince Harry could be denied re-entry to the United States thanks to the drug-taking admissions the Duke of Sussex made in his autobiography. The development means Harry may be stopped by US border officials after his upcoming trip to London to testify in his legal battle with Mirror Group Newspapers over allegations of phone hacking. Public interest in Harrys current visa situation has increased following the release of Spare in January, which described his drug use in both the UK and on trips to the US. Prince Harry could be denied re-entry to the US by any border official who was aware of his drug-taking admissions in his autobiography, legal experts have claimed. The border officials could grill him on the admissions if he failed to declare it on his visa application form. It means the Duke of Sussex could be stopped from returning to the US next month after his trip to London as he sues Mirror Group Newspapers over allegations of phone hacking. The Duke of Sussex admitted to experimenting with controlled substances including marijuana, cocaine, ayahuasca, and even used magic mushrooms at actress Courteney Coxs house. Harrys drug connection In the memoir, the Duke of Sussex also describes being dragged into the office of an unnamed member of the Royal Household staff during his grandmother the Queens Golden Jubilee in 2002 after a journalist asked the Palace about his drug-taking habits. He revealed that he was offered a line of cocaine during a hunting weekend. Admitting that he lied to the Royal Household staff during his interrogation, Harry mentioned that taking cocaine wasnt much fun and he did it partly to be different and because he was a seventeen-year-old willing to try almost anything that would upset the established order. He wrote: It wasnt much fun, and it didnt make me feel particularly happy the way the others seemed to, but it did make me feel different, and that was my main goal. To feel. To be different. (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. A pencil that purportedly belonged to German dictator Adolf Hitler is going under the hammer next week. It is expected to fetch anywhere between 50,000 (around Rs 51,28,581) and 80,000 (around Rs 82,05,729). The pencil was gifted to Hitler by his long-term partner Eva Braun on his 52nd birthday on 20 April 1941, as per a Guardian report. Lets take a closer look at the story. Adolf Hitlers pencil The 8.5 cm-long pencil, made of white metal, will be sold by Bloomfield Auctions in Northern Irelands Belfast on 6 June. An original signed photograph of Hitler, which is expected to sell for between 10,000 (around Rs 10,28,393) and 15,000 (about Rs 15,42,589), is also going under the hammer. As per the UK daily Guardian, the pencil was originally purchased by a collector at an auction in 2002. The pencil has an inscription in German with Eva engraved on the side and the initials AH on the top. Hitler and Braun, who kept their relationship under wraps, reportedly got married days before dying by suicide in April 1945. Speaking to The Guardian about the auction, Karl Bennett, managing director of Bloomfield Auctions, said: The importance of Hitlers engraved personal pencil lies in the fact that it helps to unravel a hidden piece of history, giving a unique insight into Hitlers personal relationships, which he scrupulously kept hidden from the public eye. Much of Hitlers personal appeal during his dictatorship derived from his carefully constructed identity as the father of the German nation, who rejected personal connection in favour of loyalty to his country. This love token of a personalised pencil from Eva on his birthday helps reveal the deception behind Hitlers public facade. Talking to The Independent earlier this week, Bennett said he understands why people might be hesitant about the Nazi dictators belongings being auctioned. I understand why some people may struggle to understand why items like these are sold and collected, but for me, as a high-end collector of militaria items, they preserve a piece of our past and should be treated as historical objects, no matter if the history they refer to was one of the darkest and most controversial in recorded history, he said. These items give us concrete ties to the past so that we can never forget. Blood-soaked item The European Jewish Association (EJA) has opposed the sale of Hitlers items. In a letter to Bennett, Rabbi Menachem Margolin, the chairman of the association, argued that the auction could potentially glorify the actions of the Nazis, reported The Jerusalem Post. Rabbi Margolin also said that such items do not have inherent historical value and create a macabre trade in the belongings of mass murderers. Would you sell a pen belonging to Robert Murphy who killed 12 and injured 30 at LaMon? Then why is a pencil given as a trinket to a man who murdered six million Jews? he asked. The EJA chairman further called on the Irish auction house to pull out the Nazi leaders belongings from the sale. We are repeatedly told by auction houses that Hitler sells. This may indeed be true. But what is sold and to whom is a matter of public decency and moral responsibility at the end of the day. It is in this spirit of decency that I ask you again to withdraw the Nazi auction items, to send a message that some things particularly when so metaphorically blood-soaked, should not and must not be traded, he wrote, as per Belfast Telegraph. Controversies over previous sales of Hitlers items The backlash over auctioning of Hitlers personal items is not new. In July 2022, a watch said to have belonged to the Nazi leader was sold for $1.1 million at an auction in the US. Ahead of the auction, Alexander Historical Auctions, which also sold other items related to Hitler, faced criticism from Jewish leaders. An open letter signed by 34 Jewish leaders had asked the auction house to cancel the sale of Nazi items, calling it abhorrent. Rabbi Margolin wrote at the time that the sale gave succour to those who idealise what the Nazi party stood for. Whilst it is obvious that the lessons of history need to be learned and legitimate Nazi artefacts do belong in museums or places of higher learning the items that you are selling clearly do not, he said, as per BBC. The auction house had defended the sale and told German media that it wanted to preserve history. In 2021, an Australian auction house had come under fire for selling items, including cigarette box, decanter, ice bucket, gravy boat and hairbrush, that were purportedly owned by Hitler. The countrys Anti-Defamation Commission had slammed the auction, calling it a kick in the stomach to Holocaust survivors. 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. Baby boys have seized centre stage in the babbling arena. Contrary to the popular belief that girls have an early linguistic advantage, these tiny chatterboxes prove that they are capable of talking circles around their female counterparts. According to a scientific paper out on Wednesday baby boys are found more vocal in their first year than girls. But girls catch up and overtake them by the age of two. What did the study find? The findings, published in iScience after the largest ever study on the subject, came as a surprise even to the papers authors. They say it might be the result of an important sex difference that emerged during our species evolution. A team led by D Kimbrough Oller of the University of Memphis, Tennessee used an algorithm to trawl through a data set of more than 450,000 hours of non-stop audio from 5,899 infants, recorded using an iPod sized device over two years. This is the biggest sample for any study ever conducted on language development, as far as we know, Oller said in a statement. While young babies dont talk, they produce pre-speech vocalisations squeals, growls, raspberries, and later word-like sounds such as ba and ga collectively called protophones that eventually give way to real words and sentences. The idea that girls acquire language faster than boys has long held sway in scientific circles, and with it the assumption that baby girls vocalise more than baby boys. However, the results showed that boys made 10 per cent more utterances in the first year of life, before the girls caught up and made seven per cent more sounds by the second year. Evolutionary theory The differences occurred despite the fact that adult care-givers spoke more to girls than to boys across both years. One theory for the finding was that male infants were more vocal because they were more active in general. But the data did not support this, since higher male vocalisations gave way to females around the 16-month mark, but higher physical activity did not. Instead, the team suggests their findings might fit an evolutionary theory which holds that infants make sounds in order to signal their wellbeing to their caregivers, who in turn invest more energy and attention in them. Boys have higher mortality rates than girls in their first year of life, according to a broad body of research, and so it may follow that more vocal baby boys in the distant past were more likely to survive and pass on their genes. But by the second year of life, death rates have dropped dramatically for both sexes, and the pressure on special fitness signalling is lower for both boys and girls, said Oller. Next, Oller plans more research on how caregivers respond to baby talk. We anticipate that caregivers will show discernible reactions of interest and of being charmed by the speech-like sounds, indicators that fitness-signalling by the baby elicits real feelings of fondness and willingness to invest in the well-being of infants, he said. 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. After many months of warning users that the end of password-sharing was nigh, Netflix finally bit the bullet. The streamer rolled out its crackdown on the practice in major markets including the United States and the United Kingdom in May after previously experimenting with borrower or shared accounts, in which subscribers can add extra users for a higher price or transfer viewing profiles to separate accounts, in a few markets. Your Netflix account is for you and the people you live with your household, the company wrote in an email. According to BBC, the company in May alerted customers in over 100 countries including Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Mexico and Singapore. But that hasnt stopped people from finding ways to get around it. Lets take a closer look: How does Netflix determine a household? According to the website Life Hacker, the company defines a household based on the device you use to watch the contact. Once you log into that device, Netflix identifies that as the anchor for the household. It further designates all devices that are on the same WiFi as members of the household. How are people circumventing password-sharing in US and UK? According to Mashable, people in the United States were being asked to enter verification codes that the company sends. Thats a simple matter for primary account holders trying to watch from outside their homes. But the persons who share the account were then asking for the code from the primary account holder, as per the website. But that no longer seems to be the case, as per LifeHacker. Now, Netflix users need to go to the primary account holders home, connect to their wifi and sign in on their device. Meanwhile, in the UK, people are using VPNs to change their location to Turkey, according to Ladbible.com. One person even suggested using a Netflix gift card and using the account after a few weeks. Just be patient. Once it works, it works, the person added. Why is Netflix cracking down on password-sharing? To increase revenue. This account sharing initiative helps us have a larger base of potential paying members and grow Netflix long term, co-chief executive Ted Sarandos said on an earnings call. Netflix earlier in 2023 said that more than 100 million households were sharing accounts at the service, impacting our ability to invest in great new TV and films. As growth at Netflix cooled last year, the Silicon Valley- based streaming company set out to nudge people watching for free with shared passwords to begin paying for the service without alienating subscribers. The streaming television giant told financial analysts recently that it had delayed a broad crackdown on sharing of account passwords to improve the experience for members. Netflix said it made sure subscribers have seamless access to the service away from home or on various devices such as tablets, TVs or smartphones. Netflix in April said that its number of subscribers hit a record high 232.5 million in the first quarter of the year and that its nascent ad-supported tier was faring well. The company said in a recent presentation to advertisers that it had more than 5 million subscribers to its ad-support tier. For the first time ever, US adults will spend more time this year watching digital video on platforms such as Netflix, TikTok and YouTube than viewing traditional television, Insider Intelligence has forecast. The market tracker expects linear TV to account for less than half of daily viewing for the first time ever. 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 started drilling over a 10,000-meter (32,808 feet) hole in the Earths crust. As per Xinhua News Agency, the operation to dig the countrys deepest-ever borehole was launched on Tuesday (30 May) in the Tarim Basin, located in the oil-rich Xinjiang region. But what is the motive behind the expedition? Lets take a closer look. Why is China digging the hole? To carry out scientific exploration. According to Xinhua News Agency, the undertaking represents a landmark in Chinas deep Earth exploration, providing an unprecedented opportunity to study areas of the planet deep beneath the surface. Earlier in 2021, Chinese president Xi Jinping had pushed for advancement in deep Earth exploration while addressing the countrys leading scientists, as per a Bloomberg report. This expedition can help scientists unearth rich minerals and energy resources. Moreover, it can also be beneficial for evaluating the risks of environmental disasters, including earthquakes and volcano eruptions, the report added. Drilling of the deepest-ever hole into the Earths crust began in northwest #Chinas #Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Tuesday with a depth of more than 10,000 meters. #ChinaInspires pic.twitter.com/GxgWzsf26y CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) June 1, 2023 The news of this new venture comes just days after the Asian nation finished building a 12,000-tonne offshore oil and gas drilling platform to mine geological reserves of natural gas, reported Interesting Engineering. Notably, the demand for petrol and jet fuel has increased in China after the scrapping of the zero-COVID-19 policy last December. As per Reuters, Beijing is likely to import a record quantity of crude oil this year amid the huge demand. How will the drilling work? The drill has a design depth of 11,100 meters, reported Xinhua. The 2,000-tonne heavy equipment, which has drill bits and drill pipes, will drill into the ground, penetrating over 10 continental strata or layers of rock, the report added. The drilling also aims to reach the Cretaceous system, which has rocks dating back 145 million years, noted Bloomberg. What are the challenges? The drilling process can have its own challenges as the borehole is being dug in the Tarim Basin, which, as per Britannica, is a vast depression drained by the Tarim River. In the centre of this basin lies the Taklimakan Desert the largest desert in China which spans over an area of 342,000 square km. This borehole is located in the hinterland of this desert, reported Xinhua. Owing to the harsh ground environment and complicated underground conditions in the Tarim Basin, drilling such a deep hole into the Earths crust will not be a piece of cake. Explaining the challenges of the project, Sun Jinsheng, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, told Xinhua: The construction difficulty of the drilling project can be compared to a big truck driving on two thin steel cables. ALSO READ: Scientists in Arctic race to start drilling to preserve ice memory The deepest hole ever dug Even though digging a 10-kilometre hole is ambitious, it is not the deepest human-made hole on Earth. That title still belongs to the Russian Kola Superdeep Borehole, which was dug over a period of 20 years. The drilling process began in 1970 and the borehole reached a depth of 12,262 meters (40,230 feet) in 1989. The work had to be stopped in 1992 when the temperature reached 180C (356F), which was twice the expected mercury at that depth, as per a BBC report. With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the dearth of money for such exploration projects, the facility was shut down three years later, the report added. Americans had begun Project Mohole, aimed at drilling through the Earths crust to reach and explore the mantle, in the early 1960s. They dug through the Pacific Ocean floor off Guadalupe, Mexico. However, after reaching 183 metres beneath the seafloor, the project was called off due to its skyrocketing costs. Germany also tried its hand at Earth exploration with the German Continental Deep Drilling Program (KTB) in Bavaria in 1990, which arrived at a depth of 9 km. This project was also eventually closed. Uli Harms of the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program told BBC in 2019 that continuing these expeditions need a large amount of money. In the end, it really is a cost issue. These expeditions are extremely expensive and therefore they are difficult to repeat. They can cost hundreds of millions of euros and only a small percentage will actually be for the earth sciences, the rest will be for technological development, and of course, operations. That day still seems far when all these challenges can be overcome and humans are finally able to explore the Earths mantle. But scientists are hopeful. 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 China ties have been frosty and on a downward spiral since 2020 owing to the clash between the troops of both sides in the Galwan area in the Ladakh heights. Even as the two sides held talks on Wednesday to discuss proposals for disengagement in the remaining friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the relations between the two Asian countries are deteriorating even further this time over the issue of media access. This has prompted a reaction from Beijing, saying it would take appropriate countermeasures against Indias unfair and discriminatory treatment of Chinese journalists, but called for practical action so that normal media exchanges could resume. What exactly has gone wrong? Why is Beijing angry with New Delhi? Whats the latest spat all about? We have the answers for you. Tit-for-tat game over journalists visas On Tuesday, American newspaper Wall Street Journal reported that India and China are virtually wiping out media access to each other by ejecting each others journalists. The report, quoting people in the know, said that New Delhi had denied visa renewals this month to the last two remaining Chinese state media journalists in the country, from state-run Xinhua News Agency and China Central Television. Following their visa expiration, the two scribes have left India and with this, there are now no remaining Chinese state media reporters in India a first since at least the 1980s. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning accused India of being unfair to its journalists since 2017. In her statement on Wednesday, she said that India had without reason shortened the validity period of Chinese journalists visas to between one and three months. Also, in 2020, New Delhi had refused to approve applications for Chinese reporters to be permanently based in India. What I can tell you is that for a long time Chinese media reporters have suffered unfair and discriminatory treatment in India, she said during a regular press briefing. Faced with this long-term unreasonable suppression by the Indian side, China has no choice but to take appropriate countermeasures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese media, Mao said. However, it is important to note here that China has also expelled Indian journalists from their soil. Last month, reporters from The Hindu and New Delhis state-owned public broadcaster, Prasar Bharati, who were travelling outside China were barred from returning. Moreover, a Hindustan Times reporter was told in May that his press credentials were being invalidated. Ananth Krishnan of The Hindu also confirmed the news through a tweet he published on Wednesday, saying that India was down to only one accredited reporter on Chinese soil. The only Indian media coverage from China in the near future is likely to be from such organised visits (ABP News has been advertising global exclusives this week) as were down to only one accredited Indian reporter in Beijing and unfortunately, probably zero soon. pic.twitter.com/cTyY82zWy7 Ananth Krishnan (@ananthkrishnan) May 31, 2023 Interestingly, the Wall Street Journals report came out hours after the Chinese Embassy said that visas have been granted to 60,000 Indians this year for purposes of business, study, tourist, work, family reunion, etc. In the first 5 months of this year, the Chinese Embassy and Consulates General have issued over 60000 visas to Indian people traveling to China for purposes of business, study, tourist, work, family reunion etc. Welcome to China. Wang Xiaojian (@ChinaSpox_India) May 30, 2023 China has squarely blamed India for the actions, but said that it was willing to maintain communication with New Delhi based on the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit. We also hope that the Indian side can meet us halfway, seriously respond to our legitimate concerns, and take practical action as soon as possible to create favourable conditions for the resumption of normal media exchanges between the two countries, Mao Ning was quoted as saying. India-China worsening ties India and China, two major players in Asia, have increasingly been at odds with each other. The Galwan clash in June 2020 has led to high tensions in the Ladakh area with both sides amassing tens of thousands of soldiers along the border, who remain there despite 18 rounds of talks between top military officials. In recent months, China has exacerbated the situation by renaming 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh in April this year. The changed names include that of mountain peaks, rivers and residential areas. This act, a third for Beijing, was promptly rejected by India, with New Delhi reiterating that the northeastern state will always remain an integral and inseparable part of India. Besides the military aspect, India and China are also at loggerheads in the business sector. New Delhi has banned dozens of Chinese mobile apps, including TikTok, WeChat and others, effectively locking them out of the fast-growing Indian market. And the recently-held G20 tourism meeting in Kashmir on 22 May was another sticking point between the two sides. Prior to the meet, China pulled out of the visit, citing its opposition to holding any kind of G20 meetings in disputed territory, according to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin. India is also seeking to develop closer ties with Western countries, including Quad members the United States, Japan, and Australia, which see Delhi as an alternative to China. Journalists accreditation & geopolitics This isnt the first time that accreditation and treatment of journalists has become an issue. In early 2020, China expelled more than a dozen American reporters, including those from The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and The Washington Post. The following year, the Foreign Correspondents Club of China (FCCC) released a report highlighting how the authorities in Beijing were finding new ways to intimidate foreign journalists, due to which six left the country. The FCCC report stated that the attacks demonstrated an emboldened Chinese government willing to go to great lengths to discredit foreign journalists and their work. However, it noted that none of this has stopped foreign journalists from doing their job, nor major global news organisations from going after the stories that matter. 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. Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen was giving a traditional speech as Parliament gets ready to close for the summer. She takes a pause in the middle to announce that the speech was not written by her or any other human. But the artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT. The head of the Danish government on Wednesday delivered a speech to Parliament partly written using artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT to highlight the revolutionary aspects and risks of AI. What I have just read here is not from me. Or any other human for that matter, Frederiksen suddenly said part-way into her speech to legislators, explaining it was written by ChatGPT. Even if it didnt always hit the nail on the head, both in terms of the details of the governments work programme and punctuation it is both fascinating and terrifying what it is capable of, the leader added. Lets take a closer look. The speech written by ChatGPT The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, used ChatGPT to help write a part of her speech in Parliament. She wanted to highlight both the groundbreaking aspects and the potential risks of artificial intelligence (AI). The part of Frederiksens speech drafted by ChatGPT included sentences like the following: It has been an honour and a challenge to lead a broad government in the last parliamentary year. We have worked hard to co-operate across parties and ensure a strong and sustainable future for Denmark, and We have taken steps to combat climate change and ensure a fairer and more inclusive society where all citizens have equal opportunities, ChatGPT also wrote. Although we have faced challenges and resistance along the way, I am proud of what we have achieved together in the last parliamentary year. Frederiksens regular speechwriters have yet to comment on the quality of the writing. ChatGPTs rise triggers alarm and a gold rush of investment ChatGPT burst into the spotlight late last year, demonstrating an ability to generate essays, poems and conversations from the briefest of prompts. The programmes wild success sparked a gold rush with billions of dollars of investment into the field, but critics and insiders have raised the alarm. Common worries include the possibility that chatbots could flood the web with disinformation, that biased algorithms will churn out racist material, or that AI-powered automation could lay waste to entire industries. The subject is on the agenda of a high-level meeting on trade between the United States and the European Union this Wednesday in Lulea, Sweden. A group of industry chiefs and experts, including Sam Altman whose firm OpenAI created the ChatGPT bot, warned Tuesday about the potential threat of extinction posed by the technology. Some feel disappointed Some Danish citizens, however, were not impressed by this. According to the Business Standard, one user on Twitter stated, I am glad that Christiansborg is starting to take AI seriously. But letting a chatbot write a speech is already oh so yesterday. Yes, thats how fast it goes. Another user pointed out that for Sweden, the potential of AI was still not fully comprehended and this moment was enlightening. Another user stated, The Prime Minister should convene the social partners to discuss artificial intelligence! Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has just held an interesting closing speech, i.a. about artificial intelligence and ChatGPT. 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. Indian textbooks and controversy seem to be linked inextricably. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on 1 June dropped a slew of topics from the Class 10 textbooks including chapters on the Periodic Table, contribution of agriculture to the national economy, challenges to democracy and sustainable management of natural resources. The NCERT says it carried out this rationalisation exercise on the basis of expert recommendations. The NCERT in a note on the changes in the textbooks last year said, In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative to reduce content load on students. The National Education Policy 2020, also emphasises reducing the content load and providing opportunities for experiential learning with creative mindset. In this background, NCERT has undertaken the exercise to rationalise the textbooks across all classes. Learning Outcomes already developed by the NCERT across classes have been taken into consideration in this exercise, it said. This isnt the first time subjects have been dropped from textbooks. Lets take a closer look at all the things you wont find in Indian textbooks: Bye-bye Periodic Table, Darwin As per India Today, the NCERT has permanently deleted the periodic classification of elements from the Class 10 textbooks. It must be noted that the Periodic Table remains part of the syllabus for Class 11. Experts have raised an alarm over the elimination of the Periodic Table, saying it forms the foundation of chemistry education and provides a comprehensive understanding of elements and their properties. They warned that such an omission could thwart students grasp of essential chemical principles, as per India Today. Emphasising the importance of the topic, a text by American chemist Glenn T Seaborg cited in the Class 11 Chemistry textbook reads, The Periodic Table is arguably the most important concept in chemistry, both in principle and in practice. An awareness of the Periodic Table is essential to anyone who wishes to disentangle the world and see how it is built up from the fundamental building blocks of chemistry, the chemical elements. Also gone from the Class 10 textbooks? Charles Darwins theory of evolution, the origins of life, and heredity. This move caused a furor in April with over 1,800 educationists and researchers sending the body an open letter criticising the move. The letter, entitled An Appeal Against Exclusion of Evolution from Curriculum was signed by representatives of esteemed institutions such as the Indian Institute of Science, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, and Indian Institute of Technology. The countrys scientific community is seriously dismayed to see that the theory of biological evolution, which was an integral part of the science syllabus at the 10th standard, has been dropped. It was first dropped as an interim measure for syllabus reduction during the Corona pandemic. But the NCERT document states that it is dropped permanently as a step in content rationalisation! the letter reads, as per India Today. According to India Today, experts said the theory of evolution is a concept that is central to biology. This, as it allows students to comprehend the connection between all life on Earth and all its diversity. Experts warned that removing the theory of evolution may hinder the ability of students to understand the natural world. Topics that have been struck off the science textbooks include chapters on Fibre and Fabrics in Classes 6, 7 and 8. One deletion that stands out is that of the Why do we fall ill chapter from the Class 9 Science textbook. Mughal Empire The Indian Express in April reported that topics about the Mughal and the Delhi Sultanate were removed from textbooks. A two-page table listing the triumphs of Mughal emperors Humayun, Shah Jahan, Akbar, Jahangir and Aurangzeb were removed from the Class 7 textbook. Passages on the hereditary nature of varnas, classification of people as untouchables and rejection of the varna system were removed from the chapter Kingdom, Kings and Early Republic from the Class 6 history book. However, NCERT director in April insisted that chapters on Mughals had not been dropped from CBSE books. Its a lie. (Chapters on) Mughals have not been dropped. There was a rationalisation process last year because due to COVID, there was pressure on students everywhere, the NCERT director told ANI. The NCERT chief further said that expert committees examined the books from standards 6-12. They recommended that if this chapter is dropped, it wont affect the knowledge of the children and an unnecessary burden can be removedThe debate is unnecessary. Those who dont know can check the textbooks, Saklani said. He said that even today students are studying the history of the Mughals in NCERTs class 7th book. Along with this, the history of Mughals is being taught in Empires in section-2 of the 11th class book. And in the class 12th book there were 2 chapters on the history of the Mughals, out of which theme nine was removed last year, while theme eight is still being taught to the students. This year no chapter has been removed from any book, Saklani further said. We are working as per NEP (National Education Policy) 2020. This is a transition phase. NEP 2020 speaks of reducing the content load. We are implementing it. NCF (National Curriculum Framework) for school education is being formed, it will be finalised soon. Textbooks will be printed in 2024 as per NEP. We have not dropped anything right now, the NCERT chief said while stressing the National Education Policy. Urdu poet Muhammad Iqbal Delhi Universitys Academic Council dropped a chapter on renowned Urdu poet Muhammad Iqbal who composed the song composition Sare Jahan Se Achha from its political science syllabus. Iqbal, the national poet of Pakistan, also known as Allama Iqbal, was dropped from the Political Science syllabus during a discussion on the undergraduate course in the 1014th Academic Council meeting of Delhi University. Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh on Wednesday sparked a row when he said Iqbal may have penned the song but never believed in it. I dont know why we were teaching his (Muhammad Iqbals) part in the syllabus for the past 75 years. I agree that he served India by composing the popular song Sare Jahan Se Acha but never believed in that. Iqbal wrote songs supporting the Muslim League and the Pakistan Movement. He was the first to raise the idea of the partition of India and the establishment of Pakistan. Instead of teaching our students about such people, we should impart lessons on our national heroes, Singh added. Singh earlier presiding over the meeting of the Academic Council said that those who laid the foundation to break India should not be included in the varsitys syllabus. Singhs proposal was unanimously passed by the House. According to Business Today, chapters on the Cold War and US hegemony in world politics were removed, while chapters on Central Islamic lands, Confrontation of Cultures and The Industrial revolution were deleted. Whitewashing with vengeance Dropping several topics and portions from the NCERT textbooks last month triggered a controversy, with the Opposition blaming the Centre for whitewashing with vengeance. At the heart of the row was the fact that while the changes made as part of the rationalisation exercise were notified, some of these controversial deletions were not mentioned. This led to allegations about a bid to delete these portions surreptitiously. The NCERT had described the omissions as a possible oversight but refused to undo the deletions, saying they were based on the recommendations of experts. It also said the textbooks are anyway headed for revision in 2024 when the National Curriculum Framework kicks in. However, the NCERT later changed its stand and said minor changes need not be notified. 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. Aurangabad, Osmanabad and now Ahmednagar. What do these three cities in Maharashtra have in common? For starters, they have all undergone a name change in this year. After the first two cities, Aurangabad and Osmanabad, underwent a change in name earlier this year they are now Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv the Maharashtra government announced that Ahmednagar will be renamed Ahilyanagar. Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday announced at a function, Our government works keeping in mind the ideal of governance set by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Ahilyadevi Holkar. Therefore, as per the wish of all of you, we have decided to rename (the district) for Ahilyadevi Holkar. Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that he would request CM Shinde to rename Ahmednagar city as Ahilyanagar, after the Maratha warrior queen Ahilyabai Holkar. He further added that had Ahilyadevi Holkar not been there, there would not have been Kashi, temples of Lord Shiva. We examine who she was and why the Maharashtra government has decided to rename Ahmednagar. The great Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar Indias history and the strides made in womens education and empowerment is incomplete without the mention of Ahilyabai Holkar, the hereditary noble Queen of the Maratha Empire. Ahilyabai was born in 1725 in the village of Chondi near Jamkhed, Ahmednagar, into an ordinary family of Indore. Despite the fact that womens education was a far-fetched idea in those days and especially in the village, Ahilyabais father, Mankoji Rao Shinde home-schooled her to read and write. She entered royal life when Malhar Rao Holkar, army commander to Peshwa Bajirao, saw her at a temple service when she was eight years old. Taken aback by her dedication, devotion and character, he decided to get his son, Khande Rao, married to her. Her married life was short-lived as Khande Rao was killed in the Battle of Kumbher in 1754. However, she didnt commit sati where a widow lies on her husbands funeral pyre. She was dealt another blow when she lost her sons in the following years. It was then that she decided to take matters into her own hands and took up the kingdom of Malwa. She also petitioned the Peshwa to become the ruler, backed by the support of her army. While there was a section of the kingdom that objected to her assumption to the throne, her army of Holkars stood by her and supported their queens leadership. Within a year of taking up the throne, Malwa was encircled by invaders. However, she was determined to protect her land and led her soldiers into battle. A fearless warrior, who was skilled in archery, sword fighting and horseback riding, she led her army to victory. First Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru wrote in his book of Ahilyabai, saying that she had a rule of 30 years. The reign was almost legendary as a period during which perfect order and good government prevailed and the people prospered. She was a very able ruler and organiser, highly respected during her lifetime, Nehru wrote. Such was her time that even British historian John Keay wrote in her favour, Ahilyabai Holkar, the philosopher-queen of Malwa, had evidently been an acute observer of the wider political scene. Along with being a fierce queen and skilled ruler, Malwas Queen was also a learned politician. Even when the Maratha Peshwa had failed to understand the British and their objectives, she cautioned him against them. History shows that in 1772, she had warned the Peshwa of the British, writing: Other beasts, like tigers, can be killed by might or contrivance, but to kill a bear it is very difficult. It will die only if you kill it straight in the face, Or else, once caught in its powerful hold; the bear will kill its prey by tickling. Such is the way of the English. And given this, it is difficult to triumph over them. Ahilyabai is today also remembered for constructing multiple forts and roads in Malwa, as well as for supporting festivals and donating to numerous Hindu temples. Ahilyabai is famous for rebuilding Varanasis Kashi Vishwanath Temple. She also welcomed intellectuals such as Marathi poet Moropant, Shahir Anantaphandi, and Sanskrit scholar Khushali Ram into her city. Moreover, the queen went on to create a textile industry in the city as well; she introduced the tradition of the Maheshwari sarees. In her lifetime, she strove hard to end the practice of sati. As Annie Besant wrote of her, Far and wide the roads were planted with shady trees, and wells were made, and rest-houses for travellers. The poor, the homeless, the orphaned were all helped according to their needs. The Bhils, who had long been the torment of all caravans, were routed from their mountain fastnesses and persuaded to settle down as honest farmers. Hindu and Musalman alike revered the famous Queen and prayed for her long life. The queen died at the age of 70 and was succeeded by her commander-in-chief, Tukoji Rao Holkar I. Renaming of cities in Maharashtra A name change for a city or town is not new in India and theres been a growing movement to rename areas in Maharashtra. It was in 2022 that then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray just before stepping down from his post announced the decision to rename Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar and Osmanabad as Dharashiv. Thackerays announcement was in line with his fathers demand. On 8 May 1988, Sena supremo Bal Thackeray announced the renaming of the city to Sambhajinagar after Sambhaji Maharaj. Also read: Aurangabad is now Sambhajinagar, Osmanabad is Dharashiv: How cities get new names In 1995, the Aurangabad Corporation passed a resolution to do so, and the then Sena-led government in the state issued a notification seeking suggestions and objections from people on this. The notification was challenged in the high court by then Ahmednagar Municipal corporator Mushtaq Ahmed. The decision to rename the city was put off then. Finally, on 16 July 2022, the Eknath Shinde government approved the proposal to rename Aurangabad and Osmanabad as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv and it got the go-ahead from the Centre in February this year. 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. It might come as a shocker but necrophilia is not considered rape in India. The law says so. The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday ruled that the sexual assault of a body did not come under the ambit of rape or unnatural offences under the Indian Penal Code. The court passed the order while acquitting a man from charges of raping a 25-year-old woman after murdering her. It said that unfortunately in India no specific legislation is enacted, including under the provisions of IPC for the purpose of upholding dignity and protecting rights and crime against the dead body of the woman. A lower court had convicted Rangaraju of murder and sexual assault. The Karanataka HC, who was hearing the appeal filed by the man upheld the order convicting the accused on charges of murder. However, the bench of Justices B Veerappa and Venkatesh Naik also recommended that the Centre amend the law to ensure that necrophilia would be considered an offence. Observing that attendants appointed to guard bodies in mortuaries of many government and private hospitals indulge in sexual intercourse on the corpses, it called for the amendment of the Indian Penal Code under the definition of the offence of unnatural sex or introduce a new provision in IPC to make necrophilia an offence. It is high time for the state government to ensure such crimes do not happen, thereby maintaining dignity of the dead body of the woman, observed Justice B Veerappa, who authored the judgment for the bench, reports The Hindu. It is high time for the Union government, in order to maintain right to dignity of the dead person/woman, to amend the provisions of Section 377 of IPC to include dead body of any man, woman or animal or to introduce a separate provision as offence against dead woman as necrophilia or sadism as has been done in other countries to ensure the dignity of the dead person, the bench observed. What is necrophilia? Necrophilia is an act where the perpetrator gets sexual pleasure by having sex with the dead. It is associated with several other paraphilias a condition characterised by abnormal sexual desires, often involving extreme activities including sadism, cannibalism and necrophagia (eating the flesh of the dead). Necrophilia is a term derived from the Greek words philios (attraction to/love) and nekros (dead body). It was coined by Belgian Alienist, Joseph Guislain, who first used it in a lecture in the year 1950. It became part of popular parlance in the 19th century. However, this sort of sexual abuse dates back centuries ago and has been documented in Greek mythology, the Greco-Roman period, and the Middle Ages. Why do people want to have sex with the dead? An article in The Conversation quotes a study that reviewed 122 cases (88 from the world literature and 34 unpublished cases), of necrophilic acts or fantasies and classified them into three types necrophilic homicide, regular necrophilia, and fantasies of committing necrophilia. It found the most common motive for necrophilia was possession of an unresisting and unrejecting partner, rather than explicit psychopathic tendencies The authors said necrophiles as they are also called often chose occupations that put them in contact with corpses. People with such tendencies could take up jobs at a mortuary or funeral home. Cases of mortuary attendants or funeral home workers caught sexually assaulting corpses are not uncommon, something even the Karnataka high court mentioned. Is necrophilia a psychological disorder? The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Psychiatric Association (APA) classify necrophilia as paraphilia in their International Classification of Diseases diagnostic manual. Neither psychosis, mental retardation, nor sadism appears to be inherent in necrophilia. The most common motive for necrophilia is the possession of an unresisting and unrejecting partner, says a 1989 study titled Sexual attraction to corpses: A psychiatric review of necrophilia. However, necrophiles might suffer from other disorders. Necrophilia is not associated with any one mental illness or disorder. However, it is known that some necrophiles had previously been diagnosed with Conduct Disorder and Antisocial Personality Disorder, according to a report in Psychology Today. There have also been suggestions that those who have committed necrophilia have suffered from depression or schizophrenia. Which countries criminalise necrophilia? In the United Kingdom, any sexual penetration or inappropriate physical conduct with dead bodies is against the law. If convicted, a person can end up in prison for anywhere from six months to two years and receive a fine, The Conversation reports. Necrophilia laws also exist in Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. The Criminal Code of Canada, 1985 makes necrophilia illegal without specifically using the word necrophilia, penetration or any sex-oriented word. The law states whoever behaves indecently or improperly or offers any indignity to the dead body or its remains is guilty of the offence and is liable to the punishment of imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years. In New Zealand, misconduct in respect of human remains leads is punishable by a term not exceeding two years. The US has fifty states and each has different laws. In several states including California, necrophilia is not specifically prohibited by law. Which are the most infamous cases of necrophilia? In 2006, the Nithari serial murders sent shockwaves across India. The two accused were Moninder Singh Pandher, a rich businessman and his caretaker, Surinder Koli. Investigations revealed that Koli would lure his victims to Pandhers house in Nithari, an urban village near Noida. The case involved sexual abuse, murder, cannibalism and attempted necrophilia. In March 2023, Ravinder Kumar, a daily-wage labourer working in Delhi, was convicted. He committed several crimes between 2008 and 2015 and confessed to being guilty of at least 38 cases of rape and murder of minor children across Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh; some of these were also cases of necrophilia. Last September, Netflixs true-crime documentary Dahmer-Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story put the spotlight on Jeffrey Dahmer. He was born in Wisconsin, US and then became infamous as the Milwaukee Monster. He murdered and dismembered 17 people over 13 years and was also known for paedophilia, cannibalism, and necrophilia. Dahmer was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, schizotypal personality disorder, and psychotic disorder but was found to be legally sane at his trial. He was sentenced to 15 terms of life imprisonment in February 1992 but two years later was beaten to death by a fellow inmate. Ted Bundy was also one of Americas most infamous killers. He kidnapped, butchered and raped more than 30 girls and women during the 1970s. After beheading and dumping the bodies, he often returned to have sex with the corpses. He received three death sentences in two trials and was executed in January 1989. 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. When the debt limit fight began, it was widely assumed that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, untested and inexperienced in high-stakes negotiations, would either preside over an economically and politically calamitous government default or lose his hard-won post in a right-wing mutiny after caving to Democrats. So far, he has managed to avoid both outcomes while claiming some fiscal and policy wins. With House approval Wednesday night of the debt-limit package he personally negotiated with President Joe Biden, McCarthy defied expectations and even earned grudging respect from White House officials while defusing the debt-limit time bomb he himself planted by insisting on concessions in return for raising the nations borrowing limit. The bar was set low for McCarthy, known more for politicking and fundraising than for policymaking, after he struggled mightily to win his post in the first place as House Republicans took control in January. But in the end, he delivered an agreement that met his goal of cutting spending from current levels. It was not pretty; in fact, it was downright ugly. He managed to do so only with significant help from across the aisle, as Democrats rescued him on a key procedural vote and then provided the support needed for passage. McCarthy exceeded his goal of winning the support of the majority of his members with 149 backing it, but more Democrats 165 of them voted for the bill than members of his own party, an outcome that will fuel Republican criticism that he cut a deal that sold out his own people. Also Read: How a US debt default will affect everyday Americans That is not the way powerful speakers of the past have typically accomplished their goals. But McCarthy has proved uncommonly willing to endure political pain and even humiliation a trait that was on ample display during his 15-round fight for the speakership in January while focusing on extracting a few marquee concessions from Biden that could allow him to claim victory and avert a default he plainly wanted to avoid, even if many of his members did not. His allies gave him credit for taking on the White House and Senate Democrats and emerging with a positive result when most Democrats were counting on him to fail. White House officials and congressional Democrats privately predicted that McCarthy would be unable to corral his extraordinarily fractious troops, and would therefore have no leverage in fiscal talks, allowing them to force through an increase in the debt ceiling with few, if any, concessions to Republicans. Underestimated for damn sure, said Representative Patrick McHenry, R-North Carolina, one of the lead GOP negotiators. Kevin McCarthy has always been underestimated. McCarthys achievement may yet come at a cost. Far-right conservative Republicans remain outraged at the agreement he struck with Biden, saying it fell woefully short of what he promised and what Republicans committed to as they pursued the majority last year. Some feel personally betrayed and say he went back on his promise to insist on paring back spending even further. More than two dozen rank-and-file Republicans registered their dissatisfaction with McCarthy by opposing the procedural measure bringing the package to the floor, an aggressive challenge to the leadership that also showed they were not worried about payback from the speakers office. Also Read: US debt ceiling crisis: How this could create turmoil in the financial world Representative Ken Buck, R-Colorado, said McCarthy had hurt himself with many House Republicans big time, big time. I think this is going to be a problem for him, said Buck, who along with other critics of McCarthy said lawmakers would be talking among themselves about how or whether to proceed with an attempt to force out the speaker. McCarthy, in an interview on Fox News, said talk of unseating him was not a worry. To govern is not easy, but I dont want to be on the wrong side of history, he said, saying that critics of the package would regret their opposition. Every single one of those members who vote no will miss the opportunity to vote for the largest cut in American history. That is almost certainly an exaggeration, though the agreement was chock-full of side deals and complex details that allowed the GOP to claim far larger spending cuts than they secured. One factor working in McCarthys favour in holding off a move to oust him is that conservatives with standing among House Republicans, such as Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, remained in his corner. There is a distinct segment of House Republicans who are eager to move past the fiscal fight and focus more on the investigations and culture-war issues that they think play better with their voters and are being lost in the current moment. McCarthys backers say his critics do not truly understand the limits of their leverage in controlling only the House while Democrats hold the majority in the Senate and Biden is in the White House. They say that McCarthy was never going to get the type of agreement the most extreme elements of House Republicans could embrace unless he was willing to force a devastating default. He made it clear early on that he was not. For months, White House officials and Senate Democrats figured they could hold off McCarthys demands to begin talks with Biden on budget and spending issues by declaring that he must first show that he could pass something through the House. They saw that as unlikely, given his four-seat margin for error and the varying ideologies of his membership. The pivotal moment came in late April when, much to the surprise of the administration and congressional Democrats, he did just that, squeezing through a partisan measure that cut spending and rolled back Biden initiatives. The legislation had no chance of advancing in the Senate but served as a marker and won him a seat at the negotiating table. No question the White House miscalculated on this one, said Representative Garret Graves, R-Louisiana, another of the key GOP negotiators. They misjudged the speaker. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, downplayed suggestions that McCarthy had outmanoeuvred the Democrats. Look at the result, Schumer told reporters. It is a far, far cry from where the Republicans started out. Administration officials conceded they may have taken McCarthy too lightly. They say privately that he proved a stronger adversary in negotiations than many of them were expecting. Also read: How past US debt ceiling crises affected the economy and politics He also won some policy concessions that administration officials had not expected to give. For months, top administration officials had privately predicted that Biden would agree to modest caps on discretionary spending to accompany a debt-limit increase. But McCarthy successfully pushed to protect military spending from the cuts, forcing domestic programs in such areas as education and environmental protection to bear the brunt of the reductions a condition that Democrats have strenuously resisted in past budget negotiations. He also secured a side deal that would cut $20 billion (Rs 1.64 lakh crore) in new funding for an IRS crackdown on tax cheats, which Republicans had made a top target for cuts. Such successes were still not enough to satisfy hard-right critics who wanted more. But McCarthy was willing to take what he could get and declare victory and absorb the abuse he was already receiving in return. Carl Hulse, c.2023 The New York Times Company Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Numerous climbers arrive at Mount Everests base camp each year with the aim of reaching the top with the assistance of Sherpa guides who are familiar with the mountain properly. Nepal is reportedly considering moving the base camp elsewhere, but sherpas and climbing companies are vehemently opposed to the idea. This is because the Himalayan glaciers are melting due to climate change, and the routes up the worlds tallest peak are choked with people. The south base camp, which is located on the rapidly receding Khumbu glacier, has previously been claimed to be risky for climbers due to human activities and climate change. Lets take a closer look. Significant opposition The current Mount Everest base is 5,364 metres (17,598 feet) above sea level. The worlds tallest mountain base was intended to be relocated 200 to 400 metres below. Sherpa leaders assert that the proposal is not only impractical but that the authorities have also failed to come up with a feasible alternative. According to BBC, Mingma Sherpa, head of Khumbu Pasanglhamu, a rural municipality that includes the base camp and most of the Everest region, I have come across not even a single person in our community who supports the idea of moving the Everest base camp. Happy International Everest Day, 2023! pic.twitter.com/8vGLzSbvog Everest Today (@EverestToday) May 29, 2023 It has been there for the previous 70 years; why should they relocate it now? said Ang Norbu Sherpa, head of the Nepal National Mountain Guides Association, adding, And even if they wanted to, where is the study on a viable alternative? Sudan Kirati, Nepals recently appointed tourism minister, claimed that the matter was not urgent. I have seen no interest or concern from any quarter on the issue of moving the base camp, he claimed. According to the BBC, the proposal of moving the Everest base camp was rejected by more than 95 per cent of delegates at a recent consultation meeting between the government and the mountaineering business, thus killing the idea in the short term. Also read: How Mount Everest has been preserving peoples germs from coughs and sneezes The risk is growing The Khumbu glacier, like many others in the Himalayas, is melting quickly as a result of climate change, making the area unsafe for climbers. The sherpas livelihoods as well as their sense of kinship with the mountain are at risk because the glacier near base camp thinned at a pace of one metre every year, according to a 2018 study by Leeds University researchers. Seventy years have passed since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay stood atop the world, conquering the formidable summit of Mt Everest (8848.86 m) on this day, 29.05.1953, 11:30 NPT. The conquest of Mt Everest was not just an individual triumph; it represented the culmination of pic.twitter.com/m24sMZlinj Everest Today (@EverestToday) May 29, 2023 Additionally, field research revealed that the worlds tallest glaciers ponds and lakes were merging and growing, posing new difficulties for climbers, reported BBC. Professor Bryn Hubbard of Aberystwyth University told the outlet, As the ice melts, beneath the rocky debris, the surface becomes more variable, encouraging the formation of surface ponds that gradually coalesce to form large lakes. Shifting the base would make more sense, according to experts, as the current base may see more avalanches, storms, ice and rockfalls in the future. Base camp is crammed with people Although there are differences of opinion on the bases potential relocation, practically everyone can agree that it is becoming too crowded. 478 Everest climbing permits were given during this climbing season, which is a record, according to Wion. It implies that more than 1,500 people, including the support staff, would be using the base. The size of the base camp has doubled in recent years, claims Dambar Parajuli, head of Expedition Operators Association Nepal. The region was also becoming overrun by needless luxury services, including massage parlours, so he added that there werent any hard rules about what was allowed and what wasnt at the base camp. Pasang Yangjee Sherpa, an anthropologist who works at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, claims that while Nepal has welcomed a growing swarm of tourists every year, it has paid a price for it. She said in an Al Jazeera podcast from last year that sherpa climbers claimed the mountain changed every time they returned. Research on the Sherpa diaspora and human aspects of climate change was conducted by Yangjee Sherpa. Its happening right before our eyes, and its difficult to ignore and its as important as it can be, she said. And Im speaking of the sherpa climbers who go there every season, that is twice a year, and every season theyre going up and down the mountain several times Theyre saying that every time they go back. the mountain looks different. So where there used to be ice last year, theres water; where there used to be hard snow, now its soft snow. According to Yuba Raj Khatiwada, the director of Nepals tourism bureau, the high number of fatalities on Mount Everest this year is primarily due to a changing climate. He previously told Bloomberg that the death rate is quite high this season because of the climate and climate change. There isnt another explanation. Despite our best efforts, mountaineering still carries some danger. Climate change was having a big impact in the mountains, he told The Guardian, adding, In the past, we have seen that not all of the areas [over which] modern base camp stretches are safe, he declared. Some areas are vulnerable to avalanches from the surrounding terrain and gravitational mass movement. 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. Best Adderall Alternatives of The Year Summary: Vyvamind the most potent option for users looking to get rid of ADHD symptoms permanently. Uses a clean formula with the ingredients that are all focused on ADHD symptoms such as lack of focus, stress, anxiety, low productivity, and low energy levels. Contains caffeine. NooCube a caffeine-free option with natural and clean formula combining nutrients that support overall brain health as well as the immune system. We like the addition of antioxidants such as Resveratrol and Pterostilbene which are essential for cardiovascular health and reducing inflammation. However, NooCube is not ideal for extremely sensitive people due to the formula that has a lot of nutrients. For the majority of people, it wont cause any adverse reactions. Nooceptin another caffeine-free option, suitable for everyone, including sensitive people. Contains eight nutrients powerful at improving memory recall and retention and supporting long-term brain cell health. Can also help treat ADHD due to several ingredients like Rhodiola Rosea, Panax Ginseng, and L-Theanine. No matter which of the three you choose, you cant go wrong. All three supplements on our list are extremely potent at improving overall brain function. If you are a person having a poor quality of life due to ADHD, an old person suffering from memory issues, or simply a young folk looking to prevent mental problems that could occur as you age, all three nootropics on our list are natural and work like a charm for the brain when used consistently. We give them a thumbs up! Adderall how does Adderall work? Is it safe? Should you take it? Adderall is a prescription stimulant, commonly used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It has also been used off-label as a cognitive enhancer by individuals looking to increase their focus and productivity. The question is, is it safe? And should you take it? Adderall can have potentially dangerous side effects, including increased heart rate and high blood pressure. Therefore, it should only be taken under the guidance of a healthcare professional who can assess your individual needs and monitor your dosages. Think carefully before deciding if Adderall is right for you. What do we think? We think you shouldnt take Adderall if youre looking for a product to take long-term to sharpen your mind. The chemicals inside Adderall can cause adverse reactions in the long run, while natural nootropics (brain supplements) can benefit you significantly, while exponentially reducing the risk of side effects. What exactly is ADHD? facts about ADHD ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects the way people think, pay attention, and manage their behaviour. It is characterized by difficulty in sustaining attention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. This can lead to problems with social interaction, communication, learning and academic performance. The exact cause of ADHD is still unknown but it is believed to be linked to genetic factors that impact brain development. The symptoms of ADHD can vary from person to person and can range from mild to severe. It is important to remember that ADHD is a real medical condition with significant psychological impacts on individuals and their families, and it is recommended to treat the early symptoms to prevent it from getting worse. When were nootropics invented? In recent years nootropics have become increasingly popular as people look for ways to increase their productivity and feel more alert. But when did these substances first come into existence? It turns out that the history of nootropics goes all the way back to 1972 when a Romanian scientist named Corneliu Giurgea first invented them. He coined the term nootropic which is derived from the Greek words nous and trepein which mean mind and bending respectively. Since then these substances have been studied extensively in order to understand their effects on cognition and how they can be used for therapeutic purposes in various medical conditions. Natural Nootropics for ADHD Do they work? While medication is a common form of treatment for this condition, natural nootropics have recently been gaining interest as an alternative option. We like to call these multivitamins for the mind, since they deliver certain nutrients that nourish the brain and benefit it in the long run. It is not a surprise to us that nootropics have been gaining interest; they do indeed work, but only the proper ones. What do we mean by saying the proper ones? We mean that each individual nootropic must contain ingredients that are supported by science. The dosages must be optimal, and there should be no proprietary blends or additives. We have a certain criteria when reviewing brain supplements. We look at the manufacturers reputation and customer reviews, the ingredient formula, dosages, safety, and if the manufacturer offers a money back program. On our list of best Natural OTC ADHD Medication, we have prepared the three best nootropics that are currently available and that tick every box when speaking of our criteria. They are of exceptional quality, have been tested, and offer fast and huge results. They are also over-the-counter you can purchase them without any permission, and since they are natural, the risk of side effects is at minimum. No more talking, lets learn more about them! Vyvamind The Best Natural Over-The-Counter ADHD Pill Vyvamind is a nootropic made by SAP Nutrition which is a very popular company with outstanding customer reviews. The company places a lot of dedication and effort on making high-quality supplements, and you will soon see how we know this. SAP Nutrition is currently offering great deals on the official website, and offers fast shipping worldwide. Vyvamind is currently the best-ranked nootropic by SAP Nutra. It is focused on eliminating ADHD symptoms and improving overall brain health and function. By taking it consistently, you should expect the following benefits in the long run: Increased mental focus and clarity which is often quite bad in people suffering from ADHD Boosts energy levels and motivation to a high degree Burnout protection No more brain fog, stress, depression, and anxiety Helps to improve memory retention and recall Keep in mind that Vyvamind is not a magic tool, but if youre going to take it consistently, you should experience all of the benefits. Infrequent usage wont be as good as frequently taking it. The most of the benefits of Vyvamind should be felt within the first three months. In some cases, the positive effects could occur earlier, while in other cases it might take longer. All in all, the longer you take it, the higher cognitive enhancements you will experience. It is safe to take Vyvamind for a long period of time, unlike Adderall or other prescribed drugs. What ingredients are included in Vyvamind? Vyvamind features six nootropic ingredients which cover every necessary area of brain health. While it does not seem like a lot, this is way better than an overcrowded ingredient formula that could be harsh on the stomach for sensitive people. With Vyvamind, even sensitive people shouldnt experience any adverse effects. Vitamin B6, B12, L-Tyrosine, Citicoline, L-Theanine, and Caffeine Anhydrous are all included inside this powerful nootropic. For those who like a stimulant effect, caffeine is included inside in an optimal dosage (approximately equals to caffeine content in a cup of coffee) Lets analyze every particular ingredient so you can learn more about them and see why they are so powerful for the brain! Vitamin B6 Vitamin B6 plays a vital role in the healthy functioning of the brain. It helps to improve cognitive performance, reduce anxiety and stress, and support mental health. It is essential for the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine which are responsible for regulating mood and emotions. Additionally, it helps in breaking down carbohydrates into energy that is used by the body and brain. Vitamin B6 also plays a role in protecting the brain from oxidative damage caused by free radicals. Vitamin B12 Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient that plays a crucial role in keeping the brain healthy and functioning properly. It helps to regulate neurotransmitter activity and promote proper nerve conduction, which is necessary for good cognitive performance. Vitamin B12 also helps to produce energy-producing molecules, which are important for overall brain health and those with a lack of energy which is often associated with ADHD. Additionally, it plays a role in synthesizing DNA, which helps the brain develop new neurons and form new connections between them. L-Tyrosine L-Tyrosine is an amino acid that has been proven to be beneficial for cognitive functions. It is an important component of many proteins in the body and helps the brain to produce hormones and neurotransmitters. It can also help improve mood, mental clarity, focus, and alertness by providing a natural source of energy to the brain cells. This makes it one of the best nutrients for individuals looking to improve their cognitive functioning and overall mental health. Citicoline Citicoline is a natural compound that is believed to stimulate the production of elements important for healthy brain functioning. It helps to increase levels of dopamine and acetylcholine, two neurotransmitters which are essential for cognitive processes. By doing so, it can help improve memory, alertness, focus, and overall cognitive performance. Research has demonstrated that citicoline can also help protect against age-related decline in brain health and even provide some protection from stroke-induced brain damage. L-Theanine L-Theanine is an amino acid found in tea leaves. It has been studied for its potential benefits to the brain and its potential uses as a natural treatment for ADHD. Research has shown that L-Theanine can improve focus, concentration, and alertness, as well as reduce anxiety, stress, and restlessness. It has also been shown to increase alpha brain wave activity which is associated with relaxation and improved mental performance. For those suffering from ADHD, L-Theanine may be one of the most beneficial ingredients overall. Caffeine Anhydrous Caffeine anhydrous is becoming increasingly popular among those who suffer from ADHD. It has been found that it can help with focus and concentration for those with the disorder. It also has been found to provide energy and alertness for people who are not suffering from ADHD, and these are the primary benefits that are well-known to all who drink coffee. Be careful and make sure not to take caffeine anhydrous at nighttime; it can cause sleep disturbances. Is Vyvamind Expensive? Vyvamind is a quite expensive supplement, and this could be disappointing for the majority of people. A bottle of Vyvamind costs $74.99, however, this should last you for 60 days (entire 2 months) by taking one serving size daily. We can see that the manufacturer has put a lot of hard work into the making of Vyvaminds formula, and the ingredients inside are without a doubt quite costly. Because of that, we understand the high price, and if you can afford it, it will provide you with the best value for money. So, Is Vyvamind Good For Me? If youre looking to neutralize all the ADHD symptoms permanently, Vyvamind might be worth a shot. This powerful supplement combines all the key nutrients that will help with precisely that, as well as support overall brain health. This is an ideal nootropic even for young folks looking to prevent brain disorders that could happen as we age. If you are often experiencing a lack of focus and energy, which makes it hard to do daily tasks efficiently, Vyvamind is the solution in our opinion. With it, there is no reason to worry about adverse reactions, unlike with prescribed drugs. The risk is minimal due to a natural and clean formula. PURCHASE VYVAMIND AT THE MAIN SITE HERE. NooCube The Second Best-Ranked Nootropic for ADHD The next best over-the-counter brain supplement for ADHD is NooCube, made by the reputable Wolfson Brands company. This is the cheapest option on our list, and offers a bit different ingredient formula from the competition. NooCube combines some of the best nutrients for memory and overall brain health, as well as antioxidants such as resveratrol for the immune system. NooCube is marketed as an Adderall alternative for all those with deadlines. By taking it regularly, you should experience destroyed brain fog and mental fatigue, less depression, anxiety, and stress, more sharpness, focus, and alertness, as well as better memory retention and recall. Another major advantage of NooCube is that it can help to protect the eyes from fatigue that can happen by looking at the screen for a long period of time. If you dont like caffeine, but want a safe and effective alternative to prescribed medication such as Adderall, you might consider giving NooCube a try, as it will benefit the brain and the immune system to a significant degree. You can always return the product, since the manufacturer offers a 60-day money back program for all the unsatisfied users. Lets jump onto the ingredients. These are all the ingredients in each serving of NooCube: Vitamin B12 2.5mcg Vitamin B7 50mcg Vitamin B1 1.1mg Bacopa Monnieri 250mg L-Tyrosine 250mg Oat Straw Extract 150mg Cats Claw Extract 175mg Alpha GPC 50mg L-Theanine 100mg Lutemax 20mg Huperzia Serrata 20mg Pterostilbene 140mcg Resveratrol 14.3mg Vitamin B1 Vitamin B1, also known as thiamine, is an essential nutrient that plays a vital role in maintaining overall health. It helps to keep the body functioning optimally and can help reduce the risk of certain diseases. Additionally, vitamin B1 has been linked with cognitive benefits, such as improved memory and focus. Bacopa Monnieri Bacopa Monnieri is one of the best nutrients that you can find a nootropic. It helps to keep you as sharp as possible, which is crucial for those with ADHD. It can even help reduce the risk of developing certain neurological disorders such as Alzheimers disease. Oat Straw Extract Oat Straw Extract has been used for centuries to improve general health and brain health. It is known to provide a variety of benefits from improving cognitive function and reducing stress levels to decreasing inflammation, enhancing immunity, and supporting cardiovascular health. Oat Straw Extract is gaining recognition in the medical world as an effective natural remedy for a variety of ailments, including anxiety, depression, Alzheimers disease, ADHD, MS, and Parkinsons disease. Cats Claw Extract The active compounds found in Cats Claw Extract (some of them being isopteropodine, rhynchophylline, pteropodine, and mytraphylline) have been studied extensively and some of the most commonly understood benefits include improved cognitive performance, better memory, reduced stress levels and improved mood. Furthermore, research suggests that it may also help reduce inflammation in the brain which can lead to improved energy levels, better sleep and overall better mental health. Alpha GPC Alpha GPC (Alpha-Glycerylphosphorylcholine) is a naturally occurring choline compound that has been studied for its potential benefits for general health and mental wellbeing, as well as improving cognitive performance. Alpha GPC has been shown to have a number of beneficial effects, including improving memory and learning, reducing anxiety and depression, and providing neuroprotective benefits by increasing acetycholine levels. It may also help to improve focus, reduce fatigue, and increase energy levels. Furthermore, there is evidence that it can help to boost physical performance by increasing the production of growth hormone. Lutemax Lutemax offers a wide range of health benefits, including improved general health and brain health. It contains a unique blend of powerful antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids that can help support overall vitality. Huperzia Serrata Huperzia Serrata, also known as Chinese club moss, is a plant used in traditional Chinese medicine for its numerous health benefits. It has been found to be especially beneficial for overall health. It can help improve cognitive function, reduce inflammation, and increase energy levels. Furthermore, it can boost the immune system and help protect against neurological diseases such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons. Pterostilbene Pterostilbene is a naturally occurring compound found in blueberries and other fruits. Its been known to have numerous health benefits, including fighting inflammation, boosting cognitive function and improving cardiovascular health. Research has shown that pterostilbene may help reduce the risk of certain types of cancer and may even be beneficial in treating diabetes. Resveratrol Resveratrol is an antioxidant found naturally in red wine, grapes, peanuts, and some berries. It has been gaining attention for its potential to improve health and wellness as a result of its anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, and protective effects on the body. Availability NooCube can be purchased for $64.99 for a one-month supply, which is still considered very expensive for most people. So, Is NooCube The Right Choice For Me? If youd like a stimulant-free nootropic that works to support your immune system and brain health, look no further. If you have a sensitive stomach and still want a stimulant-free nootropic, we recommend taking a look at the next nootropic on our list. NooCube uses a lot of nutrients which can cause minor side effects in those who are extremely sensitive. PURCHASE NOOCUBE AT THE MAIN SITE BY CLICKING HERE. Nooceptin The third best brain supplement for ADHD on our list is Nooceptin. In total, Nooceptin comes with 8 natural ingredients and a completely clean formula without any additives or proprietary blends. This is another product made by the respected SAP Nutra in FDA inspected and cGMP facilities. To get the most out of Nooceptin, take it for 90 days consistently, although it is safe to use it for longer than that. Lets take a closer look at the ingredients and their doses per serving: Lions Mane Extract 400mg Citicoline 200mg L-Theanine 200mg Rhodiola Rosea Extract 150mg Panax Ginseng Extract 200mg Ginkgo Biloba 150mg Bacopa Monnieri Extract 150mg As you can see, everything is shown and you know what you are buying, unlike many supplements on the market that hide particular ingredient doses through proprietary blends. If you have a sensitive stomach and you are looking for a stim-free nootropic for ADHD with the minimal risk of side effects, Nooceptin should work for you, since it has less ingredients than NooCube, so it will be less harsh on the stomach. Even though it has less ingredients, it doesnt mean it is less potent than its competition. All 8 ingredients here are focused on different parts of the brain, which makes them extremely potent at improving focus, memory, reducing stress and anxiety, and protecting brain cells. Our team of young folks tested Nooceptin and they experienced increased levels of focus, making it easier to complete their daily tasks, as well as higher energy levels and motivation. This is extremely important for individuals that struggle with ADHD. Availability If you want to give Nooceptin a try, it can be purchased for $69.00 for a bottle with 90 capsules (a 30-day supply). NOOCEPTIN IS AVAILABLE ON THE MAIN SITE. CONCLUSION BEST NATURAL OTC ADHD MEDICATION There you have it, that was our guide to the best natural over-the-counter alternatives to Adderall. Specifically designed for users with ADHD, Vyvamind is the winner of the three. It contains the least ingredients, however, they are all focused on relieving all the symptoms that people with ADHD disorder struggle with. Alongside that, it is superb at supporting memory, brain cells health, and eliminating mental fatigue. This is a caffeine-containing nootropic. The second best-ranked Adderall alternative of the year is NooCube, delivering a rich formula with natural ingredients that support the brain, as well as the immune system. This is a stim-free nootropic, but can be a bit harsh on the stomach for sensitive people. The third best supplement on our list designed for sensitive people who want a stimulant-free option is Nooceptin. It is ideal if youre looking to keep your mind as sharp as possible and support memory, since it uses ingredients that are mostly focused on that. Nooceptin will also help to reduce anxiety and stress associated with ADHD through some ingredients like Rhodiola Rosea and L-Theanine. Disclaimer: This is a partnered post. The information provided in this post is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. The views and opinions expressed in any referenced product or service do not necessarily reflect those of Network18. Network18 does not vouch for the efficacy or safety of any products mentioned in this post. The reader is advised to conduct their own research and due diligence before purchasing or using any product. Network18 shall not be held responsible for any negative consequences that may arise from the use of any product mentioned in this post. The information does not constitute advice or an offer to buy. Any purchase made from the above press release is made at your own risk. Consult an expert advisor/health professional before any such purchase. Any purchase made from this link is subject to the final terms and conditions of the websites sales as mentioned above as a source. The Advertising Agency and its downstream distribution partners do not take any responsibility directly or indirectly. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the company this news is about. Advertising and Marketing by: This content was marketed by Brandingbyexperts.com on behalf of their client. For queries reach out support@brandingbyexperts.com This is a Partnered Post. Over 60 government doctors in Bihar have been served notices for being on unauthorised leave for at least a year or more. A senior government official familiar with the matter said on Thursday that the state health department has issued notices to doctors across the state for being absent from duty. A notice containing names of such doctors of different health centers and hospitals in this regard was uploaded on the departments website, they said. If no reply is received from the individuals within the stipulated time, it will be construed that he/she has no explanation to offer. In that case the department has the power to initiate disciplinary action against them, said a senior official of the department. Unauthorised absenteeism invites action, including dismissal, under the provisions of government servant conduct rules, he said. The doctors, who were served the notices, have been abstaining from their duty for a minimum of one year and there were some who had not been coming to work for the past five to six years, the official said. The department had sought explanation from the doctors earlier. However, they did not reply. The doctors who have been served the notices include community health centers and those posted in the district hospitals, he said. Patna has the maximum of 14 doctors who have been served notices for unauthorised absence from their duties for several years. Besides, notices have been served to doctors posted at health centers and hospitals at Buxar, Bhojpur, Rohtas, Jamui and Kaimur among others. In January the Bihar government had dismissed 64 doctors who were posted in different districts and hospitals in the state from service for unauthorised absence from their duties for more than five years. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Before taking the step, the government doctors concerned had been given several opportunities to clear the reason for their absence, but they did not submit their replies, the 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. Three sniffer dogs with Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) called it a day after serving the unit for at least eight years. In a grand ceremony to bid them adieu, they were honored with a ceremonial medal around their backs, offered a cake and showered with flower petals as a token of appreciation for their years of service. A video shared by ANI shows two of the three dogs receiving their awards on the red carpet. Have a look at the video: CISFs three sniffer dogs Rocky, Romeo and Sony of the DMRC unit retired today after completing more than eight years of service. The canines were felicitated for their selfless duty Sony, the German Shepherd dog could not take part in the ceremony due to ill health, the news agency wrote on Twitter. Although the third canine, Sony could not attend the ceremony due to a tumour in its spleen, the other two were seen wiggling their tails. In addition, the dogs got lots of pets and treats as they walked the red carpet accompanied by their handlers to receive their awards. Towards the end of the clip, they were seen sitting in a car decorated with flowers. Over 3 Lakh viewers have watched the clip since it was posted on 31 May. Additionally, more than 3,000 likes have been posted. Heres how Twitter users reacted: Heartwarming ceremony, wrote a Twitter user. Heartwarming ceremony The Hawk Eye (@thehawkeyex) May 31, 2023 Brave Soldiers !!!, joined another. Brave Soldiers !!! GAPPI (@gappi7276) May 31, 2023 Thank you for your service. Good doggies., added a user. Thank you for your service. Good doggies. Arun (@arunparam) May 31, 2023 Thank you for your service you four legged friends of humans. Better than them in most of the cases. Hope you have a healthy and peaceful post retirement period, expressed an account. Thank you for your service you four legged friends of humans. Better than them in most of the cases. Hope you have a healthy and peaceful post retirement period. FFSshutup (@FFSlisten) May 31, 2023 This is so so so beautiful and so much of respect love and care, mentioned a user. This is so so so beautiful and so much of respect love and care gpvinayraj (@gpvinayraj23) May 31, 2023 With the help of Friendicoes-SECA, an animal welfare organisation in Delhi, the retired dogs will now be able to find loving homes for themselves. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Sahil Khan took a nap at a park after stabbing his alleged girlfriend 16-year-old Sakshi on Sunday evening. To avoid being traced, the 20-year-old had switched off his mobile phone and dumped it in a drain near Gupta Colony. His phone has been recovered, but the police have intensified search for the knife used by Sahil in the brazen killing. During the interrogation, Sahil said he threw the weapon in Rithala area. What Sahil did after murdering Sakshi? A report by ToI quoted police saying after throwing away his phone, Sahil walked to Rithala metro station on red line of Delhi Metro. He then took a RTV (rapid transit vehicle) to reach Samaypur Badli. Also Read: Delhi murder: New video shows Sakshi running minutes before being stabbed by Sahil Since it was late at night, Sahil slept at a park and early next morning, he took a bus to Anand Vihar ISBT to take another inter-state bus to his aunts house in Uttar Pradeshs Bulandshahr from where he was arrested. Why Sahil stabbed Sakshi? The report quoted an official privy to the investigation saying that Sakshi, her friend Bhavna and her male friend Jhabru had a fight with Sahil on Saturday. During the fight, he claimed he was threatened and Jhabru who is a known person in the area even told him that he would thrash him if he did not stay away from Sakshi, the official said. Dont Miss: Shahbad Dairy Killing: Not crime of passion, Sahil planned murder for 3 days, say Delhi Police The officer said that Sahil got angry by the threats as the four had a verbal spat in which Sakshi also said demeaning things to him. We are verifying his claims, he added. Sakshis audio message to Sahil Police said that in a purported audio sent by Sakshi to Sahil on Instagram, she asked: Gali ka badmash hai kya tu (are you the goon of the area?) Must Read: Watch what just happened moments before Sahil brutally killed 16-year-old Sakshi Sakshi and Sahil were in a relationship for over a couple of years. Sahil changing statements Police said that Sahil initially said he bought the knife, which he used for stabbing Sakshi, around 15 days back from Haridwar. He later changed his statement and said that he purchased the weapon from Dehradun. Sahil, who worked as AC and fridge mechanic, said that he had bought the knife to show his clout in the neighbourhood and for his safety. We are looking at the cameras at the locations he is speaking about as well as scanning his call data records, the report quoted police official as saying. Sahil was sent to two-day police remand on Tuesday after he was brought to Delhi from Uttar Pradesh on Monday. 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 Unified Payments Interface crossed the milestone of 9 billion monthly transactions in May, according to the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). The UPI recorded a total of 9.41 billion (941 crores) transactions during the month, NPCI said. Celebrating a milestone moment! Weve crossed a phenomenal #9billion transactions on UPI in the month of May23, & its all thanks to you, India! Together, we are shaping the future of payments. Lets continue this journey of growth and innovation!, NPCI tweeted. According to available data, UPI recorded 8 billion transactions in January this year, followed by 7.5 billion in February, 8.7 billion in March, and 8.89 billion in April. The data also showed that in FY23, the payment system processed a total of 83 billion transactions, amounting to a value of Rs 139 lakh crore, News 18 reported. News 18 cited estimates of PwC India that say UPI transactions are expected to exceed 1 billion per day by 2026-27, accounting for 90% of retail digital payments in the nation. UPI provides services from hundreds of banks and mobile payment applications. The platform has been used by FinTech, banks, and telecom operators, who have further boosted its expansion through QR code placements at merchant point-of-sale. Overall, observers say UPI has been a revolution for the whole economy due to its rapid adoption. News18 recently reported that about 35-40 nations are in negotiations with India to adopt UPI for digital payments. Japan was the latest to say earlier this month that it was considering joining the UPI system. Bhutan, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Nepal, France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Oman, Qatar, Australia, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, South Korea, and Bahrain are among the nations that have reportedly expressed interest in the digital payments system. 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 dramatic series of events, chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) nabbed suspected child traffickers in the dead of the night intervening May 30 and 31. Priyank Kanoongo, NCPCR chairperson, was travelling by train from Katni in Madhya Pradesh to Delhi. The entire episode was captured on camera. I suspected a couple who were with a girl, approximately 15 or 16 years of age. They did not seem like her parents and their behaviour towards her was unusual. Upon checking their identity documents, our suspicion was confirmed. We found they were not the girls parents. I called the police and the CWC at the next station that was Sagar. The girl was handed over to CWC and the duo were taken into police custody, NCPCR chief Priyank Kanoongo told Firstpost. "The Sagar CWC is conducting the girls counselling upon which her statement will be recorded. We have also directed a person to prepare a social report of her home in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh. A social report is a sort of survey the NCPCR conducts at the home of the affected child to ascertain the conditions that led to their trafficking as also to determine if the living conditions are healthy enough for the kid to be sent back. 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 is looking for a partnership with the United States (US) to develop marine gas turbine engines that will power the next generation of warships for the Indian Navy. At present, the Indian Navy is dependent on gas turbine engines built by Zorya-Mashproekt of Ukraine. However, due to instability triggered by the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, the Indian government has now made a move to develop indigenous alternatives through the AatmaNirbhar Bharat initiative. If successful, this move by the Indian government may significantly affect the future warship programs of the Indian Navy. Currently, the Indian Navy is using over 150 gas turbine engines manufactured by Zorya-Mashproekt. The LM2500 marine gas turbine engines, made by GE Marine, are already assembled in India by the government-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). For 11 Indian naval vessels, including the homegrown aircraft carrier INS Vikrant and frontline warships like those in the P-17 and P-17A class, HAL has successfully delivered 22 LM2500 gas turbines. India is progressing in the development of the Kaveri Marine Gas Turbine (KMGT), the nations first marine gas engine, in addition to the partnership with GE Marine. The 12MW KMGT is capable of producing the same amount of power as a 16MW gas turbine. Full-scale manufacture of the engine wont begin for a few more years until problems with its aero-engine form are being resolved. However, the process of producing indigenous engines for Indian Navy warships will not be an easy task. The transition to indigenous engines is expected to be a complex and time-consuming process that will need to go through elaborate stages such as extensive research, development and testing. Partnerships with global companies such as GE Marine is expected to accelerate this process by leveraging their expertise and experience in marine gas turbine technology. 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 Nepal have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop the Phukot Karnali Hydro-Electric Project (480MW) in Nepal. Both countries inked the deal in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart Pushpa Kamal Dahal at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi. NHPC Limited (A Govt. of India Enterprise) and Vidhyut Utpadan Company Limited (VUCL), Nepal signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) in New Delhi today for the development of Phukot Karnali Hydro Electric Project (480MW) in Nepal, the Ministry of Power said in an official statement. It added, NHPC Limited (A Govt. of India Enterprise) and Vidhyut Utpadan Company Limited (VUCL), Nepal signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) in New Delhi today for the development of Phukot Karnali Hydro Electric Project (480MW) in Nepal, the Ministry of Power said in an official statement. The project will be capable to carry 480 MW of electricity and generate over 2448 GWh of power. Among the key features of the project, a 109-meter-high RCC dam and an underground powerhouse have been highlighted. Additionally, to utilize minimum environmental release one Surface Power House of 6 MW capacity i.e. two machines of 3 MW each is also planned, the press release added. About the project, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said, As regards our generation, an MoU was signed for the development of 480 MW Phukot Karnali hydropower project in Western Nepal by NHPC India. Further, the signing of the project development agreement for the 679 megawatt Lower Arun Project by Indias Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) was welcomed by the two Prime Ministers. The investment proposal from SJVN worth 92.68 billion Nepali Rupees was given approval in the 53rd meeting of the Investment Board chaired by Nepals Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal in April this year. During the meeting, both Prime Ministers also expressed their commitment to achieving tangible and time-bound progress on Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project, the Foreign Secretary added. With inputs from ANI Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Two terrorists associated with the banned outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were arrested along with arms and ammunition in Baramulla, informed Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday. According to the police, the security forces placed a Mobile Vehicle Checkpoint (MVCP) at the Frestihar Waripora crossing after specific information regarding the movement of terrorists in Frestihar Kreeri village. The terrorists tried to flee while noticing the checkpoint but were apprehended by the security forces at Frestihar Kreeri village. The arrested persons were identified as Suhail Gulzar and Waseem Ahmad Pata, said police. A case was registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Arms Act at Kreeri police station. The police recovered two Chinese Pistols, two pistol magazines and fifteen live pistol rounds from the accused. During their personal search two Chinese pistols, two pistol magazines and 15 live Pistol rounds were recovered from them and were taken into custody immediately, said police officials. Further investigation was underway. 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 Mohan Kwatra on Thursday said Nepal occupies a very special place in Indias Neighbourhood First Policy and that Indias relationship with Nepal is unique and characterised by open borders and civilisational ties. Nepal occupies a very special place under Indias Neighbourhood First Policy. Our relationship with Nepal is unique and characterised by open borders and civilisational ties that are anchored in our shared cultural and religious traditions manifesting strong people-to-people linkages including kinship, the Foreign Secretary said during a special briefing on the visit of the Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda to India. Prachanda who assumed office in December last year is on an official visit to India from May 31-June 3. This is his fourth visit to India. The Foreign Secretary on talks between PM Modi and Nepal PM Dahal said: The talks between the two PMs characterised the traditional warmth and cordiality between our two countries. The two leaders engaged in fairly comprehensive and constructive and future-oriented discussions directed toward taking the India-Nepal bilateral relationship forward in a manner that is constructive, progressive & beneficial for both our societies. According to the Foreign Secretary, the discussions and outcomes covered the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation, including political, economic, trade, energy, connectivity, infrastructure cooperation and also development partnership. Kwatra said that the Agniveer issue was not discussed during PM Modi and PM Prachandas meeting. Prachanda on Thursday invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an official visit to the Himalayan nation. He said that he is looking forward to welcoming PM Modi to Nepal soon. I have extended a cordial invitation to PM Modi Ji for a visit to visit Nepal. I look forward to welcoming him in Nepal soon, Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal said during the joint press meet at Hyderabad House in Delhi. Speaking to reporters after his meeting with PM Modi, Dahal said that the ties between India and Nepal are age-old and multifaceted. He said that Nepal is happy to see the growth of Indias economy and political landscape under PM Modis leadership. This is my fourth visit to India as the Prime Minister of Nepal. I fondly recall my previous visit in September 2018 and then twice in September and October 2016. I bring with me the greetings and good wishes of the government and the people of Nepal. We are happy to see the remarkable transformation of Indias economy and political landscape under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Dahal said. He also congratulated PM Modi on completing nine years in office and said that the ties between the two countries stand on the solid foundation built by the rich tradition of civilizational, cultural and socio-economic linkages. I congratulate Prime Minister Modiji on the completion this week of nine years in government with far-reaching achievements on many fronts. The relationship between India and Nepal is age-old and multifaceted. These relations stand on the solid foundation built on the one hand by the rich tradition of civilizational cultural socio-economic linkage and on the other, by the two countries firm commitment to the time-tested principle of sovereign equality, mutual respect, understanding and cooperation, Dahal added. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Manipur violence will be probed by multiple agencies including CBI which will investigate 6 separate incidents of violence, said Home Minister Amit Shah. Addressing the media, Shah said that several agencies are working in Manipur to investigate violent incidents. A high-level CBI probe will be conducted in six incidents of violence that hint at a conspiracy, he said. #WATCH | Several agencies are working in Manipur to investigate violent incidents. High-level CBI probe in 6 incidents of violence that hint at a conspiracy. We will make sure that the investigation is fair: Union Home Minister Amit Shah pic.twitter.com/uH334y3bRF ANI (@ANI) June 1, 2023 Joint Secretary, Joint Director level officers of the Home Minister and other ministries will be present in Manipur to help people and take stock of the situation in the state, he added. The home minister further said I urge citizens of Manipur to not pay heed to fake news. Strict actions will be taken against anyone violating the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement. Those carrying weapons must surrender before the police. Combing operations will start from Thursday and strict actions will be taken if weapons are found with anyone, he added. The central government has provided 8 teams of medical experts including 20 doctors to Manipur to provide aid to victims of violence in the state, he said, adding that five teams have already reached here and three others are on the way. Education officials will also reach her and will have discussions to provide uninterrupted education facilities to the students, Shah said, adding that online education and examination will be held as per plan. 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. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held talks with his visiting Nepalese counterpart Pushpakamal Dahal Prachanda, focusing on boosting India-Nepal cooperation in several areas including energy, connectivity and trade. The Nepalese PM began his four-day visit to India on Wednesday. It is the first bilateral trip abroad by the 68-year-old Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist) leader after he assumed the top office in December 2022. Transforming the civilisational ties between India and Nepal with deeper cooperation in areas of connectivity, economy, energy and infrastructure will be a focus area of talks between Modi and Prachanda, people familiar with the Nepalese leaders visit to India said. Nepal is important for India in the context of its overall strategic interests in the region, and the leaders of the two countries have often noted the age-old Roti-Beti relationship which refers to cross-border marriages between people of the two countries. The country shares a border of over 1,850 km with five Indian states Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Land-locked Nepal relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services. Nepals access to the sea is through India, and it imports a predominant proportion of its requirements from and through India. The India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950 forms the bedrock of the special relations between the two countries. Nepalese Foreign Minister NP Saud, who is part of Prachandas delegation, said on Wednesday that a wide range of issues including trade, transit, connectivity and the border issues will figure in the bilateral talks. (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. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, convicted in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his Modi surname remark, has said he had never imagined that he would get maximum punishment and would be disqualified as Lok Sabha MP. Gandhi made the remarks while delivering a lecture at the Stanford University Campus in California. The Congress leader said that he never thought his disqualification from Lok Sabha was possible when he joined politics, but asserted that it has given him a huge opportunity to work and serve the people. Democracy isnt about opposition, it is about sacred institutions that support the opposition, and those institutions by the capture certainly want to change the role it is supposed to do, Gandhi said. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) of Wayanad (Kerala) till early this year after which he was disqualified from Lok Sabha following his conviction a Surat court in Modi surname remark. First person to be given maximum sentence on defamation The Congress leader said when he joined politics in 2004, he ever imagined what I see going on in our country. It was way outside the way I imagined. To be the first person to be given the first maximum sentence on defamation and maximum sentence to get disqualified. I didnt imagine that something like this was possible, Gandhi said. Opposition is struggling But then, I think its actually given me a huge opportunity. Probably much bigger than the opportunity I would have. Thats just the way politics works, the 52-year-old Gandhi said. I think the drama started really, about six months ago. We were struggling. The entire opposition is struggling in India. Huge financial dominance. Institutional capture. Were struggling to fight the democratic fight in our country, he said. It all happened when he along with his party leaders had decided to walk across the India (through Bharat Jodo Yatra). And we never imagined for a second what would happen when we walked across the country. What would happen not just politically, but in terms of the type of response we got, what would happen to us when we walked across our country he said. Gandhi went on to say that a lot of people asked him what were the lessons learnt from it. And for a long time I couldnt find an answer I have picked up so much information about the country and what needs to be done. It was a beautiful experience of my life, he 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. Sakshi Murder Case: The sensational murder of a young girl by her alleged lover in Delhis Shahbad Dairy area has left the family of the victim devastated. After the murder of the victim Sakshi, her mother is in a bad condition. Talking to the media, she rued the fact that no one came to save her daughter when she was being murder brutally in the street. This rumor is being spread that we already knew about Sahil Khan. The truth is that we did not know anything. Humanity had died in the street that day. But, no one came forward to save my daughter. Had I been passing by, I would have pelted stones. I just want justice, no matter how long it takesjust justice, the victims mother said. Both of Sakshis parents had reportedly fallen unconscious after hearing of the fate of their daughter. People are saying that our family knew Sahil much before this incident, but it is not so. He has killed my daughter and I want justice, Sakshis mother said. Referring to Neetu, Sakshis mother says, The husband of the girl she used to live with is in jail. My daughter used to teach tuition and take care of two children. No one can imagine what would be going through the mind of the mother of a girl who is no more. 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 have been many instances when citizens have taken action against potholes and the bad condition of roads. But this video doing the rounds of social media is different. Lets just say that you will have never seen something like this. Wondering what the fuss is about? A video that depicts villagers using their bare hands to lift a recently built road has stunned the internet. The incident, which reportedly happened in Maharashtra, showcases a carpet-like material placed directly beneath the road. The road was constructed by a local contractor, identified as Rana Thakur in the video. In the clip, the villagers express their discontent with the poor quality of work, referring to it as bogus, as they hold the carpet beneath the asphalt. In traditional road construction, a blend of gravel, sand, and compacted soil is employed to ensure long-lasting durability. But, in this instance, the mixture was carelessly applied directly onto a carpet-like material, indicating a hurried approach to finish the project. At present, the villagers are reportedly pursuing justice and making efforts to identify the engineer responsible for approving this substandard work. The video received a wide range of remarks in the comment section from the users. Some people said that the contractors must be extra cautious as their work is being closely monitored by a large number of people. The contractors should be doubly sure that their work is being observed by so many People. Unlike earlier situations, people are very vigilent. A KAMASASTRY (@saisastry2010) June 1, 2023 An account wrote, Strict action is needed on this. Strict action is needed on this Jinxpm (@Jinxpm1) June 1, 2023 As reported by the Free Press Journal, the occurrence unfolded in Karjat-Hast Pokhari, a region situated in Maharashtras Jalna district. The construction of the road took place under the Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana (PM Rural Road Scheme). According to the outlet, the contractor purportedly utilised German technology for the roads construction. The video reveals that this claim turned out to be unfounded as the villagers exposed the makeshift solution. The local residents also voiced their criticism towards the Maharashtra government and demanded action against the engineer who approved the substandard work, as reported by the Free Press Journal. As per information provided on the Make in India website, India possesses the second largest road network globally, spanning approximately 63.32 lakh kilometres. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has established multiple agencies to carry out road construction, including the National Highways Authority of India, the Public Works Departments of various states and Union Territories, the National Highway and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, the Border Roads Organisation, and the Indian Academy of Highway Engineers (IAHE). 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 Karnataka Assembly Elections are now done and dusted. The results have been analysed to death. It has added a new spring in the feet of Congressmen. And, they can barely conceal their excitement. The renewed confidence was evident in their recalcitrant stand on the opening of the new parliament building. It is being amplified in the speeches of Rahul Gandhi on his just commenced tour of the United States of America. Many factors have been attributed to the partys performance that surpassed the expectations of pollsters and political observers the primary one being the Five Guarantees to the electorate. These included 200 units of free electricity per month to every household, 2,000 every month to every woman head of a family, 10kg of rice every month to every member of BPL family, 3,000 dole to unemployed graduates, Free travel for women in ordinary public transport buses across Karnataka. Post poll surveys indicate a major swing among the economically weaker section towards the Congress. Thus, obviously, the lure of sops worked in its favour. A similar trend was observed earlier in Himachal Pradesh where Congress pipped BJP to the post. There too Congress made a number of populist promises. The primary one being reverting to the old pension scheme which struck a chord among the large population of retired government employees in the state. Similarly, the Aam Aadmi Partys phenomenal performance in Punjab was based on its Delhi template of freebies. Interestingly, in Karnataka, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which has been decrying the culture of freebies that the prime minister famously called Rewadis (candies), buckled under pressure and made counter offers of three free gas-cylinders and half-a-litre of milk. Even in Himachal Pradesh it had talked of providing 125 units of free electricity against Congress pledge of 200 units. Thus in a way it may be said that all political parties are equal opportunity offenders when it comes to electoral populism. The problem is of course the cost to the exchequer. The 5 Guarantees of the Congress in Karnataka, if implemented, is estimated to cost the state exchequer over Rs 50,000 crore. This would amount to around 22 per cent of the states total revenue receipts. This may not look alarming at face-value because Karnatakas fiscal position is relatively better than many states. However, the situation is not so hunky-dory in all states. Telangana, for example, has committed nearly 35 per cent of its revenue receipts to populist schemes. The Congress has already indicated that having tasted success in Karnataka it is going to replicate the template in other large states like Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan that are coming up for polls later this year. This will no doubt trigger a new cycle of competitive populism. The implications of such fiscal profligacy are worrying. Many of our states are deep in debt. The national average of liabilities of states is as high as 31 per cent of their total GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product). A large part of state revenue earnings is spent in servicing debts. In the case of some large states like Punjab, West Bengal, Kerala the figure is above 20 per cent. Simultaneously, the revenue receipts of most states have been falling as a percentage of GSDP. This creates a financial situation that is untenable in the long run. However, this is not likely to stop with the states. It will be safe to assume that having failed to market its idea of an universal basic income NYAY (Nyuntam Aay Yojana) in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections the Congress will relaunch it again with a new packaging. That might force the BJPs hands to come up with something even more attractive, taking us back down the road of socialist economic policies from the path of reforms the country had embarked upon. The political roots of such a policy U-turn lies in the belief that the BJP has been the beneficiary of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes for the weaker sections of the society, especially during the pandemic. This created for BJP a labharthi (beneficiaries) constituency that the opposition is trying to break into. It has been argued that the DBT schemes served the country well in tiding through the Covid Crisis when the prospects of food scarcity were real. But having navigated through the troubled waters, in which India fared better than most large economies around the world, it was time for us to move towards fiscal consolidation and usher in the next wave of reforms. A return to the socialist era will be retrograde at this juncture. The counter argument to this is when basic survival is in question the future can wait. However, to make it a binary proposition would be a mistake. Here is where targeted welfare programmes in which the last mile delivery is ensured through DBT becomes important. It also allows focussed intervention over blanket schemes such as free bus which are prone to wastage and misuse. The need of the hour is capacity creation which for example means skill development rather than providing unemployment doles that will further breed an aversion to work, as already seen in several parts of the country that were spoiled by sops. Often the choice is stark between building social infrastructure such as rural schools and public healthcare over vote catching vows that are seldom fulfilled. The world is talking of Indias demographic dividend. The way to encash it is by empowering the youth with relevant skills (not necessarily text book education) to take advantage of the opportunities that are knocking at the countrys doors due to the changing geo-politics and readjustment of global economic power equations. The path of reforms is always painful. The job of the government is to hold the hands of the people through this difficult journey and not distributing candies or administering placebo. The second is a slippery slope. Though India may not go the way of Sri Lanka, it can set us back by several years. The Narendra Modi government must find creative means of meeting peoples aspirations without walking into the trap of populist politics. That is what the nation would expect of a visionary leader. The author is a current affairs commentator, marketer, blogger and leadership coach, who tweets at @SandipGhose. 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. The ongoing tussle between the army and Tehreek-e-Insaf has taken an ugly turn, with the latters leader Imran Khan alleging that thousands of women workers from his party have been picked up by the establishment and they are being raped, tortured and kept in inhumane conditions. This also brings back the focus on the status of women political workers in Pakistans polity. It couldnt have been more ironical that the issue of mistreatment and harassment of women political workers has come back to the fore when the first lady of Pakistan is known for having suffered a great deal. Tehmina Durrani, wife of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, came to be known as a strong feminist voice after she wrote an explosive first-hand account of exposing the rottenness of Pakistani society and polity especially in the context of women. Durranis My Feudal Lord shocked the outside world as she gave first-hand account of how she suffered at the hands of Pakistani politician Ghulam Mustafa Khar. Durrani was the sixth wife of Khar and while she was married to him, he was sleeping with her younger sister who was 13 years old. Durrani explained that she wrote this book to give an insight into the socio-economic disorder in Pakistan. Mustafa Khar and other feudal lords thrive and multiply on silence. Muslim women must learn to raise their voices against injustice. For me, conventional politics was no longer the answer. In Pakistan, the system is merely used to hoodwink further those who are already exploited. I realized that I could do no greater service for my country and our people than to expose the camouflage, wrote Durrani. Rafia Zakaria explains quite aptly the feudal mindset of Pakistani society and establishment, especially when it comes to dealing with women activists, through her book, The Upstairs Wife: An intimate History of Pakistan. She recounts an incident that happened on 16 November, 1988, that tells you how women are treated in Pakistans polity if they try to raise any issue. On 16 November, 1988, a young college girl, Bushra Zaidi, was run over by a bus. Three of her friends were badly injured. The bus was driven by a Pashtun and the police refused to take any action against the driver. According to Zakaria, All indications were that this event would be quickly forgotten. At least an hour after the accident the incident was revealed to be different. (But) a new generation of girls had been brought up behind the walls of that educational facility, unprivileged girls raised just like Bushra Zaidi inside the tight limits of airless rooms and insecure respectability, Karachi girls who had believed in college and education, and stared down and dodged the very buses that had killed their classmate. When these girls heard that no police report had been filed and no charges lodged against the driver for killing Bushra Zaidi, they grew agitated. Wet with tears and reddened with anger, they congregated in clusters around the cheap, painted desks, holding textbooks of anatomy and geography and Urdu literature, sweating and crying under the slow-moving fans. Their anguish and frustration swelled when their teachers tried to force them to sit down and fix their gaze once again at the blackboards covered with equations. They refused. When they were pushed out of the classrooms, they collected in the corridors; when they were pushed out of the corridors, they came outside. Hours after Bushra Zaidi died on the street outside Sir Syed Girls College, the girls came out into the heat, into the hordes of men that still waited at the gates, into the blood puddles that marked the spot where their friends were hit. The police who had surrounded the college after the incident, the police who were refusing to register a report against the driver, now panicked. They had never before seen girls emerge into a street, young girls, college girls shouting slogans. The crowd of girls grew as more and more emerged from the buildings. A few hours after Bushra Zaidis death, in the scorching late afternoon heat of a Karachi April, the street was full of angry, young girls. Slowly, the demonstration inched toward a police van parked outside the gate, their every step forward marked with their collective chant for justice for the dead Bushra. The policemen in the van were outnumbered. Zakaria shares the harrowing details of how it ended for these college girls. Rather than standing by, allowing the wispy, unarmed girls, they charged at them with the police van. It was mayhem. One girl at the front of the line folded to the ground in the first frontal assault of the van. Then the policemen in their black and khaki uniforms stormed the crowd of chanting girls and began to beat them with batons. These were untouched girls who never spoke to strange men, girls who were permitted to leave their homes only to get an education, girls who asked shopkeepers to place objects on counters to avoid even the barest brush of a male hand, girls who had never protested. The policemen didnt care. They grabbed and groped the girls, their breasts, faces, and hair, intent on teaching them a lesson. They were being taught not to leave the boundaries of their campus, not to ask for something the men did not want to give them; they were being taught the consequences for speaking up. Other police vans arrived, with more men and more batons and more guns and more anger. Crumpled by their numbers and their guns, the weeping, beaten girls retreated inside the college walls and the terrified college administration shut the gates to hold back the swarm of armed police. But this still didnt end. The military assault on the girls continued. Shells were lobbed over the college walls, streaming tear gas through the open windows of the buildings and leaving hundreds of girls crouched on the ground, coughing, sputtering, and crying. After the killing of Bushra Zaidi, Karachi erupted. Zaidi was a Muhajir. There were clashes between Pashtuns and Muhajirs. Zakaria says, In the days that followed, hundreds died, and from their blood a fifth ethnicity emerged in Pakistan. There were no longer Sindhis, Punjabis, Balochis, and Pashtuns, each neatly attached to a province in a country that then had four of them. This new ethnicity was called Muhajir, or refugee, an umbrella name for all those whose families migrated to Pakistan post-1947, all those who now lived in a Karachi straining at its seams. Justice for Bushra Zaidis death did not come until almost two years later, and it was a justice erected on the shoulders of ethnicity, of who belonged where. Benazir Bhutto won the general elections but she had lost Karachi that was swept by the Muhajir Qaumi Movement (a political movement to obtain equal rights for Muhajirs, migrants from India). However, MQM was later crushed by the Pakistani army. In fact, women activists in several other parts of Pakistan such as Balochistan and Sindh have been suffering at the hands of the Pakistani army and establishment for more than seven decades. The same had happened earlier to Eastern Pakistan also where women were specifically targeted by Pakistans Punjabi generals and politicians. History is repeating itself but with a little twist as this time it is not the Baloch, Sindhi or women from NWFP or POJK which are being targeted, it is Punjabi women activists who are being targeted by the Pakistani army. And all that is happening with the backing of Shehbaz Sharif. This is truly the latest generation of Pakistani feudal lords! The writer, author and columnist, has written several books. He tweets @ArunAnandLive. 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. A particularly bad idea refuses to go away. A high-level committee of American lawmakers at a meeting held on 24 May as recommended strengthening the NATO-Plus framework by including India in the grouping. NATO-Plus is a five-member security arrangement that brings together NATO, the 31-member post-War military alliance between the United States and Europe, and five treaty allies of the US Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Israel, and South Korea. The aim, say media reports, is to boost global defence cooperation and win the strategic competition with the Chinese Communist Party. Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis state visit to the US on 22 June, the recommendation by the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the US and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) led by chairman Mike Gallagher and ranking member Raja Krishnamoorthi holds added significance. Interesting to note that the policy proposal, centred around enhancing Taiwans deterrence, was overwhelmingly adopted by its members, consisting of 13 Republican and 11 Democratic representatives. It reflects bipartisan consensus on India in a deeply polarised Washington DC. While the China committee has no regulatory authority beyond recommendations, it is a bellwether of the mood in at least a section of Capitol Hill that believes envisaging Indias help is not only important to counterbalance Chinas influence in Indo-Pacific, New Delhis active participation should be sought or is even expected in the event of a conflict between US and China. These presumptions are intriguing for a strategic partnership that is underwritten by no security guarantees, nor are there any expectations of mutual defence, let alone obligations of joining or contributing towards any military coalition. And yet, even though it might not be true of the White House, such an expectation seems to have taken root in Washington if Ashley Telliss much-discussed lament is anything to go by. Tellis, one of the strongest backers of US-India ties in Washington, in a piece titled Americas Bad Bet on India in the May issue of Foreign Affairs magazine, wrote that should a major conflict between Washington and Beijing erupt in East Asia or the South China Sea, India would certainly want the United States to prevail. But it is unlikely to embroil itself in the fight. Americas desire to embroil India in a formalised defence relationship isnt a terribly new idea. Congressman Ro Khanna, a progressive Democrat from California, has long been advocating tying India closer to a defence security alignment with the US. He told an Indian news agency last year that adding India as the sixth country to the NATO-Plus framework would facilitate and make it easier to have a growing defence partnership and formalise the alignment in a way that makes it easier for India to get quick Congressional approvals for defence agreements. As we shall presently see, thats a compelling, but not a convincing argument. Khannas comments came close on the heels of the US House of Representatives in July last year approving with an overwhelming majority an amendment to the National Defence Authorization Act (NDAA) that seeks to deepen India-US defence ties. Hewing India closer to NATO is an idea that has found acceptance even across the Atlantic. In April this year, Julianne Smith, US NATO ambassador, said that the alliance is open to more engagement should India seek that even if the expansion of the military alliance was not yet on offer. She was quite clear that in terms of the future with India, I think NATOs door is open, hinting at more possibilities. The idea has found acceptance among some influential Indian commentators. C Raja Mohan, for instance, has written that a pragmatic engagement with NATO must be an important part of Indias new European orientation, especially amidst the continents search for a new role in the Indo-Pacific. Yet the idea of India engaging with NATO, or becoming a member of the extended NATO-Plus framework, deserves closer scrutiny. Washingtons enthusiasm for enmeshing India into a security alliance is understandable. It seeks to build on Indias shared interest in thwarting Chinese hegemonic plans in Indo-Pacific and hopes that bolstering Indias capabilities through close security cooperation and military-to-military teamwork will eventually lead to a formalization of the relationship resembling the Euro-Atlantic framework. American strategic culture is partial towards treaty-bound alliances, unlike limited-liability partnerships that India favours. The carrot being held out, as the US Congressional panel points out, that NATO-Plus allows for seamless intelligence sharing between members and India would therefore access the latest military technology without much of a time lag. For a country desperate to attain and upgrade its defence industrial capabilities, this should be a deal-breaker. Or is it? There are compelling arguments against Indias joining of the NATO framework, and the carrot being dangled by the US albeit at a nascent, ideational level isnt a deal-sealer. First, it is possible to argue that India may still enjoy tangible benefits of an ally of the US without binding itself in a treaty-based framework. The backbone of India-US defence partnership is the bilateral initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) signed in early 2023, that has injected much-needed impetus into defence industrial cooperation by expanding technology partnership between governments, businesses, and academic institutions. The impact of iCET has been significant. Before its signing, despite more structured and organized security cooperation, as Gopal Nadadur and Dhruva Jaishankar point out in a paper for ORF America, defense coproduction and research and development (R&D) have not grown as significantly, despite some marginal successes. The Defense Trade & Technology Initiative (DTTI), despite some modest success with air-launched unmanned aerial systems, has not produced the results that were once envisioned. That has changed rather dramatically. Indian media is reporting that Modis state visit to the US might witness the announcement of a major defence deal a multi-billion-dollar government-to-government agreement for Americas GE (General Electric) to coproduce F414 jet engines in India for MK2 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) being built by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). The spadework for this deal was done during Ajit Dovals meeting with Jake Sullivan in Washington in January when the iCET initiative was announced. A White House fact sheet released on January 31 had pointed out that the United States has received an application from General Electric to jointly produce jet engines that could power jet aircraft operated and produced indigenously by India. The United States commits to an expeditious review of this application. The speed with which it fructified indicates Biden administrations urgency in producing a tangible. The deal, pending Congressional review and approval, involves 100 percent transfer of technology (ToT) aimed at boosting Indias capabilities in defense innovation and production. This wouldnt have been possible without the iCET framework and the White House lifting the heavy load in lowering the barriers. The Print reports, quoting sources in Indias defence establishment, that once production of GE F414 starts in India, it will power all future fighter jets including the Tejas Mk II, Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) as well as the indigenous Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF) for the Indian Navy. To circle back to the original question, has Indias status that of a strategic partner and a major defence partner, but not a treaty ally been a hindrance in achieving a breakthrough in a deal of such import? Importantly, though its not a done deal yet, the answer is in the negative. So, the argument that India must join a NATO-Plus or an equivalent security alliance to get access to sophisticated tech bypassing the export control framework isnt a valid one. The counter-argument is that American allies get better and faster access to top tech. Scratch the surface and it becomes evident that even the staunchest of US treaty allies, such as Australia, fall prey to Americas gargantuan bureaucracy and iffy-ness from some lawmakers when it comes to cutting-edge technology. An Australian defence official has recently blamed the permafrost layer of middle management for delay in transfer of technology on AUKUS. As Seema Sirohi writes in Times of India, The hope is the GE deal wont get caught up in the wider debate on tech transfer issues related to the Australia-UK-US (AUKUS) nuclear submarine deal, which is experiencing delays because of export controls. India is a middle power situated in a tough neighbourhood. The case may be made for India hitching its boat to NATO or any other military-defence framework led by the US. There have even been murmurs of the upgradation of QUAD into a defence alliance. Yet the moment India signs into a hub-and-spokes alliance system (that includes NATO, which has expanded to evolve into a US-centric alliance from a multilateral system), New Delhi relinquishes its great-power aspirations and makes it difficult for itself to rise as the third pole. Indias unique positioning, which External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has described as a responsible development partner, a First Responder, and a voice of the Global South aspects (that) reflect a quest towards becoming a leading power, along with its status as the fastest-growing large economy, the worlds most populous nation (with a young demography to boot), the fifth largest economy that powers the worlds second-largest military, endow New Delhi with ambitions that cant be met with junior-partner status. India is still in the state-building stage, trying to enhance its capacities and unlock the full potential of its citizens. The best option for India right now would be to manage external turbulences, leverage rival power centres and derive benefits for itself as it has done in dealing with the war in Europe and create more policy space to facilitate its own rise. Given the formidable threat posed by China, the prospect of joining a US-led alliance system may be lucrative, but ultimately self-defeating. Third, Tellis is right when he says that India wont rush to assist the US or involve itself in any confrontation with Beijing that does not directly threaten its own security. On the flip side, India does not expect the US to explicitly provide support in the event of a China-related crisis. Does this provide a basis for a security alliance or operational integration? The answer is, no. Any security pact constraints Indias hand and does not allow it to pursue an independent China policy, even though both nations have a mutual interest in arresting Chinas aggressiveness in Indo-Pacific. Writing in Foreign Affairs, Arzan Tarapore points out that India and the United States sometimes have differing policy priorities and use different tactics to achieve similar goals These differences do not make India an outlier among Washingtons global partners. Even formal US alliesthose with written security guaranteesdo not see eye to eye with Washington when it comes to China. What this means in real terms is that India seeks to profit from its status as a swing state amid great power rivalries. Though it has steadily intensified security and defence partnership with the US, it is under no obligation to take part in the security competition or any possible conflict over Taiwan. In fact, if such an eventuality were to arise, India would hope that by not taking a direct part in the conflict between China and US-plus-allies, or avoiding a strong antagonistic posture against Beijing, it may ease off some of the tension that exists in its Himalayan border. It hopes that the West will not hold its neutrality against it because it has never pretended otherwise. The West may out pressure but as the Ukraine conflict has shown, India is adept at dealing with it. Joining a US-led security alliance would harm Indias attempt at optimal positioning and pursuit of interests during conflicts and degrade its ability to walk the tightrope or be diplomatically nimble, whichever the case may be. New Delhi is well positioned to become Chinas biggest rival in Asia, the democratic bulwark against an authoritarian one-party system that aims to become Asias hegemon. The West would be well served to facilitate Indias rise, not force it into a treaty alliance. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar had a dialogue with South Africa Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor on the sidelines of the BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting in Durban on Thursday. A warm meeting with Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor of South Africa. Thank her for hosting us in the Indo-Atlantic city of Cape Town. Reviewed the progress of our strategic partnership and agreed to commemorate the 30th anniversary of our diplomatic ties in a fitting manner. Exchanged views on BRICS, IBSA, G20 and UN where we have a strong tradition of cooperating closely, Jaishankar said in a statement on Twitter after the meeting. Earlier on Thursday, Jaishankar met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and discussed issues of bilateral and global interests. Jaishankar, who is in South Africa to participate in a conclave of five-nation grouping BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa), held talks with Lavrov on the sidelines of the BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting. Good to meet FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia in Cape Town this morning on BRICS FMM sidelines. Our discussions covered bilateral matters, BRICS, G20 and SCO, Jaishankar said in a tweet. India will hold the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and G-20 summits in July and September respectively. In the last few months, India has become a leading importer of discounted crude oil from Russia notwithstanding increasing disquiet in the West over the procurement in view of Russian invasion of Ukraine. Indias economic engagement with Russia has been on a major upswing in the last one year, largely due to its procurement of discounted Russian oil. India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and it has been pushing for resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy. On Wednesday, Jaishankar said these are still early days for conflict resolution between Ukraine and Russia as presently, the focus is on problems such as a grain corridor, nuclear issues and matters related to the exchange of prisoners of war. In an interview to DD India, Jaishankar noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) brings together five of the largest developing countries of the world, representing 41 per cent of the global population, 24 per cent of the global GDP and 16 per cent of global trade. Jaishankar is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from other BRICS nations. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Thursday met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and discussed issues of bilateral and global interests. Jaishankar, who is in South Africa to participate in a conclave of five-nation grouping BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa), held talks with Lavrov on the sidelines of the BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting. Good to meet FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia in Cape Town this morning on BRICS FMM sidelines. Our discussions covered bilateral matters, BRICS, G20 and SCO, Jaishankar said in a tweet. India will hold the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and G-20 summits in July and September respectively. In the last few months, India has become a leading importer of discounted crude oil from Russia notwithstanding increasing disquiet in the West over the procurement in view of Russian invasion of Ukraine. Indias economic engagement with Russia has been on a major upswing in the last one year, largely due to its procurement of discounted Russian oil. India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and it has been pushing for resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy. On Wednesday, Jaishankar said these are still early days for conflict resolution between Ukraine and Russia as presently, the focus is on problems such as a grain corridor, nuclear issues and matters related to the exchange of prisoners of war. In an interview to DD India, Jaishankar noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) brings together five of the largest developing countries of the world, representing 41 per cent of the global population, 24 per cent of the global GDP and 16 per cent of the global trade Jaishankar is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his other BRICS counterparts. Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for official visit to Himalayan nation. He said that he is looking forward to welcoming PM Modi in Nepal soon. I have extended a cordial invitation to PM Modi Ji for a visit to visit Nepal. I look forward to welcoming him in Nepal soon, Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal said during the joint press meet at Hyderabad House in Delhi. Speaking to reporters after his meeting with PM Modi, Dahal said that the ties between India and Nepal are age-old and multifaceted. He said that Nepal is happy to see the growth of Indias economy and political landscape under PM Modis leadership. This is my fourth visit to India as the Prime Minister of Nepal. I fondly recall my previous visit in September 2018 and then twice in September and October in 2016. I bring with me the greetings and good wishes of the government and the people of Nepal. We are happy to see the remarkable transformation of Indias economy and political landscape under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Dahal said. He also congratulated PM Modi on completing nine years in the office and said that the ties between the two countries stand on the solid foundation built by the rich tradition of civilizational, cultural and socio-economic linkages. I congratulate Prime Minister Modiji on completion this week of nine years in government with far-reaching achievements on many fronts. The relationship between India and Nepal are age-old and multifaceted. These relations stand on the solid foundation built on the one hand by the rich tradition of civilizational cultural socio-economic linkage and on the other, by the two countries firm commitment to the time-tested principle of sovereign equality, mutual respect, understanding and cooperation, Dahal added. Pushpa Kamal Dahal said that he and PM Modi made an extensive review of the progress in the India-Nepal ties and appreciated Neighbourhood First policy of India. He stated that they discussed on further strengthening cooperation between two nations. Today, as Prime Minister Modiji mentioned, we made an extensive review of the progress in our relation and renewed our commitment to further extend this relation and cooperation. I appreciate Prime Minister Modijis Neighbourhood First policy. In our meeting today, we discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation in diverse areas including trade, transit, investment, hydropower development, power, trade, irrigation, agriculture, connectivity including air entry routes, railways, bridge, transmission line, expansion of petroleum pipeline, construction of integrated checkposts as well as cultural and people to people contact, Dahal said. Dahal said that he and PM Modi discussed the boundary matter. He said that Nepal is happy to join Indias multilateral initiative of the International Solar Alliance. Prime Minister Modiji and I discussed the boundary matter. I urged Prime Minister Modiji to resolve the boundary matter through the established bilateral diplomatic mechanism. I commended the role played and initiative taken by Prime Minister Modiji during Indias G20 presidency as well as SCO Chairmanship including for giving voice to the issues of concern to the global south. Nepal is happy to join Indias multilateral initiative of the International Solar Alliance and more recently the International Big Cap Alliance, he said. He called India Nepals close neighbour and important partner for the development and prosperity. He congratulated India for its achievement as New Delhi celebrates Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. We also discussed about the establishment of fertiliser plant in Nepal in joint venture and well try our best to work together for the successful completion of the project. India is Nepals close neighbour and important partner for the development and prosperity. As Nepal moves ahead on the path of graduating from LDC status by 2026, Indias continued support and goodwill remains important for us, Dahal said. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. During a recent conference in Manhattan, Dr Garry Nolan, an immunologist and professor at Stanford University, and Nobel Prize nominee made a bold assertion, stating that there is an absolute certainty, a 100 per cent, that extraterrestrial life forms have visited Earth in the past and continue to be present on our planet today. Also read: Alien mock signal sent to Earth from Mars for the first time Drawing an analogy to historical events, Nolan compared the potential encounters with aliens to the first sightings of Spanish ships by South American tribes, suggesting that humans might have already come across these beings without realizing their true nature. Aliens among us, but not how we think them to be According to him, these intelligent life forms likely utilize intermediaries or some advanced form of intelligence, rather than directly mingling among us disguised as humans. Nolan views this as a test of intelligence, a challenge to perceive the presence of these entities. However, the Stanford professor emphasized that he harbours no concerns about aliens posing a threat to humanity. He dismissed notions of alien invasions or abductions, emphasizing that his interest lies in exploring how humans could benefit from any alien technology that may have been left behind on Earth. Also read: US probing 650 incidents of possible UFO sightings Nolan further disclosed his involvement with the CIA, where he utilized his expertise in immunology to investigate medical issues experienced by individuals allegedly affected by interactions with unidentified aerial phenomena. He noted the striking similarity between the symptoms exhibited by these patients and the condition known as Havana syndrome, which was first reported in Cuba in 2016 and has affected several US officials and military personnel stationed abroad. Worked with the CIA Additionally, Nolan asserts that he was involved in CIA research initiatives that involved the examination of materials purportedly discovered at locations where UFOs had been sighted. He claims to have been in contact with individuals who have either worked or are presently involved in covert programs focused on the reverse engineering of UFO technology. Nolan and attorney Daniel Sheehan revealed that, recently, several whistleblowers, believed to be up to six in number, spoke with the US Congress. These individuals claimed to have been part of programs reminiscent of the Roswell incident, involving the retrieval of crashed UFOs and subsequent efforts to understand and replicate their advanced technology. The US changing attitude to UFOs In response to the growing interest in UFO-related matters, President Joe Biden signed a law last year mandating that the Pentagon provide classified reports to high-ranking senators regarding any undisclosed programs pertaining to UFOs. Congress also enacted legislation to safeguard whistleblowers who had participated in such programs. Also read: Out of this world: As first public hearing on UFOs in 50 years begins, a look at the term and most infamous sightings However, during a Senate hearing last month, Sean Kirkpatrick, the head of the Pentagons All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), testified that there is still no conclusive evidence of extraterrestrial life. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Amazon employees appear to be quite unhappy with various mandates imposed by the company. In recent months, the e-commerce giant has laid off thousands of workers and changed its policies regarding working from the office, which has negatively impacted many employees and caused frustration. As a result, 1,816 employees are planning to stage a protest today in front of Amazons Spheres building in Seattle. This number may increase to 2,000 as more workers are encouraged to join. Walkouts taking place globally According to Amazon Employees for Climate Justice (AECJ) and Amazons Remote Advocacy community leaders, The walkout is confirmed! Approximately 1,816 employees worldwide have already pledged to participate, with 873 of them based in Seattle. We invite you to join 1,816 of our coworkers (and counting) in walking out. The protesting employees are demanding a voice in the companys decision-making process, particularly those that directly impact them. The main focus of their concerns is Amazons recent mandate regarding returning to the office, which was implemented earlier this month. They added, Employees should have a say in decisions that affect our lives, such as the return-to-work mandate and how our work contributes to the acceleration of the climate crisis. Agitation over work-from-office policies and layoffs Amazon CEO Andy Jassy recently stated in a letter to shareholders that employees are required to come to the office three days a week, as he believes people learn and perform better in a physical office environment. He also believes that innovation thrives when employees work together in person. A company spokesperson shared, We are pleased with the positive results we have seen in the first month of having more employees back in the office. There is a greater sense of energy, collaboration, and connections, and we have received positive feedback from many employees and neighbouring businesses. The spokesperson further added, We understand that the transition back to the office will take time, and we have multiple teams working hard to ensure a smooth adjustment for our employees. Regarding the protest, Amazon told GeekWire that they always listen to their employees and will continue to do so. Amazon moving in the wrong direction, say employees scarred by layoffs In response to the situation, Amazon Employees for Climate Justice and Amazon Remote Advocacy expressed in a statement, This protest is a reflection of Amazon moving in the wrong direction and losing the trust of its employees. We want what is best for Amazon. Long-term thinking and employee voices are integral to the Day 1 culture that has contributed to Amazons success, and we aim to reignite that culture. It is worth noting that Amazon recently terminated an additional 9,000 employees after letting go of around 18,000 earlier this year. The layoffs affected various departments, including advertising, human resources, Twitch units, and cloud computing. Amazon attributed the layoffs to overhiring and uncertain economic conditions. In total, the company has now terminated 27,000 employees if we combine both rounds of layoffs. 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 Wednesday, Amazon reached an agreement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to settle allegations that it violated a child privacy law and deceived parents regarding the storage of childrens voice and location data collected by its popular Alexa voice assistant. As part of the settlement, Amazon agreed to pay a civil penalty of $25 million. Additionally, the company agreed to refund customers $5.8 million for privacy violations related to its Ring doorbell camera. Problem with how data is collected and stored The action taken against Amazon in relation to Alexa includes requirements to revamp its data deletion practices and implement more stringent and transparent privacy measures. Furthermore, the tech giant is obligated to delete specific data collected by its internet-connected digital assistant, which is widely used for various purposes such as checking the weather, playing games, and streaming music. Samuel Levine, the consumer protection chief of the FTC, stated that Amazons past actions of misleading parents, retaining childrens recordings indefinitely, and disregarding parents requests for deletion violated the Child Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and prioritized profits over privacy. COPPA, enacted in 1998, aims to protect children from online dangers. FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya emphasized that when parents requested Amazon to delete their childrens Alexa voice data, the company failed to delete all of it. Consequently, the agency instructed Amazon to delete inactive child accounts and specific voice and geolocation data. Amazon collected childrens voice data to train smart speakers According to Bedoya, Amazon retained the childrens data to improve its voice recognition algorithm, which powers Alexa, Echo, and other smart speakers. The FTCs complaint serves as a warning to all technology companies racing to develop AI datasets, indicating that such practices will not be tolerated in the face of fierce competition. FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya tweeted that nothing resonates more with a parent than the sound of their childs voice. Amazon recently announced that it has sold over 500 million Alexa-enabled devices worldwide and experienced a 35 per cent increase in service usage last year. The case against Ring Regarding the Ring case, the FTC alleges that Amazons subsidiary, responsible for home security cameras, allowed employees and contractors to access private videos of consumers. Furthermore, lax security practices enabled hackers to gain control of certain accounts. Amazon acquired Ring, headquartered in California, in 2018, and many of the violations mentioned by the FTC occurred before the acquisition. The FTCs order mandates Ring to pay $5.8 million for consumer refunds. Amazon stated its disagreement with the FTCs allegation ns concerning both Alexa and Ring, denying any violation of the law. However, the company acknowledged that the settlements would resolve these matters. A defiant Amazon According to Amazon, their devices and services are designed to safeguard customers privacy and provide them with control over their experiences. The Seattle-based company expressed its commitment to complying with the FTCs orders. In addition to the fine related to Alexa, the proposed order prohibits Amazon from using deleted geolocation and voice data to create or enhance any data products. The order also requires Amazon to establish a privacy program for its utilization of geolocation information. The proposed orders are subject to approval by federal judges. The charges brought against Amazon in both cases were unanimously voted upon by FTC commissioners. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. According to a report from Toms Hardware, a Chinese computer hardware producer recently introduced a new chip that is suspected to be a rebranded version of an integrated circuit (IC) from Intel Corp. This suspicion arose after a central processing unit (CPU) benchmark test conducted by Geekbench, an online cross-platform utility run by Primate Labs, revealed that Powerleaders Powerstar P3-01105 CPUs were identical to Intels Core i3-10105 Comet Lake CPU. Chinas history of silicon and scandals The findings from Geekbench were widely reported by both Chinese and foreign media outlets specializing in computer hardware. If confirmed, this would be the latest scandal to affect Chinas efforts in developing domestic chips, following the notorious Hanxin case in 2006. The Hanxin chip initially celebrated as a project that would establish Shanghai as a leading chip manufacturing centre, was later revealed to involve serious falsification and fraud by Chen Jin, the developer from Shanghais Jiaotong University. Powerleaders manipulative move Powerleader, a company manufacturing servers and personal computers since 1997, had previously relied on Intel processors before announcing on May 7 the release of its first-generation Powerstar CPUs. The company is owned by Shenzhen Powerleader Investment Holding, which also owns the Hong Kong-listed PowerLeader Science & Technology Group Co. Prior to its Powerstar chip development initiative, Powerleader had been using Intel processors for its flagship computer products for a considerable period of time. Powerleader previously stated that its Powerstar CPUs were built on the x86 architecture and were well-suited for a wide range of applications, including government, education, energy, industry, finance, healthcare, gaming, and retail. In addition, the company introduced desktop personal computers and workstations that were equipped with the Powerstar chip. These products are manufactured in multiple production facilities located in provinces such as Guangdong, Sichuan, Hunan, Hebei, Guangxi, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, and also in Beijing. Chinas struggle to make their processing chips or CPUs China has been striving to develop its own ICs but has faced obstacles such as intellectual property (IP) limitations and a lack of locally created instruction set architecture. As a result, Intels x86 architecture continues to dominate the computer market, while Arms architecture leads in the mobile devices sector. Chinese companies have sometimes resorted to purchasing chip designs from foreign companies, as was the case with Advanced Micro Devices licensing its Zen x86 processor design to Chinese chip designer Haiguang in 2016. Fabless semiconductor company Zhaoxin, a joint venture between VIA Technologies and the Shanghai municipal government, manufactures x86-compatible desktop and laptop CPUs for the domestic market. Additionally, Montage Technologys Jintide CPUs are based on Intels proprietary x86 IP cores, with certain modifications to ensure data-processing security. 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 seems to be developing a new weapon to take on its adversaries in a future conflict in the Pacific Ocean region. According to media reports, a Chinese university is developing a kamikaze drone that can be launched underwater. This latest weapon in the Chinese armoury is likely to be used against the United States (US), Taiwan and other adversaries in the Pacific Ocean region. The underwater launch ability makes this kamikaze drone a perfect weapon for China during a potential invasion of Taiwan in the future. Tensions between China, Taiwan and the United States (US) in the Taiwan Strait have been high in recent times. The Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) of China has carried out military exercises around Taiwan in recent weeks in preparation for a possible invasion of the island nation. This comes amid increasing involvement by the US, Japan, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in eastern Asia. The most difficult aspect of an amphibious operation for the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) is having US military advisors manage operations and provide technical intelligence in addition to just arming Taiwan. In addition to other significant capital platforms like the Type 05 amphibious tank, Type 075 amphibious landing helicopter dock, and Z-10 attack helicopters, a small tactical infantry support system like a loitering munition would be a great asset in breaching the dense coastal and inland defences the defending Taiwanese will have erected. The Republic of China (ROC, the official name for Taiwan) army has set up barriers on the beach that the PLA soldiers must dash through while expending a tremendous amount of money and personnel. They will eventually be defeated, but given the Chinese advantage in equipment and personnel, it is likely to be a terrible battle. Thus, using kamikaze drones to attack the defenders adds to the sources of precise fire available. The attacker can advance by using this to either disorient them or demolish their positions. 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 Chattisgarhs Raigarh district a pregnant woman was allegedly killed by her Muslim boyfriend after she reportedly refused to convert to Islam. The grieving family has accused the deceaseds Muslim boyfriend of coercing her to convert to Islam. When she refused, he allegedly administered abortion pills that resulted in her death, along with her unborn child. According to reports, the accused, identified as Danish, had been living with the deceased in a rented house near Ambedkar Awas Medical College in Raigarh. The deceased passed on March 8 in the middle of receiving treatment at a local hospital. Her family informed the police about their suspicions, accusing Danish Khan, aka Sameer Hasan, of having fed the woman with medications to induce an abortion. Local media reports highlighted the allegations levelled by the brother of the deceased. He has alleged that his sister had become a victim of love jihad. According to his complainant, Danish befriended his sister by concealing his true identity. He purportedly feigned affection, and they moved in together. Subsequently, Danish began pressuring the girl to convert to Islam. When she steadfastly refused, he resorted to physical and mental torture. Upon the emergence of the love jihad angle, BJP leaders demanded a swift inquiry into the matter. Raigarh MP Gomti Sai called for a thorough investigation, emphasising the need for prompt action. BJPs State General Secretary OP Chowdhary also demanded compensation of Rs 1 crore to the girls family. The deceaseds family, however, demanded inquiry by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by a High Court judge. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Thursday and discussed issues of bilateral and global interests. Jaishankar is in Capetown to participate in a conclave of five-nation grouping BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa). He held talks with Lavrov on the sidelines of the BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting. Good to meet FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia in Cape Town this morning on BRICS FMM sidelines. Our discussions covered bilateral matters, BRICS, G20 and SCO, Jaishankar said in a tweet. India will hold the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and G-20 summits in July and September respectively. In the last few months, India has become a leading importer of discounted crude oil from Russia notwithstanding increasing disquiet in the West over the procurement in view of Russian invasion of Ukraine. Indias economic engagement with Russia has been on a major upswing in the last one year, largely due to its procurement of discounted Russian oil. India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and it has been pushing for resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy. On Wednesday, Jaishankar said these are still early days for conflict resolution between Ukraine and Russia as presently, the focus is on problems such as a grain corridor, nuclear issues and matters related to the exchange of prisoners of war. In an interview to DD India, Jaishankar noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) brings together five of the largest developing countries of the world, representing 41 per cent of the global population, 24 per cent of the global GDP and 16 per cent of the global trade Jaishankar is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his other BRICS counterparts. (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. During his trip to China, Elon Musk was showered with admiration through lavish meals, gushing praise, and memes referring to him as Comrade Musk. The Tesla CEO is widely admired in China, and the companys electric vehicles have become very popular in the country. Images of an extravagant 16-course dinner menu prepared for Musks arrival, featuring seafood, New Zealand lamb, and traditional Beijing-style noodles, quickly became viral, reported AFP. Some users seized the opportunity to jest about strained relations between the United States and China, highlighting Musks warm welcome in contrast to diplomatic tensions. Also Read Elon Musk In China: Tesla CEO meets Chinese Foreign Minister and Commerce Minister Dont miss Is Elon Musk going to compromise Twitter for his business prospects in China? Musks visit garnered significant attention on Chinese social media platforms, with hashtags related to his trip accumulating billions of views on Weibo. Upon arriving in Beijing, Musk held meetings with top ministers and commended Chinas vitality and potential. He then visited Shanghai, where Tesla has a large manufacturing base, before departing the city on Thursday. A humorous meme circulating on Weibo portrayed Musk as Comrade Musk, standing behind a podium adorned with Chinese flags while suited officials applauded in the background, reported AFP. However, some users pointed out a post made by a Tesla vice president after midnight, showing Musk posing with hundreds of workers in Shanghai. This drew criticism, as it was seen as outdated to keep employees working late into the night solely for photo opportunities. Such sentiments reflect the growing discontent among Chinese tech workers regarding long hours and high-stress company cultures. In summary, Elon Musks visit to China was marked by admiration, extravagant meals, and humorous memes. While his presence was warmly received by many, it also sparked discussions about Chinas education system, diplomatic relations, and labor practices within the tech industry. 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. Alaska has been home to Chinese citizens trying to infiltrate the US military bases under the garb of tourists for quite some time, officials have revealed. According to a report by USA Today, a Chinese citizen who drove past a security checkpoint in Alaskas Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks was apprehended and was found carrying a drone inside his vehicle. The occupants of the car, however, claimed to be tourists who got lost on their way. The officials, however, admitted that many of these encounters were made by mistake after innocent tourists were caught off guard trying to witness the northern lights and other attractions in Alaska. Meanwhile, others, posing to be tourists, are deployed as spies in a foreign land, one officer said. Why is China interested in Alaska? China has shown interest in USAs Alaska for quite some time. The region holds three large military bases Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, and Fort Wainwright and Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks. Apart from these, there are several smaller installations in the region as well. Owing to the tight competition in the Arctic region, the US has increasingly funnelled resources in Alaska to make itself more secure in the region. The state is also seen as a key location due to its proximity to Russia. Also, the vast wilderness of Alaska offers the Pentagon opportunity to conduct military exercises in land and sea. Hence, it is no surprise that Beijing deployed spy balloons over the region in February this year and now spies posing as tourists live in Alaska. Lawmakers take action The report by USA Today has given a wake-up call to authorities in the US. On Wednesday, Senator Dan Sullivan said, Whether its a Chinese spy balloon, Russian Bear Bombers, or this new reporting of suspected Chinese spies in Alaska, this is another wake-up call that we are in a new era of authoritarian aggression led by dictators in China and Russia. Its also another example of just how important Alaska is for Americas national defence. In my oversight role, I am pressing for more details on these alleged security breaches and will continue to work with the Defence Department to ensure our installations in Alaska remain secure, he added. Republican Mary Peltola told Gray DC, Many other countries and nations understand the strategic importance of Alaska. I think that this re-emphasizes the need for the United States of America to really understand and keep investing in the strategic location. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. United by economic and security interests compounded by a joint rivalry with regional bully China, both India and Vietnam have decided to further strengthen bilateral ties. Both India and Vietnam will now bolster shared efforts and existing frameworks in areas such as marine scientific research, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), maritime connectivity, maritime security, maritime law enforcement and capacity building. This will include increased co-operation between the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard with their counterparts in Vietnam. The 3rd India-Vietnam Maritime Security Dialogue was held in the national capital, New Delhi, on Wednesday. According to a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday, the Indian delegation was led by Muanpuii Saiawi, Joint Secretary (Disarmament and International Security Affairs), Ministry of External Affairs and the Vietnamese delegation by Ambassador Trinh Duc Hai, Vice Chairman, National Boundary Commission. The delegations comprised senior officials from the respective ministries and services concerned with maritime affairs. During the dialogue, the two sides deliberated on ways to sustain a secure maritime environment conducive for inclusive growth and global well-being. They reviewed ongoing cooperation in the maritime domain and avenues of reinforcing international and regional mechanisms for comprehensive maritime security. India and Vietnam also discussed ways to maintain a maritime environment that is secure and supportive of inclusive growth for both nations. 3rd India-Vietnam Maritime Security Dialogue held today in New Delhi. Senior officials from the respective Ministries and Services concerned with maritime affairs participated in the Dialogue, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi, tweeted on Wednesday. Also reviewed maritime cooperation initiatives and avenues of reinforcing international and regional mechanisms for comprehensive maritime security, Bagchi added. Notably, the first India-Vietnam Maritime Security Dialogue took place in Hanoi in March 2019, while the second was held virtually in April 2021. India and Vietnam held their second maritime security dialogue in a virtual format on 6 April 2021. The consultations involved exchanges on developments in the domain of maritime security, regional cooperation activities and opportunities for cooperation between the two countries, the MEA said in a statement. India and Vietnam have friendly and warm relations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Vietnamese colleague Pham Minh Chinh recently had a private discussion at the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan. Both leaders talked about the partnership between the two countries, notably its defence cooperation. Prime Ministers @narendramodi and Pham Minh Chinh held talks in Hiroshima. They discussed different aspects of India-Vietnam friendship, particularly in areas like energy, technology, commerce and defence, the Prime Ministers Office tweeted. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Blaming terrorism as one of the biggest threats to international peace and security, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that all countries must come together to take strict action against this menace and uproot the source of its financing and propaganda, in a veiled attack on Pakistan. Jaishankars comments came as he spoke at the BRICS Foreign Ministers meeting in South Africa. In his opening remarks, Jaishankar also said that all nations must combat all forms of terrorism. #WATCH | Among the key threats to international peace & security, is that of terrorism. All nations must take resolute measures against this menace, including its financing and propaganda. It must be combated in all its forms and manifestations and never be condoned under any pic.twitter.com/hGEgZutEU4 ANI (@ANI) June 1, 2023 He said, Among the key threats to international peace and security is that of terrorism. All nations must take resolute measures against this menace, including its financing and propaganda. Earlier today, Jaishankar also met his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. Noting that the international situation is challenging, Jaishankar said the global environment today demands that the BRICS nations should approach key contemporary issues seriously, constructively and collectively. Our gathering must send out a strong message that the world is multipolar, that it is rebalancing and that old ways cannot address new situations. We are a symbol of change and must act accordingly, he noted. This responsibility is even greater as we contemplate the devastating aftereffects of the COVID pandemic, the stresses arising from conflict and the economic distress of the Global South, he said without mentioning the war in Ukraine. He also brought up the much-needed reform in UN Security Council. For two decades, we have heard calls for reform of multilateral institutions, only to be continuously disappointed. It is, therefore, imperative that BRICS members demonstrate sincerity in regard to reforming global decision-making, including that of the UN Security Council, he said. He explained that the heart of the problem lies in the fact that too many nations continue to be at the mercy of too few others. He said, This may be in regard to production, resources, services or connectivity. We urge that BRICS give it particular consideration and promote the economic decentralisation that is so essential to political democratisation, he said. He said the bloc has many crucial issues to deliberate upon and we will do so in the spirit of equality, mutual respect, and complete consensus. That is the hallmark of BRICS. The five-nation grouping BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) brings together five of the largest developing countries of the world, representing 41 per cent of the global population, 24 per cent of the global GDP and 16 per cent of the global trade. 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. The highest number of executions in 2023 so far come from Iran and out of the 300 people sentenced to death, 142 people were put on the gallows in May alone, the highest monthly average since 2015. According to a report by Sweden-based Iran Human Rights, 307 people have been executed in Iran which is 75 per cent more than last year. The horrific figures show that in May, four people were hanged every day in the Islamic Republic. Seven men have been hanged in cases related to the protests but activists say executions have surged in less high-profile cases, particularly over drug and murder convictions, with ethnic minorities disproportionately targeted. Executions carried out to spread fear Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the head of IHR said, The purpose of the executions is to create societal fear, not to fight crime. The Islamic Republic has executed one person every six hours in the last ten days while the international community has remained silent. More than half of those executed were Baluch minorities and drug defendants from the most marginalised communities who are low-cost victims of the governments killing machine, he added. Another report by IHR in collaboration with Frances Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM) showed that executions in Iran rose by 75 per cent in 2022 with at least 582 people hanged to spread fear in the society. Only 71 of these executions were officially recorded last year, official reports show. The rest were unannounced and secretly carried out and were reported by family members and eyewitnesses. Mahmood said, The international reactions to the death sentences against protesters have made it difficult for the Islamic Republic to proceed with their executions. Judiciary Chief defends executions Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, the head of Irans judiciary has defended the administrations decision to execute people. He said that sentences for those who should be executed will be carried out without exception while maintaining legal standards and fairness. Iran announced the death of Habib Farajollah Chaab for killing dozens of people in 2018. Chaab had been sentenced to death for being corrupt on Earth. In 2022, Chaab was put on trial for leading the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz, a separatist movement that sought a state in the oil-rich Khuzistan province in southwestern Iran. He was also accused of plotting and carrying out numerous bombings and terrorist operations. 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. Ever since he took over the platform, Elon Musk has been tweeting consistently, and constantly barring his time in China. Being the most followed person on the platform, Musk is a prolific tweeter. However, during his visit to China, Musk has been conspicuously absent from the platform. Needless to say, Musks radio silence on the platform is uncanny. Even when he has been in areas where Twitter or any other platform has been blocked, Musk has used VPNs to access the platforms he usually does. So why isnt he doing so in China? Musk, Twitter and China a complicated relationship Twitter has been blocked by China for a long time. With that being said, several Chinese citizens, especially journalists have been using VPNs to access blocked websites and platforms, like Twitter. Before Musk took over, Twitter, which was often considered to be left-leaning by the Americans, was also considered too liberal and too American by the Chinese. Before Musk Took over, Twitter would often call out and label posts from Chinas state agencies and businesses that had Chinese propaganda. As a result, interaction with those posts went down dramatically. Twitter also had at times blocked Chinas attempt to find out the details of certain users whose tweets and posts were critical of China. The world got to see the best examples of this, during the COVID pandemic, and how the CCP cracked down on people, especially doctors over their social media posts on the way the situation was being mishandled. Also read: Elon Musk In China: Tesla CEO meets Chinese Foreign Minister and Commerce Minister Because Chinese social media platforms were complying with the CCPs orders, people turned to Twitter through a VPN. Of course, the use of a VPN is also illegal, but thats more difficult to track. However, those who have been caught using VPNs have paid dearly for this. Even Musk had a tussle with China during the pandemic. Musk has been a believer that the COVID pandemic was the result of a lab leak in Wuhan. At this, the CCP went berserk, essentially warning him to refrain from making such comments. There were several editorials across Chinese dailies that basically said the same thing that Musk was breaking the pot thats feeding him, which, is similar to the proverb biting the hand that feeds one. Musks businesses in China The pot that was being referred to in those Chinese editorials from earlier this year refers to Teslas Shanghai plant, which Musk has been planning to expand. However, because of the crunch of natural resources that China is facing, the CCP has set limits on the production capacities that EV factories need to abide by. The Chinese have the fastest-growing EV market in the world and are among the fastest adopters of EV technology. Despite the premium it charges, Tesla enjoys a particular following in the EV market in China. However, to win over customers, Tesla has had to lower their prices through discounts, thus getting rid of the premium that people paid. Also read: Tesla wreaks havoc in Chinas EV market with new price war, gives 50% discount on all cars Moreover, Musks recent interviews and tweets seem to suggest that he plans on expanding SpaceX into China. Musk has been very vocal about his praise of Chinas space programme and has made it clear that he believes the US has no idea just how capable the Chinese space programme is. There are several other businesses that he may be trying to either establish, propagate, or even save in China. The Chinese military has had an issue with Starlink for some time, so theres a good possibility that he might have to face some questions over that as well. How all of this endangers Twitter Given the position of the American government as well as the sentiment of most Americans towards China and the CCP, it is quite possible for China to tighten the screw around Musk. Yes, Musk is surrounded by niceties during his visit to China, with people conferring him with the title Brother Ma. But it does not take a political analyst to realise that all of this may be superficial, at least as far as the Chinese state is concerned. Also read: Elon Musk greeted with 16-course lavish meal, hailed as Brother Ma during China trip With China trying to influence the guidelines and regulations that dictate how social media, AI, web3 and tech industries are run all over the world, albeit to no major avail, Musk presents himself as a major pressure point, a lynchpin of sorts. Musk, who is a prolific tweeter, must be itching to tweet something out, especially if he has some great news about Tesla. However, given Twitters past with China, he wouldnt want to risk upsetting the CCP in any way. Even if we consider the best of scenarios, with the kind of rhetoric that we have about China on Twitter, especially from countries that are in some sort of a dispute with the country, it would be safe to assume that China would want such content and rhetoric repressed. Moreover, it would want to suppress any dissidents that it may have within its own borders. From muzzling international reporters writing on China to squashing out dissenters for using Western media, we know what China will be up to. And, if history is anything to go by, we can all make an educated guess about where will Elon Musk the free speech absolutist will stand. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. SALALAH, Oman, May 31 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Oman hosted on Tuesday night a completion ceremony for the Zheng He Monument in the coastal city of Salalah in Dhofar Governorate to commemorate the great Chinese mariner who once traveled to the coast of Oman as well as the traditional friendship between the two countries. Chinese Ambassador to Oman, Li Lingbing, delivered a speech at the ceremony, stating that Oman is an important country along the ancient Maritime Silk Road, and the protagonist of this monument, Zheng He, a Chinese navigator of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), visited Oman, including Dhofar, four times. Li said that as this year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the completion of the Zheng He Monument at this momentous historical occasion holds special significance. It is believed that this unique landmark building will become a new symbol of the continued advancement of China-Oman friendship in the new era, she said, adding that it will witness the continuous enhancement of mutual understanding and exchanges in various fields between China and Oman, and contribute to the construction of a community of shared future with mutual benefit and common development, bringing greater benefits to the peoples of both countries. Khalid bin Salim al Saeedi, chairman of the Oman-China Friendship Association, said in his speech that the Zheng He Monument clearly demonstrates the long-standing and uninterrupted exchanges between the civilizations of Oman and China. The wise leaders of both countries have been committed to the development and growth of bilateral relations in various fields. Zheng is widely recognized as one of the most accomplished seafarers in Chinese history. He commanded the massive Ming Dynasty fleets to embark on seven expeditionary voyages to Southeast Asia, South Asia, West Asia, and East Africa during the 15th century. Designed by the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design, the monument draws inspiration from the graceful ocean waves and the bow of a ship, capturing the dynamic curves that vividly portray Zheng's fleet triumphantly sailing through wind and waves. Notably, the construction of the monument employed cutting-edge 3D printing technology, executed by the China Communications Construction Company. The site chosen for the Zheng He Monument is in the core area of the national-level coastal traditional culture, tourism, and business district developed by the Dhofar Governorate. The monument will serve as a permanent landmark for Salalah. China and Oman established a strategic partnership in 2018 and signed cooperation agreements under the Belt and Road Initiative. Israel has discovered a new natural gas field off its coast and the Ministry of Energy has officially certified it on Wednesday. A recognition from Israels National Infrastructure, Energy, and Water Minister means that Energean, a British-Greek energy company can draw up plans to develop the reserve. The natural gas field has been named Katlan and is entirely inside Israeli territorial waters. Katlan boasts approximately 68 BCM [billion cubic meters] of natural gas, and we are working diligently to develop it as efficiently as possible to create sustainable value for all our stakeholders. We believe this discovery will open new opportunities for Israeli gas supplies in both local and regional markets, Energean CEO Mathios Rigas said while explaining its specifications. The size makes Katlan Israels fourth largest gas reserve. Energean is already developing the Karish, Karish North and Tanin offshore reserves, as well as several blocks in the larger Tamar gas field. The ministry has not certified any offshore gas discoveries since 2015. Energy Minister Katz said, There is potential for additional discoveries in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, the office under my leadership will continue to develop the natural gas reserves that are in our territory and to promote the exploration & discovery of additional natural gas reserves for the sake of the energy security of the State of Israel and for ensuring a reliable, clean and affordable Israeli energy economy. With inputs from ANI Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns powerful sister said Thursday that Pyongyang would correctly place a spy satellite into orbit soon, a day after their first attempt crashed. Pyongyang has pitched its military satellite as a necessary counterbalance to the growing US military presence in the region, pointing to Washingtons ongoing joint drills with Seoul as one example of many. North Koreas new Chollima-1 rocket lost thrust and plunged into the sea with its satellite payload on Wednesday, state media said in a rare same-day announcement following the failed launch. Kim Yo Jong, who also serves as a spokesperson for the regime, said a second attempt would soon be made. It is certain that the DPRKs military reconnaissance satellite will be correctly put on space orbit in the near future and start its mission, she said Thursday, referring to North Korea by its official name. Pyongyang also released photographs of what it said was the new Chollima-1 rocket taking off from a seaside launch site surrounded by flames and smoke. The rocket named after a mythical winged horse that often appears in Pyongyangs propaganda featured a bulbous nose, apparently used to carry the satellite payload. The United States, South Korea and Japan slammed the launch, saying it violated UN resolutions barring Pyongyang from any tests using ballistic missile technology. Kim Yo Jong said such critiques were a self-contradiction, given that the United States and other nations have already launched thousands of satellites. The US is a group of gangsters who would claim that even if the DPRK launches a satellite in space orbit through balloon, it is illegal and threatening, she said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency. Analysts warn that if North Korea succeeds, the satellites monitoring capabilities would be a major issue, enabling Pyongyang to target US and South Korean forces more accurately. The use of a satellites for military purposes includes reconnaissance (intelligence collection), global positioning information and the attacking of opponents satellites. Space warfare, Chun In-bum, a retired South Korean army general, told AFP. Since diplomatic efforts collapsed in 2019, North Korea has ramped up military development, conducting a string of banned weapons tests, including test-firing multiple intercontinental ballistic missiles. Leader Kim declared last year that his country was an irreversible nuclear power and called for an exponential increase in weapons production, including tactical nukes. Hafiz Abdul Salam Bhuttavi, an UN-designated terrorist who trained the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) attackers for the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, died in a Pakistan jail while serving a sentence for terror financing, his aide said on Wednesday. Bhuttavi, who founded LeT headquarters in Muridke in Punjab, was deputy to the outlawed Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief and Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed. The JuD is the front organisation for the LeT. Bhuttavi, 77, was incarcerated at District Jail Sheikhupura, some 60 kms from Lahore, since October 2019 in a terror financing case. On May 29, he felt severe pain in his chest and was shifted to hospital where he was pronounced dead (due to cardiac arrest) on arrival, said a JuD official. His funeral was held at the LeT/JuD headquarters in Muridke in which a large number of the supporters of the banned organisation participated amid high security. A source in the Punjab government told PTI that JuD chief Hafiz Saeed, who is lodged at the Kot Lakhpat jail since 2019 serving multiple sentences in terror financing cases, had requested the government to allow him to attend Bhuttavis funeral but permission was not granted. An Anti-Terrorism Court in Lahore had given Bhuttavi a jail term of 16 years in a terror financing case in 2020. A close aide to Saeed, Bhuttavi faced sanctions from the US treasury department in 2011. The UN Security Councils ISIL (Daesh) and Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee added Bhuttavi to its list of designated terrorists in March 2012. Bhuttavi was designated a terrorist by the UN Security Council for participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing, or perpetrating of acts or activities by, in conjunction with, under the name of, on behalf of, or in support of or otherwise supporting acts and activities of LeT. A summary by the UN committee described him as a founding member of LeT who served as the acting emir of the LeT and the JuD on at least two occasions when Saeed was detained. Saeed was detained days after the 2008 Mumbai attacks and held until June 2009. Bhuttavi handled the groups day-to-day functions during this period, and made independent decisions on behalf of the organization, according to the summary. Saeed was also detained in May 2002. Bhuttavi was also a scholar who issued fatwas authorising LeT/JuD operations. Bhuttavi helped prepare the operatives for the November 2008 terrorist assault in Mumbai, India, by delivering lectures on the merits of martyrdom operations, the summary says. Born in August 1946 in Pattoki, Kasur district of Punjab, Bhuttavi was the head of 150 JuD seminaries in Pakistan. His native town is Dipalpur, Okara district of Punjab, from where the lone captured LeT attacker Ajmal Kasab hailed. Since 1992, he was looking after the affairs of the LeT/JuD headquarters in Muridke before the government took over its charge four years ago. The LeT was responsible for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai terror attack that killed 166 people, including six Americans. The US Department of the Treasury designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and the US, since 2012, offered a USD 10 million reward for information that brings Saeed to justice. He was listed under the UN Security Council Resolution 1267 in December 2008. 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. In a bid to move Turkey for Swedens NATO membership, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday that he will travel to Istanbul to discuss the process that has been delayed due to objections from member countries Turkey and Hungary. During a two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo, Stoltenberg said that he held conversations with Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. I will also travel to Ankara in the near future to continue to address how we can ensure the fastest possible accession of Sweden, Stoltenberg told reporters. NATO officers expect Turkey to lift its apprehensions about Stockholms admission to NATO since elections are now over. Now that Turkish elections are over, it is important that Turkey goes on with the ratification process, said Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto. Stoltenberg said at the end of the meeting that with the Turkish election over, it is important to restart the dialogue and the process, noting that Sweden had on Thursday implemented new terrorism legislation, thus addressing a key Turkish concern. Sweden has delivered, Stoltenberg said. The time has come to ratify Sweden(its membership) and I am working hard so that it happens as soon as possible. Several foreign ministers expressed confidence Sweden could become a member before or at a NATO summit in July in Vilnius, Lithuania. There is a very high expectation that the Swedish flag will be raised (in Vilnius), said Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis. Sweden, invited to Oslo, stressed again it had fulfilled all the conditions set to become a member of the military alliance. We have fulfilled all our commitments, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom told reporters. It is time for Turkey and Hungary to start the ratification of Swedish membership to NATO. With inputs from Reuters Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, declared that Pyongyang would soon launch a military spy satellite and made a commitment to bolster military surveillance capabilities, according to state-run media KCNA on Thursday. It is certain that (North Koreas) military reconnaissance satellite will be correctly put on space orbit in the near future and start its mission, Kim, a powerful government official in her own right, said in an English-language statement carried by KCNA. Her remarks came after the failure of a North Korean satellite launch on Wednesday. It may take weeks or more to resolve the problems that caused the rockets failure, a South Korean lawmaker said on Wednesday, citing the Souths intelligence agency. In a rare admission of a North Korean setback, KCNA reported that the Chollima-1 rocket, carrying a military reconnaissance satellite known as Malligyong-1, crashed into the sea after an accident. KCNA also published on Thursday images of what it said was the new rocket lifting off from a coastal launch pad. The white-and-gray rocket had a bulbous nose, apparently for carrying a satellite or other cargo. The photos confirmed that the rocket is a new design, said Ankit Panda of the U.S.-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The launch used the new coastal launch pad theyve built at Tongchang-ri, so we might see a larger space launch vehicle use the traditional gantry that has seen some work recently, he added. U.S.-based monitors, including 38 North and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, reported that commercial satellite imagery showed significant activity at the main pad after Wednesdays launch. South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said it could be presumed from North Koreas state media photos that the rocket was launched from a new pad. South Korea has dispatched ships and aircraft to recover parts from the space launch vehicle, the military said. Wednesdays launch was widely criticised, including by South Korea, Japan and the United States. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said any launch by Pyongyang using ballistic missile technology breaches Security Council resolutions, a spokesperson said. In her statement, Kim said the criticisms of the launch were self-contradiction as the U.S. and other countries have already launched thousands of satellites. The U.S. is a group of gangsters who would claim that even if the DPRK launches a satellite it is illegal and threatening, she said, using the initials of North Koreas official name. In a separate statement carried by KCNA, North Koreas vice foreign minister Kim Son Gyong criticised US-led military drills in the region including a multinational anti-proliferation naval drill. 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. Satellite TV channels across Pakistan have been told to boycott hate mongers, perpetrators and their facilitators by the countrys electronic media watchdog. Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has advised TV channels to refrain from giving airtime to zealots of a political party following the May 9 mayhem, a media report said on Thursday, hitting former prime minister Imran Khans party. In a notification released on Wednesday, PEMRA directed all satellite TV channel licensees that they should remain vigilant and not to promote any hate monger, perpetrators and their facilitators inadvertently. Violent protests broke out on May 9 across many cities in the country following the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party Chairman Khan by paramilitary Rangers in Islamabad. Khans party workers vandalised over 20 military installations and government buildings, including the Lahore Corps Commander House, Mianwali airbase and the ISI building in Faisalabad. The mob also attacked the Army headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi for the first time. Khan was later released on bail. Referring to the events of Black Day on May 9, the notification said that zealots of [a] political party attacked state and public properties, endangered innocent lives, and promoted anti-state to weaken the country and state institutions which is a horrific trend, Geo News reported. While the Constitution guarantees citizens the right to freedom of expression, there are exceptions to this right. It is crucial to strike a balance between protecting freedom of speech and maintaining public order, the order said. Underlining that national unity should be promoted, PEMRA directed that hatemongers be blacked out and should not be promoted on television, and violent, discriminatory content should not be broadcast, the report said. The notification directed all licensees to adhere to [the] provisions of PEMRA laws and orders of the superior courts by refraining from providing their airtime to such individuals who propagate hate speech and provoke public sentiments against the Federation and State Institutions. The licensee shall ensure that nothing is contained in any programme, or an advertisement, which is prejudicial to the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of Pakistan, Ideology of Pakistan, security, friendly relations with foreign states, public order or which may constitute contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence or brings into disrepute the State institutions including armed forces, the notification read. No licensee shall broadcast any live programme unless there is an effective delaying mechanism put in place in order to ensure effective monitoring and editorial control in conformity with this Code, it added. (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. The Shehbaz Sharif-led Pakistani government will negotiate a new programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) immediately after the budget as it is reportedly planning to conclude the $6.5 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) without completing all the pending reviews. Since November last year, Pakistan has been negotiating with IMF to revive its bailout programme, with the financing gap among the biggest roadblocks. About $2.5 billion is left to be disbursed from the $6.5 billion programme thats scheduled to expire on June 30, Geo News reported. While negotiations on the ninth review were almost complete, a staff-level agreement is yet to be reached, the report quoted sources as saying. Even when ninth one completes, the 10th and 11th reviews will remain pending. Completion of both reviews before June 30 seems impossible and the government has decided against seeking an extension, Geo News quoted sources as saying. They added that Pakistans Ministry of Finance will approach the Fund for a new programme after budget which is expected to be tabled on June 9. If the coalition government fails to complete the negotiations before its term ends in August, in that case the caretaker government will hold talks with IMF, sources shared. On the new programme, sources told Geo News that the economic team has begun working on the agreement which is expected to be tougher than the existing programme agreed in 2019 by Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government. The new bailout programme will likely be for more than three years, sources said and added, Pakistan will desperately need an IMF programme in September as the country needs to pay around $9-11 billion dollars in repayments of external debt by December 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. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on his top national security officials to prepare for worst-case scenarios and stormy seas as China faces increasingly difficult and complex internal and external threats. According to a CNN report, citing state-run Xinhua, in a meeting with Chinas top security officials in Beijing, Xi said, The complexity and difficulty of the national security issues we now face have increased significantly. We must adhere to bottom-line thinking and worst-case-scenario thinking, and get ready to undergo the major tests of high winds and rough waves, and even perilous, stormy seas, he added. He added that more efforts were needed to modernise the nations security architecture and get prepared for actual combat and dealing with practical problems. He also called for China to push ahead with the construction of a national security risk monitoring and early warning system, enhance national security education and improve the management of data and artificial intelligence security. The latest stern instructions from Xi came as he chaired a meeting of the National Security Commission, his first since securing an unprecedented third term as leader of Chinas ruling Communist Party at its 20th congress in October. Xi heads both the commission and the Chinese military. Beijing is facing a host of challenges, from a struggling economy to what it sees as an increasingly hostile international environment. US, China lock horns Rival powers China and the United States have been locking horns on many fronts. Just this week, Beijing declined Washingtons request for a meeting between the two countries defence chiefs when both men attend a security conference in Singapore in June, citing the need for US officials to respect Chinas sovereignty and security concerns. China cut off defence and climate ties with Washington last August over alleged meddling by US officials in Taiwan. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning demanded on Wednesday that the US stop flying spy planes over the South China Sea, calling the flights dangerous provocations. Her statement came one day after the US Indo-Pacific Command accused a Chinese pilot of causing a near-collision by buzzing his fighter jet in front of an American reconnaissance plane in international airspace above the South China Sea. The Pentagon has labeled China the most consequential and systemic challenge to US national security an assessment that Beijing derided as an excuse to expand Washingtons nuclear arsenal and maintain its military hegemony. Both sides have also stepped up national security scrutiny, especially in the technology sector, with the US slapping sanctions on a slew of Chinese companies in the past few years citing security concerns. Xi urged his security chiefs to build up strategic self-confidence, improve the coordination of their operations and utilise more advanced technology. He called for enhanced real-time monitoring of security threats, a better early warning system and improved handling of computer data and artificial intelligence (AI). In March, in a rare public comment on the US tech rivalry, Xi directly named Washington for leading the Western suppression of China. 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-based messenger service WhatsApp has been fined three million roubles by a Russian court for failing to remove deleted content on its platform. This is the first time that Metas WhatsApp has been slapped with a fine for such an offence. Russia banned WhatsApp from operating in the country and branded it as an extremist platform. The case that invited the fine involved a chat group that offered an anti-depressant whose sale is forbidden in Russia, according to Russian news agencies. Meanwhile, Metas other platforms like Facebook and Instagram have also been banned in Russia. Google, Twitter, TikTok and another messaging app, Telegram, have been fined for failing to delete illegal content in the past. WhatsApp was previously fined for not keeping the data of Russian users on servers located in Russia, which violates local rules. On the other hand, the same court also fined Wikimedias owner Wikimedia Foundation three million roubles for not removing what Russia considers false information about Moscows military campaign in Ukraine. Wikimedia did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It has previously said information that Russian authorities complained about was well-sourced and in line with Wikipedia standards. Moscow has for years clashed with Big Tech over content, censorship, data and local representation in disputes that escalated after Russia sent its armed forces into Ukraine on February 24, 2022. 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. South Africa has decided to send four of its cabinet ministers to G7 nations to explain the countrys non-aligned position on Russias war on Ukraine. The countrys move to abstain from several United Nations votes to condemn Russias actions and refusal to back sides in the ongoing conflict, has angered key trading partners including the US. The move to send envoys to G7 countries came after it faced widespread condemnation for supplying weapons to Russia. The stance was called into question earlier this month when American Ambassador Reuben Brigety accused South Africa of supplying weapons to Russia, Bloomberg reported. However, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has denied the allegation. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor and two other cabinet members will be deployed to explain the countrys commitment to the non-aligned position, he said. We will continue to maintain an independent foreign policy and will use our presence in international forums to promote dialogue and the peaceful resolution of conflict, Bloomberg quoted him as saying on Thursday. As we work to strengthen ties of trade and investment, we also seek to build support for a more inclusive, representative and equitable world order. Last month, South Africas presidential security advisor said the country was actively non-aligned in Russias war against Ukraine after U.S. allegations it had supplied weapons to Moscow led to a diplomatic crisis this week. The U.S. ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety said last month that the was confident a Russian ship under U.S. sanctions had collected weapons from a base near Cape Town in December. Senior U.S. officials had profound concerns about South Africa not respecting its professed policy of non-alignment, he added. A spate of recent events including naval exercises with Russia and China this year and hosting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have raised questions about South Africas stance. 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. Sudanese army forces blasted paramilitary bases with artillery in Khartoum on Wednesday after pulling out of US and Saudi-brokered ceasefire talks, accusing their foes of failing to honour their commitments. Mediators have blamed both sides for violating the truce which was supposed to enable secure corridors for delivering aid to an increasingly needy population. In both the north and south of the capital, key bases of commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglos Rapid Support Forces came under attack by troops loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, residents said. One witness said there was heavy artillery fire from army camps in northern Khartoum, on the 47th day of a war that researchers said has claimed 1,800 lives. Another reported artillery blasts on the RSF camp in al-Salha in southern Khartoum the largest paramilitary base and arsenal in the city. The attacks came two days after United States and Saudi mediators said the warring parties had agreed to extend by five days the initial week-long humanitarian truce. The mediators of the talks, held in the Saudi city of Jeddah, acknowledged repeated breaches but have held off imposing any sanctions. The army walked out because the rebels have never implemented a single one of the provisions of a short-term ceasefire which required their withdrawal from hospitals and residential buildings, a Sudanese government official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press. Mediators admitted the truce had been imperfectly observed, but said the extension would permit further humanitarian efforts. Despite repeated pledges from both sides, fighting has flared this week both in greater Khartoum and in the western region of Darfur. The army is ready to fight until victory, Burhan declared during a visit to troops in the capital. The RSF, led by Burhans deputy-turned-foe Daglo, said they would exercise their right to defend themselves and accused the army of violating the truce. Sudan specialist Aly Verjee said the mediators had been eager to avoid a complete breakdown of the talks, for fear of a major escalation on the ground. The mediators know that the situation is bad, but were hoping for arrangements that are better respected, Verjee, a researcher at Swedens University of Gothenburg, said before the armys withdrawal from the talks. On Sunday the mediators said both forces had disrupted humanitarian efforts, including through the presence of snipers near hospitals in RSF-controlled territory, and army elements stealing medical supplies. They said RSF occupied civilian homes, private businesses and public buildings, some of which were looted, while Burhans forces flew military aircraft daily during the ceasefire, including a confirmed air strike that reportedly killed two people. Mediators have blamed both sides for violating the truce which was supposed to enable secure corridors for delivering aid to an increasingly needy population. In both the north and south of the capital, key bases of commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglos Rapid Support Forces came under attack by troops loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, residents said. One witness said there was heavy artillery fire from army camps in northern Khartoum, on the 47th day of a war that researchers said has claimed 1,800 lives. The attacks came two days after United States and Saudi mediators said the warring parties had agreed to extend by five days the initial week-long humanitarian truce. The mediators of the talks, held in the Saudi city of Jeddah, acknowledged repeated breaches but have held off imposing any sanctions. The army walked out because the rebels have never implemented a single one of the provisions of a short-term ceasefire which required their withdrawal from hospitals and residential buildings, a Sudanese government official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press. Mediators admitted the truce had been imperfectly observed, but said the extension would permit further humanitarian efforts. Despite repeated pledges from both sides, fighting has flared this week both in greater Khartoum and in the western region of Darfur. The army is ready to fight until victory, Burhan declared during a visit to troops in the capital. The RSF, led by Burhans deputy-turned-foe Daglo, said they would exercise their right to defend themselves and accused the army of violating the truce. Sudan specialist Aly Verjee said the mediators had been eager to avoid a complete breakdown of the talks, for fear of a major escalation on the ground. The mediators know that the situation is bad, but were hoping for arrangements that are better respected, Verjee, a researcher at Swedens University of Gothenburg, said before the armys withdrawal from the talks. On Sunday the mediators said both forces had disrupted humanitarian efforts, including through the presence of snipers near hospitals in RSF-controlled territory, and army elements stealing medical supplies. They said RSF occupied civilian homes, private businesses and public buildings, some of which were looted, while Burhans forces flew military aircraft daily during the ceasefire, including a confirmed air strike that reportedly killed two people. African Union spokesman Mohamed El Hacen Lebatt said that suspension of the talks should not discourage mediation efforts. After a meeting with East African bloc IGAD, and other officials, he said a plan for broad talks among all Sudanese would be proposed as soon as possible. Since fighting erupted on April 15, more than 1,800 people have been killed, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project. The United Nations says 1.2 million people have been internally displaced and more than 425,000 have fled to neighbouring countries. More than half the population 25 million people are now in need of aid and protection, the UN says. 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 growing threats from China, the US and Taiwan signed a trade deal on Thursday to further deepen economic cooperation between the two nations. The deal called the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade, aims at boosting trade by streamlining customs checks, improving regulatory procedures as well as establishing an anti-corruption mechanism. Washington and Taipei manage to maintain unofficial diplomatic relations via a de-facto US Embassy in Taiwan. The US has always backed Taiwan as China claims it as part of its own territory. the first agreement under the new deal was signed by representatives of the American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States, said the US Trade Representatives (USTR) press office on Thursday. USTR spokesperson Sam Michel said that the pact is intended to strengthen and deepen the economic and trade relationship between both sides. Deputy US Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi attended the signing ceremony, he said. We thank our Taiwan partners for helping us reach this important milestone and look forward to upcoming negotiations on additional trade areas set forth in the initiatives negotiating mandate, Michel said. A new beginning Ahead of Thursdays ceremony to ink the deal, cabinet spokesman Alan Lin said, The deal that will be signed tonight is not only very historic but also signals a new beginning. Relevant tasks are yet to be completed. Taiwan will continue to move towards a comprehensive FTA (free trade agreement) with the United States to ensure Taiwans economic security, he added. Meanwhile, the government in Taiwan has hailed the deal as the most comprehensive trade agreement that the country has signed with Washington since 1979. China warned Washington earlier on Thursday against signing any pact with connotations of sovereignty or of an official nature with Chinas Taiwan region. The United States must not send the wrong signals to Taiwan independence forces in the name of trade, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a media briefing. 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. A Russian night-time attack on an eastern district in Ukraines capital Kyiv killed three people, including two children, and injured several others, officials said. In a post on the Telegram messaging app on Thursday, the Kyiv military administration said the two children died in the Desnianskyi region on the capitals eastern outskirts. Among the three dead in the Desnianskyi district, there were 2 children (aged 5-6 and 12-13), the military administration wrote on Telegram. Moscows forces have launched a series of aerial assaults on the Ukrainian capital, including an unusual daytime attack on Monday that sent residents running for shelter. Thursdays attack, which began around 3:00 am local time (0000 GMT), also injured 10 people, officials said. Russia said on Wednesday it was evacuating hundreds of children from villages due to intensifying shelling in the border region of Belgorod, where the situation was deemed alarming by the Kremlin. More than a year since its Ukraine invasion, Russia has suffered stepped-up attacks on its soil, with an unprecedented incursion last week in Belgorod and a drone attack on Moscow Tuesday. Authorities began evacuating children from the border districts of Shebekino and Graivoron, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram. The question of childrens safety in the two districts is very important, Gladkov said. All of us, adults, are very worried. Tensions between Russia and the West escalated further Wednesday, when Germany announced it would drastically reduce Moscows diplomatic presence on its soil in reply to a similar move from the Kremlin. Moscow called Germanys decision ill-thought-out and vowed a response. And in the United States, the Pentagon announced a new $300 million arms package for Ukraine, including air defence systems and tens of millions of rounds of ammunition. Alarming situation Governor Gladkov said the first 300 evacuated children would be taken to Voronezh, a city about 250 kilometres (155 miles) further into Russia. And over 1,000 more children will be removed to other provinces over the coming days, he added. A correspondent for state-run agency RIA Novosti near Voronezh said buses had arrived with around 150 people on board. Gladkov said the situation was worsening in the village of Shebekino, where he reported more shelling during the day that injured four people, but didnt cause any deaths. On Tuesday, one person was killed and two others were wounded in a strike on a centre for displaced people in the region. Several oil depots have also been hit in recent weeks. The attacks have come as Kyiv says it is preparing for a major offensive against Moscows forces. The situation is quite alarming, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said about shelling in the region. We have not heard a single word of condemnation from the West so far, Peskov said. Moscow drone attack The Kremlin has accused Ukraine and its Western backers of being behind the increasing number of reported attacks. On Tuesday, the foreign ministry said the West was pushing the Ukrainian leadership towards increasingly reckless acts after a drone attack on residential areas in Moscow. At least three buildings were lightly damaged, including two high-rise residential buildings in Moscows affluent southwest. Ukraine, which has seen almost nightly attacks on its capital, denied any direct involvement. The United States said it did not support any attack inside Russia, instead providing Kyiv with equipment and training to reclaim its territory. The Defense Department said Wednesday the fresh aid shipments would bring the total value of US security assistance to Ukraine since Russias February 2022 invasion to $37.6 billion. Also Wednesday, Berlin said it had ordered four of Russias five consulates in Germany to close. The move comes after Moscow put a limit of 350 on the number of German government personnel allowed in Russia, a decision that Berlin says will force hundreds of civil servants and local employees to the leave the country. Fatalism in Belgorod Last week saw the biggest armed incursion into Russia from Ukraine since the offensive began, with two days of fighting in the Belgorod region. AFP journalists went to the regional capital city, which is also called Belgorod, over the weekend. Residents confessed to a certain amount of worry, but a sense of fatalism prevailed. What can we do? We just shout Oh! and Ah!. What will that change? said retired teacher, 84-year-old Rimma Malieva. Most people said they trusted the authorities to fix the weaknesses laid bare by the latest raid. Evgeny Sheikin, a 41-year-old builder, still said it should not have happened. At least five people were killed and 19 wounded in a nighttime bombardment in Ukraines Lugansk region, Russia-installed officials said Wednesday. The Russian army also said it destroyed a Ukrainian navy warship, the Yuri Olefirenko, in Odesa, a claim AFP could not independently confirm. 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 has delivered a shipment of Stinger missiles and other military equipment to Taiwan which was originally approved in 2019, as Washington works to fulfill a backlog of nearly $19 billion in weapons sales to the island nation. The US and Taiwan are alarmed that Chinese aggression towards the island nation that Beijing claims as part of its territory is a prelude to a wider conflict and are working to outfit the island with defence capabilities they say will deter a Chinese invasion. According to a report in The Hill, citing State Department spokesperson, the shipment arrived in Taipei last week and is part of the $223.56 million weapons sale initially approved in July 2019. Responding to the reports of the delivery of Stingers on 26 May, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning slammed the US for interfering in Chinas internal affairs, calling the weapons delivery extremely wrong and dangerous. According to a Wall Street Journal report, arms sales to Taiwan since 2019 include systems also being used in Ukraine, including Javelins, Stinger missiles, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), and howitzers. Taiwan also signed an agreement in March for Harpoon anti-ship missiles, which are not scheduled to be delivered until at least 2026, the report cited officials as saying. The weapons sales included more than 250 Stinger missiles an anti-aircraft weapon favored for its light weight and capability to be fired from a soldiers shoulder, which has proven to be a favored weapon for Ukrainian forces battling Russian aggression. While Taiwans Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said earlier this month that President Joe Biden is expected to announce the first tranche of a $1 billion weapons transfer to Taiwan directly from Department of Defence stockpiles and approved by Congress for 2023 the spokesperson confirmed the Stingers that arrived in Taiwan are related to the earlier approved arms sale. In 2019, we notified a proposed [Foreign Military Sale] case to TECRO [Taipei Economic And Cultural Representative Office In The United States] for this system, The Hill quoted the spokesperson as saying. As such, this case predates authorities included in Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act (TERA) as incorporated into the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act, the spokesperson added. China has continued to increase diplomatic, economic, and military pressure on Taiwan in recent years and has never ruled out trying to take the country by force. Incursions into the countrys air defence identification zone have become a nearly daily commonplace since US House Speaker Nancy Pelosis visit to Taiwan in August last year and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen visiting Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in California in April. 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. Amid ongoing political crisis in cash-strapped Pakistan, US Representative Michelle Steel has voiced concern about Shehbaz Sharif government being engaged in human rights abuses and oppression of dissent. In a tweet, Steel called upon US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to take appropriate diplomatic steps to preserve democracy in Pakistan. I share the concerns of many of my colleagues that the government of Pakistan is engaged in human rights abuses and oppression of dissent. I join calls for Secretary Blinken to take appropriate diplomatic steps to preserve democracy in Pakistan, she tweeted. This comes after over 60 US lawmakers highlighted issues related to human rights violations in Pakistan in a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and urged him to exert pressure on the Pakistani government to address the issue. The letter, co-authored by Elissa Slotkin and Brian Fitzpatrick, and signed by 65 other lawmakers, was written after the efforts of the Pakistani-American Political Action Committee (PAKPAC), Geo News reported. Pakistan recently witnessed the illegal arrest of former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan, who was deposed as prime minister through a no-confidence move in April last year. Khan was arrested on May 9 amid deadly protests across the country. The former PM was detained in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case, but was later released after the Supreme Court of Pakistan declared his arrest against the law. (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 United States announced sanctions Thursday on Sudanese leaders it blamed for the collapse of US and Saudi-brokered ceasefire efforts after shelling and air strikes killed 18 civilians at a Khartoum market. For nearly seven weeks, Khartoum and other parts of Sudan have been gripped by bloody warfare between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, both of which Washington held responsible for breaking the ceasefire and provoking appalling bloodshed. We are following through by levying economic sanctions, imposing visa restrictions against actors who are perpetuating the violence, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement. Fighting continued Thursday, with witnesses reporting heavy artillery in north Khartoum, days after the two sides had agreed to extend by five days an initial week-long ceasefire meant to allow essential aid deliveries. The army on Wednesday blasted RSF bases in the capital after pulling out of the truce talks in the Saudi city of Jeddah, accusing its rival of violating the ceasefire. Eighteen civilians were killed and 106 wounded by army artillery fire and aerial bombardments Wednesday on a market in southern Khartoum, a committee of human rights lawyers said. The toll was confirmed by a neighbourhood group that organises aid, which said the situation was catastrophic and appealed for medical help and blood donations. Sanctions a tool In both north and south Khartoum on Wednesday, troops loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan attacked key bases of the RSF led by commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, residents told AFP. Sanctions are a tool, according to Sudan expert Alex de Waal, who calls the northeast African country a classic case where sanctions never solved the problems they had meant to. Sudans warring sides both rose to power and built considerable wealth under decades-long sanctions against the regime of former dictator Omar al-Bashir, with Daglos RSF controlling many of the countrys lucrative gold mines. According to Sudanese pro-democracy activist and author Raga Makawi, sanctions bring inhumane consequences on communities and cities at large: they weaken economies and turn them towards illicit transactions. Despite repeated pledges from both sides, fighting has flared this week both in greater Khartoum and in the western region of Darfur. The health ministry published a list Thursday of 34 health facilities that the rebel militia continues to use as army barracks and has not vacated despite the truce. Since fighting erupted on April 15, more than 1,800 people have been killed, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project. The UN says 1.2 million people have been internally displaced and more than 425,000 have fled abroad. Humanitarian corridors that had been promised with the ceasefire never materialised, according to aid agencies that have managed to deliver a fraction of the aid currently needed. Looting of food World Food Programme chief Cindy McCain condemned Thursday the looting of WFP food and assets happening right now in El Obeid, 350 kilometres (220 miles) southwest of Khartoum. Medics and humanitarian agencies have reported repeated looting since the start of the conflict, which has killed 18 aid workers. Food for 4.4 million people is at stake, McCain wrote on Twitter. More than half the population 25 million people are now in need of aid and protection, the UN says. Entire districts of Khartoum no longer have running water, electricity is only available for a few hours a week, and three quarters of hospitals in combat zones are not functioning. Hundreds have been killed in Darfur, on Sudans western border with Chad, the United Nations said. The UNHCR said Thursday more than 100,000 Sudanese refugees had fled to Chad since April, and called for emergency financial support. Darfur has never recovered from the years-long war that began in 2003 when a rebel uprising led strongman Omar al-Bashir to unleash the Janjaweed militia, from which the RSF are descended. Experts say Burhan is facing increasing pressure from his own Islamist supporters and remnants of the Bashir regime, with whom he had built a symbiotic relationship in order to gain 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. The US on Wednesday announced a new $300 million arms package for Ukraine, including air defense systems and tens of millions of rounds of ammunition, bringing the total value of US security assistance to Ukraine to $37.6 billion since Russias February 2022 launch of the invasion. Washington warned Kyiv that US weaponry should not be used to attack within Russia. Addressing the reporters, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, We have been very clear with the Ukrainians privately weve certainly been clear publicly that we do not support attacks inside Russia. We do not enable and we do not encourage attacks inside Russia. The United States has been leading an unprecedented effort by NATO and other allied countries to supply Ukraine with weaponry and other aid. The United States will continue to work with its allies and partners to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its immediate battlefield needs and longer-term security assistance requirements, the Pentagon said in a statement. The latest arms shipments come as Ukraine prepares a counter-offensive aimed at driving Russian forces back from swaths of occupied territory in the east and south of the country. The assistance also comes after a spate of attacks made in shadowy circumstances on targets inside Russia itself, including an unprecedented barrage of drone attacks on Moscow. Kirby said the United States has laid out its ground rules to Ukraine. We dont tell them where to strike. We dont tell them where not to strike, he said. Ultimately, President (Volodymyr) Zelensky and his military commanders decide what theyre going to do. However, we certainly dont want to see attacks inside Russia that are being propagated, that are being conducted, using US-supplied equipment. Kirby said that despite the growing tensions over the issue, the White House remains confident that Ukraine will keep its promise not to use US-built F-16 warplanes set to be supplied by European countries against targets beyond Ukrainian borders. We have gotten that assurance at various levels, Kirby said. Kirby said that while Washington is fullheartedly backing the Ukrainian effort to defeat the Russian invasion, it wants to avoid situations that suck in the West and NATO and the United States and to avoid World War III. The Pentagon said the $300 million package includes munitions for Patriot air defense systems, AIM-7 air defense missiles, Avenger air defense systems and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. Also part of the package is ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds, 105mm tank ammunition and Zuni aircraft rockets. The United States is also sending more than 30 million rounds of small arms ammunition to Ukraine, the Pentagon 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. Airtel has announced that it has witnessed a growth of 108% in the subscription of packs for customers travelling abroad from Delhi and 95% from Chennai as compared to last year. To cater to this surge and provide last-minute assistance, Airtel has set up an international roaming kiosk at the departure terminal of Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport in the duty-free area. The company refreshed its International Roaming Plan a few months back. With the Rs. 3999 per month pack, you spend as little as 133/day at the starting point, making it more economical than the local SIMs of most countries, said the company. With the change in costs, there is a significant jump in pack subscriptions in both the prepaid and postpaid segments, said Airtel. The 10-day validity packs remain the most popular pack subscriptions among the Chennaiite out roamers USA and UK are the most frequently travelled destinations from India The most popular international holiday destinations on Airtels network for Chennaiites are countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, USA and UK. Key features of the Airtel IR Plan Airtels IR plans costs as little as 133/day Customers simply need to select the duration of their travel, ranging from 1 day to 90 days, or even opt for an annual International Roaming Pack for NRIs Even if customers exhaust their data limit, essential services such as messaging, emails and web browsing will continue to work. Top-up options are also available through the Airtel Thanks App and the Airtel website. Through the Airtel Thanks App, customers can easily manage their plans, switch the service on or off, change the plan, purchase extra data and activate international roaming upon landing in their destination country. Airtel provides dedicated support through the toll-free number +91 99100-99100, available everywhere. Customers can call or message through WhatsApp to receive assistance from experienced executives. Commenting on this, Nidhi Lauria, CEO, Delhi, Bharti Airtel and Tarun Virmani, CEO, Tamil Nadu, Bharti Airtel, said: At Airtel, we are continuously challenging ourselves to keep improving our customers experience. Our new international roaming plans once again focus on putting the customer first. Reliable connectivity when travelling abroad is an absolute necessity nowadays. Our industry-leading roaming plans are very affordable and will ensure that our customers can stay connected all the time, wherever they are, without the hassle of changing their SIM cards or numbers. We are seeing travel already soar this holiday season and we look forward to serving Chennaiites through a more connected travel experience. Foxconn intends to build an iPhone assembly facility in Bengalurus Devanahalli by April 2024. M B Patil, the Karnataka Minister for Large and Medium Industries, broke the announcement. In a recent tweet, Patil claimed that he had met with senior management from Foxconn to discuss the project and its challenges. According to the report, the Karnataka government has pledged to provide the necessary land to Foxconn by July 1. The company has already given the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board Rs. 90 crore, or 30% of the land cost. With a goal of producing 20 million iPhones annually, the project is anticipated to be finished in three stages. Foxconn iPhone assembly plant at Devanahalli Senior Management representatives of #Foxconn visited me to discuss the establishment of an #iPhone assembly plant at Devanahalli. We addressed project-related challenges, emphasizing the development of vital industrial infrastructure and maximizing the creation of employment pic.twitter.com/h9vu3JPBSk M B Patil (@MBPatil) June 1, 2023 The government has guaranteed the provision of essential infrastructural facilities, such as a supply of 5 million liters of water per day, reliable power, and road connectivity, to support the projects effective implementation. Additionally, the government intends to set up training courses to give qualified applicants the abilities needed by Foxconn for job openings. Along with Minister Patil and the Minister for IT and BT, Priyank Kharge, Foxconn officials George Chu, Paul Liu, Tonn Liu, Simon Song, and Bharath Dandi attended the meeting. It is believed that the ambitious project, with a projected cost of Rs. 13,600 crore / $1.7 Billion, will provide about 50,000 job possibilities. By building an iPhone assembly facility, Foxconn hopes to improve its manufacturing capabilities in India and support the expansion of the regional economy. The partnership between Foxconn and the Karnataka government demonstrates the states dedication to luring in international capital and promoting industrial growth. SEATTLE June 1, 2023 Below are summaries of recent Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center research findings and other news. If youre covering the American Society for Clinical Oncologys annual meeting, June 2-6 in Chicago, Illinois, see our list of Fred Hutch research highlights at ASCO and contact media@fredhutch.org to set up interviews with experts. And, if youre looking for resources for Junes National Cancer Survivor Month, please see Fred Hutchs Survivorship Program for a list of our offerings. Cancer research Project Stella enables novel pediatric AML immunotherapies, potential cure Dr. Soheil Meshinchi, a Fred Hutch pediatric hematologist/oncologist, studies a rare subtype of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia. His work is supported by Project Stella, a philanthropic initiative to raise funding for development of a new immunotherapy to treat this cancer. Meshinchis work has resulted in several potential drugs against this cancer, as well as developing immunotherapy treatment. Media contact: Molly McElroy, mwmcelro@fredhutch.org National study recommends starting SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination three months after bone marrow transplant Patients with cancer whose immune systems are being supported or rebuilt by bone marrow transplantation should be vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 three months post-transplant, according to new research from Fred Hutch. The study, with Fred Hutchs Dr. Josh Hill as lead author, involved 22 cancer centers and research institutions in the United States and focused on SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-based vaccines. The current guidelines, based on limited evidence, in the U.S. call for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination to start three to six months post-transplant. Media contact: Claire Hudson, crhudson@fredhutch.org Infectious disease Researchers identify strong T-cell response in first-in-human nanoparticle HIV vaccine Researchers from Fred Hutch have characterized robust T-cell responses in volunteers participating in the IAVI G001 Phase 1 clinical trial to test the safety and immune response of a self-assembling nanoparticle HIV vaccine. The work, published in Science Translational Medicine, signals a major step toward development of a vaccine approach to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic worldwide. Media contact: Claire Hudson, crhudson@fredhutch.org Infectious disease scientists look beyond the pandemic Researchers specializing in protecting immune-compromised people from infectious disease gathered at the 4th Symposium on Infectious Diseases in the Compromised Host, an event organized by Fred Hutch. Speakers stressed the need to include people with weakened immunity in clinical trials of new vaccines and treatments so they comprising about 6% of the U.S. adult population can benefit from scientific evidence to support their care. Media contact: Claire Hudson, crhudson@fredhutch.org Community news Fred Hutch pioneer Dr. Beverly Torok-Storb dies Dr. Beverly Torok-Storb, a stem cell biologist who worked at Fred Hutch for 45 years, died Friday, May 5, at her home in Seattle. She was 75. A professor in Fred Hutchs Translational Science and Therapeutics Division, Torok-Storbs contributions to science and to education in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, were substantial and far-reaching. Media contact: Molly McElroy, mwmcelro@fredhutch.org Dr. Philip Greenberg elected to National Academy of Sciences Dr. Philip Greenberg, head of the Fred Hutch Program in Immunology, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Greenberg was involved in some of the first clinical trials to administer genetically modified T cells to people to target and eradicate disease. One of 120 new members elected by their peers, Greenberg is the 13th Fred Hutch faculty member elected to the academy. Media contact: Molly McElroy, mwmcelro@fredhutch.org Brain cancer expert Dr. Eric Holland receives Endowed Chair in Cancer Biology Brain cancer expert Dr. Eric Holland was named the endowed chair in cancer biology. Holland directs Fred Hutchs Human Biology Division and Seattle Translational Tumor Research, an interdisciplinary and cross-institutional program developed to enhance collaboration and accelerate progress among solid tumor researchers. He also leads a laboratory team dedicated to advancing treatments for brain cancers by untangling the molecular underpinnings of this spectrum of diseases. Media contact: Molly McElroy, mwmcelro@fredhutch.org Science spotlight Science Spotlight is a monthly installment of articles written by postdoctoral fellows at Fred Hutch that summarize new research papers from Fred Hutch scientists. If youre interested in learning more or covering these topics, contact: media@fredhutch.org # # # Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center unites individualized care and advanced research to provide the latest cancer treatment options and accelerate discoveries that prevent, treat and cure cancer and infectious diseases worldwide. Based in Seattle, Fred Hutch is an independent, nonprofit organization and the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in Washington. We have earned a global reputation for our track record of discoveries in cancer, infectious disease and basic research, including important advances in bone marrow transplantation, immunotherapy, HIV/AIDS prevention, and COVID-19 vaccines. Fred Hutch operates eight clinical care sites that provide medical oncology, infusion, radiation, proton therapy and related services and has network affiliations with hospitals in four states. Fred Hutch also serves as UW Medicines cancer program. Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts 1. United States On 4 July 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence unanimously, which marked the break from the United Kingdom. The military action that started against the British in April of 1775 continued until October of 1781 with the surrender of the British troops at Yorktown. The war officially ended with the Treaty of Paris in September 1873. The celebration of Independence Day became an annual event after the War of 1812. 2. Haiti The French had started a colony on the island that went by the name Saint-Dominic in 1659, and 1 January 1804 is the day that marked the end of French colonial rule in Haiti. The colonists set up sugar and coffee plantations and they got the necessary labour force by importing slaves from Africa. The conditions for these people were harsh and brutal, and finally, in 1791, they revolted and started killing plantation owners and destroying plantations. The colonists formed their own militia and slaughtered about 15 thousand slaves. Despite the fact that the French government abolished slavery in 1794, the tensions were still running high and another revolt took place in 1802. The final battle was fought in November 1803, with the slaves winning. The colony's named was changed to Haiti, which means "country of mountains", and independence was declared on 1 January 1804, making the country the first independent nation in the Americas with a black majority. 3. Chile Chile was ruled by Spain for more than 300 years, and finally gained independence on 18 September 1810. The example of the Americans throwing out the British was very recent, and the people were ready to follow in their footsteps. The corrupt governor appointed by the Spanish and the invasion of France into Spain in 1808 fanned the desire for independence even more. A rebellion followed, which lasted more than ten years. The 18th is marked as the Independence Day and it is celebrated with parades and other festivities. This holiday is called "Fiestas Patrias". Chile was ruled by Spain for more than 300 years, and finally gained independence on 18 September 1810. The example of the Americans throwing out the British was very recent, and the people were ready to follow in their footsteps. The corrupt governor appointed by the Spanish and the invasion of France into Spain in 1808 fanned the desire for independence even more. A rebellion followed, which lasted more than ten years.The 18th is marked as the Independence Day and it is celebrated with parades and other festivities. This holiday is called "Fiestas Patrias". 4. Greece Greece was under Ottoman rule for 400 years until 25 March 1821. There were various failed attempts before 1821 to liberate the county. In 1814 in Odessa a group of merchants established the "Friendly Society" with the aim of staging a revolt with the aim of liberating Greece. They attracted support from Greek communities in England and the United States, as well as liberal minded people in Europe. Although the revolution had started in February, the bishop of Patra Germanos, proclaimed the uprising on March 25th. The war lasted until September 1829. In 1827 the Great Powers decided to intervene and destroyed the Ottoman fleet at the Battle of Navarino in October of that year. A war between Russia and the Ottoman empire tipped the balance in favour of the Greeks and other people in the Balkan peninsula. The Ottomans were forced to accept Greek autonomy in the Treaty of Adrianople, and Greece was finally recognized as an independent state under the London Protocol of February 1830. 5. Czech Republic Czechoslovak independence was declared on 28 October 1918 at Wenceslas Square. Up to then the two countries had been part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The majority of the Czech people did not like being under the control of the Empire. They believed the real war was against the Empire's oppression. A National Committee was formed that tried to prevent the supplies of foodstuffs from Czech territories towards the military. In January 1918 the Committee issued a declaration calling for independence. On the 28th of October the National Committee issued a decree for the creation of an independent state. This first republic lasted until the Munich agreement in 1938. 6. India Following the end of the second world war, Britain realised that they didn't have the resources and local man power to maintain the occupation of India. In February 1947 Prime Minister Clement Attlee announced that Britain would grant full self-government rights to the people of India as soon as possible. It was later announced that India would be granted independence on the 15th of August, 1947. At the same time, Britain decided to partition India into two separate states along religious lines. This led to the creation of Pakistan (East and West) and India. This was a really violent operation with people forcibly moved to different territories, which led to clashes and over a million people dying. On the 15th of August, 1947 the first Prime Minister of India, Nehru, raised the Indian flag over the Red Fort. 7. Libya The date, 24 December 1951, marks the complete independence of Libya from foreign rule. The area which makes present day Libya was first settled by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks and Romans. In 643 AD, the Arabs conquered Libya. In the 16th century it become part of the Ottoman Empire, and remained part of it until 1912 when it was seized by Italy. In 1942, during WWII, Libya was freed from Italian rule and divided into two territories controlled by the French and the British. After WWII the United Nations requested the independence of Libya. The unified provinces became the Kingdom of Libya under King Idris As-Senussi on December 24, 1951. 8. Malawi The area that is now Malawi was used as a migrating ground of the Bantu tribes. Towards the end of the 19th century the British moved in and created the Central African Protectorate. In 1907 it was renamed Nyasaland. Although the British built roads and railways, this was seen by the locals as being done for their own benefit and not for the local population. In 1953, despite local opposition, the British formed the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. In 1958 Dr. Hastings Banda returned from his studies abroad and took the leadership of the Nyasaland African Congress, which was later renamed to Malawi African Congress. The Federation was dissolved in 1963 and Malawi became independent on 6 July 1964. The area that is now Malawi was used as a migrating ground of the Bantu tribes. Towards the end of the 19th century the British moved in and created the Central African Protectorate. In 1907 it was renamed Nyasaland.Although the British built roads and railways, this was seen by the locals as being done for their own benefit and not for the local population. In 1953, despite local opposition, the British formed the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.In 1958 Dr. Hastings Banda returned from his studies abroad and took the leadership of the Nyasaland African Congress, which was later renamed to Malawi African Congress. The Federation was dissolved in 1963 and Malawi became independent on 6 July 1964. 9. Mozambique The first known inhabitants of the area were San hunters and gatherers and later were followed by Bantu people, who came to the area after crossing the Zambezi River. The first colonists from Portugal landed in the area in 1498. During the 16th century, the Portuguese colonised more areas of Africa, establishing the Portuguese East Africa colony. The arrival of the British in the area prompted the Portuguese to define the border of is now Mozambique in 1891. The actual control of the country was given to various companies, such as Mozambique Company and Niassa Company, which were financed by the British and exploited the natural resources of the country. In 1902 the Portuguese established Lourenco Marques as the capital. Following the end of WWII, demands for self-determination increased and were further fanned by the granting of Independence to other African Nations. The Portuguese were reluctant to grant independence and as a result a war of independence began in 1964 and lasted for eleven years until the country gained its independence on 25 June 1975. 10. Zimbabwe Zimbabwe 18 April 1980 The first known inhabitants of the area that is Zimbabwe today were San hunters and gatherers, who were later followed by Bantu speaking people. Afterwards Shona people moved in from Southern Africa. In the 1880s the BSAC company owned by Cecil Rhodes moved in the area and in 1898 the area was named Southern Rhodesia. Signing various treaties and concessions, Rhodes managed to get hold of an area than was named Zambesia that covered the territories between the Limpopo and Lake Tanganyika and named the whole area Rhodesia. In 1923 Southern Rhodesia became a self-governing colony. In 1930 the country was divided into four separate types of land, with the vast majority of it going to the white minority. In 1965 the white minority government of Ian Smith declared UDI and in 1970 declared the area Republic of Rhodesia. A long and bloody war followed that lasted until 1980. The country finally gained independence on 18 April 1980, adopting the name of Zimbabwe. The first prime minister of the country was Robert Mugabe. Source: Author gme24 This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ponycargirl before going online.Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system. Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021. The last few weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind to say the least, he said. We were pleasantly surprised that most of the artists that sang or wrote these records have all reached out. Weve interacted with them all online and everyones pretty pumped to actually get these songs out, which is pretty cool. Renowned American rapper Rick Ross has recently created a buzz online with a special shoutout to rising Nigerian songstress Ayra Starr, whose real name is Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe. In videos circulating on social media platforms, the hip-hop star referred to Ayra Starr as a beautiful superstar and expressed his desire to meet her during his next visit to Nigeria.During the footage, Rick Ross can be seen holding a bottle of Bumbu cognac, raising a toast to both Ayra Starr and her home country, Nigeria.He lavished praise on the young artist and shared his excitement about the prospect of meeting her, promising a celebration befitting their status as bosses.In his words; Quote I wanna take it all the way to Nigeria, to a superstar, beautiful the one and only Ayra Starr. Ama make a toast to Ayra Starr, Nigeria, when I come over there, we gonna celebrate like bosses. The video quickly gained traction online, with fans and music enthusiasts sharing their excitement over the unexpected recognition Ayra Starr received from the esteemed American rapper.See below; Former Governor of Kano state and senator representing Kano Central, Ibrahim Shekarau has decried Nigerias high cost of governance.Shekarau who sat for an interview with Channels Television on Wednesday, May 31, asked President Bola Tinubu to reduce the cost of governance by cutting down the number of federal lawmakers.The National Assembly is made up of 109 senators and 360 House of Representatives members. He said; Quote Its costing the country. I agree, a democracy means getting as many involved as possible, but the way it is going on now, its almost 500 legislators nationwide; I dont think we really need this much at the moment. Left to me, we dont need to have the two chambers, the two houses.Its costing the country. I agree, a democracy means getting as many involved as possible, but the way it is going on now, its almost 500 legislators nationwide; I dont think we really need this much at the moment. Quote I wonder if hell have the courage to do all the constitutional amendments and go through the process, and reduce all of this. The former Governor also said that cutting the number of parastatals would affect the number of oversight assignments, reducing the burden at the centre. He added; Quote Then youll discover that the legislative arm will also have to be [downsized] because if there isnt much to do at the centre, you dont need all of this sea of hundreds of people really to do oversight assignments. I have been subscribing to the idea of devolution of powers. The Federal Government should really cut its own costs by devolving a lot of these responsibilities down the line, to the states and to the local governments. Unfortunately, weve not had leadership that has the courage. There was the Oronsaye report during Jonathans time, which has yet to be implemented. The Benin-Lagos highway and other areas in Benin metropolis was blocked by some residents following the increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).The protesters who are mainly members of the Edo State Civil Society Organisation (EDOCSO), called for urgent reversal of the fuel pump price. The road blockage led to a gridlock, forcing commuters to trek to their destinations. Former coordinator general of EDOCSO, Omobude Agho, told newsmen; Quote We are protesting because of the increase in fuel price which started yesterday, marketers moved the price from N210 to over N500. We were shocked to see that even the NNPC Limited fixed over N500 as the pump price. So, we feel this is a plan to kill Nigerians or send us to our graves. The strategy is called local protest, we are localizing the protest. It is currently ongoing in places such as Uselu shell, Ologbo, Siluko and Agbor park. Agho added that if by Friday the government fails to address the situation, the protest will spread to other areas. Twitter Introduces Community Notes to Address Issue of AI-Created Media in Images News oi -Kabir Jain Twitter has recognized the growing issue of AI-generated and manipulative media being shared on its platform. In response to this concern, the company has introduced an experimental feature called Notes on Media. This new feature expands on the existing Community Notes, which previously only covered text-based content. This innovative addition allows contributors with a Writing Impact of 10 or above to add notes not only to their tweets but also to the images shared within those tweets. Addressing Manipulative Images Manipulative images often have a significant impact and can quickly go viral on social media platforms like Twitter. People tend to share these images along with their own comments, further amplifying their reach. Moreover, individuals have been known to create fake accounts to share the same image with different text, increasing the potential for misinformation. The Purpose of the Update The introduction of Notes on Media aims to combat the spread of disinformation and prevent incidents like the dissemination of a fake image claiming to show an explosion near the Pentagon. By allowing contributors to attach notes directly to images, Twitter enhances its ability to provide context and discourage the sharing of false or misleading content. How Notes on Media Works When a note is added to a tweet, it is only visible to others when that specific tweet appears in their timeline. However, the approach is different when a note is attached to an image. In such cases, the note becomes visible across all tweets that contain that particular image. This strategy is particularly effective because manipulative images are often shared with different captions or comments. From AI-generated images to manipulated videos, its common to come across misleading media. Today were piloting a feature that puts a superpower into contributors hands: Notes on Media Notes attached to an image will automatically appear on recent & future matching images. pic.twitter.com/89mxYU2Kir Community Notes (@CommunityNotes) May 30, 2023 According to Twitter, the notes attached to an image will automatically show up on both current and future tweets containing that image. However, the matching process for images prioritizes accuracy over matching every visually similar image. Twitter acknowledges the importance of striking a balance between expanding coverage and avoiding incorrect matches. The company is committed to improving this aspect and refining the feature's functionality. Future Enhancements Although the Notes for Media feature is currently limited to tweets with single images, Twitter is actively working on expanding it to include videos and tweets with multiple images/videos. While there is no specific timeline for this expansion, it is expected to be rolled out in the near future if the initial testing proves successful. This enhancement will significantly improve the platform's ability to provide context and combat the spread of misinformation through various media formats. Source 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 Motorola Razr 40, Razr 40 Ultra Launching Today: How To Watch, What To Expect? News oi -Alap Naik Desai Motorola will launch the Motorola Razr 40 series today, which should include premium foldable Android smartphones: Moto Razr 40 and Moto Razr 40 Ultra. The Lenovo-owned brand will be offering these devices in multiple markets. Motorola had recently started teasing the clamshell-style foldable Android smartphones under Razr 40 series. As the official announcement of these handsets is only a few hours away, let's take a look at all the available information on the flagship foldable smartphones from Motorola. Motorola Razr 40 Series Smartphones Live Stream The Motorola Razr 40 series is scheduled to launch today, June 1, 2023. The smartphones in the series will be launched in China. The same devices, without altering their names, should also be available in select global markets. Motorola should announce the regions besides China, in which the Motorola Razr 40 series smartphones will be available, today. However, there's no official confirmation from Motorola yet. The launch event in China should be live-streamed on Motorola's official social media handle on Weibo, besides other platforms. We will update our readers if Motorola offers alternative sources to watch the launch event. Motorola Razr 40, Razr 40 Ultra Specifications, Features The Motorola Razr 40 series is expected to include two smartphones: Razr 40 and Razr 40 Ultra. The smartphones are tipped to be similar in terms of hardware, except for the outer display and the color options. The base edition Motorola Razr 40 is rumored to feature a vegan leather finish and be available in at least three colors: Olive Green, Purple, and Cream Shades. The hinge cover would be made out of metal. The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra will be available in Infinite Black, Glacier Blue, and Viva Magenta color options. A poster of the flagship, Motorola Razr 40 Ultra leaked recently, confirming the final specifications of every component, including the sizes of the dual displays, chipset, RAM, internal storage, battery, and imaging hardware. The top-end Motorola Razr 40 Ultra has a 6.9-inch Full HD+ P-OLED display that can be folded. This display has a 2400 x 1080 pixels resolution and a 165Hz refresh rate. The 1080p screen supports HDR10+. The Moto Razr 40 series smartphones are powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC. They will have 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage. There could be other RAM and storage variants. Smartphones under the Motorola Razr 40 series will run stock Android 13 OS and have an under-display fingerprint scanner. These flagship smartphones are IP52 rated for resistance to dust and water splashes. Razr 40 series smartphones would be able to accommodate a nano-SIM and an eSIM. The devices will support Wi-Fi 6e and Bluetooth 5.3. 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 Nothing Phone 2 to Launch on July 2nd With an Upgraded Display: Heres Everything You Need to Know News oi -Kabir Jain In the world of smartphones, anticipation builds whenever a new device is about to be released. The upcoming Nothing Phone 2, set to launch on July 2nd, has already sparked excitement among tech enthusiasts. Nothing, founded by Carl Pei, former Co-Founder of OnePlus, has been gradually revealing key specifications of the Phone 2, heightening expectations for this highly anticipated smartphone. Having already spilled the beans on the device's processor, Nothing recently shared exciting details about the Nothing Phone 2's display size. In a Twitter thread, the company revealed that the Phone 2 will sport a 6.7-inch screen, which is 0.15 inches larger than the 6.55-inch full-HD+ display of the Phone 1. Battery Upgrade and Environmental Sustainability Commitment Carl Pei previously mentioned that the Nothing Phone 2 would feature a 4,700mAh battery, providing a 200mAh increase compared to its predecessor. This battery upgrade not only enhances overall performance but also showcases Nothing's commitment to sustainability. Phone (2) is the first time weve achieved a lower carbon footprint on a second-generation product. A significant step towards a more sustainable smartphone industry. Let's explore its milestones. A thread pic.twitter.com/1zYdmU3yqL Nothing (@nothing) May 31, 2023 Despite the battery upgrade, Nothing takes pride in minimizing the carbon footprint of the Phone 2. The company announced that the Phone 2's carbon footprint stands at 53.45 kilograms, over 5 kilograms lower than that of the Phone 1. Packaging and Material Sustainability The Nothing Phone 2 will be sold in plastic-free packaging, demonstrating the company's commitment to minimizing environmental harm. The phone will also incorporate three times more recycled or bio-based parts compared to its predecessor, the Phone 1. Nothing utilizes 100 percent recycled tin on 9 circuit boards, 100 percent recycled copper foil on the main circuit board, over 90 percent recycled steel on all 28 steel stamping parts, and sources 80 percent of plastic parts sustainably. These efforts ensure that the Nothing Phone 2 embodies a more environmentally conscious approach. Software Support The company also announced that the Nothing Phone 2 will receive 3 years of Android updates, keeping users up to date with the latest features and security enhancements. Were committed to making beautiful products that you feel proud to own. To sustain our efforts, well continue to offer 3 years of Android updates and 4 years of security updates. So Phone (2) can go further with you. Nothing (@nothing) May 31, 2023 Moreover, Nothing commits to providing 4 years of security updates, assuring users of a secure and reliable smartphone experience in the long term. Source 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. 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Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. 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 Colorado Springs to host DEL 15, 2 intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance squadrons Published May 31, 2023 Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) -- The U.S. Space Force's Space Delta 15, activated in March 2023, is expected to be permanently based at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado, along with the new 75th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Squadron. Additionally, the service expects the 74th ISR Squadron, activated in November 2022, to be based at Peterson SFB, Colorado. DEL 15, a command-and-control organization within Space Operations Command, provides mission-ready forces in support of the National Space Defense Center's protect and defend space mission. The unit currently operates at Schriever SFB and is expected to remain there permanently. The two ISR squadrons will provide additional capabilities within Space Delta 7, which has embedded detachments in each of the command's other deltas to provide real-time ISR support to their respective missions. The 74th ISR Squadron provides tailored threat analysis and intelligence production for tactical space operations. The squadron's intelligence gathering is used to empower space operations to combat current, emerging and future adversaries. The new 75th ISR Squadron will be responsible for the federated targeting mission through orbital targeting sections focusing on integrating kinetic and non-kinetic targeting for the Joint Force across several orbital regimes. The Department of the Air Force's decision to host DEL 15 and the two ISR squadrons came after conducting thorough site surveys which assessed the location's ability to facilitate the missions and infrastructure capacity while accounting for community support, environmental factors and cost. The DAF will now conduct environmental impact analyses at each base, which are expected to be completed later this year before final decisions are made. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Top MOD leaders highlight the importance of the transatlantic alliance at GLOBSEC Ministry of Defence of The Slovak Republic 30.05.2023 Over the past few days, Defence Minister Martin Sklenar and Deputy Defence Minister Marian Majer have participated in the GLOBSEC 2023 Bratislava Forum, engaging in panel discussions on topical defence and security issues in the context of Russia's aggression against Ukraine driving a change in the security environment. At GLOBSEC, Defence Minister Martin Sklenar has taken part in two panel discussions titled Strengthening Deterrence Capabilities in the 21st Century' and NATO: Bigger, Better, Stronger'. Discussing the strengthening of NATO and partner countries' deterrent capabilities, he praised the unity of the Alliance as a crucial element of deterrence, saying: "If unity and cohesion, in our case those of NATO and EU countries, are part of deterrence against an existing threat, then it is precisely our alliance that acts as the biggest deterrent for the aggressor. Deterrence works not only because we are united, but also because other countries are signing up for the initiatives supporting Ukraine." Appearing on the Defending the Barricades: NATO's Presence on the Eastern Flank' panel discussion, Deputy Defence Minister Marian Majer noted that the North Atlantic Alliance is ready to face challenges better than ever before and that this is especially so for the Allied countries on the eastern flank. Whilst at GLOBSEC, Martin Sklenar and Marian Majer have taken the opportunity to hold bilateral talks with their partners from Ukraine, Germany and Lithuania as well as with representatives of the private sector. GLOBSEC, supported by the SVK Ministry of Defence, serves as a unique forum for subject matter experts from various professional backgrounds, taking place in a relatively small space which presents a concentrated opportunity for the international security community to have fruitful discussions and meetings. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Government endorses procurement of 246 infantry fighting vehicles Ministry of Defence & Armed Forces of the Czech Republic 31.5.2023 Author: by editorial staff The Government of the Czech Republic authorised the procurement of 246 CV90 infantry fighting vehicles for CZK 59.7 billion and on the very same day, the Director General of the MoD Armaments and Acquisition Division Lubor Koudelka signed an agreement with the Swedish party. Under the leadership of Minister Cernochova, the MoD contracted for the acquisition of fighting vehicles less than a year after the previous tender was discontinued. We are embarking on the realization phase nine years after the decision to procure these vehicles which are necessary to deliver the key commitments to the Alliance, that is, to build a heavy infantry brigade by 2026. We are procuring vehicles that meet the requirements of the Czech Armed Forces. The contract also ensures that the participation of the Czech defence industry will amount to at least 40% of this contract. "The procurement of infantry vehicles is an important milestone for building a heavy brigade, modernizing armed forces, and for strengthening our defence posture," Minister Cernochova said. Despite all proclamations, governments in the preceding two electoral terms did not fulfil this commitment. The previous competitive bidding ended in failure in 2021. None of the tenderers whose offers had been rejected by the previous MoD leadership accepted the adjustments of the tender conditions which had been recommended by the legal study commissioned by Minister Cernochova, meaning the tender had to be cancelled. Therefore, the Government authorised the Minister of Defence to negotiate the procurement of CV90 infantry fighting vehicles directly with the Government of the Kingdom of Sweden. This vehicle was chosen because it is the only combat proven vehicle, it is used in various European countries and it fulfils the requirements of the Czech Armed Forces. The Czech Republic is going to acquire 246 units of CV90, including 29 maintenance vehicles, training, spare parts, and other accessories for approximately CZK 59.7 billion including VAT, which is approximately CZK 49.3 billion excluding VAT. The Czech Armed Forces previously demanded 210 pieces and the possibility of an option for another 36 pieces in the future. In the end, decided decision was made to acquire all 246 pieces. "Past experience with different vehicles proved that sufficient stock reserves are necessary. Furthermore, due to a worsened security situation, prices of equipment are constantly increasing. That is why we decided to accept the favourable Swedish offer which observes the original unit price," the Director General of the MoD Armaments and Acquisition Division explained. It was possible to keep the original price also thanks to the cooperation with Slovakia which is purchasing these vehicles for Slovak Armed Forces as well. "With today's signature of the contract, we are welcoming the Czech Republic to the expanding family of CV90 infantry fighting vehicle users. It is a vehicle designed for harsh conditions and difficult terrain which was also tested in combat during international missions. Introduction of this first class Swedish-developed vehicle will strengthen not only the Czech Armed Forces, but NATO as well," Swedish Minister of Defence Pal Jonson stated. As part of the contract, Sweden undertakes that the participation of the Czech defence industry will amount to at least 40% of the contract value. In case of non-compliance, sanctions will be imposed. This means that Czech industries will have the opportunity to cooperate on the production of vehicles for the Czech Armed Forces and also, after agreement with the producer, to potentially participate in future contracts with other European countries. The Swedish producer BAE Systems-Hagglunds is responsible for the involvement of Czech companies. Prior to signing the contract with the Czech Government, BAE signed contracts with major Czech subcontractors - state-owned enterprise VOP CZ, VR Group a.s. (owned by LOM PRAHA state enterprise) and the companies Excalibur Army, Meopta, and Ray Service. Approximately 30 Czech companies will cooperate on the contract and the estimated participation on the overall value during the realization of the contract will exceed the "mandatory" mark of 40%. In the past, the involvement of the state-owned enterprise VOP CZ and its participation in the project, namely the contract-based calculation of its share in the overall participation of Czech industry, was questioned. Transactions for VOP or other state-owned enterprises are, in some aspects, considered to be accounting more, as under the 2030 Armaments and Defence Industry Development Support in the Czech Republic Strategy, VOP as a state-owned enterprise holds a key position for ensuring the security of supplies in the vital cycle of military materiel. The conflict in Ukraine has shown that having enterprises with such capabilities in our territory and under the control of the state is an essential strategic advantage that determines the power to defend our territory. The contractual provision of the whole agreement is specific. Two contracts were signed - firstly, a bilateral agreement between the Czech Republic and the Kingdom of Sweden, represented by the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV), which regulates civil and military cooperation with regard to the procurement of infantry fighting vehicles. Furthermore, the agreement ensures close cooperation between the Czech Republic and the Kingdom of Sweden for decades. Secondly, a tripartite agreement was signed between the Czech Ministry of Defence, the Swedish agency FMV and BAE Systems Hagglunds, the manufacturer of the vehicles. The subject matter of the agreement is the procurement of the CV90 vehicles itself. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Moldova: Press remarks by the High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell at the handover of EPF financed equipment European External Action Service (EEAS) 31.05.2023 Chisinau EEAS Press Team Check against delivery! Thank you, dear Minister of Defence [Anatolie Nosatii]. Thank you, dear Minister of Foreign Affairs [and European Integration, Deputy Prime Minister, Nicu Popescu]. I want to say hello to all representatives of local authorities and institutions, to distinguished guests and partners of this ceremony. I am very glad to be here, at this impressive, I would not say beautiful, but really impressive - Museum of the National Army, which is also the Museum of History of Moldova. I am here to demonstrate our firm support to Moldova. But our support should not be something abstract. I want to present concrete, visible and tangible results of our security and defence cooperation. We have seen it, we have touched it - we have even weighed [it]. We are handing over this first [batch of] equipment provided through the European Peace Facility (EPF) to Moldova. It will support the military medical and explosive ordnance disposal capacities of your national army. It includes drones, laptops, Explosive Ordnance Disposal suits, ultrasound machines, individual protection kits and surgery sets. As you see, there is no lethal [equipment]. But an army is something more just than arms. Behind the arms, there is a lot of logistics, a lot of surgery, transport, fueling, control, observation capacities. And this is what we try to support you to develop. And this is just the start, Minister. This is just the start. It is part of a first step of our support under the European Peace Facility, which amounts to 87 million. But more equipment will come in the next months, [such as] ambulances, mobile demining robots, metal detectors, radios, radars. Our support will continue to reflect the challenges that Moldova is facing. Our support will be responding to the emergencies provoked by Russia's aggression against Ukraine, and we will provide you, as I said, for example, with an air surveillance radar. Someone asked me: "How can you protect us?". Well, [by] looking at what is happening in the sky. This is [why] surveillance radars are very much needed. This will enhance Moldova's air security in the future. This support will help modernise Moldova's defence sector and will build your capacity to take part in our civilian and military missions around the world, contributing to our peace-building efforts. As I said, our support from the European Peace Facility is just one part of our comprehensive cooperation on security and defence. Moments ago, earlier today, together with you, dear Minister, we officially inaugurated the new civilian mission to Moldova (European Union Partnership Mission in Moldova), where European experts will be working jointly with Moldovan counterparts to enhance Moldova's capacity in cybersecurity, in combatting hybrid threats, and countering disinformation. Last month, we established a new sanctions regime to target those involved in attempts to destabilise the country and immediately after - yesterday - we sanctioned the first group of individuals. Dear Ministers, we will continue working jointly. We will contribute to the security, stability, and prosperity of both Moldova and its people, that have endured this history that this Museum keeps the memory of - [an] impressive memory of the sufferance of the Moldovan people on their way to their independence - and making you stronger. As I said, we - also - will be stronger and [more] secure. Thank you. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chengdu topped the ranking of the new first-tier cities in China according to the Ranking of Cities' Business Attractiveness in China 2023 released by the Rising Lab on Tuesday. Using urban big data from 17 internet companies and data agencies, the research branch of Shanghai media group Yicai, evaluated 337 cities at the prefecture level and above based on five first-level dimensions: concentration of commercial resources, city hub, activity of city residents, diversity of lifestyle and future plasticity. The 15 new first-tier cities in the 2023 list are Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Suzhou, Xi'an, Nanjing, Changsha, Tianjin, Zhengzhou, Dongguan, Qingdao, Kunming, Ningbo and Hefei. Compared with the previous year, Kunming returned to the new first-tier, replacing Foshan which had previously been climbing. Former new first-tier cities Shenyang and Wuxi dropped to the second-tier. Moldova: Press remarks by the High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell at the launch of the EU Partnership Mission in Chisinau European External Action Service (EEAS) 31.05.2023 Chisinau EEAS Press Team Check against delivery! Minister [of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Deputy Prime Minister, Nicu] Popescu, dear friend, Minister [Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ana] Revenco, Head of Mission, Ambassadors, distinguished guests and colleagues, I am very happy today to be here, in Chisinau, to celebrate the official inauguration of the European Union Partnership Mission in Moldova. Thank you for allocating this fantastic building to the mission. You know that Moldova is one of the countries most directly affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Everybody is being affected - mostly the Ukrainians, and Moldovans also. In addition, Russia is trying to destabilise Moldova, with interference and with hybrid actions. I am here to send a clear message: Moldova is not alone. You are our strategic partner. You are a future European Union member. Today, the deployment of this mission is another important political sign of the European Union's support in these current difficult circumstances. This mission will join another 12 [EU] civilian missions around the world. Here, we have the head of these missions - all of them [Stefano Tomat]. I know how complicated it is to manage 12 civilian missions all around the world. This will be another one, a very important one. A very important one because here, in Moldova, we are facing real challenges, and that is why this mission is an innovative mission, based on three pillars. First, it has to contribute to strengthening the crisis management capacities of the security sector of Moldova. We all have been impressed by the solidarity that Moldova has shown with the refugees fleeing Ukraine. I was here in the first days when the war started [and] I witnessed this solidarity with hundreds of thousands of people fleeing and escaping Ukraine. I was also impressed by the professionalism of your services in managing it. So, congratulations to the Minister of Internal Affairs [Ana Revenco]. This mission will also provide a further strategic and operational support to prepare you better for future crises. Secondly, the mission will assist in enhancing resilience to face hybrid threats - especially cybersecurity - and countering foreign information manipulation and interference, which is a danger that is growing and growing everywhere and putting our democracies at risk. This will require developing strategies and policies, identifying the necessary capacity building for early warning, detection, attribution of threats, and effective response to them. And finally, thirdly, the mission will have a project cell offering targeted operational support to help Moldova respond in both areas. Overall, the aim of the mission is to strengthen Moldova's resilience. And once again, I am very pleased to be here with the EU Civilian Operation Commander, Stefano Tomat - please, Stefano, take a lot of care of this mission - and to introduce the Head of Mission, Ambassador Cosmin Dinescu. We are here with an initial team of 15 people [as] staff. This team will grow to at least 40 staff in the coming weeks. I want to thank all [those] who worked to put this mission in place, in a very short time. The deployment of this new civilian mission is part of our strong commitment to work hand in hand with Moldova on comprehensive cooperation on security and defence. Defence is not just the military [side], it is also the civilian side. But also, the European Peace Facility (EPF) will be providing 87 million of non-lethal support to enhance national security, stability and resilience in the defence sector. I want to stress that it is non-lethal arms. It is non-lethal support, but you know, an army needs a lot of logistics, a lot of organisation. It needs a lot of things which are not arms and this will be provided by this 87 million of support. Allow me to say something that I think is important and interesting. Last month, we established a new sanctions regime to target people involved in trying to destabilise this country. Yesterday, we sanctioned the first group of individuals . They are Moldovan and Russian politicians and businessmen, linked to this famous "Bank Fraud" case, which resulted in huge losses for the Moldovan budget, such as Ilan Shor, or Vladimir Plahotniuc, or the parliamentarian Marina Tauber. Others, like Gheorghe Cavcaliuc or Igor Chaika, that are linked to efforts orchestrated by the Kremlin to destabilise Moldova through, for instance, the planning of violent demonstrations, by financial misconduct, unauthorised exports of capital, and support to the Russian Federal Security Service. This is the first time that we make use of this dedicated sanctions regime for Moldova. But this list is not final. We are ready to use this new [sanctions] regime any time again when we see attempts to destabilise Moldova economically or politically. Ultimately, the European Union presence in Moldova is driven by a shared goal: to ensure peace, to ensure security and stability of both the citizens of Moldova and the citizens of the European Union, because we are facing the same challenges. And by making you stronger, by making Moldova stronger, we make also the European Union stronger. So, you can count on our support. We are [all] in the same boat. Thank you. Q&A (at app 29:40") Q. On the security situation in the region, we are very close to the Ukrainian border, and considering the situation that has been escalating, I wanted to ask you if you agree with the recent statements made by the United Kingdom State Secretary Cleverly, that there are certain times when it is appropriate for Ukraine to attack a military target in Russia? The other security issue in the Balkans refers to the security in Kosovo. You will have the leaders of the two countries at the meeting tomorrow. Will you try to put them at the same table, considering that you are pushing for the accord between the two countries? You know, I am not a commentator of other people's declarations. About the situation in Kosovo, I take this opportunity to repeat that the European Union condemns in the strongest possible terms the violent acts against citizens, against the KFOR troops, against media, against law enforcement, in front of the municipal premises in the north of Kosovo. And we stand firmly behind NATO's mission - behind KFOR - behind our [EU Rule of Law] mission EULEX in fulfilling their mandate. They have been showing an incredible amount of professionalism in fulfilling this difficult mission. They deserve all our support. At the same time, I have to say that any unilateral action has to be avoided and calm has to be restored urgently. Violent protests and acts of violence are not acceptable. An investigation on what was happening on 29 May has to take place and [the] perpetrators have to be held accountable because the safety and the security of the citizens should be fully guaranteed. So therefore, we urge Kosovo and Serbia to immediately and unconditionally de-escalate. We expect Serbia and Kosovo to act responsibly and engage immediately in our facilitated Dialogue to find a sustainable solution for the situation in the north of Kosovo. The escalation took place against clear calls from the European Union, in particular from me, to avoid it. And it could have been avoided. Shall the parties fail to de-escalate, it will have consequences in our bilateral relations. Q. [In Russian - Can the EU protect Moldova against Russian threats?] We know there is dissatisfaction from the Russian Federation towards Moldova, that is why we try to support you, that is why we try to support you with this civilian mission and by providing non-lethal equipment to your armed forces. And among them, there are radars that can scrutinise what is happening in the sky, and detect any attempt to attack you. Q. Is there any possibility that tomorrow, as part of the Summit, you will try and convene the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia in order to defuse tensions? And secondly, what symbol or signal do you hope that tomorrow's summit sends to Vladimir Putin in Moscow? I have been talking with Prime Minister of Kosovo [Albin Kurti] this morning, a couple of hours [ago in Bratislava]. And tomorrow, I hope that I will be able to meet the President [Aleksandar] Vucic from Serbia to pass the same message. We need to de-escalate. We have to defuse [the tensions]. We have to condemn the violence against the police, against the media. We have to ask the perpetrators to be held accountable, and we have to de-escalate and go back to the [Belgrade-Pristina] Dialogue. There is no other solution. There is no other solution than Dialogue in order to implement the past agreements. I hope that they will be able to get it. But I have to say that we have gone too far and the levels of violence that we witnessed at the beginning of this week have to stop immediately. Otherwise, the situation can become very dangerous. And the message to everybody is clear: the European Political Community is something more than the European Union. The European Union is a set of countries linked by a lot of agreements, treaties [and] common policies but around the European Union Member States, there are many other States. Some want to become members [of the European Union], others do not want. But anyway, they share the same principles, the same values, the same attachment to freedom, economic prosperity and social cohesion. And these are our values, this is our strength, this is our model. And it is good that everybody that shares this meets together in order to stress "here we are, a political community, refusing war, defending the United Nations Charter, the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of everybody and in particular today, Ukraine". Q. I am just wondering what your reaction is to the fact that it seems that President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan of Turkey is not going to attend the Summit. Is that a disappointment? What kind of message does this send given Turkey's importance as a geopolitical power and a part of this broader European community that this Summit represents? I am one of the most modest members of this assembly. I am not a Head of State or government, I am just the one in charge of building the foreign policy of the European Union. And surely I - personally - would have appreciated a lot to have here the Turkish representative and, in particular, President Erdogan who has just won the elections. Q. In your opinion, would it be appropriate in any circumstances for Ukraine to launch an attack on Russian military assets? I am in charge of building a foreign policy, and I am supposed to be taking very much care of what I am saying and of what you want me to say. Q. [in Romanian - on remarks regarding Moldova's EU entry with a frozen conflict on its territory - Transnistria] There are precedents of Member States that became Member States having a territorial problem inside - that is the case of Cyprus. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Minister of Foreign Affairs Tsahkna to British colleague: grey areas in Europe only exacerbate instability Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs 31.05.2023 Yesterday, on 30 May, Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna met with UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly in Tallinn to discuss continued support for Ukraine, the security situation in Europe, and deepening bilateral cooperation. During the meeting, Tsahkna thanked the United Kingdom for contributing to the security of Estonia and Europe, including to strengthening NATO's eastern flank. "The United Kingdom is a close ally NATO," Tsahkna said. "The United Kingdom made a significant contribution to Estonia's freedom already in 1918, when we first became independent from Russian rule, and continues to do so today." "We are pleased to continue to host the UK-led eFP Battlegroup in Estonia, and we appreciate your contribution to the Baltic Air Policing mission from Amari Air Base," Tsahkna said. The Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed that while we are protected and secure here in Tallinn, a brutal war is being waged by Russia at the heart of Europe, in Ukraine. "Aggression as a means of international relations must be completely discredited, and the idea of spheres of influence belongs in the trash heap of history," he said, adding that there should be no grey zones in European security. "We have learned from history that grey areas only exacerbate instability." "Now that Ukraine is fighting for its freedom and the right to choose its allies, we need to show that as an Alliance, we are ready to take a step toward what we promised to them in Bucharest 15 years ago," Tsahkna said. "The way to achieve that goal is for Ukraine to one day become a member of the Alliance." Estonia and the United Kingdom are also linked through their cooperation in developing new and breakthrough technologies, including the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA). "This will help us further strengthen our cooperation in developing cybersecurity and digital solutions," Tsahkna said, adding that cooperation with the UK will also help to maintain the integrity of Ukraine's digital sector. Tsahkna also praised the United Kingdom for its leadership in supporting Ukraine. "The UK has done a remarkable job of helping Ukraine through its leadership of the coalition of tanks and aircrafts and by organising this year's Ukraine Recovery Conference." Today, Tsahkna and his UK colleague will travel to Oslo, Norway, for an informal meeting of foreign ministers of NATO. The meeting will focus on preparations for the Vilnius Summit on 11-12 July and feature discussions on the security situation in Europe and practical and political support for Ukraine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Statement by President von der Leyen at the joint press conference with Moldovan President Sandu European Commission Statement 31 May 2023 Chisinau President Sandu, dear Maia, It is wonderful to be back in Chisinau. Indeed, Moldova is this week the political heart of Europe. And I think it is natural and self-explaining that the second Summit of the European Political Community takes place in Moldova. Because your country embodies Europe's core values. That is solidarity, which you showed towards the Ukrainian refugees; resilience, which you showed to Russia's blackmail; and unity which you showed to link your destiny to the European Union. It was very moving to see a sea of European flags here in Chisinau's streets last week. And my message to the people of Moldova is that we stand by you. We support you every step of the way on your path to the European Union. And today, I am glad to announce a new support package for Moldova with a double objective: We want to support you to address the impact of the war on your doorstep. And we want to bring you closer to the European Union. This package has five very concrete initiatives. First, indeed, we will lower the roaming charges between the European Union and Moldova. Today, the telecom operators signed an agreement, which I warmly welcome, to lower data and voice roaming starting next year. And I think it is a very good step which will benefit the people and our companies. Because indeed, cheaper roaming is good for the business, and it is good for the people. This is our experience, too. It literally connects people. The second point is that we will provide additional economic support. Since October 2021, the European Union has provided more than EUR 1 billion to Moldova. This includes EUR 300 million in macro-financial assistance for this year. Now on top of this, we are stepping up support with our Economic and Investment Plan for Moldova. Our initial target was to reach EUR 600 million of additional investments. The good news is that we will be almost tripling that amount. Indeed, with the additional financing that we will mobilise, we can now leverage up to EUR 1.6 billion. And that will bring great opportunities for Moldova's companies, so this will be a direct investment into the economy. The third strand of the package is support for the energy sector - you mentioned it. The energy crisis provoked by Russia is still hurting Moldova. We are here to support you both with short-term and with long-term measures. For the short term, we will provide more than EUR 100 million to cover the immediate needs. That is, for example, to help the vulnerable people and households, to make residential buildings more energy efficient and, of course, to prepare for the next winter. I am very pleased that Moldova is participating in our European Union's common gas purchasing mechanism. This is a platform where all the Member States are aligned, and we go to the gas market to have the best offers. Moldova is part of this gas purchasing platform. And it is already a big success because we could see that 80% of the volumes of gas that you have requested via this platform have already been matched. This is very important because it means better prices and reliable suppliers. I think this will help ensure Moldova's security of gas supply enormously. And looking at the long term for energy, we are working together in a way that we will fund projects to facilitate Moldova's integration into our European Union's energy market. So, we will invest in renewable energy, which is crucial to reduce your dependency on fossil fuels. And we will work on electricity interconnections, with two new high voltage power lines between Moldova and Romania. Finally, a brief look at the transport networks: For this, we will make available EUR 50 million for the rehabilitation of railway lines as part of the European solidarity lanes. My fourth point is on security and resilience. Earlier this month, the European Union agreed a EUR 40 million package for Moldova to finance military supplies and strengthen your armed forces, including through technical training. Now we want to further increase the European Peace Facility support to Moldova. We clearly see, dear Maia, how Russia is trying to destabilise Moldova with hybrid actions. So, we are stepping up our support to increase your resilience against Russia's hybrid threats. We have just launched a Partnership Mission to provide you with strategic advice on crisis management and hybrid threats, for instance cybersecurity and countering foreign interference. My final point is about Moldova's reforms to advance on the EU path. I can clearly see that you are making big progress. This is good to see, and it is amazing. And we will support you to advance even faster. This is why we will now significantly increase the number of staff of our EU Delegation in Chisinau. It is basically to support you in the development of the reforms but also to support you to build the administrative capacity that is necessary. Let me end, dear Maia, by thanking you for hosting us here in Chisinau. The presence of 50 European leaders, 50 Heads of State or Government right now in Moldova, in Chisinau, gives a very strong message. Moldova is at the heart of Europe. Moldova is Europe. And today and tomorrow, the whole of Europe is Moldova. Thank you very much. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Statement by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock prior to her departure for the Informal Meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Oslo Germany Federal Foreign Office 31.05.2023 - Press release I am pleased that Norway has taken up the baton of this still young tradition of conducting an informal meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers, which Germany established only last year. Like at last year's meeting in Berlin, our task in Oslo will be to prepare for the upcoming NATO Summit of the Heads of State and Government, by getting an overview of the current security policy situation and jointly addressing the core strategic issues facing the North Atlantic Alliance. In this context it is clear that Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and against the international order, which has now been raging for more than 450 days, must not be allowed to become normality. Every day of the war, every new Russian drone and missile attack, will prompt us only to provide even more support for the Ukrainian people in their self-defence and their fight for peace. Here, NATO is absolutely vital for the security of us all. For Putin has demonstrated that he will ride roughshod over any norm that is not defended by force. That is why, in Oslo, we will also talk about how we can resolutely strengthen NATO's capabilities for defence and deterrence - not only for today and tomorrow, but for the coming years, so that people everywhere in our Alliance can enjoy security. We have taken a tremendous step towards strengthening the Alliance with Finland becoming its 31st member. The next logical step is now for Sweden to join - as we all agreed together at the last NATO Summit in Madrid. It remains the aim of the Federal Government for the Vilnius Summit to have 32 Allies seated at the table. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Informal meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Oslo: getting ready for the summit in Vilnius Germany Federal Foreign Office 31.05.2023 - Article On 31 May and 1 June, the NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs will be meeting in Oslo. Their agenda will focus on getting ready for the summit in Vilnius in early July. This, however, is no ordinary ministerial meeting. Norway is only the second country to host a NATO meeting of an informal nature. The Ministers will meet here in a very small and confidential setting. Instead of a pre-structured programme, the plan is to enable a more open, direct and interactive exchange. In concrete terms, this means that only Ministers will be in the room, without their advisors. No prepared statements will be read; instead, Ministers will engage in discourse and discussions and have a genuine debate. Foreign Minister Baerbock emphasised: I am pleased that Norway has taken up the baton of this still young tradition of conducting an informal meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers, which Germany established only last year. Like at last year's meeting in Berlin, our task in Oslo will be to prepare for the upcoming NATO Summit of the Heads of State and Government, by getting an overview of the current security policy situation and jointly addressing the core strategic issues facing the North Atlantic Alliance. Topics to be addressed at the meeting: drawing the relevant conclusions from the war of aggression against Ukraine The main focus of the discussions of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs will be preparing for the Vilnius Summit in early July. One key topic will be further development of NATO's partnership with Ukraine. Ministers will also look at how to continue supporting Ukraine's defensive efforts and its fight for peace against Russia's attack, which has lasted for more than 450 days so far. Another issue will be what conclusions NATO must draw for its own security from Russia's aggressive conduct. NATO is the key pillar for Euro-Atlantic security. "That is why, in Oslo, we will also talk about how we can resolutely strengthen NATO's capabilities for defence and deterrence - not only for today and tomorrow, but for the coming years, so that people everywhere in our Alliance can enjoy security," the Foreign Minister said ahead of the meeting. In this connection, Ministers will discuss reaffirming what is known as the Defence Investment Pledge, as well as how to strengthen the resilience of critical infrastructure in the Alliance. This includes, for example, critical undersea infrastructure. Ratification of Sweden's membership still needed from Turkey and Hungary There is little time to obtain ratification so that Sweden can join the Alliance prior to the Vilnius Summit in early July. Hungary has repeatedly declared that it will ratify before Turkey does, as soon as the required steps have been taken there. Now that Turkey's new parliament has been formed, there is the opportunity to swiftly bring before it a motion to ratify Sweden's accession to NATO. Foreign Minister Baerbock made the following comments on this before her departure: We have taken a tremendous step towards strengthening the Alliance with Finland becoming its 31st member. The next logical step is now for Sweden to join - as we all mutually agreed at the last NATO Summit in Madrid. It remains the aim of the Federal Government for the Vilnius Summit to have 32 Allies seated at the table. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Press briefing by Minister of Foreign Affairs Anniken Huitfeldt Government of Norway Speech/statement | Date: 31/05/2023 By Minister of Foreign Affairs Anniken Huitfeldt Press briefing by Minister Huitfeldt held May 31 before NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Oslo. Welcome to Oslo and to the second informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers. It is a pleasure for Norway to be hosting this meeting at this crucial time. Because there is a war in Europe, it is important for the NATO foreign ministers to maintain close contact. It further cements the already strong unity within the Alliance. All 31 member countries and invitee Sweden will participate. The meeting is the final meeting of foreign ministers before the NATO summit in Vilnius in July. A primary focus for discussions here in Oslo will be our continued relations with and support for Ukraine. Long-term civilian and military support to Ukraine is essential. Norway is doing its part with the Nansen Support Programme for Ukraine. This multi-year support programme will provide almost 7 billion Euro over a period of five years. Norway is a major contributor to NATO's Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine, which is another important long-term commitment. But most importantly, this meeting will reaffirm our strong transatlantic ties and to address common challenges in our neighbourhood. The war in Ukraine has highlighted how important NATO is to our security. This meeting provides an opportunity for me to draw attention to the important role Norway plays as NATO in the north. Maintaining a presence in the High North is one of Norway's most important tasks in the alliance. With the war in Ukraine, Russia is weakened conventionally. But the strategic nuclear arsenal is still in place close to our border. We are monitoring military activity in the region closely. Another of Norway's key tasks is to ensure a stable energy supply to Europe. We have 80 installations at sea and almost 8800 km of pipelines. We take our responsibility as the main supplier of gas to Europe very seriously. This implies strengthened surveillance related to critical energy infrastructure. Lessons from the last year have showed the link between security and energy security. We welcome NATO's engagement in efforts to protect critical infrastructure on the seabed. At the last meeting of Foreign Ministers in Brussels, we welcomed Finland into the Alliance. It was a special moment for the Nordic countries in the alliance. Now we are impatiently waiting for Sweden. I am glad my good Swedish colleague Mr Billstrm is here. Sweden now participates in NATO meetings as an official NATO Invitee. Sweden must become a fully-fledged NATO member as soon as possible, and before the summit in Vilnius in July. With the Nordic region united in NATO, the alliance will be stronger. Thank you. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Polish-Bosnian political consultations in Warsaw Republic of Poland - Ministry of Foreign Affairs 31.05.2023 The Russian aggression against Ukraine, the EU's enlargement process, and compensation for losses suffered as a result of World War IIthese were the central themes of the talks Secretary of State Arkadiusz Mularczyk held with Deputy Foreign Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina Josip Brkic. The political consultations focused on the developments in Ukraine. Both diplomats highlighted the importance of solidarity and support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Deputy Minister Brkic stressed that difficult wartime experiences of Bosnia and Herzegovina's citizens have led to a better understanding of victims of the conflict and a genuine readiness to provide humanitarian aid. Despite the fact that Bosnian political elites differ in their assessment of the war, the issue of helping Ukrainian refugees is subject to a nationwide compromise. The two officials agreed that Russia's actions pose a challenge not only to Ukraine, as it is struggling with direct military aggression, but also to the whole Western Balkans region, which is exposed to numerous hybrid threats. Deputy Minister Mularczyk pointed out that Poland, as is the case with Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia, supports the European ambitions of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as of other Western Balkan countries, and has been actively promoting their membership of European structures. Deputy Foreign Minister Brkic thanked for the support Poland has provided to date and for its technical assistance. Moreover, he called for the acceleration of the integration process, particularly in the context of the ever-growing involvement of third countries. The talks also covered German reparations for Poland for the losses suffered as a result of World War II. Deputy Minister Mularczyk presented his interlocutor with the methodology used to compile a report on the issue and with plans for Poland's future actions to obtain war compensation. Very good relations between the two countries were emphasised. The deputy head of the Polish MFA also stressed that establishing a direct air link between Warsaw and Sarajevo last year provided an impetus to developing economic cooperation. A better transport link means not only growing trade but also increased cultural, social, and tourist contacts. MFA Press Office NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement on incidents in Northern Kosovo Republic of Poland - Ministry of Foreign Affairs 31.05.2023 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its serious concern about the increase of tensions in Northern Kosovo and strongly condemns the unprovoked attacks on NATO troops taking part in the KFOR operation, which resulted in several dozen of Allied soldiers being wounded. The aim of the international forces' presence in Kosovo is to ensure security of all inhabitants of the region. We express our solidarity with the KFOR soldiers wounded while on duty. We call on all sides to refrain from unilateral actions, which can cause the situation to escalate. We urge them to halt violence, deescalate the situation, and return to dialogue under the auspices of the European Union, as well as to implement the agreement on the normalisation of relations between Serbia and Kosovo. MFA Press Office NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 27th Meeting of the Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border affairs (WMCC) India - Ministry of External Affairs May 31, 2023 The 27th Meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border affairs (WMCC) was held on 31st May 2023 in person in New Delhi. Joint Secretary (East Asia) from MEA led the Indian Delegation. The Chinese delegation was led by the DG of Boundary and Oceanic Affairs Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2. The two sides reviewed the situation along the LAC in Western Sector of India-China border areas and discussed proposals for disengagement in remaining areas in a frank and open manner. Restoration of peace and tranquillity will create conditions for normalising bilateral relations. 3. In order to achieve this objective, in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and protocols, they agreed to hold the next (19th) round of Senior Commander's meeting at an early date. The two sides agreed to continue discussions through military and diplomatic channels. New Delhi May 31, 2023 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A look at Defence news 22 - 28 May Netherlands Ministry of Defence News item | 31-05-2023 The EU Defence Ministers met in Brussels this week. The topics discussed included military support to Ukraine, scaling up production capacity and new defence projects. Netherlands Minister of Defence Kajsa Ollongren informed the council that the Netherlands will be contributing 260 million to a joint ammunition procurement initiative for Ukraine. Red Berets train in combat operations in Greece during Swift Response Soldiers from 11 Airmobile Brigade participated in the multinational airborne exercise Swift Response, which took place in Greece. An important element of the exercise was the deployment of a medical unit. Training for the entire operational medical chain was completed in realistic conditions. Netherlands Air Force trains in smart use of tactical networks in future air operations Integrating multiple tactical networks while in the air was the focus of a US-led experiment in future helicopter operations. The smart use of systems allows targets to be disabled before they pose a serious threat. The Royal Netherlands Air Force took part in this Experimental Demonstration Gateway Event. First drugs haul for HNLMS Groningen since return to the Caribbean HNLMS Groningen has made its first drugs capture since the Royal Netherlands Navy ship returned to the Caribbean recently. Over 500 kilos of marijuana was intercepted during the operation. Ministers discuss Belgian-Dutch cooperation in Den Helder Netherlands Minister of Defence Kajsa Ollongren and her Belgian counterpart Ludivine Dedonder discussed Belgian-Dutch maritime cooperation during a joint visit to the Royal Netherlands Navy in Den Helder. 75 years of UN peacekeeping missions A ceremony was held at the Malieveld in The Hague to commemorate 75 years of UN peacekeeping missions. Several peacekeepers shared their experiences. Netherlands Minister of Defence Kajsa Ollongren and Netherlands Chief of Defence General Onno Eichelsheim laid a wreath in honour of all military and civilian personnel deployed on UN missions. The event had been organised by the Dutch Association for the United Nations. Margraten: symbol of a lasting European-American bond A US Memorial Day service was held at the American Cemetery in Margraten, Limburg, commemorating the American soldiers who died in Europe during the Second World War fighting for our freedom. During the service, Netherlands Minister of Defence Kajsa Ollongren remarked on how the service honours the sacrifice of many young American men and women. Their sacrifices are marked by the white crosses and stars of David that stretch over the hills at Margraten, a confirmation of the lasting bond between Europe and the United States. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sudan army suspends participation in ceasefire talks Iran Press TV Wednesday, 31 May 2023 7:30 PM Sudan's army has suspended its participation in the Saudi-backed talks with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces to end months of fighting. Despite peace efforts, fighting continued unabated in the African country on Wednesday, with the army and the RSF trading blame over truce violations. Brigadier Nabil Abdalla, a spokesman for the army, said that the decision was taken in light of repeated breaches of ceasefire by the paramilitary group. He said the RSF also failed to implement a provision that required their withdrawal from hospitals and residential buildings. The RSF in a statement accused the army of halting the talks in the Saudi port city of Jeddah so that it could undermine them and of violating the ceasefire by using airpower and heavy artillery to attack its positions. The African Union (AU) later on Wednesday said the suspension of talks should not discourage further attempts at mediation. "In difficult negotiations, it is a classic phenomenon that one party suspends or threatens to suspend" its participation, said Mohamed El Hacen Lebatt, chief of staff to the AU Commission president, and its spokesman for the Sudan crisis. "But that should absolutely not discourage the mediators... the United States and Saudi Arabia, who we support very strongly, from continuing their efforts." Until late on Tuesday, intense clashes were reported in Khartoum, with residents reporting intensive fighting in all three of the adjoining cities that make up Sudan's greater capital around the confluence of the Nile - Khartoum, Omdurman and Khartoum North. Areas of the capital have been hit by widespread looting and frequent cuts to power and water supplies. Most hospitals have been put out of service. Some aid agencies, embassies and parts of Sudan's central government have moved operations to Port Sudan, in Sudan's Red Sea state, the main shipping hub which has seen little unrest. The new development comes after US and Saudi mediators on Sunday announced that the warring sides had agreed to extend a humanitarian truce by another five days. The war has forced nearly 1.4 million people to flee their homes, including more than 350,000 who have crossed into neighboring countries. More than six weeks into the conflict, the United Nations estimated that more than half the population require aid and protection. Leaders of the army and the RSF had held the top positions on Sudan's ruling council since former leader Omar al-Bashir was toppled during a popular uprising in 2019. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UAE rejects Western media's 'mischaracterization' of talks with US over Persian Gulf security Iran Press TV Wednesday, 31 May 2023 4:31 PM The United Arab Emirates has rejected the Western media's "mischaracterization" of the country's talks with the United States over the Persian Gulf's security, and announced its withdrawal from a US-led maritime coalition in the region. In a report on Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal claimed that the Emirati decision to withdraw from the coalition came in frustration at the US failure to respond to what the newspaper claimed to be Iranian threats. Citing US and Persian Gulf officials, the US newspaper claimed the UAE was disappointed and had demanded the US take action against Iran after the recent seizure of oil tankers. In a statement, the UAE foreign ministry, however, said that the newspaper's report was inaccurate, saying it was a "mischaracterization" of the country's talks with Washington. The statement said the UAE is committed to peaceful dialogue and diplomatic engagement as a means of advancing the shared goals of regional security and stability. "The UAE remains committed to responsibly ensuring the safety of navigation in its seas," the UAE statement added. It, however, said the country is no longer part of a US-led maritime security coalition in the region, without giving any reason for its withdrawal from the coalition. "As a result of our ongoing evaluation of effective security cooperation with all partners, two months ago, the UAE withdrew its participation in the Combined Maritime Forces," said the statement, referring to the Bahrain-headquartered force, which was established in 2001 to purportedly fight terrorism and piracy in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf regions. Iran has seized a number of vessels in the Persian Gulf over the past years citing various violations, with the most recent seizures taking place in late April and early May. This month, a Panama-flagged oil tanker was confiscated by the naval units of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in the Hormuz Strait following a complaint by a plaintiff and on a judicial order. Nearly a week before that, the Iranian Army's Navy seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Sea of Oman, citing its involvement in a maritime accident with an Iranian fishing craft, which resulted in the injury and missing of a number of its crew. There have also been various encounters between Iranian forces and US warships in the waters over the past years. Iran says it views US military vessels in the Persian Gulf waters as a source of tension and instability in the region, stressing that countries in the region can well protect the Persian Gulf waters themselves if they work together. The UAE's withdrawal from the US-led coalition came amid warming ties between the Arab kingdom and Iran. Last month, Iran appointed a new envoy to the UAE, ending a seven-year absence of an Iranian ambassador in the country. Iran has also normalized relations with Saudi Arabia under a China-brokered deal that includes the reopening of the two countries' diplomatic missions in the respective countries. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Explosion kills five at Palestinian base in Lebanon: Lebanese security source Iran Press TV Wednesday, 31 May 2023 1:50 PM Five members of a Palestinian resistance group have been killed in an accidental blast overnight at a base near Lebanon's border with Syria, according to a Lebanese security source. "An old rocket exploded in an arms depot on the base and five fighters were killed," the security source told AFP, referring to the blast that killed members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command. However, a spokesman for the PFLP-GC has blamed Israel for the explosion, saying the Tel Aviv regime carried out overnight raids at the base in Qusaya. Anwar Raja told AFP that five fighters were killed and 10 wounded, adding that "for now we do not have more detailed information on the operation." An Israeli source, however, denied any involvement in the deadly blast. Back in August 2019, suspected Israeli strikes targeted the PFLP-GC in Qusaya. In July 2015, a security official also reported a blast at the PFLP-GC base in Qusaya, saying seven people were wounded, while the Palestinian group blamed it on an Israeli strike. The PFLP-GC was founded in 1968 after splitting from the similarly named Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. It has close ties to Lebanon's Hezbollah group as well as the Syrian government and has bases in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley as well as in al-Naameh, just south of Beirut. Its founder, Ahmed Jibril, was based in Damascus until he died in 2021. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Palau says Chinese vessel slowed over undersea cable during incursion into waters Palau has reported 4 unwanted forays into its waters by Chinese research vessels since 2018. By L.N. Reklai for BenarNews 2023.05.31 -- A Chinese research vessel appeared to show interest in Palau's undersea fiber optic cable during a days-long foray into the Pacific island country's waters, a government official said. Palau, one of a handful of Pacific nations to recognize Taiwan rather than Beijing and an ally of the United States, has reported four unwanted incursions into its remote waters by Chinese research vessels since 2018. "Clearly they [China] do not respect the rules-based order," Palau's President Surangel Whipps Jr. said on Tuesday. Whipps said his government will send a diplomatic note to China's embassy to the Federated States of Micronesia. The research vessel, Haiyang Dizhi Liuhao, entered Palau's exclusive economic zone without providing any notification on the afternoon of May 24, according to Palau's National Security Coordinator Jennifer Anson. "It slowed to about 1-2 knots as it passed over Palau's fiber optic cable. It continued with questionable maneuvers, passing about 45 nautical miles from Kayangel [Palau's northernmost state and islands]. Attempts by the Joint Operation Center to contact the vessel via VHF radio were unsuccessful," Anson said. Palau's dozens of islands, between the Philippines and Guam, have a combined land area of about 189 square miles - 2.5 times the size of Washington D.C. - and an exclusive economic zone spanning some 238,000 square miles of ocean. Under international law, nations have rights to economic exploitation of a 200 nautical mile zone around their land borders. The seas beyond a 12 nautical mile territorial zone are international waters so foreign vessels can pass through them. However unnotified research vessel activity in the exclusive economic zone could be perceived as an economic or security threat. Due to bad weather, Palau's maritime security force couldn't deploy its patrol boat or aircraft to intercept the Chinese vessel, according to the government. On Monday, the China-flagged ship appeared to be heading toward Micronesia. China's embassy in Micronesia did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. Island nations in the vast Pacific Ocean have become the focus of increased rivalry between China and the U.S. Growing Chinese influence. Beijing's influence in the region has increased over several decades through a combination of trade, infrastructure and aid as it seeks to isolate Taiwan diplomatically, gain allies in international institutions and advance its economic and security interests. The U.S. has recently sought to reinforce its close relationships with Palau, Micronesia and the Marshall islands in the militarily strategic northwestern Pacific. It provides economic assistance to the three countries and has rights to military control of their territories under compacts of free association. Palau, home to about 20,000 people, earlier this month signed an agreement for increased economic assistance from Washington. The U.S. military also plans to install over-the-horizon radar in Palau by 2026, adding to its early-warning capabilities for the western Pacific as China's military strength increases. The previous incursion by a Chinese vessel into Palau's waters was in July 2022 when the Yuan Wang 5 passed within 90 nautical waters of Palau's southwestern islands. Yuan Wang 5, which bristles with surveillance technology, has been described by China's state media as mainly undertaking "maritime tracking, monitoring and communication tasks concerning rockets, satellites, spaceships and China's space station." Another research vessel, Da Yang Hao, stayed in Palau's exclusive economic zone for seven days in December 2021. "Conducting research without authorization and carrying out questionable activities within Palau's waters threatens security and disregards sovereignty and rules-based order," Anson said. BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated news service. Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content May not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address EU Intensifies Effort To Calm Crisis In North Kosovo As Serb Protesters Rally By RFE/RL's Balkan Service May 31, 2023 European Union officials met on May 31 with Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Bratislava as part of international efforts to end a crisis in Kosovo that for days has drawn ethnic-Serb demonstrators into the streets of northern towns in the former province of Serbia. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell met Kurti on the sidelines of a security conference in Bratislava to discuss the tensions. "The current situation is dangerous and unsustainable," Borrell said on Twitter. "We need urgent de-escalation and a solution through the Dialogue to return to our work on implementing the Agreement reached." Kurti, who was also to meet with Miroslav Lajcak, the EU envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, has rejected a demand by the protesters in ethnic Serb-majority northern Kosovo to remove ethnic Albanian mayors whose forced entrance into municipal buildings in three towns in the region triggered a standoff after violent clashes with Kosovar police and KFOR troops. Ethnic Serb demonstrators gathered again on May 31 in Zubin Potok and Zvecan after clashes two days earlier in Zvecan and a vow from the largest Kosovar Serbian party to continue protests over the presence of the mayors, who were recently elected in a vote boycotted by ethnic Serbs. The Belgrade-backed Serbian List (Srpska Lista) said the protests will stop only when their demands for the removal of Kosovar Albanian mayors and the withdrawal of special police units from the north are met. Amid the presence of Kosovo police and KFOR troops, who have installed barbed-wire barricades around municipal buildings to keep protesters at bay, the situation in Zvecan, Leposaviq, and Zubin Potok was calm on May 31. NATO announced the day before plans to deploy 700 more troops to Kosovo to help stop the violent protests, and the leaders of France and Germany announced plans to meet top Serbia and Kosovo officials on June 1 at a summit in Moldova. Despite appeals by the United States and the European Union to return to dialogue, Kurti has insisted that the ethnic Albanian mayors have the legal right to take over municipal buildings in the towns where they were elected. Mayors of the three towns were sworn in despite a turnout of under 3.5 percent in the April 23 by-elections amid the Serb boycott. The United States has proposed allowing the mayors to work from locations other than the municipal buildings, but Kurti told RFE/RL in a brief interview in Bratislava before his meetings with the European leaders that such an order would be regarded as proof of a parallel structure being created within Kosovo. "What I am doing is my duty. There are parallel structures in the northern part of our country. If I would now order mayors to leave that office to another office somewhere elsewhere, it would be as if I am engaging in creating sort of a parallel structure to parallel structures, copying [Kosovo's Serb leaders] method. I would join their illegality. I cannot do that," he said, referring to Serbian structures that have been operating in the north of Kosovo since the 1998-99 war that led to Kosovo declaring independence from Serbia in 2008. Kurti made the comments after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on both Kosovo and Serbia to return to the European Union-mediate dialogue on the normalization of relations. Blinken reiterated that the Kosovar government's decision to forcefully install the mayors had escalated tensions "sharply and unnecessarily." Kurti and his government "should ensure that elected mayors perform their interim duties from alternative locations, outside municipal buildings, and withdraw police forces from there," Blinken said in a statement. Blinken also said Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and the Serbian government "should downgrade the security status of the Serbian Armed Forces and call on the Kosovo Serbs to stop defying KFOR and refrain from further violence." U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Jeffrey Hovenier said the decision of Kosovar authorities to forcibly install Albanian mayors led NATO to cancel Kosovo's participation in the alliance's largest military exercises in the Balkans. The NATO exercises began in Kosovo on May 21 and were set to last until June 2. Kurti decried the move as "unfortunate and unfair" in a statement to RFE/RL but reiterated that Washington remans an indispensable ally for Kosovo. With reporting by RFE/RL's Rikard Jozwiak in Bratislava, AFP, Reuters, dpa, and AP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kosovo-serbs- party-protests/32436412.html Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 'Z' Marks The Trouble Spot: Russia's Symbol Of War Appears In Northern Kosovo By Mila Djurdjevic, Andy Heil May 31, 2023 As ethnic trouble brewed and the latest confrontations erupted this week in northern Kosovo, a powerful symbol of Russian expansionism emerged alongside the Serbian flags denoting resistance to Pristina's authority. RFE/RL's Balkan Service and other media shared images of the "Z," which was used by Russian forces invading Ukraine, painted or otherwise scrawled on Kosovo police and NATO peacekeepers' vehicles. Some even caught a group of masked men in the act of spray-painting it on the armored blue trucks of Kosovar special police units in Zvecan, the scene of the worst violence on May 29. More than 30 NATO peacekeepers were injured there in what its KFOR mission called "unprovoked attacks," and dozens more Serb protesters were hurt. The unrest was sparked by the Kosovar authorities' insistence on forcibly seating ethnic Albanian mayors in predominantly Serb northern Kosovo after boycotted elections and despite Western urgings to avoid escalating tensions. Northern Kosovo is a locus of ethno-nationalist unrest in the Balkans and, outside of Ukraine itself, one of Europe's most dangerous flash points, pitting Western-oriented political forces against pro-Russian counterparts. In the days since the violence, official Belgrade and Serb representatives have remained silent over some of the protesters' embrace of the "Z" symbol, a clear middle finger to Pristina and the West for its support of Kosovar independence and a possible show of solidarity with Serbia's traditional ally Russia. Neither the region's dominant Serb political party, the Belgrade-backed Serbian List, nor Serbia's office for relations with Kosovo responded to RFE/RL queries about the symbol's appearance in the northern Kosovo hot spots. And no one else has come forward to explain how it might help the Serb cause. But given Serbs' and ethnic Albanians' ongoing failure to overcome the Serbian-Kosovar dispute -- and Moscow's diplomatic backing for Belgrade's refusal to recognize Kosovo despite EU and U.S. prodding -- analysts in the region have some guesses. 'Politically Motivated Performance Art' The say it could seek to imbue minority Serbs with the "optics of identifying with a larger power" to boost their collective confidence, undermine the legitimacy of the Serbia-Kosovo dispute while "supporting aggressive actions" to resist Kosovar authority, and undermine Serbian willingness to cooperate with perceived Kosovo allies in the West. "Visual identification with a larger power like Russia is a symbolic way to build self-confidence and encourage the suggestion that this population [minority Serbs] is an important part of a larger geopolitical mosaic," Artan Muhaxhiri, a political analyst and professor of sociology at the University of Pristina, said. But he also warned that such activities can prove ineffective and thus come off looking more like "politically motivated performance art." Naim Leo Beshiri, executive director of the Institute for European Affairs in Belgrade, said Russian aggression against Ukraine "has already caused great suffering and destabilized the region." The appearance of the "Z" in northern Kosovo comes with Serbia and Kosovo reportedly in what could be the final phases of Western-mediated talks toward normalization between the Balkan neighbors, following oral commitments in March, he said. Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti in January requested an increase in the number of NATO troops in his country, citing a purported strengthening of cooperation between Russia and Serbia, which Pristina says poses a threat to Kosovar security. "It's clear that, above all, the pro-Russian elements in Serbia and the north of Kosovo want to destabilize everything that has been agreed so far," Beshiri said. The giant "Z" first came to international attention daubed in white across Russian military vehicles in the early weeks and months of the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022. But, as Ukraine's outnumbered defenses held and an unprecedented international response further dashed Kremlin planners' hopes of a quick victory, the "Z" came to symbolize support for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his military gamble. The "Zwastika," as its detractors dubbed it, appeared all over pro-Kremlin social and other media, and has been flashed at major sporting and other international events despite bans. It also made its way into the discourse of the Serbian far right, which has traditionally espoused revanchist, Orthodox, and pan-Slavic ideals. 'An Unacceptable Act' Within weeks of the invasion, pro-Russian right-wingers in Belgrade were using the "Z" in their demonstrations to pressure nationalist-populist President Aleksandar Vucic to keep Serbia out of EU and other Western sanctions regimes punishing Russia for its war on Ukraine. A March 2022 demonstration in Belgrade organized by the People's Patrol group featured dozens of vehicles marked with a "Z" and flying Serbian and Russian flags. Many of those same groups are staunch supporters of Putin's war in Ukraine and vocal opponents of normalized relations between Belgrade and Pristina. A notorious Serbian ultranationalist was among the visitors last year to the newly opened headquarters in St. Petersburg of the Wagner group, whose mercenaries fight alongside regular Russian army troops in Ukraine. Also last year, Wagner opened a "friendship and cooperation center" in Serbia's capital. Images of the appearance of the "Z" symbol in northern Kosovo were subsequently shared by a handful of Balkan-focused, pro-Russian, or pro-war accounts on social media. They included Telegram pages such as "Rusija u srcu" (Russia Close To My Heart), "Zli orlovi" (Evil Eagles), "Evroazija" (Eurasia), and "Bunt je stanje duha" (Rebellion Is A State Of Mind). Russia's English-language international media arm, RT, also noted the arrival of the "Z." In comments after the violence in Zvecan on May 29, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov drew a parallel between international recognition of Kosovo and Crimea, which was occupied and annexed in 2014 to start the earlier phase of Moscow's war on Ukraine. Analyst Muhaxhiri suggested to RFE/RL's Balkan Service that Moscow "needs" a complicated situation in Kosovo in order to "maintain its hopes" that it will be at the table once a "historic final agreement" to normalize relations is reached between Kosovo and Serbia. Beshiri from the Institute for European Affairs had a blunter -- and potentially worrying -- explanation. "That action represents an unacceptable act of supporting aggressive behavior," he said. Written by Andy Heil based on reporting by RFE/RL Balkan Service correspondent Mila Djurdjevic Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kosovo-serbs- party-protests/32436412.html Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hague Panel Rejects Appeal By Milosevic Spymasters, Lengthens Prison Sentences By RFE/RL's Balkan Service May 31, 2023 A panel of United Nations judges on May 31 have rejected the appeals by two former Serbian intelligence officers against their convictions two years ago for murder, crimes against humanity, and other offenses in western Bosnia during the 1992-95 war there, and expanded their sentences in the process. Jovan Stanisic and Franko Simatovic were each sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2021 in a retrial that followed acquittals in 2013. They were convicted of crimes that included murder, deportation, forcible transfer, and persecution in what prosecutors called brutal "ethnic cleansing" at Bosanski Samac in 1992. Prosecutors asked that Stanisic and Simatovic be convicted of crimes of which they were previously acquitted in addition to additional actions in Croatia. They also say both men oversaw the establishment of training centers throughout Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia, and that the brutal crimes of Bosanski Samac reflected a pattern used for months at other locations. The judges on the Appeals Chamber of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (UNIRMCT), the successor to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), agreed with the prosecutors, lengthening the sentences to 15 years in the final case the panel will hear concerning the regime of the late Yugoslav and Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic. "The Appeals Chamber granted part of the Prosecution's appeal, finding that the Trial Chamber erred in not convicting Mr. Stanisic and Mr. Simatovic under the mode of joint criminal enterprise liability," the panel said in a statement. "The Appeals Chamber determined that the Trial Chamber erred in assessing Mr. Stanisic's and Mr. Simatovic's other contributions to the common criminal purpose. The Appeals Chamber also found that they shared the intent to further the common criminal purpose," it added in an explanation for the decision. Stanisic was head of the Serbian Interior Ministry's State Security Service in 1992-98. Simatovic commanded an elite special forces unit within the Yugoslav State Security Service in 1991-98. Stanisic's defense lawyers argued that he became "a key peacemaker" who contributed to ending conflicts in the former Yugoslavia. Stanisic and Simatovic were detained in 2003 and their initial trial lasted from June 2009 until January 2013. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/bosnia-serbia-stanisic- asimatovic-prison-sentences-hague/32437064.html Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address EU Places Sanctions On Seven For Destabilizing Moldova, Doubles Macroeconomic Support By RFE/RL's Moldovan Service May 31, 2023 The European Union has announced sanctions on seven individuals accused of destabilizing actions against Moldova and that it was doubling its grant of macroeconomic support to 290 million euros ($310 million). Among those hit with EU sanctions are Moldovan oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc, seen as the main organizer of a $1 billion fraud in 2014-2015; and Moscow-backed tycoon Ilan Shor, the head of the Shor Party now in Israel; and Marina Tauber, a vice president of the Shor Party who has been behind mass anti-government protests in the capital, Chisinau. Shor was sentenced to 15 years in prison by a Moldovan court last month. The others are fugitive former acting police chief Gheorghe Cavcaliuc, wanted in Moldova for aiding Shor in organizing the violent Chisinau protests; Grigore Caramalac and Aleksandr Kalinin, accused of actions against Ukraine; Russian businessman Igor Chaika, the son of Russian Prosecutor-General Igor Chaika, accused as acting as a "piggy bank" for Russia's Federal Security Service actions against Moldova. Chaika is the only non-Moldovan citizen on the list. Shor, Plahotniuc, and Chaika have already been put under sanctions by the United States and Britain. The EU assets of those on the sanctions list were frozen and they are banned from traveling to and through the bloc. The announcement was hailed by Moldova's pro-Western president, Maia Sandu. "Moldova is not alone in its effort to keep the country safe & stable. I welcome the EU's decision to sanction those who endanger our democracy, stability & security. Together, we will ensure a strong & prosperous future for Moldova, Sandu wrote on Twitter. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement that the seven were "responsible for actions aimed at destabilizing, undermining, or threatening the sovereignty and independence" of Moldova and Ukraine. "Moldova is one of the countries most affected by the consequences of Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. There are serious, intensified, and persistent attempts to destabilize the country," Borrell said. Moldova, a country of 2.6 million that is among the poorest in Europe, has received hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees after Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The EU announcement about the sanctions came two days ahead of Moldova's hosting the first summit of the European Political Community, where Sandu wants to secure promises that Moldova will soon start membership negotiations with the 27-member bloc. Moldova was invited together with Ukraine to open accession negotiations with the EU in June last year, just months after Russia invaded. The 44-member European Political Community, the creation of which was the idea of French President Emmanuel Macron, is meant to improve cooperation between the EU and nonmembers, including aspiring countries in the Western Balkans and the Caucasus region. With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and dpa Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/moldova-eu-sanctions- destabilizing/32436966.html Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UAE Withdraws From American-Led Naval Coalition, Dealing Blow to US Military Prestige Sputnik News 20230531 Wyatt Reed US officials are rushing to downplay the withdrawal as a temporary state of affairs, but the United Arab Emirate's recent diplomatic overtures to Iran suggest otherwise. The United Arab Emirates discontinued its participation in a US military-led naval coalition in recent months, the country's foreign ministry revealed Wednesday. "As a result of our ongoing evaluation of effective security cooperation with all partners, two months ago, the UAE withdrew its participation in the Combined Maritime Forces," a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted. The announced withdrawal from the 38-nation task force came in a statement which rejected a recent Western media report claiming UAE officials are privately expressing frustration with their US counterparts over recent seizures of oil tankers in the Persian Gulf by Iranian forces. "The UAE has rejected the mischaracterization, in recent press reports, of US-UAE conversations regarding maritime security," the UAE's official news agency wrote Wednesday. The foreign ministry "stressed that the UAE remains committed to responsibly ensuring the safety of navigation in its seas, in accordance with international law," the report concluded. American officials reportedly insisted, however, that the Gulf nation hasn't officially withdrawn from the US-helmed maritime task force. Instead, a spokesman for the US Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain is claiming the UAE "withdrew their participation for the moment in the task forces but not their overall membership." Western media has echoed that assertion, with one major British outlet pointing to the fact that the CMF's official website still lists the UAE as a member nation as proof that Abu Dhabi has "not left the CMF." Such reports tend to paint the UAE's lack of participation in the US military project as an expression of anger towards the US for not being aggressive enough towards Iran. But the recent warming of diplomatic ties between Tehran and Abu Dhabi suggests a different dynamic may be at play. In fact, the announcement came the same day a senior UAE diplomat met with Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian for a visit in Tehran which was officially described as an effort to "expand cooperation to achieve shared interests and promote regional stability and prosperity." Last month, Iran appointed a new envoy to the UAE, after having gone seven years without appointing an ambassador to the country. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Artillery Strikes Reported on Paramilitary Bases as Sudanese Army Leaves Ceasefire Talks Sputnik News 20230531 Fantien Garidnier Sudan has sat on the verge of open civil war since April 25, when a powerful paramilitary group revolted against an attempt to integrate it into the Sudanese military. However, the violence has flared for years as the military attempts to hold onto power amid a swelling civilian movement for democracy. The Sudanese military suspended their participation in talks with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday, accusing the group of a lack of commitment and of continuously violating the existing ceasefire. "The General Command of the Armed Forces has decided to suspend the current talks in Jeddah due to the rebel militia's lack of commitment to the implementation [of] any of the terms of the agreement and its continuous violation of the ceasefire," the military said in a statement carried by Sudanese media. Brig. Nabil Abdalla, a spokesperson for the army, told US media that the decision was in response to "repeated violations" of the humanitarian ceasefire by the RSF, including their continued occupation of hospitals and other civilian infrastructure in Khartoum, the country's capital and largest city. Following the collapse of the talks, Sudanese artillery strikes were reported on RSF bases in several Sudanese cities. A day earlier, Sudanese leader Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan warned that the military would resort to "full lethal force" if the RSF "doesn't respond to the voice of reason." A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters on Wednesday that the UN chief had made the rare move of asking to brief the Security Council about "the dramatic situation in Sudan" behind closed doors. Since the fighting began on April 14, more than 1,800 people have been killed. According to UN statistics, more than 1.2 million people have been displaced by the fighting, with the World Food Program providing aid to 782,000 people in Sudan in the last four weeks. However, the country has been in political turmoil since late 2018, when a pro-democracy movement erupted that forced longtime military leader Omar al-Bashir from power the following year. After his ouster, a shared military-civilian interim government was formed and the protesters continued to clash with the RSF, which was sent to crush the mass movement. In October 2021, the Sudanese military ousted the civilian prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, and Burhan took over, sparking a renewed civilian resistance movement. A new power-sharing agreement was agreed to last December, but as the date neared for it to be signed, disagreements between Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of the RSF militia, began to harden and Dagalo criticized the ouster of Hamdok as a "mistake." Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre After Their Meeting US Department of State Remarks Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State Government Guest House Oslo, Norway May 31, 2023 PRIME MINISTER STRE: Secretary Blinken, I welcome you to Oslo. You are here at an important informal NATO meeting, but informal can be even more important than formal because it is about critical issues: how we will support Ukraine being attacked in a brutal aggression, which is really the most serious security policy situation we have dealt with in recent years and in modern times. And we've had the opportunity to exchange views on this and to underline again how closely Norway and the United States are working on this, how important this relationship is to Norway's security. We had the USS Gerald Ford here recently, underlining the defense cooperation. But this is about the political cooperation, and Secretary, I appreciate you coming, spending time in Sweden, Norway, and Finland. And for the Nordic region as a whole and for Norway, that is of great importance. SECRETARY BLINKEN: Prime Minister, thank you. I'm, first, grateful for the prime minister's - not only his hospitality, but for the very good exchange that we just had. We're grateful. We're grateful to have Norway as such a strong friend, partner, and ally, particularly at a time when there are so many challenges not only in the European area but around the globe. And the fact that we are such close partners in working together, of course, in support of Ukraine and against the Russian aggression - but also quite literally around the world in working to advance food security, energy security, climate security, and dealing with the many challenges that countries around the world are facing, that's more meaningful than ever. We are partners in trying to find peace in areas of conflict. That remains vitally important. And again, here in Europe, the solidarity that you have shown with other European partners in defense of Ukraine and against the Russian aggression I think has been absolutely remarkable. The role that Norway has played, its own generosity and support of Ukraine, the work that Norway has led on to provide for greater energy security in Europe and to help move Europe away from long-term dependencies on Russia - that has been very, very powerful. I think that's come further than anyone would have anticipated a couple of years ago. And we're grateful as well to you for hosting the foreign ministers here. We're working together to prepare a very good Vilnius Summit that the prime minister will be at. But mostly, this was an opportunity to compare notes and to say thank you. Thank you for a partnership that for us is quite simply invaluable. Thank you. PRIME MINISTER STRE: Thank you. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Department of Public Information . News and Media Division . New York 31 May 2023 The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General. ** Outer Space Good afternoon, why don't we start in a place far, far away? Today, the Secretary-General published a policy brief on outer space governance, the seventh in the Our Common Agenda series that is aimed at informing Member States ahead of the Summit of the Future next year. The brief was released to coincide with today's start of the session of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. In the policy brief, the Secretary-General says we must ensure that effective governance is in place to propel innovation to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The brief also outlines a number of recommendations for Member States and the UN system relating to the sustainability, security and governance of outer space. ** Former Yugoslavia You may have seen that in a press release earlier today, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals concerning the delivery of the appeal judgment in the case against Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic. The Secretary-General takes note of this appeal and extends his thoughts to the victims, and survivors and their families who have suffered from the crimes for which both defendants have been found guilty. The judgment marks the conclusion of the last case relating to core crimes that the Mechanism inherited from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, which, as you will recall, was established in 1993 to prosecute persons responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of the former Yugoslavia since 1991. The Secretary-General commends the judges and staff involved in this case for their unfaltering dedication and hard work since 2003, when the first indictment was filed. ** Sudan A number of you have been asking me this morning about Sudan and the closed consultation this afternoon, I can confirm that the Secretary-General did, indeed, ask to brief Security Council members on the dramatic situation in Sudan; that will be done in closed consultations this afternoon. And moving on to the situation on the ground, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) says more than 1.2 million people have been displaced inside Sudan as a result of the conflict. IOM's estimates are based on preliminary reports from field teams, while additional reports are likely to emerge as humanitarian access improves. To help those in need, we and our partners continue to deliver aid wherever and whenever we can. The World Food Programme (WFP) continued its distributions in Khartoum State, reaching 15,000 people trapped in the Omdurman area with emergency food. Across the country, WFP has now reached more than 782,000 men, women and children with food and nutrition support over the past four weeks. The agency is also providing emergency telecommunications services to all of the UN system and the wider humanitarian community in Sudan, where as you can imagine basic connectivity remains very much a challenge. As the UN Population Fund (UNPFA) has started to provide life-saving medicines and reproductive health supplies to maternity hospitals in Wad Medani in Al-Jazirah state. Medical teams at this hospital are also providing reproductive health services to women and girls who have fled from the capital, Khartoum. ** Ukraine On Ukraine, our humanitarian colleagues are telling us that hospitals and other health facilities in the country are being hit almost daily. They note that these attacks are putting health services at risk for millions of people, particularly those living in the front lines. Our humanitarian colleagues said that yesterday alone, at least three health facilities in the Donetsk region were reportedly damaged. This was on both sides of the front lines; that's according to authorities on both sides of the humanitarian line. As a reminder, the targeting or hitting of health facilities is a violation of international humanitarian law, wherever they may occur. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine 15 months ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) has verified more than 1,000 attacks on health facilities in the country, causing 240 deaths and injuries among health workers and patients. As a result, up to 50 per cent of health facilities in eastern and southern Ukraine are now not functional. For this year alone, we and our humanitarian partners have reached nearly 3 million people with emergency health services and medicines and plans to reach 8 million by the end of this year. Today, we delivered enough medicine to treat some 2,000 civilians remaining in the community of Preobrazhenka, just 5 kilometres from the frontline of the Zaporizhzhia region. Today's convoy was organized by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and also delivered food, clean water, emergency shelter kits and construction and hygiene materials. These supplies were provided by the International Organization for Migration, UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), UNHCR (United Nations Refugee Agency), WHO and the NGO (non-governmental organization), World Vision International. ** Cambodia Regarding Cambodia, I wanted to say that the Secretary-General reiterates that inclusive elections, in which a plurality of views and voter choices is represented, are important to engender confidence in the electoral process and underpin the ability of Cambodia's people to exercise their democratic rights. As he said during his visit to Cambodia last year, it is vital that civic space be open, for human rights defenders to be protected, and for civil society to play a wider role in society, all of which remain critical in preserving Cambodia's substantial development gains and consolidation of peace. The Secretary-General reaffirms the commitment of the UN to support a peaceful and democratic Cambodia that fully respects the human rights of all its citizens. ** Myanmar Quick update from Myanmar and our response to Cyclone Mocha, not too long ago: Two weeks after the cyclone hit, we and our partners have distributed shelter and other relief items to more than 63,000 people and over 230,000 people have received some food assistance. While humanitarian workers continue to ramp up support where they have authorizations and available stocks, wider access for distributions and approvals for the movement of supplies are urgent. Shelter needs continue to be a priority as the monsoon season approaches. Our humanitarian colleagues also warn that the food reserves for households impacted by the cyclone are dwindling, and communities are facing rising food prices. ** Central African Republic Quick update from MINUSCA (United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic) and our peacekeepers in the Central African Republic: This week, the Mission carried out long-range patrols in the country's western parts on the Bouar-Bayanga-Dili and Beloko-Gaudrot axes, as well as actions to clear roads of mines and explosive devices. Meanwhile, in the eastern part of the country, where the security situation remains unpredictable, MINUSCA is increasing patrols and aerial reconnaissance, while also providing safe passage to humanitarian workers, enabling them to reach the most vulnerable communities. ** Cameroon Quick update from Cameroon, where the number of people internally displaced has exceeded 2 million, mostly due to climate-related impacts and attacks by non-State groups. Led by our Resident Coordinator, Matthias Z. Naab, the UN team is supporting the Government to provide emergency assistance and durable solutions for communities hosting vulnerable populations impacted by displacement. That includes UNHCR and ILO (International Labour Organization) offering training for eco-friendly enterprises and improved access to social protection and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment services. Also, initiatives led by young people having received grants of at least $5,000 each, promoting economic resilience and youth entrepreneurship. UN-Habitat and UN-Women are bolstering land access for agriculture, also focusing on women, and improving housing conditions for 360 internally displaced people. We have more online in our highlights. ** Democratic People's Republic of Korea Just for the record, you will have seen that last night we issued a statement in which the Secretary-General strongly condemned the military satellite launch conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Any launch using ballistic missile technology is contrary to the relevant Security Council resolutions. The Secretary-General also reiterates his call on the DPRK to cease such acts and to swiftly resume dialogue to achieve the goal of sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. ** Uganda And we also issued a formal statement last night in which the Secretary-General expressed deep concern about the promulgation of the Anti-Homosexuality Act in Uganda. He called on Uganda to fully respect its international human rights obligations and the respect for personal privacy, irrespective of sexual orientation and gender identity. ** World No Tobacco Day Today is World No Tobacco Day, and the theme is "Grow food, not tobacco". On this day, the World Health Organization urges Governments to stop subsidizing tobacco farming and support more sustainable crops that could feed millions. ** Press Briefings Tomorrow, it will be a busy day. Our guest at the briefing will be the Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, Philippe Lazzarini; his agency is better known as UNRWA. Then at 1 p.m., being 1 June, tomorrow you will have the pleasure to hear from the Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates, Ambassador Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, who will preside over the Security Council for the month of June. ** Questions and Answers Spokesman : Edith? Question : Thank you very much, Steph. On Sudan, can you elaborate a little on why the Secretary-General wants to see the Security Council today? And are we going to get any kind of a readout, or is he going to stop afterwards to talk to us? Spokesman : Well, my preference would always be for him to stop afterwards, but everything is in negotiations. We will see if that happens. I don't want to pre-empt the messages that he will give to the Council, but needless to say that we are facing a dramatic situation in Sudan, both on the political and the humanitarian end, and the Secretary-General wanted to share some thoughts that he has with Council members. Question : I had one other question on Kosovo. Does the Secretary-General have any comment on the violence that erupted that has sparked NATO sending an additional 700 troops? Spokesman : We continue to express our concern at the situation there and condemn the violence that we've seen. Our representative on the ground continues to do what she can to appease the situation. Maggie, and then Kristen. Question : Back to Sudan, UNITAMS (United Nations Mission in Sudan) is due for renewal, I believe, on 3 June. So, will the SG as part of his discussion be asking for any changes to the mandate? I think there's talk of just a technical rollover. So where does he fall? Spokesman : The mandate of UNITAMS or any political [or] peacekeeping mission is firmly in the hands of Security Council members. The Secretary-General, as I said, will share his thoughts and ideas on the current situation, but I don't want to pre-empt what he will say, and I think he wants to say it first to Council members. Ms. Saloomey? Question : I was just wondering if you could give us an update on where Volker Perthes is, and if he's still able to do his job, given the... [cross talk] Spokesman : The Mission continues to do its job the best it can, given the circumstances. We continue to have a political presence in Port Sudan. Mr. Perthes will make his way back to the region, I believe, in early next week. Madame? Correspondent : Thank you, Steph. Spokesman : That's okay. Go ahead. Go ahead, Linda. Correspondent : Whoever it is can go ahead. Spokesman : No. Go ahead. Question : Shall I go ahead? Spokesman : All right, go. You go ahead. Question : Hello. Let me introduce myself. I'm Serife from Anadolu News Agency. Thank you, Stephane, for the opportunity. I just wanted to ask you if you have a reaction on reports that the Sudanese Army has suspended participation in the ceasefire talks that was led by Saudi Arabia and the United States. Apparently yesterday, they said that they would extend the ceasefire for another five days. But today, there are reports in Sudanese media that they have suspended their participation. Thank you. Spokesman : We are not a party to that agreement, to those talks. I can tell you that our humanitarian colleagues on the ground and our partners continue to try to identify and resolve challenges to humanitarian access. On the ground, we are in touch both with the Government and the Rapid Support Forces in order for us to be able to coordinate the movement of humanitarian convoys, to deconflict wherever possible. Our overall message continues to be that we need to see an immediate stop to all the fighting, so we can tend to those Sudanese people who need our help. And as we've been saying, there are millions and millions of Sudanese who need immediate humanitarian assistance. Ms. Linda? Question : Thank you, Steph. Apropos of Sudan, you mentioned that the SG wants to share his views with the Security Council today, and we've just heard, reiterated what the big problems are. Do you think he might want to share his views and ideas with the actual leaders of the Sudanese conflict? Spokesman : Well, of course; in person, no. I don't anticipate any travel anytime soon to Sudan, but he had been in touch with both generals and will continue to do so as needed, whether it's in person, by phone or an exchange of letters. Grigory? Question : Thank you very much, Stephane. Today, Reuters reported, according to the source, that the UN has proposed to Russia, Ukraine and Turkiye to start preparatory work for transiting Russian ammonia through the territory of Ukraine. So, can you confirm such talks or details? Spokesman : Well, I'm not going to go into a detailed discussion of what may be going on. As you recall, the Secretary-General had put forward some ideas to the parties to improve the facilitation of the work of the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) to also work on the issue of ammonia export, which is part of the deal that was signed. Those conversations and contacts are continuing, but that's as much as I'll say right now. Margaret Besheer? Question : Thank you. One more on Sudan. So, you say humanitarian colleagues are trying to resolve aid access issues and challenges. Are you getting good cooperation from both sides to the conflict in terms of delivering aid? And can you give us figures on how many trucks and such have gone over the past week? Spokesman : Yeah. I can give you an accounting of the... I can go back and look at the accounting of the trucks that we said have moved. I don't recall this. To your point, it's really on a place-by-place situation. I don't think I want to say we're getting great or good cooperation for both sides. We are able to deliver humanitarian goods in certain places when we can manage to talk to the men with guns and to ensure safe passage. WFP has been able to resume food distribution in Khartoum. We've had a large number of trucks being able to move. But what we would like to see is a nationwide cessation of hostilities, so we don't have to do a case-by-case negotiation for each convoy or each movement, which is time-consuming and which is also risky. Benno? Question : Thank you, Steph. I have a story that you as a cyclist might like. You've seen that some ambassadors were complaining about not having the opportunity to lock their bikes in front of the GA Hall. Now they have a very new bike rack. It's usually empty. It's in front of the building. You might have seen it. Turns out, it seems that just ambassadors and deputy ambassadors can use it, not normal diplomats, not people who speak in the GA. Isn't that a double standard? Spokesman : Well, we're very happy that PRs (Permanent Representatives) and others will have the ability to bike into work and we hope everyone uses that facility. What I can tell you is that in his programme budget for 2024, the Secretary-General has put forward a proposal to the General Assembly to expand bike parking for staff and even for reporters. We would basically double the capacity of bikes that we have and create a new space much closer to the 43rd Street entrance, also with charging stations for e-bikes and scooters. We want to see greater bike access. We want to be more bike friendly. We want to be more friendly, full stop. And this is a step in the right direction. It's gone to the General Assembly because, obviously, as everything that anybody does in New York that implies real estate, implies cost. So, we hope they will go through the General Assembly. Question : Thank you. Spokesman : On that note, I will pedal out of here and leave the space to Paulina [Kubiak]. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN commends Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia, as final judgement is delivered 31 May 2023 - The UN chief on Wednesday commended the work of the judges and staff of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), as its final judgement was delivered, increasing the prison sentences on appeal of two former top Serbian security officials. Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic were convicted by the court - part of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) which took over from the ICTY - in 2021, for their roles training death squads accused of ethnic cleansing during the conflict that saw the breakup of the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. The two were originally sentenced to 12 years by the court in 2021, but Wednesday's appeal judgement against them, increased that to 15 years, on the grounds that they were "liable as members of a joint criminal enterprise for crimes committed by various Serb forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992", as well as responsible for murder, in the same year. Justice for the victims In a statement, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "takes note of this appeal and extends his thoughts to the victims, and survivors and their families who have suffered from the crimes for which both defendants have been found guilty." The judgement marks the end of the final case relating to "core crimes" that the Mechanism inherited from the ICTY, which was established in 1993 to prosecute suspected war criminals. The IRMCT Chief Prosecutor, Serge Brammertz, said that the decision demonstrated that the international community, "when united, can deliver justice to the victims and hold the most senior perpetrators responsible for their crimes. Remembering the victims and survivors, and sheer courage of witnesses who have come forward, he added that there were still thousands of war crimes suspects throughout the former Yugoslavia, "who remain to be prosecuted." "We will continue our intensive efforts to provide assistance to national counterparts, to ensure that more justice is achieved for more victims." Truth triumphs UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, also welcomed Wednesday's final judgement, describing the outcome as a major step to establishing the truth and addressing impunity. "The extraordinary work and legacy of the Mechanism and of the International Criminal Tribunal before it, have not only contributed to establishing truth, justice and accountability over the years but have also powerfully advanced international criminal justice standards globally," Mr. Turk said. Like the Secretary-General, the UN rights chief highlighted the courage, resilience and perseverance of survivors and families who, despite appalling trauma, never stopped seeking truth and justice. "I want to praise, strongly, the survivors and their families, whose suffering is unimaginable but who persisted in demanding their rights," he said. He also stressed that many survivors and their families are still awaiting truth, justice and reparations. Threats continue Many victims continue to face threats, intimidation, hate speech and revisionist rhetoric, including rejection of the tribunals' decisions; denials that crimes were committed; justification of atrocities; and the glorification of war criminals. "Verdicts like today's, remind us of an awful past to which we must never return. He urged the authorities, "media outlets and people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia and Kosovo, to step up efforts to advance truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence. "Revisionist narratives, genocide denial, divisive rhetoric and hate speech, from any quarter, are unacceptable." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Cameroon Asks for More Border Troops after New Boko Haram Attacks By Moki Edwin Kindzeka May 31, 2023 Officials in northern Cameroon have in a crisis meeting on Wednesday requested more troops from Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad to be deployed to their common border after fresh Boko Haran attacks killed at least 12 people including six soldiers on Tuesday. The officials say several hundred heavily armed Islamist extremists have infiltrated the volatile Lake Chad region attacking, looting and causing panic. Cameroon military and government officials in the central African state's northern border with Nigeria say they held a crisis meeting on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after a fresh wave of deadly Boko Haram attacks were reported. Midjiyawa Bakari is the governor of Cameroon's Far North region that shares a border with Chad and Nigeria. Bakari spoke on Cameroon state broadcaster CRTV on Wednesday. Bakari said Cameroonian President Paul Biya ordered officials and troops in Cameroon's Far North region to hold an emergency crisis meeting and make sure armed Islamist extremists who infiltrate the volatile Lake Chad region are stopped. He said Biya ordered the crisis meeting after several hundred militants killed three soldiers, two customs officers and two civilians in surprise attacks on Cameroon government troops stationed in the northern towns of Mora and Zigague on Tuesday. Mora and Zigague are towns in Cameroon's Far North region that share a border with Nigeria and Chad. Bakari said Boko Haram is weakened but still very actively attacking communities to kill their opponents and to steal cattle, food and money. The Cameroon military on Wednesday said troops found five other civilian corpses in the bush near Zigague and several dozen houses and government buildings were destroyed by the insurgents. Military officials say soldiers killed several insurgents along the border with Nigeria and Chad but gave no details. Government officials say villagers who escaped to the bush should return and be protected by the Cameroon military. Bakari said civilians should help stop the new wave of attacks by reporting suspected militants to military officials. He said local chiefs and community leaders should reactivate militias to assist government troops in fighting the militants. Hamidou Aladji is a community leader in Mora. He said Tuesday's attack on civilians and government troops in Mora indicate that Boko Haram is still a nuisance with an ability to create surprises. He said while the military is protecting civilians, it is imperative for community leaders and the clergy to assist in stopping or reducing terrorist attacks by reporting strangers in their communities to the military. The Cameroon government says Boko Haram fighters crossed into the central African state from Nigeria in large numbers on Sunday and Monday evening before carrying out the attacks. Military officials say the vast Lake Chad basin that stretches across the borders of Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad is infiltrated by the militants who want to reestablish bases on the lake's many small islands. In June 2022, the Multinational National Joint Task Force of the Lake Chad Basin said 3,000 troops it deployed killed more than 800 extremists in about two months of fighting in the volatile Lake Chad region. The force is made up of 11,000 troops from Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad. Officials at the crisis meeting ordered by President Paul Biya on Wednesday in Maroua, the capital of Cameroon's Far North region, requested that troops from Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad be deployed to stop militants from reconstituting groups and advancing. VOA could not independently verify if Chad and Nigeria have agreed to deploy troops to the three nations' common border. Boko Haram attacks escalated in northern Nigeria in 2009 before spreading to neighboring countries. The United Nations says more than 36,000 people have been killed, mainly in Nigeria, and three million have fled their homes. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Vengeance Drones In Moscow, the morning of Tuesday, 30 May 2923, began with reports of a massive drone attack. According to media reports, Moscow was attacked by 25 to 32 UAVs. Telegram channels reported the first explosion at approximately four in the morning Moscow time. According to the Russian publication Baza, it was about 25 drones that attacked the capital of the Russian Federation and the Moscow region. According to the Russian publication RBC, 10 drones were shot down. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation provides other data, talking about eight drones and claiming that all of them were shot down. Russian mass media report three drone strikes on residential buildings. The deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Oleksandr Khinshtein in his Telegram channel in the first half of the day published a "primary list" of places where, according to preliminary data, drones shot down in the Moscow suburbs fell. In particular, the fall of drones was recorded in the villages of Ilyinske and Tymoshkino in the Krasnohorsk district, the villages of Rozdory and Romashkovo in the Odintsovo district, as well as the village of Greenfield in the Istryna district. So, according to the Russian publication "Projekt", the house of the head of Gazprom Oleksiy Miller is located in Greenfield. The targets seemed to have been located in one of the most affluent parts of the Russian capital, namely the Rublyovka area in the west, where Putin and other significant Russian figures have homes. Several of the drones landed near Putin's residence in Novo-Ogaryovo. The drones could have taken off from Ukraine, as these models have a range of between 800 and 1,000 kilometers (500-620 miles) and can evade anti-aircraft defenses due to their ability to fly at very low altitude. The shortest distance in a straight line between Ukrainian territory and the Russian capital is about 560 kilometers (350 miles). Two days before the Moscow attack, Russian state television had been questioning how drones of this type could evade its air defenses. State Duma deputy Andrey Gurulyov, a retired Lieutenant General, said during an interview on one of Russias flagship state television talk shows, Evening with Vladimir Solovyov, that the countrys anti-aircraft systems are designed to act against ballistic missiles and other weapons capable of carrying large explosive charges. Gurulyov said that drones such as those used in the attacks had different specifications and characteristics than conventional missiles, and the Russian Federation did not have the means to stop them. He also urged Russian oil companies and other strategic enterprises to arm their facilities with electronic warfare devices, such as jammers, to knock out drones. Our Armed Forces cannot protect all critical infrastructure, he added. If the information is accurate and one of the drones was shot down over the village of Rozdory near Moscow, then it is not far from the residence of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin , Russian journalist Farida Rustamova notes in her Telegram channel. "This is part of Rublyovka, where there are state dachas, private houses of officials and businessmen. Putin's residence Novo-Ogaryovo (in the village of Usovo) is a 10-minute drive away," Rustamova wrote. President Putin spent the night at his residence in Novo-Ogaryovo during drone attacks on the Moscow region the day before , writes The Moscow Times, citing a source. According to him, Putin was raised early in the morning by the security service due to an air threat. This was previously reported by journalist Peter Kozlov. From the list of drones shot down in the Moscow region, published by State Duma deputy Alexander Khinshtein , it follows that air defense systems neutralized drones a few kilometers from Putin's residence. When two UAVs were shot down over the Kremlin in early May , Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was an assassination attempt on the president. This time the Kremlin did not give such assessments. As for Moscow itself, as reported by the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation, "the incidents occurred in the morning of May 30 in residential buildings on Atlasova Street in New Moscow, as well as on Profspilkova Street and on Leninsky Prospect. As a result, there is damage to the houses." According to Russian mass media, the explosions occurred in a high-rise building on Atlasova Street; on Leninsky Prospekt, a UAV flew into an apartment on the 14th floor, but did not explode; a building on Profspilkova street was also damaged, its facade and glass elements of the building were destroyed. The attacks came after Russia launched a heavy barrage of missiles and drones at Ukrainian airfields, ammunition dumps, and decision-making centers responsible for plotting similar terrorist actions, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. Vladimir Putin confirmed on 30 May 2023 that the headquarters of the Ukrainian militarys Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) was among the decision-making centers hit. Weve been talking about the possibility of striking the decision-making centers. Naturally, Ukraines military intelligence headquarters falls into such a category, and it was hit two or three days ago, Putin stated. Moscows anti-aircraft defense fared okay in repelling the latest attack, Putin noted, admitting that there still was room for improvement. Kievs ultimate goal of indiscriminately striking Moscow and other Russian cities is provoking a mirror response from Russia, the president stated. They are provoking us into taking mirror actions. Well se what we can do about it. Yet, Ukrainian citizens, who of course have no say about anything now, since Ukraine has unleashed a total terror against its civilian population, must realize what the incumbent authorities are pushing for, Putin said. He went on to say that the most grave threats include the continuous effort by Kiev to disrupt the work of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, as well as potential attempts to use a dirty nuclear device. The drone raid on Moscow was an attempt at payback by Kiev for Russias latest airstrikes on a Ukrainian decision-making center, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed. It is clear that we are talking about the response of the Kiev regime to our very effective strikes on one of the decision-making centers. This strike took place on Sunday, Peskov told journalists after the attack. President Vladimir Putin later confirmed that Russian forces struck Ukraines military intelligence headquarters in Kiev two or three days ago. By 1943 the tide of war was turning and Germany was on the defensive. It was then that intelligence of a new threat to Britains cities began to emerge missiles and rockets. The V1 missile, once launched, flew without a pilot until it ran out of fuel and came crashing down, blowing up. The V2 rocket was a long distance weapon that could travel at many times the speed of sound. They were known as Vergeltungswaffen [retaliatory weapons, vengeance weapons] used by Germany to terrorise British civilians and undermine morale. Anger is cloquent; vengeance is sweet: but to stand calm and collected; to suspend the blow which passion was urgent to strike; to drive the reasons of clemency as far as they will go; to bring forward fairly in view the circumstances of mitigation; to distinguish between surprise and deliberation, infirmity and crime or if infliction be deemed necessary, to leave God to be both the judge and the executioner; this patience to labor after. People love to sting the passionate: they who are easily provoked, commit their repose to the keeping of their enemies; they lie down at their feet and invite them to strike. He that is slow to anger is of great understanding; but he that is hasty of spirit, exalteth folly.' Wisdom gives large, various, comprehensive views of things; the very exercise operates as a diversion, affords the mind time to cool, and furnishes numberless circumstances tending to soften severity. Dignity requires it. It is the glory of a man to pass by a transgression.' The man provoked to vengeance is conquered, and loses the glory of the struggle; while he who forbears comes off victor, crowned with uncommon laurels. A flood assails a rock, and rolls off unable to make an impression; while straws and boughs are borne off in triumph, carried down the stream, driven and tossed. The Temple of Mars Ultor (Mars the Avenger) occupied the centre of the eastern side of the Forum of Augustus. It was dedicated by Octavian Augustus in 42 BC on the eve of the battle of Philippi fought together with Mark Antony against Brutus and Cassius to avenge the assassination of Julius Caesar, his uncle and adoptive father. The temple was inaugurated in the year 2 BC. The significance of this group lies in the legitimization of power for the Iulia family who, according to the legend, descended from Iulus Ascanius, son of Aeneas, son of Venus. The Temple was completely destroyed around the times of the Ostrogoth king Theodoric (493-526) in order to reuse the marble and other construction materials. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russo-Ukraine War - 31 May 2023 - Day 462 Su M Tu W Th F Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace. "To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal] The UK Ministry of Defence reported that since the start of May 2023, Russia has increasingly ceded the initiative in the conflict and is reacting to Ukrainian action rather than actively progressing towards its own war aims. During May 2023, Russia has launched 20 nights of one-way-attack uncrewed aerial vehicle and cruise missile attacks deep inside Ukraine. Russia has had little success in its likely aims of neutralising Ukraine's improved air defences and destroying Ukrainian counter-attack forces. On the ground, it has redeployed security forces to react to partisan attacks inside western Russia. Operationally, Russian commanders are likely attempting to generate reserve forces and position them where they believe a Ukrainian counter-attack will occur. However, this has probably been undermined by uncommitted forces instead being sent to fill gaps in the front line around Bakhmut. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that during the day of May 31st, Russians carried out 2x missile and 22x air strikes, launched about 20 MLRS attacks on Ukrainian settlements and Ukrainian Defense Forces. The threat of missile and air strikes remains high across Ukraine. Russia continues to focus its main efforts on attempts to completely occupy the Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts. During the day, Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled 16x Russian attacks. Volyn' and Polissya axes: the operational situation remains stable, there are no signs of the formation of offensive groupings. Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna axes: the Russian forces continue to maintain an enhanced military presence on the border of Ukraine. They carried out mortar and artillery strikes on the Galaganivka in the Chernihiv Oblast, Seredyna-Buda, Fotovizh, Hirky, Atynske in the Sumy Oblast, as well as Udy, Hoptivka, Liptsi, Strelecha, Zelene, Ternova, Staritsa, Hatyshche, Vovchans'k, Pletenivka, Vovchans'ki Khutory, Ohirtseve, Mala Vovcha, Varvarivka, Chugunivka, Ambarne, Hryhorivka in Kharkiv Oblast. Kup'yans'k axis: the Russian forces carried out unsuccessful offensives west of Masyutivka in the Kharkiv Oblast and on Novoselyvskyi and Stelmakhivka axes in the Luhansk Oblast. Russian airstrikes recorded in Kislivka and Kotlyarivka districts of Kharkiv Oblast. Krasne Pershe, Figolivka, Novomlyns'k, Zapadne, Masyutivka, Kislivka, Berestov in the Kharkiv Oblast and Novoselivs'ke in the Luhansk Oblast were under Russian artillery and mortar fire. Lyman axis: the Russian occupiers carried out unsuccessful offensive operations in the Bilogorivka area. They carried out airstrikes in Terni and Sivers'k districts of Donetsk Oblast. Nevs'ke, Belogorivka of the Luhansk Oblast and Novosadove, Tors'ke, Spirne of the Donetsk Oblast were shelled by artillery. Bakhmut axis: the Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensive near the Orihovo-Vasylivka and Bila Gora. Kramatorsk, Vasyukivka, Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Novomarkove, Hryhorivka, Chasiv Yar, Ivanivs'ke, Predtechine, Bila Hora, Diliivka, Zalizne and New York of the Donetsk Oblast suffered from Russian artillery shelling. Avdiivka axis: the Russian forces did not conduct offensive. They carried out an airstrike in the Avdiivka area of the Donetsk Oblast. russians also shelled Novokalynove, Orlivka, Avdiivka, Tonenka, Severne, Netaylove, Karlivka, Pervomais'ke, Nevels'ke of the Donetsk Oblast. Mar'inka axis: our defenders repelled all Russian attacks in the vicinities of Mar'inka. The Russian forces launched an air strike, while Kurakhove, Maksimilyanivka, Heorgiivka, Mar'inka, Pobyeda, Elizavetivka, Katerynivka, Kostyantynivka and Novomykhailivka of the Donetsk Oblast were shelled by artillery. Shakhtars'k axis: the Russian forces launched airstrikes in the area of Vugledar, Prechistivka. They shelled Bogoyavlenka, Vugledar, Novoukrainka, Prechistivka, Zolota Niva, Shakhtars'ke, and Velyka Novosilka. Zaporizhzhia and Kherson axes: Russian forces are on the defensive. Shelled settlements bordering the contact line, including: Vremivka, Vilne Pole, Novosilka, Zelene Pole, Novopil', Temyrivka of the Donetsk Oblast; Olgivske, Malynivka, Hulyaipole, Zaliznychne, Hulyaipils'ke, Mala Tokmachka, Novodanilivka, Novoandriivka and Stepove Kam'ians'ke, Zaporizhzhia Oblast; Beryslav, Kozatske, Ivanivka, Antonivka, Komysany, Dniprovs'ke, Kizomys, Shiroka Balka of the Kherson Oblast and the city of Kherson. Ukrainian Air Force conducted 9x strikes on manpower and military equipment concentration areas. Ukrainian Defense Forces shot down 2x Russian reconnaissance UAVs. Ukrainian missile and artillery units hit 1 control post, 1 artillery unit at a firing position, 2x ammunition depots and 2x electronic warfare stations. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that on May 29, as a result of a high-precision strike launched by the Russian Aerospace Forces against a military berth in the port of Odessa, the last of the Ukrainian warships, Yuri Olefirenko was destroyed. In Kupyansk direction, assault detachments, Operational-Tactical aviation, artillery, and heavy flamethrower systems of the Zapad Group of Forces have inflicted fire damage on troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) close to Tabayevka, Molchanovo, Novomlynsk, Berestovoye (Kharkov region), and Novoselovskoye and Stelmakhovka (Lugansk People's Republic). Three sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has been disabled close to Timkovka, Sinkovka, and Kotlyarovka. Up to 70 Ukrainian personnel, two armoured vehicles, and four pick-up trucks were neutralised. Moreover, ammunition depots of the 60th Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was destroyed close to Liptsy and Sinelnikovo (Kharkov region). In Krasny Liman direction, aviation and artillery of the Tsentr Group of Forces engaged the units of the enemy close to Makeevka, Chervonaya Dibrova (Lugansk People's Republic), Torskoye, Yampolovka (Donetsk People's Republic) and the Serevryansky forestry. Over 50 Ukrainian personnel, two armoured fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, one Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, two D-20 howitzers, one D-30 howitzer, and one Grad MLRS system the enemy has lost in this direction. In the Donetsk direction, the fiercest hostilities are taking place near Avdeevka. In the course of active operations by assault detachments of the 1st Army Corps supported by aviation, artillery fire, and heavy flamethrower systems of the Yug Group of Forces, the enemy was dislodged from occupied positions in a number of areas near the settlements of Krasnogorovka and Yasinovataya ( Donetsk People's Republic). Operational-Tactical and Army aviation launched strikes to engage AFU units near Avdeevka and Khimik. In addition, a warehouse of rocket and artillery weapons of the 110th Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been obliterated. The 5th Motorised Rifle Brigade and the Akhmat Special Forces Detachment are carrying out successful offensives in Maryinka direction. In this direction, the enemy has suffered losses of over 200 Ukrainian troops, three armoured fighting vehicles, 12 motor vehicles, one D-30 howitzer, and two Grad MLRS vehicles during the day. In South Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, aviation and artillery of the Vostok Group of Forces inflicted fire damage on the AFU units close to Velikaya Novosyolka, Pavlovka, Vladimirovka (Donetsk People's Republic) and Malinovka (Zaporozhye region). Up to 185 Ukrainian servicemen, two armoured fighting vehicles, and four motor vehicles have been eliminated in this direction during the day. ?? Moreover, ammunition depots of the 65th Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were wiped out close to Preobrazhenka and Chervonaya Krinitsa (Zaporozhye region). In Kherson direction, up to 30 Ukrainian troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, and two motor vehicles have been destroyed. Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Group of Forces have engaged 103 AFU artillery units, manpower and hardware in 149 areas during the day. Moreover, a command post of the 33rd Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was destroyed close to Trudovoye (Zaporozhye region). A command and observation post of the 'Skala' assault battalion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was eliminated close to Avdeevka (Donetsk People's Republic). Air defence forces have intercepted 12 HIMARS MLRS projectiles and one Storm Shadow long-range cruise missile during the day. Moreover, 11 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down close to Verkhnekamenka, Zaliman (Lugansk People's Republic), and Pokrovskoye (Donetsk People's Republic). In total, 429 airplanes and 235 helicopters, 4,390 unmanned aerial vehicles, 424 air defence missile systems, 9,345 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 1,103 combat vehicles equipped with MRLS, 4,946 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 10,574 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO Secretary General, Allies commemorate victims of 22 July terrorist attacks NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 31 May. 2023 In a tribute to the victims and survivors of the 22 July 2011 terrorist attacks in Norway, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg praised the resilience of the Norwegian people and the strength of democracy on Wednesday (31 May 2023). "Our democratic values prevailed" and "terrorism failed,"the Secretary General said. "There is a line between UtAya and Ukraine," he said, "between a brutal act of terrorism and an illegal war of aggression." The values of democracy, freedom, and diversity of thought, opinion and belief, which were attacked then are the ones attacked now, the Secretary General stressed. "We will not let authoritarian states break down the rules-based international order. We will support Ukraine for as long as it takes. And we will not let terrorists crush our free and open societies. We will stand united to protect our values and our people," he added. Mr. Stoltenberg was Prime Minister during the deadly terrorist attacks, which killed 77 people at government headquarters in Oslo and at a Labour youth camp on the island of UtAya on 22 July 2011. Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr StAre, the leader of the support group for the victims, Lisbeth RAneland, and NATO Foreign Ministers attended the ceremony. The event preceded an informal meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers and invitee Sweden which will take place on Thursday (1 June). The meeting will address key issues to help prepare for the Vilnius Summit on 11-12 July, including NATO's enduring support for Ukraine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Spacecraft Carrying Saudi Astronauts Splashes Down Successfully in Atlantic Ocean Saudi Press Agency Riyadh, May 31, 2023, SPA -- The Saudi Space Commission (SSC) said the spacecraft carrying astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali Alqarni, and the crew of the "Ax-2" mission to Earth has returned, marking the end of the two Saudi astronauts' distinguished scientific experiments aboard the International Space Station. The two astronauts have successfully contributed to scientific research that benefits humanity, utilizing the promising opportunities provided by space exploration and its many related industries, and boosted Saudi-manned flight capabilities. This pioneering mission is a significant accomplishment and a source of pride for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; it contributed to the country's technological and scientific advancement in the field of space. The Kingdom is one of a select few nations in which a team conducts space science missions and research journeys in orbit around the Earth. According to SSC, the spacecraft carrying Barnawi and Alqarni safely landed in the Atlantic Ocean. The spacecraft's entry into the Earth atmosphere caused the landing to slow considerably. Large airbags and umbrellas were also employed to slow it down. When the capsule touched down in the water, SpaceX boats were at hand to retrieve the astronauts. The mission of the Saudi crew is testimony of the Kingdom's advancement in the field, its commitment to innovation and an important step toward achieving its goal of becoming a leader in space exploration through pioneering research, strategic partnerships and advanced education. The "Ax-2" mission was launched from Florida on May 21. The spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station about 16 hours after launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral. The two Saudi astronauts conducted 14 scientific experiments in space before returning to Earth. --SPA 11:11 LOCAL TIME 08:11 GMT 0009 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Department of the Air Force announces preferred locations for STARCOM HQ, 3 Deltas Published May 31, 2023 Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) -- The Department of the Air Force selected Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, as the preferred location to hostthe Space Training and Readiness Command Headquarters, along with Space Delta 10. Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, is the preferred location for Space Delta 11 and Schriever SFB, Colorado, is the preferred location for Space Delta 12. STARCOM, one of three U.S. Space Force field commands, is responsible for the deliberate development, education and training of space professionals in addition to the development of space warfighting doctrine, tactics, techniques and procedures, and the operational test and evaluation of Space Force systems. Space Delta 10, which is responsible for doctrine and wargaming, is expected to also be located at Patrick SFB, Florida. This delta develops Space Force doctrine and tactics, conducts the service's Lessons Learned program and executes and supports wargames to adequately posture space forces and designated joint and allied partners. Space Delta 11 is expected to be located at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, and is responsible for all ranges and aggressors. This delta delivers realistic, threat-informed test and training environments through the provision of live, virtual and constructive range and combat replication capabilities. Space Delta 12 is expected to be located at Schriever SFB, Colorado, and is responsible for test and evaluation. This delta prepares space forces to prevail in contested, degraded and operationally-limited environments through the independent test and evaluation of Space Force capabilities and delivery of timely, accurate and expert information in support of weapon system acquisition, operational acceptance and readiness decisions. The decision to host STARCOM HQ and the three deltas at their respective bases came after conducting site surveys at each location to assess their ability to facilitate the mission and infrastructure capacity, while accounting for community support, environmental factors and cost. The Department of the Air Force will now conduct environmental impact analyses at each base, which are expected to be completed later this year before final decisions are made. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Minsk Believes Deploying Russian Tactical Nuclear Arms to Cool Down War-Like Rhetoric Sputnik News 20230531 MINSK (Sputnik) - Minsk expects that agreements with Russia on the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in the republic will cool down the war-like rhetoric of neighboring Western countries and Ukraine and will not allow a more global military confrontation, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said on Wednesday. "I have recently signed with my Russian counterpart a regulation on the procedure for keeping nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus. This is an effective measure that should cool the aggressive character and war-like rhetoric that comes from our neighbors and prevent it from escalating into some kind of global, large-scale war," Khrenin said in his address to the parliament. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on March 25 that Moscow and Minsk had agreed to station Russia's tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, which does not breach Russia's commitments on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. On April 2, Russian Ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov said that nuclear weapons in Belarus would be stationed closer to the western borders of the Union State. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Brazil's Lula calls for instituting common S American currency Iran Press TV Wednesday, 31 May 2023 10:21 AM Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has called for the establishment of a common currency for the South American region in efforts to reduce its reliance on the US dollar. Lula made the remarks during a meeting with South American leaders in the capital Brasilia on Tuesday, while seeking a more integrated bloc to address common problems within the region. "[I propose] creating a common credit in trade, thus reducing dependence on extra-regional currencies," he said, while emphasizing the need to "strengthen the South American identity in monetary policy." Lula further noted that regional development banks such as the Andean Development Corporation (CAF), the Bank of the South, and Brazil's development bank BNDES should do more to finance social and economic development in the region. He also called for the revival of the regional bloc previously known as the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), saying South America functioning as a single economic bloc is the only way to effectively deal with problems. "For more than 10 years, UNASUR has allowed us to get to know each other better. We consolidated our ties through a broad political dialogue that accommodated differences and allowed us to identify common denominators," Lula said. "We implemented cooperation initiatives in health, infrastructure, and defense. This integration also contributed to important trade gains. We formed a robust free trade zone, whose figures reached a record value of $124 billion in 2011," he added. Tuesday's regional summit was attended by eleven of the continent's 12 heads of state, including the leaders of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Surinam, Uruguay, and Venezuela at the invitation of Lula. Peruvian President Dina Boluarte did not attend the summit for diplomatic reasons and was instead represented by the leader of the Council of Ministers of Peru. This is not the first time that regional leaders have proposed the creation of a common currency in South America. The idea of a shared currency within the Mercosur trade bloc, comprised of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, has been discussed intermittently since its establishment in 1991. However, analysts are skeptical that the project could take off anytime soon due to varying monetary policies across the region. The latest development comes amid efforts by a growing number of countries across the globe to ditch the US dollar in favor of local currencies of trading partners. The global trend to substitute the US dollar with local currencies in trade transactions continues to accelerate as more nations have taken steps to ditch the greenback. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US hypes on 'China threat' ahead of Shangri-La Dialogue Global Times By Chen Qingqing and Liu Xuanzun Published: May 31, 2023 09:21 PM Updated: May 31, 2023 09:17 PM Ahead of the 20th IISS Shangri-La Dialogue toward which there has been growing speculation about the meeting between the Chinese and US defense ministers, the US, following its commonly-used tactics, hyped again China's "unprofessional" intercept of a US spy plane over the South China Sea, aiming to peddle the "China threat" theory and create some "sensational topics" for the defense summit. Despite the recent resumption of some high-level engagements between the US and China, the US-China rivalry, driven by Washington's new Cold War mindset of treating China as a competitor, has entered a much profound and multi-dimensional scope, some experts said. Echoing the first meeting of the National Security Commission under the 20th CPC Central Committee, which indicated that China must be prepared for "worst-case and extreme-case scenarios," experts also called for the need to be prepared to deal with those scenarios in the China-US relations as Washington's China policy could become "more extreme" when the elections loom. The US military on Tuesday accused China of conducting an "unprofessional" intercept of a US spy plane over the South China Sea. But according to Chinese officials and experts, it is the US that has initiated the provocative military operations near China in the first place. Extended US close-in reconnaissance operations on China seriously violate China's sovereignty security and are a source of maritime safety issues, and the US should stop such dangerous provocations immediately, Mao Ning, a spokesperson at China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a routine press conference on Wednesday, responding to the intercept incident. China will continue to take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard sovereignty security, Mao said. Meanwhile, PLA Southern Theater Command said on Wednesday that US RC-135 spy plane made an intrusion into PLA Navy Shandong aircraft carrier group's training zone in the South China Sea on Friday, and PLA Southern Theater Command organized aerial forces to monitor, track and professionally dealt with the situation in accordance with law and regulation. Also on Wednesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in the US expressed strong dissatisfaction and opposition to US sanctions on 13 China-based entities and individuals over alleged involvement "in the international proliferation of equipment used to produce illicit drugs." "While saying it hopes to resume counter-narcotics cooperation with China on various occasions, the US has again brazenly sanctioned Chinese individuals and entities, which is a serious violation of the lawful rights and interests of the companies and individuals concerned," the Chinese Embassy in the US said. Most recently, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been lobbying the EU partners at the EU-US Trade and Technology Council, to align for a stronger line on China as the US has been pushing the so-called ''China's economic coercion.'' From diplomacy to military to economy, there have been mixed signals from the already complex China-US relations, signaling that Washington's China policy characterized as rivalry and confrontation remains unchanged, some experts said. They also noted that China should not have "any fantasy" about the US changing or improving its China policy, warning that the US-China rivalry has become multi-dimensional and could get more intense in the future. Provocation, sanctions A Chinese J-16 fighter jet performed an "unnecessarily aggressive" maneuver during the intercept of a US Air Force RC-135 aircraft on Friday when the latter was "conducting safe and routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace," the US Indo Pacific Command said in a statement on Tuesday. The Chinese warplane "flew directly in front of the nose of the RC-135, forcing the US aircraft to fly through its wake turbulence," read the US statement, with a video attached showing the abovementioned incident. Chinese experts said it is the US that should reflect on its own provocative military operations near China in the first place, and it's also Washington's commonly used tactics of hyping China's threat ahead of the Shangri-La Dialogue. For example, during the defense summit in 2022, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin talked about "alarming increase in the number of unsafe aerial intercepts and confrontations at sea" by the Chinese aircrafts and vessels, after Canada made a similar accusation against China. For this year's Shangri-La Dialogue, some US media outlets have been hyping China "rebuffing" a possible meeting between Chinese and US defense chiefs. Tan Kefei, spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense, said on Wednesday that the responsibility for the difficulties facing military-to-military exchanges lies entirely with the US, urging the US to show its sincerity and correct its mistakes, creating necessary conditions and atmosphere for the exchanges. "The US ignores the basic courtesy by keeping our defense chief on its sanction list while seeking communication with us, and how would any talks under such circumstances be possible?" asked LA Xiang, research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Chinese defense minister Li Shangfu was once sanctioned by the US for purchasing Russian weapons for the Chinese People's Liberation Army. The US-China rivalry has entered a deeper and multi-dimensional scope from security to trade and politics, LA said, who also calls for the need to be prepared for "possible extreme-case scenarios" such as on the Taiwan question and the South China Sea. Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired the first meeting of the National Security Commission under the 20th CPC Central Committee on Tuesday. The meeting said the national security issues China faces today are "considerably more complex and much more difficult to be resolved," stressing the necessity of being prepared to deal with worst-case and extreme-case scenarios and being ready to withstand the major test of "high winds, choppy waters, and even dangerous storms." Besides the hype-up in military, the latest US sanctions on Chinese entities and individuals are also part of its broader agenda of competing and confronting with China, some experts said. "The US has not entered the year of elections yet but there have been growing rivalry scenarios between the US and China, which shows that Washington's China policy will continue being confrontational, even become more extreme," Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Wednesday. Mixed signals While the US President Joe Biden recently hinted on a thaw of the US-China tense relations, there have been growing high-level re-engagement within which the interactions in trade and commerce have become more palpable, especially when the ongoing trip of Tesla's CEO Elon Musk in China has attracted wide attention and more US executives like JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said they are committed to the Chinese market. "There are two groups of people in the US in dealing with the US-China relations, one represents the interests of military-industry complex who are unwilling to see any improvement in the bilateral ties," LA said. While the other group, representing the interests of commerce and trade, showed the willingness of engaging with China to develop a pragmatic relationship, hoping to find a path of cooperation when rivalry remains in some areas. "In fact, it's the wrestling between various forces within the US," he noted. Xie Feng, China's newly appointed ambassador to the US, recently said the China-US relationship has once again come to a historical crossroads, toward which some experts believe that how the China-US relations shape will profoundly influence the world's security and interests. "The current US' China policy if not changed will undoubtedly lead to a new Cold War landscape with more fierce confrontation in the future, which could create a tragic situation in Asia or even in the world with more divisions," Li said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US accusation of Chinese intercept of US spy plane aims to hype 'China threat' theory at Shangri-La Dialogue: experts Global Times By Liu Xuanzun and Guo Yuandan Published: May 31, 2023 05:34 PM Updated: May 31, 2023 05:31 PM The US military on Tuesday accused China of conducting an "unprofessional" intercept of a US spy plane over the South China Sea, however it is the US that should reflect on its own provocative military operations near China in the first place, Chinese experts said on Wednesday. Coming before the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, the US is hyping this accusation to again push the "China threat" theory after a meeting between Chinese and US defense chiefs at the event was reportedly turned down by China, analysts said. A Chinese J-16 fighter jet performed an "unnecessarily aggressive" maneuver during the intercept of a US Air Force RC-135 aircraft on Friday when the latter was "conducting safe and routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace," the US Indo Pacific Command said in a statement on Tuesday. The Chinese warplane "flew directly in front of the nose of the RC-135, forcing the US aircraft to fly through its wake turbulence," read the US statement, with a video attached showing the abovementioned incident. However, the US side failed to mention the exact location where the incident took place, intentionally using a vague description of "international airspace," Zhang Xuefeng, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times on Wednesday. Chinese pilots take maneuvers to expel foreign aircraft only after failed radio warnings, and when it happens, foreign aircraft usually are very close to Chinese islands and reefs or the mainland, Zhang said. "No country's military will sit by and watch this kind of close-in reconnaissance." The US frequently carries out close-in reconnaissance of China, sometimes taking provocative activities including low-altitude fly-bys and buoy-dropping, which are the real "unnecessarily aggressive" maneuvers, Zhang said. Judging from the video, the Chinese fighter jet did an outstanding job professionally in sending a warning to the US spy plane without risking a collision, a Beijing-based military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Wednesday. The US is like a thief crying "stop thief." If someone keeps wandering around on your doorsteps and taking photos all the time with obvious malicious intentions, it is not your fault if you make them go away, the expert said. Extended US close-in reconnaissance operations on China seriously violate China's sovereignty security and are a source of maritime safety issues, and the US should stop such dangerous provocations immediately, Mao Ning, a spokesperson at China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a routine press conference on Wednesday, responding to the intercept incident. China will continue to take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard sovereignty security, Mao said. The incident took place shortly before the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, a major defense forum in the Asia-Pacific region to be held from Friday to Sunday in Singapore. China has turned down a request to arrange a meeting between Chinese and US defense chiefs at the event, the US Defense Department said on Monday. In response, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Tan Kefei said in a statement on Wednesday that while China values China-US military ties and bilateral military interactions are not suspended, dialogue can't take place without principles and communication can't happen without a bottom line. The US is responsible for the current challenges, as it is creating obstacles and sabotaging mutual trust. It should show sincerity with actions to create conditions for communication, Tan said. The hyping of the intercept incident is yet another example of the US creating obstacles rather than the necessary conditions for dialogues, as the information was obviously intentionally timed to release before the Shangri-La Dialogue, another Chinese military expert told the Global Times on Wednesday, requesting anonymity. It has become a habit for US secretary of defense to make accusations against China and hype the "China threat" theory during the speech at the forum, the expert said, expecting more fierce confrontations between the Chinese and US delegations at the event. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US recon aircraft spies on Chinese aircraft carrier, professionally dealt with by PLA: PLA Southern Theater Command spokesperson Global Times By Liu Xuanzun and Fan Wei Published: May 31, 2023 09:03 PM Updated: May 31, 2023 08:58 PM The US reconnaissance aircraft that was intercepted by a Chinese fighter jet was spying on and disturbing a routine exercise by the Shandong aircraft carrier group in the South China Sea, and the US' accusation calling the Chinese interception "unprofessional" is a false countercharge as the US is the one to blame, experts said on Wednesday. In a routine exercise by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy Flotilla 17 in the South China Sea on Friday, a US military RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft intentionally intruded into the training area for reconnaissance and disturbance, leading the PLA Southern Theater Command to organize aerial forces to track and monitor it through its entire course, with maneuvers in a professional manner and in accordance with law and regulations, said Senior Colonel Zhang Nandong, a spokesperson at the PLA Southern Theater Command, in a statement. The Flotilla 17 represents the Shandong aircraft carrier group, with the aircraft carrier Shandong carrying the hull number 17. Later on Saturday, the carrier group sailed north from the South China Sea through the Taiwan Straits, according to the defense authority on the island of Taiwan. Zhang's statement came after the US Indo Pacific Command said in a statement on Tuesday that a Chinese J-16 fighter jet performed an "unnecessarily aggressive" maneuver during the interception of a US Air Force RC-135 aircraft on Friday when the latter was "conducting safe and routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace." The US statement didn't mention details including the location of the incident or the mission of the US spy plane on the PLA Navy flotilla. The US' move seriously sabotaged regional peace and stability, the related reports disregarded facts and attempted to confuse the international community, Zhang said. "We sternly urge the US to restrict its frontal maritime and aerial forces' actions and strictly abide by related international laws and relevant agreements, so as to prevent maritime or aerial accidents from happening, or all consequences are for the US to bear," the spokesperson said. The command troops are on high vigilance at all time to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty security as well as peace and stability in the South China Sea, Zhang said. In addition, according to open-source intelligence, the US spy plane also flew to less than 50 kilometers away from Jieyang, South China's Guangdong Province, for close-in reconnaissance, the Global Times learned from Chinese technology and intelligence company MizarVision on Wednesday. The RC-135 is a type of reconnaissance aircraft that is equipped with a number of antennas and electronic reconnaissance equipment that enable identification and monitoring of multi-band electromagnetic signals with a range of 240 kilometers, experts said. It would allow the US to gain access to key Chinese military intelligence that can support US aggressions if a conflict breaks out, making the interception necessary, a Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Wednesday. From the video released by the US side, while the Chinese fighter jet made a warning move toward the US spy plane, it maintained a safe distance, so the US exaggerated the incident, Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation expert, told the Global Times on Wednesday. Since the incident took place shortly before the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, a major defense forum in the Asia-Pacific region to be held from Friday to Sunday in Singapore, experts also pointed out that the US' hype aim to push the "China threat" theory at the event. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning's Regular Press Conference on May 31, 2023 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China At the invitation of the Chinese government, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of the Kingdom of Thailand will visit China from June 1 to 6. This will be Her Royal Highness Princess Sirindhorn's 50th visit to China. CCTV: You just announced that Her Royal Highness Princess Sirindhorn of Thailand will visit China. Can you share more about this visit? What does China expect to achieve through this visit? Mao Ning: The Chinese and Thai people are brothers and our fraternity lasts forever. China warmly welcomes Her Royal Highness Princess Sirindhorn, a good and old friend of the Chinese people and recipient of the Friendship Medal, to pay the 50th visit to China. I believe that this visit will be another good story in the history of China-Thailand friendly exchanges, further enrich the profound culture of China-Thailand community with a shared future and create a new chapter of the special friendship between the two countries as close as one family. During the visit, the Chinese leader will meet with Her Royal Highness Princess Sirindhorn and jointly attend the event held by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries to celebrate Her Royal Highness's 50th visit to China. Her Royal Highness Princess Sirindhorn will also travel to Guangdong besides Beijing. TASS: During his meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Belgrade Chen Bo yesterday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic asked the Chinese Ambassador to convey to the Chinese leadership the message of exerting influence on the international community regarding Kosovo and Metohija. Do you have any comment? Could you share more information? Mao Ning: Yesterday, the Chinese Ambassador to Serbia met with President Aleksandar Vucic upon invitation. The two sides exchanged views on issues of mutual interest. China and Serbia are comprehensive strategic partners and iron-clad friends. China always supports Serbia's effort to uphold its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Under the current circumstances, escalation of tensions needs to be avoided and the peace and tranquility of the Western Balkan region upheld. The Paper: According to reports, relevant institution recently released a report on incidents in the village of Moura pointing out that Malian forces and foreign mercenaries violated human rights in anti-terrorist operations. What's China's comment? Mao Ning: China supports the Malian government's effort of fighting terrorism and safeguarding national security and stability. China always advocates that all sides should have constructive dialogue and cooperation on human rights issues and opposes meddling in other countries' internal affairs under the excuse of human rights. Yonhap News Agency: According to reports, the DPRK fired a "space projectile" on May 31 and it fell into the Yellow Sea due to its engine failure. The ROK, the US and other countries accused the DPRK of violating the UN Security Council resolutions. What's China's position? Mao Ning: How the Korean Peninsula issues developed into the current situation is clear and the situation today is not what China wants to see. The only way to prevent the situation from worsening is that all sides should face up to the crux of the absence of a peace mechanism on the Korean Peninsula, resume meaningful dialogue under the "dual track" approach and address each other's reasonable concerns in a balanced way. Reuters: Our first question is that the US said a Chinese fighter jet carried out an "unnecessarily aggressive" maneuver near a US military plane last week over the South China Sea in international airspace. Will the ministry comment on this? The second question is that Tesla CEO Elon Musk has met with the Foreign, Commerce, and Industry ministers last evening and earlier today. Which other ministries or senior officials will Elon Musk meet, and what has Elon Musk expressed to officials so far about what he hopes to achieve from his meetings in China? Mao Ning: On your first question, I would like to point out that for quite some time, the US side has frequently sent aircraft and vessels to conduct close-in reconnaissance on China, seriously threatening China's sovereignty and security. Such provocative and dangerous moves are the root cause for maritime security issues. The US needs to immediately stop such dangerous acts of provocation. We will continue to take necessary measures to firmly safeguard our sovereignty and security. On your second question, China has released information on the relevant meetings, which you may refer to. I have nothing more to share at the moment. Bloomberg: Does China support NATO's efforts to send more troops to Kosovo and does China think that sending more troops is truly contributing to peace? Mao Ning: China pays high attention to relevant developments. We support Serbia's effort to safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity, oppose unilateral actions by the temporary institutions in Pristina, and hope that the duty of establishing an association/community of Serb majority municipalities will be fulfilled. As for NATO, we hope NATO will respect relevant country's sovereignty and territorial integrity and truly make contribution to peace in the region. RIA Novosti: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Venezuela would like to become part of the BRICS as this association forms a new world order. Do you have any comment on this? Mao Ning: As an important platform for cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries, BRICS is committed to upholding multilateralism, vigorously advancing the reform of the global governance system and increasing the representation and say of emerging markets and developing countries. It has become a positive, stable and constructive force in international affairs. China always believes that BRICS is an open and inclusive mechanism and supports the BRICS expansion process. More and more countries have applied to join BRICS and hope to join BRICS cooperation. We stand ready to bring more like-minded partners into the big family of BRICS.aa Joong-Ang Ilbo: My first question is, today The Hankyoreh reported that Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry Liu Jinsong visited Seoul last week, conveying the "four noes" position of the Chinese government. China's Foreign Ministry said at the time that "he made clear China's serious position on its core concerns". Is this the "four noes" position? Do you have any comment on The Hankyoreh report? My second question is, Minister of the Chinese Embassy in the ROK Fang Kun said at an ROK-China-Japan cooperation day event yesterday that China always supports ROK-China-Japan cooperation. Do you have any comment? Mao Ning: On your first question, we shared information on the consultations Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry Liu Jinsong had in the ROK last week and you may refer to that. I want to stress that the current difficulties and challenges in the China-ROK relations are not caused by China. In recent consultations, China has seriously and comprehensively made clear its solemn position on its core interest to the ROK side. The ROK side should have an in-depth understanding of the crux of the problem, take it seriously and work with China to make positive effort for the sound and steady growth of China-ROK relations. On your second question, China, Japan and the ROK are close neighbors. Cooperation among the three countries serve the common interests of all. China attaches importance to China-Japan-ROK cooperation. The three sides need to work together to safeguard the political foundation of bilateral relations and promote the steady, healthy and sustained growth of the trilateral cooperation. AFP: The Wall Street Journal reports that China and India have effectively kicked out a large number of each other's journalists recently by denying visa renewals. Can you confirm that this is happening and tell us why? Mao Ning: Chinese journalists have suffered unfair and discriminatory treatment in India for a long time. In 2017, the Indian side shortened the period of validity of visas held by Chinese journalists in India to three months or even one month without any valid reason. Since 2020, the Indian side has refused to review and approve Chinese journalists' applications for stationing in India. As a result, the number of Chinese journalists stationed in India has plummeted from 14 at the normal time to just one. As we speak, the Indian side still has not renewed the visa of the last Chinese journalist in the country. The number of Chinese journalists stationed in India is about to drop to zero. Considering this, the Chinese side has no choice but to take appropriate counter-measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese media organizations. However, I would like to stress that China is still willing to maintain communication with India under the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit. We hope that India will work in the same direction with China, seriously respond to China's legitimate concerns, and take concrete steps as soon as possible to create favorable conditions for restoring normal exchange between the media organizations of the two countries. AFP: Myanmar media reports that China's military official met with Myanmar vice-senior general Soe Win yesterday and the two of them discussed cooperation between the two countries' armies. Can you confirm that this meeting took place and do you have any details of what was discussed? Mao Ning: I'm not aware of what you mentioned. Please refer to the competent authorities. Bloomberg: The US has accused several Chinese companies of shipping machines that make counterfeit pills to the US and Mexico and has hit more than a dozen entities with sanctions. Does the foreign ministry have any comment? Mao Ning: The US has taken the so-called illicit drug-related crimes as an excuse to impose unreasonable sanctions on Chinese entities and individuals, which severely harms the lawful rights and interests of these companies and individuals. China strongly deplores and firmly opposes this. The excuse for the US sanctions is that relevant Chinese companies and individuals exported pill press machines and die molds to the US and Mexico. It is well known that these are common goods that are not under control both in China and the wider world. In international trade, the responsibility for preventing relevant equipment from being used for making illicit drug lies with the importer. I'll make an analogy to explain the situation: A knife can be used for cutting up vegetable or for killing. If someone attacked others with a knife, who should be brought to account? The one who used the knife to attack others or the producer of the knife? I think the answer is quite clear. The US has itself to blame for its domestic drug abuse. Unilateral sanctions will not solve the US's own problems but will only create further obstacles for China-US cooperation. China will continue to take necessary measures to safeguard the lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies and individuals. AFP: Just to clarify the previous question on Indian journalists, you mentioned that China has to take appropriate countermeasures against India's actions. Does it mean that China has indeed refused to renew visas for Indian journalists? Mao Ning: We have been actively providing assistance and convenience to Indian journalists working and living in China. We treat them like friends and family. I believe many of you here know that some Indian journalists have been working and living in China for more than 10 years. The current situation is not what we want to see. We hope that the Indian side will immediately correct its wrongdoing and provide facilitation to the normal work and life of journalists from both countries. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China In Eurasia Briefing: What Beijing Is Learning From The Western Response To Ukraine By Reid Standish May 31, 2023 What Beijing Is Learning From The Western Response To Ukraine Greetings from Bratislava, where I'm at GLOBSEC, an international strategic conference that's gathered leaders and thinkers from across Europe. The mood here is generally positive because of how the West has managed to stick together over nearly 16 months of war in Ukraine, but an undercurrent of anxiety is growing over how fragile that unity is. Finding Perspective: The focus of the conference is squarely on Europe and the fallout from Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The West has so far managed to surprise many of its critics since the onset of the war, but there are concerns over Western unity for continued military support for Kyiv and a waning appetite to keep enforcing sanctions. With many elections on the horizon across the West in the next few years -- from Slovakia to the United States -- there's also worry that new populist and isolationist politicians could widen the cracks that are appearing now. China has not been a centerpiece of the conversation here, but I sat down on the sidelines of the conference with Roy Chun Lee, Taiwan's deputy foreign minister, for a wide-ranging interview. Lee's main point was that Taiwan and Ukraine's fates are linked together and that the best way to deter China over Taiwan is to support Kyiv against Moscow. "Until a final victory arrives, defending Ukraine against Russia has [direct] implications for Taiwan," the senior Taiwanese diplomat told me. "In particular, it shows the potential support that we will receive from our democratic allies in the case of a Chinese military invasion." Why It Matters: Beijing views Taiwan as a rogue province and has vowed to unify it with mainland China -- even by force, if necessary. U.S. President Joe Biden has also vowed to defend the island if it's attacked, fueling concerns that Taiwan could be the next geopolitical flashpoint after Russia's war in Ukraine. In our conversation, Lee offered a generally positive, but by no means stellar, report card for the West's support for Ukraine. While he said that Ukraine's successful, Western-supported defense of its territory has so far had a deterring effect on China, he adds that Beijing is assessing the war over a "longer time span" and is closely following cracks within Western unity. "I think China is waiting to see what happens two years from now, and three years from now, and if the Western democratic camp will be able to hold their position," he added. He was also quick to push back against increasing statements from some Republican voices in Congress that aid for Ukraine is limiting Taipei's defenses and should be scaled back. Lee said that Taiwanese leadership "does not agree with that" and that the best form of support for the island nation of 24 million at the moment is to avoid "making the same mistakes twice" with China that were made with Russia in the years before February 2022. "That's why we're asking everybody to support Ukraine. It's the best way to deter China," he told me. Expert Corner: Why Taiwan Is Urging The West Not To Abandon Ukraine Here are a few more notable passages from my interviewwith Lee. On Macron's Taiwan comments in April: "Of course, everyone was a little bit confused about the signal that President [Emmanuel] Macron was sending. "I don't think France is trying to play this appeasement game anymore. [Macron] is just keeping with their strategic autonomous approach in relation to the U.S." On the connection between Ukraine and Taiwan: "It's too late already for us to stop Russia, but I think we still have time to build up our solidarity to deter China from making the worst-case scenario into reality. "Taiwan has benefited from the very fact that it was Russia who invaded Ukraine before China invaded Taiwan.... We can learn [from Ukraine], and we can start to accelerate the preparations along with the United States and European countries." On Taipei's relations with Europe: "I think the Czech Republic and Slovakia are demonstrating in a very ambitious way that you can do a lot of substantive work with Taiwan without violating your One China policy. "I think we're looking at a model [set by Bratislava and Prague] that we would like to see increasing in a number of European countries that will take a similar pragmatic approach. "We're seeing more countries, especially in Central and Eastern Europe, assess the situation pragmatically and start to follow the footsteps of the leadership set by Slovakia and the Czech Republic." Do you have a question about China's growing footprint in Eurasia? Send it to me at StandishR@rferl.org or reply directly to this e-mail and I'll get it answered by leading experts and policymakers. Three More Stories From Eurasia 1. Unpacking The Summit In Xi'an China hosted a landmark summit in Xi'an on May 18-19 with Central Asian leaders, signaling Beijing's growing attention to the region at a time when Russia, its long-standing hegemon, is seeing its influence wane. What You Need To Know: The summit in Xi'an was complete with sparkle as Chinese leader Xi Jinping gave a lavish, red-carpet welcome to Central Asia's leaders that was rich in symbolism despite sometimes being light on substance and details. In terms of the most notable takeaways, we saw Chinese promises to invest billions of dollars more in Central Asia's economies and calls to open up China's own economy to Central Asian businesses. For Central Asian leaders, that's welcome news, especially after years of pandemic-era measures that left borders closed and Central Asian trade restricted. But beyond the economic focus of Xi's so-called "new paradigm" for relations with Central Asia were calls to deepen cooperation on defense and security, two areas where China has generally been hesitant to deepen its footprint. According to a summary delivered by Chinese state media, "Xi stressed that China is ready to help Central Asian countries improve their law enforcement, security, and defense-capacity building in an effort to safeguard regional peace." But beyond those loud pronouncements, few details emerged from Xi's statements, and we're left to speculate about where this might lead. Tajikistan is of particular interest to Beijing as the only country bordering both China and Afghanistan. It has already been a focal point of Beijing's limited security cooperation in the region by hosting Chinese border outposts and having already accepted Chinese funding for the construction of a police base in 2021. A potential early area of cooperation could be reviving anti-terrorism drills on a bilateral basis with Tajikistan, which have been carried out in the past, or looking to use the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) again as a vehicle for security exercises with the region, which China did on a limited basis previously. China's focus has been and continues to be its own domestic security and it sees Central Asia as an extension of that. The focus on policing and counterterrorism highlights this and is the latest step in Beijing's long-term strategy for the region, which is not to break the previous status quo but rather to rewrite many of the rules on China's terms. 2. A Russian Visit To Beijing And Pipeline Politics Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin visited Beijing on May 24 to meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, where he hailed growing economic ties between the two countries and saidthat Western pressure is pushing them closer together. What It Means: Mishustin's visit was another sign of Beijing's enduring support for Moscow amid its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Russian prime minister cited government statistics that said that bilateral trade turnover between China and Russia may reach $200 billion this year and that Russia will continue exporting hydrocarbons to China on a "long-term basis" and that Moscow is ready to significantly increase agricultural exports to China. But Mishustin left Beijing without a clear commitment from China on Power of Siberia 2, a long-prized gas pipeline project that could transform Asian energy flows. The Power of Siberia -- a different Russian pipeline to China -- was launched in 2019 and is expected to reach its maximum capacity of 38 billion cubic meters per year by 2024. The Power of Siberia 2 is particularly important as it looks to supply China with gas from Russia's northeastern Yamal Peninsula, which historically served the European market through several pipelines, including Nord Stream, whose supplies had ceased to flow in disputes with the EU even before it was sabotaged in 2022. Analysts believe that Beijing is taking its time in talks with Moscow as part of a negotiating strategy to secure a lower price for gas through the pipeline. In the meantime, China has been pursuing alternatives. At the summit in Xi'an, Beijing pushed for the construction of the so-called Line D pipeline, which would be China's fourth in the region bringing gas from Turkmenistan. 3. Pakistan And Debt Pakistan's economic woes are continuing to grow and putting China's lending practices under scrutiny. The Details: Pakistan expects China to roll over more than $2 billion in debt that's due in June, but Islamabad is still bracing itself for other repayment deadlines that risk tipping the country into default. With a crucial International Monetary Fund (IMF) lending program stalled, Pakistan has about $3.7 billion in overseas debt due in May and in June against its current foreign reserves of just $4.3 billion. That economic pressure has led to some calls for debt forgiveness from Beijing -- something that China has traditionally been reluctant to provide. Earlier this year, Beijing rolled over some loans to Pakistan, and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang pledged continued financial support during a recent visit. Pakistan, which has long relied on lenders such as the IMF and China to finance its budget deficits, is trapped in one of the worst economic crises in its history. The mounting debt in Pakistan and elsewhere has renewed criticism that Beijing is engaged in so-called "debt trap diplomacy," despite many experts pushing back on this notion. Chinese lending -- much of which has come under the banner of the Belt and Road Initiative over the last decade -- has come from dozens of banks in the country that have tended to be uncoordinated and haphazard. Rather, experts such as Brad Parks, the executive director of AidData, a research lab at Virginia's William & Mary, have argued that Chinese lenders are unwilling to take losses because it could cause fallout at home where many are grappling with reckless lending to China's real estate sector and a slowing domestic economy. "They're kind of making it up as they go along. There is no master plan," Parks recently told the Associated Press. Across The Supercontinent Flowing East: Uzbekistan has resumed natural gas exports to China, sending volumes worth $40.5 million in April, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reports. Railing On: One of the concrete deliverables from China's Central Asia summit was that a trilateral document for the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway was signed that details its next steps, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported. A feasibility study has already been completed; next comes the development of more detailed designs and a financing scheme for the project, according to the document. 'That's For The Historians To Decide': Fu Cong, China's ambassador to the EU, recently gave a wide-ranging interview to the New Statesman magazine. Among many notable passages, Fu -- when asked why China has not condemned Russia's invasion -- said Beijing has its "own diplomatic style. I think at this stage actually a simple condemnation does not solve the problem. It may reduce your space for diplomacy." When asked if Russia started the war, he said: "That's for the historians to decide." Iron Brothers: Earlier this month, Pakistan was plunged back into political turmoil after former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested, sparking protests and violence across the country. But what does it mean for China? Listen to my Talking China In Eurasia podcast, where guest Daud Khattak, the managing editor for RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, explains how the latest instability could strain ties between Islamabad and Beijing. One Thing To Watch Tesla and Twitter billionaire Elon Musk visited China for the first time in three years and met with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang. China is Tesla's second-largest market after the United States, and its Shanghai plant is the electric carmaker's largest production hub. The trip comes as Tesla is grappling with multiple issues, including intensifying competition with Chinese automaker that are exporting their locally made electric vehicles as demand in the world's largest auto market weakens. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/china-in-eurasia- standish-taiwan-ukraine-china-pakistan/32436457.html Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Says Chinese Fighter Jet Conducted 'Unnecessarily Aggressive Maneuver' Near US Reconnaissance Plane By VOA News May 31, 2023 The U.S. military says a Chinese fighter jet flew close to one of its reconnaissance aircraft during a patrol mission over the South China Sea last week. A statement by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command says a Chinese J-16 fighter jet "flew directly in front of the nose" of the RC-135 plane "in an unnecessarily aggressive maneuver," forcing the pilot to fly through the turbulence caused by the fighter jet. Video footage of the incident from the cockpit of the U.S. reconnaissance plane showed the plane shaking soon after the Chinese fighter jet flew across its flight path. The statement said the RC-135 reconnaissance plane was conducting "safe and routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace, in accordance with international law." Last week's incident occurred six months after a similar incident in December, when the crew of another RC-135 plane was forced to take evasive maneuvers to avoid colliding with a Chinese fighter jet. The incidents come during a time of rising tensions between Beijing and Washington over a host of issues, including China's aggressive expansion across the South China Sea and its increasing military and diplomatic pressure on self-ruled Taiwan, which it considers a breakaway province of China. Along with the aerial reconnaissance missions, the U.S. has also sailed its naval warships through the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait under the concept of "freedom of navigation." The Pentagon said that China has rejected an invitation for Defense Minister General Li Shangfu to meet with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue regional security summit in Singapore this week. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address DPRK/North Korea: Statement by the Spokesperson on the attempted satellite launch European External Action Service (EEAS) 31.05.2023 The EU strongly condemns the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) launch using ballistic military technology that occurred on 31 May. The DPRK's continued and complete disregard for its obligations under UN Security Council resolutions threatens international and regional peace and security. It is critical that all Members of the United Nations, especially Members of the UN Security Council, speak out and demonstrate that such actions will never be accepted. The EU calls on the DPRK to cease all actions that raise tensions and instead choose the path of dialogue with the main parties. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO Secretary General condemns North Korea military satellite launch NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 31 May. 2023 I strongly condemn the attempted military satellite launch by the DPRK, using ballistic missile technology. This raises tensions and poses serious risks to the security of the region and beyond. It is in blatant breach of multiple United Nations Security Council Resolutions. NATO calls on the DPRK to cease these provocative actions and to return to dialogue in order to achieve sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. We stand together with our close partners in the region, the Republic of Korea and Japan. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address North Korea vows to try again after failed satellite launch The rocket failed when the second stage did not ignite, state media said. By Eugene Whong for RFA 2023.05.31 -- On the heels of a failed spy satellite launch on Wednesday, North Korea vowed that a second launch would come soon, state media reported. Taking off from the Sohae Satellite Launching ground at 6:27 a.m., the Malligyong-1 satellite mounted on the new-type Chollima-1 rocket lost thrust over the Yellow Sea, the state-run Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA reported. The second stage of the rocket engine did not ignite properly, the report said, citing remarks made by a spokesperson from the National Aerospace Development Administration. "Scientists, technicians and experts concerned [will] start discovering concrete causes," KCNA said. After determining them, the scientists will "take urgent scientific and technological measures to overcome them and conduct the second launch as soon as possible through various part tests." Had the launch been successful it would have been the first time North Korea managed to place a reconnaissance satellite in its proper orbit. In seven attempts, only two satellites have reached orbit but both failed shortly after, U.S.-based satellite imagery expert Jacob Bogle told RFA's Korean Service. "It's a clichA to say that 'space is hard', but that's because it is. Failures commonly happen in both government-led space programs like the ESA as well as in privately-funded programs such as SpaceX," said Bogle. Bogle said it was very likely that North Korea would try again. "The launch window was from May 31 to June 11, and they launched on the very first day of that window. We don't know what the internal decision-making process was but this could have been a rushed launch," he said. "North Korea is the only country in the region without a reliable spacefaring capability, and Kim Jong Un has placed a lot of importance on acquiring it. ... North Korea will likely try another satellite launch in the near-term." North Korea's account of the failed launch is likely true, the Rand Corporation's Bruce Bennett told RFA. "This is possible, but other failures could also have happened. Kim has already promised to try again, so I think we can expect it," said Bennett. The goal of the launch was to put the spy satellite in a polar orbit, optimal for spy satellites, he said. "A polar satellite travels roughly over the North Pole and the South pole as it circles the Earth. It flies at a much lower altitude, usually 200 to 1,000 km," said Bennett. A polar orbit is usually used for reconnaissance ... [and] lets them see areas all over the Earth as the Earth turns, and the altitude is low enough for relatively good pictures on a periodic basis (weekly) for any given location." Renewed condemnation Despite its failure, members of the international community reminded North Korea that the launch, even despite its failure, violated U.N. resolutions meant to limit Pyongyang's missile and nuclear capabilities. "The EU strongly condemns the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) launch using ballistic military technology that occurred on 31 May," Nabila Massrali, the regional bloc's Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said in a statement. "The EU calls on the DPRK to cease all actions that raise tensions and instead choose the path of dialogue with the main parties." The International Maritime Organization's Maritime Safety Commission adopted a resolution that condemned North Korea for conducting the launch without proper notification and for not adhering to UN resolutions, and called for North Korea to "cease unlawful and unannounced ballistic missile launches across international shipping lanes." Lawmakers Anne-Marie Trevelyan of the U.K. and Young Kim of the U.S. also wrote tweets condemning the launch. "Kim Jong Un's consistent & rogue aggression must be taken seriously by the United States & our Indo-Pacific allies," Rep. Kim (R-Calif.) said. "We must stand firm in holding him accountable & working toward complete, verifiable, & irreversible denuclearization of North Korea." Reported by Lee Sangmin and Kim Soyoung for RFA Korean. Copyright 1998-2016, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content May not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN chief strongly condemns DPRK spy satellite launch 31 May 2023 - UN Secretary-General AntAnio Guterres has strongly condemned the latest satellite launch by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), his spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday. The country, commonly known as North Korea, attempted to fire off its first military reconnaissance satellite earlier that day but it crashed into the sea, according to media reports. The DPRK has reportedly pledged to conduct another launch after it learns what went wrong. The UN chief noted that any launch using ballistic missile technology is contrary to relevant Security Council resolutions. "The Secretary-General reiterates his call on the DPRK to cease such acts and to swiftly resume dialogue to achieve the goal of sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," the statement said. Chaos and confusion The launch sparked confusion in neighbouring South Korea and in Japan. Authorities in South Korea's capital, Seoul, sent text messages urging residents to move to safety but later said they were sent in error. The Japanese Government also issued a warning to people in Okinawa prefecture, located in the south of the country. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kim Son Gyong, Vice Foreign Minister of DPRK, Releases Press Statement Korean Central News Agency of DPRK Pyongyang, June 1 (KCNA) -- Kim Son Gyong, vice-minister of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK, released the following press statement titled "Dangerous sea intercepting drill escalating the regional tension" on June 1: The U.S. and the south Korean puppets are persistently resorting to the saber-rattling against the DPRK despite deep concern and protest of the international community. The U.S., which staged the actual nuclear war exercises Freedom Shield and "combined joint formation drill" in the light of its form and contents in March and April, is going to stage a sea intercepting drill together with Japan, south Korean puppets, Australia and other vassal forces according to the "Proliferation Security Initiative" (PSI) in the open waters off the South Sea of Korea in late May. The U.S. cooked up PSI in 2003. In the past 20 years it has systematically expanded it and tried to use it as means for pressurizing the anti-U.S. independent countries. It is illogical and mockery of the international law for the U.S., the world's biggest proliferator of WMDs and direct destroyer of international nuclear non-proliferation system, to talk about the control of someone's "WMD proliferation". This is evidenced by the fact that the U.S. openly connived at Israel's possession of nukes and cooked up a nuclear proliferation mechanism called AUKUS to destroy the international nuclear non-proliferation system by itself. It is just like a guilty party filing the suit first that the U.S., which has built bio-chemical weapon laboratories in south Korea, Ukraine and other regions and unhesitatingly spread WMDs to the whole world, is talking about "non-proliferation". The main purpose of the U.S. that fabricated the PSI is to legalize unilateral maritime transport interception and blockade against those countries which are not obedient to it and thus realize its strategy for hegemony. The U.S. and the south Korean puppet military are making far-fetched assertions that the drill is aimed at "defence" and "non-proliferation" but in view of the scale of the forces and the performance of equipment involved in the drill, it is quite clear that they are extremely dangerous military exercises for bolstering up the maritime operation capability with Japan and south Korean puppets in the Korean Peninsula and for perfecting the overall embargo on the export and preparations for preemptive attack on a specified state in contingency. The drill is being staged at a time when the U.S. and the south Korean puppets are going to stage the largest-ever "combined joint fire annihilation drill" in particular, which adds to the gravity and danger of the situation. The drill is being staged in the place adjacent to the sensitive waters where disputes over the issue of dominium continue. This shows that the sea intercepting drill has a multi-purpose nature to put pressure on the neighboring countries of the DPRK. The recent drill will be a catalyst for escalating the tension in Northeast Asia as it is being staged at a time when the U.S. has recently shipped various types of warships into the Straits of Taiwan under the pretext of "freedom of navigation" and NATO member states continue to take part in the U.S.-led joint military exercises in the Asia-Pacific. As the U.S. is steadily expanding the multi-national military cooperation frameworks such as PSI, the possibility of catastrophic military conflict in Northeast Asia is turning into reality day by day. All the facts clearly prove once again that the U.S. is chiefly to blame for heightening tension and increasing the danger of a nuclear war in the Korean Peninsula. If the U.S. and its vassal forces attempt to impose any hostile blockade on the DPRK or infringe upon our inviolable sovereignty even a bit, the armed forces of the DPRK will regard it as a declaration of war against it. The U.S. should stop at once the hostile acts of destabilizing the situation in the Korean Peninsula, bearing in mind that the ceaseless and dangerous war gambles being staged before our eyes will result in leading it to self-destruction. -0- NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Biden aide visited Oman to seek mediation with Iran: Report IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency May 31, 2023 Tehran, IRNA -- US President Joe Biden's senior West Asia adviser took a low-profile trip to Oman earlier this month for talks with Omani officials on "possible diplomatic outreach" to Iran over its nuclear program, according to a report. Brett McGurk traveled to Muscat on May 8 to discuss "a new diplomatic push over Iran's nuclear program with Omani mediation," the US-based news website Axios claimed in a report on Tuesday, citing Israeli and US officials. "The Omanis are holding proximity talks between the US and Iran," Axios quoted an Israeli official as saying. The report added that the White House is exploring through the Omani government whether Iran is open to taking steps that would put some limits on its nuclear program and what it would want in return. Negotiations between Iran and the other parties to a 2015 nuclear agreement hit an impasse in August 2022 over Washington's failure to guarantee that it would abide by the deal. The US left the deal, officially called the JCPOA, in 2018 and slapped "maximum pressure" sanctions against Iran despite Tehran's full compliance with its commitments under the deal. Those negotiations were aimed at reviving the JCPOA and making sure all parties, particularly the US, would fully comply with it. Axios reported in April that the Biden administration discussed with its European and Israeli partners a possible proposal for an "interim agreement" with Iran that would include some sanctions relief in exchange for Tehran freezing parts of its nuclear program. Iran has rejected a partial removal of US sanctions and has repeatedly warned that the window of opportunity to reach an agreement would not remain open forever. **9417 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address IAEA chief confirms progress between Iran, nuclear watchdog IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency May 31, 2023 Tehran, IRNA -- Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi confirms that Iran and the agency have made progress on certain issues. Speaking to reporters in New York on Tuesday, Grossi said his report on the status of Iran's nuclear program is due to be published soon. "We are working on several issues with Iran, and we are making progress in some of them and not in others," he said. The remarks came days before a quarterly meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna. Earlier in the day, informed sources said that Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog have resolved two important issues raised against Tehran's peaceful nuclear program. A Tuesday report by IRNA's Persian service quoted the sources as saying that the case of one of the alleged "undetected" sites, known as Abadeh, has been closed as a result of negotiations between Tehran and the IAEA. They also said that the IAEA's claims about uranium particles with 83.7 purity allegedly found at undeclared nuclear sites in Iran have been resolved as well. **9417 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iranian FM: Tehran, Washington communicate through mediators/ Iran in touch with EU ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency Wed / 31 May 2023 / 15:51 Tehran (ISNA) - Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that there is a direct interaction between Iran and European Union and also communication with the US over nuclear deal is made through mediators. Amir-Abdollahian in an interview with Le Figaro, a French newspaper emphasized that the close ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia are not merely a tactical deal. He added that Iran had reached an agreement with Saudi Arabia based on the expansion of trade and economic relations. Iranian Foreign Minister noted that Iran is in touch with Saudi Arabia to cease Yemeni war and start dialogue with all parties. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also stated that diplomatic process and negotiations with EU over nuclear issue are still underway. "I am in touch with EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell and my own colleague Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, Ali Bagheri is in touch with the Vienna talks coordinator Enrique Mora about nuclear issue. In addition, communications are made between Tehran and Washington through regional and even European mediators," he added. End Item NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran to double gas imports from Turkmenistan Iran Press TV Wednesday, 31 May 2023 7:10 PM Iran will soon double its gas imports from Turkmenistan as the two energy-rich nations seek to rebuild ties that were once affected by arrears. Reza Noshadi, a senior official at the National Iranian Gas Company, said on Wednesday that Iran's gas imports from Turkmenistan will soon double to 20 million cubic meters (mcm) per day. Noshadi said Iran currently imports 10 mcm per day of gas from Turkmenistan under a swap deal that also involves Azerbaijan. He added that under a new agreement, Iran will soon begin to import another 10 mcm per day of natural gas from Turkmenistan without accepting any swap commitments and only for domestic consumption in its north and northeastern regions. "Thus 20 mcm of gas provides a good capacity for trade between the two countries and we expect that this cooperation will continue and contracts and memoranda of understanding for petroleum cooperation between Iran and Turkmenistan will increase," said Noshadi. Iran and Turkmenistan are two major global gas suppliers. Cooperation between the two countries stalled for a period last decade over disputes on settlement of Iran's energy arrears to Turkmenistan. Iranian Oil minister Javad Owji said on Tuesday that Iran had fully settled a gas debt of $1.6 billion to Turkmenistan to enable the two countries to re-engage in gas trade projects. The announcement on double increase in Iranian gas imports from Turkmenistan came as top Turkmen official Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow was in Tehran for talks with senior Iranian officials. Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Syyed Ali Khamenei said in a meeting with Berdimuhamedow on Wednesday that Iran and Turkmenistan were "like a family" as he voiced support for increased energy cooperation with Iran's northeastern neighbor. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Farda Briefing: Journalists Who Broke Mahsa Amini Story Stand Trial Behind Closed Doors By Golnaz Esfandiari May 31, 2023 The Big Issue A revolutionary court in Iran this week began the trials of two female journalists who helped break the story of Mahsa Amini's death. Amini's death in September soon after she was arrested by Iran's morality police for allegedly violating the country's hijab law triggered months of nationwide protests against the clerical establishment. Reporters Nilufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi helped expose the case of Amini to the world by reporting, respectively, from the hospital where she died and her funeral. The women, who have been held in pretrial detention since September, face a number of charges that include "collaborating with the hostile government of America, conspiracy and collusion to commit crimes against national security, and propaganda against the establishment." The trials are being held behind closed doors, despite widespread calls inside and outside Iran for them to be open to the public. The women have complained that they were allowed to meet their lawyers only last week. Hamedi denied all charges against her as her trial began on May 30, her husband said. The 30-year-old said she "had performed her work as a journalist within the framework of the law and did not take any action against Iran's security," her husband, Mohammad Hossein Ajorlu, wrote on Twitter. Mohammadi's trial began a day earlier. Her lawyer, Shahabeddin Mirlohi, said the Tehran Revolutionary Court was not qualified to rule on the cases. Revolutionary courts mainly deal with prominent political cases and are seen to be less regulated and more hard-line in their judgments than ordinary courts. Why It Matters: Hamedi and Mohammadi are being tried for simply doing their job. Hamedi of the Shargh daily had reported from the Tehran hospital where Amini died from the injuries she allegedly suffered in custody. Mohammadi of the Hammihan daily reported from Amini's funeral in her hometown of Saghez, where the first protests erupted. Their cases have highlighted the Iranian authorities' renewed crackdown on dissent in the wake of the antiestablishment protests. What's Next: Rights groups and media watchdogs are closely watching the trial of Hamedi and Mohammadi, who have both been hailed for their reporting and honored by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Shargh editor-in-chief Mehdi Rahmanian expressed hope that the two will be acquitted and able to return to their jobs. But the fact that the trials are being presided over by hard-line judge Abolqasem Salavati, who is known for handing out harsh sentences, is potentially bad news for the reporters. Stories You Might Have Missed Tensions remain high following the deadly clashes between Iranian and Taliban border troops as tensions over water supplies boiled over. But while both Tehran and the Taliban are doubling down on their water rights, they are leaving the door open for a diplomatic resolution. The Iranian government has submitted a draft bill to the parliament that calls for tougher measures against women who do not observe the Islamic dress code in public. But the proposed legislation has angered hard-liners who say the bill does not go far enough. What We're Watching Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he would welcome full diplomatic relations with Egypt, during a May 29 meeting with Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tarik in Tehran. Ties between Tehran and Cairo deteriorated sharply following the Islamic Revolution in 1979 and the ousting of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was granted asylum in Egypt where he later died. The two countries have maintained diplomatic contacts. "We welcome the Omani Sultan's statement about Egypt's willingness to resume relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran and we have no problem in this regard," Khamenei said, according to his official website. Why It Matters: Khamenei's comments come as Tehran seeks to improve its ties with regional powers. In March, Iran and Saudi Arabia, longtime rivals, agreed to reestablish diplomatic ties. The surprise agreement was brokered by China. According to reports, Iranian and Egyptian officials have held behind-closed-door meetings over improving relations since March. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/farda-briefing-iran- amini-reporters-trial-esfandiari/32437091.html Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iranian Judiciary Chief Defends Executions Of Protesters By RFE/RL's Radio Farda May 31, 2023 The head of Iran's judiciary has staunchly defended issuing death sentences for several demonstrators involved in nationwide protests that erupted in September 2022 following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini soon after she was detained by morality police for allegedly violating the mandatory hijab law. In a speech delivered on May 30, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei stated that the sentences for those who "should be executed" will be carried out without exception "while maintaining legal standards and fairness." Iran has so far executed at least seven protesters, sparking outrage among rights activists and many Western governments who have called the legal proceedings against the accused "sham" trials where proper representation is not always granted and decisions are rushed behind closed doors. Amnesty International in a recent report warned about the imminent execution risk of seven more detainees from the protests. The human rights group named the seven as Ebrahim Naroui, Kambiz Kharot, Manochehr Mehmannavaz, Mansoreh Dehmardeh, Mohammad Ghabadlo, Mujahed (Abbas) Korkor, and Shoaib Mirbaluchzehi Rigi. Mohseni-Ejei characterized the civil resistance against mandatory hijab, which has been led by Iranian women, as a "challenge of chastity and hijab" while claiming that such resistance has been influenced by the "hand of the enemy." He did not elaborate, but Iranian officials have consistently blamed the West for the demonstrations -- the biggest threat to the Islamic government since the 1979 revolution -- and have vowed to continue to crack down hard on protesters. Last November, Mohseni-Ejei's defense of the execution of Mohsen Shekari, a young protester accused of waging war against God for "closing a street and injuring a Basij paramilitary member," has been met with fierce criticism. Legal experts have decried the imposition of the death penalty for the charge of "waging war against God," a crime often applied to political dissidents. Responding to the worrying trend, six prominent legal scholars and an Iranian human rights lawyer penned a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to express their grave concern over the escalating number of executions in Iran. The signatories cited the abuse of national sovereignty principles by the Islamic republic to justify widespread executions, resulting in limited global capacity to prevent these inhuman actions effectively. Human rights activists say authorities in Iran are using the executions to try to instill fear in society rather than to combat crime. Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-judiciary-chief- defends-executions-protesters/32437451.html Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Myanmar troops torch Sagaing region village a second time Other communities also burned, forcing thousands to flee. By Khin Maung Soe for RFA Burmese 2023.05.31 -- Disaster has once again hit a community in northwestern Myanmar's war-torn Sagaing region. Junta troops on Monday burned down 17 homes in Mon Taing Pin village in Ye-U township, a former local lawmaker and resident said. It was the same army battalion that massacred 29 villagers and torched more than 70 homes there in May 2022. Other Myanmar troops and supporting militias torched 30 homes in Kyunhla township on May 29 and 30, forcing more than 3,000 residents to flee, according to villagers. Sagaing has been an anti-junta stronghold and cradle of resistance to the country's brutal military rule since the army seized power in a February 2021 coup. In the latest incident, soldiers from the army's Light Infantry Battalion 708 based in Ye-U burned the houses after local pro-junta informers took them to the homes of civilians they accused of being democracy activists, they said. "The military did it to suppress a village that has unity, honor and great revolutionary strength," said Myint Htwe, an elected parliamentarian representing Ye-U township before the coup and a leader of the local People's Defense Force operating under Myanmar's parallel government. "We can see it because they chose to destroy only this village again and in particular with malice among all villages that they entered," he said. Myint Htwe said he requested photo evidence of the latest torching incident, and that the shadow National Unity Government has given 50,000 kyats (US$24) in humanitarian aid to each affected family. Nowhere to live Junta forces have swept through villages across Sagaing region, sometimes more than once, to find and punish suspected resistance fighters belonging to People's Defense Forces and their civilian supporters. A Mon Taing Pin resident told Radio Free Asia on condition of anonymity for safety reasons that families who lost their homes now have nowhere to live. "Since we have lost our houses, we have to stay in other people's houses," the villager said. "My house, my daughter's and my brother-in-law's were among the houses burned down." Junta forces torched not only the houses of families they suspect of being revolutionaries, but also those of teachers who participated in the nationwide civil disobedience movement following the coup. Myanmar soldiers and members of the pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee militia also raided and set ablaze 30 homes in Koke Ko Kone and Hlut Taik village tracts in Kyun Hla township, prompting thousands to flee to safety, though some returned after the forces left the area, a resident said. "They came in an area-clearing strategy," the villager said. "They attacked places along the river banks and burned down huts and buildings there. They also carried away civilian property on their vehicles. Some villagers could return to their homes, but others are still in hiding." RFA could not reach the junta spokesman for Sagaing region for comment. Between Feb. 1 2021 a the date of the coup a and this Feb. 28, junta forces burned an estimated 60,000 houses, of which between 50%-75% were in Sagaing region, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA. Translated by Myo Min Aung for RFA Burmese. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster. Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content May not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Junta clamps down on displaying photos of Aung San Suu Kyi "Of course they have malice toward her." Reported by Soe San Aung for RFA Burmese 2023.05.31 -- Military junta authorities are threatening - and sometimes arresting - people who display photos of Myanmar's former leader Aung San Suu Kyi in their homes, residents in Yangon, Mandalay and the Ayeyarwaddy region told Radio Free Asia. In Ayeyarwady, soldiers and police often make surprise visits to civilian homes to check for any unregistered guests. If they see pictures of prominent politicians, including Suu Kyi, hanging on walls or stored on mobile phones, they threaten them with arrest, residents said. "Of course they have malice toward her," said a resident of Mandalay, where home inspections have also taken place. "Their brainless heads cannot accept the idea of Mother Su or Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. In fact, we the people never like the dictator. We never like the dictator by any means," referring to junta chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing. Suu Kyi is often referred to with the honorific "Daw," which means aunt. During her 35-year political career, she has been repeatedly arrested and prosecuted by successive military governments. The Nobel laureate is currently being held in solitary confinement at a prison in the capital, Naypyidaw. Similar arrests of civilians for keeping photos of Suu Kyi happened under previous military dictatorships. Photos of her reappeared in homes after she was released from house arrest in 2010. Landslide victory The practice became more popular after the National League for Democracy formed a civilian government following a landslide victory in the 2015 national elections. Suu Kyi served as Myanmar's de facto leader after 2015, and some homes also displayed photos of her father, Gen. Aung San, who led the country to independence from British rule in the 1940s and is regarded by many as the father of modern Myanmar. The NLD also won the 2020 national elections, but the military staged a coup on Feb. 1, 2021 and arrested civilian leaders of the national and state governments, including Suu Kyi, Myint and several dozen other senior officials who were in Naypyidaw for the convening of the newly elected lower house of parliament. Since the coup, Myanmar has fallen to the bottom of international rankings for freedom of speech. Residents in Ayeyarwady, where support for Suu Kyi and the deposed National League for Democracy party is strong, have been living in fear because of the inspections and threats from the military, according to Sin Yan Shin, who heads the local Pathein Guerrilla Force. "Not many people hang the photos of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi or President Win Myint in their homes as of late," he said, referring to another former leader arrested by the junta. 'Under any law that they name' A resident of Yangon, the former capital and the country's largest city, had to sign a promissory petition recently because she was found to have hung a photo of Suu Kyi at home, according to a man close to the resident. "They took him to the police station," he said. "I heard that he had to sign a confession there and come back." The resident refused to answer many of RFA's questions, saying she was concerned about her personal security. "They can visit your home by surprise at any time to check if there are any guests," the resident said. "They can take action against you under any law that they name if they see something they don't like." This week, most of the civilians who experienced threats or arrests over their involvement with photos of Suu Kyi refused to answer RFA's questions as they were too concerned for their security. "Please keep this confidential," said one person. "Or else, I'll be in trouble." RFA called a military junta spokesperson to ask about the arrests and threats over the photos, but there was no response. Instilling fear "They are insane," said veteran lawyer Kyee Myint. "Power craziness is the worst. They will do anything to stay in power." The junta is trying to rule the country by instilling fear in peoples' minds, he said. "Fear is very bad for people. The military showed many examples of terror to put fear in the people's mind. They suppress people who are scared even more." Renowned artist Nu Yin, who is famous for her portraits of Suu Kyi, said the lack of freedom of expression was one of the reasons she fled the country following the coup. "I could guess what they would do to me if I stayed," she told RFA. "They see democracy and democracy activists as their opponents or enemies. They don't know better than to respect human rights. They don't cherish the truth." Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster. Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content May not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pakistan Urged to Desist from Trying Civilians in Military Courts By Ayaz Gul May 31, 2023 Global and local human rights campaigners in Pakistan asked the government Wednesday to transfer political activists who are set to be prosecuted in military courts for arson to the civilian justice system. Pakistani authorities have handed dozens of former prime minister Imran Khan's supporters to the army recently for trial in military tribunals. They are accused of attacking public and defense installations during several days of protests sparked by Khan's dramatic, short-lived May 9 arrest on corruption charges. Human Rights Watch said in a statement that a military trial of civilians would breach Pakistan's obligations under international human rights law. "Pakistan's military courts, which use secret procedures that deny due process rights, should not be used to prosecute civilians, even for crimes against the military," said Patricia Gossman, the U.S.-based watchdog's associate Asia director. She questioned the integrity of the military tribunals, noting that their judges are serving officers and are not independent of the government. Gossman said that while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's administration is responsible for prosecuting those committing violence, it should try civilians only in independent and impartial civilian courts. The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said Wednesday it strongly opposes the government's decision to try civilians under military law. Hina Jilani, the commission's chief, said that "the arbitrary manner" used to select cases to be tried by military courts denies the suspects' constitutional right to a fair trial. "There is no due process in military courts. Independence and impartiality of these courts are always questionable and people do not get real justice," Jilani told VOA. Police have rounded up thousands of members of Khan's opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, party in connection with the protests amid allegations of abuses against female detainees in particular. Critics describe the nationwide military-backed crackdown as an attempt to crush the country's largest political force. On Tuesday, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah threatened that even Khan could face a military court trial, accusing the 70-year-old opposition leader of being the "architect" of the violence against defense installations. The former prime minister and his party have condemned the violence, alleging that government intelligence agencies infiltrated saboteurs to justify the ongoing crackdown on the PTI. The army says it has collected "irrefutable evidence" against arsonists. Sharif has endorsed the military trials under what is known as the Pakistan Army Act and Official Secrets Act. He has pledged to use special anti-terrorism courts to try those responsible for vandalizing public property. Speaking in parliament last week, Sharif denounced attacks on military installations as an "outright enmity" against the country. "Therefore, all these cases will be tried under the Army Act," he said, referring to the platform exclusively used to prosecute military personnel and enemies of the state. "For the Pakistani government to threaten to prosecute Imran Khan in compromised military courts is a virtual admission that the "case" against him is weak. If he really did something wrong, why not prosecute him in independent civilian courts?" tweeted Kenneth Roth, a former executive director of Human Rights Watch. A parliamentary vote of no-confidence removed Khan from power in April 2022, nearly four years into his coalition government. He accused the military of plotting the vote in collusion with Sharif and the United States. Washington and Sharif reject the allegations. The government has also maintained elections would be held later this year when parliament completes its mandated five-year term. According to opinion surveys, Khan is still the most popular politician in Pakistan, but he remains embroiled in more than 100 legal cases instituted against him since his ouster. The allegations range from corruption and terrorism to sedition and blasphemy. The deposed prime minister rejects all the charges as politically motivated and an attempt by the military to disqualify him from the national electoral process. Military's role The ongoing crackdown on Khan's party has forced dozens of PTI leaders, including former lawmakers and ministers, to either quit the party or take a break from politics, paving the way for their release from police custody. Almost all of the defectors in televised news conferences made identical statements. They condemned the attacks on military installations, pledging their loyalty to the powerful security institution and saying they were not abandoning Khan under duress. Critics continue to point figures at the military, saying the institution was behind Khan's rise to power and is now trying to keep him from staging a comeback. "I think the aim of this political engineering at this time is to clean up the mess that the military had created in 2018. The military has no business to engineer politically or re-engineer," Jilani said. In a recent editorial, the prestigious English-language daily newspaper Dawn raised questions about the motives behind the desertions. "One wonders what kind of duress they were under: was it simply the terrible conditions of the prison, or blackmail, threats against family, or something worse? It is difficult to say," the paper wrote. "What isn't as difficult to surmise is who is behind the campaign to break apart yet another political movement that has grown too big for the state's liking. Their playbook hasn't changed," said the editorial, indirectly referencing the Pakistani military's long-standing intervention into national politics. Khan has also contacted British and U.S. lawmakers to draw their attention to alleged human rights violations against his supporters. Republican Sheila Jackson Lee, the chairwoman of the U.S. House's Congressional Pakistan Caucus, wrote on Twitter last Friday she would be writing to President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to ask them to help bring an end to "human rights violations" against the opposition. "I am extremely concerned about the reports that are coming out of Pakistan of human rights abuses and the lack of protection for those who express peaceful opposition to the government," Jackson Lee said. The military has staged three coups and ruled Pakistan for more than three decades. Former army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa acknowledged in a televised speech just days before his retirement last November that the military had been interfering in politics for the last seven decades. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's statement and answer to a media question during a joint news conference with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation of the Republic of Burundi Albert Shingiro following talks, Bujumbura, May 30, 2023 30 May 2023 16:51 1047-30-05-2023 Mr Minister, Friend, It is a pleasure to be in your beautiful country among the friendly and hospitable Burundian people. Our talks were held in a meaningful and trust-based manner. We touched on every area of cooperation in bilateral affairs and in the international arena. We positively assessed the recently intensified steps taken by Russian and Burundian representatives in a number of areas. I would like to note cooperation in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy and public health. With regard to nuclear energy, a roadmap has been signed between State Corporation Rosatom and its Burundian partners. Preparations for an intergovernmental agreement in this area and a memorandum on training personnel for the nuclear power industry of the Republic of Burundi in the Russian Federation are nearing completion. Close cooperation has been established in public health, especially with regard to combating the spread of infectious diseases. In February, Head of Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova visited Burundi bringing along a large number of COVID-19 test kits and taking part in a ceremony for opening a state-of-the-art laboratory outfitted with Russian equipment at Burundi's National Institute of Health. This interaction will continue through 2023. A series of events on public health issue, infectious diseases and biological safety will be held in the Russian Federation, and specialists from Burundi will participate. Broad prospects are opening up for pursuing new ways to interact in connection with the upcoming participation of a high-ranking Burundian delegation in the St Petersburg International Economic Forum in mid-June. Our humanitarian ties, in particular in education, are expanding rapidly. Mindful of the Burundian students' great interest in obtaining a higher education in the Russian Federation, we have doubled the number of grants for the new academic year. From now on, 100 grants will be made available annually. A Russian Language Class operated by the Russkiy Mir Foundation at the University of Burundi opened in Bujumbura on May 15. It will be used to improve Russian language teachers' skills. When reviewing the main international and regional issues, we found that our approaches are similar regarding the importance of democratising international relations and eliminating injustices which, at the initiative of the US-led collective West, are being ramped up in the international arena. Russia and Burundi consistently stand for respecting the principles of the UN Charter in their entirety and interconnection, primarily, the principle of the sovereign equality of states, which is grossly violated by the United States and its allies on a daily basis. We appreciate our close coordination in the United Nations, which will continue. We reaffirmed our support for reforming the UN Security Council by addressing the problem of underrepresentation of countries of the Global South, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. We discussed in detail ways to overcome the ongoing crises in Africa. Burundi plays an active role in promoting peace initiatives. The peacekeepers from this country are active in the DRC, the CAR, and Sudan. Burundi's presidency in the East African Community deserves the highest praise. We are fully supportive of the principle the Minister has just expressed, that is, African solutions to African problems. We consistently support this approach. We will continue to be guided by this when considering specific crisis situations in Africa at the UN Security Council. We discussed preparations for the second Russia-Africa summit to be held in St Petersburg a couple of months from now. We will be pleased to host a high delegation from your country there. With regard to the international agenda, we discussed, as Minister Shingiro mentioned, the developments in Ukraine. We highly appreciate Burundi's balanced position and good understanding of the reasons behind the ongoing events. They go deep into the West using the Kiev regime to create threats to Russia's security right on our borders and to destroy the legitimate rights of the people who want to remain part of the Russian language and culture. This situation is a hallmark of the course that the West is pursuing in order to ensure its dominance on all continents and regions around the world. Conflicts like this cannot be considered separately from the general geopolitical situation and the designs that the West harbours with regard to almost any country that is, in one way or another, pursuing an independent policy. Problems around the world abound, which calls for our continued interaction. We agreed on this today and will report to President of the Republic of Burundi Evariste Ndayishimiye in a couple of hours. Question: You mentioned the situation in Ukraine earlier. We can see that the West has taken a steady course of ramping up weapon supplies to Kiev. The Western elite have become increasingly vocal about exterminating Russians, civilians in Russia. How do you inform your African partners about this, if at all, especially since the situation is now reminiscent of genocide? Sergey Lavrov: We discussed this in detail today. There is no doubt that the Kiev regime has long taken up openly terrorist methods using weapons that the West is supplying. The West saying that the supplied weapons should not be used against the Russian Federation is another lie. With regard to threats against Russians, we updated our friends today on our assessment of this situation. Threats to kill Russians have been made by many representatives of the Kiev regime, including Secretary of the Security Council Alexey Danilov, Adviser to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Mikhail Podolyak, and several Ukrainian ambassadors abroad. Now, an American senator has opened up on this issue as well. The West insists that there's no baseline for resolving the Ukrainian situation other than Zelensky's infamous "peace formula." At the same time, his team threatens to kill all Russians and destroy everything Russian in Crimea after liberating it and eastern Ukraine. The upshot is that the West is outright supportive of the genocide. To a certain extent, this is a whole new turn of events, when the West first became a direct participant in the war unleashed against the Russian Federation, and is now calling for genocide. It is always good to know who is up to what with regard to you. We found out this truth a long time ago. We will operate on the premise that this is where the West stands. We understand that against this background, the ideas expressed by the countries of the Global Majority, including African countries, to the effect that they would like to contribute to the efforts to find a way to overcome this situation, are coming from the heart, out of a desire to be helpful. We appreciate this stance. But these ideas and initiatives should be considered in the context of the geopolitical confrontation that the West launched against the Russian Federation and China, and for that matter, as the G7 recently declared in its documents. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Meeting with President of Eritrea Isaias Afwerki Vladimir Putin had a meeting with President of the State of Eritrea Isaias Afwerki at the Kremlin. May 31, 2023 16:40 The Kremlin, Moscow Beginning of of Russian-Eritrean talks President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, colleagues, friends, we are glad to welcome you to Russia. This is your first official visit to our country. Mr President, Eritrea has recently marked 30 years of its independence. This was when our two countries established diplomatic relations too. Allow me to congratulate you on this occasion and thank you for all the efforts to promote and strengthen relations between our countries over all these years that you have been leading your country. Of course, trade and economic relations deserve our primary attention. I would like to note that we have a lot of potential in many areas, and we will discuss them today. We have also expanded our political ties. Earlier this year, you received our foreign minister [Sergei Lavrov]. I would like to thank you for that. We work together within the United Nations, and have been quite effective in promoting our humanitarian ties. Several dozen students from Eritrea completed their studies in the Russian Federation, and the process carries on. The agenda for today's meeting includes the signing of several intergovernmental agreements. I hope that our colleagues have done their job so that we can do it. As you know, this year Russia will be hosting the second Russia-Africa Summit. Mr President, you are among those invited to attend it. I do hope that you will have the opportunity to do that. We are delighted to have you here, Mr President, with your delegation, and I am certain that our talks today will be a success and help the Russian Federation and Eritrea step up their relations. Welcome, Mr President. President of the State of Eritrea Isaias Afwerki: Your Excellency Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation! Allow me first to convey my profound gratitude to Your Excellency for the invitation and opportunity accorded to me. As Your Excellency is aware, substantive consultations on partnership were carried out recently, both during the visit of your delegation that was led by Foreign Minister [of Russia Sergei] Lavrov to Asmara, and the subsequent visit of our delegation led by his counterpart [Osman Saleh Mohammed] to Sochi. In this context, I am convinced that our consultations today will reinforce and elevate our overall partnership to a higher level. Dear Mr President, In my view, the global order, which is on the cusp of a radical transformation, requires objective appraisal and mutual consultations on the timeless subject matter and phenomena of paramount importance and significance. The common assessment that we undertake will, in turn, revitalise the formulation of programmes and partnership that we chart on. The reckless ideology and unbridled acts of domination pursued in the past 30 years to impose a unipolar world order have engendered multiple crises and massive destruction. They have constituted the principal impediment to the progress of mankind. The hallmarks and the legacy of this ideology are economic, military, industrial, technological, informational, cultural and structural, using the UN and the various international and regional organisations as malleable vehicles of domination. The specific details, in terms of spatial and temporal occurrences, can be further elaborated with incontrovertible facts and evidence. The ideology and strategy of domination was prevailing during and before the advent of the Cold War. Nonetheless, its intensification in the past 30 years was not sudden. The forces of domination saw the fragmentation of the Soviet Union, which essentially resulted from its own internal weakness and mistakes - an unexpected opportunity that was given to them on a silver platter. This even led them to an erroneous calculus that they believe that they can henceforth dominate the world without any rival. As it happened, they frantically set out to control the world by dividing it into spheres of influence, while also using surrogate anchors when suitable. In this respect, what they termed "containment" was one of the principal tactics and schemes in their tool box, in the strategy of international order that they mapped out and that was predicted by the ideology of domination. To all practical purposes and intents, containment is no different from a declaration of war. The undeniable fact that containment of the economic, military, industrial, technological, informational, cultural and institutional growth of other free peoples and countries is tantamount to and cannot have practical meaning other than the declaration of war. And what are the methodologies and tools of containment? Demonisation, ostracism, interferences, political subversion, instigation of crises, sanctions, flagrant violations of law that include open military assaults. Free peoples and countries could not succumb to these egregious transgressions. The resistance and defiance of the free peoples is indeed the primary reason why the ideology and strategy of the forces of domination did not succeed in the past 30 years. Dear Mr President, The Russian Federation was the primary competitor and rival of the policy of encirclement and containment by the forces of domination from the early 1990s, and its global impact in the past 30 years was considerable indeed. The Russian Federation, too, did not undertake, at the outset, all the necessary preparations for effective resistance. An integrated and comprehensive strategy of resistance was not accordingly set in motion. But with time, and as the latent policy of containment against China becomes more transparent, international awareness of the free peoples has increased. It is imperative to expand and deepen this awareness, chart out a comprehensive strategy and concrete plans that encompass all fields, create dynamic mechanisms, marshal the necessary resources so as to ascertain the advent of and transit to a civilised international order of mutual respect, cooperation, complementarity and prosperity, where justice and the rule of law prevail. This is not an option but an obligation. There is hope and conviction that the Russian Federation will play its appropriate role in this mission of humanity in solidarity and cooperation with the free peoples. In this spirit, I wish you all success in your journey. Thank you for this opportunity. <...> NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Moscow decries Germany's 'ill-thought-out' move after Berlin closes Russian consulates Iran Press TV Wednesday, 31 May 2023 7:35 PM Berlin has closed four of Russia's five consulates in Germany as bilateral ties between the two countries have hit a new low over the Ukraine war. Moscow has denounced the decision as an "ill-thought-out" move and vowed a response. On Wednesday, the German foreign ministry said that it has decided to drastically reduce Russia's diplomatic presence on the country's soil and told the Kremlin to close four of the five currently operating Russian consulates in the country by November. The decision "was communicated to the Russian foreign ministry today," said German Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christofer Burger at a press conference, adding that the move came after Moscow put a limit of 350 on the number of German government personnel allowed in Russia. "Therefore, we have decided to withdraw the operating license of 4 of the 5 (Russian) consulates general operating in Germany," he said, emphasizing that "the Russian government has taken a step aimed at escalating tensions." "This unjustified decision forces the government to make very substantial cuts in all areas of its presence in Russia," Burger added, Russia slams 'provocative actions' Russia slammed Germany's decision to reduce Russian diplomatic presence on its soil and vowed a proper response to Berlin's "ill-thought-out" provocation. "There should be no doubt in Berlin that these ill-thought-out provocative actions will not remain without our proper reaction," the Russian foreign ministry said. Relations between Germany and Russia have been very strained for months over Berlin's military support for Ukraine. Russia's order to reduce German presence on its soil means that hundreds of civil servants and local employees working for German institutions in the Russian Federation will have to leave the country. According to Burger, Moscow's decision would include closing the German consulates in Kaliningrad, Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk, with operations to be significantly limited and discontinued by November. However, Germany's embassy in the capital Moscow and its consulate in Saint Petersburg will not be affected. "For the Russian presence in Germany, our decisions apply reciprocally... in order to ensure a balance of the mutual presences both in terms of personnel and structure," Burger further said. The Kremlin slammed Berlin's move as "ill thought out", vowing a response. "There should be no doubt in Berlin that these ill-thought-out provocative actions will not remain without our proper reaction," said the Russian foreign ministry in a statement, without providing further details. Back in April, Berlin expelled several Russian diplomats "to reduce the presence of intelligence services", prompting a retaliatory response from Moscow, which expelled around 20 German embassy staff. Earlier in May, Berlin announced plans to ship a massive package of weaponry for Ukraine worth 2.7 billion euros in its latest bid to further fuel the US-led war effort against Russia. Berlin's arms package for Kiev includes 20 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, 30 Leopard 1 tank, 15 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks, 200 reconnaissance drones, four additional Iris-T anti-aircraft systems including ammunition, additional artillery ammunition and more than 200 armored combat and logistics vehicles. Germany, along with the United States, has served as one of the biggest suppliers of weaponry to Ukrainian military. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Medvedev: UK waging an 'undeclared war' against Russia Iran Press TV Wednesday, 31 May 2023 5:19 PM The United Kingdom is waging an "undeclared war" against Russia, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said. Medvedev, currently serving as deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, made the remarks in a Twitter post on Wednesday, a day after Britain condoned a large-scale drone attack on Moscow. Medvedev argued that by providing Ukraine with weapons and training, the UK "de facto is leading an undeclared war against Russia." He also described the UK as Moscow's "eternal enemy." Based on international law, "including the Hague and Geneva Conventions with their additional protocols," the UK "can also be qualified as being at war," Medvedev added. His comments came just a day after British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said that Ukraine "has a right" to project force "beyond its own borders" as part of its self-defense, a few days after a series of drone strikes hit Moscow's wealthiest neighborhoods. According to Cleverly, eight combat drones were detected in Moscow's airspace on Tuesday morning, in what Russian officials described as a "terrorist attack" by Kiev. He claimed that Ukraine's aerial might that struck inside Russia would "undermine" what he called the Kremlin's ability to continue its war in the ex-Soviet republic, which has officially denied responsibility for the drone attack. Medvedev replied, saying that based on what the British foreign minister said, "legitimate military targets beyond Ukraine's border are part of its self-defense." Russia began its "special military operation" in Ukraine on February 24 last year with a declared aim of "demilitarizing" Donbas, which is made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk self-proclaimed republics. Back in 2014, the two republics, which are predominantly Russian-speaking, broke away from Ukraine, prompting Kiev to launch a bloody war against both regions. The years-long conflict has killed more than 14,000 people, mostly in the Donbas. Since the onset of the February conflict between the two countries, the United States and its European allies, including the UK, have unleashed an array of unprecedented sanctions against Russia and poured numerous batches of advanced weapons into Ukraine to help its military fend off the Russian troops, despite repeated warnings by the Kremlin that such measures will only prolong the war. Earlier in May, Britain also announced during a summit of European leaders in Reykjavik, Iceland, that it was working with the Netherlands to build a so-called international "jet coalition" to help Ukraine, which is in desperate need of upgrading its air force with advanced warplanes, obtain F-16 fighter jets from its mostly Western allies. A number of countries have volunteered to host the training of Ukrainian pilots. Poland, a neighbor to Ukraine and one of its biggest supporters has said for months it is ready for the training. Russia has repeatedly said that the collective Western nations are engaged in a proxy war with Russia over Ukraine, warning that the conflict could escalate into a much bigger fight. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Medvedev Bashes 'Goofy' UK Officials for 'Leading De Facto Undeclared War' on Russia Sputnik News 20230531 On May 30, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly evaded a question about Kiev's involvement in Tuesday morning's drone attacks on Moscow, but said that Ukraine has the right to project force beyond its borders. Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev took to Twitter to unload on the UK for "leading an undeclared war against Russia". "The goofy officials of the UK, our eternal enemy, should remember that within the framework of the universally accepted international law which regulates modern warfare, including the Hague and Geneva Conventions with their additional protocols, their state can also be qualified as being at war. Today, the UK acts as Ukraine's ally providing it with military aid in the form of equipment and specialists, i.e., de facto is leading an undeclared war against Russia. That being the case, any of its public officials (either military, or civil, who facilitate the war) can be considered as a legitimate military target," Medvedev tweeted. The Russian Defense Ministry said the Kiev regime on Tuesday launched a terrorist drone attack on Moscow. It said eight aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) were involved: five were shot down from an anti-aircraft gun system in the Moscow Region, three were suppressed by electronic warfare and deviated from their intended targets. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the attack, said it was Kiev's response to Russia's effective strikes on one of Ukraine's decision-making centers on Sunday. On May 11, UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace confirmed that London was sending long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Kiev. Ukraine has been using this weaponry to target Russian positions since then. The strikes have resulted in injuries among civilians, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. Western countries have been supplying Kiev with various types of weapon systems, including air defense missiles, multiple launch rocket systems, tanks, self-propelled artillery and anti-aircraft guns, since Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine over a year ago. The Kremlin has consistently warned against further arms deliveries to Kiev. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Anti-Refugee Rhetoric, Forced Deportations of Syrians Increase in Lebanon By Dale Gavlak May 31, 2023 As many as 1.5 million Syrian refugees have fled death and destruction engulfing their homeland by crossing into Lebanon. Their presence has drawn more hostility from Lebanese since the country's economic crisis came to a head in 2019. While observers blame the political elite for years of corruption and mismanagement and for now impoverishing most of the population with its policies, the same political class is scapegoating the refugees to deflect from its own responsibilities, said Lebanese analyst Dania Koleilat Khatib. The governing apparatus includes the Iran-backed Hezbollah political party and its onetime ally, former President Michel Aoun, and his Free Patriotic Movement. "How can they divert this anger? They divert it to the refugees," Khatib said. "The narrative that is so populist against the refugees is mainly coming from Hezbollah, the Aoun people: They are costing so much, they are causing trouble, they are a burden on the economy and they have to go. But the U.N. is supporting the education system because they want these refugee kids to go to school. The aid that is coming is also aiding host communities." Observers argue there is a false impression that Lebanese must compete with Syrians for resources and that refugees get lots of money from relief organizations. Khatib, president of the Research Center for Cooperation and Peace Building in Beirut, told VOA that Lebanese politicians may be using the refugee situation as a pawn. She characterized governing authorities' position as: "If the international community doesn't do what we want, if you put sanctions on us, we will create a problem for these people knowing they can't go to [Syrian President Bashar al-) Assad." Observers note that Syrian refugees face dire living conditions in Lebanon and although many would like to leave, they fear returning home because of retribution by Assad's leadership, which considers them traitors. Meanwhile, rights groups reported in recent weeks an increase in anti-refugee rhetoric from Lebanese politicians. They allege such misinformation contributes to violence and discrimination against Syrian refugees. Ramzi Kaiss, the Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch, told Abu Dhabi's The National newspaper that an alarming rise in anti-refugee rhetoric has accompanied forced deportations, which he believes is "part of the strategy to create a coercive environment in order to get refugees to leave the country." The Access Center for Human Rights in Beirut says that the military recently conducted many raids to apprehend and deport 336 Syrian refugees who entered the country irregularly. The center is a nongovernmental organization monitoring conditions of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Lebanese analyst Khatib told VOA that international refugee law requires a voluntary, safe and dignified return of all refugees. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chinese mainland blasts US-DPP collusion as escalating tension shows Washington's 'bankrupt credibility' Global Times By Wang Qi Published: May 31, 2023 11:16 PM The Chinese mainland on Wednesday lashed out at a series of recent moves by Taiwan's secessionists Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities and the US over arms sales, trade deals, political visits to the US and attempts to obstruct cross-Straits exchanges, adding that such collusions would only push Taiwan island into a more dangerous situation. Experts said that it is the US and DPP colluding to challenge mainland's red line that has made the situation grimmer and more complicated. And the mainland will continue to take effective measures and will not have any illusions or expectations from the US. In response to the recent delivery of US FIM-92 Stinger missiles to the Taiwan island, Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office under the State Council, said that by playing the "Taiwan card" and trying to turn Taiwan into a "porcupine," the US is in essence "destroying" and "damaging" the island, as it is by no means serving the interests of Taiwan compatriots by treating them as "cannon fodder." The DPP authorities' stubbornness to seek "independence" by relying on the US will only push Taiwan into a more dangerous situation, Zhu warned. In terms of the first part of trade agreement recently reached by the US and Taiwan authorities under the "US-Taiwan Initiative of 21st Century Trade," Zhu stressed that China is firmly opposed to the negotiation of any agreement of sovereign connotation or official nature between diplomatic partners and China's Taiwan region, "and this position is consistent and clear." Zhu said the so-called agreement is an unequal political deal under the guise of trade and economic cooperation, costing the interests of enterprises and people in Taiwan to curry favor with Washington. Zhu also expressed strong opposition of a US trip made by You Si-kun, head of the "legislative" authorities on the island of Taiwan. "We firmly oppose any form of official exchanges between the US and China's Taiwan region, oppose any form of collusion between the DPP authorities and external forces." Wang Jianmin, a senior cross-Straits expert at Minnan Normal University in East China's Fujian Province, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the escalation of US-DPP collusion in military, political, and economic areas is the root cause of the increasingly tense situation in the Taiwan Straits. Two amphibious landing ships of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy were spotted in waters off the eastern side of the island of Taiwan on Friday. Later on Saturday, a PLA Navy flotilla led by the aircraft carrier Shandong sailed through the Taiwan Straits, which sent a strong warning to secessionists and external interference. The mainland will continue to take strong measures to counteract in political, military and economic aspects, Wang added. On May 19, Chinese mainland authorities announced the allowing of travel agencies to resume group tours for Taiwan residents visiting the mainland after a three-year freeze due to COVID, however, the DPP authorities said it would not lift the ban on tourist groups from Taiwan visiting the mainland. Zhu said the move would only hurt the interests of the Taiwan people and the tourism industry and would not be popular. The US is dragging its allies to the Taiwan question to obstruct China's reunification process, and the mainland will make all kinds of preparations to deal with the situation, Wang said. "The US is already a country with bankrupt political credibility. They say they want to interact with China, but they have never stopped undermining China's core interests on the Taiwan question," Wang said. "The US may want to use interactive exchanges to hide their substantial progress in containing China." China has no expectations or illusions about the US, Wang said. The US defines the countries it does not like as "rogue states," and in fact the most politically rogue country in the world is the US, Wang noted. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chinese mainland respects Taiwan-funded companies to independently choose their listing place: Taiwan Affairs Office of State Council Global Times By Global Times Published: May 31, 2023 02:01 PM Updated: May 31, 2023 01:58 PM The Chinese mainland respects Taiwan-funded companies to independently choose their listing place, Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson from the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council told a press conference on Wednesday. Zhu made the remarks in response to a question about the impact of a 35-point rule for overseas listings of Chinese firms issued by China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) on Taiwan-funded enterprises in the mainland. According to the CSRC, the rules, effective from March 31, stressed an improvement in the supervision mechanism and requested that domestic companies seeking overseas direct or indirect listings fulfill their due filing and information reporting obligations. Zhu said that the rules adhere to market-oriented principles and legal requirements, creating a more transparent and predictable business environment for Chinese enterprises to list overseas. The relevant standards apply to all domestic enterprises, including Taiwan-funded enterprises whose main business activities are in the mainland. The spokesperson noted that the overseas listing of domestic enterprises is an important part of the two-way opening of the mainland capital market, and is of positive significance in supporting enterprises to better integrate into global development. "The mainland respects the independent choice of listing place by Taiwan-funded enterprises, and supports qualified Taiwan-funded companies to list abroad in compliance with relevant law, making use of the two markets and two resources to achieve standardized and healthy growth," Zhu said. Zhu also said that the mainland has always been the best choice for Taiwan enterprises to invest and set up their businesses, in response to remarks by some secessionist politicians in the island, alleging that business conditions of the mainland are not as good as before. Zhu said that those politicians on the island are "habitual liars". In fact, the mainland has long been the most popular destination for investment from Taiwan Island. Data from the Ministry of Commerce showed that from 2012 to 2022, the total number of Taiwan business investment projects in the mainland has increased from 88,000 to 129,700, with the cumulative actual use of Taiwan capital rising from $57.05 billion to $72 billion. And, 60 Taiwan enterprises have been listed in mainland capital market. "The vast number of Taiwan compatriots, businessmen and enterprises have actively participated in cross-Straits economic cooperation and integrated development, achieving better development owing to huge opportunities of the mainland," the spokesperson noted. In the future, as the mainland accelerates the construction of a new development pattern and promotes high-quality development, there are more opportunities, more space and better prospects for Taiwan compatriots and enterprises to develop in the mainland. "We will continue to improve the system and policies to protect the well-being of Taiwan compatriots and enterprises. The mainland was, is, and will remain the best choice for Taiwan enterprises to invest," Zhu said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address War in Ukraine - Military support for Ukraine Germany - Federal Government Wednesday, 31 May 2023 Germany provides support for Ukraine by supplying equipment and weapons, these come from supplies of the Federal Arms Forces and from deliveries from industry financed from the Federal Government's funds for security capacity building. An overview. This list provides an overview of military assistance provided by the Federal Republic of Germany to Ukraine. It includes deliveries from the Federal Armed Forces, from industry and assistance measures together with partners, which have, inter alia, been financed from Federal Government funds for security capacity building. Funding for the security capacity building initiative amounts to 5.4 billion Euros for 2023 (after 2 billion Euros for 2022) and additional authorisations to enter commitments in the following years amounting to 10.5 billion Euros. These funds are to be used primarily for military assistance to Ukraine. At the same time, they will be used for re-filling Federal Armed Forces stocks for items delivered to Ukraine as well as for Germany's contributions to the European Peace Facility (EPF), from which costs incurred from providing military assistance to Ukraine can be re-imbursed to EU member states. Delivered military support to Ukraine: (Changes compared to the previous update in bold) Armoured fighting vehicles ammunition for LEOPARD 1* 18 LEOPARD 2 A 6 main battle tanks with ammunition (German share in joint project with further LEOPARD 2 operators) 40 infantry fighting vehicles MARDER with ammunition (from Bundeswehr and industry stocks*) 50 MRAP vehicles DINGO 54 M113 armoured personnel carriers each with 2 MG* (systems of Denmark, upgrades financed by Germany) 118 MG3 for LEOPARD 2, MARDER and DACHS Spare parts for LEOPARD 2 and MARDER Air defence 1 air surveillance radar TRML-4D* 2 air defence system Iris-T SLM* Iris-T SLM missiles* air defence system PATRIOT with missiles 34 self-propelled anti-aircraft guns GEPARD including circa 6.000 rounds of ammunition* 53,000 rounds ammunitions for self-propelled anti-aircraft guns 4,000 rounds practice ammunitions for self-propelled anti-aircraft guns 500 Man Portable Air Defense Systems STINGER 2,700 Man Portable Air Defense Systems STRELA Artillery 5 multiple rocket launchers MARS II with ammunition (German share in joint project with USA and Great Britain) ammunition for multiple rocket launchers MARS II 14 self-propelled howitzers Panzerhaubitze 2000 (German share in joint project with the Netherlands) 23,500 projectiles 155mm 155mm precision guided ammunition* 20 rocket launchers 70mm on pick-up trucks with rockets* counter battery radar system COBRA* Military Engineering Capabilities 8 bridge-laying tanks BEAVER* 11 mobile and protected mine clearing systems* 15 armoured recovery vehicles Bergepanzer 2* 4 armoured engineer vehicles DACHS* 2 armoured recovery vehicles Bergepanzer 3 2 mine clearing tanks WISENT 1* 3 mobile, remote controlled and protected mine clearing systems* 17 heavy and medium bridge systems* 6 palettes material for explosive ordnance disposal Protective and Special Equipment 54 reconnaissance drones VECTOR* 40 frequency range extensions for anti-drone devices* 130 border protection vehicles* 1 communications electronic scanner/jammer systems* 32 reconnaissance drones* 42 mobile antenna mast systems* 90 drone detection systems* 40 laser target designators* 55 anti-drone sensors and jammers* 10 unmanned surface vessels* 10 anti-drone guns* 28,000 combat helmets 125 binoculars 600 safety glasses 1 radio frequency system 3,000 field telephones with 5.000 cable reels and carrying straps 353 night vision goggles* 12 electronic anti-drone devices* 165 field glasses* 38 laser range finders* 6 mobile decontamination vehicles HEP 70 including decontamination material 10 HMMWV (8x ground radar capability, 2x jamming/anti drone capability)* 7 radio jammers* 8 mobile ground surveillance radars and thermal imaging cameras* 1 high frequency unit with equipment* Logistics 19 truck tractor trains 8x8 HX81 and 14 semi-trailers* (before: 17) 14 tracked and remote controlled infantry vehicles THeMIS* (before: 7) 4 load-handling trucks 8x6 with 20 roll of containers* 288 vehicles (trucks, minibuses, all-terrain vehicles) 179 Pick-ups* 92 trucks Zetros* 12 tank transporter tractor M1070 Oshkosh* 26 load-handling trucks 15t* 12 heavy duty trailer trucks and 4 semi-trailers* 35 load-handling trucks 8x8 30 protected vehicles* 10 roll off containers Combat Readiness and Survivability 83,520 rounds ammunition 40mm* 160,000 first aid kits* 103.000 tourniquets 500 pistols SFP9* 2 hangar tents* 8 lift trucks* 295 generators 10 winter camouflage nets 168 mobile heating systems* 36 ambulances* 36.400 wool blankets 14,000 sleeping bags Mi-24 spare parts* spare parts for heavy machine gun M2 200 tents 116.000 winter jackets 80.000 winter trousers 240.000 winter hats 405,000 pre-packaged military Meals Ready 67 fridges for medical material* 3,000 anti-tank weapons Panzerfaust 3 with 900 firing devices 14,900 anti-tank mines (9,300* from industry stocks) 22 million rounds of ammunition for fire arms 50 Bunkerfaust with 15 firing devices 100 machine gun MG3 with 500 spare barrels and breechblocks 100,000 hand grenades 5,300 explosive charges 100,000 m detonating cord and 100.000 detonators 350,000 detonators 100 auto-injector devices 15 palettes military clothing 1,200 hospital beds 18 palettes medical material, 60 surgical lights protective clothing, surgical masks 1 field hospital (project jointly financed with Estonia)* medical material (inter alia back packs, compression bandages) Diesel and gasoline* 10 tons AdBlue* 500 medical gauzes* MiG-29 spare parts* 7,944 man-portable anti-tank weapons RGW 90 Matador* Military support to Ukraine in planning/in execution (due to security concerns, the Federal Government abstains from providing details on transportation modalities and dates until after handover) Armoured fighting vehicles 64 tracked all-terrain vehicles Bandvagn 206 (BV206) 66 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) 110 LEOPARD 1 main battle tanks* (project jointly financed with Denmark) 20 infantry fighting vehicles MARDER* ammunition for LEOPARD 1* ammunition for MARDER* Air defence 6 air defence system IRIS-T SLM* Iris-T SLM missiles* 12 launchers Iris-T SLS* Iris-T SLS missiles (from Bundeswehr and industry stocks*) 7 air surveillance radars TRML-4D* 18 self-propelled anti-aircraft guns GEPARD* 300.000 rounds of GEPARD ammunition Artillery 26,350 projectiles 155mm* 18 wheeled self-propelled howitzers RCH 155* 16 self-propelled howitzer Zuzana 2* (project jointly financed with Denmark and Norway) Military Engineering Capabilities 5 bridges for bridge-laying tanks BEAVER* 18 bridge-laying tanks BEAVER* 3 mobile and protected mine clearing systems* 40 mine clearing tanks WISENT 1* 1 armoured engineer vehicles DACHS* 3 heavy and medium bridge systems* Protective and Special Equipment 71 reconnaissance drones VECTOR* 121 reconnaissance drones* 10 unmanned surface vessels* 40 ground surveillance radars* 3 drone sensors* 1 Satcom surveillance system* 2000 portable light systems* 8 mobile antenna mast systems* 5 mobile reconnaissance systems (on vehicles) * 370 border protection vehicles* vehicle decontamination system 11 communications electronic scanner/jammer systems* Logistics 12 tank transporter tractor M1070 Oshkosh* 30 tank trucks (water/fuel)* 78 truck tractor trains and 86 semi-trailers* 3 load-handling trucks 8x6 with 8 roll of containers* 71 heavy duty trailer trucks 8x8 HX81 and 76 semi-trailers* 2 tractors and 4 trailers* 10 protected vehicles* 108 trucks Zetros* Combat Readiness and Survivability 13 ambulances* continuing deliveries of medical material* 100 machine guns MG5* 100 grenade launchers GMG* 11,000 group module rations 40,000 first aid kits* 17 mobile heating systems* 132,480 rounds ammunition 40mm for grenade launchers* field hospital (role 2)* 5,032 man-portable anti-tank weapons* * Deliveries from industry stocks financed by German funds for security capacity building. Some of the deliveries require upgrades or productions is ongoing; also training measures take place. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address May 31, 2023 By Joseph Clark , DOD News DOD Announces New Security Assistance Package for Ukraine The Defense Department announced an additional security assistance package for Ukraine today that contains key capabilities to arm against Russian airstrikes targeting critical infrastructure across the country. The latest package, valued at up to $300 million, marks the 39th drawdown of DOD equipment for Ukraine since August 2021. The newly announced assistance comes on the heels of Russia's recent drone attacks aimed at Ukraine's civilian infrastructure far from the front lines. "Russia has continued to wage a brutal, completely unprovoked war against Ukraine, launching yet more airstrikes and bombarding Ukrainian cities across the country," said National Security Council spokesman John F. Kirby during a briefing at the White House. Russia's recent onslaught included 17 separate air assaults targeting Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, in May alone. Those attacks harmed civilians and hit critical civilian infrastructure, Kirby said. "In response, the United States is going to continue to help give them things that they need to better defend themselves," he said. Included in the package are additional munitions for Patriot air defense systems, Avenger air defense systems, Stinger antiaircraft systems and AIM-7 missiles for air defense. The package also includes more artillery and antiarmor capabilities, in addition to precision aerial munitions and other items. The Biden administration has committed more than $37.6 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's invasion in February 2022. Kirby said the U.S. and its allies remain firmly committed to supporting Ukraine going forward. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III underscored the urgent need to help Ukraine defend its skies during last week's meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. "One of Ukraine's most urgent requirements is ground-based air defense," Austin said. "And this contact group will continue driving hard to help Ukraine defend the skies. In recent weeks, Russia has intensified its sordid bombardment of Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. And the Kremlin's cruelty only underscores Ukraine's need for a stronger, layered ground-based air defense architecture." Since the Russian invasion in February 2022, the U.S. has led 12 meetings of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, an alliance of more than 50 countries committed to the defense of Ukraine. Austin underscored the United States' continued support for Ukraine at the conclusion of the latest summit, saying the contact group committed to doing even more to support Ukraine's fight for freedom. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukrainian drone sparks fire at Russian refinery: Governor Iran Press TV Wednesday, 31 May 2023 7:57 AM Russia has blamed Ukraine for a fire at an oil refinery in the south of the country, saying the blaze was likely caused by a Ukrainian drone striking the facility. The fire that broke out at the Afipsky oil refinery was likely caused by a Ukrainian drone strike, said Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratyev in a Telegram post on Wednesday. He further noted that the refinery fire was quickly extinguished by emergency services and that there were no casualties. The Afipsky oil refinery, near the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk in the Krasnodar region, has been attacked several times this month. There was no immediate information on who launched the drone but Moscow has accused Kiev of increased attacks inside Russia in recent weeks. Ukrainian authorities have never publicly confirmed Kiev's attacks against targets inside Russia, but top Ukrainian officials have occasionally welcomed news of successful drone strikes on Russian soil. Separately, Belgorod's Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a Telegram post on Tuesday that Ukrainian forces have shelled the border town of Shebekino for the third time in a week, leaving at least four people wounded. Gladkov blamed Kiev for the artillery strike, adding that two of the injured were hospitalized in serious condition. He also noted that the shelling had damaged buildings and set vehicles on fire. Ukrainian authorities have not yet reacted to the reported attack. The latest developments came a day after both Ukraine and Russia reported that their capitals have been targeted by drones coming from the other side. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said the drones have caused minor damage to two residential buildings, emphasizing that no one was seriously hurt as he ordered the evacuation of residents from the two apartment blocks that were targeted. Ukrainian officials also claimed that "massive" Russian drone raids on Kiev have killed one person and injured four more, but later explained that the casualties resulted from "falling debris" of shot-down drones. Russia began what it described as a "special military operation" in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 as part of a national security measure against the persisting eastern advance of the US-led NATO military alliance. Moscow also said the military operation was aimed at defending the pro-Russia population in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk against persecution by Kiev, and also to "de-Nazify" Ukraine. Since the start of the war, the US and its Western allies have been providing Kiev with military equipment worth tens of billions of dollars. Western weapons supplied to Kiev include advanced missile systems, armored vehicles, tanks, and communication systems. Long-range attack drones have been also added to the list of Western weapons supplied to the Ukrainian forces fighting against Russian troops. Russia has repeatedly warned against flooding Ukraine with weapons, insisting the massive shipments of armaments to Kiev will only prolong the conflict. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address War At 'Important Moment' Ahead Of Ukraine's Expected Military Push, Potential Peace Talks, Macron Says By Reid Standish May 31, 2023 BRATISLAVA -- Ahead of a looming counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces on the battlefield, French President Emmanuel Macron has called for advancing peace negotiations on the war in Ukraine on Kyiv's terms. Speaking at the GLOBSEC security conference in Bratislava on May 31, Macron said there should be no compromises in terms of Ukraine's territorial integrity and that Kyiv has battlefield momentum on its side. "This is a very important moment," the French president said about the expected military moves by Kyiv. "Whatever happens, I do believe they [the Ukrainians] will deliver." Macron, however, cautioned against expecting that the military push would create a breakthrough in terms of diplomatic negotiations with Moscow to end the war. The counteroffensive "will not create de facto acceptance from the Russians to negotiate," Macron said. Despite expressing caution toward diplomatic talks with the Kremlin, Macron said "a new energy" to engage in diplomacy from countries in the Global South is under way and that it could lead to a "conclusive" peace process that is "not a cease-fire" in the coming months. "If we accept a cease-fire or a frozen conflict [in Ukraine], time will be on Russia's side," Macron said. The comments come after The Wall Street Journal reported that Ukraine and its allies are planning a summit of global leaders that would exclude Russia and would be aimed at garnering support for Kyiv's terms for ending the war. The report, which cited senior Ukrainian officials and European diplomats, said plans for the summit were in the preliminary stages and Macron had lobbied to also include countries that have sided with Russia or declined to take a position on the war such as China, India, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia. In response to a question from the audience while on stage at the GLOBSEC conference, Macron said Europe needed to "provide clear and tangible security guarantees" to Ukraine and progress could be achieved at the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius in June, although he cautioned that he does not expect the meeting to reach a consensus. "I think this debate will happen in Vilnius, and this is what we will discuss with [German] Chancellor [Olaf] Scholz next week and other players," Macron said. "But we need a path toward [NATO] membership" for Ukraine. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-war-russia- macon-peace-talks/32437274.html Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. Announces More Military Aid For Ukraine Amid Uptick In Attacks Inside Russia By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service May 31, 2023 The United States on May 31 announced an aid package for Ukraine that includes Patriot air-defense batteries, ammunition, and other defense equipment as Ukrainian authorities said attacks by Russian troops killed one person in Ukraine's Donetsk region and one person in the Kherson region. The security assistance package worth up to $300 million was announced by White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. It represents the 39th drawdown of equipment from the Defense Department inventories, the Pentagon said. In addition to the Patriots, the package includes Stinger antiaircraft systems, missiles for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), tank ammunition, and other equipment. Indiscriminate Russian shelling earlier on May 31 killed one person and wounded one in Chasiv Yar near Horlivka, Donetsk regional Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said, adding that another 10 civilians were wounded across the region. Russian troops also attacked a community in the Kherson region, killing one person, said Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the regional military administration. The reports could not be independently verified. Ukrainian forces repelled 22 Russian attacks in the east, the General Staff said in its daily update, although the intensity of Moscow's offensive in and around the Donetsk city of Bakhmut appeared to have subsided, according to Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar. Malyar said that in Bakhmut, which has been the epicenter of the monthslong war in the east, Russian troops have not been conducting infantry operations, apparently regrouping their forces, but have been continuing shelling and launching air strikes on Ukrainian positions. Valeriy Zaluzhniy, commander in chief of Ukrainian forces, said he spoke by phone with U.S. Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to discuss the situation at the front, further plans for the liberation of Ukrainian territory, and the possible actions of the enemy. Zaluzhniy said on Telegram on May 31 that he and Milley discussed weapons supply, including ammunition, and the need for long-range projectiles. They also discussed the importance of working to strengthening Ukraine's air defense and F-16 fighter jets, he said, adding that they agreed to continue the dialogue. Early on May 31, the governor of Russia's Krasnodar region, Venyamin Kondratyev, said an alleged drone attack caused a fire at an oil refinery. There were no casualties in the attack, part of an uptick in attacks on Russian territory. Russia on May 30 launched a fresh wave of drone strikes on Kyiv -- the fourth attack in three days -- killing at least one person and wounding several others, but Ukrainian authorities said most of the drones were shot down by the capital's air defenses. Late on May 30 the governor of Russia's Belgorod region said one person was killed and six were wounded in shelling of a temporary shelter for civilians. Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov blamed Ukrainian armed forces for artillery fire that hit the shelter, which he said housed displaced people, including elderly civilians and children. On the same day, Moscow was subjected to a rare drone attack that damaged several buildings. The Russian Defense Ministry said eight drones were shot down or jammed over the Russian capital in what it said was a "terrorist attack" by the "Kyiv regime." Russia's Investigative Committee said no one was wounded. Ukrainian denied any involvement, and White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on May 31 that the Biden administration does not know who is responsible for the attack. He added that the United States does not tell Ukraine where to strike. Moscow-installed authorities in Ukraine's Luhansk region, which is almost completely occupied by Russia, said on May 31 that five people were killed and 19 wounded by Ukrainian shelling that hit a poultry farm in the village of Karpaty. The information could not be independently confirmed, and there was no immediate reaction from Ukraine. Both sides say they are targeting the buildup of military equipment and troops ahead of an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive. With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-drone-strikes- russia/32436469.html Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address IAEA Chief Outlines Principles To Prevent Nuclear Catastrophe At Zaporizhzhya By RFE/RL May 31, 2023 UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi has urged Ukraine and Russia to adhere to five principles to prevent nuclear catastrophe at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), on May 30 outlined the principles to the UN Security Council in New York during a briefing on safety at the plant, which has been a concern since Russian forces seized it shortly after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. "The nuclear safety and security situation at the Zaporizhzhya NPP...continues to be extremely fragile and dangerous. Military activities continue in the region and may well increase very considerably in the near future," he said in an apparent reference to Ukraine's expected counteroffensive. Grossi told the Security Council that "there should be no attack of any kind from or against the plant" and said that it should not be used as storage or a base for heavy weapons such as multiple rocket launchers, artillery systems and munitions, and tanks, or for military personnel that could be used for an attack from the plant. He also called for off-site power to the plant to remain available and secure, for all its essential systems to be protected from attacks or acts of sabotage, and for no action to be taken that undermines the principles. "I respectfully and solemnly ask both sides to observe these five principles," said Grossi. "These principles are to no one's detriment and to everyone's benefit." The IAEA intends to start monitoring the principles on-site, he added. Russia said it would do all it could to protect the power plant, it did not explicitly commit to abide by Grossi's five principles. "Mr. Grossi's proposals to ensure the security of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant are in line with the measures that we've already been implementing for a long time," Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said. Ukrainian Ambassador to the UN Serhiy Kyslytsya said the principles "must be complemented with the demand of full demilitarization and de-occupation of the station," a demand previously made by the United States. In response to Grossi's statement, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, "It is entirely, entirely within Moscow's control to avert a nuclear catastrophe and to end its war of aggression against Ukraine." Grossi has been trying for months to establish an agreement to reduce the risk of a nuclear accident caused by military activity at Europe's biggest nuclear power plant. The plant, which is not generating electricity, has been affected multiple times by shelling that has caused outages of electrical power, which the plant needs to maintain the cooling of its reactors. The plant, located in the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhya, supplied around 20 percent of Ukraine's electricity before power production was halted late last year. With reporting by AFP and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-zaporizhzhya- nuclear-grossi-un/32436377.html Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukrainian Shelling of Zaporozhye NPP Creates Risk of 'Nuclear Bomb Scenario' Sputnik News 20230531 Ilya Tsukanov International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi has proposed a five-point plan to help ensure safety and security at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant. Renowned nuclear expert Chris Busby says Grossi's concerns about the plant's safety are fully justified, but that much more needs to be done. In an address before the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, Rafael Grossi outlined measures which should be taken to prevent a deadly incident at the ZNPP - key among them an immediate halt to attacks of any kind against the facility. Other necessary measures, he said, include a commitment that the plant won't be used to store heavy weapons or launch attacks, the preservation of the safety of onsite backup cooling systems and offsite power connections, and assurances that no actions are taken which could undermine these principles. Grossi characterized the situation at the plant as "extremely fragile and dangerous," and urged for the measures to be implemented immediately. As usual, he did not attribute responsibility for the deterioration of the security situation around the plant, which has been controlled by Russia since March 2022, and regularly shelled by Ukrainian forces since then. Ukrainian Permanent Representative to the UN Serhiy Kislitsa disingenuously assured the Security Council that Kiev had "never resorted and will never resort to any steps that could lead to a nuclear incident" at the ZNPP. Russian Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzya told the body that the Russian side is already in compliance with Grossi's recommendations, having implemented them independently "in accordance with decisions taken at the national level." "Thus, there have never been any attacks from the territory of the ZNPP [by Russia]. Heavy weapons and ammunition have never been deployed at the plant. There are no military personnel at the Zaporozhye NPP which could be used to carry out attacks from the territory of the plant," Nebenzya said. Furthermore, he said, Moscow has taken "concrete steps" to protect the plant's most sensitive structures and systems from sabotage and attack. 'Absolutely Right to Be Freaking Out' The IAEA chief "is fully aware" of the dangers associated with the deteriorating security situation at the ZNPP, is "understandably panicking," and is "absolutely right to be freaking out," says Chris Busby, a veteran chemical physicist with decades of experience studying the health effects of internal ionizing radiation, who currently serves as the scientific secretary of the European Committee on Radiation Risk. Speaking to Sputnik and commenting on Grossi's recommendations, Dr. Busby said that the "common sense" proposals are really just "a list of things that everyone must have been aware of from the very beginning" of the Ukraine crisis, but that regular shelling and missile attacks, and the possibility of the ZNPP becoming a direct battleground in a possible Ukrainian counteroffensive, makes them all the more pressing. "The Ukrainian ambassador to the United Nations, Mr. Kislitsa, apparently stated [that] 'we have never resorted and never will resort to steps that could lead to a nuclear incident.' Well, one problem I have with this is the pronoun 'We.' I am a scientist, not a political commentator, but it seems to me that there are many different groups fighting in this war, and all kinds of attacks occur in all kinds of places, people are assassinated, bridges are blown up, undersea pipelines are destroyed, and no one seems to blame the Ukrainian government. Maybe there are a lot of independent nationalist groups (Terrorists? Assassins?) who take matters into their own hands and devise independent strategies," Busby quipped. 'Controlled Nuclear Bomb' "Nuclear energy is a very dangerous technology," the scientist emphasized, pointing out that at their core, nuclear power plants are "effectively a controlled nuclear bomb." "The enormous energy released when a nuclear bomb is detonatedaand we have seen the pictures of Hiroshimaais released all at once. Bang! But the chain reaction in uranium that levelled Hiroshima and killed all those people is the same neutron-controlled reaction that occurs in nuclear power plants, except that the reaction is controlled with materials that moderate the rate of production of neutrons, so that the uranium fuel remains at a temperature where it can turn cooling water into steam which in turn turns the turbines that make the electricity," Dr. Busby explained. "The problem is, that if the cooling system is damaged, so that the water cannot circulate, the neutrons heat up the uranium fuel very quickly, and there is a meltdown. When the uranium fuel rods melt, they fall to the bottom of the reactor pressure vessel, and at that point, the neutron density increases, a chain reaction occurs and the reactor turns into a bomb and explodes, as happened at Fukushima, and as happened at Chernobyl. Other bad things can also happen: the enormous increase in temperature and radiation can produce hydrogen and this can also explode," he added. The same thing could happen to spent fuel, the scientist said, with these elements continuing to contain all of the fission products of uranium, and will continue to be radioactive for thousands of years. "These spent fuel rods are still very hot, and have to be kept apart and cooled, just as in the reactor. So, they are stored in spent fuel ponds and cooled with water, or else dry stores and cooled with air and heat exchangers. If the cooling to the spent fuel fails, you have another nuclear bomb scenario," Busby said. The scientist estimates that there are about 20,000 tons' worth of spent fuel rods at the ZPP, plus 60 tons in each of its reactors. "If one component goes up, they all will, because the radiation levels will, just as with Fukushima and Chernobyl, prevent anyone getting near the plant," he stressed, noting that this includes even robots - whose electronic circuits would be "wiped out" by the radiation. The radioactive fallout from a disaster at the ZNPP would "make Europe pretty much uninhabitable," in Dr. Busby's estimation, leading to skyrocketing rates of premature deaths from cancers, fertility loss, congenital defects and a host of other illnesses. According to the scientist, the Ukrainian forces shelling the plant probably don't "have the faintest idea" of what they're doing, and "what Grossi has termed 'the rolling of the dice.'" What Can Be Done? Dr. Busby believes the best thing that can be done to ensure the ZNPP's safety is putting the Ukraine crisis to bed. "Failing that, the integrity of the [plant's] lake must be ensured," which means protecting the dam feeding it. "It is water from the lake that is at the base of the cooling system. A buffer zone capable of protecting the power station from attacks should be organized, and this must constitute a no-fly area for missile attacks or personnel incursions. What else? Prayer. It is as bad as you can imagine," Busby summed up. The Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, with its six reactors capable of generating up to six gigawatts of power - enough to power over 1.8 million average European homes. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address West Must Provide Ukraine With Tangible, Credible Security Guarantees - Macron Sputnik News 20230531 PARIS (Sputnik) - The western countries should provide Ukraine with "tangible and reliable" security guarantees, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday. "We are massively arming Ukraine, but we do not include it in any strategic dialogue. We must provide Ukraine with tangible and reliable security guarantees," Macron said at a session of the Globsec 2023 Bratislava Forum. Earlier, the French Foreign Ministry said that France was ready to conclude agreements with Ukraine on providing it with security guarantees together with NATO partners. Paris will continue discussions together with its partners on the best form of support for Ukraine in all sectors of the economy in the long term, the ministry added. On May 15, Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in a joint statement that France would train and equip several battalions with dozens of armored vehicles and light tanks, including AMX-10RCs. In addition, Paris said it would be focusing its efforts on supporting Ukraine's air defense capabilities. Western countries have ramped up their military support for Ukraine after Russia launched a special military operation, by providing various types of weapons to Kiev. The Kremlin has repeatedly warned against further escalation leading to direct NATO involvement in the conflict. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address White House: US 'Does Not Encourage Attacks on Russia' Sputnik News 20230531 WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States does not encourage Ukraine to attack Russia and does not want to see the military conflict escalate, White House Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby said on Wednesday, following the recent drone attacks on Moscow. "We do not want to encourage attacks inside Russia because we do not want to see the war escalate," Kirby said. At the same time that Kiev has the right to self-defense, he said. Kirby pointed out that it is up to the Ukrainians to decide what to do with US-made weapons they are receiving. "They have given us assurances that they will not use our equipment to strike inside Russia, but once it goes to them, it belongs to them," he added. The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine on Tuesday launched a terrorist drone attack on Moscow. It said eight aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) were involved: five were shot down from an anti-aircraft gun system in the Moscow Region, three were suppressed by electronic warfare and deviated from their intended targets. Ukraine is going to launch an offensive in summer, and the United States is preparing new arms deliveries for Kiev, John Kirby said. "We have been in touch with our Ukrainian counterparts as they have begun their planning for this counter-offensive. We remain in touch with them," Kirby said. Ukraine is planning to begin a counter-offensive in summer, and the US is preparing new arms deliveries to Kiev, he added. Western countries have been supplying Kiev with various types of weapon systems, including air defense missiles, multiple launch rocket systems, tanks, self-propelled artillery and anti-aircraft guns, since Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine over a year ago. The Kremlin has consistently warned against further arms deliveries to Kiev. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Akhmat Fighters Successfully Advance Near Maryinka - Russian MoD Sputnik News 20230531 Earlier, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said that Chechen units had received orders to redeploy their forces, and their zone of responsibility had become the territory of the DPR - the Akhmat Special Forces and the Sever Akhmat Regiment were transferred to the Maryinka direction. The assault troops of the 5th motorized infantry brigade and the fighters of the Akhmat Special Rapid Response Unit are advancing in the Maryinka direction, the Russian Defense Ministry said. "The 5th motorized infantry brigade and the Akhmat special-purpose troops are successfully advancing in the Maryinka tactical direction," the ministry said. Russian Defense Ministry added that the fiercest battles during the special military operation over the past 24 hours have been taking place in the Donetsk direction, near Avdeevka. Earlier, it was reported that the Akhmat special forces fighters had received orders to relocate and now the Donetsk people's republic is their area of responsibility. According to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, the units have the task of switching to active military operations and liberating a number of populated areas. The head of Chechnya said in his Telegram channel that the redeployment of Chechen units is supported by the Ministry of Defense. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Interior Ministry Puts Another 3 Ukrainian Military Commanders on Wanted List Sputnik News 20230531 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian Interior Ministry has put Ukrainian First Deputy Chief of the General Staff Ihor Kolesnyk and two other generals of the Ukrainian armed forces on wanted list, according to the ministry's database. "Grounds for search: wanted on criminal charges," the profiles of the Ukrainian commanders said. On Tuesday, the Russian Interior Ministry put US Senator Lindsey Graham on the wanted list on criminal charges in connection with the remarks he made during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In early May, Russian Investigative Committee chief Alexander Bastrykin told Sputnik that charges in absentia were filed against Kolesnyk, Deputy Chief of the General Staff Oleksandr Lokota and Deputy Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces Andriy Grishchenko, who coordinated the military aggression against residents of Donbass. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Drone Falls on Territory of Oil Refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Region Sputnik News 20230531 KRASNODAR (Sputnik) - A drone has fell on the territory of the Ilsky oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar region, the infrastructure of the plant was not damaged, the regional operational headquarters said on Wednesday. "[Early in the morning], an unidentified unmanned vehicle allegedly fell on the territory of the Ilsky oil refinery. As a result of the fall, the apparatus crashed, the infrastructure of the plant was not damaged, and there was no fire. Security services and law enforcement agencies are on the scene," the operational headquarters said in a statement. There is no threat to the life of residents and no casualties, the authorities said, adding that no property was damaged. On Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Ukraine attacked the Russian capital with eight unmanned aerial vehicles, adding that all drones were shot down. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Foreign Ministry Calls Vile West's Position on UAV Attacks Against Moscow Sputnik News 20230531 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The position of Western countries on the drone attacks on Moscow is "absolutely vile," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday, adding that the West comments only on what it wants to comment. "This is, of course, an absolutely vile position. There is no other word, no definition: they [Western countries] see and comment only on what is beneficial to them. And this is propaganda," Zakharova told Radio Sputnik. The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine on Tuesday launched a terrorist drone attack on Moscow. It said eight aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) were involved: five were shot down from an anti-aircraft gun system in the Moscow Region, three were suppressed by electronic warfare and deviated from their intended targets. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the attack, said it was Kiev's response to Russia's effective strikes on Sunday on one of Ukraine's decision-making centers. Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov said that several drones had been shot down while approaching Moscow. The Russian capital's mayor, Sergey Sobyanin, said several buildings had been slightly damaged by the drone attack. Nobody was seriously injured, he added. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Additional U.S. Security Assistance for Ukraine US Department of State Press Statement Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State May 31, 2023 Russia is continuing to wage a brutal and unprovoked war against Ukraine. In the month of May alone, Russia launched 17 air assaults against Kyiv, threatening Ukrainian families and devastating civilian areas. In response, the United States will continue to work with Ukraine to strengthen its air defenses and help Ukraine protect its people from Russia's aggression. Pursuant to a delegation of authority from President Biden, I am authorizing our 39th drawdown for Ukraine, which will provide $300 million worth of U.S. arms and equipment. This security assistance package includes significant air defense capabilities, additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and artillery, anti-tank weapons, tens of millions of rounds of small arms munitions, and other field equipment essential to strengthening Ukraine's brave forces on the battlefield and helping them retake its sovereign territory. Russia could end its unjust war today. Until Russia does so, the United States and our allies and partners will stand united with Ukraine, for as long as it takes. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia's actions in Ukraine have been reprehensible and cowardly: UK statement to the OSCE UK military advisor, Ian Stubbs, says the Kremlin is struggling to explain its litany of strategic mistakes and failings on the battlefield to the Russian people 31 May 2023 Thank you, Madam Chair. Russia continues to launch large-scale missile and drone strikes on towns and cities across Ukraine. The repeated barrages launched on the people of Kyiv, as they celebrated the anniversary of the founding of Ukraine's capital, were particularly deplorable. Whilst reports indicate that most attacks continue to be successfully intercepted by Ukraine's air defences, Friday's strike against the medical facility in Dnipro was a particularly egregious act. Such indiscriminate missile and drone attacks constitute major human rights violations, are contrary to international humanitarian law, and achieve nothing. Russia has repeatedly underestimated the strength and determination of the courageous Ukrainian people to defend their homeland. These horrific tactics did not work during the winter, when Russia targeted power stations and water supplies throughout Ukraine, and they will not work now. They will not compensate for Russia's failings on the battlefield. Madam Chair, on Monday [29 May] President Putin signed a bill on Russia's denunciation of the CFE Treaty. Although symbolic, Russia has refused to abide by the CFE Treaty since 2007, this represents another step in Russia's incremental rejection of the international rules based order. From its failure to abide by the 1999 Istanbul Agreements, to non-compliance in the Open Skies Treaty, through to weaponisation of the Vienna Document, Russia has deliberately and systematically attempted to tear apart the European Security Architecture that was designed to keep the continent safe and free from war. We should be clear, over the past decades, Russia has disregarded, manipulated or withdrawn from international agreements and treaties whenever they no longer supported its nefarious aims. The outcome of this approach is evident in Moldova, Georgia, Ukraine and more widely. On Monday, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov proclaimed that Russia was not at fault for the "huge void" in arms control. Well, the facts tell a different story. The "Russia is the victim" argument is so tired and so ridiculous that even the Russian people must see it for what it is - an overused and desperate retort by the Kremlin to try and explain its litany of strategic mistakes that have decimated Russia's once proud global reputation. Russia's actions in Ukraine have been reprehensible and cowardly. Russia has demonstrated complete disregard for International Humanitarian Law; Russia has unleashed horrendous violence, conducting heinous attacks impacting on civilians and civilian infrastructure; and Russia has demonstrated its willingness to sacrifice its own people in their thousands to try and overcome persistent and institutional poor decision making by the Kremlin. Putin's horrific war of choice has created a legacy for which millions will be forced to bear the cost of for years to come. Madam Chair, Russia's announced intention to deploy nuclear weapons and nuclear-capable systems on Belarusian territory is the latest in a long pattern of irresponsible nuclear rhetoric. It is designed to distract and deter us from supporting Ukraine. Russia should seek to reduce tensions and the risk of miscalculation, not increase them. Madam Chair, we again call on the Belarusian regime to desist from supporting Russia's attempts to stoke further instability in the region and stop its support of Russia's illegal invasion. Madam Chair, the UK and its international partners are steadfast in our support for Ukraine as demonstrated by the continued provision of military assistance. Ukraine has regained territory and liberated thousands of Ukrainian people thanks to the awe-inspiring bravery of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the resilience of the Ukrainian people and overwhelming international support. Together, the UK and partners are ensuring that Ukraine will win. Our united approach of providing Ukraine with the support it needs to defend itself and push Russia out of Ukraine's sovereign territory is the swiftest, and only, path to a just and lasting peace. Thank you. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The world is aware of a fundamental role of our maritime grain exports for food security - address by the President Volodymyr Zelenskyy President of Ukraine 31 May 2023 - 22:53 Good health to you, fellow Ukrainians! Today I am on a working trip to our Odesa. Here I thanked our warriors for defending the region and the whole of Ukraine. In particular, I visited a hospital and our wounded defenders. I wished them a speedy recovery. I was honored to present state awards. I thanked our doctors. I held a special and lengthy meeting in Odesa on the security and social situation in the region. The regional leadership, military, law enforcers. The region is a priority from all points of view. It is Odesa region that is one of the pillars of security for our entire south, and therefore for the state. The Security Service of Ukraine has achieved very important results in Odesa region in countering Russian saboteurs. General Moskalov delivered a report on the situation in the areas of responsibility of the Odesa operational and strategic groups of troops. We analyzed in detail how to strengthen the defense. We also discussed economic issues, jobs, and social security in detail. I also held an offsite meeting of the Staff. Constant attention to the front. Reports from the commanders of Khortytsia, Tavria, and the Commander-in-Chief. Special reports from the heads of the Main Intelligence Directorate and the Security Service. Details will follow later. Special attention is paid to our grain corridor and security in the Black Sea. The world knows the fundamental role of our maritime grain exports for food security. In general, security in the Black Sea, the effectiveness of international law on navigation is a globally important security factor. All the maritime countries of the world see now what could threaten their ports and their water areas if Russia gets away with blocking navigation in the Black Sea. Let me give you just one example. Currently, out of the 3 ports that have been agreed upon as part of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the Pivdennyi port is actually blocked. More than 1.5 million tons of agricultural products have been accumulated in Pivdennyi alone. And this grain is expected by at least ten countries, including TArkiye, Egypt, Bangladesh and China. Obviously, the less food is supplied to these countries, to these regions, the higher the food prices are, the more people in these countries lose from their family budgets. That is, the blockade of one port in Ukraine creates extremely severe risks for different nations. In particular, for those countries relations with which Russia is also trying to speculate on. I thank everyone in the world who helps us increase the security space in the Black Sea, who puts pressure on Russia to unblock food supplies. Today in Odesa, I also held a meeting on the development of our port infrastructure. And one more thing. We are working to make the second half of this week meaningful for our relations with partners. Our international team is doing everything to ensure that this week ends with the news Ukraine needs. And now I thank the United States of America, President Biden personally, both parties of Congress and every American - everyone who values freedom - for a new defense package for our warriors. Missiles for Patriots, rockets for HIMARS, artillery and other strongly needed weapons. Needed right now! Glory to all our warriors who are now in combat for the sake of Ukraine, who are at combat posts, on combat missions. I thank everyone who works for our country! Thank you, Odesa, for this day! Glory to Ukraine! NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address In Odesa region, the President introduced the new Head of the RSA and held a meeting on the situation in the region President of Ukraine 31 May 2023 - 18:22 During a working visit to Odesa region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with the military command and heads of law enforcement agencies of Odesa region to discuss the current situation in the region. At the beginning of the meeting, the Head of State introduced the newly appointed Head of Odesa Regional State Administration Oleh Kiper. Addressing the new RSA Head, the President emphasized that the work in Odesa region is very responsible. "This is a priority region of our independent state. I think that from the point of view of your experience, you understand your tasks perfectly well. This is the coordination of all institutions in wartime. Especially all government agencies, law enforcement agencies, and local authorities. It is very important to communicate with our military and commanders," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. According to the Head of State, maritime security is a special priority, as it is necessary to ensure the operation of the grain corridor, which is fundamental for the Ukrainian economy. During the meeting, the President heard a report from Commander of the Odesa operational and strategic group of troops Eduard Moskalov on the operational situation in the area of responsibility of the South operational command and the readiness of military units and subdivisions to perform assigned tasks. Commander of the Ukrainian Navy Oleksiy Neizhpapa informed about the current situation in the area of responsibility of the Navy. Volodymyr Zelenskyy also heard information from the relevant leaders on the activity maintenance of Odesa region and the city of Odesa, as well as the operational and criminogenic situation in the region. The President praised the work of the regional office of the Security Service of Ukraine in countering the enemy's intelligence and subversive activities. The participants discussed the restoration of the region's economy, which suffered losses as a result of Russian shelling of the energy infrastructure, and ensuring its stable functioning, as well as the reboot of key enterprises under martial law. Particular attention was paid to social issues, including meeting the needs of internally displaced persons. Special attention was paid to the functioning of the healthcare sector, with an emphasis on the importance of rehabilitation of the military. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia kills and injures Ukrainian children, children's lives and destinies are broken or destroyed - Daria Herasymchuk President of Ukraine 31 May 2023 - 13:58 Advisor - President's Commissioner for Children's Rights and Children's Rehabilitation Daria Herasymchuk on the eve of Children's Day highlighted Russia's violations of children's fundamental rights. "Given the consequences of the full-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine on the lives and destinies of Ukrainian children, today, on the eve of Children's Day, I would like to emphasize that the Russian military violates all the fundamental rights of Ukrainian children under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international or national legislation," said Daria Herasymchuk at the briefing. She stated that even if a child is not injured, the rights to privacy and protection from encroachment, to protection from physical and psychological violence, to rest and leisure, education and family of each of the 7.5 million children who lived in Ukraine before the large-scale invasion of the Russian Federation have been affected. "Russia kills and injures Ukrainian children. Children's lives and destinies are broken or destroyed," emphasized the President's Commissioner. Since February 24, 2022, as of May 30 this year, 483 children have been killed and 989 injured.19 484 young Ukrainians have been deported to Russia or the Republic of Belarus or forcibly transferred to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including Crimea. Darya Herasymchuk noted that this list is incomplete, as there is no information from the Ukrainian temporarily occupied territories. The Advisor - President's Commissioner for Children's Rights and Children's Rehabilitation also recalled the crimes of sexual violence against children, which is a violation of the child's right to protection from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, as well as the violation by the Russians of the child's right to protection from exploitation that is harmful to various aspects of the child's well-being, protection from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. "For a month now, my daughter has been sleeping in the corridor because she is afraid of a missile or UAV hitting our house. Isn't this a violation of her right to privacy and is she really protected from encroachment on it?" said Daria Herasymchuk. She emphasized that Ukraine is doing everything to bring the Russian aggressor to justice and at the same time create the preconditions for a peaceful and safe future for Ukrainian children. "Every child deserves a peaceful childhood filled with warmth and care from loved ones. And Ukrainian children have lost their childhood because of Russia," she added. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President got acquainted with the plan of returning children illegally deported by Russia, Bring Kids Back UA, and took part in the opening of the Center for the Protection of Children's Rights President of Ukraine 31 May 2023 - 09:02 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in the opening of the Center for the Protection of Children's Rights, which will counteract Russia's crimes against Ukrainian children. The Head of State inspected the children's leisure corner and the premises where the Center's specialists work according to the Barnahus model. This is an interagency center for children who have become victims of crimes or witnessed them, where relevant specialists can receive information from children and their families, conduct medical examinations, including for forensic purposes, and provide the necessary therapeutic assistance. Volodymyr Zelenskyy also took part in the presentation of the Bring Kids Back UA action plan. Pursuant to the President's instruction, government officials have developed this comprehensive action plan that unites the efforts of the Ukrainian authorities, foreign governments and international organizations to bring all young Ukrainian citizens back home. The Head of State thanked for the creation of the Center for the Protection of Children's Rights and the development of an action plan for the return of young Ukrainians home. "The first step has been taken, 371 children are at home in Ukraine. We will do everything to bring them all back, and the key meaning is probably in the name of the program Bring Kids Back UA. I sincerely wish us this - to bring all the children back home to Ukraine, and I fully support this program. We want to bring the children back as soon as possible. This is the most important thing," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The event was also attended by Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk, Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin, Advisor - President's Commissioner for Children's Rights and Children's Rehabilitation Daria Herasymchuk, Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets, and Head of the Coordination Center for the Development of Family Upbringing and Child Care Iryna Tuliakova. The implementation of the Bring Kids Back UA action plan will be coordinated by the Coordination Council for Child Protection and Safety under the President of Ukraine chaired by Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak. "Today we are presenting to the President a developed program: what exactly we have to do to return all our Ukrainian children who were illegally deported, to ensure their rights, which were violated by the Russians, and, of course, to do everything to return them the childhood and the life they deserve," said Andriy Yermak. The Bring Kids Back UA action plan unites the efforts of Ukrainian government agencies, international and non-governmental organizations, and concerned citizens who are ready to work to return all illegally deported Ukrainian children to their homeland. Many of Ukraine's foreign partners have also expressed their support and readiness to help protect the rights of young Ukrainian citizens. Advisor - President's Commissioner for Children's Rights and Children's Rehabilitation Daria Herasymchuk informed the Head of State in detail about the blocks that make up the Bring Kids Back UA plan. In particular, these are: return of Ukrainian children deported by Russia; development of family-based forms of upbringing; reintegration of children returned from Russia, organization of their socialization and educational initiatives; Child Rights Protection Center; recording crimes and bringing Russia to justice; inter-parliamentary cooperation; communication and public events. Each of the blocks is assigned to responsible government agencies. Head of the Coordination Center for the Development of Family Upbringing and Child Care Iryna Tuliakova noted that an algorithm for accompanying a child returning to Ukraine has already been developed, and that all necessary services are being unified. "Today, all authorities are working to create the necessary conditions for returning children," she emphasized. Dmytro Lubinets, Ukrainian Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, informed that 371 Ukrainian children have been returned to date. He expressed belief that the opening of the Center for the Protection of Children's Rights will demonstrate to both Ukrainian society and the international community that children are a top priority for the Ukrainian state and the President. "The state of Ukraine is fighting for everyone: for prisoners of war, for civilian hostages, for children. It is clear that the main task is to return and achieve fair accountability of the Russian Federation and those criminals who actually continue to kill the future of our country," emphasized Dmytro Lubinets. Andriy Kostin, for his part, informed about the work of the Prosecutor General's Office to protect Ukrainian children. According to him, a group of PGO prosecutors recently returned from Kherson region, where, in cooperation with representatives of the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, they collected new evidence of Russian war crimes, including the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children. Volodymyr Zelenskyy also spoke with the family of Mariupol defenders who were held in Russian captivity and released as part of a prisoner exchange. The father, Ihor Dmytrykovskyi, who served as a sailor of the medical service and a driver of a military hospital in Mariupol, was released on April 26, 2023, after a year in enemy captivity. The mother, Kateryna Skopina, a lieutenant in a medical unit, was released after nine months of captivity on December 6, 2022. The daughter of Ihor Dmytrykovskyi and Kateryna Skopina, Anna-Maria Dmytrykovska, was forcibly taken to Russia by the occupiers. The girl was returned to Ukraine on May 10, 2023. Ihor Dmytrykovskyi and Kateryna Skopina thanked the Head of State for the release from captivity and the return of their daughter. They presented the President with a flag with the symbols of the 503rd separate mechanized brigade and a souvenir with the image of Mariupol. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Latest in Ukraine: Russia Blames Ukraine for Luhansk Attack, Claims Kyiv's Forces Also Hit Russian Town By VOA News May 31, 2023 Latest developments: Fighting in Ukraine's eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk has continued over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian military said early Wednesday. Russia said Wednesday that Ukrainian shelling in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine had killed five people and wounded 19 others. Ukraine's military did not immediately comment on the Russian allegation. The United States will provide another $300 million in military aid for Ukraine in a package that is expected to include munitions for Ukraine's Patriot missile defense system, defense officials told VOA. Russian authorities said Wednesday that Ukrainian shelling in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine had killed five people and wounded 19 others, and that Kyiv's forces had also attacked a Russian town for the third time this week and struck two oil refineries. The strikes inside Ukraine hit a poultry farm in the village of Karpaty, Russian authorities said. They added that Ukraine had used HIMARS rockets provided by the United States. Ukraine's military did not immediately comment on the Russian allegation and rarely publicly takes credit for such attacks. Russia controls much of Luhansk, one of the areas that Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed to annex last year in a move that the international community rejected. Russian regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that in the Russian town of Shebekino, 7 kilometers north of the Ukrainian border, two of four wounded people were hospitalized. He said shelling damaged an apartment building, four homes, a school and power lines. Ukraine's general staff said its forces had fended off 22 Russian aerial attacks in eastern Ukraine over the past day, and that Ukrainian aircraft had carried out 11 strikes on Russian personnel and military equipment. No location was given. Russia said, without providing any evidence, it had destroyed Ukraine's "last warship" during a missile strike on the Black Sea port of Odesa. Nuclear plant concerns The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said the world was "fortunate" that a nuclear accident had not yet happened in Ukraine and issued a set of five principles to help ensure the safety and security of Europe's largest nuclear power plant, which is located in the country. "I see these commitments as essential to avoid the danger of a catastrophic incident," IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told the U.N. Security Council in a briefing Tuesday about the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, or ZNPP. The five principles include committing to no attack of any kind against or from the plant; not using it as storage or a base for heavy weapons or military personnel; not putting the plant's off-site power supply at risk; protecting all structures, systems and components essential to the safe and secure operation of the ZNPP; and not acting in a way that would undermine these principles. "What we are doing is giving ourselves a better tool to deal with a very bad situation," the IAEA chief told reporters regarding the five principles. The Zaporizhzhia plant, which Russia seized in March 2022, has repeatedly been in the crossfire of shelling. It has lost off-site power seven times and had to rely on emergency diesel generators to prevent a nuclear accident. The last such incident was on May 22. Grossi called on Russia, which occupies the plant, and Ukraine, which owns it, to observe the principles. He also called on council members to "unambiguously" support them. He said the IAEA would immediately start monitoring implementation of these principles through its own team at the ZNPP and "report publicly" on any violations. Each side has repeatedly accused the other of militarily targeting the plant. Russia is a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Moscow has taken specific steps to protect the most sensitive installations and components of the ZNPP. "Russia will take the most severe measures to respond to any attacks by Ukraine against the nuclear power plant, its critical infrastructure, including its power lines, as well as the city of Enerhodar, which is home to the personnel of the power plant and their families," he told the council. Ukraine's envoy said his government has never done anything that could lead to a nuclear incident at the facility, saying Kyiv realizes the "catastrophic consequences" that would have for the country and its neighbors. "To ultimately remove the nuclear stress stemming from the illegal Russian presence at the plant, the troops and weaponry must be withdrawn, the station must be de-occupied and returned under the legitimate, full control of Ukraine," Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya said. He also urged the IAEA chief to expand the five principles to include guarantees of an uninterrupted power supply and a humanitarian corridor to ensure the safe rotation of staff at the power plant. Grossi told reporters he hoped to return to Ukraine "soon" and would also "expect to be visiting Russia" as part of his diplomacy to engage with both sides. VOA's Cindy Saine and Margaret Besheer contributed to this report. Some information came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Providing $300 Million in More Aid for Ukraine By Carla Babb May 31, 2023 The United States will provide another $300 million in new military aid for Ukraine in a package that is expected to include munitions for Ukraine's Patriot missile defense system, defense officials tell VOA. The officials, who spoke to VOA on condition of anonymity ahead of the package's expected release Wednesday, said the latest aid also includes rockets for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and more tank ammunition and anti-armor capabilities ahead of an expected Ukrainian offensive. Zuni unguided aircraft rockets and AIM-7 radar-guided air-to-air missiles are being provided for air support, and Avenger air defense systems and Stinger surface-to-air missile systems will also be included, according to officials. Once released, the aid package will mark the 39th authorized presidential drawdown of military equipment from Defense Department inventories since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The latest aid package comes as about 200 Ukrainian soldiers have begun combined arms training on M1A1 Abrams tanks in Germany, according to a statement from U.S. Army Europe. Another 200 Ukrainian soldiers are training on tank fueling operations and maintenance, according to the statement. The Ukrainians will train on 31 Abrams tanks that arrived in Germany earlier this month. U.S. officials have said that a different set of 31 M1A1 Abrams tanks are being refurbished in the United States and will be delivered to Ukraine by the fall. The training in Germany, which started on May 26, is expected to last about 10 weeks, according to a senior U.S. military official. Abrams tanks, in particular, have been a long-awaited addition to the fight. The tank's thick armor and 1,500-horsepower turbine engine make it much more advanced than the Soviet-era tanks Ukraine has been using since the war's beginning. The U.S. has pledged more than $37 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia's invasion, although the Pentagon continues to work through an accounting error that overstated the amount of value going to Kyiv. When calculating its aid package estimates, the Department of Defense was counting the cost incurred to replace the weapons given to Ukraine, while it should have been totaling the cost of the systems actually sent, officials told VOA. The error that is expected to translate into about $3 billion available for more aid to Ukraine, according to officials. Moscow began a renewed offensive in Ukraine earlier this year that has stalled, and Kyiv is preparing for a massive counteroffensive that is expected to begin in the coming days or weeks. A senior military official, speaking to VOA on condition of anonymity to discuss security matters, said the Ukrainian counter-offensive would probably not be "as dramatic" as some people expect but still would be carried out "deliberately and effectively" by targeting Russia's ability to control its defenses inside Ukraine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukrainian Official Discusses Timetable for Deploying Fighter Jets By Misha Komadovsky May 31, 2023 Earlier this month the White House changed its stance on providing F-16 warplanes to Ukraine, agreeing to allow the jets to be sent to the country to better help it defend itself from Russian attacks. The timetable for the F-16s joining the war remains unclear, as it can take months for Ukrainian pilots to be trained. Andrii Yermak, head of the Office of Ukraine's President, tells VOA how the country is quickly pivoting to get the planes into the battlefield and the security guarantees Ukraine's government is still seeking from the U.S. and NATO. The following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. VOA: One of the major topics during the summit was the F-15 and F-16 aircraft. President (Joe) Biden made it clear that the United States will provide Ukraine with everything it needs for a counteroffensive, but it seems that F-15 and F-16 aircraft are not necessary for that purpose. However, President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy emphasized the word "accelerate" when answering my question on the delivery of these fighter jets. How do you reconcile these statements, and when can we expect to see Western fighter jets in Ukraine? Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of Ukraine's President: Regarding the aircraft, I can confirm what President Zelenskyy said. We appreciate the official statement from President Biden, where he assured us of the United States' participation in the aircraft coalition. Moreover, we have heard statements from partner countries such as France, Poland, Denmark, and the Netherlands, expressing their readiness to train our pilots. This is a significant initial step that paves the way for the future delivery of aircraft to Ukraine. We anticipate that the training exercises will commence very soon, perhaps within days. We also expect countries that have expressed their readiness to deliver aircraft to Ukraine to follow suit. We believe this process will begin within a matter of months, rather than an extended period. Naturally, we anticipate the same commitment from the United States. Therefore, this matter is no longer up for discussion; it is a resolved issue. The President openly discussed the timeline, and we addressed this during the meeting in Hiroshima. We are determined to make it happen as soon as possible, as the aircraft are essential for protecting our skies and maintaining Ukrainian superiority in that domain. VOA: When you mention the aircraft coalition or fighter jet coalition, can you clarify what it means to be part of it? Not all NATO member countries have the F-15 and F-16s we've been discussing. Could you explain the nature of this coalition and who has expressed their support? Yermak: Being part of this coalition means that countries are willing to start by training pilots on the strategic aircraft available to them. Official statements have already been made by France, Poland, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and several other countries. I anticipate that this coalition will grow, and it is crucial for us. Just like the tank coalition, which was established and has already yielded results with the deployment of our partners' tanks in Ukraine, we expect the same outcome with aircraft. VOA: Ukraine has requested specific security guarantees, including from the United States. Can you elaborate on the nature of these security guarantees? Are they similar to the Budapest Memorandum, or do they follow a different format, such as the Israeli model or the Kyiv Security Treaty? Yermak: Concerning security guarantees, President Zelenskyy has been advocating for them in our path towards NATO membership for several months. NATO membership is our primary guarantee. NATO is currently the strongest alliance in the world, a fact acknowledged by all. When we initiated discussions with our partners, we didn't merely talk; we presented a concrete proposal. President Zelenskyy mandated the development of a document called the Kyiv Security Compact. This document takes into account the prevailing situation and outlines the potential guarantees we can receive. It also explains the rationale behind these guarantees. It is essential to note that we do not discuss Article 5 until we become NATO members. Therefore, these guarantees are tangible and realistic. During President Biden's visit to Kyiv, he made it clear during his meeting with President Zelenskyy that he respects our desire for guarantees and supports it. In subsequent consultations with our partners, we have taken the position that the ideal format would be a document combining elements from the Kyiv Security Compact and the various agreements and arrangements between the United States and the State of Israel. We sense positive receptiveness from our partners, and there is widespread support for this approach. We are engaged in constructive work, and I believe we will achieve results soon. Thus, Ukraine sees security guarantees through its NATO membership, which can be realized when the security situation permits. There is no alternative to this, and we consider ourselves future members of NATO. VOA: Analysts I have spoken to suggest that Ukraine's invitation to join NATO, even in writing, could serve as an argument to end the war a a catalyst for Russia to cease-fire. Do you believe this invitation could contribute to peace, if at all possible? Yermak: Absolutely, I believe that extending an invitation to Ukraine to join NATO can be a decisive factor in ending the war. Russia's aggression on February 24 altered the reality, and it is now a reality that we must acknowledge. Finland has already become a NATO member, and Sweden is on the path to membership. The same should apply to Ukraine. Ukraine wants to join NATO, and I firmly believe that NATO needs Ukraine to establish a new security structure in Europe and the world. This desire is not solely ours; it is a reality demanded by the modern world and modern Europe. Without Ukraine, there can be no viable new security system in Europe. The existing system has proven ineffective, as demonstrated by the events of February 24th. Europe requires a secure world, and that is impossible without Ukraine. Russia must accept this reality, as it cannot be denied. They initiated the change in reality through their attack on Ukraine, and they cannot simply ignore it. And they will have to eventually accept it. VOA: How do you envision the peace following the end of the war, and how will it impact the world globally? Yermak: I am certain once the war ends, the world will be safer. It will reflect the desires of people worldwide. I am certain of it, as are all reasonable individuals worldwide. For Ukraine, the end of the war means the restoration of our territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders. We will not compromise on this point. It will signify the emergence of a prosperous, modern, and rebuilt Ukraine, standing as the best nation globally. We will foster partnerships and friendly relations with all those who have stood by our side. Furthermore, Ukraine will play a pivotal role in establishing a new security system in Europe and become a crucial component of the emerging global order that unites Europe, the Global South, and all other continents. Our struggle and the symbolism it carries demonstrate to the world that our courageous people have restored faith in the triumph of good. We should not fear fighting for our values, and every nation's sovereignty must be respected. Today, we symbolize the world's aspiration for peaceful, secure, and safe living. We should focus on future generations rather than merely surviving each day and wondering if our loved ones will see another day. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ottawa, May 31, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WWF-Canada is excited to announce three award recipients of the Nature x Carbon Tech Challenge, which is catalyzing the development of cost-effective, innovative and user-friendly technologies and approaches to facilitate the community-led measurement of carbon in nature. The following organizations will be awarded $100,000 in contracts: Innovatree Carbon Group Ltd., Kamloops, B.C., for its forest carbon monitoring software. for its forest carbon monitoring software. Korotu Technology, Toronto, for its LandSteward platform that enables community forest monitoring and carbon reporting through CarbonWatch. for its LandSteward platform that enables community forest monitoring and carbon reporting through CarbonWatch. Digital Forest Lab at Laval University, Quebec City, for its Forest BIOmass measurement system, which uses 3D terrestrial LiDAR SCANning (BioScan3D) To reach the global climate targets and keep warming below 1.5 degrees, greenhouse gas emissions must be cut drastically. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has recognized the significant role that nature can play in fighting climate change, but there are historical challenges like cost and timeliness of measuring and monitoring conservation actions to ensure that the expected carbon benefit is realized. How does one measure the carbon benefit of approaches such as restoration and protection? How can it be assessed if these efforts are making any difference for climate? These were the questions that the Nature x Carbon Tech Challenge set out to answer. After piloting five technologies, WWF-Canada is pleased to announce the final award recipients who will continue to work with communities to better track the impact of conservation actions. Megan Leslie, President and CEO at WWF-Canada says, The implementation of user-friendly technologies will support the tremendous amount of conservation work, including efforts led by Indigenous Peoples and local communities across Canada. Using these technologies to measure the carbon benefits of restoring and protecting nature in Canada will support the implementation of nature-based climate solutions.It has been proven that nature is carbon, nature is habitat, and nature is a key solution. Garrett Whitworth, Director at Innovatree Carbon Group Ltd. says, This award will allow our team to provide valuable ecosystem and carbon sequestration information to First Nation communities and give us the flexibility to continue software development in a challenging and extraordinarily biodiverse coastal forest ecosystem. Agata Rudd, co-founder at Korotu Technology says, Working with WWF-Canada will help Korotu Technology accelerate the development of the technology and get it into the hands of users to help protect the climate and biodiversity. Martin Beland, Associate Professor of Environmental Remote Sensing at Laval University says, Through this award our aim is to make the technology more accessible to community users by providing low-cost access to lidar instruments, creating a software pipeline that will simplify the data processing chain, and produce reliable reports on above ground carbon.... The impact of the technologies extends far beyond this challenge by supporting community conservation efforts. Understanding the impact that the recent wildfires have had on the forest ecosystem in the interior of B.C. is critically important to successful restoration and future ecological adaptation to climate change, says Angela Kane, CEO at Secwepemculecw Restoration and Stewardship Society. Our forest carbon monitoring is building a justification for increased biodiversity across the landscape, particularly as it applies to culturally important trees and plants. WWF-Canada created the Nature x Carbon Tech Challenge as part of its 10-year strategic plan to Regenerate Canada. The plan outlines the organizations commitment to restore 1 million hectares of land, steward 100 million hectares and reduce carbon emissions by 30 million tonnes. WWF-Canadas Nature x Carbon Tech Challenge, supported by founding partner RBC Tech for Nature and national technology sponsor Microsoft, catalyzes the development of user-friendly and innovative technologies to support community-led measurement of carbon in nature. Techhub.wwf.ca Video available about project here: https://youtu.be/7zNEvVnsHqA About WWF-Canada WWF-Canada is committed to equitable and effective conservation actions that restore nature, reverse wildlife loss and fight climate change. We draw on scientific analysis and Indigenous guidance to ensure all our efforts connect to a single goal: a future where wildlife, nature and people thrive. For more information visit wwf.ca. About Innovatree Carbon Group Ltd. Innovatree has been collaboratively developed between AIB Innovation Ltd., an R&D company specializing in sustainable innovation, and Second Pass Forestry Ltd., a First Nation-owned forestry consulting company. The Innovatree software relies on LiDAR data and machine learning to calculate the carbon found in forest biomass. This technology is combined with a minimal number of field-plot inventories and produces georeferenced maps and datasets with information scaled down to the individual tree level. About Korotu Technology Korotu Technology helps communities protect natural areas to support climate and biodiversity stewardship. Korotus LandSteward platform continuously monitors and measures the forests, wetlands and grasslands communities depend on. Satellite based LiDAR and Optical Sensors allow the platforms web users to rapidly estimate and visualize heat maps of the carbon contained in nature. About the Digital Forest Lab at Laval University The team from Laval University is developing a data processing chain that utilizes data captured from terrestrial LiDAR scanners which are then used to generate 3D point clouds and estimate above-ground biomass in forests. In addition, estimations of the uncertainty are provided and allow for detailed estimates of carbon found in the above-ground biomass in any given forest. This will allow those with minimal training to measure the carbon found in forests. Attachment Selbyville, Delaware,, May 31, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The directed energy weapons market valuation is anticipated to reach USD 15 billion by 2032, as reported in a research study by Global Market Insights Inc . As per the report, favorable government support for the military sector is among the leading factors driving market expansion. Governments in developed and developing nations are investing heavily in advanced weapons to strengthen their military sector. In December 2022, the U.S. government signed the National Defense Authorization Act into law, awarding USD 816.7 billion to the Defense Department. This act authorizes USD 30.3 billion for national security programs in the DOE and the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. With respect to type, the non-lethal directed energy weapons market size will expand significantly through 2032. These weapons can be designed to deliver various effects depending on the situation. They can be used for crowd control, riot suppression, perimeter security, or disabling vehicles or equipment. This versatility allows a range of non-lethal options to address different scenarios effectively. Also, they enable operators to engage targets from a distance, reducing their exposure to immediate danger. This helps enhance the safety of personnel in law enforcement or military operations. Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/5715 Based on technology, the directed energy weapons market from the high energy laser segment will garner huge gains through 2032. Weapons based on this technology have the potential for extended-range engagements, depending on the power and quality of the laser system. Moreover, by adjusting the energy level and beam characteristics, these weapons can be optimized for different types of threats, providing flexibility and adaptability in dynamic operational environments. In terms of application, the directed energy weapons market share from homeland security segment will grow at a considerable CAGR from 2023 to 2032. These weapons can be employed as a non-lethal option for perimeter security, protecting critical infrastructure, or government installations. They can deter and incapacitate intruders without resorting to lethal force, enhancing the safety of security personnel and minimizing collateral damage. Growing spending on homeland security will bolster the demand for directed energy weapons. Asia Pacific directed energy weapons market size will grow significantly from 2023 to 2032. Increasing government investments in the defense sector will propel the demand for directed energy weapons in the region. In fact, many regional economies are focusing on modernizing their armed forces and seeking advanced military capabilities. Moreover, regional expansion can also be attributed to the presence of leading market players who are constantly developing products with advanced capabilities. Some of the major key players operating in the directed energy weapons market are Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Moog Inc., Qinetiq Group PLC, L3harris Technologies Inc., and Applied Companies, among others In December 2022, Lockheed Martin Corporation, an American aerospace company, teamed up with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Ltd., an Israel-based defense technology company inclusive of joint development of High Energy Laser Weapon Systems in the U.S. and Israel. Secure a copy of the premium research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/securecheckout/paymenta/5715?gmpaycod=sugmp Partial chapters of report table of contents (TOC): Chapter 2 Executive Summary 2.1 Directed energy weapons market 360 synopsis, 2018 - 2032 2.2 Business trends 2.3 Regional trends 2.4 Type trends 2.5 Technology trends 2.6 End-use trends 2.7 Application trends Chapter 3 Directed Energy Weapons Market Insights 3.1 Impact on COVID-19 3.2 Russia- Ukraine war impact 3.3 Industry ecosystem analysis 3.4 Vendor matrix 3.5 Profit margin analysis 3.6 Technology & innovation landscape 3.7 Patent analysis 3.8 Key news and initiatives 3.9 Regulatory landscape 3.10 Impact forces 3.10.1 Growth drivers 3.10.2 Industry pitfalls & challenges 3.11 Growth potential analysis 3.12 Porters analysis 3.13 PESTEL analysis Browse our Reports Store - GMIPulse @ https://www.gminsights.com/gmipulse Browse Related Reports Weapon Mounts Market Size By Type (Static, Non-static), By Mode of Operation (Manual, Remotely Operated), By Application (Land, Sea, Air), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Application Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2020 2026 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/weapon-mounts-market Smart Weapons Market Size By End-Use (Land, Airborne, Naval), By Weapon Type (Missiles, Munitions, Guided Rockets, Guided Projectiles, Guided Firearms), By Component (Infrared, Laser, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Radar) Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Growth Potential, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2020-2026 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/smart-weapons-market Military Laser Systems Market - By Product (LiDAR, 3D Scanning, Laser Weapon, Laser Range Finder), By Application (Laser Countermeasures, Laser Communication Systems), By Technology (Fiber Laser, Solid-state Laser, Gas Laser), By End Use & Forecast, 2023-2032 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/military-laser-systems-market About Global Market Insights Inc. Global Market Insights Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider, offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy, and biotechnology. English French PRESS RELEASE Neuilly-sur-Seine, France June 1, 2023 Availability of preparatory documents for Bureau Veritas Combined Shareholders Meeting of June 22, 2023 Bureau Veritas Combined (ordinary and extraordinary) Shareholders Meeting will be held on Thursday, June 22, 2023, at 3:00 p.m., in the Auditorium of the Companys registered office located at Immeuble Newtime, 40/52, boulevard du Parc in Neuilly-sur-Seine (92200), France, for the purpose of discussing the agenda and the draft resolutions contained in the preliminary Notice of Meeting (Avis de reunion) published on May 10, 2023 in the legal gazette Bulletin des Annonces Legales et Obligatoires no. 56. The main instructions for participating and voting at the Meeting are described in the above-mentioned preliminary Notice of Meeting (Avis de reunion) as well as in the convening Notice of Meeting (Avis de convocation) published in the legal gazette Bulletin des Annonces Legales Obligatoires no.65 and in the newspaper Actu-Juridique of May 31, 2023. The preparatory documents and information relating to the Combined (ordinary and extraordinary) Shareholders Meeting will be made available to shareholders in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. The documents and information referred to in Article R. 22-10-23 of the French Commercial Code are available on the page dedicated to the Shareholders Meeting on the Companys website (https://group.bureauveritas.com/investors/financial-information/shareholders-meeting). They are mainly included in the Notice of Meeting (Brochure de convocation) and the 2022 Universal registration document. Shareholders are invited to regularly visit the updates of the page dedicated to the Shareholders Meeting in the Investors section of the Companys website mentioned above. About Bureau Veritas Bureau Veritas is a world leader in laboratory testing, inspection and certification services. Created in 1828, the Group has close to 82,000 employees located in nearly 1,600 offices and laboratories around the globe. Bureau Veritas helps its 400,000 clients improve their performance by offering services and innovative solutions in order to ensure that their assets, products, infrastructure and processes meet standards and regulations in terms of quality, health and safety, environmental protection and social responsibility. Bureau Veritas is listed on Euronext Paris and belongs to the CAC 40 ESG, CAC Next 20 and SBF 120 indices. Compartment A, ISIN code FR 0006174348, stock symbol: BVI. For more information, visit www.bureauveritas.com, and follow us on Twitter (@bureauveritas) and LinkedIn. Our information is certified with blockchain technology. Check that this press release is genuine at www.wiztrust.com. ANALYST/INVESTOR CONTACTS MEDIA CONTACTS Laurent Brunelle Caroline Ponsi Khider +33 (0)1 55 24 76 09 +33 (0)7 52 60 89 78 laurent.brunelle@bureauveritas.com caroline.ponsi-khider@bureauveritas.com Colin Verbrugghe Primatice +33 (0)1 55 24 77 80 thomasdeclimens@primatice.com colin.verbrugghe@bureauveritas.com armandrigaudy@primatice.com Karine Ansart +33 (0)1 55 24 76 19 Karine.ansart@bureauveritas.com Attachment Rentschler Biopharma to conduct adeno-associated virus (AAV) process development work for manufacturing scale-up at their ATMP site in Stevenage, UK Ikarovec is developing novel gene therapies to treat serious, but common eye diseases With accelerated timelines, Rentschler Biopharma incorporates early process development strategies, increasing the chances of success for groundbreaking therapeutics NORWICH, United Kingdom and STEVENAGE, United Kingdom and LAUPHEIM, Germany, June 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rentschler Biopharma SE, a leading global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for biopharmaceuticals, including advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), and Ikarovec, which is developing novel multicistronic gene therapies to treat major ophthalmic indications, today announced that the two companies have entered into a collaboration. Under the agreement, Rentschler Biopharmas ATMP site in Stevenage, UK, will support the bioprocess development of AAV material for planned pre-clinical testing of Ikarovecs novel gene therapy for the treatment of geographic atrophy. This condition is an advanced form of age-related macular degeneration that can result in the progressive and irreversible destruction of retinal tissue, which can lead to loss of vision over time. Dr. Katie Binley, Chief Scientific Officer of Ikarovec, said: We are delighted to collaborate with Rentschler Biopharma on our lead program. As we look to find new and better ways to treat ophthalmic diseases, we want to get it right and ensure that our product candidates can be scaled up appropriately for each development stage and, ultimately, for commercialization. Thus, it is critical to work with a team that has strong AAV experience in our field and that will be a true partner every step of the way. Dr. Robert Panting, General Manager of Rentschlers ATMP business, said: We are excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with Ikarovec, which is developing truly innovative treatments for major ophthalmic indications. With our client-focused, highly tailored approach, our seasoned team will work closely with Ikarovec scientists to enable them to move forward into pre-clinical testing as rapidly as possible. By laying the foundation with process development and scale-up work, we aim to ultimately improve development timelines and increase the chances of success for our clients, who are working tirelessly to advance potentially groundbreaking treatments. Rentschler Biopharma is set up to offer a full range of services for the clinical supply of AAV, including bioprocess development through to cGMP manufacturing at their Stevenage facility in the UK. The companys experienced, multi-faceted team takes a holistic approach, looking at a program from concept through to market, while a highly flexible business model is able to effectively address each clients specific needs. Continuing Rentschler Biopharmas well-established practice, the company works to be a true partner to entrepreneurial players to enable them to transform their ideas into real products with the potential to treat and even cure patients with serious and life-threatening diseases. Dr. Christian Schetter, Chief Scientific Officer of Rentschler Biopharma, added: With Rentschler Biopharmas ATMP offering, we aim to address an important gap in specific support for innovative, early-stage cell and gene therapy programs. Ikarovec and its novel candidate are a perfect fit for our services. Understanding the needs of early start-up companies for robust and tailored CMC processes integrated optimally into the overall development plan, we collaborate closely with our clients as true partners and handle their projects as if they were our own. Thereby, our focus lies on constantly optimizing our latest service offering for AAV to complement their needs. By creating value sustainably, across the entire biopharmaceutical value chain, we are committed to enabling our clients to bring truly innovative therapies to patients. BIO International Convention: Rentschler Biopharma will attend BIO in Boston, MA, June 5-8, 2023. Federico Pollano , Senior Vice President Business Development and Client Program Management Rentschler Biopharma, and Kassim Kolia , Vice President BD of Rentschlers ATMP business, together with the BD team, will be available for additional information and requests at the Rentschler Biopharma booth (#1135) . , Senior Vice President Business Development and Client Program Management Rentschler Biopharma, and , Vice President BD of Rentschlers ATMP business, together with the BD team, will be available for additional information and requests at the . Meetings can also be scheduled through the partnering system. About Ikarovec Established in 2018, Ikarovec is developing novel, differentiated gene therapies for major ophthalmic indications. Its lead product, a bicistronic gene therapy for geographic atrophy, is in preclinical studies, and earlier programmes are targeting wet-form age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular oedema and intraocular hypertension. Building on intellectual property spun-out of Quethera (bought by Astellas in 2018), Ikarovec was founded by UKI2S and recently raised a 2.5m seed round with co-funding from LifeArc and Parkwalk Advisers. There is an experienced senior management team in place with business development and commercial success in ophthalmology and gene therapy Dr. Peter Widdowson (ex Quethera) is Founder and Chief Technology Officer, and Piers Morgan (ex UniQure) is Executive Chairman. 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, including adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapies, as well as related consulting activities, 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. Rentschler Biopharma is a family-owned company with about 1,200 employees, headquartered in Laupheim, Germany, with a second site in Milford, MA, USA. Rentschler ATMP Ltd., located in Stevenage, UK, is dedicated to cell and gene therapies. For further information, please visit www.rentschler-biopharma.com. Follow Rentschler Biopharma on LinkedIn and Facebook. New York, June 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCVs) Market Report 2023-2033" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06464262/?utm_source=GNW The Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCVs) Market Report 2023-2033: This report will prove invaluable to leading firms striving for new revenue pockets if they wish to better understand the industry and its underlying dynamics. It will be useful for companies that would like to expand into different industries or to expand their existing operations in a new region. Increasing Environmental Regulations, Advancements in Technology, and a Growing Demand for Sustainable Transportation Options the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle market is experiencing significant growth due to a combination of factors, including increasing environmental regulations, advancements in technology, and a growing demand for sustainable transportation options. While the market is currently dominated by a few major players such as Toyota, Hyundai, and Honda, there is potential for new entrants to make an impact as the market expands. Government initiatives and investments in hydrogen infrastructure will also play a significant role in the markets growth, particularly in regions such as Europe, Asia, and California, where there are already significant efforts to establish a hydrogen economy. The availability and affordability of hydrogen fuel, as well as the development of supporting infrastructure such as refuelling stations, will be critical to the markets success. However, there are also challenges such as high costs, limited range, and a lack of public awareness that will need to be addressed. Overall, the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle market has the potential to revolutionise the transportation industry, providing a sustainable alternative to traditional gasoline-powered vehicles. With continued technological advancements and support from governments and industry players, the market is poised for significant growth in the coming years. What Questions Should You Ask before Buying a Market Research Report? How is the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) market evolving? What is driving and restraining the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) market? How will each hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) submarket segment grow over the forecast period and how much revenue will these submarkets account for in 2033? How will the market shares for each hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) submarket develop from 2023 to 2033? What will be the main driver for the overall market from 2023 to 2033? Will leading hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) markets broadly follow the macroeconomic dynamics, or will individual national markets outperform others? How will the market shares of the national markets change by 2033 and which geographical region will lead the market in 2033? Who are the leading players and what are their prospects over the forecast period? What are the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) projects for these leading companies? How will the industry evolve during the period between 2023 and 2033? What are the implications of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) projects taking place now and over the next 10 years? Is there a greater need for product commercialisation to further scale the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) market? Where is the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) market heading and how can you ensure you are at the forefront of the market? What are the best investment options for new product and service lines? What are the key prospects for moving companies into a new growth path and C-suite? You need to discover how this will impact the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) market today, and over the next 10 years: Our 331-page report provides 112 tables and 170 charts/graphs exclusively to you. The report highlights key lucrative areas in the industry so you can target them NOW. It contains in-depth analysis of global, regional and national sales and growth. It highlights for you the key successful trends, changes and revenue projections made by your competitors. This report tells you TODAY how the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) market will develop in the next 10 years, and in line with the variations in COVID-19 economic recession and bounce. This market is more critical now than at any point over the last 10 years. Forecasts to 2033 and other analyses reveal commercial prospects In addition to revenue forecasting to 2033, our new study provides you with recent results, growth rates, and market shares. You will find original analyses, with business outlooks and developments. Discover qualitative analyses (including market dynamics, drivers, opportunities, restraints and challenges), cost structure, impact of rising hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) prices and recent developments. This report includes data analysis and invaluable insight into how COVID-19 will affect the industry and your company. Four COVID-19 recovery patterns and their impact, namely, V, L, W and U are discussed in this report. Segments Covered in the Report Market Segment by Technology Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Alkaline Fuel Cells (AFCs) Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFCs) Market Segment by Vehicle Type Passenger Cars Commercial Vehicles Material Handling Vehicles Military Vehicles Other Vehicles Market Segment by Component Fuel Cell Stack Hydrogen Tanks Battery Electric Motor Power Electronics Other Components In addition to the revenue predictions for the overall world market and segments, you will also find revenue forecasts for four regional and 20 leading national markets: North America U.S. Canada Europe Germany Spain United Kingdom France Italy Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China Japan India Australia South Korea Rest of Asia Pacific Latin America Brazil Mexico Rest of Latin America Middle East and Africa GCC South Africa Rest of Middle East and Africa The report also includes profiles and for some of the leading companies in the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCVs) Market, 2023 to 2033, with a focus on this segment of these companies operations. Leading companies and the potential for market growth Air Liquide Ballard Power Systems Inc. Bayerische Motoren Werke AG Cummins Inc. General Motors Company Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Hyundai Motor Company Linde plc Mercedes-Benz Group AG Nel Hydrogen Nikola Corporation Plug Power Inc. Riversimple Toyota Motor Corporation Overall world revenue for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCVs) Market, 2023 to 2033 in terms of value the market will surpass US$10.46 billion in 2023, our work calculates. We predict strong revenue growth through to 2033. Our work identifies which organisations hold the greatest potential. Discover their capabilities, progress, and commercial prospects, helping you stay ahead. How will the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCVs) Market, 2023 to 2033 report help you? In summary, our 330+ page report provides you with the following knowledge: Revenue forecasts to 2033 for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCVs) Market, 2023 to 2033 Market, with forecasts for technology, vehicle type, and component, each forecast at a global and regional level discover the industrys prospects, finding the most lucrative places for investments and revenues. Revenue forecasts to 2033 for four regional and 20 key national markets See forecasts for the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCVs) Market, 2023 to 2033 market in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa. Also forecasted is the market in the US, Canada, Brazil, Germany, France, UK, Italy, China, India, Japan, and Australia among other prominent economies. Prospects for established firms and those seeking to enter the market including company profiles for 15 of the major companies involved in the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) Market, 2023 to 2033. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06464262/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ DUBLIN, Ireland , June 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DIDWW , a leading global provider of VoIP and SIP trunking services, has expanded its strategic partnership with AssistYou , a top developer of AI-driven voice assistants for large-scale phone customer service operations. By harnessing the power of DIDWW two-way SIP trunking, this collaboration aims to deliver enhanced voice services and further expand the global reach of AssistYou's innovative voice assistant solution. Seeking to deliver best-in-class technology and services, AssistYou recognizes the crucial need for a partner, like DIDWW, capable of providing worldwide coverage for call termination, ensuring high-quality and secure VoIP communications. By employing the potential of voice technology, AssistYou helps businesses to reduce customer service workload, increase availability, and elevate overall customer satisfaction. Additionally, AssistYou Analytics tool enables organizations to analyze and enrich every phone call in real-time, generating valuable insights to optimize customer service and operational processes. Through this extended partnership, AssistYou will benefit from secure and uninterrupted voice services provided by DIDWW, which will ensure premium call quality and access to local routes with guaranteed caller ID functionality. By leveraging the DIDWW API, AssistYou will experience swift turnaround times and enhanced operational efficiency, helping to meet the ever-evolving business demands of customers worldwide. DIDWW vast experience in telecommunications, combined with its extensive coverage of virtual phone numbers, will enable AssistYou to expand its global presence and cater to a growing customer base all over the world. Bram van Zanten, founder and CEO of AssistYou, stated, DIDWW has proven to be an excellent partner in building our business internationally. We place tremendous value on DIDWWs ability to provide us with worldwide reach for PSTN termination, as well as secure encryption for incoming and outgoing traffic for both signaling and media. These capabilities form the core building blocks for successfully delivering our AI-driven voice assistance and analytics solutions. We are glad to have found a partner that delivers constant quality and security within an easy to use and customer-friendly framework. We are delighted to further extend our partnership with AssistYou, added Agne Abakiene, Key Account Manager at DIDWW. Our robust infrastructure and industry expertise perfectly complement AssistYou's innovative voice assistant technology, creating an unbeatable combination for businesses looking for reliable AI voice solutions. About DIDWW DIDWW is a platform for telecommunication professionals with full self-service access and real-time provisioning, APIs and all the necessary building blocks for achieving the ultimate control over Voice and SMS services. The company offers the largest fully compliant international coverage of local, national, mobile, toll-free voice and SMS-enabled virtual phone numbers, two-way local and global SIP trunks, access to local emergency services, flexible capacity options, free global number portability, and more. To learn more about DIDWW, please visit https://www.didww.com/ . About AssistYou Calling customer service can be frustrating. We've all had our share of bad experiences. That's why AssistYou is on a mission to take the friction out of calling customer service. After all, customer contact can be an enormous source of value for every business. Each interaction with a customer essentially provides the organization with feedback. Our AI-driven digital voice assistant and analytics solution enable organizations to profoundly listen to its customers, to take their feedback seriously and use it as a starting point for continuous improvement. Our products impact large, global organizations with high call volumes, like Belron, Coolblue, Just Eat Takeaway and Air France / KLM. To learn more about AssistYou, please visit www.assistyou.ai . Press Contact: Vilija Simkiene Marketing Department vilija.s@didww.com +1 (212) 461 1854 www.didww.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7ae9c1db-f084-4fe8-b0b2-cf5f8a3ac6bc VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- COLLECTIVE METALS INC. (CSE: COMT | FSE: TO1) (the Company or Collective), is pleased to announce the mobilization of its field crew to commence exploration activities at the Princeton Project (the Project). Initial exploration will consist of initial orientation on the property, comprising 70,570 acres west to southwest of Princeton (see Fig. 1). The field crew will make an initial evaluation of each of the high-priority target areas previously identified on the property, undertaking mapping and additional due diligence sampling to identify and confirm alteration and/or mineralization. An initial evaluation will be conducted of the existing logging road network that is available to access the property, which will be used to plan subsequent work programs. The initial field work will take approximately two weeks to conduct current objectives. Christopher Huggins, Chief Executive Officer of Collective, commented, With the potential the Princeton Project presents, the team is excited to get the 2023 exploration program underway, as we believe the Project presents a significant opportunity for the Company and its stakeholders. We expect to follow-up the initial field visit with additional exploration activities this summer. Neighbouring Geological Similarities These target areas are also spatially associated with a large high intensity magnetic anomaly (see Fig. 2). This large magnetic feature is separated from a similar magnetic anomaly spatially associated with the Copper Mountain Intrusive Complex, which hosts the Copper Mountain mine, owned and operated by the Copper Mountain Mining Corporation, which hosts a Proven and Probable Mineral Reserve of 702 Mt of 0.24% Copper, across the Boundary Fault. A previous operator interpreted the Project area to be similar to that of the Copper Mountain Intrusive Complex, but representing a different level of exposure. At Copper Mountain, erosion has exposed alteration and mineralization at the surface, which drove subsequent development into the current mining operation. In contrast, the level of erosion in the Project area has been less extensive, resulting in the exposure of relatively numerous, yet comparatively small, high-level diorite intrusions in the uppermost portions of the intrusive complex proposed for the Project area. As a result, the magnetic signatures of both the Copper Mountain Intrusive Complex and that evident in the Project area are very similar, arguably comparable, however, the extent of alteration and mineralization documented to date on the Project area is consistent with the uppermost levels of a similar intrusive complex. Under this interpretation, the magnetic anomalies discussed may document a single, very large, composite intrusive complex, subsequently segmented and down-dropped to the west across several faults, including the Boundary Fault (see Fig. 2) and the Whipsaw Fault along Whipsaw Creek in the Trojan-Condor Corridor. The most important implication of this interpretation is that the Project area has considerable mineral potential, similar to that is currently being exploited at the Copper Mountain Mine and represented by the alteration and mineralization documented to date on the Project. The main objective of the 2023 exploration program is to undertake a Due Diligence evaluation of the multiple target areas previously identified. Work will emphasize the Trojan-Condor Corridor as the highest-priority drill target. In addition, the other target areas will be thoroughly evaluated as the Project is interpreted to host strong potential for the identification of one (or more) copper-gold alkalic porphyry occurrences similar in age and deposit type to the Copper Mountain Mine. Princeton Project Geology & Previous Work The previous News Release briefly discussed several high priority targets, including Trojan Condor Corridor and iron carbonate - silica alteration in the upper portion of the Fourteen Mile Creek drainage. The highest priority area is the Trojan Condor Corridor, where a 3D Induced Polarization and Magnetic survey was completed by the previous operator, followed up by an initial diamond drill program, totaling 728 metres in four widely spaced holes ranging between 135 and 215 m. The holes were intended to test near surface mineral potential associated with numerous moderate to very strong, sub-surface IP anomalies. The holes documented weak copper mineralization with associated porphyry-style alteration (including chlorite and epidote). The IP anomalies and porphyry-style mineralization are spatially associated with, and interpreted to result from, several comparatively small exposures of diorite exposed along Whipsaw Creek. Iron carbonate-silica alteration is associated with chalcopyrite mineralization in the upper portion of the Fourteen Mile Creek drainage. Alteration and mineralization are, again, spatially associated with a comparatively small diorite intrusion exposed along a logging road, with more extensive alteration exposed by more recent logging road construction. The Lamont Ridge target area is, again, spatially associated with a comparatively small diorite intrusive exposed at surface, together with porphyry-style alteration and mineralization. Figure 1 Collective Metals Princeton Project Regional Location Figure 2 Total Magnetic Intensity map underlying the mineral tenures comprising the southern property. Collective Metals mineral tenures outlined in yellow. Qualified Persons This news release has been reviewed and approved by Rick Walker, P. Geo., who is acting as the Companys Qualified Person for the Princeton Property project, in accordance with regulations under NI 43-101. About Collective Metals: Collective Metals Inc. (CSE: COMT | FSE: TO1) is a resource exploration company specialized in precious metals exploration in North America. The Companys flagship property is the Princeton Project, located in south-central British Columbia, Canada, approximately 10 km west of the currently producing Copper Mountain Mine. The Princeton Project consists of 29 mineral tenures totaling approximately 28,560 ha (70,570 acres) in a well documented and prolific copper-gold porphyry belt and is easily accessible by road, located immediately west of Highway 3. The Companys Landings Lake Lithium Project, which is located in northwestern Ontario where numerous lithium deposits have been delineated to host significant reserves of Li 2 O. The Landings Lake Lithium Project is located 53 km east of Ear Falls, Ontario and covers 3,146 hectares. Collective Metals is also advancing the Uptown Gold Project 4 km outside of Yellowknife, adjacent to several high grade past producing mines. The Uptown Gold Property is a high-grade Archean lode gold prospect adjoining the Giant Mine in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The property consists of 4 claims covering over 2,000 hectares and borders the west side of the Giant Mine leases. Social Media ON BEHALF OF COLLECTIVE METALS INC. Christopher Huggins Chief Executive Officer T: 604-968-4844 E: chris@collectivemetalsinc.com Forward Looking Information Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking statements, including with respect to future plans, and other matters. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such information can generally be identified by the use of forwarding-looking wording such as "may", "expect", "estimate", "anticipate", "intend", "believe" and "continue" or the negative thereof or similar variations. 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, including but not limited to, business, economic and capital market conditions, the ability to manage operating expenses, and dependence on key personnel. Forward looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements respecting: completion of the Acquisition. 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, anticipated costs, and the ability to achieve goals. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, the continued availability of capital and financing, litigation, failure of counterparties to perform their contractual obligations, loss of key employees and consultants, and general economic, market or business conditions. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed this press release and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/de236802-99e5-404f-82b2-d8fea570f66b https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fb55c883-df05-4a35-9a88-b61583b1a906 TORONTO, June 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Is there anything Canadians wont do to be nice? As a country thats famous for being polite, data suggests the country is split on if its worth being a little less than real to keep the peace: according to a recent survey commissioned by Simply Spiked Lemonade, just over half (51%) of Canadians 19+ have lied to avoid conflict and/or protect someones feelings. New-to-Canada Simply Spiked Lemonade, on the other hand, is all about whats real, all the time. Made using REAL fruit juice and with an honest-to-goodness taste thats shaking up alcohol cooler aisles across the country, Simply Spiked is bringing REAL taste to Canada this summer with a refreshingly simple shake-up and three distinct flavours: Signature Lemonade: Bright and refreshing, with a perfect balance of sweet lemonade and fresh, lemony tartness. Bright and refreshing, with a perfect balance of sweet lemonade and fresh, lemony tartness. Strawberry Lemonade: Ripe, jammy strawberry notes combined with an elevated, tart lemonade finish. Ripe, jammy strawberry notes combined with an elevated, tart lemonade finish. Blueberry Lemonade: Unique and refreshing, with ripe blueberry notes blended with smooth lemonade flavour. Whats more, Simply Spiked is daring the country to ditch the fakeness by challenging Canadians to keep it REAL this summer - and leading by example. Thats right, we are so committed to hearing the real and juicy truth that weve created the Keep It Real Can : the worlds first lie-detector-in-a-can, to help Canadians to serve up some Cold. Hard. Truth. Featuring Galvanic Skin Response to monitor sweat gland activity and Pulse Rate electrodes to measure heartbeat, the Simply Spiked Keep It Real Can spots the fakes and determines when someone is truly keeping it real. The Simply Spiked-commissioned survey suggests that our Canadian willingness to be nice might be preventing us from being our truest selves - and the country can surely relate to the things were being less than real about Of all Canadians 19+: 39% have rejected invites because they had plans 39% have said no problem when it was definitely a problem 26% have been dishonest about liking a birthday/holiday gift 23% have lied about their thoughts on someones new look (Hey, maybe that haircut isnt for everyone?) And as it turns out, British Columbians find themselves in situations where they feel they should lie more than any other province: 23% of British Columbians 19+ say they feel compelled to lie often or very often, versus 18% in Ontario, 17% in Atlantic Canada, 13% in Alberta, only 9% in our sweet, sweet prairie provinces, and merely 7% in Quebec! Luckily, the Simply Spiked Keep It Real Can is here to help every Canadian be more unapologetically themselves. Visit KeepItRealCan.ca and follow @simplyspikedca on Instagram to keep it real with the rest of Canada, and look out for sweet summer pop-ups near you for your chance to try Simply Spiked and the Keep It Real Can. Plus, capture your honest, juicy review of our equally juicy, spiked lemonade at KeepItRealCan.ca by July 15, 2023, and well reward the REALEST reviewer with $5,000 CAD. See? Sometimes honesty does pay off! About the Simply Spiked Survey This Maru Public Opinion survey conducted on behalf of Citizen Relations was undertaken by the sample and data collection experts at Maru/Blue . 1,529 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Maru Voice Canada online panelists were surveyed from April 24th to April 25th 2023. The results of this study have been weighted by education, age, gender and region (and in Quebec, language) to match the population, according to Census data. This is to ensure the sample is representative of the entire adult population of Canada. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of error (which measures sampling variability) of +/- 2.5%, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals when compared to the data tables are due to rounding. About Molson Coors For more than two centuries, Molson Coors has been brewing beverages that unite people to celebrate all lifes moments. From Coors Light, Miller Lite, Molson Canadian, Carling, and Staropramen to Coors Banquet, Blue Moon Belgian White, Blue Moon LightSky, Vizzy Hard Seltzer, Leinenkugels Summer Shandy, Creemore Springs, Hop Valley and more, Molson Coors produces many beloved and iconic beer brands. While the companys history is rooted in beer, Molson Coors offers a modern portfolio that expands beyond the beer aisle as well. Our Environmental, Social and Governance strategy is focused on People and Planet with a strong commitment to raising industry standards and leaving a positive imprint on our employees, consumers, communities, and the environment. Learn more about Molson Coors Beverage Company, visit molsoncoors.com , MolsonCoorsOurImprint.com or on Twitter through @MolsonCoors . About Maru Group The experience & insights platform. Maru is a world leading CX and insights software and advisory services company. The company was founded to disrupt the data and insight delivery industry with a combination of software and advisory services delivering data in real time via a unique service model. Maru helps its clients make informed decisions in near real time by combining proprietorial software, deep industry experience, and access to the best minds in research. A flexible service model makes it possible for clients to choose to self-serve using the software platform directly to create, launch and analyze projects; or choose to utilize the software along with knowledgeable support from insights experts. Maru is a proud member of the Stagwell Marketing Cloud . For more information, please contact: simplyspikedMR@citizenrelations.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7d45bf2b-51ed-45cb-8797-cd1df72136c6 An Emerging Markets Sponsored Commentary ORLANDO, Fla., June 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Earlier this week, we had the great honor of introducing you to VERSES AI Inc. (VERS.NE) (OTCQX:VRSSF), a cognitive computing company specializing in next-generation Artificial Intelligence. We touched on VERSESs human thinking AI model, how it differs from ChatGPT and the possibility that the Companys technology is changing the very Art of Artificial Intelligence. Today, we would like to provide a deep dive into the phenomenon that seems to be taking over the world and what accomplishments VERSES has achieved to move up in the industry. Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is a concept that can be hard to define because it does not come down to just one thing. Much like the actual human brain, AI is very complex. It is a collection of things, or technologies, that are brought together to basically replicate the human mind. AI is said to be different from other forms of automation because rather than coding, this technology is able to decide how to react after analyzing data. The four capabilities of AI in particular are: Sense Comprehend Act Learn Learn, lets focus on that one for a moment. VERSES has previously acknowledged that other Generative AI and Large Language Models like OpenAIs GPT and Googles BARD excel at creating content based on patterns inferred from their training data, but lack the ability to incorporate new information post-training. According to the Company, This can produce inaccurate, biased, and potentially harmful responses which have resulted in calls for global AI regulation to ensure that AI can be aligned with human values and goals. Like we emphasized in the last report, VERSES is developing AI technology to replicate human understanding, not to mimic. This model of technology allows the machines to learn from the outcome of its actions, therefore continuously optimizing its performance. So, perhaps AIs ability to learn is one of the most important capabilities, and one VERSES does not overlook. Now that we have a grasp on the concept of technology that the world cant stop talking about, lets take a look into what VERSES has most recently accomplished in the industry, a feat that involves the companys real time mobility portal, powered by its operating system for AI, KOSM. As part of Flying Forward 2020 (FF2020), a European Commission-funded special research and innovation project developing Urban Air Mobility infrastructure, and in collaboration with the Center for Advanced Technologies in Health and Well-being of the San Raffaele Hospital (OSR) which is the technological research unit that coordinates the activities of the FF2020 living lab in Milan, VERSES successfully deployed multiple autonomous drones to deliver medicines in the campus and monitor their perimeter against intruders. This was the third of five tests taking place in five cities in five different countries as part of FF2020, for which VERSES received a US$1,000,000 grant from the European Commission. Founder and CEO of VERSES, Gabriel Rene, expressed his enthusiasm for the accomplishment stating, This was an exciting project for VERSES, and we appreciate the collaboration with OSR on deploying autonomous drone management for the hospital. The implications of VERSES work with Flying Forward are that they are providing the European Commission with an example of the underlying Regulatory Geospatial Digital Infrastructure that all AI-powered drones (and perhaps other vehicles) will likely operate on, guiding them on where, how fast and how high they can fly relative to regional EU laws. At a moment when big tech AI companies are scrambling to figure out how to comply with upcoming EU AI regulations, VERSES has been working with them directly for the last few years to define and trial the methods to regulate AI. VERSES will continue to work with autonomous drones and master its AI model that elevates human potential through innovations inspired by nature, and we will continue to provide updates with this technology and its patent protection. For more on VERES AI Inc., visit: https://www.verses.ai/ About VERSES AI Inc.: VERSES is a cognitive computing company specializing in next-generation Artificial Intelligence. Modeled after natural systems and the design principles of the human brain and the human experience, VERSES flagship offering, GIA, is an Intelligent Assistant for everyone powered by KOSM, a network operating system enabling distributed intelligence. Built on open standards, KOSM transforms disparate data into knowledge models that foster trustworthy collaboration between humans, machines, and AI, across digital and physical domains. Imagine a smarter world that elevates human potential through innovations inspired by nature. Learn more at VERSES, LinkedIn, and Twitter. About The Emerging Markets Report: The Emerging Markets Report is owned and operated by Emerging Markets Consulting (EMC), a syndicate of investor relations consultants representing decades of experience. Our network consists of stockbrokers, investment bankers, fund managers, and institutions that actively seek opportunities in the micro and small-cap equity markets. For more informative reports such as this, please sign up at: https://emergingmarketsconsulting.com/ Must Read OTC Markets/SEC policy on stock promotion and investor protection Section 17(b) of the Securities Act of 1933 requires that any person that uses the mails to publish, give publicity to, or circulate any publication or communication that describes a security in return for consideration received or to be received directly or indirectly from an issuer, underwriter, or dealer, must fully disclose the type of consideration (i.e. cash, free trading stock, restricted stock, stock options, stock warrants) and the specific amount of the consideration. In connection therewith, EMC has received the following compensation and/or has an agreement to receive in the future certain compensation, as described below. EMC has been paid $150,000 by VERSES AI Inc. EMC does not independently verify any of the content linked-to from this editorial. https://emergingmarketsconsulting.com/disclaimer/ Dublin, June 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Europe Green Data Center Market - Industry Analysis & Outlook 2023-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Europe green data center is expected to reach a value of $12.25 billion in 2028 from $7.94 billion in 2022, growing at a CAGR of 7.49% Hyperscale players such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google, Meta, and Microsoft are procuring renewable energy for their data centers. AWS meets 85% of its energy requirements from renewable energy. Google and Meta meet 100% of their energy requirements for data centers from renewable energy.Microsoft will power all data centers with 100% renewable energy by 2025. Colocation operators in the Europe green data center market such as Equinix, Digital Realty, CyrusOne, Vantage Data Centers, OVHcloud, VIRTUS Data Centres, QTS Realty Trust, and others are proactively signing PPAs and procuring renewable energy to power their facilities to meet their sustainability goals. In September 2022, OVHcloud started constructing a new facility in Germany, renewable energy will be procured from Energieversorgung Limburg (EVL). GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS The Nordic region is the most suitable region for green data center development as there is no need for water cooling. Nordic countries also source the maximum power supply from renewable energy. Site selection for data centers across Europe will mostly depend on access to renewable energy. There is continuous investment in renewable energy projects across Nordics and Western Europe, where data center companies also participate. KEY MARKET PARTICIPANTS Renewable energy companies like Engie, TotalEnergies, EDF Renewables, ENEL Group, Orsted, and much more supply renewable energy to European green data center market operators. These companies are setting up new plants exclusively for data center companies, thus providing clean power sources for companies. Key Attributes: Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 259 Forecast Period 2022 - 2028 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2022 $7.94 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2028 $12.25 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 7.4% Regions Covered Europe KEY HIGHLIGHTS Climate Neutral Data Center Pact has played a major role in increasing the sustainability of European data centers as all the signatories will be relying on renewable energy for their facilities by 2030. As of October 2022, over 100 companies have signed the Climate Neutral Data Center Pact, which operates more than 90% of data center capacity across Europe. Hyperscale operators in the Europe green data center market like AWS and Microsoft and colocation operators like Kao Data, NorthC Datacenters, and Data4 are taking multiple steps to improve their sustainability credentials. A few of the initiatives taken by major operators are: Replacing diesel with HVO (Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil) Use of recycled construction material Use of Fuel cells, vegetable oil, and other sustainable fuel sources Replacement of VRLA batteries with Lithium-ion batteries Data Center investors are moving to new locations like Spain, Portugal, Greece, and other sites where the availability of renewable energy is high with average land prices. Europe is at the forefront of renewable energy adoption. Europe's commitment to adopting renewable energy and phasing out fossil fuels will promote the growth of renewable energy adoption by data center companies. SEGMENTATION INSIGHTS Electrical Infrastructure: Efficient and sustainable power infrastructure replacing traditional power systems. The increasing demand for efficiency in data centers has fueled the growth of efficient infrastructure such as lithium-ion UPS systems, fuel cells, HVO, Natural Gas generators, nuclear energy reactors, and more. AWS will use HVO across all of its European facilities. It has already replaced diesel with HVO in Ireland facility. Companies are using Microgrids and Smart grids to further stabilize power supply to the data center and back to the grid in the hour of need. Microsoft has partnered with Eaton, which will outfit all of Microsoft's data centers with grid-interactive UPS. Mechanical Infrastructure: Europe is to witness an increase in advanced cooling technologies. Most companies have deployed free cooling, and zero-water cooling, leveraging the cold temperature of the region. Colt Data Centre Services uses free cooling most of the year in the Paris Southwest data center; the same will be used in the announced expansion of this data center. DigiPlex has deployed air-free cooling in Sweden's Stockholm 1 data center. General Construction: Adopting sustainable and innovative construction design/material in Europe in data centers. Hyperscale operators like AWS, Microsoft, Apple, and Google are leading in using sustainable materials to construct facilities. Companies introduce technologies like green concrete, modular data centers, and more in their data center construction. Data4 has been using low-carbon concrete in its data centers since 2021. Zetto, a TV streaming service provider, placed its servers in windmills of WestfalenWind from where it has been streaming. Companies are investing in additional infrastructure like Aquifer Thermal Storage Systems to conserve heat. Key Vendors Amazon Web Services (AWS) Atman Beyond.pl Bulk Infrastructure CyrusOne Data4 Digital Realty EdgeConneX Equinix Google Green Mountain Iron Mountain Kao Data Keppel Data Centres LCL Data Centers Microsoft Nautilus Data Technologies NorthC Datacenters NTT Global Data Centers OVHcloud Switch Datacenters STACK Infrastructure Serverfarm Scaleway Telehouse Vantage Data Centers VIRTUS Data Centers Verne Global Renewable Energy Providers ACCONIA Energia Better Energy Bryt Energy Conrad Energy Datafarm Energy Eneco Enel Group Engie ERG GreenYellow HDF Energy Ilmatar Energy Neoen NTR Orsted RWE Renewables ScottishPower Shell TotalEnergies For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/1frpfo 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 TORONTO, June 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Red Pine Exploration Inc. (TSXV: RPX, OTCQB: RDEXF) (Red Pine or the Company) outlines its planned 2023 exploration program. The anticipated program follows the success of our 2021-22 drill programs and will focus within and around the Surluga and Minto deposits areas. Specifically, those areas that have the greatest potential to increase the anticipated updated resource. Proposed exploration program for 2023 The Company will immediately increase drilling to include two drills on site with a proposed program averaging 3,600 to 4,400m of drilling per month. Based on the most recent financing, the program will consist of approximately 20,000m of diamond drilling that will focus on the targets which have the highest probability towards material progression of an updated resource. The updated resource is anticipated to be based on both a pit and underground constrained development scenario. 90% of the drilling will be allocated to Pit Constrained Exploration Targets located within and in the surroundings of the area as outlined on Figure 1 The balance of the drilling will be allocated to exploration targets outside the area outlined on Figure 1 or at vertical depths exceeding 500m The drilling program will represent a significant milestone for the Company in its work to update the mineral resource and provide a better understanding of the geological targets. This will serve to prove which gold zones have meaningful exploration potential with strong indications of size and continuity that should be added to an optimized mineral resource and to support an economical evaluation. Exploration targets that will be the focus of the 2023 drilling program: 45% of the total meterage concurrently testing: the Minto B Shear Zone, the Minto C Shear System, the Minto Mine Shear Zone, strategic infill and verification drilling in the Jubilee Shear Zone, Old Tom Vein Network and untested areas of the Jubilee Shear Zone HW over the 65 zone; 35% of the total meterage to test the HW of the Jubilee Shear Zone (Pit Constrained Exploration Target); 20% testing the Surluga North Vein Network + the Surluga North Discovery in the Jubilee Shear Zone and strategic infill in the northern extension of the JSZ to convert the exploration targets in that area to mineral resource. Figure 1 - Exploration targets for the 2023 drilling program https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/94e3256d-64c7-4722-89f5-03ba4d98c1a8 Exploration Permit PR-23-000112 To further expedite the exploration on the Wawa Gold Property, Red Pine has received an exploration Permit to drill on 11 additional mining claims to the West of the Jubilee Shear. Quality Assurance/Quality Control ("QA/QC") Measures Drill core samples were transported in security sealed bags for analyses to Actlabs in Ancaster, Ontario. Individual samples were labelled, placed in plastic sample bags and sealed. Groups of samples were then placed into durable rice bags and shipped. The residual coarse reject portions of the samples remain in storage if further work or verification is needed. Red Pine has implemented a quality-control program to comply with best practices in the sampling and analysis of drill core. As part of its QA/QC program, Red Pine inserts external gold standards (low to high grade) and blanks every 20 samples in addition to random standards, blanks, and duplicates. Qualified Person Quentin Yarie, P.Geo. and Chief Executive Officer of Red Pine and the Qualified Person, as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed, and approved the news releases technical information. About Red Pine Exploration Inc. Red Pine Exploration Inc. is a gold exploration company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Company's shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "RPX" and on the OTCQB Markets under the symbol RDEXF. The Wawa Gold Project is in the Michipicoten Greenstone Belt of Ontario, a region that has seen major investment by several producers in the last five years. Its land package hosts numerous historic gold mines and is over 6,900 hectares in size. Led by Quentin Yarie, CEO, who has over 25 years of experience in mineral exploration, Red Pine is strengthening its position as a major mineral exploration and development player in the Michipicoten region. For more information about the Company, visit www.redpineexp.com Or contact: Quentin Yarie, President and CEO, (416) 364-7024, qyarie@redpineexp.com Carrie Howes, Director Corp Communications, (416) 644-7375, chowes@redpineexp.com 1 National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report for the Wawa Gold Project, Brian Thomas P.Geo. Golder Associates Ltd, report effective August 18, 2021. 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. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains statements which constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs, and current expectations of the Company with respect to future business activities and operating performance. Forward-looking information is often identified by the words may, would, could, should, will, intend, plan, anticipate, believe, estimate, expect or similar expressions. Forward-looking information contained in this news release includes but may not be limited to: the potential for a hybrid pit and underground project. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking information is not based on historical facts but instead reflect managements expectations, estimates or projections concerning future results or events based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made. Such opinions, assumptions and estimates are inherently subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected and undue reliance should not be placed on such information, as unknown or unpredictable factors could have material adverse effects on future results, performance or achievements. Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information are the following: the Company's expectations in connection with the projects and exploration programs being met, the impact of general business and economic conditions, global liquidity and credit availability on the timing of cash flows and the values of assets and liabilities based on projected future conditions, fluctuating gold prices, currency exchange rates (such as the Canadian dollar versus the United States Dollar), variations in ore grade or recovery rates, changes in accounting policies, changes in the Company's mineral reserves and resources, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, changes in project development, construction, production and commissioning time frames, the possibility of project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses, higher prices for fuel, power, labour and other consumables contributing to higher costs and general risks of the mining industry, failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, unexpected changes in mine life, seasonality and weather, costs and timing of the development of new deposits, success of exploration activities, permitting time lines, government regulation of mining operations, environmental risks, unanticipated reclamation expenses, title disputes or claims, and limitations on insurance. This information is qualified in its entirety by cautionary statements and risk factor disclosure contained in filings made by the Company, including the Companys annual information form, financial statements and related MD&A for the year ended July 31, 2022, and the interim financial reports and related MD&A for the period ended January 31, 2023, filed with the securities regulatory authorities in certain provinces of Canada and available at www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties 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 the Company has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information except as otherwise required by applicable law. NEW YORK, June 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Resonance is a leading advisor in tourism, real estate and economic development, and its Best Cities rankings quantify and benchmark the relative quality of place, reputation and competitive identity for the planet's urban centers. They are lauded as the world's most thorough city ranking, based on original methodology that analyzes key statistics, user-generated reviews, social media and online activity. The eighth annual Americas Best Cities ranking is an important, timely analysis of the urban centers that are leading the nation, and the world, in post-pandemic economic recovery. Access the 2023 America's Best Cities Report and all 100 city profiles at WorldsBestCities.com. Learn more about Resonance Consultancy at ResonanceCo.com. The 2023 Americas Best Cities rankings benchmark the overall performance of more than 110 metropolitan centers with populations of 500,000 or more, based on a wide variety of measures in order to identify the top 100 places to live, visit and invest in the U.S., says Resonance President & CEO Chris Fair. The overall Best Cities rankings are determined by analyzing the performance of each city for a wide range of factors that have historically shown positive correlations with attracting employment, investment and/or visitors to cities. Based on each city's performance in the 26 factors analyzed, these are Americas Top 10 Best Cities for 2023: New York, NY Chicago, IL Los Angeles, CA San Francisco, CA Washington, D.C. Miami, FL Boston, MA Seattle, WA Houston, TX San Jose, CA The full ranking and profiles of all 100 of America's best cities are available at WorldsBestCities.com. About Resonance Consultancy Resonance is a global consultancy of strategic and creative place makers. As leading advisors in real estate, tourism and economic development, Resonance combines expertise in research, strategy, branding and communications to make destinations, cities and developments more valuable and more vibrant. ResonanceCo.com About World's Best Cities Best Cities is the home of Resonance's exclusive ranking of the world's top urban destinations. The data is used by leading news outlets and Bloomberg calls it, The most comprehensive study of its kind; it identifies cities that are most desirable for locals, visitors, and businesspeople alike, rather than simply looking at livability or tourism appeal. WorldsBestCities.com | #BestCities Attachments New York, June 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Global Market Report 2023" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06464037/?utm_source=GNW , Innovent Biologics Inc., Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine Co., Sun Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd., 9 Meters Biopharma Inc., Intarcia Therapeutics Inc., Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc., and PegBio Co. Ltd. The global GLP-1 receptor agonist market is expected to grow from $12.48 billion in 2022 to $13.07 billion in 2023 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.8%. The Russia-Ukraine war disrupted the chances of global economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, at least in the short term. The war between these two countries has led to economic sanctions on multiple countries, a surge in commodity prices, and supply chain disruptions, and affecting many every markets across the globe. The GLP-1 receptor agonist market is expected to reach $15.54 billion in 2027 at a CAGR of 4.4%. The GLP-1 receptor agonist market consists of sales of dulaglutide, bydureon b-cise, exenatide, and semaglutide.Values in this market are factory gate values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods. A GLP-1 receptor agonist is a type of medication that stimulates insulin release at high blood glucose levels and suppresses glucagon secretion under low blood glucose conditions. They are used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus. North America was the largest region in the GLP-1 recepto agonist market in 2022.Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the GLP-1 recepto agonist market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa. The main drug class of GLP-1 receptor agonist are liraglutide, dulaglutide, lixisenatide, and others.Liraglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist that acts by helping the pancreas to release the right amount of insulin when blood sugar levels are high. The route of administration involved are parenteral, and oral which are used by hospitals, surgical clinics, and others. The rising prevalence of diabetes is expected to propel the GLP-1 receptor agonist market going forward.Diabetes is a chronic illness that develops when the pancreas either produces insufficient amounts of insulin or when the body cannot properly utilize the insulin that it does. High blood sugar is a symptom of the metabolic disorder diabetes mellitus.GLP-1 receptor agonist is used in diabetes to stimulate the body to produce more insulin, which helps to lower blood sugar levels, so the rising prevalence of diabetes will propel the market growth. For instance, in December 2021, according to the International Diabetes Federation, a Belgium-based umbrella organization of over 230 national diabetes associations, the global population living with diabetes is approximately 537 million adults and further it is projected to rise to 643 million by 2030. Therefore, the rising prevalence of diabetes is driving the GLP-1 receptor agonist market. Product innovations are a key trend gaining popularity in the GLP-1 receptor agonist market.Major companies operating in the GLP-1 receptor agonist market are focused on developing innovative solutions to strengthen their position. For instance, in May 2022, Eli Lilly and Company, a US-based pharmaceutical company that creates medicines that make life better for people, launched the FDA-approved new Mounjaro, a GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist.It is specially designed using a single molecule that turns on the bodys receptors for the incretin hormones GIP and GLP-1. It is available as a pen auto-injector with a pre-attached, hidden needle that patients do not need to handle or see, and it comes in 6 doses. In February 2022, Sanofi S.A., a France-based pharmaceutical and healthcare company that provides life-changing treatments, acquired Amunix Pharmaceuticals Inc. for an undisclosed amount. Through this acquisition, combined resources with Sanofi are expected to provide access to various products and technologies to Sanofi that can deliver next-generation conditionally activated biologics. Amunix Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a US-based immuno-oncology company that develops (GLP-1) receptor agonists and transformative therapies for cancer. The countries covered in the GLP-1 recepto agonist market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA. The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD, unless otherwise specified). The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products. The GLP-1 receptor agonist market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides GLP-1 receptor agonist market statistics, including GLP-1 receptor agonist industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with GLP-1 receptor agonist market share, detailed GLP-1 receptor agonist market segments, market trends, and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the GLP-1 receptor agonist industry. This GLP-1 receptor agonist market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenarios of the industry. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06464037/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vital Battery Metals Inc. (Vital or the Company) (CSE: VBAM | OTC: VBAMF | FRA: C0O) is pleased to announce, in partnership with Coast Mountain Geological Ltd. (CMG), that it has commenced its summer Exploration Program (the Program) at its Sting Copper Project in northwestern Newfoundland. The Company has previously reported assay results of grab samples at its Sting Copper Project including 14.2% Cu, 11.6% Cu, 14.2% Cu, 13.9% Cu, with complimentary gold values ranging from 7 to 470 ppb. Vital is targeting high grade copper and precious metals in western Newfoundland on its Sting Copper Project. The mafic rocks that underlie the Jumbo Lode Prospect are part of the Bay of Islands Complex that is host to copper and copper/zinc deposits such as the York Harbour Mine, a former producer located 35 km to the south-southeast. Additionally, York Harbour Metals recently reported (news release dated April 21, 2023) final results of its Phase 4 drilling program which included a drill hole (YH22-73) that intersected 44.93 meters of 1.292% copper including 5.36 meters of 2.938% copper. The current work Program is designed to follow-up from the previous encouraging results and to expand known mineralized zones. The Program also includes gridded prospecting, mapping and geochemical sampling to provide coverage over underlying favorable regional geology and geophysics. The three separate grids include the North Sting, Jumbo-Lode and South Sting grids. The North Sting grid covers 240 ha of ground and is draped over the NE-trending contact between mafic volcanic rocks and mafic intrusive rocks, a regionally important lineament for copper mineralization. Adrian Lamoureux, Vitals Chief Executive Officer and President, comments, Our initial exploration Program at the Sting Project yielded impressive results as high as 14.2% Cu and gold values ranging from 7 ppb to 470 ppb. Building on our previous program, we are looking forward to further exploration of high-priority targets, which we believe will continue to provide strong copper and gold values. The Jumbo-Lode area has historically compelling copper anomalies which surround and extend from the Jumbo, Red Love and Lode 9 mineral showings. The team will infill, expand upon, and verify the historical results, as well as test the eastern contact between mafic volcanic/intrusive rocks for copper anomalies. The South Sting grid provides coverage over the same lineament further south, where no record of exploration work exists. Figure 1 - Vital Battery Metals Sting Copper Project 2023 Exploration Program Areas Qualified Person The technical information in this presentation have been reviewed and approved by an Independent Qualified Person defined by National Instrument 43-101 Derrick Strickand P.Geo. The qualified person has not verified the information on the York Harbour Mine and the information disclosed is not necessarily indicative of mineralization on the Sting Copper Project. About Vital Battery Metals Inc. Vital Battery Metals Inc. (CSE: VBAM |OTC: VBAMF | FRA: C0O) is a mineral exploration company dedicated to the development of strategic projects comprised of battery, base and precious metals in stable jurisdictions. The Company is working to advance its Schofield Lithium, Dickson Lake Lithium, Sting Copper Project, and Vent Copper-Gold Projects. The Schofield Lithium Project covers 8,824 hectares and is adjacent to Brunswick Explorations Hearst Lithium Project. The Schofield Lithium Project is located ~60 km south of Hearst, Ontario. The Dickson Lake Lithium Project covers 464 single-cell mining claims and approximately 9,780 hectares and is near a Brunswick Exploration Lithium Project, Imagine Lithiums Jackpot Deposit and Rock Techs Georgia Lake Deposit. The Sting Copper Project covers approximately 12,700 hectares and hosts multiple historic Newfoundland and Labrador Government documented mineral occurrences and is located within a 50 km corridor known for significant volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS), copper quartz vein lode and low sulphation epithermal gold showings. The Vent Copper-Gold project covers 1,562 hectares in British Columbia. Vital continues to evaluate value-add assets to bolster its project portfolio. For more information, visit www.vitalbatterymetals.com On Behalf of the Board of Directors Adrian Lamoureux Chief Executive Officer, Director +1 (604) 229-9772 info@vitalbatterymetals.com Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, including statements regarding the Project acquisition bringing a low-risk opportunity, the Company building a strong battery metals portfolio with low-risk opportunities that positively impact the Company and its shareholders and the Company providing an initial work plan are "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Sting Copper Project and its mineralization potential; the Companys objectives, goals or future plans with respect to the Sting Copper Project; the commencement of drilling or exploration programs in the future; the completion and anticipated results of the Program. These forward-looking statements reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company based on information currently available to it. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in filings made by the Company with securities regulatory authorities, which may cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/124b2b94-9ca9-486a-a514-bacf449e8964 Jacksonville, FL, June 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pace Center for Girls, a nationally recognized model that provides education, counseling, training and advocacy for more than 3,000 girls and young women annually, received a $90,000 grant from State Farm Insurance to support career and college preparation. The funding supports Paces comprehensive vocational and education program dedicated to providing at-promise girls with the necessary tools to obtain a high school diploma or GED, long term employability skills and support pursuing an education past high school, whether at a professional training program, the military, a community college or a four-year college or university. One of the greatest responsibilities we have as a society is to ensure all girls and young women have access to opportunities to be successful as adults, said Mary Marx, President and CEO of Pace Center for Girls. We are grateful to State Farm for investing in Pace and providing us the opportunity to enhance our life-skills training and career and college readiness pathways. As part of the investment, girls like Emily willl represent 21 communities across the state of Florida and receive a State Farm Scholarship supporting college, vocational school, or certificate training. She will study psychology at Broward College this summer with plans to transition to Florida International University and become a therapist. Having lost someone close to her by suicide, she shared maybe I can help people and change future outcomes so its not devastating to the person, the family, and people around them. Pace has seen transformational improvements among girls personally and professionally. Eight out of 10 girls graduate from high school, pursue higher education or secure employment after the program, and nine out of 10 have experienced overall academic improvement. We are proud to support Pace in their commitment to provide career and college opportunities to all girls, said Jose Soto, State Farm Corporate Responsibility Analyst. Our agents enjoy volunteering at Pace and accompanying girls on experiential trips that focus on job and school placement. For more information about Pace Center for Girls, visit www.pacecenter.org. ### About Pace Center for Girls Founded in 1985, Pace provides free year-round middle and high school academics, case management, counseling, and life skills development in a safe and supportive environment that recognizes and deals with past trauma and builds upon girls individual strengths. Dedicated to meeting the social, emotional, and education needs of girls, Pace has a successful and proven program model that has changed the life trajectory of more than 40,000 girls and is recognized as one of the nations leading advocates for girls in need. For more information on Pace Center for Girls, visit www.pacecenter.org. About State Farm For 100 years, the mission of State Farm has been and continues to be to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams. State Farm and its affiliates are the largest providers of auto and home insurance in the United States. Its more than 19,400 agents and approximately 61,764 employees serve over 91 million policies and accounts which includes auto, fire, life, health, commercial policies and financial services accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 42 on the 2022 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com. Attachment Assumes the Role of Vice President of Integration Charged with Integrating Electrical and Photonic ICs Using Advanced Packaging Technology BOSTON, June 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lightelligence, the global leader in photonic computing, today appointed Dr. Ben Chen to the newly created position of Vice President of Integration. Dr. Chen, responsible for integrating electrical and photonic integrated circuits using advanced packaging technology, and transitioning that into industry-ready products, joins the skilled and experienced Lightelligence executive management team headed by Dr. Yichen Shen, its Founder and CEO. "We are delighted to welcome Dr. Ben Chen to the Lightelligence team as our VP of Integration, says Dr. Shen. Dr. Chen's track record of success and deep expertise in integrated photonics make him an invaluable addition to our leadership team. His strategic insights and commitment to innovation align perfectly with Lightelligence's vision, and we are confident that his contributions will accelerate our mission to deliver groundbreaking solutions to our customers. The opportunity is irresistible to be part of an innovative team developing new technology to solve so many of the challenges facing the semiconductor industry, remarks Dr. Chen. I look forward to the response from companies across the industry when they discover what Lightelligence is delivering. As a former CTO with cross-function and cross-culture expertise, Dr. Chen has a proven track record and in-depth knowledge of advanced technologies in advanced electronics and fiber optic technologies. His background includes proficiency with signal integrity (SI)-based photonics integration, 2.5D and 3D packaging and SI front- and back-end processes for chip packaging. About Dr. Ben Chen Dr. Ben Chens technical expertise spans VLSI design, optical component, module and photonic integration. He received a Bachelor of Microelectronics from Tianjin University in 1983, and a Master of Science and Ph.D. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1987 and 1990 respectively. After a two-year research and teaching career at Tokyo Tech, he joined Fujitsu/Fujitsu Labs in 1992, focusing on VLSI design methodology and formal verification. He joined Lucent Technology Japan in 1998 and Lucent Technology in the U.S, in 2000. Since then, Dr. Chen has been working on optical module and subsystem R&D and held several technical and marketing leadership roles at Lucent Technologies/Bell Labs, Optium (Finisar), OCP (Oplink/Molex, Hoya Xponent, Accelink and Hengtong Rockley. About Lightelligence Lightelligence has transformed cutting-edge photonics technology into groundbreaking computing solutions that offer exponential improvements in computing power and dramatically reduce energy consumption. As the only company to publicly demonstrate complete silicon photonics computing systems that beat state-of-the-art performance, Lightelligence is the global leader in the photonics computing industry. Founded in 2017, Lightelligence has approximately 200 employees globally and has raised more than $200 million in funding. Engage with Lightelligence: Website: www.lightelligence.ai/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightelligence-ai/ Twitter: @lightelligence For more information, contact: Nanette Collins Public Relations for Lightelligence nanette@nvc.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b63d1373-8a4b-4aaa-9b77-a0b8b87df916 LIVERMORE, Calif., June 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UNCLE Credit Union, serving four counties in the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Valley, has re-elected four members to its Board of Directors. Peter Goldstein, Robin Morris, Mila Shapovalov, and John Stein were re-elected on April 20th, as part of UNCLE Credit Unions Annual Meeting. Some of the re-elected Directors have been serving as part of UNCLE Credits Unions Board for more than 10 years, many of which also serve on the Audit Committee for the credit union. Given that UNCLE Credit Unions roots began at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, it comes as no surprise that members of the Board, including Goldstein and Shapovalov, are employed by the laboratory. It is important to have representation from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on our Board of Directors since we want to ensure we are meeting the needs of a large portion of our membership, while carrying out the vision that our founders had for the credit union, says Chung Bothwell, the Chairman of the Board of Directors for UNCLE Credit Union. We are pleased to have Peter and Mila returning in their roles on the Board for another term. Goldstein, who holds a Ph.D. in Physics from University of California at Santa Barbara, currently works in project management at Lawrence Livermore, and is an avid volunteer in the Livermore community working with Livermore Performing Arts, Livermore Area Recreational & Parks Department, and more. Shapovalov brings with her an MBA from Golden Gate University, as well as her expertise in managing budgets, performance analyses, and policy compliance, all of which come in to play for her role as the credit unions Board Treasurer. Stein and Morris are also heavily involved within the local community outside of the credit union, a key core value for the organization. Stein has served as a City Council member and on the City of Livermore Planning Commission and has also served on the Board of Directors for the credit union for over 12 years. Morris is connected to the community through the Livermore Police Department, serves as the Chairperson for East County Animal Shelter, and previously served as the Audit Chair for the credit unions Audit Committee. In addition to the re-elected officials, Chung Bothwell will continue in her role as Chairman of the Board, Neda Gray as Vice-Chair, Mila Shapovalov as Treasurer, Clay Smith as Secretary, Hugh Bussell as Audit Committee Chair, and John Freeman and Bob Corey as Audit Committee members. About UNCLE Credit Union Established in 1957, UNCLE Credit Union is a $734+ million financial institution serving approximately 35,000 members. The organization offers the benefits of credit union membership with a full array of financial services to anyone who lives, works, worships, or attends school in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Joaquin, or Stanislaus counties. UNCLE has been recognized by both its industry and the communities in its field of membership for excellence in service, culture, financial performance, growth philanthropy, and community engagement. To learn more, visit www.unclecu.org. CONTACT: Michele Milz 925.724.2188 mmilz@unclecu.org A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5bef6484-67ef-40b6-8e4b-a315c50017d1 Astana, Kazakhstan, June 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) was launched five years ago, filling a significant void in Central Asia's global financial map. Today, the AIFC has emerged as a leading financial hub, facilitating trade and financial transactions between Asia and Europe. With its robust growth and strategic location, Central Asia is now attracting financial institutions and investors seeking partnerships in the region. Central Asia's GDP has grown over sevenfold in the past 20 years, with an average annual growth rate of 6.2%. This growth surpasses that of developing countries and is more than twice the global average. The AIFC has played a pivotal role in leveraging the region's transit potential, fostering large-scale investments in major infrastructure projects such as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, which promotes cross-border trade across the Eurasian space. Since its inception, the AIFC has made significant strides in establishing a unique financial ecosystem in Central Asia. Currently, nearly 2,000 companies operate within the AIFC, attracting $8 billion in investments to Kazakhstan's economy. The AIFC operates under the English Common Law, ensuring impartial and enforceable decisions. Financial disputes are resolved by British judges at the AIFC Court and the independent international arbitration centre. Furthermore, the AIFC offers a favourable tax regime for participants engaged in licensed financial activities, aligning with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's global standards of tax transparency. In just five years, the AIFC's Astana International Exchange (AIX) has developed into a world-class capital market and a reliable trading platform. AIX provides a complete business cycle, including trading and clearing operations, offering global investors access to Kazakhstan and enabling local and international issuers to raise funds in both the Kazakh and global markets. To date, AIX has attracted over $356 million of equity and $2.68 billion of debt capital. Recognizing the importance of sustainable development, the AIFC has spearheaded the integration of green principles into the financial ecosystem of Kazakhstan and the region. Initiatives include the development of a carbon market and a platform for trading carbon units, as well as the implementation of green and social bonds and subsidies for green projects. AIFC's Tech Hub is dedicated to promoting startups, venture capital markets, e-commerce, and corporate innovation. The Tech Hub has attracted approximately 300 companies from around the world to register within the AIFC jurisdiction, supporting approximately 200 startups to date. As global investors increasingly turn their attention to emerging markets, Kazakhstan's growing financial role becomes more prominent. With a resilient economy, abundant natural resources, strong commodity market fundamentals, and political and economic reforms, Kazakhstan ranks first in the region in terms of foreign direct investments. Kazakhstan's economy, which grew by 3.2% in 2022, is now nearly one third larger than the combined economies of other Central Asian countries. To foster active cooperation with global stakeholders and harness Kazakhstan's new status, Kazakhstan will host the Astana International Forum and Astana Finance Days this month. These events will convene senior government representatives, international organizations, and business leaders to explore ways of navigating global challenges and reviving global growth, with a focus on Central Asia's contribution. Renat Bekturov, Governor of the Astana International Financial Centre expressed confidence in the AIFC's trajectory, stating, "Our objective is to become a global center for business and finance, connecting the economies of the whole of Eurasia. We remain committed to meeting the needs of investors and our region." About the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC): The AIFC was established in July 2018 as Central Asia's premier financial hub. It operates under the English Common Law, providing a transparent and impartial legal framework for businesses. The AIFC fosters economic growth, attracts investment, and serves as a platform for the development of the financial services industry in Kazakhstan and the region. Disclaimer: There is no offer to sell, no solicitation of an offer to buy, and no recommendation of any security or any other product or service in this article. This is not investment advice. Please do your own research. For media inquiries, please contact: Name: Ainur Issabayeva Organisation: Astana International Financial Centre Location: Astana, Kazakhstan Email: a.issabayeva@aifc.kz Denver, June 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Denver, Colorado - Garage Service Co, a garage door installation and repair services provider in Denver, Colorado, is drawing attention to the positive effect that a contemporarily designed and well-maintained garage door can have on a homes resale value. Real estate brokers have long recognized the significance of curb appeal in influencing property values, and they often advise their clients to invest in regular upkeep and home improvements. In fact, according to statistics from the NAR (National Association of Realtors), 97% of the organizations members believe that curb appeal is important to a potential buyer. Home buyers who start their search online are also likely to pursue a listing only if they find the overall look of the home attractive and appealing. Your garage door is easily one of the most conspicuous and visually identifiable markers of your property, says the spokesperson for Garage Service Co. You can choose from a wide range of styles that perfectly complement the rest of the architecture and even personalize it with specific colors, layouts, and finishes. Some of the additional embellishments that you can use to customize your garage door include decorative windows and decorative hardware such as handles and hinges. Moreover, depending on your budget and needs, you can even select garage doors made of materials like steel or wood, with or without insulation. Some studies have even successfully quantified the influence that curb appeal can have on the resale value of a property. For instance, a recent study published in The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics revealed that improving curb appeal can potentially increase a home's value by up to 7%. Exterior renovations such as landscaping, entry door replacements, window replacements, and, of course, garage door replacements can give homeowners a significant return on their investment. The spokesperson for Garage Service Co explains the other benefits of replacing or upgrading a garage door by saying, Apart from the increase in curb appeal, modern garage doors can also be equipped with features such as smart door openers to make operating them a breeze. The openers we install have Wi-Fi monitoring and controls built right in, allowing you to open and close the door from wherever you might be. Garage Service Co. provides a variety of garage doors from reputable brands, including C.H.I., Amarr, Clopay, doorLink Manufacturing, Inc., GARAGA, and Northwest Door. These doors are available in a wide range of styles, including traditional, carriage, aluminum with full glass view, ranch, and wood. Denver homeowners are urged to visit the companys website to browse through the various popular garage door styles, construction methods, and customization options available to them. Homeowners in Denver and nearby areas have profusely praised Garage Service Co. for delivering high-quality garage door installations and prompt and reliable emergency repairs. On its Google Business Profile at Garage Service Co., the company has a near-perfect overall rating of 4.9 out of 5.0 from almost 150 reviews, customers note the workmanship of the companys technicians, helpful customer service, and affordable pricing. One Denver homeowner talks about their garage door replacement experience with the company by saying, I highly recommend Avi and his team. They did a great job replacing a non-functioning 1935 garage door. Our garage door was a custom size as well. He came back to us with a great price and loads of options! We were impressed - the whole process was seamless and professional, and the workmanship was amazing! Thanks, Avi! The family-owned and operated business offers free installation estimates. The companys repair services include replacing broken springs, fixing faulty motors, rollers, cables, panels, weather seals, and much more. Servicing all brands and models of garage doors and garage door openers, Garage Service Co. offers a minimum 90-day warranty on labor, a 1-year workmanship warranty on installation, a minimum 1-year warranty on parts, and up to a lifetime warranty on a range of products. Readers can get in touch with Garage Service Co. at (762) 936-0602 to get all their questions about garage doors, openers, and the companys services answered. More information about the company can be found at https://garageserviceco.com/. ### For more information about Garage Service Co., contact the company here: Garage Service Co. Aviram Azulay 720-936-0602 garageserviceco@gmail.com Garage Service Co. 7900 E Union Ave #1100, Denver, CO 80237 Vancouver, May 31, 2023 - Molten Metals Corp. (the "Company") (CSE:MOLT) (FSE:Y44) (ISIN:CA60872A1066) is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement of up to 6,250,000 units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.08 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to $500,000. Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company, and one common share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant"). Each whole Warrant entitles the holder to acquire an additional common share of the Company at a price of $0.18 per share for 2 years from the date of the closing of the offering (the "Closing Date"), provided that if, at any time prior to expiration of the Warrants, the Company's shares trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange at or above $0.30 per share for a period of 10 consecutive days, the Company may, by issuing a news release or by providing written notice to the Warrant holders, reduce the exercise period to 30 days from the date of such notice. The Company may pay finder's fees in connection with the financing. Securities issued under the financing will be subject to a four month hold period in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. The Company intends to use the proceeds for general working capital and for advancing its projects with a particular focus on the Trojarova Antimony-Gold project. Consequently, a significant portion of the capital raised will be used to produce a Preliminary Economic Assessment on Trojarova. The work will be undertaken by DMT and may require a preliminary exploration program, which will include re-opening and expanding the Trojarova adit. Previous exploration programs on Trojarova undertaken in 1992 under the Soviet system suggested that there was 0.831 million tonnes of resource at @5.645%Sb and 0.676g/t Au. The aim of this program would be to substantiate these findings. If successful, Molten Metals would be home to one of the largest undeveloped Antimony mines globally. More Information on the use of funds Part of the funds raised will be used to advance Trojarova. The exploration program for Trojarova will be carried out by DMT Group Natural Resources Consulting Services (Germany) in two Stages: Stage 1 - Data compilation, review and preparation 3D geological and block models of the deposit based on existing historic data These models will be prepared to show the various veins and metals (antimony, and gold) so that a formal assessment of the deposit size and grade(s) can be made by DMT to assess the potential mining viability, ideally (assuming it is safe underground) samples are to be taken from locations that can be properly referenced within the structure of the ore body. DMT will prepare a 3D geological model and a Mineral Resource Estimate based on a block model and following best industry practices. This model is expected to, inter alia, provide Molten Metals with a level of confidence to go to the next Stage. In addition, the block model will assist in planning for a twinning or infill drilling program and most critically will inform Molten Metals, how and where representative bulk samples can be collected and composited for ore characterisation and processing metallurgical test work. Stage 2 - Preliminary Economic Assessment The PEA is an assessment of the mine/process plant viability (at a relatively high level) using the information from Stage 1 and will include base-case information on Capex for achieving production, Opex estimates on how the min/process plant would operate, recoveries, metal to be produced and potential sales values. The PEA would include an outline mine plan and information on pre-production Capex, LoM sustaining capital, mine life and cash flow, as well as details on processing and production methods and rates. Typically PEAs include information on project economics at various metal pricing levels, given that there are several "high value" metals contained in the raw ore. In summary, the PEA will include a discounted cash flow financial model showing economic viability and key financial indicators (e.g. NPV, IRR, payback period, etc) using historic data and following either NI 43-101 or JORC guidelines. Should the PEA prove the Project to be viable, Molten Metals will move towards calculating a resource estimate on the whole property which, once finalised, will allow the Company to apply for a mining license. About DMT With its roots dating back to 1737, DMT is a Tier 1, global engineering services and consultancy group with the aim of assessing the veracity and viability of mining and processing activities, and ultimately improving mine safety. Today DMT has engineering and consulting companies on six continents, and is focused on mining, plant and process engineering, infrastructure and civil engineering, and natural resources in general. Today DMT is the fulcrum of TUV NORD GROUP's minerals resources assets, has numerous officially recognised expert bodies and established working relationships with most of the accredited test laboratories, and employs more than 1,000 recognised experts globally. The DMT Group has engineering as a core competence which is ably assisted by the natural resources consulting group based out of Essen in Germany. About Molten Metals Corp Molten Metals Corp. is a mining company exploring for and developing antimony projects. Antimony is a critical element with many industrial applications. For further information, please refer to the Company's disclosure record on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) or contact the Company by email at brooklyn@moltenmetalscorp.com or by telephone at 778.918.2261. For Additional Information Please Contact Brooklyn Reed for general information on Molten Metals Corporate Secretary Molten Metals Corp. 778.918.2261 Email: brooklyn@moltenmetalscorp.com Hugh Oswald to participate in the Private Placement Non-Executive Director Molten Metals Corp. 604.838.2855 Email: hugh@nobocap.com Forward-Looking Information Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "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 "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although Molten Metals believes that the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not a guarantee 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 market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, weather, 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. Disclaimer This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described in this news release in the United States. Such 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, accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States, or to or for the account or benefit of persons in the United States or "U.S. Persons", as such term is 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 pursuant to an exemption from such registration requirements. Copyright (c) 2023 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. Notice of Annual General Meeting NICOSIA, June 1, 2023 - Atalaya Mining plc (AIM:ATYM) announces that it will host its 2023 Annual General Meeting ("AGM") on Wednesday, 28 June 2023 at 11:00 a.m. BST at Hamilton House, 1 Temple Avenue, London EC4Y 0HA. A circular, incorporating the Notice of AGM for 2023, together with forms of proxy, the 2022 Annual Report and other relevant documents are available on the Company's website at www.atalayamining.com. Shareholders on register on 29 May 2023 are eligible to attend the meeting and vote at the AGM and should refer to the voting instructions set out in the Notice of AGM. AGM Webcast Details To ensure that shareholders can follow the proceedings of the AGM without attending in person, the Company will provide access online through the Investor Meet Company platform. However, shareholders should note that online participation will not constitute attendance at the AGM and therefore cannot vote online. Consequently, shareholders are urged to submit their votes via proxy as early as possible. Shareholders who wish to attend the AGM remotely should register by visiting the following link: https://www.investormeetcompany.com/atalaya-mining-plc/register-investor Immediately after the formal business of the AGM, the Company will give a corporate update presentation, which will be made available on the Company's website at www.atalayamining.com and shareholders will have the opportunity to ask questions. Questions can be submitted pre-event via the Investor Meet Company dashboard up until 9:00 a.m. the day before the meeting or at any time during the AGM. Contacts: SEC Newgate UK Elisabeth Cowell / Tom Carnegie / Matthew Elliott +44 20 3757 6882 4C Communications Carina Corbett +44 20 3170 7973 Canaccord Genuity (NOMAD and Joint Broker) Henry Fitzgerald-O'Connor / James Asensio / Thomas Diehl +44 20 7523 8000 BMO Capital Markets (Joint Broker) Tom Rider / Andrew Cameron +44 20 7236 1010 Peel Hunt LLP (Joint Broker) Ross Allister / David McKeown +44 20 7418 8900 About Atalaya Mining Plc Atalaya is an AIM-listed mining and development group which produces copper concentrates and silver by-product at its wholly owned Proyecto Riotinto site in southwest Spain. Atalaya's current operations include the Cerro Colorado open pit mine and a modern 15 Mtpa processing plant, which has the potential to become a centralised processing hub for ore sourced from its wholly owned regional projects around Riotinto that include Proyecto Masa Valverde and Proyecto Riotinto East. In addition, the Group has a phased earn-in agreement for up to 80% ownership of Proyecto Touro, a brownfield copper project in the northwest of Spain, as well as a 99.9% interest in Proyecto Ossa Morena. For further information, visit www.atalayamining.com. 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: Atalaya Mining plc View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/758534/Atalaya-Mining-PLC-Announces-Notice-of-AGM /Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States./ VANCOUVER, June 1, 2023 - Vizsla Copper Corp. (TSXV: VCU) (OTCQB: VCUFF) (FSE: 97E0) ("Vizsla Copper" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the closing of its previously announced marketed best efforts private placement for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $6,002,000 (the "Offering"), including the full exercise of the over-allotment option. The Offering was led by PI Financial Corp. (the "Agent") as sole bookrunner and lead agent. "This financing demonstrates strong interest in great copper and gold projects," commented Craig Parry, Executive Chairman. "Of the critical metals, we think copper is the most important of all - and with a large copper and gold resource base already defined, our shareholders are set to benefit from anticipated increases in metal prices in the years to come. The financing was strongly supported by Inventa Capital and existing shareholders. We are now in great shape to commence our planned 8000m high-impact summer drill campaign at Woodjam where we will be drilling near historic wide, high-grade copper and gold intercepts. We will also begin to test some of the many discrete magnetic anomalies we have identified in an area where the potential for discovery of porphyry mineralization has been demonstrated. Investors can expect strong news flow through the second half of the year as we drill on the this highly-prospective property." In connection with the Offering, the Company issued 9,100,000 units (the "Units") at a price of $0.22 per Unit for gross proceeds of $2,002,000, and 16,668,333 flow-through shares (the "FT Shares" and, together with the Units, the "Offered Securities") at a price of $0.24 per FT Share for gross proceeds of approximately $4,000,400. Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company (each, a "Share") and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole such common share purchase warrant, a "Warrant"). Each whole Warrant shall be exercisable into one additional Share (a "Warrant Share") for a period of 24 months following the closing of the Offering at an exercise price of $0.30 per Warrant Share. The net proceeds raised from the Units will be used to fund the ongoing advancement of exploration and development at the Company's exploration projects in British Columbia, and for working capital and general corporate purposes. Each FT Share qualifies as a "flow-through share" within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Tax Act"). The gross proceeds from the sale of the FT Shares will be used before 2025 by the Company to incur eligible "Canadian exploration expenses" that will qualify as "flow-through mining expenditures" as such terms are defined in the Tax Act (the "Qualifying Expenditures") related to the Company's mineral exploration projects in British Columbia, Canada. All Qualifying Expenditures will be renounced in favour of the subscribers of the FT Shares effective December 31, 2023. In connection with the Offering, the Company paid the Agent a cash commission of $330,144 and issued 1,421,050 compensation options of the Company (the "Compensation Options") to the Agent. Each Compensation Option entitles the Agent to purchase one Share at an exercise price of $0.22 per Share for a period of 24 months following the closing of the Offering. The Offered Securities are subject to a four-month and one day hold period under applicable Canadian securities laws. Closing of the Offering is subject to final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Directors and officers of the Company subscribed for an aggregate of 2,125,200 FT Shares and 45,500 Units for gross proceeds of $520,058 under the Offering. Participation by insiders of the Company in the Offering constitutes a related-party transaction as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The issuance of securities is exempt from the formal valuation requirements of Section 5.4 of MI 61-101 pursuant to Subsection 5.5(b) of MI 61-101 as the common shares of the Company are listed on the TSX-V. The issuance of securities is also exempt from the minority approval requirements of Section 5.6 of MI 61-101 pursuant to Subsection 5.7(1)(b) of MI 61-101 as the fair market value was less than $2,500,000. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. About Vizsla Copper Vizsla Copper is a Cu-Au-Mo mineral exploration and development company headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. The Company is focused on its flagship Woodjam Project, located within the prolific Quesnel terrane, 55 kilometers east of the community of Williams Lake, British Columbia. It has two additional copper exploration properties, the Blueberry and Carruthers Pass projects, and has recently entered into an agreement to acquire a third, the Redgold project, all of which are well situated amongst significant infrastructure in British Columbia. The Company will grow through the exploration and development of the copper properties within its portfolio in addition to value accretive acquisitions. Vizsla Copper's vision is to be a responsible copper explorer and developer in the stable mining jurisdiction of British Columbia, Canada and is committed to socially responsible exploration and development, working safely, ethically and with integrity. Vizsla Copper is a spin-out of Vizsla Silver Corp. (TSX.V: VZLA) (NYSE: VZLA) and is backed by Inventa Capital Corp., a premier investment group founded in 2017 with the goal of discovering and funding opportunities in the resource sector. Additional information about the Company is available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and the Company's website (www.vizslacopper.com). Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. "Forward-looking information" includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, including, without limitation, planned exploration activities. Generally, but not always, forward-looking information and statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or the negative connotation thereof 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" or the negative connotation thereof. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, among others, statements relating to: obtaining the required regulatory approvals; the intended use of proceeds of the Offering; the incurrence of Qualifying Expenditures and the renouncement of such expenditures; exploration and development of the Company's properties; and the Company's growth and business strategies. Such forward-looking information and statements are based on numerous assumptions, including among others, that the results of planned exploration activities are as anticipated, the anticipated cost of planned exploration activities, 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, that third party contractors, equipment and supplies and governmental and other approvals required to conduct the Company's planned exploration activities will be available on reasonable terms and in a timely manner. Although the assumptions made by the Company in providing forward-looking information or making forward-looking statements are considered reasonable by management at the time, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking information and statements also involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual events or results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future events or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking information or statements, including, among others: negative operating cash flow and dependence on third party financing, uncertainty of additional financing, no known mineral reserves or resources, the limited operating history of the Company, the influence of a large shareholder, aboriginal title and consultation issues, reliance on key management and other personnel, actual results of exploration activities being different than anticipated, changes in exploration programs based upon results, availability of third party contractors, availability of equipment and supplies, failure of equipment to operate as anticipated; accidents, effects of weather and other natural phenomena and other risks associated with the mineral exploration industry, environmental risks, changes in laws and regulations, community relations and delays in obtaining governmental or other approvals. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information or implied by 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 forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or reissue forward-looking information as a result of new information or events except as required by applicable securities laws. SOURCE Vizsla Copper Corp. BacTech Engages Moody's to Provide Green Bond Accreditation for Gold Recovery Plant Funding TORONTO, June 1, 2023 - BacTech Environmental Corp. (CSE:BAC), (OTC:BCCEF), (FSE:0BT1) ("BacTech" or the "Company"), a commercially proven environmental technology company delivering eco-friendly bioleaching and remediation solutions for precious metal and critical mineral recovery, today announced that President Guillermo Lasso of Ecuador has issued Decree No. 754 related to the Reform of the Regulations to the Organic Environmental Code, which regulates the Social Participation Process for Environmental Consultation in the Environmental Regularization Process ("the Consultation Process"). As previously communicated, this is the final major permit required to approve the Company's planned project in Tenguel, Ecuador. Upon completion, the facility is expected to be the largest and most efficient bioleaching plant in South America using naturally occurring bacteria, harmless to both humans and the environment, to treat gold and base metal concentrates along with toxic tailings created through local mining operations. BacTech was granted its Environmental Impact Study Permit in September 2022, further illustrating the government's commitment to the launch of this important project. "We have waited patiently for this day to happen," said Ross Orr, President, and CEO of BacTech. "The Company is fully prepped and highly confident that the local community will formally welcome BacTech's pursuits for several reasons. First, Ecuadorian law dictates that employees will share in a bonus pool equal to 15% of the after-tax income of the project. Our bankable Feasibility Study numbers, adjusted to current gold prices, confirm that future BacTech plant will see their pay grow substantially over their current farming wages. Secondly, the Tenguel plant will be built with ESG governing principles in mind, mitigating all potential disturbances emanating from the bioleach plant. And most importantly, unlike most other companies that have been waiting for this consultation process to be finalized, BacTech plans to introduce environmentally friendly bioleaching and remediation solutions that have captured the attention of key officials and community leaders. We are set up to succeed and believe we'll benefit from an expedited final permitting process." In addition, the Company also announces it has selected Moody's to provide third-party verification of BacTech as qualified Green Bond issuer. Moody's provides investors with a comprehensive view of global debt markets through credit ratings and research. Toronto-based Sequestr, a company recently announced by BacTech providing ESG-based market infrastructure, continues to assemble the appropriate data for Moody's evaluation. Finally, BacTech announces the closing of a small 2nd tranche of its recent placement for $20,000. The offering consists of a common share and a common share purchase warrant that allows the holder to purchase an additional common share at $0.12 for a period of two years from closing. The unit is priced at $0.08. About the Tenguel - Ponce Enriquez Bioleaching Project BacTech is planning to build a new owner-operated bioleaching facility in Tenguel, Ecuador, in a region where arsenic is associated with sulphide gold ore (Arsenopyrite). The Company's plan is to build a 50 tpd bioleach plant capable of treating high gold/arsenic material. A 50 tpd plant, processing feed of 1.75 ounces of gold per tonne, similar to feeds available to the Company from local miners, would produce approximately 31,000 ounces per year. Plant designs are modular and can be expanded without affecting ongoing production. The total concentrate market in the Ponce Enriquez area is estimated to be between 200 and 250 tonnes per day, allowing for increased throughput potential with a larger plant. BacTech has signed an agreement with the government to build a Phase 2 plant that would see the addition of 150-200 tpd of capacity capable of producing in excess of 100,000 ounces per annum. Key economic highlights, assuming a base gold price @ $1,600 per ounce: Pre-tax NPV (Net Present Value with 5% discount rate) of $60.7M Pre-tax IRR (Internal Rate of Return) of 57.9% Annual Gold Production of 30, 900 ounces Capital Cost of $17.0M Bioleach Operating Cost of $212 per tonne Pre-tax Earnings Prior to Employee Bonus - $10.9M annually Estimated local employee bonus pool - $1.64M In total, there are over 100 small mines operating in the area. BacTech continues to investigate the prospects of establishing additional modern bioleaching facilities across other areas of Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia. Where possible, the Company will partner with national and local governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and others to assist with the funding of these projects and ensure that they meet the Company's high expectations not only for environmental standards, but also for the highest standards in all ESG considerations. About BacTech Environmental Corporation BacTech Environmental Corp. is a company that specializes in environmental technology. We use a process called bioleaching to recover metals like gold, silver, cobalt, nickel, and copper, while also safely removing harmful contaminants like arsenic. This process is eco-friendly and uses naturally occurring bacteria that are safe for both humans and the environment. By using our proprietary method of bioleaching, we are able to neutralize toxic concentrates and tailings while also creating profitable opportunities. The company is publicly traded on several stock exchanges, including the CSE, OTCQB, and Frankfurt Stock Exchange. For further information contact: Ross Orr President & CEO, BacTech Environmental Corp. 416-813-0303 ext. 222, Email: borr@bactechgreen.com Website: https://bactechgreen.com/ Investor Presentation: https://bactechgreen.com/investors/ Follow us on: Facebook http://www.facebook.com/BacTechGreen Twitter http://twitter.com/BacTechGreen LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/company/1613873 Vimeo http://vimeo.com/bactechgreen YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBgXr3ej2_BMOtoeFoKIgEg (1) "Green Bond Growth to Return in 2023," Markets 360, BNP Paribus, February 7, 2023 https://globalmarkets.cib.bnpparibas/green-bond-growth-to-return-in-2023/ Disclaimer: Stated goals of raising US$20 million to finance planned construction of the project in no way guarantees process approval. Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking information", which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to future tailings sites, sampling or other investigations of tailing sites, the Company's ability to make use of infrastructure around tailings sites or operating performance of the Company and its projects. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified using words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and the Company disclaims, other than as required by law, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether because of new information, results, future events, circumstances, or if management's estimates or opinions should change, or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of the contents of this release. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the shares, nor is it a solicitation of interest from a prospective investor. Copyright (c) 2023 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. /NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/ TSX: TML OTCQX: TSRMF TORONTO, June 1, 2023 - Treasury Metals Inc. (TSX: TML) (OTCQX: TSRMF) ("Treasury" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced non-brokered private placement (the "Offering"), raising gross proceeds of approximately $1.41 million through the issuance of 3.11 million common shares ("FT Shares") at a price of $0.452 per FT Share which qualify as "flow-through shares" with respect to "Canadian exploration expenses" within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "ITA"). The gross proceeds raised from the Offering will be used by the Company to fund exploration programs related to the Company's projects that qualify as "Canadian exploration expenses" and "flow-through mining expenditures" (as those terms are defined in the ITA) (the "Qualifying Expenditures"). All Qualifying Expenditures will be renounced in favour of the subscribers of the FT Shares effective no later than December 31, 2023. The Offering is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals, including the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange and any applicable securities regulatory authorities. All securities issued in connection with the Offering will be subject to a four-month and one day hold period in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities to be offered have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, U.S. Securities Act or under 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, U.S. persons, absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. About Treasury Metals Inc. Treasury Metals Inc. is a gold-focused company with assets in Canada. Treasury's Goliath Gold Complex, which includes the Goliath, Goldlund and Miller deposits, is located in Northwestern Ontario. The deposits benefit substantially from excellent access to the Trans-Canada Highway, related power and rail infrastructure and close proximity to several communities, including Dryden, Ontario. The Company also owns several other projects throughout Canada, including the Weebigee-Sandy Lake Gold Project JV, and grassroots gold exploration property Gold Rock. Treasury is committed to inclusive, informed and meaningful dialogue with regional communities and Indigenous Nations throughout the life of all our Projects and on all aspects, including creating sustainable economic opportunities, providing safe workplaces, enhancing of social value and promoting community well-being. To view further details about Treasury, please visit the Company's website at www.treasurymetals.com. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, forward-looking statements") within the meaning of Canadian and United States securities legislation that is based on expectations, estimates, projections and interpretations as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves predictions, expectations, interpretations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often, but not always, using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "interpreted", "management's view", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "potential", "feasibility", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information and are intended to identify forward-looking information. Since forward-looking information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. These include, but are not limited to, exploration and production for precious metals; delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures; the uncertainty of resource estimates; health, safety and environmental risks; worldwide demand for gold and base metals; gold price and other commodity price and exchange rate fluctuations; environmental risks; competition; incorrect assessment of the value of acquisitions; ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources; and changes in legislation, including but not limited to tax laws, royalties and environmental regulations. Actual results, performance or achievement could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward-looking information and, accordingly, no assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking information will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits may be derived therefrom and accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking information. SOURCE Treasury Metals Inc. Rival Formula 1 teams are "dismayed" as much as they are excited about the details of dominant Red Bull's newly-revealed car floor. At Monaco, the underbody of Mercedes' 2023 car was also revealed to scores of photographers when a crane lifted it up. "Red Bull will certainly have been more annoyed than us because they have more to reveal than we do," said Mercedes' Toto Wolff. "If you want to copy our floor, I say 'go for it!'" Indeed, the behind-the-scenes buzz is that Red Bull's rivals are fascinated with the complexity and intricacy of the floor but also the blackened colouring of the plank - indicating the extent to which the car touches the ground. "There must be one or more clever aerodynamic and mechanical tricks going on," Auto Motor und Sport correspondent Andreas Haupt said. Dr Helmut Marko is confident Red Bull's rivals do not understand those secrets. "The floor is very important," he said, "but if you don't have an understanding of the other parts, copying is extremely difficult." Williams' performance boss Dave Robson agrees. "I took a quick look at the floor of the Red Bull," he admits. "It's so complex and curved that you can hardly draw any conclusions with two-dimensional photos, because it also depends on how the light falls." F1 correspondent Haupt, however, thinks Red Bull's rivals will actually be more concerned than confused. "We hear that the competitors are somewhat dismayed at how much further along and how much more complicated the underbody of the Red Bull is," he said. (GMM) Gunther Steiner says he regrets one insult hurled at axed Haas driver Mick Schumacher. The small American team's boss insists he has no regrets about replacing the struggling 24-year-old with his older and more experienced fellow German Nico Hulkenberg. "After the first race it was clear that it was the right decision for the team," Steiner told Sport Bild. "He brings a lot of experience and stability with him. Everyone here was enthusiastic about it, nobody was negative. "He (Hulkenberg) immediately got along with his engineers and mechanics. He works hard but is also easygoing." To keep his F1 career alive, Schumacher became Mercedes' official reserve driver this year and he will get his first taste of the 2023 car in the post-Spanish GP Pirelli tyre test. What Steiner does regret, however, is a particular phrase he used earlier this year to justify Schumacher's axe. "You cannot beat up a dead horse," he said in March. Given the fact that Mick's family has a horse ranch in Texas, and given Michael Schumacher's grave health situation, Steiner admits it was insensitive. "It's a saying in America," he told the German magazine. "But I didn't want to say that Mick was dead or something. That was perhaps a clumsy statement because the German translation was far too harsh and direct. "I should have put it differently. I didn't think about it at the time because for me it was a statement that you make when you speak English openly." However, he also insisted that directness is simply in his nature. "If you know me, you have to deal with it," said Steiner. "Mick never spoke to me about it. It was also driven from the outside to put me down. "But I didn't sleep badly because of it." Steiner admits that he has barely spoken with Mick at all since their split. "We've said hello in the paddock as we came in," he revealed. "For sure I'll speak to him if the opportunity arises. Sometimes you have to wait a bit. "Personally, I have no problem with the boy. The relationship was made out to be worse than it was. Maybe it wasn't fantastic but it definitely wasn't bad. "If you criticise me, it doesn't bother me. I live with it, draw my conclusions and do what I want to do." (GMM) Two former Formula 1 drivers have added their scepticism to rumours Lewis Hamilton might consider a switch to Ferrari for 2024. All involved parties, including Mercedes' Toto Wolff, stridently denied the speculation in Monaco - but that is generally the nature of the 'silly season'. However, long-time Ferrari test driver and ambassador Marc Gene also doesn't believe it. "I am not the one who decides the drivers," the 49-year-old Spaniard told Diario Sport newspaper. "But knowing the Scuderia today, it does not fit the philosophy. I see him ending his career at Mercedes," Gene added. Also not believing the rumours is former Swiss F1 driver Marc Surer. "I don't think this would be a step forward for Hamilton, so I think he will continue to distance himself from these rumours," he told formel1.de. (GMM) Fan Milk Plc posts huge loss last year Share price plummets, no dividend to shareholders Charles Benoni Okine Business News Jun - 01 - 2023 , 07:28 Fan Milk Plc Limited faced a difficult 2022 financial year as the companys financials and share performance on the local bourse suffered significantly. From a net loss position of GH13.4 million at the end of the year 2021, the company, once the toast in the market, posted another loss of GH41.6 million in the year under review. The amount is thrice more than that of the previous year. The price of the companys shares also suffered a major hit after it fell on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) at the end of last year. It dropped by a whopping 25 per cent from GH4.00 in January 2022 to GH3.00 per share on December 31, 2022. Dividend As a result of the challenging financial position, the expectation of shareholders to have some dividend paid to them for their investment in the company was dashed as the directors failed to recommend any such payment for the year ended December 31, 2022. Net assets According to the companys financial statement posted by the GSE, Fan Milk Plc at its 62nd Annual General Meeting also saw the net assets of the company decrease from GH 246.7 million as at December 31, 2021, to GH205.1 million as at December 31, 2022. Capital expenditure During the year under review, the company also reduced its capital expenditure from the 2021 figure of GH47.19 million to just GH11.704 million. The amount, which is also more than three times less than the previous, was spent on acquiring additional intangible assets and property, plant and equipment to support the companys troubled operations. Portfolio & product innovation With regard to its portfolio and products innovation, the Managing Director of Fan Milk Ghana, Ziobeieton Yeo, in his annual report, said at the onset of the year 2022, Our business was invigorated by our unwavering mission to promote good health through food, with a view to reaching as many individuals as possible. He said throughout the remaining months of the year, the company continued to strengthen its core pouch business while executing its flagship programme, the FanMilk Schools caravan, which had been dedicated to promoting healthy snacking and sanitation. This educational initiative reached 200,000 schoolchildren and resulted in the collection of one million plastic wrappers. Customer service development Mr Yeo said the companys distribution network continued to serve as a critical component of its growth strategy, as it enabled it to fulfil its commitment to making its brands widely available throughout the country. Last year, we made significant investments in forging stronger partnerships to promote growth, and we continue to capitalise on our unique RTM, which is made up of 29 key distributors and over 800 agents. As a performance-oriented business, we incentivised 406 agents and key distributors (KDs) through the 2022 Akyede Kese Reloaded Promo to encourage trade partners to increase sales while investing in their businesses. Operating and financial review By way of financial review, Mr Yeo said Fan Milk Plc's financial results for the year ended December 31, 2022, showed a growth in revenue of about 15 per cent but noted that despite that achievement, the company posted a net loss of GH41.6 million. Cash and cash equivalents declined from GH65.6 million in 2021 to GH61.3 million in 2022. The drop, Mr Yeo attributed to the operational loss recorded in the year. By way of investment, he said the company continued to invest in its priority areas. He said within the year under review, the companys investment of GH11.7 million covered the biomass boiler, sales equipment and IT/IS infrastructure. Optimism Despite the serious challenges, Mr Yeo was optimistic about the future of the company and pledged the commitment of the company to continue working closely with local communities to create sustainable development projects that benefit all. I would like to thank each one of you for your continued support of FanMilk, he said, adding: Together, we have achieved great success, and I have no doubt that we will continue to do so in the years to come. Lets continue to innovate, grow and have some fun along the way. Graphic Business-Access Bank SME Fair & Clinic in Kumasi today Graphic Business Business News Jun - 01 - 2023 , 06:13 The Ashanti Region edition of the Graphic Business/ Access Bank SME Fair and Clinic comes off today at the Prempeh Assembly Hall Grounds. The three-day fair is being held on the theme: Running Sustainable Businesses in a Challenging Economic Landscape. Activities lined up for the fair include a public lecture, exhibition, sales and a networking opportunity for participants. Participants would also be trained in cyber security to sensitise them to be conscious of their safety while running their businesses. Access Bank would also offer business advisory services, training and loan facilities to the participants as part of efforts to address their financial challenges that hinder their growth. SMEs who would participate in the fair would also be introduced to digital technology and digital solutions. In an interview ahead of the fair, the Head of the SME and Support Unit of Access Bank Ghana, Eugenia Addo, said the bank had built the capacity of more than 160,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through the Graphic Business/ Access Bank SME Clinic. Out of the number, 10,000 SMEs received access to finances through the banks instant business loan facility where more than GH50 million has been dispensed since 2019. Beneficiaries have received up to GHc200,000 to be repaid over a three-month grace period, with most of them renewing the loan agreements. The bank, in line with its commitment to be the number one go-to SME Bank in the country, has over the last three years embarked on a capacity-building drive by organising workshops for SMEs across the country. Engagements Ms Addo said the plan was to reach every small and medium-scale enterprise across the country through the provision of financing solutions, training and building of capacity. So far, she said the bank had held engagement for SMEs in nine regions across the country with the target to reach operators in major business hubs, including Tamale, Techiman, Accra, Kasoa and Cape Coast. Since 2020, Ms Addo said, the bank had collaborated with the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) to support the growth of operators in the SMEs sector even though we have been doing business with them in the past, we decided to focus specifically on SMEs. She said the partnership with Graphic was strategic because of the leverage Graphic has. Graphic has a wide reach and because we wanted to reach every SME across every corner of the country, we realised we could get the message about the solutions we have to every SME no matter where they are. The collaboration with the GCGL, Ms Addo added, had propelled the bank to receive five awards and recognitions from both local and international establishments, including the Most Innovative SME bank and Best SME credit bank. The focus on SMEs, she further explained, was based on the realisation that there were a lot of opportunities in that sector as they were the largest contributor to the nation's GDP and the backbone of economic activity and employment. We did not given them much attention in times past, she said, adding that the bank projects to control 30 per cent of the SME sector market share through solutions that it had developed to help them to become successful in their businesses. Fan tells Delay to join Alpha hour if she wants to have a baby Gifty Owusu-Amoah Showbiz News Jun - 01 - 2023 , 20:10 A fan of popular media personality and entrepreneur, Deloris Frimpong Manso popularly known as Delay, has encouraged her to join Alpha Hour, an online prayer session, if she wants to have a baby. Alpha Hour is a one hour prayer session held online on social media on a daily basis. It has gradually become popular among many Ghanaians who join the session at midnight on weekdays. The fan by name Priscilla Abena Empres made the suggestion in the comment section of a Facebook post by Delay which reads, I want to have a baby. You'll definitely have babies in Jesus Mighty Name. There's nothing God cannot do. Join Alpha Hour and you'll have testimony soon , she posted Apart from Priscilla, a number of her followers commented under the said post suggesting other ways she could have a baby. Franlyn Nii Dodoo Dicardi Nelson wrote, Without much delay, Delay you can. Not just a baby but twins; a handsome boy and a pretty little girl. This is not the first time Delay has expressed a desire to have a baby on social media. She brought it up last year among some of the many things she endured on her career path. Unlike many female celebs who freely enjoyed massive support at their early stages, Delay had mentioned in an interview in November 2022 that she didnt have such privilege. According to her, she fought for the fame she is currently enjoying and confidently sang her praises that nobody could take the prestige from her. There are people who come and Ghanaians decide to show them all the love and fully support the person. In my case, I didnt have that kind of love and support. Nobody handed fame over to me. I have become Delay because Im talented and hardworking. From beginning, I thought people hated me but Ive come to understand that it was a phase I needed to go through to strengthen me. I fought and I went for it so no one can take it away from me, she said. New articles Disturbing neighbours with loud prayers not Christ like-Diana Hopeson Marriage is still a beautiful thing divorced actor Nedu says Tina Turner's husband who donated his kidney to her expected to receive half of $250million fortune Latif Abubakar, Spanish Embassy thrill audience with 'Life is a dream' GraphicOnline Showbiz News May - 31 - 2023 , 18:14 Following a successful partnership with the Spanish Embassy that saw the adaptation of the first Spanish play into an Afrocentric version last year, Ghanaian Playwright Latif Abubakar has again adapted another Spanish play that drew huge patronage over the weekend. Fused with suspense, dance, educational pieces, and a blend of rich Gonja culture, the play, 'Life is a dream' which is an adaptation of a Spanish script by Pedro Calderon de la Barca had its setting in Gonjaland. The audience who were left in awe could not help but applaud in excitement as they were treated to a buffet of drama, music and laughter, with each scene and act leaving them in suspense. Synopsis The play tells the story of Prince Tijani who had been imprisoned in a tower by his father, King Abdullah, following a prophecy that he would bring disaster to the Kingdom and ultimately the death of the King. The plot which started with murmuring from Prince Tijani, who had been locked up in the tower since birth, as he recounts events of the last 30 years, wondering what exactly he had been imprisoned for, continued with him being released from prison to rule over Gonjaland as his father, King Abdullah waits with bated breath to see if the prophecy would be fulfilled. The play focused on morality, honour and vengeance, and centred on conflict between freewill and fate, and the restoration of one's honour. Featuring veteran actor, Ecow Smith Asante, Bright Kekeli Jefferson, Pearl Darkey, OB Black, Kofi Boakye, Abraham Macpratt Dadzie and Ghana Most Beautiful Winner 2020, Naa Deede Botchwey, it explored escaping from life's confusion to awareness of reality and self-knowledge as well as the deepest mysteries of human experience. Huge patronage Birthed in 1635 and performed on almost all stages in Europe, the play is being adapted to a Ghanaian and Afrocentric stage play for the first time drew huge patronage that saw the conference centre filled to capacity for all four shows. Projecting Ghana's theatre Celebrated Playwright and Chief Executive Officer of Globe Productions, Latif Abubakar revealed that his partnership with the Spanish Embassy does not only focus on deepening the Spain-Ghana relationship beyond traditional trade to arts and culture, but also aims at projecting Ghanas theatre industry to the world. "This partnership would again set Ghana on the world stage," he said. Describing the production as an honour, Mr Latif Abubakar who is adapting a Spanish play for a second consecutive time said, he was honoured to produce an Afrocentric version of the play in the country and on the continent for the first time. Growing collaboration Commending Mr Abubakar for embarking on this project, the Spanish Ambassador to Ghana, Javier Gutierrez indicated that, the play among other things, sends a strong message of always striving for goodness, whether asleep or awake. He said the play highlighted the growing collaboration between Ghana and Spain in the arts and cultural sector, adding that, the Spain-Ghana relationship goes beyond traditional trade to arts and culture. "Life is a dream" is in partnership with the Spanish Embassy, M&C Group, Spain-Ghana Chamber of Commerce, The Second Coming of Nkrumah, and supported by Graphic Communications Group Limited and Multimedia Group Limited. Marriage is still a beautiful thing divorced actor Nedu says Graphic Showbiz Showbiz News Jun - 01 - 2023 , 14:30 Nollywood actor and media personality, Chinedu Ani Emmanuel, popularly known as Nedu has cautioned singles to avoid falling for the lie propagated on social media that marriages are no longer successful. The actor urged people not to be deceived by the negative portrayal of marriage on social media by reminding them that it did not accurately reflect the real potential and success of marriage. Nedu, who was in a contentious divorce last year and accused his ex-wife of adultery and paternity fraud held that people who have failed in their marriages tend to speak out the loudest and that many people in successful marriages would like to keep their relationship private. Nedu's activism was motivated by Teddy A, a guest on the recent episode of his audiovisual podcast The Honest Bunch who shared his happy love story with his wife and reiterated his belief that marriages still functioned in modern society. This is me telling you guys that marriage works. Dont be deceived by what you see on social media. On social media, the voice of the ones that dont work is the loudest. The many that work, they want to keep it private because na wetin person know na e he dey spoil. He emphasised that many happy marriages exist, but that they are not publicised because of individual preference. Read also: Tina Turner's husband who donated his kidney to her expected to receive half of $250million fortune Men and menses: scaling the fences Derek Tagoe Opinion Jun - 01 - 2023 , 06:31 My earliest encounter with menstruation as a young boy came while I was in primary school. A female classmate who was late to school was punished with two strokes of the cane on her backside. Seconds later, she soiled herself with blood and quickly, she was whisked away from the pandemonium that had started. Our teachers came back to tell us she was alright and was being catered for. There was no mention of what had happened to her, only that she had changed schools. Months later, we heard she had her 'period' while she was being caned and felt ashamed coming back to school. That experience stayed with me and left me rather confused. For as long as we have known, men (both young and old) have always had a complicated understanding of menstruation, or what we term "women's period'. It is a narrative that is not only surprising but also outdated and must give way to a more progressive understanding of what this natural cycle is all about. We must change the narrative. While considerable progress is being made to change the male perspective on womens menstrual health and hygiene, there is a need to make a concerted effort to ensure this narrative is totally revamped. Men and menses The result of the prevailing status quo is this: most women, especially young girls, are left to themselves with no support during their monthly period because the whole conversation of menstruation is shrouded in secrecy and, in most cases, between mother and daughter, without recourse to men. On the other hand, I have encountered some young men who also feel that issues around menstruation or periods are private matters and that an attempt to discuss them in public or create awareness of them constitutes an invasion of privacy. We see this line of thought displayed in how males treat their female partners during their menstruation. This is as absurd as it can get; if for nothing else, it is imperative that men take a keen interest in the menstrual cycles of their partners. Taboo & myths In our own local setting, the situation is no different. In a typical Akan traditional setting, conversations related to menstruation and menstrual hygiene are less spoken about in public. In most cases, euphemisms, which are often negative, have been employed to cover up such conversations. In his seminal work, Menstruation as a Verbal Taboo among the Akan of Ghana, K. Agyekum (2002) notes that, "the use of euphemisms that portray the negative aspects of menstruation makes Akan women feel bad and suppressed and somewhat elevates the status of men. In contrast, the "positive" euphemisms reflect the role and value of women in society. In schools and some homes, conversations around menstruation are relegated to the 'backroom', between mother and daughter. The male members of the family are left out altogether because it is not considered an issue for men. In my case, although I had witnessed a schoolmate's uniform soiled with blood in primary school, I had no knowledge of what menstruation was until I was in senior secondary school. I recollect that during one of our reproductive health lessons in primary school, there was a brief mention of 'period' by my tutor, and that was it. Perhaps men show little interest in these matters because there is no deliberate attempt to carry them along in such situations. In our schools, conversations on menstruation should go beyond surface tutoring to in-depth knowledge of menstruation. The curriculum must be expanded, redefined to reflect new trends and information on menstruation and menstrual hygiene management. Once we demystify it; we create an environment where everyone is comfortable discussing the matter, and that ensures girls are comfortable seeking help when they are in distress during this period. To expand this conversation and increase awareness, the workplace must be employed as a medium to disseminate information on menstruation. Forums such as employee town hall meetings, seminars, webinars, and staff meetings can be strategically used for an open discussion on the matter. The home is the first point of socialisation for everyone of us; it is the most common and surest place where perceptions and opinions are created. The nuanced conversation around menstruation can also be traced to our homes; if the narrative should change, it must begin from there. The church, mosque, or temple are sacred places; however, such a platform can be instrumental in helping society accept and destigmatise issues around menstruation and menstrual hygiene management. Commemorating World Menstrual Hygiene Day on May 28, show that the fences must come down just like new knowledge and interest brought down the Berlin Wall. We are not protecting the privacy of women. The fences are only abstract, an imagination in our minds, and with the right information and understanding, they will come crushing down. AHOY is celebrating this years world Menstrual Hygiene Day by breaking the fences. The writer is a Senior Manager, AHOY Adapt to changing trends in education - Dr Yayra Dzakadzie Daniel Kenu Education Jun - 01 - 2023 , 13:29 The Director of Tertiary Education at the Ministry of Education, Dr Yayra Dzakadzie, has urged new graduates from the colleges of education to adapt to the changing trends in the industry in order to remain relevant in transforming Ghana. He said education worldwide was going through a new phase hinged on technology and critical thinking beyond just textbooks. Dr. Dzakadzie gave the advice at this year's graduation ceremony of the Agogo Presbyterian Womens College of Education (APWCE) at Agogo last Friday. Graduates A total of 363 students graduated from the college out of which 146 were awarded bachelor's degrees in primary education and 217 with bachelors degrees in junior high school education. Dr Dzakadzie said the new era calls for realignment and serious adjustment in the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge. He called on the graduates to pursue academic excellence through discipline. The Director of Tertiary Education urged them to be humble, innovative, disciplined and to work hard, saying "The world requires these qualities at all levels of engagements." He implored them to make effective use of the knowledge and skills acquired so they could navigate life with ease and bring about the change the world had been yearning for. Dr Dzakadzie assured colleges of education of the government's continual funding support to expand infrastructure to meet international standards. Principal The Principal of APWCE, Rev. Dr. Mrs Grace Sintim Adasi, congratulated students as well as parents and guardians for their dedication and sacrifice in churning out the graduates. She urged graduates to be the catalyst of change, advocate for equitable access to quality education and be a voice for those whose voices have been marginalised. Rev Dr Mrs Adasi charged them to be committed and determined to face any challenge with confidence and aspire for greater heights. She said although there have been works done in the college to improve teaching and learning a lot more needed to be done. Appeal The principal pleaded with the government and stakeholders to assist tile the school's roads, building hostels, science and ICT labs, and library, purchase of a standby generator and a school bus. Also, following the fact that a portion of the school's land has been encroached on, she appealed for help to fence the facility. Discipline A representative from the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Rev. Prof Seth Asare Danso, emphasised the need for graduates to be disciplined anywhere they find themselves and enforce discipline wherever they go. He urged them to add value to their training in order to be competitive in the job market. Lets focus on critical thinking instead of rote learning Former MP Delali Sika & Yaa Kuffour Senyah Education Jun - 01 - 2023 , 07:23 The Association International School has marked its 60th anniversary with a call on stakeholders to build the education system on critical thinking rather than learning by rote to make the products suitable for leadership and agents of change. The school, which, for the last 60 years, has trained thousands of responsible personalities in society, including motivational speaker and business executive, Comfort Ocran; the founder of Ashesi University, Dr Patrick Awuah, and the former Commissioner of Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Lauretta Vivian Lamptey, marked the anniversary with a durbar that attracted many high-ranking personalities. The dignitaries included the aspiring flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party(NPP), Alan Kyerematen; the Deputy Minister of Education, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour; the Deputy Majority Leader, Alex Afenyo Markin; the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Brian Acheampong; a broadcaster, Oheneyere Gifti Anti, parents and alumni, among others. Critical thinking A former NPP Member of Parliament for Twifo Atti Morkwa in the Central Region, Abraham Dwuma Odoom, who made the call, expressed the need for the content of the education system to be built on critical thinking rather than on remembrance if we want the children to take up leadership positions and be agents of change. At the anniversary launch, he explained that the style of education of the country was mainly for chew and pour purposes, which did not help students think and make practical decisions to build their societies. Hence, changing the methods of teaching and learning to emphasise thinking on issues rather than remembering things will develop innovative minds necessary for development. So, let us endeavour to look at our education in the light of thinking rather than remembrance because that is what we need now as a country, he said. Values Mr Odoom added that the value of education was important; thus, the private sector needed to invest in the field of education as it was currently the engine of growth in the country. "Let us be sincere to ourselves when it comes to the contributions of the private sector to the growth of a country and economy," he said. Anniversary The anniversary, which also marked the Founders Day celebration, was characterised by performances from the students of the school, which included orchestra performances, traditional performances, dance performances and drama. The event was climaxed with the official launch of the anniversary cloth and merchandise, which would be used throughout the year-long celebration. God factor For his part, Mr Markin commended the institution for the strides in building and developing children in a Christ-like manner since its inception. That, he said, was laudable because, in the current global village where children were exposed to a lot of things on social media, institutions needed to centre on instilling good morals, which he said, the school had actively done over the years. Mr Markin, however, urged that children are rightfully invested in to ensure that a responsible generation is churned out to promote and develop the country and the world at large. 86 illegal miners who entered Obuasi mine underground in police custody Graphic.com.gh Jun - 01 - 2023 , 16:02 Eighty-six illegal miners who entered the underground of Obuasi Mine of Anglogold Ashanti in Ghana have been arrested by the police. They were all picked up when they exited the underground through one of the main shafts of the mining company into the waiting arms of the police and security personnel of the biggest gold mining company in Ghana. The suspects are currently in police custody being processed for court. They reportedly entered the underground using unapproved routes. However, the mining company reportedly sealed the unapproved routes and so the illegal miners had no option than to exit through the main shaft. Three of them managed to escape arrest, according to the police. About 38 of them came out first and they were arrested. It first started with seven illegal miners who exited a shaft on Monday (May 29, 2023) and were arrested. The rest did not want to come out so they sent out an alarm that they have been trapped in the underground. This resulted in tension in the gold mining town of Obuasi and resulted in family members of the said suspects massing up in town and staging a protest. Protesters clash with soldiers Heavily armed police and soldiers fired shots to disperse the protesters, amid the crackdown on the illegal miners. Reports then trickled in on Tuesday that hundreds of other miners were trapped underground. The management of the Obuasi Mine responded on Tuesday and said nobody was trapped and that those underground were reluctant to get out, fearing they will be arrested. AngloGold said in a statement on Tuesday that unauthorised persons underground are able to exit. No person underground has been confined in any way and the main exit ramp from the mine remains open, the company said Relatives argued that the illegal miners had been trapped for days without food or water. Dozens who got out were arrested for operating illegally in the area. As of Thursday morning (June 1, 2023), all those who were reportedly underground, said to have been trapped had exited with 86 of them being arrested and placed in police custody. Authorities however said despite the incident, new persons were still sneaking into the underground. The menace of illegal miners sneaking into the underground of the 126-year-old Obuasi Mine is something the mining company has been dealing with over the years. Read also: No one trapped in AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi underground mine - Management Domelevos leave unconstitutional Supreme Court Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson Jun - 01 - 2023 , 06:26 President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo breached the 1992 Constitution when he directed a former Auditor-General, Daniel Yaw Domelevo, to proceed on leave in 2020, the Supreme Court has declared. In a unanimous decision yesterday, a seven-member panel of the apex court also held that it was unconstitutional for the President to have appointed an acting Auditor-General when Mr Domelevo was still in office. We declare the directive by the President appointing an acting Auditor-General when the substantive Auditor-General had not retired or been removed from office purportedly in accordance with Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution as unconstitutional, null and void, the court declared. Unconstitutional directive It was the considered view of the court that the directive by the President for Mr Domelevo to proceed on leave which was contained in a letter dated June 29, 2020 and signed by the Executive Secretary to the President, Nana Bediatuo Asante, violated Articles 70 (1), 187 (7) (a), (12) (13) and 146 of the 1992 Constitution and was, therefore, null and void. Article 70 (1) of the Constitution deals with the power of the President to appoint certain public officers, including the Auditor-General. Article 187 (7) (a) stipulates that the Auditor-General shall not be subject to any control or direction when performing his functions. Article 187 (12) makes it unconstitutional for the salaries, allowances and right of leave of absence of the Auditor-General to be varied to his disadvantage during his tenure in office, while Article 187(13) states that the Auditor-General can only be removed from office per the procedure set out for the removal of Justices of the Superior Court as stipulated in Article 146 of the Constitution. No consequential orders However, the highest court of the land did not issue any consequential orders or put an injunction on the directive of the President as sought by the plaintiffs. It was the considered view of the court that Mr Domelevo had retired and, therefore, such reliefs by the plaintiffs were moot. The court did not immediately give the full reasons for its decision, which it said would be filed at the courts registry by June 21, this year. Justice Nene Amegatcher presided over the seven-member panel, with Justices Prof. Nii Ashie-Kotey, Mariama Owusu, Avril Lovelace- Johnson, Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, Prof. Joy Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu and Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi, as members. The suit culminating in the judgment was filed by nine civil society organisations. They include the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), the Ghana Integrity Initiative, (GII), the Citizen Movement Ghana, the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), and the Parliamentary Network Africa. Others are Penplusbytes, the Media Foundation for West Africa, SEND Ghana, and One Ghana Movement. Background On June 29, 2020, President Akufo-Addo directed Mr Domelevo to proceed on his 123 accumulated leave days from 2017 to 2019, with effect from July 1, that year. Mr Domelevo replied the President in a letter dated July 3, 2020, asking the President to reconsider his decision on the basis that it was unconstitutional and was not in the best interest of the Office of the Auditor-General and the nation at large. In a subsequent reply by the President, signed by Mr Bediatuo on July 4, 2020, the President extended the leave of Mr Domelevo by 44 days by adding the leave days of 2020, bringing the total leave days to 167. After persistent calls by CSOs and other interest groups for the President to reconsider his decision did not materialise, the nine CSOs invoked the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to interpret and enforce the 1992 Constitution. It was the case of the CSOs that the directive by the President for Mr Domelevo to proceed on leave, as well as the appointment of Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu as acting Auditor-General were unconstitutional. The CSOs urged the Supreme Court to declare the two acts as unconstitutional and also put a perpetual injunction to restrain the President from directing Mr Domelevo to proceed on leave, and also to appoint an acting Auditor-General. ECOWAS delegation visits Armed Forces Northern Command Mohammed Fugu Jun - 01 - 2023 , 06:44 A delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has paid a working visit to the Headquarters of Operation Enhanced Kaudanlgou, a multi-national joint task force (MNJTF) at the Northern Command Headquarters of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) to familiarise itself with operations at the command. Member countries Operation Kaudanlgou member countries are Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote D'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Togo. The multi-national task force seeks to incapacitate armed terrorist and organised crime groups operating along the borders of member countries. It also works to prevent a spillover of terrorism activities from the Sahel and transnational organised crime and violent extremism in member countries' border areas. Ghana is expected to deploy about 1,250 troops to support the operations. Support The leader of the delegation, Ambassador Abdul-Fatau Musah, said efforts by member states had been recognised by the regional body and, therefore, was ready to fully support the operations of the task force. He added that the success of their operations would eliminate activities of organised crime and armed terrorist groups who caused harm and destruction in member countries. Commendation The Commander of MNJTF, Major General Michael Amoah Ayisi, expressed appreciation to the delegation for the visit and said it would go a long way to strengthen the operational capabilities of the task force. He emphasised the need for member states to develop the necessary standards of operating procedures and rules of engagement with other protocols to support their operations. The commander also reiterated the need to use more non-kinetic approaches to encourage citizens to volunteer information to help combat threats of terrorism and violent extremism. Vice-President inaugurates House of Chiefs building Gilbert Mawuli Agbey Jun - 01 - 2023 , 08:05 The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has inaugurated the refurbished office building of the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs. The refurbishment, which started in September last year and completed in March this year, was fully funded by the United States Agency for International Developments (USIAD) Office of Transition Initiatives at the cost of $140,000. The support formed part of the United States commitment to promoting community cohesion, peace and stability in Ghana. The renovation works carried out included re-roofing of all the offices, tiling of the floors of all rooms, construction of new places of convenience and drainage works. The rest are fixing of ceiling fans and air conditioners, paving the compound and landscaping. The renovated building is expected to provide a conducive and inclusive space for meetings, work and training for chiefs, queen mothers and technical staff of the facility. The ceremony was graced by the Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Stephen Asamoah Boateng; the Upper East Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu, a member of the Council of State, Tongraan Kugbilsong Nalebetang, among other dignitaries. Not surprised The refurbished office building At the inauguration ceremony in Bolgatanga yesterday, Dr Bawumia commended the chiefs and people who contributed in diverse ways to bring the project to fruition. The Vice-President said he was not surprised about the gesture by the USAID as it was in line with what the agency had been doing across the country over the years, as a way of contributing to Ghanas development. High esteem The Vice-President said the governments worry was chieftaincy- related issues which were being tackled with scarce national resources which could have been channelled into other basic developmental projects. Vice-President Bawumia called for more collaborative efforts towards the prevention and control of conflict in the north. Touching on the unending Bawku conflict, he expressed the hope that the ongoing initiatives taken by the government would help bring lasting peace to Bawku and fast-track the towns development for the benefit of the people. Critical issues For her part, the US Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia E. Palmer, said traditional authorities were the centre of many of Ghanas most critical issues in the areas of justice, peacebuilding, womens empowerment and development. Ms Palmer stated that the renovation of the House of Chiefs facility formed part of efforts between both countries to further solidify the long-lasting friendship. Security under threat She noted that Ghanas security was under threat from forces not too far from the region, indicating our investment shows that we recognise the concerns of the region and that the USA is committed to supporting her partners in Northern Ghana to remain resilient. Old building an eyesore In a welcome address, the President of the House of Chiefs, Pe Ditundini Adiali Ayagitam III, said since 1971, the building of the House of Chiefs had not seen any renovation works, and the dilapidated offices was an eyesore. To tackle the problem, Pe Ayagitam noted that efforts were underway through intense lobbying, leading to the renovation of the offices, saying we wish to thank officials in Ghana and the USA who worked tirelessly to put this great smile on our faces. Pe Ayagitam III, who is also the Paramount Chief of the Chiana Traditional Area, informed the gathering that efforts were in place to settle the protracted Bawku conflict and others before the judicial committee through alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and formal judicial process. KATH suspends 2 doctors for extortion Kwadwo Baffoe Donkor Jun - 01 - 2023 , 06:21 Two doctors of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi have been suspended for extorting money from patients. The two were each given a months suspension without pay. While one has already served his suspension, the other will start from today. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KATH, Professor Otchere Yaw Addai-Mensah, disclosed this yesterday when he paid a courtesy call on the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, at his palace at Manhyia, Kumasi. The visit was to introduce himself and the management of the hospital to the Asantehene since he assumed office six months ago. Discipline Prof. Addai-Mensah told the Asantehene that when he took over the management of the hospital, his first priority was to inject discipline into the work ethics of the facility as part of efforts to make the hospital customer-centred. He noted that some of the clinics were also not starting work on time, thus prolonging the waiting period for patients. The CEO of KATH said with the support of the Board of Directors, measures had been put in place and now all clinics start work at 8 a.m. To ensure proper supervision on holidays and weekends, Prof. Addai-Mensah said directors at the hospital had been scheduled on a roster such that there were always two directors on duty every weekend and on statutory holidays to guarantee seamless flow of work and proper supervision. The CEO further indicated that for six months at the helm of affairs, he had been able to solicit sponsorship to give a facelift to the doctors and nurses flats at KATH and also introduced the Point of Sales (POS) and Mobile Money (MoMo) payment systems to make it easy for patients and their relatives to pay bills. Prof. Addai-Mensah informed the Asantehene, however, that work on the Maternal and Baby Unit and the Sickle Cell and Blood Transfusion Centre of the hospital, which was being sponsored by the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), had come to a standstill. He said for about a year now, no work had been done on either of the projects and prayed the Asantehene to intervene to get the projects completed. Military land Another challenge facing KATH, the CEO explained, was funding to acquire the military land close to the facility for expansion. Prof. Addai-Mensah said even though the military had agreed to relocate and give the land to the hospital, there was the need for funding to relocate the military facilities to a new place and the money involved is quite huge. No need for money However, in his response, Otumfuo Osei Tutu explained that the military had already been relocated and the hospital would not have to pay for the land again. The Asantehene said the issue had been discussed with the President and the Minister of Defence and the issue has already been sorted out and you dont have to pay any money to them for the land. Otumfuo Osei Tutu said if there would be the need for any money maybe to build new schools but that has to be handled by the Ministry of Defence. Commendation The Asantehene commended the new CEO for starting on a good note and urged him to continue in that stead. Although Otumfuo said he was yet to visit the facility, he said he had heard about the transformation brought to the place and commended Prof. Addai-Mensah for the feat. No matter what you do, some people would not be happy with you and would surely step on your toes. But if you would have to displease two people to satisfy eight people, go ahead and do it, the Asantehene implored. The CEO was accompanied by the Board Chairman, Nana Effah Appenten, all members of the board, the Bompatahene, Maxwell Opoku Agyemang, Charles Dontoh and the Dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry, Prof. Daniel Ansong. Positive attitude towards TVET key to industrialisation Dep. Education Minister Dickson Worlanyo Dotse Jun - 01 - 2023 , 07:01 A Deputy Minister of Education, Gifty Twum Ampofo, has stated that for the country to achieve its goal of industrialisation, there is the need to change peoples mindset about Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). She explained that because skilled technical and vocational personnel were essential for the country to industrialise, the notion that such skills were meant for unintelligent persons had to be exterminated so that more students and young people would be eager to acquire the skills. It is never true that TVET is only done by unintelligent people because when you see some of the machines and equipment they use, youll have to be very smart to learn to operate them, Mrs Ampofo stressed. Roundtable The deputy minister was speaking in Accra yesterday at a roundtable on the Vocational Training for Females (VTF) under TVET organised by a Presbyterian non-governmental organisation (NGO). The discussion was on the theme: Beyond the reforms: Gains, Challenges and way forward in Advancing TVET in Ghana. It brought together experts, government officials, TVET practitioners, captains of industry and students, among others, to deliberate on issues affecting the sector and provide solutions to inform policy change for the sectors progress. As part of the event, an 11-member Advocacy Committee, made up of representatives from institutions with interest in youth development and national socioeconomic transformation, was inaugurated. The committee will support the work of the programme by acting as the mouthpiece and engage stakeholders, actors and players in the TVET space to articulate the concerns of the sector and jointly address them. Collaboration Mrs Ampofo, who is the Deputy Minister in Charge of TVET, cautioned parents against enrolling their children in TVET institutions just because they could not perform in traditional schools. She also urged factories and the private sector to collaborate with institutions by accommodating students for internships and give them the opportunity to be practical. You should view them as free labour who, when trained properly, can add to your output. They are not there to buy waakye for you and to make photocopies, the Deputy Minister of Education said. The Deputy Chairperson of the National Labour Commission, Rose Karikari Anang, called on advocacy groups to step up their campaign against the negative mindset about vocational and technical education, saying; theres too much quietness on the advocacy front. Mrs Anang, who chaired the event, called for the establishment of crash courses for technical and vocational practitioners that would enable them to join the national qualification framework and enable them to boost their confidence. The Director of VTF Programme, Linda Agyei, said the organisation remained committed to pushing the TVET agenda because it was the master key that could alleviate poverty, promote peace, protect the environment and improve the quality of life. Promoting responsible fishing: Protection of ocean vital - President Akufo-Addo Emelia Ennin Abbey Jun - 01 - 2023 , 07:06 President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stressed the need to prioritise the sustainable management of the ocean through robust enforcement of regulations. He said that would prevent overfishing and promote responsible fishing practices. That was necessary, the President stressed, as the ocean presented an incredible opportunity to accelerate the nation's development agenda and cautioned against the consequences of negative human activities in the ocean. Opening the countrys first-ever National Blue Economy Summit in Accra yesterday, President Akufo-Addo said: "We are witnessing the consequences of human activities. The ocean is the life source of the planet. A healthy ocean, human well-being and sustainable ocean management are inseparable. He, therefore, called for collaboration to develop sustainable solutions to address the ocean crises since the challenges facing the ocean transcended boundaries which no single nation could fight alone. Hence, the need to foster international cooperation, share data and research findings, collaborate on joint projects to develop sustainable solutions to address the ocean crises, President Akufo-Addo posited. Summit The two-day summit is aimed at mobilising transformative ocean action to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs). It attracted 300 participants, including policymakers, academia, development partners, and local and international champions of the fishing industry. It is being hosted by the SDGs Advisory Unit at the Office of the President in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI); the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, the Royal Norwegian Embassy and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). On the theme: "Our Oceans Health, Our Prosperity, Our Planet's Security", the summit is expected to come up with a document that will drive the mainstreaming of ocean actions in national development, bridge the gap between academic research and industry, and establish an annual ocean summit in the country. Five-point proposal The call by the President is part of a five-point agenda he proposed for urgent action to contribute to the protection of the ocean. President Akufo-Addo also noted that the country must work closely with its international partners to establish marine protected areas, safeguard marine-habitats and promote biodiversity on the sea. "We have to deepen our strategic partnerships and build a progressive collaboration for an enhanced ocean health," he said. Also, the President said the country must be deliberate in ensuring greater and smarter investment in ocean actions. Currently, he said, Ghana's ocean actions were financed largely through public philanthropic sources. Although Ghana's private capital investment landscape in the past decade had seen significant growth, "not much of capital is deployed to the blue economy." To attract private capital into more sustainable marine-based actions, President Akufo-Addo stated that there was the need to encourage public-private partnerships. The President added that there must be increased investment in research, technological advancements and new knowledge. "By harnessing the power of research and innovation, we can navigate the challenges facing the ocean and pave the way for a brighter future," President Akufo-Addo averred. Time bomb The Special Advisor to the President on the SDGs and Ocean Action, Dr Eugene Owusu, said the ocean had been an integral part of human life but it was now being depleted through over-exploitation. "We are sitting on a time bomb and the clock is ticking," a development he said was threatening the lives and well-being of millions of people. "It is important to come together. We cannot achieve a sustainable and prosperous future without a healthy ocean," Dr Owusu said. He said since the ocean did not have a voice, people collectively should be the voice of the ocean. Norway's commitment The Ambassador of Norway to Ghana, Ingrid Mollestad, said her country had a deep connection with the sea and that she respected and loved the ocean and believed that using marine resources in a sustainable way was vital for society. Norway, she said, had its share of challenges with management of its ocean such as overfishing and that her country "had to fix this by implementing some policies. We have not been very good at fixing it. Sincerely, our eyes tell us something is wrong," Ms Mollestad said. The Ambassador said Norway was committed to working with Ghana and other members of the high-level panel to spearhead global efforts in sustainable ocean management. "If we do it right now it will benefit nature and humans," she said. Role of traditional leaders The Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, in a speech read on his behalf by the Chief of Asere, Nii Kwao Donkor, said traditional leaders had an important role to play in the sustainable management of the ocean. He, therefore, pledged the support of the traditional leaders for initiatives aimed at saving the ocean. We will use our privileged position to create awareness and mobilise resources for safe and proper management of the sea," the Ga Mantse said. King Teiko Tsuru stated that while putting in place innovative and sustainable solutions to save the ocean, the culture of people living along the coast must not be neglected. Suhum Technical students plant 200 trees Haruna Yussif Wunpini Jun - 01 - 2023 , 07:11 Students of the Suhum Senior High Technical School (SUTESCO) in the Eastern Region have planted 200 different species of tree seedlings in the school compound as part of the governments Green Ghana initiative. The exercise was organised and funded by ASA Savings and Loans Company Limited in collaboration with the Eastern Regional Office of the Forestry Commission, and involved tree species such as acacia, mahogany, neem, royal palm and rain tree, among others. The event, which took place last Friday, also formed part of a nationwide tree-planting exercise being undertaken by the company to plant over 2,000 tree seedlings every year. Speaking during the exercise, the Headmistress of SUTESCO, Elizabeth Ama Agyakwa, asked students of the school to take centre stage in tree planting. That, she said, could only be done by educating their parents at home about the need to plant and nurture tree seedlings to preserve the ecology. The headmistress also stated that it had become necessary to involve students in tree planting, not only to safeguard the environment but to also serve as wind-breaks to protect school buildings, especially the roofing, from falling off during rainstorms. Theory Mrs Agyakwa said hitherto, the students were taught tree planting theoretically, but they had to be educated on it practically by planting and nurturing the tree seedlings. She explained that trees enabled previous generations to live longer as compared to the present generation because most of the trees had been cut down. "Our forefathers lived longer because the trees were there but now that we are cutting them down unnecessarily, people are dying early because if the last tree dies then we are all perishing," Mrs Agyakwa stated. Mrs Agyakwa stated that trees provided oxygen and took in carbon dioxide, all necessary for human beings. She lauded the company for choosing the school to plant tree seedlings to provide shade for the students and at the same time create a conducive environment for studies. Shade The Koforidua Area Manager of ASA Savings and Loans, David Amevor, said the main purpose of carrying out the tree planting exercise in the school was because the students needed oxygen and shade at all times. He said already they had covered the Koforidua Prisons and Suhum Senior High Technical School, and would be engaged in similar exercises, not only in the region but in the entire country. Mr Amevor stated that the company's tree planting exercise was its corporate social responsibility to support the government's Green Ghana Project, where tree seedlings were to be planted in communities to preserve the ecology. He advised the students to focus fully on their studies instead of engaging in activities such as illegal mining (galamsey) to get rich quickly, as such activity will destroy their future as well as the environment. Tree species An official from the Eastern Regional Office of the Forestry Commission, Alex Adonteng, said so far, his outfit had planted various tree species such as acacia, mahogany, neem, rain tree and royal palm. He noted that the exercise, which was in support of the government's tree-planting initiative, was also to reduce carbon emissions. Mr Adonteng advised the school's management to ensure that the tree seedlings planted were nurtured and added that the company would follow up to ensure that the trees were taken care of. The school's Compound Prefect, Tayviah Raymond, expressed his appreciation to ASA Savings and Loans for the tree seedlings that were planted on the school compound because currently there are very few trees on the premises. Tourism sector catalyst for growth Donald Ato Dapatem Jun - 01 - 2023 , 06:49 The World Bank has commended the countrys effort to make tourism a priority for growth, and said it would have an impact on the development of small and medium enterprises, job creation and livelihoods. The Country Director of the World Bank to Ghana, Pierre Laporte, said it was in line with such effort that his outfit was supporting the sector with some $40 million under a Ghana Tourism Development project. He made the commendation when he addressed a Presidential Summit on Tourism at the Peduase Presidential Lodge in the Eastern Region last Tuesday on the theme: Rethinking tourism for economic growth and job creation. The two-day summit, organised at the instance of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, attracted participants from government agencies, departments and the private sector who brainstormed tourism development in the country. Initiative Mr Laporte said while the tourism development initiative took off slowly, under the leadership of the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr Ibrahim Awal, its implementation accelerated remarkably and the project had made some significant progress. The bank stands ready to work with the government to further improve the huge tourism potential, including developing capacity and physical infrastructure, he added. According to Mr Laporte, the world economy suffered immensely in recent times from a series of shocks from the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine to rising food and oil prices, among other challenges. The bank nonetheless commends highly the bold initiatives of the Government of Ghana in managing the current crisis, he said, adding that the recently approved IMF support programme for the country and from other development partners such as the World Bank should pave the way for the restoration of the countrys macroeconomic sustainability. We stand resolute in supporting Ghana in this period of recovery in collaboration with other institutions such as the IMF, the Country Director said. Significance The Chief Executive of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Akwasi Agyeman, said the summit was a landmark event that brought together visionary minds and influential leaders in the countrys pursuit of progress in tourism. He expressed appreciation to the President for his leadership and personal interest which had culminated in the growth and development of the industry. The Presidents unwavering commitment in promoting the nations unique cultural heritage and fostering a welcoming environment for visitors has yielded unprecedented results. One such notable initiative was the Year of Return, Mr Agyeman added. He also mentioned a transformative campaign in 2019 where people of African descent from around the globe were invited to the country to reconnect with their roots to experience the nations rich history and culture. According to him, the programme did not only put the country on the global map, but also led to another initiative - A December in Ghana. Dr Akoto to address African Agriculture Forum in Turkey Dickson Worlanyo Dotse Politics Jun - 01 - 2023 , 06:51 A flag bearer hopeful of the governing New Patriotic Party and immediate past Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has been invited as the special guest of honour for the African Agriculture, Food and Industry Forum in Istanbul and Tekirdag, in Turkey. The event organised by the African Investors Council (AIC) would be held from Sunday, June 5, 2023 to Friday, June 10, 2023. The Agriculture Economist, who has worked in the United Nations system for over 18 years, is expected to address captains of Turkish Agribusiness industries on Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at the forum. A statement issued by Dr Akoto's office said his invitation to the event was spurred by his deep knowledge and vast experience in the field of agriculture as an Economist, industry player and policy expert. Forum The world business and cooperation forum gathers various sectors and institutions working for the development, modernisation and technification of agriculture, textiles, agribusiness and renewable energies, food and livestock farming, construction and infrastructure. It offers a platform for captains of agribusiness industries to meet and exchange ideas with Turkeys largest agricultural producers and investors. AICs mission is to bring together companies and entrepreneurs with the common goal of being a pioneer for the development of the African continent in the fields of sustainable and innovative agriculture and food, within a cooperative of professionals from all over the world. A statement issued by the organisers said the council's objective was to connect the various public and private actors in order to share their experiences, knowledge and investment opportunities for the continent. "Turkey and Africa have a long history of encounters, dialogue and peace for centuries. We hope that this Summit will further strengthen these ties and create economic opportunities for both sides," it added. EC fixes June 27 for Assin North by-election Justice Agbenorsi Politics Jun - 01 - 2023 , 06:26 The Electoral Commission (EC) has fixed Tuesday, June 27, 2023 for the by-election in the Assin North Constituency of the Central Region. This follows a unanimous decision by the Supreme Court on Wednesday (May 17) declaring as unconstitutional, the election of James Gyakye Quayson as the National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament (MP) for that constituency. A statement issued and signed yesterday by the EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa, said nominations would be received at the Assin North District Office of the Commission from Monday, June 12, 2023 to Wednesday, June 14, 2023 between 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day. The statement said interested candidates could download the nomination forms from the Commission's website (www.ec.gov.gh) from June 1, 2023. Alternatively, the statement said, a prospective candidate may personally deliver or cause to be delivered on his/her behalf by either the proposer or seconder of his/her nomination, the completed nomination forms to the Returning Officer at the Assin North District Office of the Commission, on the dates and times stated above. Fees The statement added that the filing fee for the election is GH 10,000 per candidate. Additionally, the EC announced that all nomination forms should be delivered in quadruplicate. The nomination forms for each candidate shall be witnessed by the signature or mark of two registered voters, as proposer and seconder, and supported by 18 other registered voters in the constituency as assenting to the nominations. The nomination forms shall also be endorsed with the candidate's consent to the nomination. A Candidate shall at the time of submitting his/her completed nomination forms, provide the Returning Officer with two copies of a recent post card (bust sized) photograph against a red background, showing his/her full face and ears, the statement added. SCs decision In its judgment in the case of Michael Ankomah Nimfah vs James Gyakye Quayson, the Electoral Commission (EC) and the Attorney-General on May 17, 2023, the apex court ordered Parliament to expunge Mr Quaysons name as a sitting MP from its records. The court held that the whole process leading to the election of Mr Quayson filing of nomination forms, the election itself and swearing-in--were all in violation of Article 94(2)(a) of the 1992 Constitution, which bars a person with dual citizenship from contesting as an MP. It was the considered view of the court that as of the time Mr Quayson filed his nomination forms in October 2020 to contest the Assin North seat, he had not renounced his Canadian citizenship and, therefore, was not qualified per Article 94(2)(a) of the Constitution. In view of that, the court further held that the EC also violated Article 94(2)(a) of the Constitution when it permitted Mr Quayson to contest the election. Parliament Following the judgment, Parliament wrote to the EC to notify it of the vacancy in the Assin North Constituency. The Clerk to Parliament, Cyril Kwabena Nsiah, signed the letter dated May 29, 2023, which was addressed to the Chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensa. The notification, he said, had been necessitated by the judgment of the Supreme Court (SC) dated May 17, 2023. He, therefore, requested the EC Chairperson to take the appropriate consequential action as required by law. Hohoe hosts June 4 Celebration Daily Graphic Politics Jun - 01 - 2023 , 06:44 This year's June 4 Uprising celebration would take place at Hohoe in the Volta Region. The celebration, which will be the 44th year since its inception in 1979, is on the theme: Saving Our Democracy: the Spirit of the June 4th". Activities A release issued and signed by the Volta Regional Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sorkpa K. Agbleze, said activities to commemorate the day would begin with a health walk on June 3 in the morning and followed by a public lecture at 2:00pm at the campuses of the St. Francis College of Education. The celebration will be climaxed the next day Sunday June 4 at 8a.m with a wreath laying ceremony at the E.P Park in Hohoe. Dignitaries The special guest of honour for this year's celebration is former President and flag bearer of the NDC, John Dramani Mahama. Other party members expected to attend the event include the National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah; General Secretary, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey; Volta Regionalb Chairman, Mawutor Agbavitor, and Member of Parliament (MP) for Adaklu and Minority Chief Whip, Governs Kwame Agbodza. Other members include MP for Ho West and Regional Caucus Chairman, Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, and MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. Uprising June 4 is an annual event prominent on the NDC's calendar, celebrated to mark Ghana's 1979 Revolution meant to awaken the conscience of the nation and imbibe in the citizenry the principles of probity and accountability. The uprising came about due to a combination of corruption and perceived bad governance. Joe Ghartey picks Presidential nomination forms for NPP primaries GraphicOnline Politics Jun - 01 - 2023 , 22:04 An aspirant for the presidential candidacy of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Joe Ghartey has officially picked up his nomination forms to contest the upcoming presidential primaries. Accompanied by several constituency executives and chairpersons, Mr. Ghartey said he aims to bring a fresh direction to the party and create opportunities for all, particularly the youth across Ghana. His primary objective is to address poverty and foster unity within the NPP and among Ghanaians from diverse backgrounds. He also spoke about the need for Ghanaians to collectively "fight poverty" instead of fighting against each other. An accomplished politician and former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Ghartey had his nomination forms picked up by some NPP constituency executives and chairpersons on Thursday, June 1, 2023, at the NPP headquarters in Accra. Leading the delegation of NPP executives from all 16 regions of Ghana was Ernest Oti Akenteng, the Constituency Chairman of New Juaben North. Having introduced the 'Justice For All' program during former President John Agyekum Kufuor's administration, Mr. Ghartey envisions an NPP that promotes equal opportunities for all Ghanaians. As a former Minister of Railways Development and Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Ghartey aims to revitalize the NPP and provide young people and party executives with opportunities to serve Ghana, should he win the primaries and subsequently be elected President in 2024. During an address to NPP executives at the Osu Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, Hon. Ghartey emphasized his commitment to serving the party and the country, adding that his intentions are not driven by personal gain. He underscored the importance of unity within the NPP and urged politicians to focus on the future of Ghanaian children. Adams Abdul Majid, a senior aide to Mr. Ghartey, expressed the unwavering support of NPP youth from across the country. Mr. Majid described Hon. Ghartey as a competent and visionary leader who will guide Ghana towards prosperity once elected as President. He highlighted Hon. Ghartey's grassroots connection and transformative leadership qualities. Kennedy Agyapong confident of victory in NPP Flagbearer election GraphicOnline Politics Jun - 01 - 2023 , 17:59 Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, a prospective flagbearer for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has expressed confidence in his chances of winning the party's flagbearer election. His team conveyed this sentiment after collecting his nomination forms from the NPP headquarters in Accra on Thursday. As the ninth individual to pick up the forms since nominations opened, Agyapong, who also serves as the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, is positioning himself as a formidable candidate. Speaking to pressmen after picking the forms, Kwame Owusu, Agyapong's campaign manager, highlighted the candidate's appeal to the party's grassroots due to his perceived disciplinary nature. Owusu emphasized that Agyapong's stance against indiscipline and his commitment to the nation's well-being have resonated with the people. He stated, "Honourable Ken does not stand for indiscipline. Honourable Ken is honest in his dealings with the country. Honourable Ken is patriotic and has demonstrated his willingness to die for Ghana." According to Owusu, Agyapong's strong principles and commitment to the ordinary citizens give him an advantage over his competitors. He explained, "People desire a disciplined leader because there is an abundance of indiscipline in this country. Indiscipline breeds corruption, and when you have an individual whom you believe is honest and you are ready to work for him, you must be prepared to face the consequences if you deviate from the right path." Agyapong's campaign team firmly believes that his discipline-oriented approach and dedication to the country's betterment will resonate with the NPP members and secure him victory in the flagbearer election. Market queenmothers pick forms for Alan Kyerematen Justice Agbenorsi Politics Jun - 01 - 2023 , 06:33 A Former Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, yesterday became the eighth flag bearer aspirant of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to pick his nomination form to contest the party's presidential primary slated for November 4. The forms were picked on his behalf by two teams of 15 each of market queen mothers from Accra and Kumasi, all dressed in traditional kente over white lace. True to their earlier promise, the queenmothers, described as loyalists of Mr Kyerematen, pooled resources to raise the filing fee to pick the nomination forms. The convoy to the party's headquarters in Accra was led by a former general secretary of the NPP, Nana Ohene Ntow, supported by other party top brass, including Alhaji Abukar Sadiq; a former Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Joseph Nii Ayikoi Otoo, and a former director of communications, Yaw Boaben Asamoah. Speeches Speaking on behalf of Mr Kyerematen, the Tomatoes Queenmother of Kumasi, Abena Serwaa, said the immediate past Minister of Trade and Industry had been very supportive of the market women as trade minister and it was time to show appreciation to him. She said it was their firm belief that when Mr Kyerematen got the nod he would help bring Ghana's ailing economy back to its feet. For his part, Mr Boaben Asamoah said the presidency would move on to the right path with Mr Kyerematen in the driving seat "for he's a man of action and not mere words." Aspirants Those who have already picked their forms are the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia; a former Minister of Energy, Boakye Agyarko; former General Secretary of the NPP, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong; a former Member of Parliament (MP) for Mampong, Francis Addai-Nimo; a former Minister of State, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, and a businessman and energy expert, Kwadwo Poku. Those yet to pick their forms are MP for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong; a former Minister of Justice and Attorney General and MP for Essikado-Ketan, Joe Ghartey, and a senior lecturer at the Department of History Education of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), Eric Sakyi Nketiah. The Government of Canada announced support for the latest cathode active materials (CAM) facility to be operational in Canada, to be built by a joint venture between General Motors (GM) and POSCO Future M in Becancour, Quebec (earlier post). CAM are key battery materials that consist of components such as processed nickel, lithium and other materials that make up about 40% of the cost of a battery. The federal government is investing through the Strategic Innovation Funds Net Zero Accelerator initiative to support GM-POSCOs more than $600-million project. The governments of Canada and Quebec will each contribute around $150 million to the project. The GM-POSCO joint venture, called Ultium CAM, will create around 200 jobs and strengthen Canadas electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem and economy for years to come. The project was first announced in March 2022 to supply General Motors fast-expanding battery production in North America. The JV project is under construction and on schedule to begin CAM production in the first half of 2025. Government support, Becancours excellent industrial site and the ability to access Quebecs low carbon hydro-electricity for EV critical mineral processing were all important factors in selecting the Quebec plant location. GM is executing plans to install 1 million units of annual EV capacity in North America in 2025 and grow from there. GM has also announced four US battery cell joint venture plants with one already open and two under construction. The Ultium CAM joint venture project will support production of electric Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, Buick and BrightDrop vehicles in North America. Honda celebrated production of the 30-millionth engine built at the companys Anna Engine Plant in Ohio with the production of the newly refined 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine, which is part of the two-motor hybrid-electric system that powers Honda Accord and CR-V hybrid-electric models. The Anna plant, Hondas largest engine plant in the world, is now preparing to retool to add production of the casings for the battery modules that will power Honda and Acura EVs made in Ohio. Since starting engine production in 1985, the Anna facility has produced a diverse array of powertrain and other components, ranging from motorcycle and automobile engines to transmissions, suspensions and wheels. The 2.0-liter hybrid Atkinson-cycle engine represents the continued evolution of the plants capabilities and an important step in Honda's electrification strategy, as nearly 60% of US sales of the popular Honda Accord and CR-V are powered by the two-motor hybrid-electric system. The Anna plant will continue to play a vital role in Hondas future electrification plans as more hybrid-electric systems are introduced to core models to reduce CO 2 emissions and bridge customers to the volume battery-electric Honda and Acura vehicles in development, Honda said. In October 2022, Honda announced a $700-million investment in Ohio to establish a new Honda EV Hub in Ohio, which includes retooling the Anna Engine Plant, the East Liberty Auto Plant, and Marysville Auto Plant, as Honda prepares for the production of battery electric vehicles. (Earlier post.) While Honda initially indicated production would start in 2026, in April, Honda announced that it will pull forward EV production in Ohio to 2025. Honda expects to maintain employment stability across all locations during this transition. As part of the new EV Hub, the Anna Engine Plant will produce the cases for the Intelligent Power Unit (IPU) that houses the EV battery module and its controlling hardware. Honda and LG Energy Solution (LGES) recently broke ground for a new joint venture battery facility in Ohio that will produce these lithium-ion batteries, which will power the EVs to be produced at the East Liberty and Marysville Auto Plants. Honda and LGES have committed to invest $3.5 billion in the new JV battery facility, with the overall investment projected to reach $4.4 billion. The 2.9 million sq. ft. Anna Engine Plant reflects previous Honda capital investments totaling $2.9 billion and employs 2,900 Honda associates who build V6 and inline 4-cylinder engines, including 1.5, 2.0 and 3.0-liter turbo engines, the 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle hybrid engine and various engine components for Honda plants in the US and throughout the world. The Anna Engine Plant has a total annual production capacity of 1.18 million engines. Honda has produced automobiles in Ohio for more than 40 years, beginning in November 1982 with the start of automobile production at the Marysville Auto Plant. Honda established US manufacturing operations in Marysville in 1979 with the start of motorcycle production. Today, Honda employs more than 15,000 associates in Ohio across five plants with total capital investment of $14.5 billion and the capacity to produce 680,000 Honda and Acura automobiles, 1.18 million automobile engines, and more than 1 million automobile transmissions and two-motor hybrid systems, using domestic and globally sourced parts. Europes growing use of animal fats to power its cars and planes is becoming increasingly unsustainable, according to a new study by Cerulogy funded by European NGO Transport & Environment (T&E). The green group calls for greater transparency so that consumers know what is going into their tanks and fueling their flights. Use of animal fat biodiesel has doubled in the past decade and is 40 times higher than it was in 2006. Demand for animal fats in biofuels is also projected to triple by 2030 compared to 2021 according to data collected by T&E from Stratas Advisors. European lawmakers have been promoting the by-product of industrial meat farming as a way of reducing the carbon impact of transport fuels.They are now setting their sights on planes and to a lesser extent ships. However, there is not enough fat to go around. Nearly half of all European animal fats already go into biodiesel, despite being used extensively in the pet food, soaps and cosmetics industries. With the burning of animal fat biofuels set to triple by 2030, there will not be enough to scale it up sustainably, warns T&E. Airlines such as Ryanair and Wizz Air have recently struck large deals with oil suppliers for what are termed sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). Details of the exact feedstocks used in SAFs are often vague. But projections obtained from Stratas Advisors, a consultancy, shows that animal fats are expected to be the most common waste feedstock used in SAFs, alongside used cooking oil. Like all waste biofuels, the availability of animal fats is limited. Scaling up industrial meat farming is neither doable nor desirable. A flight from Paris to New York needs 8,800 dead pigs, T&Es calculations show. Applying the current 50% maximum blend of HEFA that can be certified, 4,400 dead pigs per flight would alternatively be needed. This is particularly problematic for the pet food and soap and cosmetic industries who use animal fats extensively with few or no alternatives. Pet food makers have already warned that they will have to switch to less sustainable options such as palm oil, while soap and cosmetic producers will also most likely switch to palm as it is the cheapest option available. In the most extreme case, where virgin palm oil substitutes animal fats in the oleochemicals industry (soaps, cosmetics), CO 2 emissions of animal fats biofuels could be nearly twice as bad for the climate asconventional diesel. The competing uses for animal fats lay bare the challenge of scaling up waste biofuels production. Animal fats dont grow on trees. Pet food suppliers, for example, will now have to reduce the sustainability of their products by using palm oil instead. And as we have seen with used cooking oil, this also increases the risk of fraud. The potential mislabelling of animal fats suggests fraud could be taking place on an industrial scale. Barbara Smailagic, Fuels Policy Officer at T&E Animal fats are divided into three categories. Categories 1 and 2 include animal fats that cannot be consumed by humans or animals, as they are poor quality or likely carry disease. These are normally only used in transport fuels and for heating. Category 3 animal fats are better quality and are used by a number of different industries. The EUs Renewable Energy Directive (RED) encourages the production of animal fats for transport fuels by allowing fuel suppliers to meet renewables targets with them. The RED prioritizes categories 1 and 2 for transport fuels by allowing them to count for double in meeting targets. Animal fats consumption for biodiesel in the EU (SHARES and EFPRA data). Source: T&E Last year, European countries reported consuming twice the amount of biofuels derived from the categories 1 and 2 as the animal fats industry reported producing. This suggests higher-grade category 3 animal fats are being mislabeled as categories 1 and 2, T&E said. As these animal fats are more valuable in transport fuels, there is a risk that producers and suppliers downgrade high quality animal fats to meet renewable transport targets. If this is being done deliberately it would represent fraud at an industrial level, warns T&E. Illustration of potential animal fats fraud case. Source: T&E T&E suggests the following recommendations to EU decision-makers and national authorities: Toyota will assemble an all-new, three-row, battery electric SUV at Toyota Kentucky starting in 2025. The companys first US-assembled BEV will be powered by batteries from Toyota North Carolina. The new battery plant, which is currently under construction, will receive an additional $2.1 billion investment to support future expansion in the companys drive toward carbon neutrality. This brings total investment in Toyota North Carolina to $5.9 billion. The facility will be Toyotas hub for developing and producing lithium-ion batteries needed for its expanding portfolio of electrified vehicles. Production at the Liberty plant is slated to begin in 2025 with six battery production lines, four for hybrid electric vehicles and two for BEVs. Over the last two years, the company has invested more than $8 billion in its US manufacturing operations primarily to support its product electrification efforts. Green River Police Department reports for May 23 At 7:46 a.m., officers responded to Colorado Drive for a report of possible property damage. Officers met with an individual who requested a trespass warning be issued to the individual. Officers met with the individual, issued the trespass warning, and completed a report of the incident. At 10:29 a.m., officers responded to a report of an individual with an active arrest warrant. Officers met with agents and the individual. The arrest and hold order was confirmed and officers placed Rachael Rodriguez, of Green River, under arrest. Officers transported Rodriquez to the Sweetwater County Detention Center and completed a report of the incident. At 3:05 p.m., officers responded to New Beginnings located at 1835 Colorado Drive for a report of an individual causing a disturbance. Officers met with staff and the individual, gathered information, offered assistance, and completed an incident report. At 6:21 p.m., officers responded to a report of a two-vehicle collision in Smiths parking lot located at 905 Bridger Drive. It was reported one vehicle was traveling west and another vehicle was traveling north in the adjacent lane when the first vehicle pulled through the parking spaces and struck the drivers side of the other vehicle. Officers met with both drivers, gathered information, and completed a report of the incident. At 10:58 p.m., officers responded to the area of E 2nd S Street and S 2nd E Street in reference to a two-vehicle crash. It was reported one vehicle was traveling east on E 2 S Street when the driver lost control of the vehicle and struck a second vehicle, which was parked and unoccupied on the south side of the roadway. The driver Bryce Archibald, of Green River, was later found to be impaired and not able to safely operate a motor vehicle and was placed under arrest. Officers issued citations for alleged DWUI of alcohol .08 or greater, speed, failure to maintain liability coverage, open container, and careless driving. Officers transported Archibald to the Sweetwater County Detention Center and completed a report of the incident. May 24 At 5:30 a.m., officers were dispatched in reference to a juvenile runaway. Officers met with a parent/guardian, gathered information, located the juvenile, age 12, of Green River, transported the juvenile home, and completed a report of the incident. At 10:01 a.m., officers responded to a report of a verbal domestic in progress. Officers met with the individuals involved in a verbal dispute and gathered information. The parties separated and officers completed an incident report. At 10:06 a.m., officers were dispatched to a phone detail in regards to a violation of a court order. Officers made contact with an individual who reported the violation, gathered information, and completed a report of the incident. At 1:33 p.m., officers responded to Probation and Parole located at 140 Commerce Drive for an arrest and hold order. Officers met with the agents and the individual, confirmed the arrest order, and placed Cole Barnes, of Rock Springs, under arrest. Officers transported Barnes to the Sweetwater County Detention Center and completed a report of the incident. At 2:45 p.m., officers responded to a report of a verbal domestic. Officers met with the individuals involved in a verbal dispute and gathered information. Officers conducted a civil standby while the parties separated and completed an incident report. At 3:03 p.m., officers were dispatched to Hitching Post Restaurant at 580 East Flaming Gorge Way in reference to a request for a trespass warning to be issued for their properties. Officers made contact with the individual, issued trespass warnings for the requested properties, and completed a report of the incident. At 5:13 p.m., officers were dispatched to a phone detail involving a dispute over civil issues. Officers spoke with the reporting party and responded to a residence on Easy Street where officers met with both involved parties. Officers gathered information and completed a report of the incident. At 7:46 p.m., officers responded to a report of a disturbance. Officers met with the reporting party and gathered information. Officers then attempted to speak with one of the involved individuals, who did not want to speak with officers. Officers located the other half and made contact. Officers advised of the complaint and completed an incident report. At 7:51 p.m., officers responded to a residence on Crossbow Drive in reference to a disturbance. Officers met with an individual who reported another individual entered their residence uninvited and an argument ensued. The subject left before the officers arrival and was not located. Officers gathered information and completed a report of the incident. At 8:19 p.m., officers were notified by Probation and Parole agents of an individual that was in violation of probation and had an active arrest and hold order. Officers subsequently placed Bryan Merrick, of Green River, under arrest per the active order, transported Merrick to the Sweetwater County Detention Center, and completed an incident report. At 11:07 p.m., officers responded to the area of Firehole Drive in reference to a report of several suspected juvenile subjects throwing eggs at a residence. Upon arrival, officers observed three subjects running across the street near the intersection of Trail Drive at Church View. Officers then observed a white passenger car stopped in the middle of the road picking up the subjects. Officers observed the vehicle which drove forward with one subject who ran after the car. Officers conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver and the subjects. Officers gathered information and then contacted the subjects parents/guardians. The subjects cleaned all the egg spatter off the three homes and one vehicle and were turned over to a parent/guardian. Officers completed a report of the incident. May 25 At 6:17 a.m., officers responded to a report of an abandoned bicycle in the back parking lot of Lincoln Middle School. Officers collected the black and orange BMX-style Huffy, booked it in for safekeeping, and completed an incident report. At 8:35 a.m., officers were dispatched to Crossbow Drive in regards to a disturbance. Officers met with the reporting party who reported an individual was knocking on their door and causing a disturbance. Officers met with the individual, advised of a trespass warning that had been previously issued, and completed a report of the incident. At 9:53 a.m., officers responded to the Green River High School for a report of vandalism. Officers met with the principal who reported finding a bathroom that had been vandalized. Officers gathered information and completed a report of the incident. At 3:21 p.m., officers emptied the prescription medication drop off box in the lobby. Officers collected and booked in the medications for future destruction and completed an incident report. At 9:41 p.m., officers responded to the area of Riverview Drive for a report of an individual who was trespassing and causing a disturbance. Upon arrival, officers observed the alleged suspect drive away from the area. The vehicle then exited the parking lot without stopping at the stop sign and continued onto Collier Circle. Officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop and the driver of the vehicle failed to comply. Officers followed the vehicle with lights activated to a residence on Stephens Street. Once the vehicle stopped, the driver exited the vehicle and attempted to enter a residence. Officers made contact and subsequently placed the driver Shanna Shaffer, of Green River, under arrest and issued citations for an alleged stop sign violation; failure to stop when emerging from alley, building, private road, or driveway; interference with a peace officer; resisting arrest; and fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer. Officers transported Shaffer to the Sweetwater County Detention Center, issued a trespass warning, and completed a report of the incident. May 26 At 1:45 a.m., officers responded to the area of I-80 eastbound near mile marker 89 and assisted a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper with a traffic stop. The driver was arrested and the vehicle was towed. Officers completed a report of the incident. At 7:51 a.m., officers responded to a report of an abandoned bike located on the Green Belt walking path just east of Bridger Drive. Officers collected the white and pink Northwoods mountain bike for safekeeping and completed a report of the incident. At 8:59 a.m., officers responded to a residence on Pennsylvania Boulevard for a report of a vehicle that backed a U-Haul truck into a chain-link fence at a residence. Officers met with the driver and the fence owner, gathered information, and completed a report of the incident. At 12:57 p.m., officers responded to a report of threats/harassment. Officers met with an individual who reported being harassed by another individual and requested a trespass order be issued. Officers met with the individual, issued the trespass warning, and completed a report of the incident. At 12:31 p.m., officers responded to the area of W Railroad Avenue for a report of property damage. Officers met with an individual who reported finding damage to a barricade located in the alleyway. It appeared a vehicle had struck the barricade and attempted to push it out of the way. Officers located pieces of vehicle debris and were able to determine the type of vehicle that had hit the barrier. Officers successfully located the suspected vehicle and met with the driver. Officers gathered information and completed a report of the incident. At 3:17 p.m., officers responded to the area of Crossbow Drive for a report of an individual knocking on peoples doors and causing a disturbance. Officers met with the individual, advised of the complaint, gathered information, and completed a report of the incident. May 27 At 11:30 a.m., officers responded to a two-vehicle crash on E Teton Boulevard. It was reported the driver of one vehicle was traveling east while a second vehicle was stopped in the westbound lane waiting to turn into a driveway. The first vehicle crossed the lane and struck the second vehicle and then continued on and struck a tree. EMS and fire personnel assisted at the scene. Fire extracted the driver of the first vehicle from the vehicle and EMS evaluated both drivers. Both vehicles had to be towed and one individual was transported by ambulance. Officers gathered information and completed a report of the incident. At 12:18 p.m., officers responded to W Flaming Gorge Way in reference to a crash. The driver of the vehicle, who was pulling a fifth-wheel camper trailer, pulled into a parking lot in an attempt to turn around and get back on Flaming Gorge Way. The driver attempted to drive under an overhead awning and the air conditioning unit on top of the camper struck a support beam on the awning. Officers gathered information and completed a report of the incident. At 2:21 p.m., Animal Control Officers responded to the area of New Mexico Street and California Drive for a report of an individual that was bitten by a stray dog. Officers located and impounded the dog, then met with the victim and owner of the dog. Officers gathered information, put the dog on a 10-day Rabies quarantine due to no proof of a current Rabies vaccination, and completed a report of the incident. At 3:11 p.m., officers responded to the area of W 2 S Street in reference to a two-vehicle crash. The driver of one vehicle was stopped facing east on Second South waiting to turn left onto South Center Street. The driver of the second vehicle was traveling east on Second South approaching the first vehicle when the driver of the second vehicle struck the rear of the first vehicle. Officers gathered information; issued the driver of the second vehicle, a juvenile, age 17, of Green River, a citation for alleged inattentive driving with a crash; and completed a report of the incident. At 4:20 p.m., Animal Control Officers responded to the area of Crossbow Drive for a report of a dog that was attacked by another dog. Officers met with an individual who reported they were walking their dog when another dog ran up and attacked their dog. It was determined both dogs had been on leashes but were able to get close enough for an altercation. No injuries were reported. Officers issued the owner, Richard Osborn, of Green River, a citation for alleged nuisance animal and completed a report of the incident. At 8:51 p.m., officers responded to the area of W 3 N Street for a report of two suspicious individuals. Officers met with an individual who reported that two individuals were loitering around in the area that appeared to have been scoping out a vehicle. When the reporting party spoke to the individuals they took off running. Officers gathered information, attempted to locate the individuals, and completed a report of the incident. May 28 At 12:29 a.m., officers responded to a report of domestic battery. It was reported one subject left the residence prior to officers arriving at the residence. Officers met with an individual who reported a verbal altercation. Officers gathered information, attempted to locate the other involved individual, and completed a report of the incident. At 9:50 a.m., officers were dispatched to the Hitching Post at 580 E Flaming Gorge Way in reference to a disturbance. Officers met with the individual causing the disturbance and the staff at the establishment. Officers gathered information, conducted a civil standby, and completed a report of the incident. At 11:20 a.m., officers responded to a report of threats/harassment. Officers met with an individual who reported receiving threatening notes from an individual. Officers met with the individual, gathered information, and completed a report of the incident. At 1:16 p.m., Animal Control Officers responded to the area of Schultz Street for a report of a dog being aggressive towards a child. Officers met with an individual who reported a dog had been at large when the dog ran at their child and scared them. Officers met with the owner of the dog, advised of the complaint, gathered information, and completed a report of the incident. At 3:32 p.m., officers conducted a traffic stop in the area of Uinta Drive and E Flaming Gorge Way for multiple traffic violations. Officers met with the driver and subsequently placed Cameron Cowpar, of Colorado, under arrest and issued citations for alleged DWUI of alcohol .08 or greater - 2nd offense; expired or improper registration, driving while license canceled, suspended or revoked; and failure to maintain liability coverage. Officers transported Cowpar to the Sweetwater County Detention Center and completed a report of the incident. May 29 At 1:31 a.m., officers conducted a traffic stop in the area of Astle Avenue and E Teton Boulevard and issued citations to the driver, Edward Sanchez, of Texas, for alleged vehicle exceed over 30 mph in urban district (6+) and expired temporary license, permit/improper registration. At 5:04 a.m., officers, along with the Green River Fire Department and Castle Rock Ambulance, were dispatched to a report of smoke around the area of Truman Elementary School. While responding, smoke was visible and coming from about 2-3 blocks away. It was determined the smoke was coming from a structure fire on Elk Mountain Circle. Officers confirmed nobody was at home while GRFD personnel extinguished the fire. Upon investigation, the cause of the fire was found to be unintentional. Nobody was injured during the blaze and the homeowner was able to salvage some items within the home. Officers gathered information and completed a report of the incident. Someone over at OnePlus is a huge fan of Genshin Impact last year the company released a special edition of the Ace Pro (aka 10T), then this April it launched the OnePlus x Genshin Ace 2, its first phone with a vegan leather back (the Ace 2 is identical to the 11R). OnePlus Ace Pro Genshin Impact limited edition OnePlus x Genshin Ace 2 limited edition Whats next? The flagship OnePlus 11 is getting its own Genshin Impact limited edition, according to leakster Max Jambor. Unfortunately, the design is yet to leak, so we dont know the extent of the modifications for this edition. Max does say that the new game-inspired edition will launch this month, so expect official teasers soon. The OnePlus 11 already has one limited edition, the Jupiter Rock for China, which was also available in India under the name Marble Odyssey. Source Like every smartphone supporting Qi wireless charging, the Pixel 8 just passed through the Wireless Power Consortium certification process. Unfortunately, the listing contains a placeholder image of the Google Pixel 6, so it doesn't reveal the design. The model number GKWS6 checks out, though. Interestingly enough, last year's Pixel 7 family appeared on WPC's website a week after release, so the Pixel 8 popping up this early could be signaling an earlier release. Either way, the Qi charging is once again rated at 12W, shutting down rumors and speculations about support for the newer Qi2 standard, announced in January this year. Source | Via According to a new report from South Korean publication The Elec, LG Display will increase its LTPO OLED panel supply share for the iPhone 15 Pro series. LG has reportedly expanded its LTPO OLED production capacity to accommodate the large demand for this years iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. This development could spell bad news for Samsung which reportedly supplied up to 70% of all OLED panels for last years iPhone 14 Pro series. As a reminder, LG suffered low LTPO OLED yield rates last year which limited the supply to Apple and in turn led to some shipment delays for the iPhone 14 Pro Max. This allowed Samsung to come in and take up additional display panel orders in place of LG but at a higher cost to Apple due to the short notice and extremity of the situation. LG and Samsung recently struck a deal which will see LG supplying OLED panels for Samsungs 77 and 83-inch OLED TVs from 2024 to 2026. Source (in Korean) After a week of power restoration since Condition of Readiness 4 was announced, the Guam Power Authority had restored 34.5% of the system load as of 1 p.m. Thursday, according to a press release from GPA. An additional five feeders/circuits were also added to the island-wide system for a total of 44 feeders/circuits partially energized, and 23 out of 24 total major GPA substations energized. The Humatak substation restoration is in process. Substations need to be energized before feeders and circuits can get power, and then service to customers can be restored. GPA also stated numerous key restoration events to critical infrastructure within the past 24 hours. Water & Wastewater Systems The Tipalao Wastewater Treatment Plant was energized to avoid sewage overflows. P-294 from Pulantat to DPHSS Mangilao was energized, providing power to critical Pago Bay Water Booster Pump station and additional wells in Area. Communications Piti and Tumon communications stations energized. DoD Energized Navy SRF Substation. GPA also listed key objectives for Thursday: Energize GAAN wastewater pump station in Hagat. Continue to energize GWA wells near Yigo GFD fire station and Yigo Amusement Park. Energize Umatac Substation in order to begin restoration in South. Energize Route 16 Wastewater Sewage Pump Station and Fort Juan Muna. Energize Navy Radio Barrigada Substation. Energize water wells in Dededo and on to Route 3. Continue work on urgent needs islandwide. GPA published key objectives specifically for generation capacity: Current operable capacity is 111MW which is adequate for Thursdays load of 69MW. Baseload capacity to be paced online within the next 2 days. Capacity available to serve customers energized. GPA also stated their process going forward. Continue addressing critical water, wastewater, communications, health and other critical services infrastructure. Launch the next phase of recovery by this weekend (delayed due to the need to address more water well stations): Divide crews into three or more sectors (north, central and south) to begin concentrated efforts in restoring as many customers as possible in parts of the circuit with minimal damages. This phase of restoration will result in significantly boosting our recovery percentage over the 2nd week of our post-typhoon restoration. Recovery effort resources: 12-line crew personnel from Commonwealth Utility Corporation/CNMI are arriving in the next few days to assist in recovery efforts. American Public Power Association member utility and GPA nearing an agreement to bring in 12-line crew personnel with two bucket trucks to assist in restoring the 115kV transmission lines from Cabras to Hagatna. Again, our crews have begun to restore power to circuits and ultimately to customers. We are working to restore your power service as soon as possible, said GPA in the release. GPA continues to ask for your patience and understanding as we work on restoring power to the entire island. One of nearly 200 standby generators installed at Guam Waterworks Authority pump stations to keep water flowing if power is lost because of the typhoon. GPA operates and maintains those generators. The government of Guam doesnt have enough funding left in this years budget to cover $50 million in typhoon-related cash payments to residents, according to administration officials, who said the governments general fund currently has a deficit of about $8 million. Lawmakers met in emergency session Thursday to debate Sen. Amanda Sheltons Bill 129-37, which would pay $500 to everyone who filed a 2021 tax return and those who did not earn enough money to file a return. The bill would allow the governor to fund the payments using any available local or federal funding source, including tapping GovGuams Rainy Day fund, which currently has a balance of about $11 million. If there were ever a rainy day for the people of Guam, I think that day is today, Shelton said in support of her bill. We endured a supertyphoon in the last week. The people of Guam are strong and resilient we know this but we could use some help right now We shouldnt have to make them beg. We cant do it, Bureau of Budget and Management Research Director Lester Carlson said about the proposed typhoon payments. The money in this years budget already is spoken for, Carlson told senators, and Guam also cant use any of its $228 million in federal pandemic relief money because the expense is not pandemic-related. It also would take at least a month, until sometime in July, for the Department of Revenue and Taxation to create and implement the program, Rev and Tax Director Dafne Mansapit-Shimizu told senators. Sen. Chris Duenas called the emergency session ridiculous and said if lawmakers want to fund a typhoon assistance program they must pass a revised budget bill, making cuts in order to fund the program. Carlson told Sen. Frank Blas, Jr., that FEMA will provide direct cash assistance of $1,000 for home and property damage and grants of up to $41,000 for home repairs. The Red Cross is providing cash assistance cards of $560, he said which in some cases can be increased by an additional $560. There are assistance programs, Blas said, even if there the proposed typhoon payments are not approved. We havent even given FEMA a chance to help us with the recovery and all the funds that may materialize out of this, said Sen. Dwayne San Nicolas. I think Ive heard enough, that there is no money. You want to be compassionate, but you also want to be truthful and honest. The people elected us to assist. They did not elect us to deceive them, said Sen. Thomas Fisher, who is one of several lawmakers who objected to the bill. The author of this bill knew there was no money available when they drafted it. Theres no money, said Sen. Jesse Lujan. As much as we want to we absolutely cant. Shelton mentioned several possible funding sources, including: the money GovGuam will save in power bills because of the recently lowered fuel surcharge; Another option, she said, would be to shift the funding source for the LEAP business relief program entirely to federal pandemic funds, which would free up money in the general fund. Shelton also asked if a bill passed this week, which gives the governor a $50 million budget transfer authority in order to pay for recovery expenses, could be used to cover the assistance payments. Carlson said its too early to understand the extent of damage caused by Typhoon Mawar and the cost to recover, or if the $50 million approved by lawmakers will cover it. A United Airlines representative said no tickets were purchased at exceptionally higher fares displayed on Uniteds website in the aftermath of Typhoon Mawar. Earlier this week, Attorney General Douglas Moylan opened an investigation into the higher fares. Ron McNinch is a longstanding member of the Guam community and frequently gives his opinion on a wide range of topics. Dededo resident, Vincent Mantanona, is happy to be one of the many customers who were able to purchase a bag of ice available at the Dededo Pay-Less Supermarket on May 31, 2023. Haiti - Politic : Canada launches a new process to welcome qualified newcomers Canada is launching a new process to welcome qualified newcomers with work experience in priority jobs. With employers eagerly seeking to fill countless vacant positions across the country, immigration emerges as a vital piece to solving this puzzle. Recognizing this reality, the Government of Canada is building an immigration system that acts as a catalyst for growth, empowering businesses, helping address their labour needs and strengthening French communities. When combined, these efforts will ensure Canadians benefit from economic and social prosperity for years to come. Wednesday, May 31, 2023, Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced the first-ever launch of category-based selection for Canadas flagship economic immigration management system, Express Entry. Category-based selection will allow Canada to issue invitations to apply to prospective permanent residents with specific skills, training or language ability. Further details on the timing of invitations for individual categories and how to apply will be announced in the coming weeks. This year, category-based selection invitations will focus on candidates who have : a strong French language proficiency or work experience in the following fields : - Healthcare - Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions - Trades, such as carpenters, plumbers and contractors - Transport - Agriculture and agri-food By allowing us to invite more skilled workers in these professions, category-based selection supports Canadas commitment to welcoming in-demand professionals into communities across the country. Additionally, by placing a special focus on Francophone immigration, the Government of Canada is ensuring that French communities can continue to live their life in Canada in the official language of their choice. Category-based selection will make Express Entry more responsive to Canadas changing economic and labour market needs, while building on the high human capital approach that has been a hallmark of Canadas successful economic immigration system. These priorities maintain the focus on bringing in skilled workers with the potential to integrate and contribute to Canadas future. Read also about the Express Entry Program : https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/eligibility/federal-skilled-workers.html https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... Seizure of weapons and ammunition On Wednesday May 31, 2023, Saint-Marc customs officers discovered and seized in the morning several automatic weapons hidden in "igloos" as well as thousands of cartridges of different calibers. Review of Operation Tornado 1 On Wednesday May 31, 2023, Commissioner Garry Desrosiers, Spokesperson for the National Police of Haiti (PNH) presented the results of Operation Tornado 1 launched last January by the PNH. 2,730 individuals were arrested, approximately 70 firearms and ammunition seized, 27 stolen vehicles recovered and 40 others confiscated. The Director of Sogebank in rue Darguin, wanted The Central Directorate of Judicial Police (DCPJ) has launched a wanted notice against Jean Ralph Antoine, the Director of the Sogebank branch at rue Darguin (Petion-ville), he is accused of complicity in theft, breach of trust and criminal association. He would have left the country for the United States after a first hearing, informed Wednesday, May 31, Commissioner Garry Desrosiers, Spokesperson for the National Police of Haiti (PNH). The judicial police are also looking for other individuals in connection with this file, including Jean Junior Memnom, internal audit manager for the SOGEBANK group, and cashier Stephane Joseph. Commissioner Desrosiers specifies that the main person concerned in this case Anne Kettia Georges has abandoned her post. Alleged cattle thieves, killed with machetes Petrus Dorisma and Levens Bernard were killed with machetes on the night of May 30 to 31, 2023, in Fort-Liberte. They were returning from a funeral wake, informs the spokesperson for the police in the Northeast, Jean Ronald Lusier. Accused of cattle theft by the population, Petrus Dorisma and Levens Bernard had been arrested by the police and then released by judges, denounced residents of Fort-Liberte. U-21 volleyball : Haiti at the NORCECA Cup tournament Our men's Under-21 Volleyball team is flying out this Friday, June 2 to compete in the NORCECA PanAmerican Under-21 Cup tournament taking place June 3-11 in Havana. Former Minister Nader, heared Wednesday, May 31, Joaseus Nader, the former Minister of Public Works was heard by Judge Walter Wesser Voltaire as part of the investigation of the investigation into the assassination of President Jovenel Moise. HL/ HaitiLibre By William Schwartz | Published on 2023/05/31 Actor Lim Ji-ho made his major film debut in 2014 with a small role in "Socialphobia" following recognition in the short film festival circuit for other work. More recently, he had a significant role in the independent film "We Gon' Be Alright" and a leading role in "Is It Love BAR" which were both released in 2021. But "Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938" is the first for the actor in a named role as Akira Saito. In a recent interview, Lim Ji-ho discussed these experiences. Advertisement In "Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938" Akira Saito is a Japanese agent of the Occupation of Korea- but also a mystical Japanese spirit much like the title character. Lim Ji-ho has earned viewer attention from his very first appearance, where he confronted Kim So-yeon's character on a train. Lim Ji-ho credits his acquisition of the role with connections he made during "Cheer Up" who were impressed by his portrayal of a villain. Of course, in the historical action fantasy setting, this is a significant difference from "Cheer Up" and its modern college romance setting. Regarding Kim So-yeon specifically, Lim Ji-ho claimed that she is quite different in person compared to her standoffish character, speaking in a friendly, comforting tone to him even today. Lim Ji-ho described her acting style as getting very deep into her character, and not relying on her own natural personality. Lim Ji-ho claimed that Kim So-yeon was quite polite and at ease even in highly physical scenes that required she grab his leg. She always made sure to ask if he was all right first. What's more, during the full nine months of filming she always maintained that same attitude. Lim Ji-ho stated that he aspired to be a senior colleague like her if at all possible. Lim Ji-ho said that working in television dramas has been quite different from independent film, where he often spent his own money. Lim Ji-ho said that despite often feeling like his career was only just starting, it was only with "Hospital Playlist Season 2" that his acting technique seemed perfected, as people recognized him from the role. He has had the same thankful from "Cheer Up" and "Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938" where he has likewise been recognized. Lim Ji-ho credited his eagerness to work with his current success, noting that actors have few choices and are often rejected. Written by William Schwartz ___________ "Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938" is directed by Jo Nam-hyung, Kang Sin-hyo, written by Han Woo-ri, and features Lee Dong-wook, Kim So-yeon, Kim Beom, Ryu Kyung-soo, Hwang Hee, Kim Yong-ji. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2023/05/06~Now airing, Sat, Sun 21:20 on tvN. Lorenzo Claxton, HUD field office director for North Carolina, speaks to event attendees. Photo by Zack Hill By Zack Hill More than 60 local politicians, community advocates as well as representatives from state and federal agencies and organizations gathered at the Hospitality House in Boone on Wednesday to celebrate Hospitality House of Northwest North Carolina receiving $446,625 in grants to combat rural homelessness. The money comes from grants of more than $22 million awarded to the state from the department of Housing and Urban Development, also known as HUD. Hospitality House of Northwest NC includes Watauga, Wilkes, Ashe, Alleghany, Avery, Mitchell and Yancey counties. Lorenzo Claxton, HUD field office director for North Carolina, spoke of how Hospitality Houses mission and activities align with HUDs goals for the grants. Bringing people home is at the heart of what we do every day, Claxton said. The work we do creates strong, sustainable communities and ensures quality homes for all. I would like to say again: Thank you [Hospitality House staff and volunteers] for all the hard work youre doing. You take the services to the people who need it most. County commissioner chair Larry Turnbow said it was inspiring to see the diversity of the audience who share the same mission. The commonality of everyone in this room is caring about this community and homelessness, Turnbow said. This is lifesaving work that I cannot accomplish alone as a county commissioner, but we can accomplish as a community working together. Boone Mayor Tim Futrelle echoed Turnbows sentiments. This is a beautiful expression of our community to come together in this endeavor and celebrate what the Hospitality House has been able to do, Futrelle said. We live in a town thats vibrant and compassionate and its important to address unsheltered homelessness with empathy. This is about restoring dignity and hope to those who may have lost their way. By working together we demonstrate our values for inclusivity and compassion. We recognize everyone, regardless of circumstances, deserves a chance to thrive. A society can be judged on how it takes care of its most vulnerable. Id like for us to remember the power of kindness and compassion. Executive director of Hospitality House of Northwest NC Tina Krause said she was thankful for the money and appreciative of the work that went into getting it. When HUD opens a grant competition it is very competitive, especially since theyre open to all communities in the United States, Krause said. There were 178 awards given across the nation and only two awarded to NC. We got one of them. This is a step forward for HUD to acknowledge the unsheltered needs of rural homelessness. She also spoke of the differences and difficulties homeless people may experience in rural communities versus urban. Its more difficult for people to get to populated areas where services are available, Krause said. They often live in abandoned barns, deep wooded areas and cars. Its important to remember mountain culture to build relationships and trust. HUD recognizes the growing need in this community. Chief development director for the Hospitality House Todd Carter was thankful for the grant and the packed house. Its so good to see everyone here today, Carter said. It makes my heart happy. Share this: Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Pocket We're a family of seven living in Georgia where Andrew's working as a professor at GSU. You can read more about us here The revamp includes a shift from an 8-tier to a 25-tier price system that, in theory, promises savings to passengers booking their trip early and additional costs to passengers buying a ticket at the last minute, according to YLE . VR , the Finnish state-owned railway operator, has carried out a pricing revamp in an attempt to steer consumer demand toward less-busy hours and periods. The price of a journey is determined based not only on the route and distance, but also on the time of booking and projected demand for the travel dates. The price can also change several times in a day based on real-time fluctuations in customer demand as the price system utilises artificial intelligence to analyse large quantities of data on, for example, sales, bookings and passenger volumes for specific dates and routes. Artificial intelligence and algorithms assist us, but just like in other companies ultimately its people who guide the pricing process, Piia Tyynila, the director of long-distance services at VR, stated to YLE on Tuesday. And we create the principles for the pricing ourselves. Maiju Eskelinen, an expert in sustainable development at the University of Eastern Finland, argued to the public broadcasting company a day later that the revamp is a step in the wrong direction from the viewpoint of both equality and carbon-neutrality targets. People should be encouraged to travel more sustainably. This kind of a price policy doesnt serve as an incentive, she stated. If the price changes steer people to travel by car or, at worst, fly, this will increase the carbon footprint significantly. The revamp, she added, can also increase inequalities between passengers as not everyone has the opportunity to plan their journey well in advance or travel on a weekday. Im concerned about the situation of students, said Eskelinen. Im sure many of them will have to reconsider travelling, and that can also have an impact on well-being if they dont get to meet their friends or family [as a result]. Aleksi Teivainen HT Progressive Alliance announces Wear Orange Day to protest gun violence The Progressive Alliance of Henderson County invited the public to join Moms Demand Action for Gun Safety in America in a Wear Orange community gathering 4-6 p.m. Saturday, June 3, at the Historic Courthouse on Main Street. PAHC is a sponsor of the event organized by the North Carolina Chapter of Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense in America. Wear Orange Day to Stop Gun Violence is an annual community gathering to honor victims and survivors and work to end gun violence. In 2022, grassroots volunteers hosted more than 350 events and activities in all 50 states in collaboration with hundreds of local partners, engaging thousands of supporters nationwide PHILLIP Schofield has been dropped by the Chiltern Centre in Henley after it was revealed he had lied about having an affair with a male ITV colleague. The former presenter of This Morning admitted that he had lied about the relationship while he was still married to his wife, Stephanie Lowe, during an investigation in 2020. The couple lived together in Fawley. Schofield had been a patron of the Chiltern Centre, which supports young adults with disabilities, since 2009. The charity said this week that following recent admissions, it no longer felt it was appropriate for the presenter to represent it as a patron. In a statement, Schofield said: Contrary to speculation, while I met the man when he was a teenager and was asked to help him to get into television, it was only after he started to work on the show that it became more than just a friendship. That relationship was unwise but not illegal. It is now over. He said he was deeply sorry for lying about the relationship to ITV, his friends, family and colleagues. He has since stepped down from all roles at the broadcaster and will not host the British Soap Awards. In 2019, Schofield surprised the Chiltern Centre with a 20,000 donation after receiving a cheque from DJ Chris Evans, who had raised it through his Carfest music and motoring festival. The charity publicly supported him when he came out as gay in 2020 on This Morning. In a statement, it said: We have been incredibly lucky for many years to have the patronage of Phillip Schofield. His generosity, kindness and support has been consistent and deeply appreciated. His recent donation of 20,000 is just one example of his wonderful community spirit. We stand firmly with Phillip as he and his family move forward from the announcement that he is gay and commend both him and his whole family for their bravery in honestly and openly talking about matters that are very personal to them. Schofield has opened Fawley village fete and given out festive treats at the Herb Farm in Sonning Common. In 2012, he was profiled in 100 Faces of Henley, a book containing photographs and potted biographies of noted local residents which was sold in aid of various good causes. In a statement, ITV said: We are deeply disappointed by the admissions of deceit made by Phillip Schofield. The relationships we have with those we work with are based on trust. Phillip made assurances to us which he now acknowledges were untrue and we feel badly let down. We accept his resignation from ITV and therefore can confirm that he will not be appearing on ITV as had previously been stated. A FORMER councillor has criticised Thames Water for leaving traffic lights in place even though no work was taking place, writes Chloe Plummer. Long queues of traffic built up in both directions on Reading Road, Henley, on Friday morning due to the three-way lights at the junction with Boston Road. The work to make two connections in Boston Road began on Wednesday last week and caused queues, particularly during the rush hours. But even though no work was taking place on Friday, the lights were still in place. Paul Harrison, a former South Oxfordshire district councillor, who witnessed the queues when he came into Henley from his home in Sonning Common, said: This is Henley on a bank holiday weekend and the start of half term as well. We will be getting a lot of tourists in Henley, so why are the lights still in place when they could be easily removed and then reinstated when they decide to start working again? Surely the traffic lights could be removed to let the traffic through on a bank holiday weekend? It will affect trade in Henley. I could understand if the road surface had been taken up but neither Boston Road nor Reading Road have anything blocking them apart from these traffic lights and cones. A Thames Water spokesman said: We are sorry for any inconvenience to residents and motorists in Boston Road while our teams carried out work on two new water connections. He said the work was completed on Thursday last week and added: Our team is reinstating the road and expect to finish the work in the coming days. Hong Kong: Govt green bonds well received The Government today announced the successful offering of close to US$6 billion worth of green bonds denominated in US dollars, euro and renminbi under its Green Bond Programme. The Monetary Authority, acting as the Government's representative in this green bond offering, said it was well received with close to US$30 billion equivalent in orders. In particular, the RMB tranches were expanded from a combined RMB10 billion from the January issuance to RMB15 billion this time, with the additional issuance of a new 10-year RMB tranche, the authority added. Financial Secretary Paul Chan said the enthusiasm for Hong Kong green bonds from global investors demonstrates their recognition of Hong Kong's efforts in green and sustainable development. The offering has included our first 10-year RMB green bond, which extends the offshore RMB yield curve and continues to enrich offshore RMB product offerings, promoting RMB internationalisation in an orderly manner, Mr Chan said. We will continue to regularly issue green bonds to promote innovation and further development of the market. The Green Bonds are being issued under the Global Medium Term Note Programme dedicated to green bond issuances established in early 2021. The Green Bonds expected to be settled on June 7 and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange. They have been assigned credit ratings of AA+ by S&P Global Ratings and AA- by Fitch. Proceeds raised will be credited to the Capital Works Reserve Fund to finance or refinance projects that provide environmental benefits and support the sustainable development of Hong Kong. This story has been published on: 2023-06-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Breast cancer specialists are medical professionals who specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of breast cancer. Here are some of the specialists involved with latest treatment innovation and technologies in breast cancer care: 1. Dr Anita Malik- Cancer Specialist / Oncologist (MD, Radiation Oncology) Book an Appointment Today Visit Now Website: https://www.dranitamalik.com/oncologist Check out patients feedback Google Profile link: CLICK HERE Contact No: +91-9310491198 WhatsApp Now for quick response directly from Dr Anita Malik: CLICK HERE Experience: More than 17 yrs. in the field of Oncology Speciality: Oncology (MD Radiation Oncology) Position: Senior Consultant (Oncologist) Education: MBBS MD | NUH Singapore (Clinical Trained) Dr. Anita Malik obtained her Medical Graduation from Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical Collage Jabalpur (M.P), Post-Graduation from Govt Cancer Hospital Indore (M.P). She had an experience of more than 17 yr from prestigious institute like All India Institute of Medical Sciences Ansari Nagar (AIIMS), Medanta the Medicity Gurugram and National University Cancer Institute (NUH) Singapore.She has had publications in National and international Journals and attended various conferences in India and abroad. She is trained with modern and minimally invasive Radiotherapy Techniques with high precision (IMRT, IGRT, VMAT, Stereotactic SBRT/SRS/SRT). Dr. Anita is a member of Association of Radiation Oncologist of India (AROI) & European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO), etc. What are breast cancer symptoms? a. Lump or thickening in the breast or underarm: A new lump or mass that feels different from the surrounding breast tissue is often the most common early sign of breast cancer. b. Breast pain or discomfort: Although most breast cancers are not painful, some individuals may experience discomfort or tenderness in the breast area. c. Changes in breast size or shape: Unexplained changes in the size or shape of one or both breasts, such as swelling or shrinkage, may be a symptom of breast cancer. d. Skin changes: Breast cancer can cause changes in the skin of the breast, such as redness, dimpling, puckering, or thickening. Some individuals may also notice an orange peel-like texture on the breast skin. Cure for Breast cancer The treatment for breast cancer typically depends on various factors, including the stage of the cancer, the presence of specific receptors on the cancer cells, overall health, and personal preferences. Common treatment modalities include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and hormone therapy. These approaches aim to remove or destroy the cancerous cells, prevent their growth and spread, and manage symptoms effectively. It's important to note that research and clinical trials are ongoing, and new treatment methods are being developed. It's always recommended to consult with healthcare professionals and oncologists for the most up-to-date information on breast cancer treatment options and advancements. 2. Dr Harit Chaturvedi Dr Harit Chaturvedi is currently associated with Max Group of Hospitals in New Delhi, where he is the director of its cancer care department. He is responsible for managing a team of 80 oncologists spread across 7 different super speciality hospitals. 3. Dr Anshuman Kumar Dr Anshuman Kumar holds membership in medical societies like the Indian Association of Surgical Oncology, European Society of Surgical Oncology, and The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. He is also associated with Tara Cancer Foundation & Cancer Help India as the current vice president. 4. Dr S Kaul Dr S Kaul is the founder and the President of Breast Cancer Patients Benefit Foundation, which focuses on delivering better cancer care to underprivileged patients at an affordable cost. Dr Sameer Kaul specializes in providing treatment for breast cancer, head & Neck cancer, GI cancer, Bone cancer and other related. 5. Dr Rohit Nayyar Dr Rohit Nayyar currently works at the Asian Institute of Medical Sciences. Dr Rohit Nayyar has also gained additional training in performing breast oncoplasty and breast surgery from Royal College of Surgeons (UK) and Head & Neck Cancer from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, USA 6. Dr Sarin Dr Sarin is a member of medical societies like Indian Society of Oncology, Indian Menopause Society and Association of Surgeons of India. Her special interests include breast cancer. She has also written several national and international medical papers. 7. Dr Rajeev Kumar Dr Rajeev Kumar has worked at Rockland Hospital, Fortis Hospital, and Dharamshila Hospital & Research Centre. Dr Rajeev Kumar is also associated with societies like Indian Society of Oncology and Association of Surgeons of India. In summary, consulting an oncologist is essential for accurate diagnosis, personalized treatment, and comprehensive care during and after the cancer journey. Oncologists have the expertise and experience necessary to guide patients through this challenging time and work towards the best possible outcome. To know more about cancer specialist visit: https://www.dranitamalik.com/oncologist 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 Delhi High Court has ordered low-fare airline SpiceJet to pay 380 crore to its former promoter, Kalanithi Maran of the Sun Group, and asked it to submit an affidavit of assets within four weeks. The High Court ruling on May 29, 2023 originates from a long-running battle between the Maran family and the current promoter, Ajay Singh, and SpiceJet, over contractual obligations. (File) The ruling is a setback to the airline, which surprised with a four-fold increase in earnings to 106.8 crore in the December quarter, and comes amid a battle with aircraft lessors over payments. Mint has reviewed a copy of the order. The High Court ruling on May 29, 2023 originates from a long-running battle between the Maran family and the current promoter, Ajay Singh, and SpiceJet, over contractual obligations. Maran sued SpiceJet in 2017 for allegedly causing losses by failing to issue convertible warrants and preference shares to him and his KAL Airways. SpiceJet ended up paying Maran a principal amount of Rs.579.08 crore after a protracted court fight, but the interest portion was pending. The interest stood at 242 crore in October 2020, accumulated to 362 crore by February 2023 and finally touched 380 crore. A SpiceJet spokesman said SpiceJet is already in discussions with Maran and KAL Airways for a comprehensive settlement. We are confident of resolving the same mutually as we have already paid the entire principal amount earlier awarded by an arbitral tribunal. Sun Group had no comment. Shares of SpiceJet were trading at 26.85, up 3.95%. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Elon Musks private jet has departed Shanghai, wrapping up his first visit to China since the pandemic that included meetings with senior government officials and a late-night visit to Tesla Inc.s Shanghai Gigafactory. Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk walks at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport in Shanghai.(Reuters) The billionaires plane took off from Shanghais Hongqiao airport around 11:22 a.m. local time Thursday bound for Texas, flight tracking website Umetrip showed. Musks visit started Tuesday in Beijing, where he met Foreign Minister Qin Gang and emphasized the importance of maintaining ties with China. He also met with the president of battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd., Yuqun Zeng on Tuesday, according to photos posted on social media. On Wednesday, he met Jin Zhuanglong, Chinas minister for industry and information technology, and visited the Ministry of Commerce, accompanied by Tom Zhu, Teslas senior vice president of automotive, and Grace Tao, Teslas vice president in charge of government and public affairs in Greater China. He was also photographed at Peking duck restaurant 1949. He then flew to Shanghai, where he paid a late night visit to the Tesla plant, greeting around 100 employees. He treated them to hamburgers and soft drinks and left about an hour later, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to identified discussing private matters. In a video released by Teslas China team on Thursday, Musk was shown waving to the workers, then thanking them for being at the factory late at night. He also congratulated the staff on their amazing work, and how they were able to overcome difficulties and challenges. It warms my heart, said Musk, making a love-heart gesture with his hands. Cars produced here are not just the most efficient production, but also the highest quality, he said. Teslas China team also showed Musk the first trial production car of the revamped Model 3, Bloomberg News reported earlier. The updated Model 3, Teslas first mass-market sedan, is slightly longer and sportier than the earlier version and has a sleeker interior design, Bloomberg reported last month. The automaker has enjoyed significant support from Chinas central government as the first wholly-owned foreign carmaker in the nation as well as the from Shanghai authorities, such as access to cheap land and expedited planning approvals. City officials even provided the EV maker with masks and protective equipment at the start of the pandemic. During the most recent lockdown, authorities helped Tesla secure an old military camp to house workers so it could restart production under a closed-loop system. The Shanghai plant accounted for more than half of Teslas global production in 2022, and the facility can now produce as many as 1.1 million cars a year. In return, the US automaker contributed almost one-quarter of Shanghais total automotive production value last year, and local authorities pledged last month to continue to boost ties with the company through autonomous driving and robot modules. Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday accused former CM N Chandrababu Naidu of copying schemes for his party's manifesto for the state assembly elections scheduled next year. Speaking at an event in Kurnool, he termed Telugu Desam Party (TDP)'s mini election manifesto as a bisi bele bath'- a popular rice-based rich from Karnataka and a pulihora (lemon rice) by copying other parties schemes, including those from his father, YS Rajaseskhar Reddy's regime. Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.(PTI) Also Read| Andhra govt orders CID to attach assets of Margadarsi Chit Fund N Chandrababu Naidu's manifesto was not born in Andhra Pradesh. It is a bisi bele bath cooked manifesto taken from the two parties, the Congress and the BJP in the recently concluded elections in Karnataka, Reddy said, reported news agency PTI. Andhra Pradesh like Kurukshetra The chief minister also said Naidu, who is the current leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, copied schemes and standard operating procedures (SOPs) from his party such as Amma Vodi and Rythu Bharosa, and compiled them. Comparing Andhra Pradesh to Kurukshetra, he said, Next war will be between DPT (Dochuko, Panchuko, Tinuko - Loot, Distribute, Consume) and DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer), while requesting voters to choose the next government wisely. Naidu's seven promises Naidu on Sunday announced his seven promises -- Maha Shakthi, Thalliki Vandanam, Yuvashakthi, Annadatha, access to drinking water, Act for backward classes (BC), and Vision 2047 and said that these would change the destiny of the people of the state in the coming years. Under the Maha Shakthi scheme, a monthly financial aid of 1,500 will be given to every woman in the 18-59 age group, while Thalliki Vandanam, would provide an annual financial aid of 15,000 to every mother without any pre-requisite conditions, Naidu said. Naming the manifesto as Bhavishyathuku Guarantee (Guarantee to a bright future), the TDP chief said it was the first of the two-part manifesto. The second part of the manifesto would be released around the Dasara festival in October, after obtaining the feedback on the first part, he said. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday raised a pitch for the contentious Mekedatu balancing reservoir across Cauvery river near Kanakapura and appealed to Tamil Nadu government to be generous. Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar. Shivakumar, who hails from Kanakapura and is an MLA from there, said the Karnataka government will have to make preparations required for the project. He also insisted that it will benefit not only Bengaluru but also the farmers of Tamil Nadu. "With regard to Mekedatu, we had marched for water (in 2021). Tamil Nadu will not have any problem. After our march, (the then) Chief Minister (Basavaraj Bommai) had earmarked 1,000 crore for the project. It has been proposed but has not been spent yet. We have to make the requisite preparations," Shivakumar told reporters here. He said, "Its not that we have any hatred for Tamil Nadu or wage a war against it. Those residing there are our brethren and their brethren are here as well. So, there is no scope for hatred or jealousy. It is our project. It will benefit them as well. We have to help all the farmers in the Cauvery basin." Stating that the key to unlock the Mekedatu issue is with the Centre, Shivakumar said there were orders on how much water Karnataka has to release. He wondered how Tamil Nadu will be at loss if Karnataka sets up a power plant there. "We will store water and supply it to Bengaluru. It has been approved in the Cauvery Tribunal award. So there is no need to panic," the Deputy Chief Minister said. He appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to consider the project as it will not affect their interest. "I request you (Tamil Nadu government) that we will not trouble you. Be generous. We too are generous. We are neighbouring states. We have fought enough and seen enough legal battles. It never helps. May we deal with it harmoniously. It will help in providing drinking water and benefit your farmers as well," Shivakumar said. The Mekedatu multi-purpose (drinking and power) project involves building a balancing reservoir near Kanakapura in Ramanagara district. The estimated 9,000-crore project, once completed, is aimed at ensuring drinking water to Bengaluru and neighbouring areas (4.75 TMC) and it can also generate 400 MW of power. Karnataka has maintained that the project within its territory will benefit both states as the surplus water stored can be managed between the two during a distress year, and its implementation will in no way affect the interests of Tamil Nadus farming communities, as there will be no impact on its share of water. However, the neighbouring state is of the view that the project would impound and divert the uncontrolled water flow due to Tamil Nadu from Kabini sub-basin, the catchment area below Krishnarajasagara, and also from Simsha, Arkavathy and Suvarnavathi sub-basins besides other small streams. The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday strongly opposed Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar's reported remarks on his state going ahead with the construction of a reservoir across river Cauvery at Mekedatu, expressing surprise over his 'teasing' the neighbour within days of coming to power. State Minister for Water Resources Duraimurugan sought to remind Shivakumar that the proposed project in Karnataka found no mention in the order of the Cauvery disputes tribunal or the Supreme Court's final verdict. State Minister for Water Resources Duraimurugan sought to remind Shivakumar that the proposed project in Karnataka found no mention in the order of the Cauvery disputes tribunal or the Supreme Court's final verdict. "I am surprised that Shivakumar is resorting to teasing a neighbouring state within days of being sworn-in (as deputy CM). I believe the officials have not explained the full details of Mekedatu," he said in a statement here. READ | Mekedatu padayatra chargesheet against Congress leaders stayed Duraimurugan, the senior most minister in the State Cabinet after Chief Minister M K Stalin, was responding to reports in a section of media that claimed Shivakumar expressed his government's resolve to construct the balancing reservoir across the inter-state Cauvery at Mekedatu. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka were locked in a dispute over the sharing of river water. The said project or any other unapproved construction will affect Tamil Nadu's interests, Duraimurugan added. "It is not welcome to say that the reservoir will be constructed in the uncontrolled intermediate catchment area where TN has its rights," he added. READ | Mekedatu row: Tamil Nadu's objections illegal and meaningless, says Karnataka CM "Tamil Nadu will oppose at all levels, if Karnataka's plans to construct the reservoir at Mekedatu. Soon there will be an opportunity to meet you. I think the issue can be discussed in detail then. I think honourable Shivakumar will remain patient till then," Duraimurugan told the neighbouring state's deputy Chief Minister. The Mekedatu multipurpose (drinking and power) project involves building a balancing reservoir near Kanakapura in Ramanagara district of Karnataka. The project once completed is aimed at ensuring drinking water to Bengaluru and neighbouring areas (4.75 TMC) and generate 400 MW power. The estimated cost of the project is 9,000 crore. Incidentally, Shivakumar, who represents Kanakapura, had undertaken a 'padayatra' (footmarch) in January last year, demanding for the implementation of the project. His party, the Congress was in the Opposition then. The Haryana Police on Thursday claimed to have arrested 10 shooters associated with notorious gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldie Brar from Gurugram district and seized four pistols and 28 live cartridges. The arrested sharpshooters of Lawrence Bishnoi gang and the four pistols recovered from them, in Gurugram on Thursday. (Parveen Kumar/HT) Among the arrested shooters, at least two hail from Punjab. Police also recovered two vehicles (a Scorpio and a Honda City) and seven police uniforms from the possession of the accused and one of the vehicles recovered was reported stolen from Delhi. Police said the accused were identified as Rakesh Kumar, alias Anil; Harjot Singh, alias Leela; Ajay Isharwalia, alias Punjabi; Prince, alias Golu; Joginder, alias Joga; Sandeep, alias Deep; and Sinderpal, alias Bittu. These seven accused were arrested on a specific input from Mehandwada, Bhondsi, Gurugram, while they were plotting to commit a crime, said police. After interrogating them, their three other companions Dharmendra alias Dharma; Deepak, alias Dilawar, and Bharat were also apprehended near Rajiv Chowk Devi Lal Stadium. During interrogation, police said, it came to the fore that the arrested accused were active shooters for Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldie Brar gangs. They had come to Gurugram to carry out a major dacoity and kidnapping. Their plan involved posing as police officers, with Joginder alias Joga acting as a fake police inspector, and the other members wearing police uniforms during the crime. Their plan was to kidnap someone and demand a ransom of crores of rupees. However, the police managed to apprehend them before they could execute their plan, said police. Police said during interrogation the arrested accused confessed that they carried out crimes under the instructions of Goldie Brar, Rohit Godara, and Veeru, who are believed to be residing abroad. They had bought police uniforms, belts, shoes, and other items to facilitate their operations in Gurugram. The gang members maintained regular contact with Goldie Brar and others abroad, following their instructions to carry out kidnappings and collect ransom. Police said that multiple cases have been registered against the arrested individuals, including charges of robbery, dacoity, attempted murder, theft, assault, possession of illegal weapons etc. These cases have been filed in various districts of Haryana, including Bhiwani, Panchkula, Sirsa, Ambala, Gurugram as well as Mohali (Punjab), and Rajasthan. A case has been registered against all the arrested accused. Police are conducting thorough interrogations of the arrested accused to gather more information, said police. Box Police dossier on shooters Jogendra, alias Joga He is the leader of the arrested gang members and is associated with the gangs of Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldie Brar. He hails from Baddunai in Bhiwani district and has more than 15 charges against him, including robbery, dacoity, attempted murder, and extortion. Jogendra has been to jail multiple times and served a five-year sentence in Ambala jail from 2017 to October 2021. He was released from jail in 2021 and was arrested again in February 2022 but obtained bail after about 35 days. He has been absconding since then and has not appeared in court. During his stay in Patiala jail, he met Lawrence Bishnoi and his gang members and after that he became an active member of this gang. Harjot Singh, alias Leela He is originally from Badraklai village in Moga district, Punjab. He has six cases registered against him in Badhni Kalan Moga police station, including charges of assault, attempted murder, and drug-related offenses. Sinderpal, alias Bittu He belongs to Kalwanu village in Patiala district, Punjab. Three cases, including dacoity and drug offenses, have been registered against him in Patiala. Sandeep, alias Deep He is from Sisai village in Hisar. He has been charged with attempt to murder. Ajay Isharwalia, alias Punjabi He is from Isharwal in Bhiwani and also faces charges. The BSF men on Thursday morning gunned down a Pakistani intruder along the 198-km long India-Pak international border in Samba district, said officials. The army on Wednesday had foiled an infiltration attempt on the line of control (LoC) in Jammu & Kashmirs Poonch sector and arrested three terrorists. (File photo) In the early hours of Thursday, the alert BSF troops noticed a suspicious movement of a person, who crossed the IB (international border) from Pakistani side in Samba area, said a BSF spokesperson. The intruder was challenged by the troops but he kept advancing towards the border fence. The troops fired on him and shot him dead, he added. Prima facie, no weapon or narcotics were found with him. Further details were being ascertained. The army on Wednesday had foiled an infiltration attempt on the line of control (LoC) in Jammu & Kashmirs Poonch sector and arrested three terrorists. The army had also seized a consignment of arms and ammunition which included a 10-kg improvised explosive device (IED) from the terrorists, who belonged to Karmara village. Deputy commissioner Surabhi Malik on Thursday directed officers to highlight Punjab governments welfare schemes and flagship programmes through Khabran Ludhianavi newsletter, so that maximum people avail benefits. The DC said newsletter was launched by administration on May 6 to ensure that information about governments policies and schemes reaches maximum people. (HT Photo) Presiding over a meeting in Bachat Bhawan, Malik said the newsletter was launched by administration on May 6 to ensure that information about governments policies and schemes reaches maximum people of Ludhiana. The DC asked officers of several departments to send information about schemes and their success to concerned persons so that it can reach the general public. The plan to hold camps, meeting and functions must also be shared well in advance to ensure maximum public participation, she added. The DC said that sometimes people who fulfil criteria under a government scheme, are not aware of the ways to avail it, adding that the newsletter will also help them to register for the scheme. The official said citizens would have the opportunity to provide suggestions to administration through the newsletter by emailing on acgludhiana@gmail.com. Among those present on the occasion included District Planning Board chairman, Sharanpal Singh Makkar, additional deputy commissioners Sandeep Kumar, Major Amit Sareen and others. The Special Court, Prevention of Money Laundering Act, Jalandhar, convicted a drug peddler Mahabir Singh of Dhun village in Amritsar district, for four years of rigorous imprisonment on Thursday. After investigation, the ED filed a prosecution complaint in the year 2017 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. The enforcement directorate spokesperson said the special judge PMLA Nirbhow Singh Gill found Mahabir guilty under Section 4 of PMLA for committing the offence of money laundering as defined under Section 3 of the act. The spokesperson stated that the investigation in this regard was initiated by ED, Jalandhar, in 2009 based on an FIR registered at Sadar police station, Amritsar, under Section of NDPS Act and Arms Act after Mahabir was arrested with 15kg of heroin. Investigation pursued by assistant director JP Singh revealed that the proceeds of crime generated from the drug trade were invested by the accused in immovable properties which were subsequently attached by the directorate of enforcement. After investigation, the ED filed a prosecution complaint in the year 2017 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. This is the first such conviction in the case of ED in Punjab where the accused has been convicted for the offence of money laundering, the ED spokesperson said. Ahead of the paddy sowing, the fertiliser and pesticides wholesale dealers in the state have alleged that the fertiliser manufacturing companies are forcing the dealers to buy other products by tagging them with DAP (Diammonium phosphate) and urea. Fertilisers and Pesticides Dealers Association, Moga, has given a written complaint to the agriculture department claiming that despite directions by the agriculture department, all the companies are supplying other products by tagging them with DAP and urea fertilisers. (HT File) The wholesale dealers have also sent a letter to the Union ministry of chemicals and fertilisers stating their concerns. Last year in November, the ministry warned companies about selling non-required products with fertilisers to the farmers. Fertilisers and Pesticides Dealers Association, Moga, has given a written complaint to the agriculture department claiming that despite directions by the agriculture department, all the companies are supplying other products by tagging them with DAP and urea fertilisers. If any dealer refuses to purchase the tagged products, the companies stop the supply of fertilisers. We request this practice should be stopped, they said in their complaint. Association president Pawan Kumar said that the companies are tagging bio-fertilisers and organic manure with DAP and urea. They are forcing dealers to purchase the tagged products, he said. Following the complaint, Moga chief agriculture officer Manjit Singh said the department will ensure no additional material is sold with fertilisers through tagging. Strict action will be taken against the company if they are found forcefully supplying fertilisers with tagged material, he said. Moga agriculture officer Dr Jaswinder Singh Brar said, Almost all the fertiliser manufacturing companies are forcefully tagging products with fertilisers and supplying them to wholesale dealers, who further sell to retailers across the state. Ultimately, the farmers are forced to buy the tagged products. It is a new trend to get more profits under the table. On the other hand, the government gives subsidies on urea, DAP and Potassium fertiliser, he added. Brar said the organic manure was readily available in villages and it was much cheaper than the product being tagged with the DAP and urea. Organic manure is available in villages at a cheap price of approximately 30 per quintal. The companies pack the same material under the name of organic manure in shiny bags and are selling it to private dealers as well as cooperative societies at around 30 per kg, said Brar. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A special NIA court in Chandigarh has declared a wanted member of the proscribed terror group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), who is currently based in Germany, a proclaimed offender in the Model Jail tiffin bomb case of April 2022, an official said. The NIA official said Jaswinder Singh, alias Multani, of Mansoorpur-Mukerian village in Hoshiarpur district has been identified as the mastermind behind planting the IED bomb outside the wall of Model Jail, Burail, Chandigarh, with the intention of spreading terror and causing violence. The official said Jaswinder Singh, alias Multani, of Mansoorpur-Mukerian village in Hoshiarpur district has been identified as the mastermind behind planting the IED bomb outside the wall of Model Jail, Burail, Chandigarh, with the intention of spreading terror and causing violence. Multani has been declared a proclaimed offender under section 82 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), a federal agency spokesperson said. The tiffin bomb, along with a detonator, was found in a black bag outside the jail on April 22 last year. The spokesperson said, Multani is currently based in Germany and has a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against him.The NIA court issued the NBW on January 5. The National Investigation Agency has also declared a reward of 10 lakh and issued a lookout circular against him. The tiffin bomb case was originally registered against unknown persons by the Chandigarh Police under the Explosive Substances Act. The NIA subsequently take over the case in May 2022 and re-registered it with additional provisions under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Investigations by the NIA revealed that Multani had masterminded the crime from Germany. He was in touch with pro-Khalistan operatives based in India, Pakistan and other countries, and was using them to promote violence and terror, the spokesperson said. The official said investigations revealed that Multani was identifying, recruiting, motivating and radicalising the youths of Punjab through social media. He was also sending or raising funds and coordinating the movement of arms and ammunition, as well as explosives from Pakistan into India, the spokesperson said. A Faridabad court on Thursday granted bail to Haryana IAS officer Dharmender Singh who was arrested by the Faridabad police on May 15 for allegedly seeking illegal gratification in a 2022 case. A Faridabad court on Thursday granted bail to Haryana IAS officer Dharmender Singh who was arrested by the Faridabad police on May 15 for allegedly seeking illegal gratification in a 2022 case. (Shutterstock) Additional sessions judge (ASJ), Faridabad, Amrit Singh granted regular bail to the IAS officer and asked him to appear before the court on June 13. This court after considering the fact that the custody of the accused is no more required by the investigating agency, except for taking his voice sample for which accused has given his consent, is of the view that no useful purpose would be served to keep the accused in custody. It is also pertinent to mention here that accused is a senior Haryana government officer and there is least possibility of his absconding from trial, said the court while granting bail. A case was registered in June 22, 2022, under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 506 (criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Kotwali police station in Faridabad on the complaint of one Lalit Mittal. Mittal, who has a construction company M/s Harchand Das Gupta, had alleged that he met one Pankaj Garg of Sector-15, Faridabad, six years ago. He alleged that Pankaj Garg introduced him to one RB Sharma who assured that they can get a big government tender or building construction work. The complainant (Mittal) alleged that he paid 1.11 crore to Rambir Sharma for getting a government contract. Counsel for the accused Sanjiv Rao argued that the accused IAS officer is innocent and has been implicated. He argued that the allegations of the prosecution nowhere revealed that he demanded any money from the complainant or any other person. He said the entire case of the prosecution is vague because the complainant at the first instance has alleged that he has given the money for the contract work of Charkhi Dadri whereas there was no tender pending at Charkhi Dadri, as alleged in the FIR. He further pointed out that later on, the police recorded the supplementary statement and the complainant has changed his allegations that he has some tender work at Sonepat. The counsel for the accused said the allegations against the present applicant are that he took bribe for recommendation of enhancement of work already allotted to M/s Harchand Dass Gupta, the firm of the complainant, and took bribe to the tune of 1 crore for the enhancement. He submitted that the enhancement of tender is not within the purview of the accused and he had sent it to director, urban local bodies (ULB) Haryana. Neither there is any transaction nor any evidence on record to show that applicant has received any amount or has any official dealing with the complainant. Public prosecutor argued a sum of 1.11 crore was paid by Lalit Mittal to RB Sharma out of which 11 lakh was given to Sharma and the remaining Rs. 1 crore was given to IAS officer Dharmender Singh. He argued that the IAS officer has not followed the guidelines issued by the ULB department. He argued that as per December 11, 2018, letter issued by director, urban local bodies, the tender amount may be increased upto 10% but if there is an increase of more than 10%, then a fresh tender should be invited. This court has meticulously examined the December 11, 2018, letter issued by the ULB department whereas the project in question was allotted in 2017. Although the investigating officer has stated that this letter has a retrospective effect. However, clause 5 of the letter clearly mentioned that these guidelines are applicable for future contracts. Therefore, this court is of the view that the present project does not fall within the ambit of said letter. During police remand, nothing has been recovered from the custody of the accused, the ASJs court said. It further said that when no recovery is to be made from the accused and he has consented to give his specimen voice samples, then the accused is entitled for concession of bail. The accused is directed to join investigation as and when required by the investigating agency, failing which the investigating agency may approach this court for cancellation of his bail. The accused is in custody since May 15, 2023 and it is settled law that bail is a rule and jail is exception. In the light of above, the present bail application is allowed and he is ordered to be released on bail on furnishing bail bonds in the sum of 1 lakh with one surety, the court said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In a rare display of solidarity, opposition leaders of Punjab came together on one stage in Jalandhar on Thursday to protest the vigilance bureau (VB) probe against Ajit Group editor-in-chief Barjinder Singh Hamdard. Punjab opposition leaders at the protest against the AAP-led state government for issuing summons to Ajit Group editor-in-chief Barjinder Singh Hamdard. (HT Photo) In response to a call by the Congress, senior leaders of the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party joined the protest against the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, and senior party leaders Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Navjot Singh Sidhu were joined by SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, state BSP president Jasbir Singh Garhi, state BJP president Ashwani Sharma and party leader Sunil Jakhar and Lok Insaf Partys Simarjit Singh Bains at the protest. Also read: Now, VB arrests Punjab AIG Ashish Kapoor in assets case The VB had summoned Hamdard on May 29 in an inquiry into the alleged misuse of funds during the execution of the 315-crore Jang-e-Azadi Memorial dedicated to freedom fighters at Kartarpur, 18km from district headquarters. However, the summons were deferred after Hamdard sought 10 days time. Hamdard, who was instrumental in the conception and construction of the project since 2012, had quit as member secretary of the Jang-e-Azadi Memorial Foundation and as its managing committee president on April 10, blaming the AAP government of repeatedly maligning the name of the memorial by sending police and vigilance teams. In March, on the basis of complaints of alleged misuse of funds in the construction of the memorial, the Jalandhar vigilance bureau initiated a probe. Besides conducting multiple checking at the site and confiscating official records from drawings to funds sanctioned by the state government from 2014-16, the VB questioned the memorials managing committee secretary. Spread over 25 acres at Kartarpur and located 18km from Jalandhar, the mega project was the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP governments dream project. The memorial was one of the dream projects of former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal as the first phase was opened to the public in 2016. During his tenure, Captain Amarinder Singh ensured all financial assistance and logistics to complete the second phase of the project in 2018. The memorial is a unique piece of art that has a minaret, a seminar hall, an auditorium, a movie hall, a cafeteria, a library, an open-air theatre for laser show and an amphitheatre. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Navrajdeep Singh Navrajdeep Singh is a senior staff correspondent. He covers agriculture, crime, local bodies, health and education in the Patiala district of Punjab. ...view detail Punjab governor and UT administrator Banwarilal Purohit will take a final call on issues related to Panjab University (PU) on June 5. Punjab governor and UT administrator Banwarilal Purohit chairing a meeting to discuss issues related to Panjab University with chief ministers Bhagwant Mann and Manohar Lal Khattar in Chandigarh on Thursday. (HT Photo) This was discussed at a meeting on Thursday morning in which the Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann and his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar were present. PU vice-chancellor (VC) Renu Vig was also present. According to sources at the meeting, the financial constraints that PU is under was the main issue discussed. Haryana is willing to offer money to the university to meets its expenses but is demanding affiliation from PU for its colleges in the districts of Panchkula, Ambala and Yamunanagar, it is learnt. Also read: Punjab opposition leaders put up united front against AAP govt probe UT administrator-cum-Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit chaired the meeting on the direction of Union home minister Amit Shah during the recent zonal meeting. Shah asked the UT administrator to convene a meeting at his level to sort out the issues as he is head of the UT administration. While both the states put forward their points, their resolution was not possible in the meeting held on Thursday. It is expected that the governor will take a final call at the meeting on June 5. As an inter-state body, PU annually receives maintenance grants from both the University Grants Commission (UGC) and Punjab government. The university had written to the Punjab government before the state budget was presented this year. In a letter to the principal secretary, department of higher education, Punjab, on March 28, apart from the 334 crore liability, the state was informed that there are development needs of the university amounting to 117.62 crore. In the 2023-24 session, there was a shortfall of 4.25 crore that had been carried forward from last year. In the last reminder sent to Punjab, it was reiterated that the government had not even released the grant with 6% annual enhancement as agreed for 2022-23. In March 2018, the state had informed the Punjab and Haryana high court that it would be enhancing the grant to PU by 6% in the 2018-19 financial year. Thereon, it had increased the grant by 6% till 2021-22, when the enhancement was 4.81%. However, for 2022-23, no enhancement had been sanctioned. The university has a recurring liability of both teaching and non-teaching employees, including pensions at 56.23 crore. The arrears of pay revision from January 1, 2016, including pensions, will amount to 278.17 crore. The university needs a total 334.4 crore in funds for this. PU has also written to the UGC to enhance its grant for it to implement the revised pay-scales but the Centre in a recent communication refused to further revise this and stated that the university is given salary grants and as agreed to by the ministry of education, this is increased by 6% every year. Police have launched a hunt for online fraudsters who made a 17-year-old boy transfer 1.18 lakh to their bank account by offering him escort services via WhatsApp. Police were alerted by the teenagers father, a property consultant from Sector 20, Panchkula. Police were alerted by the teenagers father, a property consultant from Sector 20, Panchkula. The father, aged 40, told the police that on May 2, he was away at Karnataka, while his wife had gone to her parents home, when their home-alone son received a web link on his mobile phone that led him to a WhatsApp chat. The person on the other end offered him escort services by sharing pictures of women. Through various steps, the accused made his son transfer 1.18 lakh via his mothers bank account. Also Read: Delhi doctor scammed for 4.5 cr in city's biggest cyber fraud Eventually, when the fraudster asked him to come to a hotel in Peer Muchalla, his son got scared and refused to go. Later, the swindler deleted all WhatsApp messages. On returning home on May 7, the complainant realised 1.18 lakh were transferred from his wifes account to an account in Rajasthan. On being coaxed, his son revealed the matter, following which a police complaint was filed. A case under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 384 (extortion) and 120 (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code was registered at the cyber police station on May 31. In August 2022, a student of Chandigarh University was kidnapped from Kharar after being honey trapped. He was later rescued from a flat in the towns Ranjit Nagar in less than 48 hours. Three members of the honey trap gang, including a woman, who had demanded 50 lakh as ransom, were arrested from the flat. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON State investigation unit of Kashmir Police on Thursday attached an underconstruction house in Kokernag South Kashmir as the house, according to the police, was used by militants of Hizbul Mujahideen. The spokesman warned general public not to harbour or provide shelter or extend logistics to terrorists/terror associates in their houses, failing which strict legal action will be taken against anyone doing so. The police said the attached house was owned by a militant associate identified as Mohammad Ishaq Malik of Danwathpora Kokernag in Anantnag district. Continuing its crackdown on harbouring terrorists and providing logistic support to them, SIU Anantnag attached under the construction residential house of a terrorist associate in Danwathpora Kokernag area of Anantnag district used for terrorist activities after obtaining necessary sanctions from the competent authority, said police spokesman in a statement. The spokesman further said during the course of investigation in case FIR No. 103/2022 of police station Kokernag under the UA(P) Act, one under construction residential house belonging to terrorist associate namely Mohammad Ishaq Malik has been found used by terrorists of proscribed terrorist outfit HM. Accordingly, process for attachment of property belonging to the above accused falling within the ambit proceeds of terrorism was initiated by SIU Anantnag under Section 25 of the UA(P) Act and the conformation related to the attachment of property was accorded by the Kashmir divisional commissioner. The spokesman warned general public not to harbour or provide shelter or extend logistics to terrorists/terror associates in their houses, failing which strict legal action will be taken against anyone doing so. The SIU shall continue identification and initiation of attachment/confiscation of properties falling under the ambit of proceeds of terrorism to shake the ecosystem of terrorism in UT of J&K. Sharaddha Walkar's brother Shreejay Walkar testified against 28-year-old Aaftab Poonawala in Delhi's Saket court as trial began and statement of prosecution witnesses in the case were recorded on Thursday. Shreejay told the court that two weeks after she left her home, Shraddha told him that she and Aaftab were fighting a lot verbal and physical. She had told him that Aaftab would beat her up occasionally. Aaftab Poonawala, 28, allegedly sawed Shraddha Walkars body into 35 pieces and kept them in a 300-litre fridge for almost three weeks at his residence in south Delhis Mehrauli before dumping them across the city over several days. (File) Shreejay told their mother about the same. He said, We again tried to reason with her and that she should not be in this relationship and she should come back home. She said Aaftab would apologise after every fight and she would accept the apology and continue living with him. He also told the court that Shraddha often visited her home when their mother was unwell. However, their mother passed in January last year. He added, Shraddha stayed back for a bit with Aaftab. Heated arguments continued. We were not happy that she was in such a relationship. My interaction with my sister reduced substantially as we understood that she is completely influenced by Aaftab. Shreejay also said that he lost complete contact with his sister after mid-2021. I did not see my sister after Feb 2020. She was in touch with her classmates Shivani Mhatre and lakshmanan Nadar. Mid-2021 lost contact with her. If i called either it was switched off or unreachable. Statements of two more witnesses, including an auto driver and Shraddha and Aaftab's Chhatarpur neighbour were also recorded on Thursday. The matter will be next heard in July. What happened? Poonwala allegedly strangulated his live-in partner Shraddha in November last year. He sawed her body into 35 pieces and kept them in a 300-litre refrigerator before dumping them across various locations in the city over several days. In January, the Delhi Police had filed a 6,629-page chargesheet in the case. The chargesheet was filed 75 days after the police had started investigations. Shraddha and Aaftab Poonwala and Shraddha, hailing from Mumbai, were in a relationship and had moved to Delhi in May 2022. The murder came to light when a friend informed Shraddha's father that he had not heard from her for nearly two months. After being unable to contact his daughter, Shraddha's father informed Mumbai Police last October. The Mumbai polices probe led police to the couples rented room in South Delhi's Chhattarpur Pahadi. The crime The breakthrough came when 13 decomposed body parts, mostly pieces of bones, retrieved on Poonawalas insistence led to a DNA match that confirmed Shraddha was murdered. Poonawala was arrested in November last year and is currently lodged in Delhi's Tihar jail. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Delhi chief minister and Aam Admi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal will meet Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin in Chennai on Thursday and his Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren in Ranchi on Friday in his continued bid to shore up support against the services ordinance promulgated by the Centre, senior party officials said on Wednesday. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo) Kejriwal has been meeting opposition leaders, seeking their support to defeat the ordinance in the Rajya Sabha. He has already met West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) head Sharad Pawar, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav and CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury. Also Read| Rise above party line to oppose ordinance: Kejriwal to Congress The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government on May 19 brought an ordinance to notify rules for the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) regarding the transfer posting, vigilance and other incidental matters. The ordinance nullified the five-judge bench Supreme Court Constitution bench order which gave primacy to the elected government in all services except those departments of land, law and order and police. The ordinance seeks to amend the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991, and reverses the Supreme Court judgement by providing greater control to the lieutenant governor over bureaucrats in the Capital. The AAP on Wednesday said that these series of meetings with key opposition figures are being held to gather support against the anti-Delhi ordinance. Kejriwal on Wednesday tweeted that he will seek DMKs support against Centres unconstitutional-undemocratic and Anti-Delhi ordinance. On May 23, Kejriwal started a nationwide tour to seek support from the Opposition parties against the ordinance. Kejriwals meeting with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge did not materialise amid opposition by the Delhi Congress leaders. Delhi Rohini court of the metropolitan magistrate on Thursday extended the police remand of Sahil, who is accused of stabbing a 16-year-old to death on Sunday evening at E-block in Shahbad Dairy area, for three days. Minor girl murder accused Sahil was arrested on Monday (File Photo) Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) (outer north) Ravi Kumar Singh said the investigator produced Sahil before a duty metropolitan magistrates residence on Thursday morning with a request to extend his police remand for three more days for his further interrogation. Due to security reasons, Sahil was produced in the early court, instead of the regular court. Considering our request, the court extended his police custody till Saturday, said the DCP. Also Read: Shahbad Dairy killing: Girls murder planned for 3 days, say Delhi police Singh said that Sahil has so far given many contradictory statements about the incidents and weapons used in the commission of crime, to mislead the police investigation. We have searched all the spots from Shahbad Dairy to Rithala metro station, where the accused had claimed to throw the knife. But, the weapon has not yet been recovered. We may take him to his aunts place in Bulandshahr from where he was arrested, to trace the entire route. Since the weapon of offence will be vital evidence for the prosecution, we are mainly focusing on its recovery right now, the DCP added. According to Delhi police, Sahil stabbed the minor girl at least 16 times, kicked her limp body, and battered her relentlessly with a stone slab in a brutal attack in a narrow lane in northwest Delhis Shahbad Dairy on Sunday. He then fled to his aunts house in Uttar Pradeshs Bulandshahr and was arrested from that city on Monday after police traced a call he made to his mother. As a call was traced from his aunt to his father, Sahil was arrested and brought to Delhi on Monday. The Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Thursday allowed businessman P Sarath Chandra Reddy to turn approver in the alleged excise policy scam being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The court also granted pardon to Reddy in the case. Businessman P Sarath Chandra Reddy The move could lead to more trouble for Delhi's former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who is facing money laundering charges by the ED. The ED is investigating alleged irregularities in the implementation of the now-scrapped liquor policy of the Delhi government. The money laundering case stems from a CBI FIR. According to the CBI and the ED, irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy and undue favours were extended to licence holders. The Delhi government implemented the policy on November 17, 2021, but scrapped it at the end of September 2022 amid allegations of corruption. Who is Sarath Chandra Reddy? 1. Reddy, a whole-time director and promoter of Aurobindo Pharma, was arrested by the ED in November last year. 2. Reddy was recently charge-sheeted by the probe agency in the case. He is the second person to become an approver. 3. In November last year, liquor businessman and accused in the case, Dinesh Arora turned approver. 4. Reddy through his counsel had moved a plea before the Rouse Avenue Court requesting the court to let him be an approver. The court allowed his move, and also pardoned him in the matter. 5. The ED had claimed in the supplementary charge sheet that Vijay Nair, businessman and AAP's communications in-charge, on behalf of leaders of Aam Aadmi Party received kickbacks to the tune of 100 crore from South Group, whose prominent persons are Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, Raghav Magunta, Sarath Reddy and K Kavitha, the daughter of Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. (With inputs agencies) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Delhi high court on Thursday asked former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia to explain why he chose to withdraw the Delhi excise policy 2021-22 if it was as good as the it was as good as the Delhi government claimed. The judge asked Sisodias counsel to get a reply to his query. (File) Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma made the remark while hearing the bail plea of Vijay Nair, a co-accused in a money laundering case arising from an alleged scam into the policy, and asked Sisodias counsel to get a reply to his query. If policy is so good, why did you withdraw it? Get a definitive reply for this, said the judge. Sisodias counsel submitted that the policy was rolled back after the Delhi lieutenant governor did not let liquor vends to open in non-conforming zones, leading to losses. He said the vends were allowed to operate in such areas under the earlier policy, which was in place for 10 years. Also Read| ED: Sisodia got 2.2 crore bribes in Delhi excise case Additional solicitor general SV Raju, who appeared for ED, however, claimed the policy was withdrawn because the wrongdoings of the accused had been exposed. During the hearing, the counsel for ED and Sisodia, who is an accused in the case and is currently in judicial custody, told the court that fresh pleas have been filed on behalf of the former deputy chief minister seeking interim bail on account of the deteriorating health of his wife, which are likely to come up for hearing on Friday. Separately, a city court on Thursday ordered the preservation of CCTV footage at Rouse Avenue court from May 23, after Sisodia moved an application alleging that security personnel had misbehaved with him inside the court premises. The Delhi Police also moved an application before the court seeking its permission to produce Sisodia only via video conferencing, adding that producing him physically creates chaos, with AAP supporters and media persons gathering in the corridors of the court. Lieutenant governor VK Saxena, invoking special power under section 24(8) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), has approved a proposal from the Delhi governments home department to appoint 20 advocates as special public prosecutors and has sent the file to the Union ministry of home affairs for notification of the appointment, officials in the LG secretariat aware of the matter said on Thursday. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and lieutenant governor VK Saxena have had several run-ins over the control of Delhi since May 26, 2022, when the latter took charge. (PTI) The Delhi government, responding to the development, termed the LGs move illegal, and said that the action will be challenged in the Supreme Court when the apex court opens after vacation. Delhi is a union territory with legislature and it has a multi-layered overlapping governance system. The executive power of the Union government in the capital is confined to land, police and public order while the elected government has control over transferred subjects like health, education, revenue, etc. Kejriwal and Saxena have had several run-ins over the control of Delhi since May 26, 2022, when the latter took over as LG. The appointment of the public prosecutors is latest in a raging confrontation between the elected government and the Centre-appointed LG over a range of issues, including on a vigilance inquiry into the expenditure for the reconstruction of the CMs official residence, the routing of files, and the transfer/posting of officials, among other issues. Seemingly kicking off a new row, LG secretariat officials on Thursday said that the file for the 20special public prosecutors was cleared for the speedy disposal of 20 cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act which are pending in different courts of the Capital. They claimed that Saxena had to invoke special powers because chief minister Arvind Kejriwal allegedly delayed their appointment. The LG secretariat said in a statement, In another case of characteristic inaction, blatant disregard of court orders and insensitivity, the Arvind Kejriwal Government has been sitting over a trial courts order to appoint senior public prosecutors/prosecutors from CBI for speedy disposal of 20 POCSO cases in different POCSO courts of the city for the past 09 months. The file related to this has been doing rounds from the CM to different ministers since 11.01.2023, and is currently pending with CM Kejriwal for the last 25 days. Constrained by this inaction and unexplained delay on part of the AAP government and CM Arvind Kejriwal, the LG has approved the home department proposal to invoke the power of Central government u/s 24(8) of CrPC and send the proposal for issue of notification for appointment of Sr. prosecutors to the Ministry of Home Affairs. In response, the Delhi government in an official statement said, The LG has issued these orders behind the back of the elected government. Neither the minister nor the CM was taken in confidence by the LG. We are surprised that despite facing strong reprimand from the SC repeatedly, LG has issued orders without jurisdiction. LGs orders are illegal as many of his earlier orders. We will challenge this in SC when it opens. A Delhi government official, declining to be named, said, The people of Delhi are fed up with the LG, who, rather than doing his own job of maintaining law and order, is repeatedly interfering in the working of the elected government. Delhi has never seen such a negative-minded LG. At a time when the women of Delhi are feeling unsafe, the LG should be devoting his energies to providing safety to the people of Delhi. A second Delhi government official said that Supreme Court, in a February 14, 2019 order, categorically found the elected government of Delhi to be the state government in the context of the appointment of special public prosecutors under CrPC. Thus, the exclusive power to grant sanction to prosecute under Section 196 of the CrPC. is also vested in the elected government, and the LG is bound to follow the aid and advice of the cabinet, the official said. Police are investigating two people for their alleged role in the murders of a 64-year-old woman and her 39-year-old daughter in east Delhis Krishna Nagar, said officers, adding that they are probing a range of possible motives, including robbery or a purported property dispute. Locals stand outside the house where the mother-daughter duo were murdered in Delhis Krishna Nagar on late Wednesday night, on Thursday. (Sonu Mehta/HT) Officers involved in the investigation, relying on CCTV footage, said the two women were killed between 10pm and 11pm on May 25 and that the suspects stayed in the house for roughly half an hour. Police, however, did not divulge any details about the two suspects, arguing that it would interfere with the investigation. The two women were found murdered, with their throats slit, in their flat on Wednesday evening. The victims bodies remained in the first floor three-bedroom flat for a week, going unnoticed till neighbours were thrown off by a foul smell on Wednesday. Police said the two women had little interaction with others in the four-storey building. Police identified the victims as Rajrani Karar (64) and her daughter Ginni Karar (39). Rajrani retired as an artiste with All India Radio. Her husband died in 2011, said police. Also Read| HT Exclusive: Police recover weapon used in Shahbad Dairy murder Investigators said the woman was involved in some property disputes, but added that other motives, including robbery, have still to be ruled out. Rohit Meena, deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara), said, We are questioning several people, including the two daughters. Officers involved in the matter said relations within the family were frayed after disagreements over Rajranis inheritance. Rajrani had three daughters, two of whom are settled with their families in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). Ginni, her youngest daughter, a postgraduate in fine arts, suffered from autism and a speech disability, said police. Her mother had hired a tutor and a speech therapist for her disability, Meena said. She had made Ginni the legal heir of her three properties Delhi-NCR, said officers. Rajrani was not on cordial terms with her two older daughters. She interacted very little with them, Meena said. The two shifted to the Krishna Nagar flat from Rohini four years ago and were planning to sell this and move to another house near Nehru Place in south Delhi, said Meena. Police checked the footage from CCTV cameras in the neighbouring building and identified two suspects entering the house on the night of May 25 and leaving half an hour later. That was the last time anyone entered the flat, police said. However, the DCP added that the exact cause of the murder is still to be ascertained. HT tried to reach out to Rajranis two daughters for their response, but was unable to obtain their contact details. The residents of the building had a discussion among ourselves before alerting the police, said Manoj, a resident who lives on another floor. Police received a call from one of the residentsat 8pm. They reached the building within a few minutes of the call, smashed a window to look into the house and spotted the bodies inside. Rajranis body was found on the drawing room floor and Ginnis in a hall near the kitchen. The bodies, a week old, were decomposing, said officers. Their throats appeared to be slit using a sharp weapon, they said, adding that it was difficult to comment on the precise nature of the injuries because of the decay. DCP Meena said the autopsy will be conducted on Friday. The drawers had been opened and checked, but police were still to ascertain if any valuables were missing, and did not rule out the possibility that the house was ransacked to mislead investigations. Meena said evidence on the spot suggested the role of people acquainted with the victims. The building has a video buzzer system to allow people inside and the building had a security guard. Even the flat had two sets of doors. The murderers had to be acquainted with the victim, he said. The outer door was latched from the outside and the inner one was shut as well, said police. Several teams have been sent to different cities to pin the suspects, Meena said, but added that the most definitive clues suggested that at least one of them is in Lucknow. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Police arrested 10 members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang on Tuesday night from Bhondsi and Rajiv Chowk while they were allegedly planning to kidnap a businessman. As per Gurugram police, they had received a tip-off after which raids were conducted to nab the suspects. Police officers address a press conference following the arrest of the 10 suspects. (Parveen Kumar/HT) Police said the suspects had met in Bhondsi on Tuesday to plan the kidnapping but were arrested before they could commit the crime. We had set up barricades in Bhondsi and Rajiv Chowk and were checking vehicles to ensure no one passes the barricades. We arrested seven persons from Bhondsi while the others were arrested from Rajiv Chowk. The police uniform recovered from the suspects were stitched from Hisar and all the members were using system generated number that were similar to international number, said Narender Chauhan, inspector and in-charge of crime unit agency, Sector 17, adding that gangster Goldy Brar would get in touch with them through these numbers. The suspects were identified as Rakesh Kumar alias Anil, Harjot Singh alias Leela, Ajay Isharwalia alias Punjabi, Prince alias Golu, Joginder alias Joga, Sandeep alias Deep, and Sinderpal alias Bittu, who were arrested from Bhondsi. On the other hand, Dharmendra alias Dharma, Deepak alias Dilawar and Karan, were arrested from near Devi Lal stadium in Rajiv Chowk. Police said illegal weapons were found in their possession. Among the items seized were four pistols, 28 live cartridges, a Scorpio and a Honda City car, and seven police uniforms among others, said police. A case under sections 399, 402 and 171 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and 25 (1-B) (a) of the Arms Act was registered at Bhondsi police station., said police. Varun Dahiya, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said the suspects during questioning revealed that they were planning to wear police uniforms to intercept vehicles and commit dacoity and kidnapping posing as policemen. Our teams raided two locations on Tuesday after a tip-off and arrested members of the Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar gangs, ACP Dahiya said. ACP Dahiya said that the seized Honda City car was robbed from Delhi recently. During questioning, suspects revealed that all of them were active members of Bishnoi-Brar gang. They had come to Gurugram to carry out a major robbery and kidnapping. Joginder alias Joga planned to pose as an inspector posted at Bhondsi and others his team members, he said. Police said the suspects revealed that they were working under the instructions of Brar, Rohit Godara and Veeru, all of whom were based abroad. The police uniforms and other accessories were procured from Haryana and Delhi, said Dahiya. Police said several cases of robbery, dacoity, attempted murder, theft, assault, threatening, and possession of illegal weapons are registered against these suspects in Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Building new a house in Rajasthan up to 90 square metres will now require owners to plant at least two trees. This will increase the number of trees required to be planted as per the area, the Jaipur Town Planning Department amended the building bylaws on Thursday. The step by the town planning department was taken after there was a decrease in the proportion of the greenery area to the construction area in big cities like Jaipur. (File) The plants will have to be looked after until they become trees, failure to do so will lead to a fine of 1,000 per tree, the amendment stated. The step by the town planning department was taken after there was a decrease in the proportion of the greenery area to the construction area in big cities like Jaipur. Right now, the required percentage of dense greenery as compared to a construction area is 15 per cent. However, the current percentage stands at seven. The amendment stated nothing about the requirement for building owners to maintain the green area proportion in relation to as the height of buildings increases. A day before the World Earth Day, which is celebrated on April 22, Jaipur International Airport had announced that it will plant 7,500 trees across the city in 2023-2024. Airport director Vishnu Mohan Jha had inaugurated the plantation drive at the Terminal 1 of the airport. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sanskriti Falor Sanskriti Falor is a Senior Content Producer at the News Desk of HT Digital. Having worked in Digital Media for the past two years, she is interested in covering civic issues and global affairs. ...view detail Opposition parties targeted the ruling-Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday, hours after Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Sujay Krishna Bhadra, a prime suspect in the West Bengal school recruitment scam. The ED on Wednesday arrested Sujay Krishna Bhadra, a prime suspect in the Bengal school recruitment scam (Twitter Photo) Bhadra was arrested late on Tuesday night after an 11-hour interrogation and was produced before Kolkatas Bankshall court, which rejected his bail petition on Wednesday and remanded him in EDs custody till June 14. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state leadership saw Bhadras arrest as a significant development although three TMC legislators, including former education minister Partha Chatterjee, are already in judicial custody. This arrest will expose the main beneficiaries of the scam, Sukanta Majumdar, Bengal BJP president, said. The Congress alleged that crores of money collected from bribe givers were being sent to foreign countries by the TMC. Also Read: ED arrests Bengal job scam suspect who claimed to be Abhishek Banerjees employee We have received information that TMCs top leaders are trying to convert a huge amount of money from various scams into American dollars and siphon it to foreign countries, state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said at a press conference on Friday. Jay Prakash Majumdar, TMC state vice-president, said: Bhadra is not a member of the TMC. Also, it is not clear what charges he faces. Bhadra, who was earlier questioned by both the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), told the media on March 23 that he works for Abhishek Banerjee. Abhishek Banerjee is my boss. I work for his company. Since Banerjee cannot be touched by anyone, the agencies are targeting other people. It wont help, Bhadra said on March 23. Banerjee, who is touring the districts as part of the TMCs Nabo Jowar (new tide) programme, did not comment on Bhadras arrest. On May 20, the ED raided 16 locations in and around Kolkata, including Bhadras home, and seized documents relating to several properties and companies. His mobile phones were also seized. The 15-hour ED raid was conducted when the CBI questioned Banerjee for almost 10 hours in connection with the recruitment scam. According to senior advocate Phiroze Edulji who represented the federal agency, the court was told that Bhadra was in regular contact with some of the prime suspects in the bribe-for-job scam in the state education department and he facilitated illegal recruitments. Also Read: SC to hear Abhishek Banerjees plea against go-ahead for probe against him He also admitted before the media that the CBI had grilled him in the coal smuggling case. Banerjee and his wife Rujira have also been questioned by the ED in the coal scam. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court will on Friday hear Banerjees petition challenging the Calcutta high courts order permitting the CBI and ED to proceed with the inquiry against him in connection with an alleged scam in the recruitment of teachers in West Bengal. The CBI on Saturday questioned Banerjee for over nine hours two days after a single judge bench of the high court gave the go-ahead to the central agencies to interrogate Banerjee after his name was mentioned by Kuntal Ghosh, another prime suspect and a former TMC state general secretary. The chief metropolitan magistrates (CMM) court in Kolkata ordered on Wednesday that a complaint letter from Saradha chit fund owner Sudipta Sen, sent to the court from Presidency correctional home alleging financial irregularities at Contai municipality in East Midnapore district, should be forwarded to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), court officials said. Saradha chit fund owner Sudipta Sen was arrested by CBI in 2013 (File Photo) In April, Sen wrote to the CMM court that in 2011-12 he was pressured to pay a few crores of rupees to the Contai municipality for sanctioning a high-rise complex of Saradha Realty, but neither was the building plan was sanctioned, nor the money returned. The Contai municipality chairman at that time was Soumendu Adhikari, the younger brother of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari. Both were in Trinamool Congress (TMC) in 2011-12. Also Read: All about the Saradha chit fund case that triggered CBI-Mamata row Suvendu Adhikari joined the BJP in December 2020. His brother followed him a few weeks later. Contai is their hometown. Their father Sisir Adhikari and brother Dibyendu Dibyendu are TMC Lok Sabha members from East Midnapore. Suvendu Adhikari welcomed the CMM courts decision to forward Sens complaint to the CBI. Sen was made to write the letter. I know when and how it was done. I wrote to the CBI about this conspiracy in December last year. My job has become easier now. Let the CBI start a probe, he said. Sen, who was chairman of the Saradha group of companies, was arrested by West Bengal police from Kashmir in 2013 while he was on the run. He is in judicial custody since then. The Saradha chit fund scam involves an estimated Rs.2,460 crore raised from around 1.8 million depositors from different states, including West Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh. The CBI is probing the chit-fund scam under orders the Supreme Court passed in 2014. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Mumbai: The National Investigation Agency on Thursday informed the special court that former encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma is again admitted to the Sassoon General Hospital in Pune and urged the court to call for a report of his health status. The NIA on Thursday drew the courts attention towards Sharma and said that he was in the hospital for the last 43 days. Special public prosecutor Sunil Gonsalves submitted that a report must be called for on the health status of the accused and why he has been admitted to the hospital. Besides, he said, the court should also call for details of the people who all visited Sharma in the hospital. (HT PHOTO) The NIA also informed the court that Sharma is allowed to meet his family members, people who are convicted in the Lakhkhan Bhaiya fake encounter killing case and some others wanted in other cases inside the hospital. The special NIA court is likely to pass orders on the agencys plea on June 5. NIA arrested Sharma, a retired senior police inspector, in connection with the parking of an explosives-laden SUV outside Antilia, the south Mumbai residence of billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani, and the subsequent murder of a Thane-based car accessories shop owner Mansukh Hiran. The NIA on Thursday drew the courts attention towards Sharma and said that he was in the hospital for the last 43 days. Special public prosecutor Sunil Gonsalves submitted that a report must be called for on the health status of the accused and why he has been admitted to the hospital. Besides, he said, the court should also call for details of the people who all visited Sharma in the hospital. A medical report of Pradeep Sharma along with the need or necessity for his hospitalisation and how long the treatment is required for the same, may be called for from Sassoon Hospital and the list of visitors who have visited him also be called from the dean of the hospital and the jail authorities, states the plea filed by Gonsalves in special NIA court. While arguing, Gonsalves said, Sharma had in July last year got himself admitted in the hospital and stayed there for 190 days. Later again he was admitted for 26 days and now he is in the hospital for the past 43 days. He is misusing the medical facility. He added that when the federal agency came to know about it, the investigating officer wrote a letter to the dean of the hospital to know about Sharmas hospitalisation. The officer came to know that during Sharmas stay in the state-run hospital, his wife and daughter came to meet him. He said apart from the family members, Tanaji Desai and Shailendra Pandey, who are convicted in the Lakhkhan Bhaiya fake encounter killing case, also visited him in the hospital. He pointed out that Desai is cited as a witness by the NIA in the Antilia explosives scare case. The prosecution also claimed that some other accused also met the former encounter specialist in the hospital. Meanwhile, Sharma, who has been acquitted in the Lakhkhan Bhaiya fake encounter case, has asked for all the documents and statements of witnesses which are recorded but not submitted by the NIA before the court. Acting on his plea, the court called the investigating officer with all the records on Monday. Gangster Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje aka Chhota Rajan has approached the Bombay high court (HC) against filmmaker Hansal Mehta and owners of Matchbox Shots LLP, who have produced the web series Scoop, slated to drop on the OTT platform Netflix on Friday. The Netflix series is based on the story of journalist Jigna Vora who was accused of murdering a fellow journalist Jyotirmoy Dey (J Dey). Dey was killed near his residence in Powai on July 11, 2011. The series is inspired by Voras biographical book Behind the Bars In Byculla: My Days in Prison. (HT PHOTO) In his suit, Rajan has objected to his picture and voice being used by the filmmaker. He learnt about it from his wife after she saw the trailer of the series. This, according to Rajan, was an infringement of his rights, as the filmmaker did not seek his permission. Therefore, he has said that the producers should be permanently restrained from releasing the series. He has also sought removal of the trailer. Rajan filed the suit through advocate Akash Pandey, on Thursday, which is likely to be heard by the vacation bench of the HC on Friday. Also Read: Shahid Kapoor's Bloody Daddy, Hansal Mehta's Scoop, School of Lies: Web series and films to watch out for in June The Netflix series is based on the story of journalist Jigna Vora who was accused of murdering a fellow journalist Jyotirmoy Dey (J Dey). Dey was killed near his residence in Powai on July 11, 2011. The series is inspired by Voras biographical book Behind the Bars In Byculla: My Days in Prison. Referring to the trailer of the series, which was released on May 15, the plea stated that Rajans wife came across two interviews of Mehta on various television networks on May 22 and 25 after which she alerted him about the series. The plaintiffs wife is disturbed and affected by the repeated and widespread gossip of the web series, said the plea, underscoring that it was causing a fear of threat to life to the plaintiff and other family members. The interim application stated that making any direct or indirect reference to the plaintiff without receiving prior consent amounts to infringement of his rights, which could be passed on as defamation as well. The plea stated that although he and nine others were convicted for the murder of Dey in 2011, he had filed an appeal against the special CBI court order of 2019 before the high court, the same year, which is yet to be decided. Rajan has stated that as the appeal was pending, the producers of the series were maligning his image in public by linking him to a concocted storyline, with an intention to commercially benefit from it. This, the plea claimed, amounted to defamation. It added that if the series was allowed to be aired his fundamental rights to privacy will be infringed as nearly 200 million subscribers of Netflix will view the series and will be prejudiced against him and hence, the court should issue a permanent injunction against the release of the series. Strap: 35 cases of attack and bite in last one year; animal lovers want more feeding points Navi Mumbai, India - June 01, 2023: Stray dogs with Alka Wanikar in the wake of the animal feeding controversy at Jalyavu Vihar CHS, Kharghar, in Navi Mumbai, India, on Thursday, June 01, 2023. (Photo by Bachchan Kumar/ HT PHOTO) (HT PHOTO) A plush housing society in Kharghar has virtually turned into a battleground between a large chunk of residents who complain of attacks from stray dogs living in the compound and a handful of dog lovers who demand more feeding points to control the animals aggression. Caught in the crossfire, the society management says it is abiding by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) rules, as directed by the civic body. Jal Vayu Defence Enclave CHS Limited (phase I), known as Jal Vayu Vihar, is spread over 10 acres in sector 20. Along with 632 families, which are predominantly of retired defence personnel, the building also shelters nearly 50 stray dogs. D S Johal, an ex-serviceman, said there have been several dog bite and attack cases which have left senior citizens and children injured. Unfortunately, the law is in favour of the animals. AWBI seems to be harassing us. A handful of dog lovers are holding the residents to danger. Seconding his opinion, Apoorva Wanikar, another resident, said despite residing here for years she still gets scared at times when they rush towards her. For visitors, especially at night, it is a nightmare. I live on the 11th floor and am myself disturbed by their barking, so you can imagine the decibel level. In fact, our society, which is one of the best in the node, is now known for its stray dogs, she said. Animal caregivers are, however, feel differently. Alka Wanikar, who has already approached the Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) over the issue, said, The management has provided just one feeding place outside the rear gate, unlike in the past when there were 4-5 points and there were no instances of attack. Explaining the animals behavioural changes, she said there are more than 40 dogs and not all of them get to eat at the single feeding point since the bigger ones have the control. There are several dogs that live in various corners of the society and are unable to get food. This leads to aggression. The management fines us 1,000 if we have given even a biscuit to the strays elsewhere. We are also facing threats and abuses from residents. There are no corrective measures being taken like sterilisation, she added. When contacted, buildings secretary Vikram Rawat said residents are terrorised as children, including a five-year-old girl, have been bitten. There have been 35 cases of attack and bite in the last one year alone. We are following up with the PMC to vaccinate the dogs and to sterilise them to help control their population. The managing committee is certainly not against the stray dogs and is fully complying with the AWBI norms, he said. We have made provision for a feeding place where there are no senior citizens and children. About the fine, he clarified that penalty is for feeding the animals at wrong places. Some feed dogs near their buildings, on cars, in parking areas, at playground etc. PMCs deputy municipal commissioner Sachin Pawar said, Following a complaint by a resident, we have issued a letter asking the society management to follow the AWBI guidelines. Samod Sarngan, a former journalist residing in the society, said there is a need for both sides to work out a solution. You cannot expect senior citizens and children to not step out of their homes, just because someone loves dogs and wants them to be here. The residents cant be fined either, he pointed out. The law stipulates that animal caregivers can feed at designated spots after following norms. The management wants a dogs-free complex, but it should explore the possibility of relocating the animals elsewhere. When Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday announced the renaming of Ahmednagar as Ahilya Nagar after Ahilya Devi Holkar, it was, by all accounts, more than the party ideology-based renaming that politicians are known for. The Holkars belong to the Dhangar or shepherd community, which is an important one on the political map of Maharashtra, with a significant presence in about 12 Lok Sabha and 80 assembly constituencies. The move then is clearly to woo this community. Shinde attended the birth anniversary event of Ahilya Devi Holkar at her birthplace, Chondi village in Ahmednagar, where he announced the renaming. (PTI) Shinde attended the birth anniversary event of Ahilya Devi Holkar at her birthplace, Chondi village in Ahmednagar, where he announced the renaming. The BJP has been demanding the renaming of Ahmednagar district since February when the government changed the names of Maharashtras Aurangabad to Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and Osmanabad to Dharashiv. Also Read: Uddhav Thackeray abroad, NCP's Sharad Pawar meets Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde For the BJP, the Dhangar community has a political significance, as it was part of MADHAV (Mali, Dhangar and Vanjari), a caste combination of Other Backward Castes in the 1990s to counter the socio-political base of the Congress-NCP which was Maratha-Scheduled Castes-Nomadic Tribes-Muslim. Before the 2014 assembly elections, the BJP had promised to clear a proposal for Dhangar reservation in the first cabinet once it came to power but failed to fulfil that promise. On May 28, a political controversy erupted when the statues of Ahilyadevi Holkar and Savitribai Phule at Maharashtra Sadan were shifted to another place in order to celebrate the birth anniversary of V D Savarkar. This evoked sharp reactions from the Dhangar community, leading the government to quickly use Ahilya Devis birth anniversary event to announce the renaming of Ahmednagar after her. Also Read: Shinde calls for probe into BMC projects over 15 yrs The same day, BJP leader and minister for medical education Girish Mahajan announced that a medical college in Baramati (the home turf of NCP chief Sharad Pawar and the Lok Sabha constituency of his daughter Supriya Sule) would also be named after Ahilya Devi Holkar. These two announcements are an indication that the BJP is taking every possible step to woo the Dhangars. The community has a significant presence in North Maharashtra, Western Maharashtra, Marathwada and Western Vidarbha, said Prakash Pawar, political analyst at Kolhapur University. The BJP has been working for three decades to get the attention of this community which is divided between several parties, mainly the BJP, NCP and Congress. Voters from the Dhangar community play a major role in about 12 to 14 Lok Sabha seats like Baramati, Shirur, Madha, Sangli, Parbhani, Buldhana, Yawatmal and Hingoli. They are also significant in about 80 assembly constituencies. Pawar said that the renaming and naming of a city and a college after Ahilya Devi helped political parties to an extent. However, they are symbolic decisions, he said. The actual leadership or the face of the community is important during elections. Now Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah has been seen as the pride and face of the Dhangar community. If he comes to campaign in Maharashtra, he could shift community votes to his party or alliance. But one thing is certain: we are now going to see a competition between the ruling alliance and the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to woo Dhangar voters. Dhangar leader and former state minister Mahadeo Jankar welcomed the renaming decision. Its obvious that this decision has been taken because of Dhangar voters influence in assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies, he said. The Dhangars were once a ruler community but due to political ignorance have been exploited by ruling parties for decades. Now that there is awareness in the community, we hope that all parties will think about this when deciding candidates in the elections. Jankar added that his party has not yet decided on an alliance with either the MVA or the BJP. Opposition parties too welcomed the decision to rename Ahmednagar but also expressed scepticism. Devendra Fadnavis had promised to give reservations to the Dhangar community but never did, said state Congress president Nana Patole. The renaming is clearly for votes. Besides, Ahilya Devi never indulged in the politics of hatred, unlike the BJP which spreads acrimony in the name of caste and religion. She is remembered for her inclusive governance. A 28-year-old man from Kalyan was arrested late on Wednesday night after onlookers caught him allegedly attempting to kill his girlfriend at Bandstand. The woman is currently undergoing treatment at a government hospital. HT Image According to the police, Akash Mukherjee and Lubna Sukte, 28, met at work a couple of years ago and have been in a relationship for the last 13 months. On Wednesday, the couple from Kalyan decided to spend the day in Mumbai, a police officer from Bandra police station said. They visited Gateway of India before coming to Bandstand in the evening. The two discussed their wedding plans. When they were sitting on the docks around 9.30 pm, Sukte told him that she would like to go home, the officer said. However, Mukherjee suggested they spend some more time together and later they take a cab, instead of a train, home. In the meantime, he suggested they get intimate, which scared Sukte. She then started crying to which Mukherjee reacted by pressing his hands on her mouth, the police officer said. Suddenly, he started to strangulate her. He also held her by the hair and pushed her head towards the rocks. He also shoved her face into a nearby puddle. The woman screamed for help which drew the attention of others sitting nearby, the officer said and added that Sukte was rescued and Mukherjee, who tried to flee, was caught. Due to the commotion, some policemen who were deployed in the vicinity also came to the spot, the officer said. Our team took the woman to the hospital. The accused has been booked on charges of attempted murder and is currently in police custody. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Mumbai: in a bid to woo voters ahead of civic body polls, chief minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday directed the officials concerned to prepare a proposal for the removal of property tax on flats below 500 square feet in Navi Mumbai. HT Image Though a resolution was passed by the general body meeting of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) in 2019 and sent to the state government, the urban development department did not act on it. As residents owning houses less than 500 sq ft in Mumbai are exempted from paying property tax, the issue of providing the same relief to Navi Mumbai residents was raised by Belapur MLA Ganesh Naik in a meeting with the CM. The meeting was attended by MLA Mandatai Mhatre, CIDCO managing director Sanjay Mukherjee, principal secretary urban development-2, Sonia Sethi, MMRDA commissioner SVR Sriniwas and NMMC commissioner Rajesh Narvekar. Shinde said that the proposal should be submitted to absorb project-affected people working in NMMC and CIDCO on the lines of those Barvi dam-affected people, who were absorbed in the permanent jobs. The CM also told the officials concerned to implement the Abhay Yojana. He also reviewed various issues in the Belapur constituency. Shinde said that the proposed Maharashtra Bhavan in Vashi should be made in the best possible way and it should be a model for introducing the cultural identity of our state. Sharad Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party on Thursday evening met Maharashtra chief minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde at Varsha bungalow, the official residence of the CM. This was their first meeting since the transfer of power in Maharashtra. NCP chief Sharad Pawar meets Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde at his residence on Thursday evening. The purpose of the visit remains unclear, but it has sparked discussions as Pawar made an unexpected visit to Shinde, raising eyebrows in the political sphere. The meeting is also considered significant since former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, a key figure in the Maha Vikas Aghadi, is abroad on a holiday. Thackeray is with family for vacation and is expected to return to Mumbai after the first week of June. Consequently, there is speculation that this meeting could be related to the pending expansion of the cabinet or the ongoing investigation by the ED into NCP leaders. Maha Vikas Aghadi government In 2019, the Shiv Sena had ended the alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party and formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra with the Congress and Pawar's NCP. Last year, the government collapsed after Shinde split the party and joined hands with the BJP to form a new government. Earlier in April, Maharashtra leader of Opposition and NCP chief Ajit Pawar met Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis at Sahyadri guest house. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON PATNA Bihars health department has issued final show cause notice to 62 absentee doctors in Patna division, comprising six districts, officials familiar with the development said on Thursday. Bihars deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who also holds the health portfolio, had said last October that there were around 700 doctors in the state who were absent for long and were still drawing their salary. (HT Photo) Among the 62 doctors put on notice are three who have been absent since August 2016, one from October 2017, two from 2018, six from 2019, 21 from 2020, 19 from 2021 and 10 from last year. The department has given them 15 days time to reply to the show cause notice, failing which the health department will take action against them, said a press release, signed by Sudhir Kumar, joint secretary of the state health department, on Tuesday. The department had previously issued them two show cause notices, on September 14 and November 4 last year, through press releases published as advertisements in newspapers. Among those issued show cause notice is Dr Virendra Kumar, medical officer of sadar hospital, Nalanda, who is due to superannuate on attaining 67 years of age this month. Dr Kumar has been absent since February 18, 2018. At least six doctors in the list are under 30 years of age, with the youngest being Dr Upasana Kumari, 25. She was posted at the headquarters of the health department in Patna, but has been absent since September 7, 2021, said the communique, which listed the names of doctors, their date of birth and period of absenteeism. The department has prepared a list of over 400 doctors who have been absent for at least six months or more, and has issued them show cause notices. Bihars deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who also holds the health portfolio, had said last October that there were around 700 doctors in the state who were absent for long and were still drawing their salary. Around 250 doctors had joined their respective places of posting after the ministers warning, said officials. Though the health department had stopped disbursing salaries of most such doctors, it began taking action against them after Yadavs resolve to curb absenteeism among doctors. The government has sacked around 100 doctors so far, with the state cabinet giving its nod to the termination of 81 such doctors on January 13 this year. Among the 81 doctors sacked in January, 64 doctors had remained absent from duty for more than five years, an official said without wishing to be named. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Pune: A 22-year-old man has been arrested on charges of abduction and rape of a minor girl, who had gone missing four years ago in Pune district, an official said on Thursday. The 22-year-old man has been arrested by the rural police on charges of abduction and rape of a minor girl who had gone missing four years ago in Pune district. ((PIC FOR REPRESENTATION)) The rural police issued a statement sharing details about the case and sequence of the incident following allegations that the girl was tortured by the suspect. According to the police, the girl had gone missing from Manchar town in Pune district in March 2019 following which they had registered a case of kidnapping. The accused, identified as Javed Mukhtar Sheikh, 22, from Manchar in Pune district, was arrested on May 17, a day after he and the girl returned to Manchar. Police officials said relatives rescued the girl from a room where she was staying with the accused. Based on the medical report and statement by girl, police later registered a case against Sheikh under Sections 363 (kidnapping), 376 (rape), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 344 (wrongful confinement) of the IPC and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Deputy superintendent of police (Khed Division) Sudarshan Patil said, As per the statement given by the survivor and her relatives, we have invoked various sections of the POCSO Act and further investigation is underway. Accused has been sent to judicial custody. Earlier, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Gopichand Padalkar and family members of the survivor alleged that girl was tortured by the suspect. Padalkar claimed that the police did not help the victims family even after repeated requests from the parents. Rajasthan Class 10th board exam results will be announced this week, Rajendra Gupta, Deputy Director of Public Relations at RBSE has informed HT Digital. RBSE 10th Result 2023 Live Updates RBSE Rajasthan board Class 10th result 2023: Official update (Getty Images/iStockphoto) However, the official did not give an exact date for these results. Once declared, students can check their marks on the website of the Board of Secondary Education Rajasthan (RBSE or BSER), rajeduboard.rajasthan.gov.in. RBSE has already declared Class 12 board exam results. Class 8 final exam results were announced by the state's Education department last month and Class 5 results will be out today, June 1. Rajasthan board Class 5th result 2023 live updates. As seen during announcement of past results, RBSE is likely to hold a press conference in which Primary and Secondary Education Minister BD Kalla will announce RBSE Class 10th results. After the official announcement, students can go to the board website, use their login credentials, and check marks. In the result press conference, among other information, pass percentage of students, gender-wise result, attendance of students in the exam, etc. are likely to be revealed. For further details on Rajasthan board Class 10th results, students should visit the official website of RBSE. In November last year, actor Arjun Kapoor had called out a publication and journalist for spreading gossip articles' that claimed Malaika Arora and him are welcoming a child soon. The actor had taken to Instagram Stories and condemned the fake news. During a recent interview, Arjun was asked about the nasty media reports that keep cropping up about the couple. The actor said today's clickbait was to blame, as well as the media for propagating it. Also read: Malaika Arora says she discusses marriage plans and kids with Arjun Kapoor Malaika Arora and Arjun Kapoor have been dating for many years now. Sharing a screenshot of the 2022 news article, Arjun had written, This is the lowest that you could have gone and you have done it by being casual, insensitive and absolutely unethical in carrying garbage news. This journalist has been writing such pieces regularly and getting away with it because we tend to ignore these fake gossip articles while they spread across media and become the truth. This is not done. Don't dare to play with our personal lives. People forget celebs are also human beings Clickbait culture is more about negativity... I think negativity is easier to get people to pay attention because thats been building for a while. Listen, we are actors, our personal life is not always very private. There is a certain amount that exists and you have to be okay with it already joining the profession. There might be that element that remains, but I think we rely on you all (journalists) to reach the audience. We need you all to be at least cognizant of the fact that we are human beings. So, check with us once in a while if youre going to write something that is very, very important. At least do that much and I think that was all that I did. It was more about that it should be checked; it should not be assumed. You should not put something that can be life-altering out there," Arjun told Bollywood Bubble. Malaika Arora and Arjun Kapoor on the red carpet at a recent event. On his post slamming reports of Malaika being pregnant Speaking about his recent post, Arjun further said, "I did that because I trust all of you (journalists). I have never hidden, I have never held back... why do you want to put something out there that will forever remain, and that is not the truth and then I have to keep justifying myself... information for any journalist should be verified, it should not just be put our casually, especially when it comes to your personal life... we are all here to do our job, don't make it about having fun at other people's expense. Don't try and make it personal, don't become vindictive, and don't become what you are trying to sell... don't start believing your lies." Arjun and Malaika's relationship Malaika was earlier married to actor-producer Arbaaz Khan. The two divorced in 2016 and co-parent their son, Arhaan Khan. Malaika and Arjun went public with their relationship in 2019 after years of dating. Wedding rumours of the two have been swirling for a while now, but neither Arjun, nor Malaika have confirmed, when or if they plan to marry. In a December 2022, Malaika had said she discusses marriage plans and kids with Arjun. She was speaking with her friend, filmmaker-choreographer Farah Khan, on the first episode of her reality show Moving In With Malaika. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A self-confessed chain smoker, actor Vipin Sharma quit smoking some 18 years back and since then has inspired many friends and industry mates. The Taare Zameen Pe actor says that one can keep contemplating kicking the butt for years, but it takes a moment for it to happen! Also read: Amitabh Bachchan recalls how he gave up drinking and smoking together, shares the 'very best way' to do it Vipin Sharma was recently seen in Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai. When Vipin realised how addicted he was I remember, it was February 2004 and I was going through some personal crisis, I had become a chain smoker, was heavily into drinking and seeing therapists as well. In Toronto (Canada), it was -40 degree C at night, and I was out of cigarettes. I started searching for the leftover butts and that was the time I had a realisation about how addicted I had become, shares Sharma. How Vipin quit smoking The actor says that he searched on the Internet how the f@#k I can quit smoking? The first website that appeared was WhyQuitSmoking and I started reading and hours went by...I joined its community and gained all knowledge about its harm, quitting and life after. Thodi bahut initially pareshani zaroor hui but I quit smoking. Trust me, its not tough to kick the butt! Realisation of its harm to ones body is important. I had quit smoking during my toughest phase so can anyone, says Sharma. He was recently seen in Sirf Ek Banda Kaafi Hai and Saas, Bahu and Flamingo. Inspiring friends to quit smoking Sharma had inspired many of his friends to quit including filmmaker Anubhav Sinha, Daas Dev co-producer Anil Patil and actor Anil Choudhury. Some of my friends in Canada quit smoking. I once told Anubhav sir to quit and count how many cigarettes he has not smoked. He calculated that in 22 months he would have smoked 15,000 cigarettes had he not quit. So, I just try to spread the awareness and tell that its achievable. In my life, best things have happened when I gave up smoking I came back to India and got Taare Zameen Par and that was just a beginning, says Sharma. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Tom Holland, the talented and versatile actor, celebrates his 27th birthday on Thursday. Rising to fame as Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he has captured the hearts of audiences globally. Known for his range and charm, Holland has become one of the most sought-after actors of his generation and has a huge fan base. (ALSO READ | Spider-Man 4: Tom Holland, Zendaya locked in, but progress delayed. Why?) Tom Holland's break came when he was cast as the legendary Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.(Marvel) Holland's birthday is a memorable occasion for his followers, who are expressing their feelings on social media. Happy birthday to the most chaotic, funny, kind, and charming person ever, you have bring so many joy on people's faces not only your fans but kids that looked up to you, may you always be happy right throughout your life, and continue to be succesful HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOM HOLLAND, a user wrote sharing the star's funny videos. Fans rejoice in their star's birthday by sharingintriguing images, videos, and anecdotesabout him. Another user tweeted,"He in spiderman is ultimate, but man, "In the heart of the sea" giving the best one of the best! Recalling the very first moment my head went over heels for him." From a gymnast to 'Spider-Man': 5 points on Tom Holland 1. Tom Holland's break came when he was cast as the legendary Spider-Man in the MCU, making his debut in 2016's "Captain America: Civil War." His depiction of Peter Parker, theSpider-Man, rapidly won him fans across the world, and he went on to feature in threesolo films, "Spider-Man: Homecoming" (2017), "Spider-Man: Far From Home" (2019), and "Spider-Man: No Way Home" (2021). Work on fourth Spider-Man film with Tom Holland as lead is already in pipeline. 2. Holland is well-known for his versatility. In 2012, he made his debutin "Billy Elliot the Musical," displaying his remarkable dancing and singing ability. 3. Tom Holland's work includes a substantial share inanimation, where he has contributed his voice to various characters, notably Jip in the 2022 film "Dolittle" and Ian Lightfootin the 2020 animated film "Onward." 4. Holland was a gymnast before he became an actor. His gymnastics training seemed to have served him well in his role as Spider-Man, since he was able to do the acrobatic manoeuvres himself. 5. Tom Holland is said to be dating Spider-Man: Homecoming co-star Zendaya. They are frequently seen spending somequality time. Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse gets both bigger and smaller than its 2018 predecessor. Grander and still more intimate, flashier, and more personal with truckloads more of the heart and humour that made 2018s clutter-breaking Into The Spider-Verse one of the most distinctive, refreshing, and beloved superhero movies of the decade. Once again we get the same enchanting concoction of action, emotion, and inventive, eye-popping animation. Writing, imagination, and vibrant visual style come together gloriously to ensure that, if you enjoyed the first part, its near impossible not to have a blast with much of this second film. (Also read: Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse review) Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse review | Miles Morales is back for a new adventure. Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) is Spider-Man in a universe of Spider-Men. His by-the-book story is so well known, so set in stone, its as if theres no room for his own. The world keeps telling him who he is and who hes going to be. Hes just another Spider-Man, forced to live out the same core beats of every Spider-Man - bitten by a radioactive spider, dealing with the death of an uncle, the villain of the week, struggling with two lives. Saving the day, paying the price. The journey has been charted out, he merely has to follow it. Among the elements that made Into The Spider-Verse so memorable was that Miles, like the movie he inhabited, refused to fall in line. He made the journey his own. He defined his story. A journey into the multiverse Its been over a year since the events of the last film. 16-year-old Miles is the only Spider-Man of his world and hes getting pretty great at it. When a new inter-dimensional villain called Spot arrives on the scene, who appears to have a strange connection to Miles, hes once again yanked into another multiversal adventure. To track Spot down, Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) AKA Spider-Woman from a parallel universe, is back. Shes recently joined an elite team of Spider-Men who serve as a sort of multiverse police, stopping villains from one dimension causing havoc in others. (For those whove seen the MCU series Loki - think of them as a kind of Time Variance Authority). At the top running the show of this new team is the gruff, self-serious Spider-Man 2099, Miguel OHara (Oscar Isaac). Before all the dimension-hopping adventures kick-off, the beautiful first leg of Across The Spider-Verse gives us something we almost never get in modern superhero blockbusters - quiet and humanity. Alongside Miles Spider-Man-ing, we get scene after scene of just two people talking. Portraits of family, love, and connection. The movie lets Miles be a person first and a superhero second. Its Miles struggling to balance his dual lives while missing his friends. Its his parents attempting to let go and come to terms with the fact that their boy is becoming a man. Its fathers struggling to connect with their children, wondering if theyre doing right by them. Pavitra Prabhakar MVP But soon enough, Gwen arrives on the scene and Miles is sucked into the plot. Their first adventure tracking Spot down takes them to a parallel world whose Spider-Man is Pavitr Prabhakar (a wonderfully playful Karan Soni). Pavitr is the protector of a futuristic city called Mumbatten. In arguably the most dizzyingly fun sequence of a movie full of them, were transported to the richly imagined, densely populated metropolis of Mumbatten (picture multiple Mumbais all stacked on top of each other). Whats endlessly exciting and whistle-worthy about this sequence, apart from the everything about it, is how culturally specific the humour is. This isnt the glaringly outsiders perspective of India we see time and again. Come for the cheeky background references to everything from Zomato to the ridiculousness of chai tea, stay for the cheeky poke at white people who come to India to find themselves. Like much of the Mumbaitten scene, so stunning and evocative are many of this films frames, so bursting with imagination and background gags are many of its moments, that youd have to watch this movie twice to fully appreciate them and take it all in. That said, unpopular as the opinion may be, I did struggle with the first movies frenetic visual style. As inventive and ambitious, creative and commendable as the animation is, I found much of it to be immensely overactive and overexcited. The kind that makes you wonder - is there such a thing as too much animation? While I didnt feel that as much in this sequel (perhaps Im just used to it now) there are times when it limits your ability to fully comprehend whats happening on screen. Take many of the action scenes, for example. As undeniably fun as they are, you cant always tell where one kick ends and the next punch begins. Pavitra Prabhakar is voiced by Karan Soni. What didn't click And then the last leg of the Across The Spider-Verse happens. Im not quite sure when, but somewhere along the way, amidst the immensely crowd-pleasing thrills of Miles meeting the hundreds of other Spider-Men (My personal favourites were Lego Spider-Man, horse Spider-Man, and Peter Parked-Car), things start to feel scattered. The proceedings gradually seem to descend into an unfocused blur of multiversal mumbo jumbo. The kind weve come to expect from most blockbuster sequels - bigger, flashier, messier. Whats even more frustrating - theres a moment half an hour from the end that sets up a clear climactic showdown to end the story. Instead, we get an empty, out-of-nowhere unsatisfying cliffhanger as a means to set up the next movie (slated to release next year). Even Avengers: Infinity War - a giant set-up movie if ever there was one - had the decency to give us some sense of finality and closure. Its why the last half an hour here has nothing to say. The bigger issue here are the callbacks and cameos we get through the film not only refer to the old, they also set up new movies outside this franchise. The purity and honesty of The Spiderverse movies, which once felt like a kind of antidote and refreshing response to the blurry glut of exhausting interconnected superhero franchise universes, are made to fall in line and become just that. Miles Morales is Spider-Man in a universe of Spider-Men. Despite his by-the-book story, like the movies he inhabits, what made him so memorable is his refusal to fall in line and his determination to do it his way. But Across The Spiderverse risks making his journey, and this series, the one thing it never was. More of the same. Taylor Swift, who is currently in the midst of her Eras Tour, once lived in a historic New York home, while her penthouse in Manhattan's TriBeCa was undergoing renovations. Its now been reported that the property is on the market for almost $18 million. Also read: Step inside Akshay Kumar's Mumbai home for first time ever The Cornelia Street home that Taylor Swift rented in 2016 and 2017 was built in 1870. (Pics: Corcoran.com) The house, which Taylor reportedly rented for $38,000 a month in 2016 and 2017, had inspired her hit song Cornelia Street, regarded as a song for her then-boyfriend Joe Alwyn. The house was listed one week ago for $17.99 million, according to StreetEasy. Taylor Swifts old New York house came with stunning city views. Inside Taylor Swifts former New York rental As per Corcoran Group, a US real estate firm, the Cornelia Street home was built in 1870 as a carriage house in the heart of West Village. It was later transformed into a home with a modern design, including a drive-in garage, pool, walk-in closet and washrooms with skylight. The house with a classic brick facade has four bedrooms, five full bathrooms and two half-bathrooms. The spacious home also offers city views. It also has three fireplaces and beautiful hardwood floors throughout. There's also an indoor pool with soaring 27-feet ceilings. Near the pool is the lounge area in front of an patio with fireplace. There is also a rooftop terrace to enjoy views of Cornelia Street. Taylor Swifts rental was right in the middle of West Village. Meet Taylor's former landlord At the time Taylor lived there, the house was owned by one David Aldea, but was sold in 2019 to an Italian investor for $11.5 million, according to a 2019 report by Inside Edition. David Aldea said he didn't even know who Taylor was at first. "I got this call saying somebody by the name of Taylor Swift wanted to rent the place. Although I had her songs on my running list, I didn't entirely know who the artiste was," he had told Inside Edition in 2019. Once word got out she was living there, the paparazzi was everywhere, but David said the home had all the security amenities that Taylor was looking for, including cameras and guards 24/7. Taylor owns more than $150 million in real estate She may be best known for her music career, but Taylor Swift's real estate portfolio is equally impressive. It spans more than $150 million, according to the Wall Street Journal, with homes across the US from TriBeCa and Beverly Hills to Rhode Island. In 2009, as per the report, after releasing her first album, Taylor paid more than $2 million for a family home in Nashville, where she initially moved to pursue a music career. In 2014, she spent almost $20 million on two penthouse units in New York, among her other lavish properties, added the report. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Actor Danny Masterson has been found guilty of two counts of rape by a jury at Los Angeles Superior Court, on Wednesday. The court found him guilty of raping two women in 2003. Masterson was sent to jail and could get 30 years to life in prison. His next hearing will happen on August 4. Danny Masterson(Wade Payne/Invision/AP) While the court convicted him for two counts of rape, they could not reach a verdict for a third count of rape on Masterson. Jury comprising 12 members reached the verdict after deliberating for seven days. ALSO READ| The Real Housewives: How they changed from their past to their present We want to express our gratitude to the three women who came forward and bravely shared their experiences. Their courage and strength have been an inspiration to us all, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement on Wednesday. While we are disappointed that the jury did not convict on all counts, we respect their decision. The verdicts handed down by the jury in this case were undoubtedly a difficult one to reach and we thank the jurors for their service, added Gascon. Masterson's wife, Bijou Phillips was seen crying when the actor was taken into custody. I am experiencing a complex array of emotions relief, exhaustion, strength, sadness knowing that my abuser, Danny Masterson, will face accountability for his criminal behavior, said one of the women, whom Masterson was convicted of raping. Prosecutors had alleged Masterson forcibly raped three women in his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003. They alleged "That '70s Show" actor drugged the women's drinks before he raped them. Meanwhile, Masterson's lawyers told the court that the acts were consensual. They highlighted that the women complainants' statements had inconsistencies over time. After the verdict, Los Angeles County District Attorney Gascon said: We also recognize that preventing sexual assault is critical and we will continue to educate the public on the importance of consent, healthy relationships and bystander intervention. We believe that by working together, we can create a safer and more just society for all. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The shoot of Allu Arjun-starrer Pushpa: The Rule, also known as Pushpa 2, is progressing at brisk pace. On Wednesday, a bus carrying artistes of Pushpa 2 was returning to Andhra Pradesh from Telangana, when it hit another bus that was stationary. As per reports, the accident took place on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway near Narketpally. Two artistes, who sustained injuries in the accident, were immediately rushed to the nearby hospital. Also read: Allu Arjun scares tigers, returns from dead to rule in Pushpa 2's first look Pushpa 2 is an upcoming Telugu action film written and directed by Sukumar, and features Allu Arjun in the lead role. Police investigation underway As per news reports, the driver of the Pushpa 2 unit bus didnt notice the stationary Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation bus, and rammed into it. Due to the accident, there was a heavy traffic jam for a few hours. Police investigation is already underway. Reports added that the police is looking into nearby CCTV footage to find out more about the accident. Where is Pushpa video Pushpa 2 went on the floors last November with a look test. The films cinematographer Miroslaw Kuba Brozek took to Instagram to share a picture from the sets and captioned the post as the beginning of the adventure. In April, the makers teased fans with a special video that was released on April 7 on the occasion of Allu Arjuns birthday. The video titled Where is Pushpa reveals that Pushpa has escaped from Tirupati prison with bullet wounds and hes on the run. The video ends with the question, Where is Pushpa. In the video, we get some quick shots of riots and people going berserk. It is unclear whether it is the actual footage from the second part or just random shots that have been put together for this video. About Pushpa 2 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 Srivalli. It is directed by Sukumar. In Pushpa: The Rise, Arjun popularised the catchphrase Thaggedhe Le. Last year, he went on to introduce the new catchphrase for the second part at an event. He said that he hopes that the excitement he has for the movie touches the fans as well. ott:10 SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In a world dominated by David Brent and Michael Scott, it's time to make way for a new office boss who will bring her own brand of hilarity to the workplace. The announcement of The Office Australia, a remake of the beloved sitcom, has sparked excitement and curiosity among fans worldwide. What sets this version apart? Well, for the first time ever, we will have a female lead at the helm of the chaos. Michael Scott (Steve Carell) (Left) in American version of The Office. Hannah Howard (Felicity Ward) (Right), the lead in the Australian version of The Office. It's no secret that The Office set the bar sky-high with its British original, masterfully crafted by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. Then, along came the US adaptation, introducing us to the bumbling antics of Steve Carell's Michael Scott. And while some may have been skeptical at first, the American version carved its own path and won over audiences, including this writer. Now, it's time for The Office Australia to take center stage with Hannah Howard, brilliantly portrayed by comedian Felicity Ward. As Prime Video prepares to launch the show in 2024 across more than 240 countries and territories, anticipation builds for how it will reflect the contemporary Australian workplace, a side rarely seen by international audiences. The diverse cast, including Edith Poor, Steen Raskopoulos, Shari Sebbens, Josh Thomson, Jonny Brugh, Pallavi Sharda, Susan Ling Young, Raj Labade, and Lucy Schmidt, suggests that Flinley Craddick, the packaging company in the series, takes diversity seriously. With a female protagonist, we can expect a departure from the underlying theme in the UK and US versions, where incompetent men like Brent and Scott were oddly rewarded by the system. The story of The Office Australia revolves around Hannah Howard receiving the dreaded news that her branch will be shut down. In a desperate attempt to keep her "work family" together, she finds herself making promises she can't keep. Chaos ensues, and we can only imagine the laughs that will ensue as Howard tries to save the day but ends up flapping around like a fish out of water. Comedy thrives on chaos and crisis, and previous Australian workplace shows have expertly explored the horrors of bureaucracy and various industries, providing fertile ground for comedic gold. From a production standpoint, The Office's mockumentary format proves cost-efficient and easily replicable, as demonstrated by other successful shows like Parks and Recreation and Modern Family. The challenge for the creators of The Office Australia lies in striking the delicate balance between staying true to the established style while injecting freshness into the format. They must capture the genuine and effortless essence of the workplace, avoiding any sense of forced humor or inauthenticity. All eyes will be on Felicity Ward as she steps into the shoes of Hannah Howard, aiming to be the boss, friend, and entertainer to her employees, just as Ricky Gervais embodied the iconic David Brent. Gervais himself has expressed his excitement to see how Australia will modernize The Office, acknowledging the changing landscape of office politics in the past two decades. Also read | Disney's mass content purge, Over 105 titles removed from Hulu and Disney+ As production gears up to begin in Sydney in June, the world eagerly awaits the arrival of The Office Australia, ready to embrace the unique blend of Aussie humor and workplace shenanigans. One thing is for sure: with Felicity Ward leading the charge, this fresh take on the beloved sitcom is bound to bring laughter, surprises, and a new chapter to The Office legacy. A video of the world's first and only all-white panda was released by the Wolong National Nature Reserve in Chinas Sichuan province. In the video, captured by an infrared camera, the white panda was seen approaching a black and white mother panda and her cub. Having no spots on its body and red eyes, the all-white panda was declared an albino one of its kind in the world after it was first spotted in 2019. (YouTube/CGTN) The panda was earlier captured 2,000 metres above the sea level in the reserve in 2019, when it was just a cub. The video, which was released by the Nature Reserve, showed the white panda walking over to a mother and her cub, who were resting in a tree hollow. After the mother did not leave the hollow, the white panda wandered off. However, it returned to the spot and sniffed around. A senior engineer at the China Conservation and Research Centre for Giant Pandas, Wei Rongping, told Singapore-based media organisation The Straits Times, The cub in the footage is about one to two years old, and the all-white panda is nearly the size of an adult. At the end of February, wild pandas in Wolong have entered the oestrus season, during which the female pandas with cubs can be very aggressive when an adult panda approaches or invades. This female panda was extremely calm and did not conform to the general rule. One possibility is that the female panda is the mother of the all-white panda. All-white panda was declared albino Having no spots on its body and red eyes, the all-white panda was declared an albino one of its kind in the world after it was first spotted in 2019. A researcher at the Peking University Li Sheng told Chinese television network CGTN, There is another rare colour variation of the giant panda in the northern Qinling Mountains, where the giant panda is distributed. It is a brown-and-white colour variation. A very rare all-white panda was recorded at Wolong, and this may be due to a genetic mutation. This individual may have been the first wild all-white giant panda recorded since the official documentation began. He added, However, it is unclear if its unique genetic traits will spread within the small population and ever be stably inherited. Further research is required to completely understand the implications of this discovery for the genetics and conservation of giant pandas. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday announced a probe panel led by a retired judge to investigate the widespread violence that Manipur witnessed leading to loss of lives and damage to properties. Six cases pertaining to the violence will be probed by a special CBI team, Amit Shah announced after his three-day visit to the violence-hit northeastern state. Stern action will be taken if there is any violation of the SoO agreement, the home minister said urging everyone to surrender arms. Read | Govt committed to restoring peace in Manipur: Amit Shah Amit Shah in Manipur Amit Shah said he held several rounds of meetings with every section of the society, including officers, political parties and the representatives of Kuki and Meitei civil groups. "A probe panel will be set up to look into the reasons for the violence and to identify who was responsible for it. This probe panel will be headed by a retired judge of the rank of the chief justice of a high court. This probe will be done by the Centre. A peace committee will be set up under the guidance of the Manipur Governor," the Union home minister announced. An inter-agency unified command will start working in the state from Thursday under Kuldeep Singh, retired DG, CRPF -- overseeing the coordination among the agencies deployed in the state to manage the situation, Amit Shah said. Six cases will be probed by a special team of the CBI under the Centre. I want to assure all Manipur people that there will be an impartial and fair probe. The future course of action to ensure that no such violence takes place in future will also be deliberated, the Union minister said. As Amit Shah addressed a press conference, he announced an ex gratia amount of 10 lakh ( 5 lakh from the state and 5 lakh from the Centre) to families of those who lost their lives in the violence. 'Surrender arms, combing operation from tomorrow' Appealing to everyone who may have arms in their possession, Amit Shah said, "Surrender your arms to the police today. From tomorrow, a combing operation will start. Action will be taken if arms are found by the police." I want to appeal to all civil society organisations to not pay heed to rumours. Now is the time to maintain peace from both sides, Amit Shah said. Situation in Manipur Manipur has been the seat of violence for the past few weeks which escalated on Sunday when five persons, including a Manipur police officer, were killed, a BJP MLA's house was vandalised and over 1,000 arms and ammunition were reportedly looted by a mob from armories of Manipur Rifles and IRB. The first violence was witnessed on May 3 during a rally organized by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest the demand for the inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category. The march was organised in protest against the demand for inclusion of the state's Meitei community in the ST category, following an April 19 Manipur High Court directive. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has kicked off a massive public outreach programme that will include public rallies by the partys top leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh and BJP president JP Nadda, party leaders said on Thursday. U (Screengrab) BJP state general secretary Prithwiraj Harichandan said the outreach campaign was part of a national plan and would help keep the party ready in case the assembly elections, scheduled to be held in May 2024, are advanced. We are keeping our cadre ready in case elections are advanced. Even if the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) prepones elections, it would not be able to stave off defeat. About 80% of BJD leaders are mentally ready to quit the party and join BJP, he claimed. Senior BJD leader Debi Mishra last month said the possibility of early elections could not be ruled out. It is a possibility, provided the Election Commission wants Odisha to go to elections with five other States scheduled next after Karnataka, he said. The BJP won 23 of Odisha assemblys 146 seats in the 2019 assembly elections and emerged as the second-largest party in the state elections with 32.5% vote after the ruling BJD which won 112 seats and a 42.7% vote share. Harichandan said the BJP will focus on the Lok Sabha seats it lost in the 2019 elections. We have set a target to reach out to all households covered by 37,606 booths in the state. Around 5 lakh BJP workers will participate in the campaign and explain to people the politics of development of the Modi government and its achievements during the last nine years. The district units have to reach out to 250 families of influential persons. Local MPs and MLAs will reach out to intellectuals, media personnel, young achievers and people belonging to different categories and share details on the achievements of the NDA government, he said. The BJP has also planned four rallies proposed to be addressed by PM Modi, Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh among others. The party is also analysing the reasons for its defeat in seven assembly by-polls including the recent Jharsuguda bypoll held after the 2019 assembly elections as well as its sub-par performance in the 2022 panchayat and urban body polls. The BJP secured a 30% vote share in the 2022 panchayat polls and won 16 of the 108 municipal chairman posts as against 76 won by the BJD. BJD spokesperson Pratap Deb said he would not be able to comment on whether early polls would be held, but it is quite common in politics for politicians to switch allegiance. BJP MLAs are in touch with our party while our MLAs are in touch with their party, he said. Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Gujarat's Rajula city Hira Solanki has been gathering praises after he took a gallant step to save three youths from drowning in the sea. A total of four youths had gone to take a bath in a creek on the sea shore in nearby Patwa village following which they started drowning, according to LiveHindustan. BJP MLA Hira Solanki(Twitter/Screen grab) After learning about the incident, Solanki immediately reached the spot and jumped into the sea to save the youths, with the help of some other people. They successfully took out three youths, however, couldn't save the fourth, whose body was later recovered after a long search, according to the report. All four of them have been identified as Kalpesh Shiya, Nikul Gujaria, Vijay Gujaria and Jeevan Gujaria. People started praising Solanki after the video of him saving the youth went viral on social media. Five children in Gujarat's Botad district had recently drowned in the Krishna Sagar Lake. Reportedly, two children were swimming in the lake when they started drowning. Following this, three others jumped into the lake to save them and eventually they also drowned. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Rajasthan minister Pratap Singh Khachariawas taunted prime minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party Thursday as the desert state preps for an Assembly election later this year. Khachariawas declared 'the condition of the BJP will be worse in Rajasthan in comparison to what happened in Karnataka' and vowed the BJP 'will vanish from Rajasthan'. Rajasthan minister Pratap Singh Khachariawas(ANI) Speaking a day after the prime minister's visit to Rajasthan's Ajmer - at which Modi accused chief minister Ashok Gehlot's administration of corruption - Khachariawas also criticised the BJP for having 'taken away' ex-Congress president Rahul Gandhi's Lok Sabha membership. "Prime minister Narendra Modi came here yesterday. However, he kept abusing the Congress and talked nothing about the BJP's achievements," the Rajasthan minister said. "BJP took away the membership of Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha after (he) spoke of the party's corruption. They lost the Karnataka election after this Congress stands with everyone who raises an objection against the corrupt BJP," he declared. What happened in Karnataka? The BJP was in power in Karnataka - after the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government fell in 2019 - till last month, when the Congress secured a massive win. The Congress won 135 of the state's 224 Assembly seats on a campaign that relied heavily on allegations of corruption in the BJP's government; the party's '40% sarkara' jibe - a reference to claims BJP ministers and officials used to demand a 40% commission from contractors. READ | What is Congress' '40% commission' charge against Karnataka government? The crisis exploded in April last year after the death (by suicide) of a contractor named Santosh Patil, who accused BJP leader and former minister KS Eshwarappa of extortion. Modi's '85% commission' retort In Ajmer on Wednesday the prime minister accused previous Congress governments of 'misguiding and depriving' the poor, and referred to '85% commission' that they had allegedly taken from money meant for development of the state. "We have given 29 lakh crore to the poor through direct benefit transfer. If Congress government would have been there, then 24 lakh crore would have been looted" "Congress takes a cut of 85% commission in every project. We were able to do development because we plugged the leakages created by the Congress," the prime minister declared. Rahul Gandhi's disqualification: A recap What happened to the top Congress leader? Rahul Gandhi was found guilty of criminal defamation by a court in Modi's home state of Gujarat. The then-Lok Sabha MP from Kerala's Wayanad was convicted in the 2019 'Modi surname' case. NEW DELHI: The Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) grouping must act as a symbol of change at a time when the world community is grappling with the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic and stresses caused by conflict, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday. India's foreign minister S Jaishankar, South Africa's foreign minister Naledi Pandor and Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov attend a Brics foreign ministers meeting in Cape Town on June 1 (REUTERS) Addressing a meeting of Brics foreign ministers at Cape Town in South Africa, Jaishankar urged the groupings members to make sincere efforts to push reforms of international bodies such as the United Nations Security Council and to combat all forms of terrorism, including its financing. The meeting is expected to shape the agenda for the Brics Summit to be hosted by South Africa in August, including issues such as the groupings expansion and a push for greater trade between the members in national currencies against the backdrop of Western sanctions imposed on Russia. Jaishankar said the meeting is important in view of the challenging international situation, which demands that Brics members approach key contemporary issues constructively and collectively. We are a symbol of change and must act accordingly. This responsibility is even greater as we contemplate the devastating after-effects of the Covid pandemic, the stresses arising from conflict and the economic distress of the Global South, he said without directly referencing the Ukraine crisis. Brics, he said, must send out a strong message that the world is multipolar, is rebalancing and that old ways cannot address new situations. Contemporary challenges underline the deep shortcomings of the current international architecture, which does not reflect todays politics, economics, demographics or indeed aspirations, he added. In the face of disappointment over calls to reform multilateral institutions, Brics members should show sincerity in transforming global decision-making, including that of the UN Security Council, he said. In an apparent reference to China, Jaishankar said: At the heart of the problems we face is economic concentration that leaves too many nations at the mercy of too few. This may be in regard to production, resources, services or connectivity. Recent experiences impacting health, energy and food security only highlight this fragility. He urged Brics to consider Indias efforts to raise the issues of the Global South at the G20 and to promote the economic decentralisation that is so essential to political democratisation. Jaishankar listed terrorism among key threats to global peace and security and said: All nations must take resolute measures against this menace, including its financing and propaganda. It must be combated in all its forms and manifestations and never be condoned under any circumstances. External affairs minister S Jaishankar also met Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov in Cape Town on sidelines of Brics meet (Twitter/DrSJaishankar) Jaishankar tweeted that he met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the margins of the Brics meeting and discussed bilateral matters, BRICS, G20 and SCO. A readout from the Russian side said Lavrov and Jaishankar discussed issues on the bilateral agenda and international and regional problems. The ministers commended the dynamics of cooperation in the most important areas of the special and privileged strategic partnership between [the] two countries, it said. The two sides also reaffirmed that they will work to build a fair multipolar system of interstate relations, including the prevention and [impeding] the use of the neo-colonial practices. Jaishankar also tweeted that he met Saudi Arabian foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan and had a productive exchange of views on the global situation. In another tweet, he said he and South African foreign minister Naledi Pandor reviewed progress in the bilateral strategic partnership and exchanged views on Brics, IBSA, G20 and UN. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Mount Everest has been conquered, according to a copyright message published in The Times today. HT This Day: June 2, 1953 -- Mount Everest conquered at last News of the successful bid of the British expedition in reaching the summit of Mt. Everest was given by announcers who broke into U.S. radio and television programmes today. The news came as a graphic and welcome addition to the details of the Coronation which had been filling American newspapers for days. Col. John Hunt, leader of the British Expedition, was believed to have planned the final assault on May 29 or 30. Observers in Kathmandu had earlier thought that the expedition had again been thrown behind schedules as happened in the first abortive attempt. Col. Hunt, leader of the expedition, had earlier reported failure of the first assault due to bad weather and snow. Everest, the highest mountain in the world, is a peak of the Himalayas situated in Nepal. Its elevation is approximately 29,140 ft. After a reconnaissance attempt in 1921, the first assault on the mountain was made in 1922. Brig.-Gen. C. G. Bruce was in command. The second attempt was made in 1924. Brig.-Gen. Bruce was again in command. Mallory and Irvine who, in 1924, reached an altitude of 28,230 feet, never returned to tell their tale. The pre-1935 attempts were all from the north side and an altitude of about 28,000 feet was reached, after which a yellow pass presented a very steep and slippery approach, leading to a still more hazardous black pass, whose condition could not even be guessed with any measure of accuracy. Also. the route is subject to blizzards and almost impossible weather conditions. The west and south route, which was followed by the Swiss and the 1953 British expedition, is in an ice valley which is not only safe from strong winds, but also gets longer sunlight. The Border Security Force on Thursday morning gunned down a Pakistani intruder along the Indo-Pak international border in Jammu & Kashmirs Samba district, officials familiar with the matter said. Border Security Force personnel patrol near the India-Pakistan border, on Thursday. (BSF Twitter) The incident took place near Mangu Chak border outpost (BoP) in Samba, they said.In the early hours of Thursday, alert BSF troops noticed a suspicious movement of a person, who crossed the IB (international border) from Pakistani side in Samba area, said a BSF spokesperson, on anonymity. He was challenged by the troops but the intruder kept advancing towards the border fencing. The troops opened fire, killing him, the spokesperson said. The intruder was challenged by the troops but he kept advancing towards the border fence.The troops fired on him and shot him dead, he added. Prima facie, no weapon or narcotics were found with him.This is the second such incident along the India-Pakistan border in Jammu division in two days. The army on Wednesday had foiled an infiltration attempt on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu & Kashmirs Poonch sector and arrested three terrorists. The army had seized a consignment of arms and ammunition which included a 10kg improvised explosive device (IED) from the terrorists. Solapur As one nears Solapur, 405km from Mumbai, the sweet sound of rubber hitting the macadam is drowned by the overwhelming hum of thousands of automated sewing machines working at full pelt. PREMIUM Each of Solapurs 700 units at the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation park produces 10,000 uniforms per day. (representative/HT photo) Bolts of fabric are being turned into school uniforms with great precision and at impressive speed. The city produces 30 million sets of uniforms annually for schools across India, including about 5 million sets that are exported to Dubai, Ghana, Malaysia, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar and France and the US. At its peak, ahead of the start of a new academic year, each of Solapurs 700 units at the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation park produces 10,000 uniforms per day. Over 60,000 families are involved in the trade which is estimated to be worth 1,000 crore according to a FICCI report. But a new Maharashtra government order threatens to slow down Solapurs buzzing industry. Production of government school uniforms, says education minister Deepak Kesarkars order, will now be decentralised, and given to womens self-help groups across the state. Maharashtras government schools order 9 million uniforms from Solapur every year, which is nearly one-third of the total number of uniforms produced in the city. This order puts the livelihood of thousands of people in Solapur, as well as in villages across the border in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, who are employed by the textile industry, at risk. On the one hand, the government has been trying to get the tag of Uniform City for Solapur, then on the other, it cuts our business at the knees, complained Prakash Pawar, secretary of the Solapur Readymade Kapad Utpadak Sangha (SRKUS). Pawars own unit, Prakash Garments, employs over 400 people. If the government does not reconsider its decision, the citys economy will suffer greatly, say local stakeholders, especially impacting women who have shifted from beedi-making to sewing. At present about 35,000 women are employed in the uniform business. We strive to provide employment to as many women as possible so that they do not have to work in the hazardous beedi business. Nearly every home in the areas that neighbor the MIDC park now has a woman or two working in the uniform business. What will happen to them if a bulk of our business goes? asked Pawar. Kanchana Goli, who runs a unit of 20 sewing machines in Sunil Nagar, says many of the women she employs have come to her after finishing school. She says her husband, Lakshminarayan Goli, decided to start their business with the aim of providing employment to the women who rolled beedis in the factories nearby for minimum wages. A woman earns up to 18,000 a month sewing 300 uniforms whereas in the beedi trade they would earn 200 a day after rolling 1,000 beedis. But if the government takes away the work of small entrepreneurs like us, we will not be able to expand our industry, said Goli. Until some years ago the beedi rolling industry was big in Solapur and it employed mostly women, but when two of the biggest beedi factories in the city shut down, we received calls from many women who became jobless. Which is when we called these uniform sewing companies to train and employ women, said Chandrika Chavan, a local social worker who works in the field of womens rights. We started providing women with food, which was a big draw for them to come work in the sewing business. This new decision by the government to provide cloth centrally and give out work orders to women across the state, may be right in principle, but we are not equipped to handle the fallout of this change here, said Chavan. How Uniform City rose Solapurs textile industry dates back to 1874 with the setting up of its first textile unit, Solapur Spinning and Weaving Mills. In 1946, the city began manufacturing the famous Solapur chaddars, said Nitin Pawaer who runs his own uniform manufacturing unit, Sneha Garments. In 1998, the plan to distribute uniforms to all government schools under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan was announced by the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, which is when we decided to move wholesale to sewing uniforms in the city, he says how Solapur became Indias largest uniform-manufacturing hub. The city became so renowned for producing bulk uniforms that it even began getting orders for producing uniforms for taxi drivers in Dubai, it is here that Air Indias uniforms, including those of its pilots and male ground staff are produced, as are uniforms for sailors on INS Chilka, and also for the staff at Tata Motors. However, the backbone of our industry is the uniforms for government schools under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, said Pawar. If that goes, we will struggle. It was on account of the boom in stitching uniform that so many young men in Solapur decided to stay back and join their family business, he added. In the early 2000s, other states tried to emulate the Solapur model and set up units inviting our people, said former textile minister Subhash Deshmukh, now a BJP MLA from south Solapur. When I took charge as a textile minister I gave them several sops to ensure they stayed back in Solapur. I would request Devendra Fadnavis to reconsider this decision of decentralizing the uniform business. Other stakeholders, too, say the state governments proposed revamp of the uniform business may not go as planned. A similar experiment to buy cloth centrally and then get it stitched from many units, failed in Karnataka. There are many challenges in this business that have not been anticipated. For instance, who will buy the extra cloth if the allotted material for one shirt or tunic falls short? says Chanbasappa Mhalge, an entrepreneur from Solapur who has been supplying uniforms to Karnataka government schools for over a decade. School education minister Deepak Kesarkar, the man behind the move, says he decided to change government policy after he received several complaints about the quality of the uniforms. We have decided to provide uniform cloth under a centralised system as opposed to letting the Solapur units procure on their own. We have also asked the Mahila Arthik Vikas Mahamandal (MAVIM) to train womens self-help groups in sewing, he said. Anita Malage, owner of Yashaswini, a cooperative that produces agro by-products for households, and is the head of a womens self-help group, said, We welcome the governments policy to provide this opportunity to the womens self-help groups. In Solapurs uniform industry, almost 35 percent of labourers are women. This will empower them in the city and nearby villages. If we get the jobs independently, we will certainly meet all requirements. Four of 10 women self-help groups are part of the sewing workforce but for sewing uniforms we will also require training and infrastructure to be able to perform. In Solapur, the manufacturers are upset that there has been no dialogue with the minister. If only he had reached to us with what the complaints are or what the government is specifically looking for, we could have made changes. This is a drastic solution, said SRKUSs Prakash Pawar. A Dalit man was allegedly thrashed for wearing good clothes by a group of individuals belonging to an upper caste community in Banaskantha district of Gujarat, said police on Thursday. The accused also thrashed the victims mother who was trying to save him, said police. The case put under the spotlight vulnerability of Dalits (Shutterstock) The incident occurred at Mota village in Palanpur taluka, on Tuesday night. According to the police, the accused expressed their displeasure over the victims choice of clothing, including his well-dressed appearance and sunglasses. Police said the victim was identified as Jigar Shekhalia. Based on the victims complaint, a first information report (FIR) was filed against seven people. According to the complaint, one of the seven accused on Tuesday approached the victim outside his house, abused him and issued death threats saying he was flying too high these days, news agency PTI reported. Also Read: 42 years on, 90-year-old gets life term over killing of 10 Dalits in UP Later that night, six others from the same community confronted the victim near a village temple. They questioned him about his attire and sunglasses before assaulting him and dragging him behind a dairy parlour. When the victims mother rushed to his aid, she was also assaulted, threatened, and her clothes torn, said police. The victim and his mother are currently receiving treatment at a hospital, said an official familiar with the matter. The FIR has been registered at Gadh police station, under sections of the Indian Penal Code, including rioting, unlawful assembly, outraging the modesty of a woman, voluntarily causing hurt, and using abusive language, according to police. They were also booked under relevant sections of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. No arrest has been made in connection with the incident so far, the police official said. (With inputs from PTI) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON After the Indian Army lost 10 troopers in terror attacks in Rajouri-Poonch region in the past two months, the Army Headquarters has had hard talk with both the Northern Army Command and the 16 Corps commanders to underscore the importance of laid down standard operating procedures by formations involved in counter-insurgency operations. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with J&K Lt Gov Manoj Sinha in Rajouri a day after the May 5 attack. The Indian Army along with security agencies and Jammu and Kashmir Police is currently conducting full scale Operation Trinetra to flush out terrorists of Pakistan in the Pir Panjal region particularly after the terror attack on Army vehicle at Bhatta Dhurian in Poonch on April 20 and at an ambush in Kesari Hill in Rajouri sector on May 5 in the run-up to Srinagar G20 meeting on May 22-24. The Indian Army lost five troopers each in both the encounters including four of them belonging to the elite 9 Paratrooper battalion. Since the two incidents, Army Chief General Manoj Pande has visited the incident site with Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi making multiple visits to the Rajouri-Poonch sector as late as last Saturday. While Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the security situation in Poonch-Rajouri sector a day after the May 5 incident and pumped the morale of the troops involved in CT operations, the Army Headquarters laid the law on the SOPs in the terror hit districts to avoid any further casualties to the formations involved in CT duties. The insistence that SOPs cannot be ignored has been passed on to the 16 Corps Commander and the 25 Division commander under whose jurisdiction is the entire Rajouri-Poonch sector. The post attack analysis of both the incidents showed that the terrorist could have got back better response and lives saved had the troopers followed the laid down procedure on deployment and patrolling in terrorist infested areas. Both the Poonch and Rajouri attacks were carried out by Pakistan based Lashkar-e-Toibas Habibullah Malik aka Sajid Jutts module based in Kotli in Occupied Kashmir. Jutt, who has been involved in terrorist recruitment and weapons drop through drone in Poonch, has been designated as a Pakistani terrorist under the UAPA by the Home Ministry. He is married to a Kashmiri Muslim, who has moved to Pakistan, and has a son living in the Valley. While the Indian Army has launched a deliberate operation in the 16 Corps sector to ensure minimum casualties, the military aided by security agencies and the UT police are committed to avenge the killing of 24 troopers in this area since 2021 along with number of civilian casualties. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Indian Air Force's (IAF) intermediate jet-powered trainer aircraft HAL HJT-16, also known as Kiran, crashed into an open field in Karnataka's Chamrajnagar village today. According to IAF's official Twitter page, two pilots aboard the aircraft successfully ejected using parachutes and landed safely. The aircraft was taken for a routine training sortie. IAF's Kiran trainer aircraft crashed.(ANI) The IAF has ordered an inquiry into the incident to find out the cause of the accident. Kiran trainer aircraft was designed and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) which performed its maiden flight in 1964. It is used by IAF to conduct intermediate training to pilots also called the Stage 2 training, before they move onto to the next stage to train on board the Hawk jets. The incident comes after an IAF fighter jet crashed last month in Rajasthan's Hanumangarh, killing three people. The MiG-21 was taken out for a routine sortie. The pilot escaped unhurt. Following the incident, the Air Force decided to ground the entire fleet of Soviet-origin aircraft. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) student Darshan Solanki who allegedly committed suicide had told his mother that caste-based discrimination existed on the institute's campus, a chargesheet filed in the case by police has said. People participate in a protest against the death of 18 year old IIT-B student Darshan Solanki, organised by SFI and DYFI, in Mumbai.(PTI) He also told his mother during telephonic conversations that the behaviour of fellow students changed when they learned about his caste, it claimed. The statement of Solnaki's mother is part of the chargesheet filed by the city police on Tuesday before a special court for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Read | IITs told to ensure zero discrimination on campus after spate of suicides by students The chargesheet named fellow student Arman Khatri who is out on bail after being arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide. Solanki, a first-year student of B-Tech (Chemical) course who hailed from Ahmedabad, allegedly jumped to death from the seventh floor of a hostel building on the IITB campus in Powai area of Mumbai on February 12, 2023, a day after the semester exams ended. The police claimed Khatri had allegedly threatened to kill Solanki after the latter spoke 'offensively' about religion. Solanki's mother in her statement to police said during a telephonic conversation in December 2022, Solanki told his sister that there was caste-based discrimination at the premier institute. When his friends came to know of his caste, there was a change in their behaviour, Solanki's mother said in the statement. Solanki again spoke about this to his sister when he visited them in January 2023 during Makar Sankranti holiday, the chargesheet said. On February 12, he spoke to his mother on phone around 12.20 pm and said he would visit home on February 14 and they should invite all their relatives for a get-together, his mother told the police. Only two hours later, Solanki's father got a call informing his son had suffered a fall, she said in the statement. Solanki's sister and aunt too, in their statements, claimed he faced discrimination and observed change in the behaviour of other students when they learnt of his caste. He spoke about how he was enjoying his studies, but also mentioned that some students and friends always told him that he was getting free education and taunted him, Solanki's aunt told the police. The chargesheet included statements of 55 witnesses, including some students and professors. India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra was on Thursday elected as one of the three vice-presidents of the World Meteorological Organisation, the UN agency for monitoring climate change, early warnings, and disaster preparedness. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra At the WMO elections held in Geneva on Thursday, Abdulla Al Mandous, Director of United Arab Emirates National Center of Meteorology, was elected President of WMO for a four-year term. Also read: Argentine meteorologist becomes first female head of UN weather agency Daouda Konate, director of meteorology of Cote d'Ivoire and Eoin Moran, Director Met Eireann, the Irish Meteorological Service were elected the first and second vice presidents. Earlier this week, Earth Sciences Secretary M Ravichandran was elected as the Vice Chair of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Mechanism (ATCM). The WMO has a President and three vice-presidents who preside over World Meteorological Congress and the Executive Council. The Secretariat, headquartered in Geneva, is headed by the Secretary-General. Prof Celeste Saulo of Argentina has been appointed as the first female Secretary-General of the WMO. Mohapatra's election is expected to allow India to influence the global policy on early warnings and disasters. Similarly, Ravichandran's election at the ATCM may allow India to play an important role in polar research. Washington: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi backed the Indian governments stance on the Russian war in Ukraine, said that democratic world had failed to come up with a vision to counter the non-democratic vision of China, and called for a new system of production and manufacturing where India and the US can work together. Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi addresses students at Stanford University Campus in California. (ANI) Watch: Rahul Gandhi backs Modi's Russia stand amid Ukraine war in U.S.; 'You won't like my answer but...' While claiming that his disqualification from Parliament has offered him a bigger political opportunity than he had earlier, Gandhi insisted that his international engagements are not meant to seek support in Indias internal political battles, a key criticism directed at him by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). During an interaction at Stanford University on Wednesday evening (Thursday morning IST), when asked about Indias position on the Ukraine war, Gandhi offered the most categorical expression so far of his support for Indias stance. We have a relationship with Russia. We have had a relationship with Russia. We have certain dependencies on Russia. So I would have a very similar stance as the government of IndiaAt the end of the day, we have to also look out for our interests. Also Read: From 'if Modiji sits next to God' to 'Guru Nanak went to Thailand': Rahul Gandhi's US trip so far Gandhi said that Indias size meant that it would always have relationships with a large range of countries. We will have better relations with some countries, evolving relations with other countries. That balance is there. But to say that India wont have a relationship with this set of people is difficult for India to do. Gandhi is on a six-day visit to the US. After spending two days in San Francisco and the Bay Area, he arrived in Washington DC to engage with think tank community, diaspora, and press in the US capital on Thursday. Gandhi said that when he joined politics in 2004, he never imagined he would be disqualified from Parliament. To be the first person to get a full sentence on defamation, to get a maximum sentence, to be disqualified from Parliament. I didnt imagine that something like this was possible. But, he added, this had given him a huge opportunity, a bigger opportunity than he would have had in Parliament. Responding to a question on how the Opposition usually doesnt seek support from outside the country and he has gone rogue in some respects, Gandhi said that he is not seeking support from anybody. I am very clear that our fight is our fight But there is a group of young students from India here and I want to have a relationship with them. I want to talk to them. Its my right to do it. I dont understand why the Prime Minister doesnt come here and do it. Gandhi said that it was important for political leaders to put themselves in situations where they faced questions and learnt, and if that meant not being able to answer some questions or occasional slip-ups, it was fine for he still learnt a lot. On the theme of the US-China competition, Gandhi said that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) promised prosperity and a vision a non-democratic vision of the world but he did not see the actual crystallisation of a vision on the other side in terms of a democratic vision. How do you compete with the production engine of the Chinese? What does a democratic system of production look like? Gandhi said. This is where he said that the US and India could work together and leverage each others strengths. Describing the India-China relationship as rough, Gandhi said, They have occupied some of our territory. Its rough. Its not going to be an easy relationshipBut India cannot be pushed around. That certainly cannot be allowed and it is not going to happen. Gandhi also spoke about democracies struggling with concentration of wealth, growing inequality, and the inability of the political system to keep up with the pace of technological change and social media. There is a bit of lag between the political system and technological progress and democracies are struggling with thatthe systems are not designed for this level of connectivity. So it is going to take some time. But it will happen. Gandhi said that social media creates asymmetry of information and clusters people and creates silos with their own belief systems. So it paradoxically reduces conversation. On Wednesday, Gandhi also visited a tech incubator called Plug and Play in Silicon Valley that has 250 startups, said Praveen Chakravarty, chairman of the Congresss data analytics cell who is accompanying Gandhi during his US visit. According to its website, Plug and Play works across 20 industries, including advanced manufacturing, agricultural tech, animal health, brand and retail, crypto and digital assets, energy, among others. According to a PTI report, Gandhi then participated in a fireside chat, where he spoke about the importance of a decentralised ecosystem for technology, the bureaucratic hurdles vis a vis drone regulation, and the need for appropriate data safety and privacy policies. In the context of the Pegasus spyware revelations, Gandhi claimed his phone was being tapped, and said, turning to his phone, Hello Modiji. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON India is looking at mutual recognition of food certification system with Canada for seamless export and import of edibles, keeping in view the growing Indian diaspora in the North American country, people familiar with the matter said. Last month, an Indian delegation led by representatives from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India took part in the 47th session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling in Quebec, Canada. Last month, an Indian delegation led by representatives from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) countrys apex food regulator took part in the 47th session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling in Quebec, Canada. The delegation met Indian high commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma to facilitate the initiative. a discussion took place on wide issues ranging from harmonisation with the Codex standards to import and export of food items, with an emphasis on the export of traditional food products, keeping in mind the sizeable and growing Indian population in Canada, FSSAI said in a statement on May 25. Also Read: FSSAI working on standards for nutraceuticals He [high commissioner] is likely to meet the President of CFIA [Canadian Food Inspection Agency] soon to discuss about the mutual recognition of food certification system to improve the export of Indian Food products to Canada also emphasised on the mutual recognition of few of the Food Testing Laboratories in India and Canada for facilitating trade of food products, it added. The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) is an international food standards body established jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) both agencies of the United Nations in 1963 with the objective of protecting consumers health and ensuring fair practices in food trade. The core Codex texts typically deal with hygienic practice, labelling, contaminants, additives, inspection and certification, nutrition and residues of veterinary drugs and pesticides, and apply horizontally to products and product categories. Among the areas being considered for exports from India include standards related to food labelling norms, use of new technologies in labelling, labelling of food allergens, labelling for e-commerce, according to the top food regulator. Previously, India signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Canada for the mutual recognition of food labs in both the countries. India has been working on putting in place measures to ensure food safety standards are maintained effectively. Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday inaugurated the state-of-the-art National Training Centre (NTC) for the top food regulator. Good quality nutritious food can go a long way in keeping diseases at bay. The people who will train at the National Training Centre of FSSAI will play a significant role in creating healthy citizens in the country, as they will ensure quality standards for food are followed in the country, he said. According to the health ministry, NTC aims at providing structured instruction, practice, and learning experiences to bridge the gap between existing knowledge or skills and desired knowledge or skills in the field of food safety and standards. As mandated by the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Food Safety and Standards Rules, 2011, FSSAI is responsible for providing training to individuals involved in food businesses, including operators, employees, food safety officers and designated officers. Recognising the importance of continuous skill upgrading for officials, food business operators, and other stakeholders, FSSAI has established the National Training Centre to offer various training programmes, the ministry said in a statement. This dedicated centre fills the void that previously existed, ensuring the development of a future-ready workforce committed to ensuring safe and wholesome food for the citizens of India. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rhythma Kaul Rhythma Kaul works as an assistant editor at Hindustan Times. She covers health and related topics, including ministry of health and family welfare, government of India. ...view detail NEW DELHI: India and China held another round of diplomatic talks on Wednesday on the dragging standoff on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), with the only outcome being a decision to hold the next round of discussions between military commanders at an early date. This undated photograph released by Indian Army on February 16, 2021 shows PLA soldiers and tanks during military disengagement along the Line of Actual Control at the India-China border in Ladakh. (AFP) The 27th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China border affairs was held in-person in New Delhi, the external affairs ministry said in a statement. While noting that restoring peace and tranquillity will create conditions for normalising bilateral relations, the statement said: In order to achieve this objective, in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and protocols, they agreed to hold the next (19th) round of Senior Commanders meeting at an early date. The military standoff on the LAC, currently in its fourth year, has taken India-China ties to their lowest ebb in six decades. Soon after the standoff emerged in the open, a brutal clash at Galwan Valley killed 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops in June 2020. In the face of calls from the Chinese side for the border row to be placed in its appropriate place in bilateral relations, external affairs minister S Jaishankar has maintained that relations cannot be normalised till peace and tranquillity are restored along the LAC. During the WMCC meeting, the two sides reviewed the situation along the LAC in the Western Sector of India-China border areas and discussed proposals for disengagement in remaining areas in a frank and open manner, the statement said. Restoration of peace and tranquillity will create conditions for normalising bilateral relations, the statement said. The two sides also agreed to continue discussions through military and diplomatic channels. The joint secretary (East Asia) from the external affairs ministry led the Indian delegation at the meeting, while the Chinese team was led by the director general of the boundary and oceanic affairs department of the foreign ministry. The Indian Army and Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) held the 18th round of senior commanders talks on April 23 to ease tensions along the LAC. Prior to this, the two sides had held talks between the corps commanders in December 2022 to discuss outstanding issues along the border. Despite four rounds of disengagement of frontline troops at Galwan Valley, Pangong Lake, Gogra and Hot Springs, the Indian and Chinese armies still have more than 60,000 troops each and advanced weaponry deployed in the Ladakh theatre. Prominent among the remaining friction points along the LAC are Depsang and Demchok. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON NEW DELHI: India and Nepal on Thursday unveiled initiatives to ramp up cooperation in energy, including increasing import of hydropower and allowing power exports to Bangladesh, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured his Nepalese counterpart Pushpa Kamal Dahal of resolving a boundary dispute in the spirit of friendship. New Delhi, India - June 1, 2023: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda during their joint press statement after a meeting at the Hyderabad House, in New Delhi, India, on Thursday, June 1, 2023. (Photo by Sanjeev Verma/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times) Following a meeting of the leaders, the two countries launched several projects to improve rail connectivity for both passenger travel and trade, inaugurated a new integrated check post to boost cross-border trade, and unveiled plans to extend South Asias first cross-border petroleum pipeline and to build a second such pipeline. The two sides also signed seven agreements, including the revised Treaty of Transit that will, for the first time, give Nepal access to Indias inland waterways, and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and the Nepal Clearing House Limited (NHCL) for faster cross-border payments that will benefit businesses, students and tourists. The dragging border dispute figured in the talks between the two premiers, and Modi told a joint media interaction after the meeting that the issue will be resolved in keeping with the strong religious and cultural ties between the two sides and in a spirit of friendship. Also Read: On 4-day visit to India, Nepal PM seeks to maintains fine balance We will keep working to take our relationship to the height of the Himalayas. And in this spirit, we will solve all issues, be they boundary related or any other issue, Modi said, speaking in Hindi. Dahal, also known as Prachanda, added: Prime Minister Modiji and I discussed the boundary matter. I urged Prime Minister Modiji to resolve the boundary matter through the established bilateral diplomatic mechanism. Most of the 1,850-km border between the two sides has been demarcated, except for two disputed sections at Kalapani and Susta. Nepal triggered a border row in 2020 by issuing a new political map that showed Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh all controlled by India as part of Nepalese territory. The row affected ties for several months before a sustained outreach by the Indian side helped improve the situation. Foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra told a media briefing that the two premiers outlined how the boundary issue will be addressed. Their remarks not only speak of the intent of the two leaders and the two systems, they also speak of the specifics through which that intent is to be carried forward, he said. Modi and Dahal said the two sides reached an agreement on long-term power trade, under which India will import 10,000 MW from Nepal in the next 10 years. Dahal appreciated Indias import of 450 MW and thanked Modi for his positive response to a proposal for increasing this by 1,200 MW. I also appreciated Indias willingness to facilitate the export of hydropower from Nepal to Bangladesh through India. We have agreed that export of up to 50 MW of power from Nepal to Bangladesh via India would commence soon and the three countries would work out an agreement to this effect soon, Dahal said. The two leaders marked the handing over of the Kurtha-Bijalpura section of a railway line, with a length of 17km, for passenger trains and launched the inaugural run of an Indian cargo train to the Nepal Customs Yard via a rail link constructed with an Indian grant. The new rail links will cut transportation costs and time for trade between Nepal and Kolkata and Haldia ports. The two leaders inaugurated the Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) at Nepalgunj in Nepal and Rupaidiha in India and marked the ground-breaking for ICPs at Bhairahawa (Nepal) and Sonauli (India). Ground-breaking was done for the second phase of the Motihari-Amlekhgunj petroleum pipeline, to be built at a cost of 183 crore. This is South Asias first trans-border petroleum pipeline, launched in 2019, and has supplied 2.8 million metric tonnes of diesel to Nepal. The two sides said another pipeline will be built to link Siliguri and Jhapa in Nepal. The two leaders also did the ground-breaking for the Indian portion of the Gorakhpur-Bhutwal power transmission line to be built at a cost of 462 crore. This is expected to be commissioned in 24 months. Among the seven agreements signed by the two sides were an MoU for developing infrastructure at Dodhara Chandani ICP, the project development agreement for the 679-MW Lower Arun Hydroelectric Project and an MoU for developing the 480-MW Phukot Karnali hydroelectric project. Modi referred to the HIT formula Highways, I-ways and Trans-ways that he unveiled during his visit to Nepal in 2014 and said: Today, after nine years, I am happy to say that our partnership is truly a HIT. He added, We decided to increase physical connectivity by setting up new rail links. Along with this, it has been decided to provide training to railway personnel of Nepal in Indian railway institutes. To boost connectivity to the far western region of Nepal, two more bridges will be built at Shirsha and Jhulaghat. Dahal congratulated Modi on completing nine years in government and said bilateral ties are based on the firm commitment of both sides to the time-tested principle of sovereign equality, mutual respect, understanding and cooperation. In order to reduce Nepals increasing trade deficit, Dahal sought non-reciprocal market access with more flexible and easier quarantine procedures for agricultural products and simplified rules of origin for other goods. He also sought the lifting of anti-dumping duties on Nepals jute products and the review of the treaty of trade. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi reacted to Rahul Gandhi's statement that Muslims are the most attacked in the BJP government in India and said political secularism has destroyed the Muslims of India. "Rahul Gandhi should teach this to Ashok Gehlot. When Junaid and Nasir were killed in Rajasthan, the Congress chief minister took 15 days to meet their family members. The families were promised an ex gratia of 15 lakh, while others get 50 lakh. In Chhattisgarh, your Congress government sponsored Dharam Sandad where Mahatma Gandhi was abused. Tell them," Owaisi said. Read | Rahul Gandhi's reaction to 'Khalistan slogans' in US and a political row: Watch Owaisi said political secularism destroyed the Muslims in India and stopped their empowerment. Answering a question at a gathering in San Francisco, Rahul Gandhi said Muslims are feeling the impact of the BJP government the most as they are the main target while other minorities like Sikhs, Christians, Dalits and tribals are also feeling the same. "You can't cut hatred with hatred, but only with love and affection," Rahul Gandhi said. Rahul Gandhi's Muslim -Dalit parallel in US speech "What is happening to Muslims in India today happened to Dalits in the 1980s. If you went to UP in the 1980s, this was happening with Dalits...We have to challenge it, fight it and do it with love and affection and not with hatred and we will do that," he added. While the BJP considered his parallel between the Muslims now and the Dalits in the 1980s when the Congress government was in power as a gaffe by Rahul Gandhi, his comments on Muslims drew flak from Owaisi. "You supported Amit Shah in 2019 to bring in UAPA. This is the reason why the maximum number of Muslims, Dalits and government dissenters are incarcerated in jail. Why did you support UAPA? Why did you welcome the Babri Masjid verdict? Your government in Madhya Pradesh wants Hindu religious festivals from the party platform. Is this Mohabbat ki dukan?" Owaisi said. "I have been saying this from the beginning that because of political secularism Indian Muslims have been destroyed. Their empowerment did not take place. Political secularism was used to end Muslim representation in Assembly and Parliament. I have and will be against political secularism," Owaisi said. "I stand by the secularism that the Constitution told us. Now you will say secularism was added to the Constitution later, but liberty, equality, fraternity, justice, right to equality are all secularism. Rahul Gandhi should talk on these issues without wasting his words," Owaisi said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A judicial commission headed by a retired high court chief justice will probe the violence in Manipur and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will look into six cases connected to the clashes, Union home minister Amit Shah said on Thursday as he announced a slew of steps to quell the riots that have convulsed the northeastern state for close to a month and killed 80 people. HT Image On the final day of his visit to Manipur, Shah also announced the formation of an inter-agency command for better coordination, a peace committee to be headed by governor Anasuiya Uikey, promised to improve connectivity, and assured an impartial investigation into the ethnic clashes that have pit the dominant Meitei community against the Kukis, a tribal group. A judicial commission headed by a retired high court chief justice will probe the violence in Manipur, the reasons for it and those responsible for it. The probe will be conducted by the Indian government, Shah told journalists in Imphal. Dialogue is the only solution to the ongoing crisis in Manipur, he added. Shah said that a special team of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will investigate six cases -- five registered till date for the violence that started on May 3 and another one on the general criminal conspiracy behind the clashes. I would like to assure the people of Manipur that this probe will be completely impartial and neutral, to find out the main reason that led to the violence. Proper action will be taken against all those responsible with the aim of ensuring that theres no repetition of such violence in future, said the minister. Shah said that the peace committee headed by Uikey will include businesspersons, prominent players, representatives of political parties, legislators and members of civil society groups. Several agencies are at present working in Manipur to ensure peace, he added. To maintain better and non-partisan coordination, an inter-agency unified command headed by former Central Reserve Police Force chief and Manipur security adviser Kuldiep Singh will start working from Thursday, Shah added. To ensure smooth functioning of all arrangements in Manipur, a joint secretary level officers of Union home ministry and five director level officers of different ministries will be present in the state, he said. On one key demand by some Kuki groups of a separate administration not under the control of the Manipur government, Shah said: The central government cleared its stand on Manipurs territorial integrity earlier. I dont want to make any statement to sensationalise the issue and make headlines. The home minister arrived in Manipur on Monday night and held talks with chief minister N Biren Singh, senior officers, and Uikey. On Tuesday, he reviewed the security situation, held an all-party meeting and met delegations from Meitei and Kuki communities. On Wednesday, Shah visited the Kuki-dominated town of Moreh on the border with Myanmar and Kangpokpi district. He also went to relief camps in Kangpokpi and Imphal, and later held a security review meeting in the state capital. Shahs visit was important in a state where ethnic divides run deep and where the local administration has repeatedly struggled to quell violence and build bridges between the communities. The state government needs to dispel the perception of bias and focus on confidence-building measures and bring both sides to the negotiating table for forging a long-term solution. An impartial judicial probe can go a long way in rebuilding that trust. Manipur has been roiled by ethnic violence since May 3, with the bulk of the clashes between the Meitei community, which constitutes the majority of the states population and lives largely in Imphal, and the Kukis, who comprise 16% of the state and live largely in the hill districts. At least 80 people have died and 40,000 displaced. The clashes erupted during a protest against a court-ordered tweak to the states reservation matrix, granting scheduled tribe (ST) status to the Meitei community. Violence quickly engulfed the state, displacing tens of thousands of people who fled burning homes and neighbourhoods into jungles, often across state borders. The authorities clamped a curfew and suspended the internet, pumping in additional security forces to force a break in the spiraling clashes. Internet is still not back in the state. But tensions were simmering for much longer, owing to the state governments decision to exit a tripartite accord and move against some forest dwelling groups it termed as encroachers. In his press conference, Shah appealed to all sections to maintain peace, hold discussions and promote harmony. Expressing condolences to those killed in violence, he urged residents not to pay heed to rumours and maintain peace. The minister said monetary compensation of 5 lakh each from the Centre and the state government will be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives. A detailed relief and rehabilitation package for those injured and who lost their properties will be announced on Friday. A significant chunk of his press conference was devoted to logistical and connectivity issues in a state where dilapidated roads are often the only link to far-flung districts that have been rocked by rioting. Shah said an additional 30,000 metric tonnes of rice will be provided to Manipur in the next two months. Eight teams of doctors will arrive in the state to provide medical relief to people in Moreh, Churachandpur and Kangpokpi areas. 15 petrol pumps were identified across the state to provide fuel round the clock to those in need, he added. As various groups have blocked interstate highways and arterial roads, the minister said a temporary platform will be built at Khongkang railway station in Tamenglong district so that goods can arrive by train. A temporary helicopter service is being started from Churachandpur, Moreh and Kangpokpi, which will provide transport facility to airport and remote places with charges of 2,000 per person only. The rest of the cost will be borne by the government, Shah said. The home minister hailed the Bharatiya Janata Party government, and said in the past six years, Manipur was free from bandh, blockade, curfew and violence and achieved unprecedented progress. Violence was a temporary phase, misunderstandings will go away ... the situation will soon be normal, he added. He said that trial work on 10km fencing along the Myanmar and Manipur border was completed by the Centre while the tendering process for another 80km was also completed. He said biometric data of people coming from neighbouring countries was also being collected. He also held out a warning, saying any violation of the Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement signed between the Centre, Manipur government and 25 Kuki outfits in 2008 will be dealt with strictly. During his four-day visit, Shah visited relief camps, and interacted with delegations and victims in Imphal, Moreh, Churachandpur and Kangpokpi. He also held a meeting with state cabinet ministers and womens organisations. Apart from this, Shah met about 22 civil society groups from the Meitei community and about 25 from the Kuki community. Discussions were also held with 11 political parties, prominent sportspersons and elected representatives of all parties. Shahs announcements were received with cautious optimism. The only thing that we care about is fulfilment of our political demand which is total separation from Manipur. He didnt mention anything about that today. In talks with us, Shah had assured us our demands will be addressed after 15 days. We are hopeful that he will deliver on his promise after that, said Ginza Vualzong, spokesperson for Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), an umbrella group of Kuki organisations in Churachandpur district. The reaction from the Meitei side was also mixed. All memorandums submitted by Meitei groups to Shah had called for withdrawal of the suspension of operation (SoO) agreement with Kuki militant groups. We were expecting the Union minister to say something about that, said Khuraijam Athouba, spokesperson of Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), a conglomerate of five civil society organisations. ANYTHING FROM STATE GOVT? SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Utpal Parashar Utpal is a Senior Assistant Editor based in Guwahati. He covers seven states of North-East India and heads the editorial team for the region. He was previously based in Kathmandu, Dehradun and Delhi with Hindustan Times. ...view detail Franco Mulakkal - who was temporarily relieved of pastoral duties in 2018 following allegations of rape by a nun - resigned as Jalandhar Bishop on Thursday. The 59-year-old Bishop's resignation was requested by the Vatican for the good of the Jalandhar diocese which needs a new bishop and not as a disciplinary measure imposed upon him, reported news agency PTI citing sources. He will now serve as Bishop Emeritus of Jalandhar, reports said. Franco Mulakkal (ANI) Traditionally, Bishops hand in their resignation when they turn 75. The Kerala nun rape case In 2018, a Kerala nun filed a case against Bishop Franco Mulakkal, accusing him of raping her multiple times during his visit to her convent in Kottayam between 2014 and 2016. Following this, Mulakkal was arrested and remanded to judicial custody. During this time, he was also temporarily relieved of his responsibilities in the diocese by Pope Francis. However, in January 2022, the Additional District and Sessions Court in Kottayam, Kerala acquitted Mulakkal of sexual assault charges. Despite the verdict, he was not given any new responsibilities in the church. The nun - who is a member of the Missionaries of Jesus congregation based in Punjab which runs two convents in Kerala - has moved the Kerala High Court against his acquittal in the case by the trial court. On the other hand, Mulakkal has rejected the allegations, calling them a conspiracy against the church. (With inputs from PTI) An ageing Kiran trainer aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF), flown by one of Indias finest test pilots and with a woman flight test engineer aboard, crashed on the outskirts of Karnatakas Chamarajanagar on Thursday, putting the spotlight on the decades-old plane and the pressing need to replace it with a modern aircraft, officials said. Local residents at the site where a Kiran trainer aircraft crashed, in Karnatakas Chamarajanagar district, on Thursday. (PTI) Both aircrew ejected from the doomed trainer and were airlifted to Command Hospital Air Force, Bengaluru, for treatment. The air force did not release the names of the pilot or the engineer. The aircraft and the aircrew are from the premier Bengaluru-based Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) that conducts flight testing of aircraft and airborne systems, said one of the officials cited above, asking not to be named. IAF has launched a probe into the accident. Also Read: IAF Heritage Centre expansion: Air force to submit proposal to Chandigarh admn in 10 days A Kiran trainer aircraft of the IAF crashed near Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, today, while on a routine training sortie. Both aircrew ejected safely. A court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident, the IAF said in a statement. The test pilot is an air commodore while the flight test engineer is a squadron leader, said a second official cited above, who also asked not to be named. Only a handful of women officers in the IAF serve as flight test engineers professionals who are responsible for evaluating aircraft and airborne systems. Squadron Leader Aashritha V Olety was the first woman officer to qualify for the role in May 2021, and till last year, there were only three women flight test engineers in the IAF. The air force plans to retire the Kiran trainers by 2025, said a third official. The much-delayed Sitara intermediate jet trainer (IJT), being developed by state-owned plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), was planned as a replacement for the IAFs Kiran fleet to carry out stage-II training of fighter pilots. The IJT project is several years behind schedule and testing activity is still on. Rookie IAF pilots go through a three-stage training involving the Swiss-origin Pilatus PC-7 MkII planes, Kiran trainers and finally the British-origin Hawk advanced jet trainers before they can fly supersonic fighter jets. The Kiran trainers were first inducted into the IAF in the 1960s. The crash on Thursday took place at Bhogapura, about 10 km from Chamarajanagar town, local police said. Somashekar, a local resident and eyewitness, said: The plane came from the Bengaluru side, turned around, then turned upside down and finally came crashing down. It crashed around half a kilometre from our gram panchayat building. A helicopter from HAL flew the senior test pilot and the flight test engineer to Command Hospital Air Force. Both landed around half a kilometre from where the plane crashed. The pilot complained of back pain and the flight test engineer suffered minor injuries, said a police officer. The replacement of the Kiran aircraft is long overdue, said Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retd), director general, Centre for Air Power Studies. It has played a critical training role for decades and served the IAF well. It is about time that it be replaced with a new intermediate jet trainer to meet important stage-II training requirements of the IAF, Chopra added. The IJT or the HJT-36 single-engine aircraft has completed a raft of crucial trials, but the testing process is still on, the officials said. The inordinate delay in the IJT programme, conceived almost 25 years ago, upset the IAFs calculations and forced it to fly the Kiran trainers longer than it would have liked, the officials added. The project was sanctioned in July 1999 with a grant of 180 crore. The IJT was expected to get initial operational clearance by 2006. In January 2022, HAL announced that the IJT had successfully demonstrated the capability to carry out six turn spins, a key requirement for trainers and the most crucial phase of flight testing. The capability to enter and recover from a spin is a necessity for a trainer aircraft to familiarise trainee pilots with departure from controlled flight and the actions required to recover from such situations. To be sure, the IJT project is no longer backed by the IAF, and HAL had to dig into its internal funds to carry out critical trials after the project suffered a critical setback during spin testing in 2016 and brought the programme to a temporary halt. The future of the IJT project looks uncertain and the IAF could lease trainer aircraft to meet its requirements after the Kirans retire, the officials said. To be sure, at Aero India 2023, held at the Yelahanka airbase in Bengaluru in February, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari led the gurukul formation in the light combat aircraft Tejas. The HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft, the IJT and the Hawk-i aircraft were part of the four-aircraft formation. Apart from intermediate jet trainers, the IAF also needs basic trainer aircraft to meet stage-I training requirements. In March, the defence ministry signed a 6,838-crore contract with HAL for 70 HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft. The new trainer aircraft, a longstanding need, will provide a boost to the ab initio training of air force pilots. Just like the Pilatus PC-7 MkII planes, these indigenous basic trainers could also be used for stage-II training if needed, the officials said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that PM provides benefits to industrialists but whenever Congress tries to mobilise the resources and benefit the poor, he makes fun of it. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.(ANI) Read here: 'BJP-RSS lies exposed': Kharge on new parliament inauguration, wrestlers protest "PM Modi can provide concessions and give other benefits to big industrialists, but he has a lot of a problem whenever we promise to provide anything for the benefit of the poor," he told news agency ANI. Kharge's comments came a day after Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot announced to waive electricity bill on consumption of power till first 100 units in the state ahead of the assembly elections. Read here: No electricity bill for consumption of first 100 units of power in Rajasthan: Gehlot In a twitter post late Wednesday, Gehlot said, The families consuming more than 100 units of power will receive a waiver for first 100 units. For the middle class, the customers will get free electricity for first 100 units. Their fixed charges, fuel surcharge and other charges for first 200 units will be waived off and the cost will be paid by the state government. Congress president also accused the BJP-led central government of carrying out a "fire sale" of national assets and PSUs to its crony capitalist "friends" and claimed this was the "single biggest anti-national" act. This "destructive loot" is snatching away job opportunities for India's poor, SCs, STs, OBCs, he alleged. Earlier on Wednesday, PM Modi addressed a mega poll rally in Ajmer where he took a jibe at Congress' tussle between Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot. He said, "You gave a mandate in Rajasthan five years ago. What did Rajasthan get in return? Instability and anarchy. For the past five years, ministers, MLAs and the CM are busy fighting with each other." Read here: BJP govt closing corruption paths paved by Congress: Modi The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has planned a month-long campaign to celebrate the ninth anniversary with various mass connect programmes. Congress-ruled Rajasthan goes to polls later this year. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday hit out at the PM Modi-led central government for not taking action earlier on the violence in Manipur, saying that the Centre's inaction is the reason why the state is bitterly divided. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh. (PTI File Photo) The Union Home Minister has made a series of announcements today on measures related to bringing Manipur back to normalcy that are welcome. Why couldnt he have done this weeks ago? Why did the Modi govt let Manipur burn for a month? Are only Manipuri votes valuable and Manipuri lives dispensable? Jairam Ramesh questioned in a tweet. He added, The RSS agenda, the BJP state govts diabolical acts and the Union govts inaction is the reason why Manipur is bitterly divided today. And what has happened in Manipur has implications for the entire Northeast. Earlier in the day, Union home minister Amit Shah announced a probe panel led by a retired judge to investigate the widespread violence in the northeastern state. He also announced that six cases pertaining to the violence will be probed by a special CBI team. The union minister further appealed to people to surrender any arms in their possession. Surrender your arms to the police today. From tomorrow, a combing operation will start. Action will be taken if arms are found by the police, he said after three days of his visit to the violence-hit state. I want to appeal to all civil society organisations to not pay heed to rumours. Now is the time to maintain peace from both sides, he added. Also read: Questions raised as Kuki DGP not heading Manipur police force over ethnicity Shah also said that the Centre will soon announce a relief and rehabilitation package for families who have lost members to the violence or suffered injury or damage to property. Situation in Manipur Manipur began witnessing tensions from May 3 after an interethnic violence erupted during a solidarity march called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) in protest against an April 19 Manipur high court order directing the state government to consider giving Centre Scheduled Caste (ST) reservation to the Meitei community. Around 80 people have been killed in the violence so far, while thousands of people have been displaced. Mizoram , which has become home around 8,000 refugees from neighbouring Manipur, mostly Kukis, over the past few weeks following violence in that state, and which is also home to refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh is working to ensure it takes care of the newcomers without compromising its own interests and Indias security concerns. PREMIUM Ethnic violence in Manipur has left at least 80 people dead and another 40,000 displaced. (ANI) Mizoram shares a 95-km long border with Manipur, a 722-km border with Myanmar, and a 318-km border with Bangladesh; it is also home to the Chin-Kuki-Mizo ethnic group, which has close cultural and linguistic ties with the people of the Chin Hills in Myanmar, the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in Bangladesh, and the Kukis in Manipur; and it has now become a natural destination for people fleeing violence, persecution and instability. According to state government records, there are over 40,000 Myanmar nationals, 700 Bangladesh nationals, and around 8000 people from Manipur who have taken shelter in Mizoram. Also Read| Surrender arms or face action: Amit Shah's stern warning in Manipur; probe panel announced The Mizoram government has ignored the Union home ministrys strict orders against hosting any refugees, and been vocal in its support of Myanmarese refugees who started streaming in after the military coup of February 2021, and the Bangladesh nationals who came to the state after clashes between the Bangladesh Army and the Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA) began in October last year. Officials from the State Home Department say the state has spent over 38 crore on the Myanmarese and Bangladeshi refugees. NGOs have pitched in too. For instance, the Central Young Mizo Associations (CYMA) President R. Lalngheta said the NGO has spent 57 lakh in supporting Myanmar refugees and 31 lakh on Bangladeshi ones. Also Read: After the violence: A Myanmar twist as Manipur searches for its own The real issue, though, isnt the money -- it is security. India is yet to officially recognize Myanmar or Bangladesh refugees , and has asked the state government to prevent illegal immigration and deport those who do not have valid documents. Assam Rifles, which is manning the Indo-Myanmar border, have plans to increase and tighten security along the border to prevent further influx of illegal migrants, drugs and other contraband items. Though CYMAs Lalngheta refutes claims of an increase of drugs smuggling and crimes in Mizoram with the influx of refuges, an official from Assam Rifles said: We have to tighten security along the Myanmar border to prevent the entry of illegal migrants into Mizoram. These illegal influxes can severely hamper the law and order situation of the state, and have led to an increase in drugs and arms smuggling. Assam Rifles also claims that three illegal bridges have been constructed at three different locations at the India-Myanmar border -- a hanging bridge over Tiau River at Lungkawlh, Ngharchhip, and Thekte villages. An Assam Rifles official added on condition of anonymity added: Many illegal immigrants who have entered from Myanmar and Bangladesh have managed to acquire fake identity cards. They have even managed to travel out of the state and one has recently been apprehended with a fake ID in Bengaluru. Mizorams concern for refugees has moved up a notch with happenings in Manipur. Manipur has been convulsed by ethnic violence since May 3, with the bulk of the clashes between the Meitei community, which constitutes the majority of the states population and lives largely in Imphal, and the Kukis, who comprise 16% of the state and live largely in the hill districts. At least 80 people have died and another 40,000 displaced by ethnic violence between the tribal Kukis, who mostly reside in the hill districts, and the Meiteis, the dominant community in Imphal Valley. After Mizorams lone Rajya Sabha MP, K. Vanlalvena wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and appealed for the Central Governments immediate intervention to put an immediate end by stopping the Manipur Government from trying to convert the tribal land into forest reserves, and to restore peace in the region, the NGO Co-ordination Committee of Mizoram met with the Union Home Minister on May 15 and submitted a memorandum requesting the ntervention of Central government to restore peace in Manipur and ensure a safe environment for the tribals of Manipur. Samuel Zoramthanpuia, President of Mizo Students Union (MSU) said, As the current violence in Manipur is between two communities, it is important that Zo ethnic tribes across the globe and the Government of Mizoram extend a strong support for the demands of the tribals in Manipur. Lalngheta also added that the YMA will extend unconditional support to their Zo ethnic kin. The Chief Minister of Mizoram, Zoramthanga, during a speech at the Mizo National Fronts office on May 19 said that the unification Chin-Kuki-Mizo ethnic group in India, and bringing them under one administrative unit, Greater Mizoram, was one of the main objectives of the founders of his party. His statement was met with harsh criticism from the World Meitei Council (WMC). There has been some internal opposition to Mizorams refugee-friendly policy. One of Mizorams political parties, the Peoples Conference (PC) has said the government is not keeping track of the movement of refugees. PCs president Vanlalruata wants the state government to build refugee camps where their movements can properly be monitored. He also accused the state government of not keeping a record of those displaced from Manipur who are entering Mizoram. Experts say Mizorams refugee crisis is a reflection of the complex and dynamic realities of Northeast Indias borderlands, where ethnic ties transcend national boundaries, and where conflicts persist despite peace agreements. It is also a reminder of the need for compassion and solidarity among people who share a common history and destiny. In this age of globalisation, no community is an island, it is a multicultural world we live in. Ethnic concentration in a particular region is an impossible task. We must accept this truth, whether we like it or not. A majoritarian community in a particular region could be a minority community in another state. Therefore, ethnic cleansing by majoritarian community against ethnic minority with the help of the state is unthinkable. Only Us, not others is unacceptable. Manipur is a case in point. Thousand of Meiteis are also currently living peacefully outside Manipur where they is a small fraction of the entire population. Intimidation and threat against minority is inhuman. But, if what is happening in Manipur is a grand design of a majoritarian community to systematically drive out minority tribals, it must be resisted at all cost to defeat such unprincipled objective, said Dr Lallianchhunga, associate professor in the Department of Political Science in Mizoram University. The progress of the monsoon is likely to be dampened after its expected arrival in Kerala around June 4 with a model error of +/-4 days due to the chances of the development of a low-pressure area over the Arabian Sea around two days later, officials said even as the model outputs remained highly variable. The monsoon covers the entire country by July 5 . (REUTERS) June 1 is the normal date for monsoon arrival in Kerala. But India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a marginally delayed onset on June 4. The advance of the monsoon over the Indian mainland is marked by its onset in Kerala. It is an important indicator characterising the transition from the hot and dry season to the rainy season. The monsoon covers the entire country by July 5 and brings relief from scorching summer. It is critical for Indias economy with 51% of the countrys farmed area, accounting for 40% of production, being rain-fed. Also Read: 16 of 22 El Nino years in India resulted in drought-like situation An IMD official said the models were showing the likelihood of a low-pressure area development over the Arabian Sea around June 6. Everything will depend on the trajectory and intensity of that low-pressure system. Will it move towards the Indian coast or away from our coast? Models are indicating several different scenarios The official said they cannot announce anything five days in advance. So, we have to wait and watch and issue a warning soon. If it [the low-pressure areas] forms and intensifies, there are high chances of monsoon progress being impacted, said the official. We have not seen an indication of a strong monsoon/cross-equatorial flow yet. It may boost in the next couple of days following which favourable onset conditions may begin to develop over Kerala. The northern limit of the monsoon continued to pass through the Bay of Bengal while the monsoon line covered Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Conditions were favourable for further advance of the monsoon into parts of Maldives and Comorin, Southwest Bay of Bengal, Southeast Bay of Bengal, Central Bay of Bengal, and Northeast Bay of Bengal during the next two to three days, IMD said in its bulletin. Skymet Weather vice president (climate and meteorology) Mahesh Palawat said they were expecting monsoon onset to happen around June 3 or 4 but there is a lot of uncertainty over its progress. The low-pressure area is expected to develop over the Arabian Sea around June 6 or 7 and may intensify into a depression. There is no certainty if it will develop into a cyclone. Once it develops, all the moisture will be concentrated around the depression which will hamper the further progress of the monsoon. He said there may be good rains on the west coast but monsoon may not touch interior areas till around June 10. The cross-equatorial flow, a must for monsoon onset, is getting organised. We have to see when the wind direction changes to southwesterly and when monsoon onset can be declared but conditions are at the moment not very favorable for monsoons progress immediately. A western disturbance was lying over north Pakistan and an induced cyclonic circulation over Punjab at lower tropospheric levels. Another western disturbance was lying over northeast Afghanistan in the middle tropospheric level and was likely to merge on June 1. High moisture feed from the Arabian Sea to northwest India in middle tropospheric levels was bringing thunderstorms and rainfall to parts of northwest India. During monsoon, western disturbances normally do not impact the Indian region, except during monsoon breaks when they can interact with other systems. Western disturbances move to northern latitudes and a southwesterly wind pattern is established during monsoon season, said former earth sciences ministry secretary M Rajeevan. There is a nearly 100% probability of El Nino conditions during monsoon and is expected to continue until next year, IMD said last week. The 2023 El Nino is expected to develop following a triple dip La Nina event (2020-22). La Nina is the opposite of El Nino and is characterised by cooler currents in the equatorial eastern Pacific. El Nino is characterised by an unusual warming of waters in the eastern equatorial Pacific, which has a high correlation with warmer summers, drought, and weaker monsoon rains in India. On Rahul Gandhi's 'Guru Nanak went to Thailand', BJP leader says, 'How much...' BJP Sikh leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa countered Rahul Gandhi's statement that Guru Nanak went to Thailand and asked where the Congress leader came across this information. "How much should we keep forgiving in the name of your stupidity? Where did you read that Guru Nanak went to Thailand? Is it too much to expect that you should talk like a sensible intelligent person when it concerns religion?" Sirsa tweeted. Read more BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa. Rafale jets conduct exercise in strategic Indian Ocean region An Indian Air Force strike force of four Rafale fighter jets took off from the Hasimara airbase in West Bengal, outmanoeuvred a large engagement force of hostile warplanes, and carried out a precision strike against a high value target in the strategic Indian Ocean region (IOR) in an exercise that showcased the air forces capability to strike far and strike hard, officials aware of the matter said on Wednesday. Read more Khaps to hold mahapanchayat today amid wrestlers protest Representatives of khaps or clan-based groups from outfits in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab Rajasthan and Delhi will meet in Muzaffarnagar on Thursday to discuss the ongoing protests by Indias top wrestlers against sexual harassment, senior community leaders said, the first signs of a new mobilisation to back the protracted stir. Read more 'He has a bright future when it comes to...': Wasim Akram's massive prediction for India star after IPL 2023 The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) witnessed the rise and rise of superstar Shubman Gill. Fresh from smashing multiple centuries for India in the international arena, opener Gill spearheaded the batting charge of Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL 2023. Read more When R Madhavan's supportive wife Sarita was ready to move into 1BHK if his film failed In the last decade, R Madhavan has turned both producer and director. The actor, who turns 53 on June 1, shared in an old interview how he faced difficult times when he was producing bilingual film Saala Khadoos. Read more Janhvi Kapoor channels glam icon vibes in two beauteous gowns, serves the perfect sangeet night look: See pics Actor Janhvi Kapoor delighted her followers recently by dropping a photo dump on her official Instagram account. The star is known for sharing several behind-the-scene pictures from her day-to-day life on sets or while chilling at home with her favourite people. Read more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON For the first time, the Chhattisgarh government on Thursday organised a three-day Ramayana national cultural festival in the Raigarh district's Ramleela Maidan. Inaugurating the festival, chief minister Bhupesh Baghel said that Lord Shri Ram spent a significant period of his exile, ten years, in Chhattisgarh, forging a deep connection with the state. National Ramayana Festival (Representative image) Chhattisgarh is the land of Kaushalya Mata, Lord Shri Ram was expected to be crowned but instead embarked on his exile. During his time in the state, Lord Shri Ram met with Nishadraj, Shabri, and various sages, symbolizing the diverse experiences he had during his journey. Lord Shri Ram belongs to everyone, including Nishadraj and Shabri, CM Baghel said. According to a press release, Baghel further emphasized that despite facing numerous challenges, Lord Shri Ram never compromised his dignity. People of Chhattisgarh have a special relationship with both the Vanavasi (exile) Ram and the Kaushalyas Ram, considering him nephew and revering him accordingly, he said. About National Ramayana Festival The National Ramayana Festival - which is being held in Chhattisgarh for the first time ever - is set to see several devotional performances based on Ramkatha by Ramayana troupes from 12 states of the country including Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha, Assam, Goa, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, as well as those from Cambodia and Indonesia. On the last day of the festival, eminent Hindi poet Kumar Vishwas will extol the glory of Lord Shri Ram with his special performance at Apne-Apne Ram Music Night, said a press release. According to the release, the festival is being widely appreciated not only in Chhattisgarh but also across the country and trended number one on several social media platforms. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Hyderabad The Telangana high court on wednesday granted conditional anticipatory bail to YSR Congress party MP from Kadapa Y S Avinash Reddy in Vivekananda murder case. (PTI) A day after the Telangana high court granted conditional anticipatory bail to YSR Congress party MP from Kadapa Y S Avinash Reddy, his father Y S Bhaskar Reddy, too, filed a petition in a local court in Hyderabad on Thursday, seeking bail in a case related to the murder of former Andhra Pradesh minister Y S Vivekananda Reddy, people familiar with the matter said. In a petition filed before the special court for Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) cases, Bhaskar Reddy requested that he be granted bail on health grounds, as he had been suffering from heart ailments and hypotension. The court is expected to take up the hearing on his bail petition on Friday. Bhaskar Reddy, who was arrested by the CBI authorities from his residence at Pulivendula in Kadapa town on April 16, had been lodged in Chanchalguda jail on judicial remand. On May 26, he fell sick due to a sudden drop in blood pressure. After being examined at Osmania General Hospital initially, he was later shifted to the Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) for specialised treatment for heart ailments. He is presently undergoing treatment at the NIMS. The CBI, while seeking judicial remand for Bhaskar Reddy on April 16, told the court that he had been influencing key witnesses in the Vivekananda Reddy murder case and trying to mislead the case. The Central agency alleged that Bhaskar Reddy, along with his son Avinash Reddy, had played a key role in conspiring for the murder of Vivekananda Reddy. The MPs father also tried to destroy the evidence after the murder, the CBI said. Meanwhile, a police official familiar with the development said the CBI was contemplating moving the Supreme Court challenging the Telangana high courts order granting anticipatory bail to Avinash Reddy. The high court found fault with the CBI for not being able to produce enough evidence to prove the interference of Avinash Reddy in the investigation and that he was involved in tampering of evidence and threatening the witnesses, except the allegation that he had tried to destroy scene of offence. The gravity of accusation (against the MP) has not yet been clearly brought on record by the CBI so far. No direct evidence is available against him to prove his participation in larger conspiracy, the judge said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable rescued a female passenger at Telangana's Begumpet railway station on Wednesday. The woman attempted to board a moving train. However as the train picked up speed, the passenger was at risk of falling into the gap. RPF constable of Begumpet, Sanitha noticed the lady passenger and rushed to help her. She was successfully rescued, and a potential tragedy was averted. RPF personnel rescues woman(ANI) K Sanitha, hailing from the Tirumalgiri village of Nalgonda District, Telangana State got appointed to Railway Protection Force in the year 2020. Sanitha has helped passengers in troublesome situations earlier too. The heroic act of the woman constable exemplifies the spirit of Mission Jeevan Raksha, an official statement said. Being "citizens in uniform" our personnel go beyond the call of duty risking their own lives to save other lives. There are incidents where passengers try to board/de-board a moving train slip and fall with the risk of coming under the wheels of the train. Under mission "Jeevan Raksha" RPF personnel, risking their own lives, saved 02 passengers in the year 2023, the statement said further. RPF, Secunderabad Division in its official statement also said that it remains committed to ensuring the safety and security of railway passengers and creating awareness about the potential risks associated with boarding or alighting from running trains, with the ultimate goal of preventing accidents and protecting lives. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON BJP Sikh leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa countered Rahul Gandhi's statement that Guru Nanak went to Thailand and asked where the Congress leader came across this information. "How much should we keep forgiving in the name of your stupidity? Where did you read that Guru Nanak went to Thailand? Is it too much to expect that you should talk like a sensible intelligent person when it concerns religion?" Sirsa tweeted. Read | 'Is this Mohabbat ki dukan, Rahul Gandhi should tell Gehlot': Owaisi's jibe Rahul Gandhi in his US speech on Wednesday said Guru Nanak went to Thailand. As Rahul Gandhi was speaking about his Bharat Jodo Yatra at a gathering in the US, he referred to Guru Nanak and his teachings of being humble. "We walked nothing compared to Guru Nanak ji. I read somewhere that Guru Nanak ji had gone all the way to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, he had gone to Thailand, he had gone to Sri Lanka. So, these giants did Bharat Jodo before we were born, right? I can say the same for my friends from Karnataka, Basavanna ji, for my friends from Kerala, Narayanaguru ji. Every state in India has had these giants...Adi Shankaracharya.. who said listen to each other, be respectful," Rahul Gandhi said. BJP spokesperson RP Singh said he expected either the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee to react to Rahul Gandhi's statement where he compared Guru Nanak's Udasis with his Bharat Jodo Yatra. "I thought @SGPCAmritsar or other Sikh clergy will react to Rahul's drawing parallel between his shallow political #BharatJodoYatra & Udhasis of Guru Nanak Dev ji which were conducted with the purpose of spreading religious and spiritual knowledge & humanity to the masses & to explain the true nature of religion and God, but to my dismay none of@SGPCAmritsar or @DSGMCDelhi present or previous members uttered a word." Congress on Rahul Gandhi's Guru Nanak-Thailand statement Congress leader Pawan Khera showed an excerpt from Organiser - an RSS-affiliate publication which said Guru Nanak, during the third Udasi covered Thailand. BJP vs Congress on Rahul Gandhi's US speech In his speech, Rahul Gandhi criticised the Sengol row and said the government could not address real issues like unemployment, price rise etc and that's why they had to do the 'sceptre' thing. In a jibe at PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi said the country was being run by a group of people who were convinced that they knew everything and that if PM Modi sat with God, he would explain to God how the universe worked. The comments drew flak from the BJP leaders who again accused Rahul Gandhi of insulting the country on foreign soil. This is Rahul Gandhi's first official foreign visit after he lost his Lok Sabha membership following his conviction in the 2019 Modi surname case. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Congress will 'definitely' attend a potentially crucial meet of 'like-minded' political parties - those that do not support the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party - expected to be held in Patna in Bihar on June 12, the party's communications in-charge, Jairam Ramesh, told reporters Thursday afternoon. However, whom the party will appoint as its representative is not yet decided, Ramesh added. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar at the former's residence in New Delhi. (ANI Photo/Ayush Sharma) "We will attend the meeting on June 12 (in Patna). Who (will be deputed) has to be decided. I am sure Congress president (Mallikarjun Kharge) and other leaders will decide but we will attend the meeting," he told news agency ANI. "We had appealed to advance date of meeting but the organisers are probably unable to extend it. Rahul Gandhi is out (the Congress leader is a on 10-day visit to the United States) and party president (Kharge) also has many programmes. If they are not able to go then someone else will" READ | From 'if Modiji sits next to God' to 'Guru Nanak': Rahul's US trip so far This comes less than 10 days after Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar met Kharge to discuss strategy for the June 12 meeting, which sources said focused on understanding differences between state- and national-level issues. Country will be united now. Strength of democracy is our message Rahul Gandhi and myself discussed current political situation with Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar Kharge tweeted after the meeting with Nitish Kumar. DMK 'will surely attend', JMM too Tamil Nadu's ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam - an ally of the Congress - is also expected to attend but chief minister MK Stalin, who is understood to have a prior commitment on June 12 - may not be present. "I will attend inaugural ceremony of Mettur Dam on the same date... even Congress president will be at different event and won't be able to attend... So, I have asked for meeting to be pushed back (but) DMK will surely participate..." ALSO READ | Kejriwal gets Stalin's support in Delhi ordinance row The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha of chief minister Hemant Soren will also be present; "Since all opposition parties have enlisted participation, we, too, will attend," Soren told reporters. The Congress and the JMM are allies in Jharkhand. The opposition's big meeting The meeting later this month is (possibly) a big step forward in the opposition's bid to unite against the BJP before next year's Lok Sabha election, in which the ruling party will bid for an unprecedented third consecutive term in power. READ | Opposition unity meeting in Patna likely on June 12: CM Nitish Kumar That they will meet in Bihar reflects outreach efforts by Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav, who have met several major opposition leaders over the past few weeks in a bid to cobble together support for the anti-BJP front. Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav have met ex-Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, as well as Nationalist Congress Party boss Sharad Pawar. All three are expected to attend the Patna meeting. The Bihar leader also met his Odisha counterpart but Biju Janata Dal boss Naveen Patnaik - who met prime minister Narendra Modi before Nitish Kumar's arrival in Bhubaneshwar - refused to be drawn on assurances of support. READ | Nitish Kumar, Naveen Patnaik meet say no alliance talks After his meeting with Pawar, Nitish Kumar said: "What the BJP is doing is not in the country's interest. So, the more opposition parties come together the better it is (for) the nation. We have spoken with several parties" The 'historic' meet with the Congress Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav's outreach kickstarted after an April meeting with Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi. After the meeting - which the Congress leaders later referred to as a 'historic' step before the 2024 - Nitish Kumar began reaching out to opposition leaders who have kept distance from the Congress, like the Aam Aadmi Party of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress. READ | 'Historic step to unite opposition': Rahul Gandhi after meeting Nitish Meanwhile, Kejriwal (accompanied by party colleague and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann) and Tamil Nadu CM Stalin met in Chennai on Friday. READ | Kejriwal gets Thackeray's support in battle against centre's ordinance Interestingly, Kejriwal has also been meeting opposition leaders, including Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar, to gather support in the AAP's battles against the BJP-led centre's ordinance over control of bureaucrats in Delhi. The BJP's response Significantly, opposition parties will meet as the BJP (and prime minister Narendra Modi) holds a 'Jan Sampark Abhiyan' to 'reach out to the people (of Bihar)' from May 30 to June 30. PM Modi is expected to visit Bihar this month and address a public event in Patna as part of his programme. READ | As Nitish preps for opposition's unity meet, BJP plans big in Bihar "As stated recently, we had urged the PM to visit Bihar during the 'Jan Sampark Abhiyan'... we have received in-principle approval," Bihar BJP chief Samrat Chaudhary told news agency PTI. Battleground: Bihar? Bihar is also emerging as a potentially key state for the BJP in its efforts to win the 2024 election despite the party-led National Democratic Alliance winning 39 of 40 seats in the 2019 poll. The fact Nitish Kumar - whose Janata Dal (United) won 16 of those seats - cut ties with them and re-aligned himself with Lalu Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal hasn't helped. With input from agencies SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Hemant Soren on Wednesday confirmed his party's attendance at the meeting of leading Opposition forces in Patna on June 12. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren being felicitated by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at CM House in Ranchi.(ANI) To a question on whether his party would attend the meeting of Opposition forces in Patna, CM Soren said, "Since all Opposition parties have enlisted their participation at the meeting, we, too, would attend it." Earlier, on Sunday, Janata Dal (United) leader Manjit Singh said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will chair a meeting of leading Opposition players in the state capital on June 12. The Bihar CM has been spearheading efforts to bring all Opposition parties together against the BJP government at the Centre, with an eye on next year's Lok Sabha polls. As part of the effort to galvanise the Opposition against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, he has already met the likes of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar. Speaking to ANI earlier, the JDU leader said, "On June 12, there will be a grand meeting of Opposition parties in Bihar under the leadership of Nitish Kumar, which will send a message to the whole country. Bihar will lay the groundwork for the change in the country." "You will see all like-minded parties standing together," he added. Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Bihar unit president Samrat Choudhary confirmed earlier that Prime Minister Modi will visit Bihar in June and is likely to address a public meeting, ahead of the opposition meeting in Patna. "BJP is doing 'Jan Sampark Abhiyan' from May 30 to June 30 across Bihar in a bid to reach out to people and for that, we have invited PM Narendra Modi to visit the state. We got a positive response from the PM and are looking forward to his visit," Samrat Choudhary told media persons earlier. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepal counterpart Pushpa Kamal Dahal signed seven agreements between the two nations Thursday afternoon after a bilateral meeting at Hyderabad House in Delhi. Recalling his first visit to Nepal - in 2014, after he became PM for the first time - Modi said he had then given a 'HIT formula' to improve India-Nepal relations and that today's agreements would help that relationship become a 'super HIT'. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Thursday. (Source: ANI) "I remember... nine years ago, in 2014, I made my first visit to Nepal. At that time I had given a 'hit' formula for India-Nepal relations - Highways, I-ways, and Trans-ways. I said we will establish such contacts that our borders do not become barriers. Today, the Nepal PM and I have taken many important decisions to make our partnership a super HIT," Modi said. READ | On 4-day visit to India, Nepal PM seeks to maintains fine balance "We will continue to strive to take India-Nepal ties to Himalayan heights." On his first bilateral trip abroad since assuming office in December last year, the Nepal PM said he had extended a 'cordial invitation' to Modi to visit his country. "This is my fourth visit to India. The relationship between India and Nepal is age-old. Today we discussed over steps to strengthen the ties between both nations. We also jointly launched many ground-breaking projects," Dahal said. The two prime ministers signed key agreements that include new rail links to increase physical connectivity and a long-term deal expected to strengthen the electricity-generating sectors of each country. READ | Trade, transit and energy top agenda for Nepal PMs India visit These are in line with the expectations from the Nepal PM's visit. The power sector Cooperation in the power sector was designated a 'key focus area' by sources privy to the discussions; it was pointed out that Nepal exports over 450 MW of electricity to India. Indian firms have shown interest in developing hydropower projects in Nepal and was part of a summit in Nepal in April, at which several participated. READ | Akhand Bharat mural inside new Parliament kicks up a storm in Nepal India has also built several hydroelectric projects, like Pokhara (1 MW), Trisuli (21 MW), Western Gandak (15 MW), and Devighat (14.1 MW) etc. Further, agreements have been signed between Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd and the Nepal Electricity Authority for the development and implementation of the 490.2 MW Arun-4 hydropower project. The project is expected to generate electricity for Nepal and India as well as Bangladesh. SJVN has a 51 per cent share and the NEA has 49 per cent. Indian firms have been invited to invest in the West Seti Hydropower Project. Talks on trains and transit Modi and Dahal virtually inaugurated integrated check posts at Rupaidiha in India and Nepalgunj in Nepal and flagged off (virtually again) a cargo train from Bihar to Nepal. The Nepal PM had also been expected to discuss the opening of more air travel routes. The Ramayana Circuit "Religious and cultural ties between India and Nepal are old and strong. To further strengthen this, we have decided that projects related to the Ramayana Circuit - one of 15 tourism circuits identified for development - should be expedited," Modi said. Nepal's importance Nepal is important for India in the context of its overall strategic interests in the region, and the leaders of the two countries have often noted the age-old 'roti beti' relationship, which refers to cross-border marriages between people of the two countries. The country shares a border of over 1,850 km with five Indian states - Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Land-locked Nepal relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services and access to the sea is through India. The India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950 forms the bedrock of the special relations between the two countries. With input from agencies SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's State visit to the United States later this month, US-India Business Council (USIBC) president Atul Keshap said both New Delhi and Washington DC can be the arsenals of democracy in the Eastern and Western hemispheres which would ensure deterring any potential conflict. He also said that the whole country (the US) and city are excited about PM Modi's upcoming visit. USIBC president Atul Keshap(ANI) The world is watching. It is a big deal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming here. The whole country and city are excited and buzzing here at the Chamber, at USIBC, we're buzzing about it. I think both governments are putting full effort in, Keshap, who is also a former US envoy to India, told news agency ANI. The former US diplomat recalled that both the US and India used to have a very difficult relationship back in the days which is going fantastic now. Referring to the meeting held between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his US counterpart Jake Sullivan at the top American Chamber in January on building a trusted partner ecosystem in the area of critical and emerging technologies, Keshap called it as important as the nuclear deal. We are now QUAD partners together. We now are working on bringing the industrial convergence of our two great societies together to ensure that the deep tech and future tech of the 21st century is developed and designed by Americans and Indians for the happiness and prosperity of all of the free people of the world, he added. PM Modi will travel to the US for an official State visit from June 21 to 24, the third by any Indian Prime Minister so far. Despite PM Modi's earlier visits to the US, it was not marked as State visit which is considered to be the highest ranking visit based on diplomatic protocol. This is only the third State visit by an Indian visitor and the Indian leader to the United States in all of the history of our relationshipThis is a really big deal in the way that the United States treats, honour visitors diplomatically. States visits are reserved for our closest friends, he added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Press Information Bureau (PIB), the nodal agency of the Indian government to disseminate information, marked its centennial anniversary on Thursday. HT Image Set up as a temporary cell under the home ministry of the then British government in Shimla in June 1919, its primary task at the time was to prepare an annual report on India for presentation to the British Parliament. The first head of the cell was Dr LF Rushbrook Williams of Allahabad University who was designated as officer on special duty. Towards the end of 1920, the cell became the Central Bureau of Information and on June 1, 1923, the bureau was formalised and made permanent as the Bureau of Public Information. In 1941, J Natrajan became the first Indian to head the bureau as principal information officer. The organisations name was changed to the Press Information Bureau in 1946. It was reconstituted several times since 1947 and is currently led by Rajesh Malhotra. Former PIB chief Jaideep Bhatnagar said that over the years, the agency has not just effectively disseminated information on government policies, but also helped promote various programmes and initiatives. New technologies like UPI were promoted by PIB. Now, digital payments are used regularly by the people, he said. PIB has also worked with consistency on the PIB Fact Check Unit (FCU) which has been a success, he added. In 2019, PIB established the FCU to tackle fake news pertaining to the government and its organisations. Throughout its existence, PIB has played a crucial role in providing accurate and timely information to the public and the media, a PIB official said. PIB disseminates information through different modes of communication such as press releases and factsheets, and also through social media. The information is released in English, Hindi and Urdu and subsequently translated in other Indian languages to reach out to about 8,400 newspapers and media organisations in different parts of the country, its website said. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said that he did not imagine his disqualification from Lok Sabha was possible when he joined politics but asserted that it has given him a "huge opportunity" to serve the people. Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi interacts with activists, academics and civil society at University of California, Santa Cruz in California on Wednesday. (ANI) Gandhi, who is in the US for a three-city US tour, made the remarks on Wednesday night in response to a series of questions from Indian students at the prestigious Stanford University Campus in California. The Wayanad (Kerala) Member of Parliament was disqualified from Lok Sabha earlier this year after he was convicted by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remark. In his remarks, Gandhi said that when he joined politics in 2000, he never imagined this is what he would go through. What he sees is going on now is way outside anything that he had thought when he joined politics. Referring to his disqualification from Lok Sabha as a Member of Parliament, Gandhi, 52, said he didn't imagine that something like this was possible. "But then I think it's actually given me a huge opportunity. Probably much bigger than the opportunity I would have. That's just the way politics works, he said. "I think the drama started really, about six months ago. We were struggling. The entire opposition is struggling in India. Huge financial dominance. Institutional capture. We're struggling to fight the democratic fight in our country, he said, adding that at this point in time, he decided to go for the Bharat Jodo Yatra. "I am very clear, our fight is our fight, he said. But there is a group of young students from India here. I want to have a relationship with them and want to talk to them. Its my right to do it, he said during his interaction with Indian students and academicians of Indian origin at the University here. He also emphasised in his frequent foreign trips like this, he is not seeking support from anybody. "I don't understand why the prime minister doesn't come here and do it, Gandhi asked amidst applause from the audience who had packed the entire auditorium at Stanford. The moderator said that the Prime Minister is welcome to come to Stanford anytime and interact with the students and academicians. Some of the students were denied entry as the auditorium was packed. Students started queuing up two hours before the event started. In the last one and a half years, several Indian ministers have interacted with Indian students. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday slammed Rahul Gandhi for the remarks made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the US. Calling Gandhis hatred for Modi incomprehensible, Rijiju said that his only motive is to speak ill about India. Adding that Gandhi couldnt digest the fact of a common man becoming Indias PM, the minister said that his words were not taken seriously by anyone. Kiren Rijiju (L) hit out at Rahul Gandhi's remarks in the US.(PTI) He said, Be it within the country or abroad, wherever Rahul Gandhi might be, he has just one job, verbally abusing Prime Minister Modi and defaming the country. I don't understand why he hates PM Modi so much and speaks against the country. He should know that this country gave his family everything, more than a common man can ever imagine. Rahul Gandhi is unable to digest a common man becoming the country's PM. Nobody takes him seriously. BJP hits out at Gandhi Earlier, union minister Anurag Thakur also condemned Gandhi for his statements in San Francisco, California. Accusing Gandhi of insulting India during his visits abroad, Thakur said that the Congress leader didnt want to accept the popularity of PM Modi amongst world leaders. "Recently, the Australian PM said that 'PM Modi is the Boss'...and the Prime Minister of a country greeted him by touching his feet. Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party are unable to digest this," he said. BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonwalla termed Gandhi an entitled dynast who mocked Tamil culture abroad. "Rahul perhaps cares little for Indian way of showing respect," he added. What Gandhi said in the US Calling PM Modi a specimen of a group that believes it knows it all, even more than God, without understanding anything, Gandhi said that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-BJP combine is attacking the Indian constitution. Responding to a question on Muslims in India, he said that what is happening to Muslims in India today, happened to Dalits in the 1980s. Speaking at the 'Mohabbat Ki Dukaan' event in San Francisco, Gandhi alleged that the country was not a fair place for Dalits, tribals, minorities, and the poor. Gandhi, who is on a six-day visit to the US, also referred to the economic inequality in India and the row over the new Parliament building inauguration. How Owaisi reacted to Gandhis remarks AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi responded to Gandhi's statement on Muslims being the most attacked in the BJP-led government at the Centre and said political secularism has destroyed the community. "Rahul Gandhi should teach this to Ashok Gehlot. When Junaid and Nasir were killed in Rajasthan, the Congress chief minister took 15 days to meet their family members. The families were promised an ex gratia of 15 lakh, while others get 50 lakh," Owaisi said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Congress leader Rahul Gandhi began his 10-day visit to the United States on Tuesday, May 30 - a trip that will see him visit capital Washington DC, New York and San Francisco. The ex-Lok Sabha MP arrived in the latter city on Tuesday. On his first day he interacted with the Indian diaspora and discussed issues like data safety, politics, and the state of democracy in India. He even talked about his disqualification as a Member of Parliament - the ex-Congress chief was disqualified after being convicted of criminal defamation in March by a Gujarat court in the 2019 'Modi surname' case - when asked to comment on the subject by Indian students during an interaction at Stanford University. Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi interacts with the Indian diaspora in San Francisco, California. (ANI) Hello, Modi!: Rahul Gandhi, in US, alleges his phone is being tapped On the issue of Pegasus spyware and similar technologies, Gandhi told the audience he is not worried about it. At one point of time he said he knows his phone is being tapped. And jokingly said, "Hello! Mr Modi" on his iPhone. Read more Huge opportunity: What Rahul Gandhi said in the US about Lok Sabha disqualification Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said that he did not imagine his disqualification from Lok Sabha was possible when he joined politics but asserted that it has given him a "huge opportunity" to serve the people. Read more Thank you for holding up Indian flag, Rahul Gandhi addresses Indian diaspora in San Francisco Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, while addressing the Indian diaspora in America in San Francisco, made strong remarks about politics, unity, and the state of democracy in India. Read more 'If you sat Modiji down next to God': Rahul Gandhi in US; BJP did Sengol thing as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in an address in the United States on Wednesday said India was being run by a group of people who were 'absolutely convinced' that they knew everything. Read more Rahul Gandhi's reaction to 'Khalistan slogans' in US and a political row: Watch As Rahul Gandhi was speaking about 'mobbat ke dukan (shops of love)' in 'nafrat ke bazaar (market of hatred)', some slogans were raised. "Welcome, welcome," Rahul Gandhi said reiterating 'nafrat ke bazaar mein mohabbat ki dukan'. Read more On Rahul Gandhi's 'Guru Nanak went to Thailand', BJP leader says, 'How much...' As Rahul Gandhi was speaking about his Bharat Jodo Yatra at a gathering in the US, he referred to Guru Nanak and his teachings of being humble. "We walked nothing compared to Guru Nanak ji. I read somewhere that Guru Nanak ji had gone all the way to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, he had gone to Thailand. Read more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Delhi Police to grant protection to a 20-year-old woman who allegedly ran away from home and is apprehending threat to her life from her family members. Supreme Court The top court passed the order while declining to interfere with a Madhya Pradesh High Court order cancelling the anticipatory bail granted to a man accused of kidnapping her. Also read: SC dismisses plea against eligibility criterion of 75 per cent marks in Class 12 board exams for admission to IITs As the matter was being heard by a vacation bench of Justice Bela M Trivedi and Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra, the woman appeared via videoconferencing and requested the court to permit her to appear in-person. After being granted permission, she appeared before the bench and expressed apprehension that there is a threat to her life from her family members and alleged that her brother is following her. The woman expressed apprehension that she will be forcibly taken back to her home, where she does not want to go. According to her, she stays in Varanasi and wants to return there. However, she sought protection. When the women told the court about her condition, the bench said the high court had cancelled the anticipatory bail granted to the man by observing that he was not cooperating with the investigation and not responding to the investigating officer despite being called. "We are not inclined to interfere with the impugned orders passed by the high court. "In that view of the matter, it is directed that the petitioner shall surrender to the concerned police station within two days. However, it shall be open for the petitioner to make appropriate application seeking bail as may be permissible under the law and the same shall be decided by the concerned court as expeditiously as possible without being influenced by the observations made in the present order," the bench said. Since the woman has expressed apprehension that there is a threat to her life, the apex court directed the Tilak Marg SHO in New Delhi to provide protection to her. It also ordered the SHO to make necessary arrangements to drop her in Varanasi on Tuesday itself. The parents of the woman had lodged a case of kidnapping against the man. The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to grant an urgent hearing on a plea challenging the Delhi high courts order refusing to interfere with the May 19 decision of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) permitting the exchange of Rs.2000 denomination currency notes without any identity proof. The RBI on May 19 announced the withdrawal of Rs.2000 currency notes from circulation (Representative Photoi) The Delhi high court had on May 29 held that the Reserve Bank of Indias (RBI) decision followed by another notification a day later by the State Bank of India was not in the nature of demonetisation as the Rs.2000 note continues to be legal tender. Taking note of the submission, a vacation bench of justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and KV Viswanathan said, This kind of case we are not taking up during vacation. You are at liberty to mention before the Chief Justice of India on reopening. Also Read: 2,000: Delhi-NCR shopkeepers take note of panic, cash in with discounts and cashback Seeking urgent listing, advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay said that the high-value currency is commonly used as black money by criminals, anti-social elements, illegal miners, drug mafia and corrupt persons and the currency should be accepted into the respective bank accounts only. Upadhyay pointed out the gravity of the matter quoting media reports which said within a week, the total amount in Rs.2000 denomination exchanged by banks was to the tune of thousands of crores. The lawyer said the notes are being exchanged without any requisition slip and ID proof like an Aadhaar card by criminals and terrorists. All black money is being exchanged as there is neither any requisition slip nor identity proof insisted upon by banks exchanging Rs.2000 notes, Upadhyay said, adding that such a decision is happening for the first time in the world. The bench told Upadhyay, You bring all this to the notice of the RBI. A Delhi high court bench of chief justice Satish Chandra Sharma and justice Subramonium Prasad had on May 29 held that the present case is not the case of demonetisation but the withdrawal of Rs.2000 denomination banknotes from circulation. It said that the government has taken a decision not to insist upon the requirement of identity proof for the exchange of Rs.2000 denomination banknotes so that everybody can exchange the same with the other denomination banknotes. Therefore, it cannot be said that the decision of the Government is perverse or arbitrary or it encourages black money, money laundering, profiteering or it abets corruption, the court had said. The high court had also stated that the decision taken by the Centre in relation to the economic policies is not ordinarily interfered with by the Courts unless it is manifestly arbitrary. The high court noted that Rs.2000 notes were brought into circulation after the demonetisation exercise of November 2016 to meet the shortfall of currency requirements to meet the day-to-day requirements of citizens. Also Read: Chidambaram, Sitharaman in war of words over 2,000 note The high court further held that the decision to withdraw 2000 currency notes, six years after the demonetisation exercise, was purely a policy decision and courts should not sit as an appellate authority over such decisions. The RBI had on May 19 announced the withdrawal of Rs.2000 currency notes from circulation, and said existing notes in circulation can either be deposited in bank accounts or exchanged by September 30. The printing of 2000 currency notes stopped in 2018-19. The RBI notification of May 19 disclosed that presently, Rs.2000 denomination banknotes account for Rs.3.62 lakh crores of the total currency in circulation and they are not being commonly used for transactions. For this reason, the central government decided to withdraw these banknotes from circulation. Forty-two years after 10 Dalit people were shot dead in Uttar Pradeshs Firozabad district for complaining against a higher-caste ration shop owner, a local court in Firozabad has sentenced the only surviving accused to life imprisonment. He is 90-year-old. 42 years on, 90-year-old gets life term over killing of 10 Dalits in UP Nine other men who were accused of the crime died during the protracted trial. The case was transferred to Firozabad in 2021 and was decided accordingly said district government counsel (DGC), Rajeev Upadhyay Priyadarshi while denying to comment on delay caused in the case in past. Ganga Dayal, the lone surviving accused in this 42-year-old case was alive on the day of judgement (May 31, 2023) and was sentenced to life imprisonment by district judge Harvir Singh, said the DGC. The verdict was pronounced by the district and sessions court in Firozabad on Wednesday. Also Read: Dalit man thrashed over good clothes in Gujarat The case was heard in court of chief judicial magistrate and then in court of district and session Judge at Mainpuri. Dayal was held guilty for murder (Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code) and sentenced to life imprisonment, and levied a penalty of 50,000. The accused was also held guilty for attempted murder (Section 307 of the IPC) and sentenced to 10 years in jail and a penalty of 5,000. The killings took place in Sadhupur village in the Shikohabad police station area in December 1981, said the DGC. The cause of enmity was a complaint lodged by a few Dalit villagers against a ration shop owner who took revenge along with nine of his associates and fired indiscriminately at these people who were cooking food in their house said Upadhyay. A railway official made a call to Shikohabad police station about the killings after he got information from Muni Chandra, the chief of Sadhupur village, he added. The charge sheet was filed in the Mainpuri chief judicial magistrates court as Shikohabad was part of the Mainpuri district at the time of the incident. After the formation of Firozabad district in 1989, Shikohabad became a part of Firozabad. The trial continued at Mainpuri court. In 2021, it was transferred to Firozabad court, but by then nine out of 10 named accused had died, said Upadhyay. The prosecution alleged that such mass killing fell in the category of rarest of rare cases, and therefore Ganga Dayal deserved capital punishment. But the defence pleaded for a sympathetic view because of the age of the accused. Ganga Dayal, out on bail during the pendency of case, was arrested by the Firozabad police on Wednesday and was sent to jail after the courts order. The prosecution had proven successful in proving the presence of accused at the site of occurrence. Further the crime was established on basis of statement by eye witness stated the court order. Reacting to the sentence, Premwati (80), one of the survivors, complained that the main accused in the case died before case could be decided. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Hyderabad YSR Congress party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy said the election manifesto of the YSRCP was born out of the issues and difficulties raised by people during his Praja Sankalpa Yatra. (HT Photo) The pre-election manifesto released by Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu is like a bisi bele bath (a popular dish of Karnataka) made with ingredients stolen from others, YSR Congress party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy said on Thursday. The chief minister was addressing a rally at Pattikonda in Kurnool district, after releasing 3,923.21 crore under YSR Rythu Bharosa-PM Kisan benefiting 5,230,939 farmers at 7,500 each across the state. The amount, released as the first tranche for the fifth consecutive year, would be directly credited into their bank accounts. Jagan also released 53.62 crore towards input subsidy to farmers to compensate for the crop loss suffered by 33,851 farmers due to natural calamities. Input subsidy is paid at the end of each season in which the crop loss occurs. Speaking on the occasion, Jagan pooh-poohed the manifesto released by Naidu during the TDPs two-day Mahanadu held at Rajahmundry on May 27 and 28. The promises made in the so-called manifesto were copied straight from the manifestos of the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party released during the recent Karnataka assembly elections. It is a like a bisi bele bath and the needed masala for the stuff was copied from the YSR Congress party schemes like Amma Vodi, Cheyutha and Rythu Bharosa, he said. The chief minister pointed out that the election manifesto of the YSRCP was born out of the issues and difficulties raised by people during his Praja Sankalpa Yatra. Naidu has neither originality nor credibility. By copying from the manifestos of other parties, he has once again proved that he is a big cheat and he wants to take the people for a ride once again as he did in the past, Jagan said. Questioning the motive of TDP leaders calling the manifesto attractive, Jagan said a manifesto should not be attractive, but solution-oriented. How can they justify the manifesto which provides neither direction nor solution? he asked. Jagan also found fault with Naidu for invoking former chief minister late N T Rama Rao during the Mahanadu. It is preposterous that Naidu who backstabbed and killed his father-in-law NTR 27 years ago is now garlanding his portrait aiming at grabbing power. He is ready to backstab the people again, he said. The chief minister said the TDP did not have candidates to contest in all 175 constituencies. That is why he is craving for convenient alliances with other parties. It is ridiculous that the man who had become the chief minister way back in 1995 is now asking for one chance from the people. The power-monger is eager to pursue the policy of plunder, stash and devour once again with the support of his friendly media and foster son, he said. Reacting to Naidus comment comparing the forthcoming elections with a Kurukshetra war of Mahabharata, Jagan said it was indeed a Kurukshetra war, but between social justice and social injustice. It is a war between pro-peoples government and the capitalists-backed Naidu, he said. He appealed to the people to stand by the YSRCP and become his soldiers in the next elections and bring victory if they believe they were benefitted from the welfare schemes being implemented by his government. Reacting to Jagans comments on TDP manifesto, senior TDP leader and former minister Alapati Rajendra Prasad said Jagan, being in prison for 16 months in the past, did not understand the vision of Naidu, which was reflected in the partys election manifesto. Jagan is afraid that if the manifesto is extensively taken into the people, he would be routed out of power in the next elections. He has no guts to explain the good work done by him to seek votes; instead, he is trying to sling mud at the TDP out of frustration, Prasad said. The TDP leader wondered whether the so-called welfare schemes claimed to have been implemented by Jagan had enhanced the living standards of the people and eradicated poverty. He should come out a white paper on the conditions of the people in the state in the last four years, he demanded. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday announced the formation of a judicial commission to probe the ethnic violence in Manipur, a federal investigation into six cases related to it, a peace committee, an inter-agency unified command for non-partisan coordination among security agencies, and 10 lakh compensation to the families of those killed as he concluded his four-day visit to the state. Union home minister Amit Shah. (PTI) He said a retired high court chief justice will head the commission. [The commission]...will probe the violence, the reasons for it, and those responsible for it, Shah told journalists. He added governor Anusuiya Uikey will head the peace committee, which will include businesspersons, representatives of political parties, legislators, and members of civil society to ensure an early return to peace. Shah said several agencies were working in Manipur to ensure peace and that Kuldiep Singh, who was appointed the states governments security advisor when the violence broke out, will head the unified command. Shah said the Central Bureau of Investigation will investigate six cases including one related to criminal conspiracy behind the violence. He promised an impartial probe into the reasons that led to the violence. Proper action will be taken against all those responsible to ensure that there is no such violence in the future. He said the Union and the state governments will pay 5 lakh each to the families of those killed in the violence. A relief and rehabilitation package for those who were injured and or lost their properties in the violence will be announced on Friday. Shah said 30,000 metric-tonne of rice will be provided to Manipur for the next two months. Eight teams of doctors will arrive in Manipur to provide medical relief to people in Moreh, Churachandpur, and Kangpokpi. Three of these teams have arrived and five more will reach the state on Thursday. He said 15 stations have been identified across the state to provide fuel round the clock to those in need. Shah held talks with groups on both sides of the ethnic divide. He visited the Kuki-dominated town of Moreh on the border with Myanmar and Kangpokpi district, one of the worst hit by the clashes, and relief camps in Kangpokpi and Imphal, and held a security review meeting. Shah arrived in the state on Monday as the local administration struggled to control violence amid a deepening ethnic divide. At least 80 people have died and another 40,000 displaced since violence between the tribal Kukis, who mostly reside in the hill districts, and the Meiteis, the dominant community in Imphal Valley, erupted on May 3. The violence was triggered during a protest against a court order for granting scheduled tribe status to Meities. Violence quickly engulfed the state and displaced tens of thousands of people. The authorities clamped a curfew and suspended the internet. Additional security forces were rushed to the state amid spiraling clashes but tensions simmered. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON New Delhi Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday asked people to surrender arms and ammunition before the Manipur police by the end of the day and warned of strict action against those who failed to do so, announcing combing operations to retrieve weapons in the state rocked by ethnic clashes. A house damaged during violent clashes in Sugnu area of Kakching district. (PTI) Speaking on the final day of his visit to the northeastern state, Shah also held out a warning to groups that violated a tripartite suspension of operations agreement, saying any violation of the pact between militant groups, the state government and the Centre will be dealt with sternly. To those who have weapons, I appeal to them to surrender the weapons before the police. From tomorrow police will start combing operations to find the weapons. If police find the weapons from them during the combing operation, they will be dealt with strictly under stringent sections of the law, he said. Authorities have confirmed that at least 2,000 weapons have been stolen by mobs from several government armouries since violence first broke out on May 3, largely between the Meitei and Kuki communities. Only 605 have been recovered. An official familiar with the matter, however, said these numbers could rise. As parts of the agreement between government and Kuki insurgent groups in Manipur, all weapons were to be surrendered and deposited in a safe room under a double lock system. Some members were allowed to keep weapons as self defence but only confined to the camps where the leaders stayed. Earlier this year, however, the state government unilaterally walked out of some pacts. ....I want to tell groups involved in the suspension of operation agreement that any violation will be dealt strictly and will be treated as a breach of the agreement. All the terms of the agreement should be strictly followed by the concerned parties. We will monitor this strictly from today, Shah said. The mob targeted police stations and offices of Manipur Rifles, which is the armed wing of the state police. In his security review meeting with police officers and paramilitary forces on Wednesday evening, Shah had directed authorities to recover weapons at the earliest and restore normalcy in the state. On May 3, ethnic violence rocked Manipur in the wake of a high court order that recommended to the government that Meiteis, the largest community who make up 53% of the states population, be included in the scheduled tribe list. This prompted protests from tribal groups, particularly from the Kuki community, which in turn sparked clashes that snowballed across the state for days. By May 5, top officials had confirmed seven to eight instances of looting of arms from police personnel and armoury by groups over 5,000 people. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose on Thursday appointed 10 senior professors as vice-chancellors of as many state-run universities, in a fresh standoff between the Raj Bhavan and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, which termed the move illegal, according to education department officials. West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose. (PTI) The governor, who is also the chancellor of all 31 state-run universities, met the 10 senior professors earlier this week before taking the decision on Thursday, a Raj Bhavan official said, requesting anonymity. There was no official statement from the Raj Bhavan on the appointment of V-Cs. States education minister Bratya Basu, however, termed the move illegal and urged the professors to refuse the appointments. I came to know of the appointments from a section of the media. V-Cs were appointed at 10 universities in violation of the laid down process. The education department was kept out. This is completely illegal, Basu said in a tweet. We are seeking legal opinion to decide our next course of action, he added. The V-Cs appointed illegally are being requested on behalf of the higher education department to refuse the appointments. According to education department officials, tenure of 29 V-Cs ended last year, following which their services were extended till May 31. The extension was ordered following meetings between the state government and the governor at Raj Bhavan on February 28 and March 1. Recently, the state government started the process to form search committees to select new V-Cs, officials said. However, the Calcutta high court on March 14 overturned the extension order, saying the state had no power to appoint, re-appoint or extend tenure of V-Cs. In its order, the court cited the University Grants Commissions 2018 regulations that said V-Cs should be appointed on the recommendation of a search committee comprising representatives of UGC, the governor and the state. The court passed the order after hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the validity of amendments in appointment rules in 2012 and 2014 brought in by the state government, an education department official said, requesting anonymity. The 2014 amendment excluded UGC from the appointment process. A bill seeking to make the chief minister the chancellor of all state-run universities, replacing the governor, was passed by the assembly last year. The West Bengal University Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2022 is pending with the governors office for clearance. The bill was not cleared by former governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, now the Vice-President of India, with whom the TMC government had an acrimonious relation. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON India and Nepal on Thursday unveiled initiatives to ramp up cooperation in energy, including increasing import of hydropower and allowing power exports to Bangladesh, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured his Nepalese counterpart Pushpa Kamal Dahal of resolving a boundary dispute in the spirit of friendship. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda during their joint press statement after a meeting at the Hyderabad House, in New Delhi, India, on Thursday, June 1, 2023. (Photo by Sanjeev Verma/ Hindustan Times)(HT_PRINT) We will keep working to take our relationship to the height of the Himalayas. And in this spirit, we will solve all issues, be they boundary related or any other issue, Modi told a join media interaction, speaking in Hindi. Dahal, also known as Prachanda, added: Prime Minister Modiji and I discussed the boundary matter. I urged Prime Minister Modiji to resolve the boundary matter through the established bilateral diplomatic mechanism. Following a meeting of the leaders, the two countries launched several projects to improve rail connectivity for both passenger travel and trade, inaugurated a new integrated check post to boost cross-border trade, and unveiled plans to extend South Asias first cross-border petroleum pipeline and to build a second such pipeline. Also Read: Mural in new Parliament with Akhand Bharat overtones upsets Nepals politicians The two sides also signed seven agreements, including the revised Treaty of Transit that will, for the first time, give Nepal access to Indias inland waterways, and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and the Nepal Clearing House Limited (NHCL) for faster cross-border payments that will benefit businesses, students and tourists. The dragging border dispute figured in the talks between the two premiers, and Modi said after the meeting that the issue will be resolved in keeping with the strong religious and cultural ties between the two sides. Most of the 1,850km border between the two sides has been demarcated, except for two disputed sections at Kalapani and Susta. Nepal triggered a border row in 2020 by issuing a new political map that showed Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh all controlled by India as part of Nepalese territory. The row affected ties for several months before a sustained outreach by the Indian side helped improve the situation. Foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra told a media briefing the two premiers outlined how the boundary issue will be addressed. Their remarks not only speak of the intent of the two leaders and the two systems, they also speak of the specifics through which that intent is to be carried forward, he said. Modi and Dahal said the two sides reached an agreement on long-term power trade, under which India will import 10,000MW from Nepal in the next 10 years. The Nepal premier appreciated Indias import of 450MW and thanked Modi for his positive response to a proposal for increasing this by 1,200MW. I also appreciated Indias willingness to facilitate the export of hydropower from Nepal to Bangladesh through India. We have agreed that export of up to 50 MW of power from Nepal to Bangladesh via India would commence soon and the three countries would work out an agreement to this effect soon, Dahal said. The two leaders marked the handing over of Kurtha-Bijalpura section of a railway line, with a length of 17km, for passenger trains and launched the inaugural run of an Indian cargo train to the Nepal Customs Yard via a rail link constructed with an Indian grant. The new rail links will cut transportation costs and time for trade between Nepal and Kolkata and Haldia ports. The two leaders inaugurated the Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) at Nepalgunj in Nepal and Rupaidiha in India and marked the ground-breaking for ICPs at Bhairahawa (Nepal) and Sonauli (India). Ground-breaking was done for the second phase of the Motihari-Amlekhgunj petroleum pipeline, to be built at a cost of 183 crore. This is South Asias first transborder petroleum pipeline, launched in 2019, and has supplied 2.8 million metric tonnes of diesel to Nepal. The two sides said another pipeline will be built to link Siliguri and Jhapa in Nepal. The two leaders also did the ground-breaking for the Indian portion of the Gorakhpur-Bhutwal power transmission line to be built at a cost of 462 crore. This is expected to be commissioned in 24 months. Modi referred to the HIT formula Highways, I-ways and Trans-ways that he unveiled during his visit to Nepal in 2014 and said: Today, after nine years, I am happy to say that our partnership is truly a HIT. He added, We decided to increase physical connectivity by setting up new rail links. Along with this, it has been decided to provide training to railway personnel of Nepal in Indian railway institutes. To boost connectivity to the far western region of Nepal, two more bridges will be built at Shirsha and Jhulaghat. Among the seven agreements signed by the two sides were an MoU for developing infrastructure at Dodhara Chandani ICP, the project development agreement for the 679-MW Lower Arun Hydroelectric Project and an MoU for developing the 480-MW Phukot Karnali hydroelectric project. Dahal congratulated Modi on completing nine years in government and said bilateral ties are based on the firm commitment of both sides to the time-tested principle of sovereign equality, mutual respect, understanding and cooperation. Sandwiched between India and China, Nepal has always occupied a place of strategic importance. The slew of agreements signed on Thursday are crucial because they signify New Delhis strong ties with the regime in Kathmandu, and they will help to forestall Beijings aggressive push to increase its influence in the region. The government should continue the outreach. In order to reduce Nepals increasing trade deficit, Dahal sought non-reciprocal market access with more flexible and easier quarantine procedures for agricultural products and simplified rules of origin for other goods. He also sought the lifting of anti-dumping duties on Nepals jute products and the review of the treaty of trade. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON When a little cat named Shi Fu was walking along a balcony on the sixth floor of a building in Bangkok, Thailand, it suddenly slipped and fell. The 20-pound (approximately 9-kilogram) cat crashed into the rear windshield of an empty car but fortunately survived with a few injuries. Cat falls from sixth floor and crashes into a car's window.(Facebook/@Apiwat Toyothaka) The staff at the apartment block called the car owner, Apiwat Toyothaka. Upon arriving at the scene, he saw his car's broken glass and Shi Fu's owner, who was holding the injured cat, The Metro reported. The cat was later taken to the vet, who reported several bruises, two broken claws, and a swollen nose, but no life-threatening injuries. Apiwat Toyothaka shared about the incident on their Facebook and wrote, At 7 am, Niti called to inform that there was a cat in the car. I was confused. Why did it fall into the car? They said the cat 8.5 kg fell from the 6th floor and broke the back glass. Take a look at the post here: This post was shared on May 27. Since being posted, it has been liked over 24,000 times and has received several comments. Check out a few reactions below: An individual wrote, "Poor baby." A second added, "It must have hurt." "Oh no," shared a third. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON New Zealand's national airline is asking passengers to step on the scales before they board international flights. A woman hands her bag to a staff member to be weighed ahead of a flight in Auckland, New Zealand. (AP) Read here: Earthquake of magnitude 6.2 strikes New Zealand's Auckland Islands Air New Zealand says it wants to weigh 10,000 passengers during a monthlong survey so pilots can better know the weight and balance of their planes before takeoff. But the numbers from the scales won't be flashing up for all to see. There will be no visible display anywhere, the airline promised, and the weigh-in data will remain anonymous even to airline staff. We weigh everything that goes on the aircraft from the cargo to the meals onboard, to the luggage in the hold," said Alastair James, a load control improvement specialist for the airline, in a statement. "For customers, crew and cabin bags, we use average weights, which we get from doing this survey. Indeed the numbers are required by the nation's industry watchdog, the Civil Aviation Authority. Under the authority's rules, airlines have various options to estimate passenger weight. One option is to periodically carry out surveys like Air New Zealand is doing to establish an average weight. Another option is to accept a standard weight set by the authority. Currently, the authority's designated weight for people 13 and over is 86 kilograms (190 pounds), which includes carry-on luggage. The authority last changed the average passenger weight in 2004, increasing it from 77 kilograms (170 pounds). Health statistics show New Zealanders are becoming heavier. The latest national health survey put the adult obesity rate at 34%, up from 31% a year earlier. Childhood obesity rates increased to 13%, up from 10% a year earlier. Customers on Air New Zealand domestic flights were asked to weigh in a couple of years ago. Read here: Air New Zealand world's safest airline for 2022. Top 20 list James said there was nothing for passengers to fear by stepping on the scales. Its simple, its voluntary, and by weighing in, youll be helping us to fly you safely and efficiently, every time," he said. The airline said the survey began this week and will run through July 2. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancee Lauren Sanchez are paying a whopping $600,000 a month in rent for Kenny Gs Malibu home, says a report by TMZ. Jeff Bezos (AP file photo) The 5,500-square-foot house and the estate has a huge backyard, pool, screening room, recording studio and other facilities. Bezos and Sanchez are living in the rented accommodation while they await the completion of their $175 million Beverly Hills house. ALSO READ| US House passes debt ceiling deal as default threat looms As per reports, Bezos checked into Kenny G's estate in March, with his own furnishings. It means the $600,000 a month in rent is being paid without getting the home furnished. It is another thing that the huge amount might not be a big deal for Bezos who is reportedly the third richest person in the world. Meanwhile, Bezos is constructing a dream house in 10-acre Beverly Hills estate which he bought from former Warner Bros. president Jack Warner in early 2020. Recently, Bezos got engaged to Sanchez on his $500 million yacht named Koru while in the South of France for the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. For the engagement, Bezos proposed with a 20-carat diamond ring, estimated to cost $2.5 million. Bezos' superyacht has a sculpture resembling Sanchez. The 417-feet vessel is the world's tallest sailing yacht and was meticulously constructed in the Netherlands. It boasts three majestic masts, enabling it to reach impressive speeds of up to 20 knots. The annual upkeep costs for the yacht is approximately $25 million. Koru is reported to accommodate up to 18 guests. It requires a skilled crew of 40 sailors to ensure its seamless operation and navigation. Comprising three lavishly designed levels, one of the decks even houses a splendid swimming pool. Interestingly, the yacht is accompanied by a support vessel named Abeona, which includes a helipad, luxurious vehicles, jet skis, and various extravagant amenities. A leading Argentine meteorologist has been elected as the first female head of the United Nations weather agency. The World Meteorological Organization said Celeste Saulo received the necessary two-thirds backing from member states Thursday. Celeste Saulo Saulo has served as the director of Argentina's National Meteorological Service since 2014. An experienced academic and researcher, she succeeds Petteri Taalas, who steps down after two terms as secretary general of the Geneva-based WMO at the end of the year. Saulo joined the WMO's executive council in 2015. The agency plays a key role coordinating international meteorological work, an issue that has become increasingly prominent due to the weather extremes resulting from climate change. Australia's most decorated living war veteran unlawfully killed prisoners and committed other war crimes in Afghanistan, a judge ruled Thursday in dismissing the claims by Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith that he was defamed by media. War veteran Ben Roberts-Smith(AP) Federal Court judge Anthony Besanko ruled that the articles published in 2018 were substantially true about a number of war crimes committed by Roberts-Smith, a former Special Air Service Regiment corporal who now is a media company executive. These allegations included that Roberts-Smith, who was also awarded the Medal of Gallantry for his Afghan war service, killed a prisoner who had a prosthetic leg by firing a machine gun into the man's back in 2009. He kept the man's prosthetic as a novelty beer drinking vessel. The accusations also included Roberts-Smith had kicked an unarmed, handcuffed farmer off a cliff into a riverbed where an SAS colleague shot the farmer dead in 2012. Reports of domestic violence allegedly committed by Roberts-Smith were found to be unproven and defamatory. But the judge found this would not have further damaged the veteran's reputation. Roberts-Smith had made claims of defamation against The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times over their articles. His lawyer Arthur Moses asked for 42 days to consider lodging an appeal to the Full Bench of the Federal Court. Roberts-Smith's legal costs have been underwritten by billionaire Kerry Stokes, executive chairman of Seven West Media where Roberts-Smith is employed. Roberts-Smith is one of several Australian military personnel under investigation from Australian Federal Police for alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. The first criminal charge for an alleged illegal killing in Afghanistan was made in March. Former SAS trooper Oliver Schulz was charged with the war crime of murder in the death of an Afghan who was shot in 2012 in a wheat field in Uruzgan province. Canada has become the first country in the world to stipulate that individual cigarettes carry mandatory health warnings. HT Image While packets carry such warnings of the risks associated with smoking, the Canadian Government is taking this measure to ensure that it becomes virtually impossible to avoid health warnings altogether. These regulations will come into effect on August 1 this year. These cigarettes will be introduced in a phased manner. The individual health warnings will first appear on king size cigarettes by the end of July 2024, and by the end of April 2025, other varieties, regular size cigarettes and little cigars with tipping paper, and tubes, will follow. Retailers will start selling packages with updated warnings by the end of April 2024, a release from Health Canada on Wednesday said. Tobacco use continues to kill 48,000 Canadians each year. We are taking action by being the first country in the world to label individual cigarettes with health warning messages. This bold step will make health warning messages virtually unavoidable, and together with updated graphic images displayed on the package, will provide a real and startling reminder of the health consequences of smoking, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health Carolyn Bennett said. These measures were welcomed by anti-smoking advocates. The requirement for a health warning directly on every cigarette is a world precedent setting measure that will reach every person who smokes with every puff, Rob Cunningham, senior policy analyst with the Canadian Cancer Society, noted. Also in support was Doug Roth, CEO of Heart & Stroke, who felt that these strengthened health messages on tobacco packaging will reinforce the deadly nature of these products. Canada first adopted pictorial warnings on tobacco product packages in 2000. Current health warnings on cigarette packets were introduced in 2011. Beginning next year, these new measures will help make sure that everyone across the country can receive credible information on the risks of tobacco use so they can make healthier choices for their wellbeing, Canadas Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anirudh Bhattacharyya Anirudh Bhattacharya is a Toronto-based commentator on North American issues, and an author. He has also worked as a journalist in New Delhi and New York spanning print, television and digital media. He tweets as @anirudhb. ...view detail Donald Trump is pushing back on Ron DeSantis for telling voters he is preferable to the former president who can only serve one more term if elected. Former US President Donald Trump arrives to meet with local Republican leaders at the Machine Shed restaurant in Urbandale, Iowa, US, on Thursday.(Bloomberg) The Florida governor, Trumps chief rival for the GOP nomination, has repeatedly pitched voters that by backing him Republicans could get a conservative president for two terms. When he says eight years, every time I hear it, I wince, Trump, 76, told a standing-room only crowd Thursday at a Westside Conservative Club meeting near Des Moines, Iowa. Because they say if it takes eight years to turn this around, then you dont want him as your president, he added. Trump said it would only take him six months to get significant results. Trump is following DeSantis, 44, on a campaign trip to Iowa, home to the first-in-the-nation GOP caucuses. DeSantis held five events across the state on Tuesday and Wednesday to officially kick off his presidential campaign. DeSantis, dressed in jeans and a blue fleece vest Wednesday, told Iowa Republicans that they should nominate him because it really does take two terms as president to be able to finish this job. Trump, dressed in his signature blue suit and red tie, is meeting privately with faith leaders on Thursday in Des Moines and also taping a Fox News town hall in Iowa that will air later Thursday. He predicted during his speech at the Westside Conservative Club meeting that it would be a nasty race. He said in an interview on a Des Moines radio station on Wednesday that hes attacking DeSantis because the governor is in second place and was disloyal. This is a war of a certain kind, Trump said in the interview. Trump, who enjoys a 22-point advantage in the RealClearPolitics average of Iowa polls, predicted his campaign would have to do some really bad things to lose the state at this point. He bragged about the relief money he secured for farmers when he was in office. The former president also answered questions at the meeting and took an implicit jab at DeSantis, who didnt take audience questions during his events in Iowa and snapped at an Associated Press reporter who asked him about that. I see these politicians, they all dont want to take questions. They read a speech, Trump said. The recent meeting between Elon Musk, the renowned entrepreneur and CEO of Tesla, and China's foreign minister, Qin Gang, has caused quite a stir. As China-US relations remain tense, Musk's stance on decoupling and his remarks referring to the two countries as "conjoined twins" have attracted attention. Handout picture taken and released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China (Left). Vivek Ramaswamy speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2023. (Right)(AFP) However, not everyone is pleased with Musk's approach, as presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy publicly criticizes the CEO's meeting and accuses him of being submissive to China's President, Xi Jinping. China's Welcoming Gesture China's foreign ministry released a statement expressing their openness to visits from business figures like Elon Musk and their desire for mutually beneficial cooperation. The world's second-largest economy has always been an attractive destination for global companies, and Musk has a clear vision of exploring and expanding in this vast market. Decoupling Dilemma The United States, driven by national security concerns, has implemented restrictions on investments and technology exports to China. The aim is to decrease reliance on Chinese production. While President Biden's administration is expected to adopt a less confrontational approach towards China compared to his predecessor, Donald Trump, the decoupling of economies continues. China has long been working to reduce its dependence on foreign technology, and this strategy is set to continue for years to come. However, some American entrepreneurs are skeptical of this approach, fearing the potential loss of their investments and progress in establishing a presence in China. Vivek Ramaswamy's Outrage Vivek Ramaswamy, a presidential candidate for 2024, took to Twitter to break what he calls an "unspoken rule in the GOP." He vehemently condemned Elon Musk's meeting with China's foreign minister and shed light on a favor allegedly received by Tesla from China. Ramaswamy claims that China waived Tesla's purchase tax after Musk made statements suggesting that Taiwan should become a special administrative zone of China. Pathetic Obedience In his scathing tweet, Ramaswamy accuses Elon Musk of promoting an "outspoken" image in the United States while behaving like an "obedient sheep" to Xi Jinping. He finds such behavior pathetic and calls for leaders who are not influenced or controlled by China, contrasting them with President Joe Biden. Elon Musk's meeting with China's foreign minister has sparked controversy and brought to the forefront the ongoing debate surrounding the decoupling of the US and Chinese economies. Vivek Ramaswamy's criticism adds fuel to the fire, questioning Musk's loyalty and urging for stronger leadership independent of China's influence. Also read | 'Bidens not gonna: Foxs Rachel Campos-Duffy makes huge claim about Michelle Obama on 2024 presidential election As tensions persist, the future of China-US relations and the role of influential figures like Musk remain topics of great interest and scrutiny. The heatwave that struck parts of North Americas Pacific coast in 2021 propelled temperatures in Lytton, a village in British Columbia, to 49.6C4.6 higher than the previous record. On the fourth day of this torment the place erupted in flames and was almost completely destroyed. These events were so out of the ordinary that, in a press conference held some weeks later by climate modellers, they struggled to explain how circumstances had conjured them. PREMIUM The shift in weather patterns has inspired modellers to pay more attention to the tails of the frequency distributions of meteorological possibility that their models generate, in search of such unprecedented extremes(PTI File Photo) Climatologists reckon the North American heatwave of 2021 was one of the most extreme deviations from meteorological norms ever recorded, anywhere. But others have come close. As the world gets hotter, phenomena once considered rare are becoming common and others, believed impossible, are happening. This shift in weather patterns has inspired modellers to pay more attention to the tails of the frequency distributions of meteorological possibility which their models generate (see chart), in search of such unprecedented extremes. One recent exercise, led by Erich Fischer at ETH Zurich, a technology university in Switzerland, and presented at last years annual jamboree of the European Geosciences Union, shows how the heatwave that destroyed Lytton could have been foreseen with data available at the time. Cite UNSEEN The approach Dr Fischer used, ensemble-boosting, is one of several developed recently. Another, from Britains Met Office, is UNSEEN (Unprecedented Simulation of Extremes with Ensembles). This was first put to work by Vikki Thompson and her colleagues at the Met Office in a retrospective analysis of floods that had drowned parts of the country in 2014, resulting in 451m ($743m) of insurance claims. More than 130 years of English records had offered no indication such a biblical deluge was possible. Yet, here it was. As Thierry Corti, a climate-risk analyst at Swiss Re, a reinsurance company, observes, The risk landscape is evolving. So if you simulate probabilities of a rare event you need to take that against the backdrop of something thats changing. That makes it much more complex. To try to understand what had happened, Dr Thompsons team simulated British winters between 1981 and 2015 many thousands of times, and looked at the spread of possible outcomes, including rare events. Into this methodical repetition, they added a sprinkle of chaosthe famous flap of a butterflys wing, or, more realistically, the revving up of a factorys engines to add a small and local amount of heat to the atmosphere. By repeatedly simulating the present climate, perturbed each time in minute ways, the Met Office modellers generated a range of virtual winters which included extremes that are possible but have not yet manifested themselves. In the case of floods, the group found a 34% chance each winter that rainfall records would be broken in at least one of four broad regions of Britain. They concluded that decision-makers would do well to prepare for new record-breaking inundations in the next few years. They were vindicated when their warnings came to pass in the early months of 2020. The UNSEEN approach is inspiring others. For example, various groups are now looking at near-miss events, in which an extreme drought or flood befalls a region with low population density, thus affecting few people. With UNSEEN and UNSEEN-like methods, it is possible to assess the risk of a similar event striking a neighbouring but more populous areaand with what consequences. Others have taken an interest in bits of the future when an extreme weather event would be particularly damaging. The Paris Olympics, to be held next year, will take place during that citys hottest weeks. A group of meteorologists from various French research institutes, therefore, wondered just how bad a heatwave manifesting itself then might be. Using yet another approach, they found a chance of temperatures being more than 4C higher than they were during a catastrophic heatwave in 2003, in which tens of thousands died. Since that happened, France has built a heat plan which includes an early-warning system and provisions for opening cool spaces if needed. Whether this will be enough to ameliorate the effects of a record-breaker coinciding with the arrival of thousands of athletes and hundreds of thousands of visitors remains to be seen. That something could happen does not mean it will, but in some cases, such as the Paris Olympics, either the risk or the consequences are clearly high enough to warrant close attention. Another example is a study published in 2019, by Dr Thompson and her colleagues, which found that, in south-east China, each summer holds a 10% chance of there being a record-breaking hot month. The temperatures warned of were within the range of the records set during last years deadly heatwave. Other research has asked if a region is overdue for an extreme event because of the changing climate, or whether its infrastructure or economy is particularly ill-prepared for what could happen. In the case of Kansas, Americas breadbasket, both look true. The state produces 17% of the countrys wheat, and is said to foster ideal conditions for growing this crop. But what pertained before 1900, when wheat farmers were moving in, may not hold now. In todays climate, heatwaves that were once once-a-century events are likely to occur once a decade, according to a study to be published soon by Erin Coughlan de Perez of Tufts University. Model behaviour Dr de Perez also found that hot weather sufficient to damage wheats growth by inhibiting its enzymes is likely to occur in the same years as periods of low rainfall. But the irregular pace of weather change may lull farmers into a false sense of security, for she and her colleagues discovered, too, that recent years have been cooler than expected. Several regions might have gotten lucky in terms of their recent experience of extreme events, they write. The same study predicts similar, if less pronounced, patterns in Henan, a wheat-producing province of central China. Information about low-likelihood but high-impact events is also of interest to insurers (who carry out their own modelling as well) and can help, too, in the design of climate-resilient infrastructure. In the Netherlands, for example, Climate Adaptation Services (CAS), a charity, gathers data on possible consequences of climate change between now and 2050, including detailed maps that the authorities can draw on to test their plans. Timo Kelder, an UNSEEN modeller at CAS, says they are thinking about how they might add new stress tests which assess how successful plans would be in the face of the brutal and unprecedented events these studies suggest are plausible. Meanwhile, in Britains Met Office, researchers are now looking at another sort of extreme eventthe risk of wind droughts which would wipe out a lot of the countrys wind-turbine-base electricity supply. It would be ironic indeed if Britains huge effort to combat climate change in this way were, itself, to fall victim to a changing climate. Curious about the world? To enjoy our mind-expanding science coverage, sign up to Simply Science, our weekly subscriber-only newsletter. For coverage of climate change, sign up for The Climate Issue, our fortnightly subscriber-only newsletter, or visit our climate-change hub. 2023, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com One sign of an impending presidential campaign is the appearance of a memoir marketed as a tell-all that, in fact, tells little. On February 28th Ron DeSantis , the Republican governor of Florida, who many donors think is the partys best chance to thwart Donald Trumps re-run for the White House, gave his entry to that literary tradition when he published his book, The Courage to Be Free. Mr DeSantis owes his status among Republican primary voters, who are torn (early opinion polls suggest) between him and the former president, to his bare-knuckled prosecution of domestic culture wars around the teaching of critical race theory, covid-19 lockdowns and censorship of conservatives on social media. But while an ambitious governor may concern himself only with a war on wokeness, a president must manage war. PREMIUM Foreign diplomats in Washington have been scouring Mr DeSantiss scant public comments and past political record to guess how he would remake Americas foreign affairs and trade relations(REUTERS) Already, foreign diplomats in Washington have been scouring Mr DeSantiss scant public comments and past political record to guess how he would remake Americas foreign affairs and trade relations. Some are cosying up to the Israelis, with whom Mr DeSantis has been close since his days as a congressman, in the hope that they have the scoop. The book might have helped fill in some gaps, they thought. Unfortunately for them, the queries will have to continue for a while longer. The book is not a deep meditation on international affairs but a positioning document for the bruising primary election to comeoffering only some clues and few details on how a President DeSantis might manage policy on China, Ukraine and trade. Despite the books title, Mr DeSantis does not yet have the courage to criticise Mr Trump, whom he praises lavishly throughout. Whereas the governor takes the time to disparage the messianic impulse of the neoconservatives who dominated during the presidency of George W. Bush, the nationalism and protectionism of the Trump era earn warm praise. Mr DeSantis writes that, along with rightly building the wall on the Mexican border, Mr Trump also rightly ripped American failures at home, notably the outsourcing of manufacturing from our heartland to mainland China; and abroad, the endless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Questionable moments like the Trump administrations withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, or from the Paris climate accords, or the Doha Agreement in 2020which set into motion the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021are not discussed much and certainly not criticised. He takes some credit for Mr Trumps decision to relocate the embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, saying that the warnings about the cataclysmic consequences of doing this confirmed the bankruptcy of our bureaucratic expert class. (The rottenness of the deep state and the national legacy press [that] is the praetorian guard of the nations failed ruling class are recurring themes.) Foreign policy is of so little concern to American voters in the abstract that presidential candidates tend to describe their stances in domestic terms. Mr Trump wanted to return to an era when America was first, which meant slapping tariffs on allies and competitors alike and threatening to leave NATO. President Joe Bidenwho said that theres no longer a bright line between foreign and domestic policyhas alternated between describing his ideas as a pedestrian foreign policy for the middle class or as a grand, existential contest between democracies and authoritarians. That framing, which annoys Chinas president, Xi Jinping, is meant to evoke the shameful attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters on January 6th 2021. This is true of Mr DeSantis, too, who views Americas foreign and domestic blunders as the result of the same phenomenon: a reliance on a decadent, globalist elite who embrace policies that ignore the importance of national sovereignty, favouring open borders and a global economy. As a congressman, Mr DeSantis was a noted Russia hawk, who urged the Obama administration to provide lethal aid to the Ukrainians after the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. As he contemplates a presidential run, Mr DeSantis is a critic of Mr Bidens blank-cheque policy on Ukraine which does not have a strategic objective. This is not quite the same disengagement as that of Mr Trump, who now seems to want to cut support, but is out of line with the views of other mooted Republican contenderslike Mike Pence and Mike Pompeowho are more staunchly supportive of Ukraine. While in Congress, Mr DeSantis voted to expedite the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade initiative launched by Barack Obama, which floundered. Now, in line with his party, Mr DeSantis is quiet about trade deals. Like almost all Republicans and most Democrats, he is hawkish on China and in 2021 signed legislation aimed at cracking-down on theft of corporate secrets and intellectual property in Florida. Mr DeSantis is a shrewder politician than his pugilistic reputation may suggest. He has managed to appeal to all the factions of his partythe MAGA diehards, the cosmopolitan donor class and the religious rightby hewing to a strict policy of strategic ambiguity. Abortion is mentioned only in passing in his new book, for instance; January 6th, not at all. Although Mr Trump has been itching for a fight, searching for provocations in Mr DeSantiss public statements, the governor has refused to punch back. The other anticipated contenders for the nomination are also refraining from attacking Mr Trump, who remains popular with the base. Nikki Haley, a former governor and member of the Trump cabinet who has declared her candidacy, recently dodged a question on how she differed from her former boss. The Foreign Affairs essays on how the Florida governors worldview differs from Trumpism can wait until after the nomination contest, it seems. Until then the placeholder DeSantis doctrine will be to say little and change the subject. 2023, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com Thousands of people on Thursday marched in Jerusalem's Pride parade an annual event that took place for the first time under Israels new far-right government, which is stacked with openly homophobic members. People take part in an annual LGBTQ Pride parade in Jerusalem, Friday.(REUTERS) The march in the conservative city is always tense and tightly secured by police, and has been wracked by violence in the past. But this year, Israel finds itself deeply riven over a contentious government plan to overhaul the judiciary. The plan has torn open longstanding societal divisions between those who want to preserve Israel's liberal values and those who seek to shift it toward more religious conservatism. Jerusalem's march is typically more subdued than the one in gay-friendly Tel Aviv, where tens of thousands of revelers pour into the streets for a massive, multicolored party. But Thursday's parade, amid tight security, drew bigger crowds than usual in a show of force against the government and its plan to reshape the legal system. There isn't one struggle in Israel for democracy, and another one for LGBTQ rights, opposition leader Yair Lapid said in a speech to the crowd. It's the same struggle, against the same enemies, in the name of the same values. Other opposition politicians and the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides, joined Thursday's march. I don't find this controversial one way or the other, Nides said. This is about the rights and human rights, and this is what brings America and Israel together. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is made up of ultranationalist and ultra-religious parties who openly oppose homosexuality, although the Israeli leader has promised to protect LGBTQ rights and a member of his party who is gay is the Knesset speaker. The country's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has in the past declared he was a proud homophobe. Before entering politics, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who now oversees the police, was a fixture at Pride parades, joining a group of protesters who oppose the march. Avi Maoz, a deputy minister with authorities over some educational content, has said he wanted the legality of the Jerusalem Pride parade examined. Ben-Gvir said Wednesday there would be a massive police presence guarding the marchers and that he supported the freedom of expression manifested by the parade. Israeli police said more than 2,000 officers were deployed along the parade route. It will be the police's duty to protect, guard and ensure that even if the minister disagrees with the parade, the safety of the marchers is above all else, Ben-Gvir said. At one point during the parade, Ben-Gvir was jeered with chants of shame as he walked on the sidelines for what he said was a visit to monitor security. Hagar Ponne, of Jerusalem, called the march a happy occasion but also said it was the antithesis to the national climate. "There are people who are very much homophobic and very much transphobic who are in the government today and hold positions of power and budget and are working against us actually right now, she said. People carried a flag that read: There is no pride without democracy. Like other years, a small group of anti-LGBTQ activists attended Thursday's parade. At the parade in 2015, an ultra-Orthodox Israeli man stabbed 16-year-old Shira Banki to death and wounded several others. Israel is generally tolerant toward the LGBTQ community, a rarity in the conservative Middle East, where homosexuality is widely considered taboo and is outlawed in some places. Members of the LGBTQ community serve openly in Israels military and parliament, and many popular artists and entertainers are openly gay. Yet activists say there is a long road toward full equality. Jewish ultra-Orthodox parties, which wield significant influence over matters of religion and state, oppose homosexuality as a violation of religious law, as do other religious groups in Israel. The conservative make-up of Netanyahu's government sparked new fears in the LGBTQ community, which had seen gains under the previous, short-lived administration led by Netanyahu's rivals. Those fears were exacerbated when the government pushed ahead on its plan to overhaul the judiciary, a plan that was put on hold in March after a burst of spontaneous mass protests. The plan would weaken the judiciary and limit judicial oversight on laws and government decisions, what critics say poses a direct threat to civil rights and the rights of minorities and marginalized groups. Protests have continued even though the government and opposition are in talks to find a compromise on the plan and demonstrators are expected to show up in Jerusalem to lend their support to the community. The government says the judicial plan is meant to rein in what it says is an overly interventionist Supreme Court and restore power to elected legislators. Critics say it will grant the government unrestrained power and upend the country's system of checks and balances. US President Joe Biden on Wednesday welcomed the passage of the debt ceiling bill by the US House of Representatives and urged the Senate to "pass it as quickly as possible" so that he can sign it into law. US President Joe Biden. (AFP) Read here: Americas debt-ceiling deal means it should now avoid Armageddon "This agreement is good news for the American people and the American economy," Biden said in a statement released by the White House. The House on Wednesday voted 314-117 to send the legislation to the Senate. The United States president Joe Biden on Thursday said that his country will not waiver in its support for Ukraine, adding that it will always stand up for democracies. President Joe Biden speaks during the 2023 United States Air Force Academy Graduation Ceremony at Falcon Stadium, Thursday. (AP) "The American people's support for Ukraine will not waiver," Biden said. His remarks came during the address at the US Air Force academy. Biden, in a flag-waving commencement address in Colorado Springs, Colorado, warned graduates they will enter service in an increasingly unstable world, citing challenges from Russia and China. Biden made clear the United States would not back down from the challenge posed by China amid deep strains in the relationship. "The United States does not seek conflict or confrontation with China. China and the United States should be able to work together where we can to solve some global challenges, like climate," he said. "But we are prepared for vigorous competition," he said, adding the United States would stand up for its interests and that of its partners. The 80-year-old president, who is seeking re-election in 2024, stood, apparently unfazed by the thin air throughout the presentation of more than 900 diplomas, shook hands and gave sharp salutes to the blue-uniformed graduates. The Air Force Academy stands at 7,258 feet (2,212.3 meters) above sea level. The White House announced Thursday that it will levy sanctions against people "who are perpetuating the violence" in Sudan as warring sides fail to abide by a cease-fire agreement. Smoke rises above buildings after aerial bombardment, during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan,(Reuters/File) The United States is imposing visa restrictions on specific people in Sudan, including officials from the warring Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces and leaders from the former Omar al-Bashir regime, who are responsible for, or complicit in, undermining Sudans democratic transition, according to the State Department. President Joe Biden on May 4 laid the groundwork for the sanctions when he issued an executive order that expanded U.S. authorities to respond to the violence and help bring an end to the conflict. These measures are intended to hold accountable those responsible for undermining the peace, security, and stability of Sudan, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement. The Treasury Department said in a statement that four companies are being designated: Al Junaid Multi Activities Co. Ltd., which is controlled by RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and his brother RSF Deputy Commander Abdul Rahim Dagalo; Tradive General Trading LLC, a front company controlled by RSF Major Algoney Hamdan Dagalo, who also is a brother of the RSF commander; Sudans largest defense company, Defense Industries System; and the arms company Sudan Master Technology, which is linked to the SAF. Through sanctions, we are cutting off key financial flows to both the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces, depriving them of resources needed to pay soldiers, rearm, resupply, and wage war in Sudan, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said. The United States stands on the side of civilians against those who perpetuate violence towards the people of Sudan. The United States urged Sudans warring sides on Thursday to return to cease-fire talks and make a concerted effort to abide by a lasting truce after peace efforts collapsed yet again. The appeal from the U.S. State Department came after Sudans military on Wednesday suspended its participation in the talks, hosted in Saudi Arabia, with a rival paramilitary force. The fighting between the Sudanese military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Dagalo, broke out in mid-April. The violence has killed at least 866 civilians, according to a Sudanese doctors group, though the actual toll is likely much higher. On Wednesday, heavy shelling near a market in a neighborhood in the south of the Sudanese capital of Khartoum killed at least 17 civilians, the Sudan Doctors Syndicate said. The scope and scale of the bloodshed in Khartoum and Darfur, in particular, is appalling, Sullivan said. And, the failure of the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces to abide by the cease-fire only further deepens our concern that the people of Sudan will once again face a protracted conflict and widespread suffering at the hands of the security forces. The Sudanese militarys withdrawal from the talks is a setback for Washington and Riyadh, which have been mediating between the two sides. Once the forces make clear by their actions that they are serious about complying with the cease-fire, the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are prepared to resume facilitation of the suspended discussions, the State Department said. Washington and Riyadh brokered a cease-fire on May 21, to allow for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and restoration of vital services. There have been seven declared cease-fires since the conflict broke out and all have been violated. Later Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters at a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Oslo, Norway, that both sides were continuing to violate the cease-fire agreement that was renewed last Monday. We will continue to be engaged. At the same time, were also looking at steps that we can take to make clear our views, Blinken said. In late May, Blinken threatened Sudan's warring generals with possible sanctions in the event of cease-fire violations. Last week, Riyadh and Washington accused the military of continuing to carry out airstrikes, while condemning the RSF for occupying peoples homes and seizing property. Theft was occurring in areas controlled by both forces, it added. The nearly seven weeks of fighting has reduced the Sudanese capital of Khartoum to an urban battlefield, with many districts without electricity and running water. The conflict has also stoked ethnic violence in the western Darfur region, killing hundreds there. Accor Unveils The Captivating Mantra Bunbury Lighthouse Hotel, Illuminating Western Australia's Coastal Charm. Australia's largest hotel operator, Accor, is thrilled to be expanding its portfolio in the picturesque seaside town of Bunbury in south-west Western Australia with the opening of Mantra Bunbury Lighthouse. Overlooking the Indian Ocean and the iconic Bunbury Lighthouse, this newest addition to Accor's portfolio is set to captivate both leisure and business guests with its enchanting location and exceptional facilities. With the Bunbury Lighthouse an emblem of the area for decades, Mantra Bunbury Lighthouse is a renowned landmark in the region. The hotel features 71 guestrooms and suites, Bunbury's largest conference space for up to 425 guests, an onsite restaurant and bar, and an assortment of leisure facilities such as an indoor swimming pool, sauna and spa. Mantra Bunbury Lighthouse is owned by Mandala Hospitality Group, whom Accor share a long-standing partnership with. Mantra Bunbury Lighthouse marks the fifth franchise agreement signed between Accor and Mandala Hospitality Group, joining Mercure Albury on the Victorian border, Mantra Mackay in central Queensland, Mercure Cairns in Tropical North Queensland, and Mantra Bathurst in central New South Wales. Accor Pacific CEO, Sarah Derry, said: "We are excited to partner with Mandala Hospitality Group again to develop this landmark hotel. Mantra Bunbury Lighthouse represents an exciting opportunity for Accor to expand its network in Western Australia and focus on our strategy to deliver exceptional accommodation in all locations. We look forward to leveraging our global expertise in hospitality to deliver unforgettable moments to guests." Mandala Hospitality Group Manager, Murray Emerton, said: "We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Accor as we make our debut in Western Australia. Bunbury, a dynamic destination for both business and leisure, presents an exciting opportunity for our hotel. Over the next 12 months, we eagerly anticipate breathing new life into this already remarkable property through a planned soft refurbishment. Together with Accor, we aim to create incredible experiences for our valued guests." Located just two hours south of Perth, Bunbury is one of Western Australia's most sought-after holiday destinations. Boasting a stunning natural coastline, superb fishing, swimming and sandy beaches for kids to play, Bunbury is an aquatic playground with a thriving community hub. With its prime location, Mantra Bunbury Lighthouse serves as a gateway to a plethora of recreational activities and attractions. Guests can embark on whale watching tours, explore the nearby Tuart Forest National Park, enjoy water sports, or immerse themselves in Bunbury's vibrant arts and culture scene. Mantra is Australia's largest hotel brand with 75 properties across the country. It's renowned for having a great selection of hotels, resorts and spacious self-contained apartments in vibrant cities and favourite holiday hotspots. Since the brand was born in 2007, Mantra has experienced a great journey of growth. The brand has achieved considerable success in the Australian market and, while the Mantra brand has expanded internationally, its core market is, and will remain, domestic. From luxury to economy, Accor has 19 international brands across Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and French Polynesia, such as Sofitel, MGallery, Art Series, Pullman, Swissotel, Movenpick, Grand Mercure, Peppers, The Sebel, Mantra, Handwritten Collection, Novotel, Mercure, BreakFree, ibis, ibis Styles and ibis budget as well as SO/ and TRIBE, which are both part of the Ennismore collective of lifestyle brands. Five years after Doris Greif departed from her role as SVP operations for the entire Jumeirah Group, she has made a comeback to Dubai. She has joined IHG, serving in a new position as VP of luxury and lifestyle MEA, which puts her in command of Six Senses, Regent, InterContinental, Vignette Collection, Kimpton, and Hotel Indigo. Previously, Greif held the position of managing director for Langham Hospitality, managing its renowned London property and simultaneously acting as the regional VP of operations for Europe and the Middle East. Since then, a Langham hotel has been confirmed for Diriyah Gate. Doris Greif has a long-standing association with Jumeirah in Dubai, which she initially joined in 1999. Her roles over the years have included executive assistant manager in charge of rooms at Jumeirah Beach Hotel, general manager of Jumeirah Beach Club Resort & Spa, general manager operations, and general manager of Jumeirah Emirates Towers. In 2008, she stepped away from the company to take on the role of COO - city operations at DIFC Investments LLC, before reuniting with Jumeirah in 2010 to serve as the general manager of Jumeirah at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi. Recently, IHG's luxury portfolio has been witnessing significant growth. This month, the first Kimpton in the region was announced for Saudi Arabia; in March, a contract for a Hotel Indigo in the Kingdom was signed; and towards the end of 2022, a Vignette Collection was confirmed. Additionally, the company has two upcoming Six Senses in the Red Sea area, another one in Diriyah Gate, and an InterContinental Resort in the Red Sea. In Dubai, a Six Senses hotel is planned to open in the Palm Jumeirah. As a graduate of the renowned Les Roches International School of Hotel Management, Justin Furkhan joins the team as Business Support Manager, Australia bringing with him extensive hotel industry experience across several leadership roles at luxury brands including The Fullerton and InterContinental. His new role will play a critical role in supporting the growth and performance of La Vie's Australian portfolio while driving commercial objectives across the portfolio. View Justin Furkhan's LinkedIn Profile Justin Furkhan is a graduate of Les Roches in Bluche - Switzerland The Australian team also welcomes Abhey Sachdeva as Business Development Manager, Australia, a role which will see him drive sales performance for hotels within the Australian shared services portfolio. His extensive experience in hotel sales will see him provide valuable insights and support to the teams while playing a crucial role in driving revenue growth of La Vie's hotels in the Australian market. La Vie Hospitality Group Woolloomooloo, Sydney Australia Website Peachtree Hospitality Management ("PHM") announced the appointment of Caroline Royster to vice president of business development, responsible for growing its third-party management partnerships by leveraging industry relationships and identifying new management opportunities. She will report to Patrick Short, PHM's president. "We're pleased that Caroline is joining our team with a focus on expanding our already significant third-party management services business," said Short. "With a proven hospitality track record, Caroline brings a wealth of expertise and strategic vision to Peachtree. We look forward to the exciting opportunities and achievements that lie ahead under her guidance." Royster is a 15-year lodging industry veteran with a wide range of consulting, acquisition and development experience. She most recently served as vice president at R.M. Woodworth & Associates, a hotel advisory company. Before that, she was head of business development for Legacy Ventures, a hospitality developer, owner and operator responsible for identifying, underwriting and analyzing acquisition, ground-up development and third-party management opportunities. Royster has also held leadership positions with PKF Consulting USA/CBRE Hotels, TPG Hotels & Resorts, and Goldman Sachs & Co. Royster holds a Master of Science in Hospitality Management from Florida International University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bucknell University. PHM, a division of Peachtree Group, operates premium-branded, limited-, select- and compact full-service hotels primarily in the upper-midscale and upscale segments. Today, the company manages 94 hotels across 28 brands with 11,492 rooms in 22 states. The Hotel Revenue Summit by Booking.com and AxisRooms will bring together the brightest minds from the online travel industry, hospitality technology, hotels, and other experts to explore the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities. Being a part of this event, you will know how to distribute online, predict demand, and optimally adjust your rates to sell more, increase occupancy, and boost revenue. For more information, kindly reach us at [email protected] or +91 9880330001. This event is organized by AxisRooms in partnership with Booking.com FTC Hotels, the lifestyle hotel franchise collection company, which owns the two lifestyle brands Casa Cook and Cooks Club, has been acquired by the Real Estate business within Goldman Sachs Asset Management (Goldman Sachs) for an undisclosed consideration. The Casa Cook and Cooks Club brands feature 16 franchised properties across prime sun and beach locations in the Mediterranean and Red Sea. The investment from Goldman Sachs will accelerate expansion across European destinations, while remaining loyal to the brands founding ethos of creating individual and unique places united by signature luxe-minimalist design and laid-back spirit. Casa Cook is an eclectic collection of lifestyle boutique resorts catering for a growing generation of independent travellers. Each hotel has its own distinct personality where architecture, interior design, and individual offerings vary by location and hotel, yet common to all are low-key vibes and contemporary aesthetics. Launched in 2016 with Casa Cook Rhodes, the Casa Cook collection features five properties, three in Greece (Mykonos, Samos, and Rhodes) and two in Egypt (El Gouna and North Coast). Cooks Club is a new, innovative hotel concept aimed at millennials and cosmopolites who prioritise good times and quality experiences with friends. The brand brings a touch of modern urban lifestyle, offering a more stripped-back experience across its 11 hotels in Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Spain, and Bulgaria. The brand prides itself on offering outstanding cuisine, resident DJ live sets, and a sleek contemporary design. Speaking on the acquisition, Alessandro Dassi, the brands Managing Director, said: This is an exciting time for both brands and is a move which will enable them to continue to improve the holiday experience of our guests. The investment by Goldman Sachs is a testament to the strength of our brands and unique proposition in the growing lifestyle resort market segment. Together we will further unlock business value and take the brands to the next level." Nabil Aquedim, Managing Director at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, added: This investment aligns with our strategy to build a portfolio of differentiated hotels and resorts across the Mediterranean. We look forward to working with Alessandro and his team to continue to grow the brands they created across Europe". For more information on Casa Cook and its properties, please visit https://www.casacook.com, and for more information on Cooks Club, please visit https://www.cooksclub.com. About Goldman Sachs Asset Management Real Estate Bringing together traditional and alternative investments, Goldman Sachs Asset Management provides clients around the world with a dedicated partnership and focus on long-term performance. As the primary investing area within Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), we deliver investment and advisory services for the worlds leading institutions, financial advisors, and individuals, drawing from our deeply connected global network and tailored expert insights, across every region and marketoverseeing more than $2.5 trillion in assets under supervision worldwide as of March 31, 2022. Driven by a passion for our clients performance, we seek to build long-term relationships based on conviction, sustainable outcomes, and shared success over time. Goldman Sachs Asset Management invests in the full spectrum of alternatives, including private equity, growth equity, private credit, real estate, and infrastructure. Established in 1991, the Real Estate business within Goldman Sachs Asset Management is one of pequity and credit. Our global team invests across all sectors with deep expertise across the capital structure derived from three decades of investing experience. Follow us on LinkedIn. My Place Hotels of America, an extended-stay hotel brand known for franchising clean and comfortable hotels with modern rooms, amenities, and excellent customer service, has entered into a two-phase franchise and development agreement with Rimrock Companies, a privately-held real estate development and investment company headquartered in Jacksonville, FL, for 10 extended-stay hotels throughout the South over the next six years. We're honored to be partnering with the top extended-stay hotel brand in the business and grateful for the trust My Place Hotels has placed in us to develop a minimum of 10 new properties in the Southeast region of the U.S., said Micah Linton, president and CEO of Rimrock Companies. Our mission from the beginning has been to create exceptional commercial spaces to enhance the communities we serve. Each of these new properties represents an opportunity for us to create something extraordinary for not only guests but also the businesses in the surrounding area. The properties will be in three states, growing My Places presence in Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia. Some of the properties are already under development. All 10 are expected to be completed by 2029. The team at Rimrock is competent in development, and we have a ton of confidence in their ability to execute this business plan, said Ryan Rivett, founder, president, and CEO of My Place Hotels. Their proven track record of focus on quality and integrity in their deals made this an easy agreement to structure plus, theyre just good people, and thats who were looking to do business with at the end of the day." The second phase of the development plan continues to focus on the country's Southeast region and incorporates at least as many franchises as the first phase. This deal comes on the heels of a multiple-development agreement My Place Hotels announced in October 2022. Nearly 70 My Place Hotels are open across 29 states with more than 130 hotels in the pipeline. About Rimrock Companies Rimrock is a leading national commercial real estate developer with experience in the development of a broad range of commercial real estate projects across multiple industry sectors. The company is based in Jacksonville, Florida and has a hospitality division that is specifically focused on extended stay hotel development. Rimrock currently has multiple extended stay hotels in development in Idaho, Montana, as well as in the Southeast and Florida. About My Place Hotels My Place Hotels of America, LLC ("My Place Hotels") is a hotel franchisor focusing on franchising clean and comfortable hotels with modern rooms, amenities, and excellent customer service, all at an affordable price. The company is based in Aberdeen, SD, and offers two hotel brand options to potential and current franchisees. There are nearly 70 My Place Hotels open across 29 states with more than 130 hotels in the pipeline. For more information on franchising with My Place or to book your next stay, please visit myplacehotels.com/franchising or contact Terry Kline at (605) 725-5685. PRAGUE - Mews, the industry-leading hospitality cloud, is transforming the way hotels operate thanks to its open APIs, which have enabled customers to build and connect more than 1,000 of their custom applications to the hospitality management platform. Mews, as the pioneer of open APIs in the hospitality industry, has seen a remarkable surge in the adoption of interconnected and tailored integrations over the past year. With over 20,000 installations of these applications across Mews-powered properties, the daily volume of messages exchanged through Mews APIs has exceeded 10 million. We have dedicated teams working on Mews Open API, which means we develop it in parallel to the rest of Mews Hospitality Cloud. This allows us to release new APIs immediately alongside new products and features, giving our users and partners total flexibility when it comes to connecting with Mews. Jirka Helmich, CPO at Mews As unique, personalized experiences become a growing priority for guests, hoteliers are increasingly turning to technology to enable them. This often requires bespoke solutions that need to be able to seamlessly integrate with an established hotel tech stack. For instance, Cabiner, a unique Dutch wilderness brand, has a custom integration that connects food package orders to their supplier via Mews Open API. Because the API is open, were able to build a whole custom front end that exactly fits our needs, but still runs on Mews, said Sander Ejlenberg, Co-Founder of Cabiner. Mews is the glue in the middle that connects everything it fits our open mindset where everything is a network. Other common API use cases include connecting bespoke booking engines and kiosk solutions. Mews is also introducing new multi-property functionality that will improve performance and development speed for multi-property products, both custom-built and public integrations. Having access to open APIs is vital for our own software development and for any tech-enabled operator that wants to build our own solutions. Mews connectivity is what sets it apart from other hotel software systems, especially the legacy systems, both in terms of their APIs and their marketplace of integrations. Rami Zeidan, Founder and CEO of Life House, the innovative US hotel brand I In addition to its APIs, Mews Marketplace provides a pool of over 750 integrations to hospitalitys best tech solutions. Many of these purpose-built connections are plug-and-play, making it fast and easy for hotels to build their ideal tech stack. About Mews Mews is a leading platform for the new era of hospitality. Over 3,500 properties in 80 countries are powered by Mews. The Mews Hospitality Cloud is designed to streamline operations for modern hoteliers, transform the guest experience and create more profitable businesses. Customers include Accor, Generator-Freehand, Nordic Choice Hotels, The Social Hub, Life House and Les Airelles. Mews has been named the World's Best Independent Hotel PMS Provider by World Travel Tech Awards (2022) and won Best Place to Work in Hotel Tech (2021, 2022) from Hotel Tech Report. The company has offices in Europe, the United States and Australia. George Barker Director of Communications As a large majority of hotels have adopted some sort of dynamic pricing for their rooms, the next evolution of revenue management is moving beyond rooms, and many leaders have adopted total revenue management strategies for a more holistic approach. One area that is ripe for innovation is F&B Revenue Management, and hotels are adopting the same principles and techniques that apply to room revenue management in their various F&B outlets, including full-service restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and grab-and-go marketplaces. F&B revenue management techniques largely focus on dynamic pricing, or adjusting the prices of menu items based on customer demand; and menu engineering, or adjusting the menu offerings to maximize profits. To unpack F&B dynamic pricing, lets identify four different fences that could influence dynamic price changes at your hotel F&B outlet: Time of day. Prices may vary depending on the time of day or meal period, such as breakfast, lunch, dinner or happy hour. Day of the week. Prices could potentially be higher on weekends or during peak times. Portion sizes. Prices may also vary depending on the portion sizes offered, with larger portions typically costing more. Location in the restaurant. Items may be priced differently depending on where they are located on the menu or where they are served within the restaurant, such as at the bar or in a private dining room. A recent National Restaurant Association report on the State of the Restaurant Industry 2023 addressed dynamic pricing in restaurants. It found that 79% of consumers are favorable or somewhat favorable toward variable pricing. Just over 70% of consumers reported they would order smaller-sized portions if the price was lower, and nearly 80% of consumers would be favorable toward discounts on lower demand days and times. Consumers are fine with variable pricing when done in a consumer-friendly way, writes Cornell University Professor Emeritus Sherri Kimes. This means offering value to the consumer. It doesn't mean discounting all the time. If restaurants offer lower prices during low demand times, it also means that restaurants can charge higher prices during other periods. The key to F&B revenue management is using data to analyze guest demand and purchase behavior. Data can also help you identify which items contribute to the highest average checks, which employees are skilled at tasks like upselling, and which menu items (or bottles of wine, for example) drive the most to the bottom line. With some basic practices, you can improve performance in several areas, including traffic (covers), sales (average check), and service (improved reputation and guest satisfaction). Access to structured data and intuitive visualization across these outlets will allow you to make more profitable decisions. Success Story: Analytics Power F&B Profits at Sea Island Resort Sea Island Resort on St. Simon's Island off the coast of Georgia is home to 12 full-service and three quick-service restaurants, including the only Forbes Five Star restaurant in the state of Georgia, The Georgian Room. It is the only resort in the world to have received four Forbes Five-Star awards for 10 consecutive years. Daniel Zeal started as a Sous Chef at Sea Island more than 17 years ago, and over time worked his way up through the kitchen into executive positions. For the past four years, he has served as executive chef. His time these days is spent less often hovering over a hot grill and more often in the office crunching numbers to ensure Sea Islands 15 F&B outlets run with the highest profit margins possible. Every day we have a running P&L. Prior to working with Datavision, when I needed to look at my labor costs or my food costs, every day I would be pulling those numbers from our Point of Sale systems at each outlet and frankensteining an Excel doc to make sure I was hitting my budget, Zeal says. About 10 years ago, I met with my F&B director and with the Datavision team and said, There has got to be a better way. We built a spreadsheet, and Datavision began extracting revenue numbers by location from Micros into that. Now we just pull purchases for day prior, enter them and hit F9, and we have a running food cost. Zeal uses Datavision to monitor everything from revenues to quantity of items sold, all the way down to the individual check. He can see items sold by outlet, by meal period and by server. For the past 10 years, it's the only reason we've been able to consistently achieve food cost results, he said. About MDO myDigitalOffice (MDO) is the world's fastest-growing hotel data platform, providing nearly 10,000 hotel owners and operators across the globe with centralized, digital access to their most critical documents and cross-functional performance metrics. Through integrated data feeds, document workflow management, and award-winning custom dashboards, hoteliers are able to reach greater levels of profitability by operating more efficiently, improving budgeting and forecasting, and reducing their environmental impact. Learn more at www.mdo.io. Jason Freed Hospitality Data Evangelist myDigitalOffice Comfort Inn and Suites in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan Alpine Realty Capital, LLC, a member of Hotel Brokers International, is pleased to announce that it has completed the sale of the Comfort Inn and Suites and Conference Center in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. This 137-unit property with adjacent 10,000 square foot conference center benefits from its location adjacent to the main campus of Central Michigan University. Situated on more than 10 acres of land leased from CMU, the hotel enjoys a beautiful campus-like setting with amenities unrivaled in this part of the State, which Alpine utilized to achieve maximum pricing in a very difficult transaction environment. Alpine was engaged by the seller of this asset to pursue a targeted marketing process in order to maintain maximum confidentiality. We were able to identify a small number of highly qualified buyers, received numerous offers, and negotiated a deal that worked for both buyer and seller in order to close in a timely manner and at the contracted price. As always, Alpine managed the due diligence process on behalf of the seller and assisted throughout the process up to and including the closing, assuring that the seller had the professional advisory services it needed. Alpine works daily with groups looking for opportunities to provide capital investment or other means to provide equity returns. In an environment in which the supply of lodging properties for sale is scarce and development costs continue to rise, Alpine is seeing ever-increasing interest in acquisitions from various groups, including owner-operators who are seeking to participate in the industrys strong returns. The ability to acquire a hotel asset and provide a capital infusion while remaining well below replacement cost is driving these transactions. About Alpine Realty Capital Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Alpine Realty Capital is a mortgage banking and real estate brokerage firmspecializing in hotel asset investment, valuation, financing, marketing, and transaction. Edward P. Walsh, CHB, serves as President and Principal Broker of Alpine Realty Capital. Mr. Walsh is a dedicated lodging industry professional whose career spans more than 30 years in the lodging industry. He has held numerous positions in consulting, valuation, and for the most recent years as a hospitality real estate and mortgage broker, founding Alpine Realty Capital in 2007. His expertise includes providing services regarding all phases of investment, from site selection and acquisition to feasibility analysis and appraisal, and from mortgage financing to construction cost analysis and divestment. In all, Mr. Walsh has provided real estate consulting and/or transaction services for more than $1 billion worth of hospitality real estate assets. About Hotel Brokers International Founded in 1959, Hotel Brokers International is the industrys oldest network of hospitality broker professionals. HBI hotel brokerage specialists have successfully negotiated more than 11,000 hotel real estate transactions and consistently account for the largest share of all select-service and economy hotel sales in the United States. The organizations website features a large inventory of hotel assets listed for sale and attracts site visitors from around the world. HBI is the founder and administrator of the Certified Hotel Broker program the industrys only professional designation for Hotel Brokers. In addition to hospitality real estate advisory services, HBI offers affiliate membership to professionals in allied fields, including franchising, lending, appraisals, and investment services. For more information about HBIs hotel listings or to become a broker or affiliate member, visit hbihotels.com. Contact: Edward P. Walsh, CHB, President Alpine Realty Capital Ann Arbor, Michigan 734.372.7130 ewalsh@alpinerealtycapital.com Glenda J. Webb, Executive Director Hotel Brokers International 816.505.4315 gwebb@hbihotels.com Rendering of the Corinthia Maldives Resort Corinthia has signed a hotel management agreement to operate a luxury resort in the Maldives in 2025. The developer of the luxury resort to be operated by Corinthia is Maarah Pvt Ltd, a Maldivian entity, affiliated with Maarah Holdings Ltd, a United Arab Emirates company registered within the Dubai International Financial Centre, being part of Niro Investment Group, one of the most prestigious investment companies in Romania, which is further strengthening its international operations, both in the Middle East and South Asia. Early works on reclamation and the first phase of the development of the resort located on the Kaafu Atoll have commenced and will feature two islands hosting a 73-key resort on the larger of the two and a second, smaller private island for exclusive use. Corinthia Maldives will feature aquatic-inspired architecture designed by global firm HKS. The main pavilion and all villas are taking on forms and shapes that take inspiration from the gentle curves of the ocean's Manta Ray. The resort will also include state of the art wellness facilities, multiple fitness spaces and a choice of five restaurants operated with internationally renowned brands. "We are thrilled to announce the arrival of Corinthia in the Maldives. Together with our partners, the developers, we will work to create a unique architectural statement that will delight the senses." commented Mr. Simon Naudi, CEO of Corinthia Hotels. "We are excited about this milestone Maldivian luxury resort development, which is located only 15 minutes from Male International Airport and which will provide long-term local employment opportunities whilst contributing towards the growing destination tourism economy of the Maldives." stated Mr. Rene Beil, Managing Director, Maarah Holdings and Maarah Pvt Ltd "We are fortunate of our thirty years' legacy of real estate investments and developments of pioneering nature and we are privileged to be partners with a leading luxury hospitality brand such as Corinthia". Other than HKS as lead architects, several contractors and engineering firms have been engaged on the project. These include RLB Hoolooman as Project Managers, having already completed 14 resorts within Maldives, working alongside Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTTC) which has been appointed as the main contractor for land reclamation and shore protection works. China State Construction has been appointed as the General Contractor while Beaufort Global a leading and reputable hospitality asset management firm based in Dubai UAE has been appointed as Asset Manager. Chicago, IL (60637) Today Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. Hazy. High 77F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. 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. 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. 5 reasons why every musician that plays live needs merch Not only does merch make money, but it can be an integral tool for serving fans and building an artists brand. Heres how to get started. by Janelle Borg of Amplify You For gigging artists like you, music merch should be an integral part of your brand-building strategy. Its not only a great way to project your musical identity through a tangible item, but also serves as a much-needed financial lifeline. Best of all, music fans love merch, and are ready to spend money on quality pieces they truly like. If you need convincing, here are 5 reasons why you should start selling merch now rather than later. Amplify your brand identity One of the most obvious but still underestimated reasons why you should sell merch is the simple fact that its a great tool for building brands. Its the tried-and-tested way to showcase your logo, artwork, and artist motifs in a format thats worn over and over again. Simply put, your fans become walking billboards, advertising your wares, while simultaneously benefitting from a quality product they genuinely like. Its also good to mention that it builds a certain camaraderie between fans, as music merch is a signifier of being part of a distinct community. Generate Additional Revenue Streams As a gigging artist, money can be tight. Youre spending a lot of money on fuel, accommodation, your vehicle, and food so a little extra change can go a long way. Selling physical products at your show, and even online through your website or platforms like Bandcamp, is a great way to monetize your fan base. With thoughtful, well-designed merch that appeals to your audience, youll be turning your creativity into dollars that can go into funding your next tour. Forge Deeper Fan Connections Theres nothing like the T-shirt of your favorite band to forge a connection with a random person in a cafe. Undoubtedly, music merch creates a deep connection not only between fans, but also between you (the artist) and the fan. Its a cherished memento that serves as a reminder of an unforgettable concert or meet and greet. So if we look beyond the finances and branding of everything, it all boils down to the community. Enhance Your Concert Experience Part of the beauty of a live concert is bagging music merch before or after the show. Therefore, merch is a good way to enhance the concert experience and give fans something that they can take home with them that reminds them of that concert. It also adds an element of collectibility to your shows, which is a plus for most music fans. Expand Your Reach and Visibility Music merch extends your reach beyond the confines of a venue. It can serve as an icebreaker among strangers, a talking point at an awkward party and, above all, a powerful form of free promotion. By harnessing the visibility of your music merch, your fans act as ambassadors and bring more people into your fan community. Janelle Borg knows a thing or two about the music industry. Having been involved in the industry since the age of 13, shes now involved in a variety of music-related projects and is always keen to share industry tips n tricks with fellow musicians. Share on: Dalton Expects July Delivery of Ladder Truck DALTON, Mass. The Fire District is projected to have its new ladder truck delivered in five weeks, the interim Fire Chief Chris Cachat said during the Fire District meeting on Tuesday night. As of last week, the truck was in the paint shop, Cachat said. The ladder truck has been completely refurbished from the ground up. Since the start of the project Northern Fire Equipment has had people leave, which set them back on a lot of their projects, Cachat said. Water Commissioner Michael Kubicki questioned the expected delivery date saying that when he spoke to the owner of Northern Fire Equipment, he informed him that it would be delivered at the end of May and that there was only one other truck ahead of them in line. Cachat said the owner told him last week that the truck ahead of Dalton in line was completed but that Northern Fire Equipment is now experiencing staffing issues. The uncertainty about the fire truck stemmed from not knowing where it was due to a communication problem with the former Fire Chief James Peltier and the time issues with the company refurbishing the vehicle, commission Chair James Driscoll said following the meeting. "We have talked fully with the people up in Watertown (N.Y.). They have assured us it's there. We can call up anytime we want and see it and any questions we have, we can directly talk to them now. So we're comfortable with what's going on with the truck," Driscoll said. The Dalton Fire Department sidelined its 32-year old ladder truck in 2022 due to mechanical and safety concerns and has been loaning a truck from the Boston Fire Department. The new ladder truck is from 2000. The Boston Fire Department has replacement trucks that will lend them out to other fire companies in the state, Driscoll said. Peltier had connections there so that the Dalton could get a loaned ladder truck. The district has not been paying to use the truck but the Boston Fire Department will call at some point requesting it back, Driscoll said. Hopefully the new ladder truck comes in before the district needs to return the Boston truck "but if it's not, then we have to send it back," he said. The town purchased its new ladder truck for about $100,000, including having it refurbished. Normally a ladder truck can cost a million and a half to $2 million, Cachat said. Although Cachat has only seen pictures of the truck, he said when it comes close to the truck being ready for delivery he plans to drive the 4 1/2 hour ride to Buffalo, N.Y., to "OK everything" before it's delivered. Prima Music Foundation at Ventfort Hall LENOX, Mass. Prima Music Foundation returns to the Berkshires with a concert at Ventfort Hall on Sunday, June 4 at 4 p.m. A cocktail reception will follow with light hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar. Beer, wine and a new signature cultural cocktail in collaboration with Berkshire Mountain Distillers will be served. Tenor, David Guzman, and Pianist, Anastasia Dedik, a founder of the Prima Music Foundation, will perform works by Hahn, Ives, McCrae, Turina, De Falla and De Fuentes. The Prima Music Foundation is a non-profit organization with the mission of supporting young artists from under-represented areas, as well as providing first class music education and performing opportunities. Dedik is an avid educator and an Artistic Director of Rising Stars piano camp, which takes place at Berkshire Music School in Pittsfield, from June 24 to July 1, 2023. Dedik has performed as a soloist, chamber musician and collaborator in more than 22 states and abroad, including venues such as Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, The Great Philharmonic Hall in St. Petersburg, Russia and others. Born and raised in Saint Petersburg, Russia to a family of distinguished musicians, Anastasia graduated from The Saint Petersburg Conservatory in 2004 and moved to the United States to continue her education at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and The Juilliard School on full talent scholarships. She is a candidate to receive a Doctor of Musical Arts in piano performance at Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts. She currently resides in New York City with her husband and their 8-year-old daughter. David Guzman, hailed by the Tampa Bay Times as the "one to watch," is known for his exquisite tone and impeccable musicianship. He has been praised for his "impressive tenor, singing with force and ease throughout his range, with ringing tone at full voice, thoughtful in quieter moments." (Houston Chronicle) He holds a B.A. in Music Education from Universidad Pedagogica Nacional de Colombia, a M.M. in Voice Performance from Texas Christian University, and a D.M.A. in Voice performance from SUNY at Stony Brook. His recent CD released, Latin-American Art Songs, is the first result of his continuous research of Latin-American forgotten art song repertoire and performance practices. Dr. Guzman is an Assistant Professor of Music in Voice at Boston University since 2020. South Berkshire Rural Health Network Gets State Grant BOSTON The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced an award of nearly $250,000 in Local Food Policy Council program funding to 17 organizations across Massachusetts. This includes an $11,820 grant for South Berkshire Rural Health Network that will be used to develop a strategic plan and improve connections to the region's most vulnerable residents. "Massachusetts' local food policy councils and food working groups are vital to the fabric of our food system and help connect communities to healthy, nutritious foods. We are happy to recognize and invest in this important work," said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. "This support is critical, especially as our local food system weathers an increasingly volatile climate." The capacity of the South Berkshire Rural Health Network's coordinator will be supported by funding for increased time and consultant support. Outcomes will include the development of a Plan that addresses system change, increased capacity of the coordinator to facilitate ongoing strategic planning, equity as a vital component of the work, and the strengthening of collaborative relationships among partners through formal and informal structures to build a healthy food network and sustainable local system.??? The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources' (MDAR) grants will enhance the work of existing and new local food policy councils and food working groups across Massachusetts. The grants will help to accelerate their development, expand their capacity, and increase their connections and opportunities for peer-to-peer learning to support the Massachusetts local food system. "We greatly appreciate this appropriation from our partners in the state legislature to provide these grants to our Massachusetts local food policy councils and food working groups," said MDAR Commissioner Ashley Randle. "Projects and initiatives funded through this program will develop and continue work to impact the long-term viability and sustainability of our local food system in Massachusetts." Clarksburg town meeting votes in favor of an amended article transferring funds from the stabilization account. Voters approved all articles on the warrant during the nearly two-hour meeting. Clarksburg Town Meeting OKs $5.1M Budget, Passes All Warrant Articles Town Clerk Marilyn Gomeau takes the role of moderator for the annual town meeting at Clarksburg School on Wednesday. CLARKSBURG, Mass. Voters at town meeting on Wednesday swiftly passed $5.1 million in spending for the next fiscal year with no discussion. But other articles, including a proposal to open the town's capped landfill to a solar operator, prompted some debate and amendments from the floor. All 24 business articles passed during the nearly two-hour meeting attended by 67 voters. Town Clerk Marilyn Gomeau was elected as moderator for the meeting because Ronald Boucher, re-elected Tuesday by write-in votes, was unable to attend. Town meeting approved a school budget of $2,838,417.24, up 2 percent over this year; the town's operating budget of $1,880,046, up $63,561, and the McCann Technical School assessment of $383,921, up $70,875 or 18 percent over this year. But voters raised concerns over an article that gave the Select Board the authority to enter into a 20-year lease with an operator of a solar array. Several voters questioned why there wasn't more public participation, how much the town might make and if the array would be by right since it the town land was in the solar overlay district. Town Administrator Carl McKinney said any array would have to have a building permit and would have to go before the Planning Board if that was required, in response to questions from Planner Karin Robert. But he couldn't say how much the array would bring in, though he had heard rumors of how much was possible. He pointed out that it would create two revenue streams for the town through leasing the land and the personal property tax on the equipment. Several voters pressed for more public input, including waiting until a bid was in hand before taking a vote on the article. McKinney said no business would be interested if its proposal had to go through a public vote. "We are near our levy capacity limit," he said. "We have a structural deficit to the tune of $200,000. ... You can vote yea, you can vote nay, but at some point there will have to be a decision on where to cut further." . Dan Tanner motioned to amend Article 17 to include that a public hearing would be held prior to the Select Board's signing any agreement to gauge the wishes of the community. The Select Board members in attendance, Robert Norcross and Dan Haskins, indicated that they had no problem with the amendment. "We just want ensure we're taking the time to do the proper things," said Planning Board member Erin Scott. Tanner added that he thought the solar overlay district should be revisited, noting everything west of the school was allowed but everything east was not. "I do believe this is something we need to address," he said. "If you have the required setback and put in suitable screening you should be allowed .... a private citizen should also be allowed to do so." Voters also amended Article 23, a request to transfer $231,000 from the town's stabilization account to reduce the tax rate, to ensure it would be replenished. The transfer will basically deplete the account until several years of free cash can be certified. Danielle Luchi motioned to amend the article to read that "when free cash is certified, whatever funds are available will go back into stabilization." There was some talk about whether all the free cash should go in but the amendment and the article passed easily. Voters also approved the establishment of a revolving fund account for fine and forfeitures to fund police training and equipment, and the creation of a special stabilization account for monies from the opioid settlements. The town will be getting some funds annually over the next 15 years as part of the state's lawsuit and town meeting authorized transferring $6,773.94 into the account from stabilization. McKinney explained that there had been conflicting instructions from Boston on how to account the funds but then Attorney General and now Gov. Maura Healey had indicated they should be segregated from general funds. This will allow the town to better track how much it has; the funds can only be used for recovery, harm reduction, treatment and prevention. Voters also approved the establishment of an agricultural commission on a citizen's petition submitted by Martha Tanner. Robert asked why the commission would be appointed by the Select Board rather than elected like other town boards and commissions. Tanner said the rules and guidelines for agriculture commissions are set by the state's Department of Agriculture. "It was showing that it was appointed by select boards. Lanesborough just instituted one, two years ago and ... I basically followed their protocol," Tanner said. "It is kind of unusual, but that's how it's done." Voters also gave the OK to cleaning up and updating language in the zoning bylaws (approved last year but not certified by the AG's office because a public hearing had not been held) and the Council on Aging; two zoning changes reduced lot size from a third of an acre to a quarter in where sewer and water were available and halved the road frontage in Upland Conservation District to 125 feet in an effort to "tweak" the state's formula for payments in lieu of taxes to get more money. The district is largely state forest that McKinney said would bring in $264,000 in private hands; the state's last PILOT was $26,000. Finally, town meeting voted to move the town election from the last Tuesday to the second Tuesday in May. Gomeau said she requested this because the Monday Memorial Day holiday made setting up for the election difficult and "disenfranchised" voters because there were two days Friday and Monday when they could not return absentee votes. Town meeting will remain on the fourth Wednesday. Under "other business," Eric Booth asked that the Select Board resume evening meetings because it is difficult for residents to attend meetings being held in the morning or early afternoon, as has been the case since last year. Several other voters agreed with him that there should better options for participation. McKinney said the hours were adjusted to accommodate the board members and that it has been rare for any residents to attend meetings for years. Norcross said the board would discuss the matter at its next meeting, In closing, Gomeau said she was disheartened by the lack of names on Tuesday's town election ballot. "It doesn't take a whole lot to take papers out and run for office," she said. "I find it very disheartening when I see offices that are all blank. ... "You have a small little town, you have a nice little community here. ... I think it's important people in the community get more involved." She also thanked town meeting for "being patient with me because moderator is not my job" and received a round of applause. Name: Eric Kedrosky Organisation: Sonrai Security Job title: CISO Date started current role: February 2020 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Eric Kedrosky, has been in the information security industry for more than 20 years building and leading security teams and has been a pioneer in securing the cloud for the past 7 years. He has experience across the high-tech and fintech industries. He is an active contributor to the information security community by providing thought leadership in cloud security. What was your first job? My first job coming out of school (computer engineering) was actually in the information security space. I started as a security analyst in the IT department of a very large multinational company that built hardware and software for telecommunication networks. How did you get involved in cybersecurity? See above. I remember applying for the role while I was doing my 4th-year engineering project. I worked as a co-op for many years at the company, saw a job come up, and thought I would be installing anti-virus software. It was not a bad place to start, so I applied and in the first interview they explained what the job really was and I was hooked. The job description did not do the job justice. What was your education? Do you hold any certifications? What are they? Bachelor of Engineering degree focused on Computer Systems from Carleton University. I also have my CISSP. Explain your career path. Did you take any detours? If so, discuss. Yeah, there were a couple of detours. I went from being a security analyst to working as a security solutions architect/consultant to moving into product management. I then took this experience and moved on to a product management role. I found myself back in an information security building and then leading the security organisation for another multinational company After a merger, I left to work with my mentor and did M&A for a couple of years. I was able to use my technical and security background/risk management thinking. I was responsible for making sure mergers work smoothly by mitigating risk. I learned a lot about the business side of the house and it is something that has greatly helped me in my career from there on. Was there anyone who has inspired or mentored you in your career? George Head has been my mentor and friend for over a decade now. He is a fantastic person to work with and has been quite fundamental in my career. He helped me get my feet under me as a leader and taught me a lot about leadership over the years. He has always been there for me when I needed him and I contribute a lot of my success today as an Executive to him, his wisdom, his patience, his mentorship, and his friendship. George always brings his A-Game What do you feel is the most important aspect of your job? My role as CISO at a cloud security company really has two parts: internal and external. Internally, one of the most important aspects is to communicate effectively, not just upwards, but up, down, right, and left; working with peers to get their support for the security program, to help them understand risks not just from a technical perspective but also from the business perspective and show that Im on their side. Understanding and communicating with the teams that are executing the work is really important for a role like this. Externally, the most important aspect is helping our customers and CISOs put cloud security in context to help them move into this new generation of cloud. Thats a big onehelping people understand why doing security in the cloud is important and how it is different from on-prem. What metrics or KPIs do you use to measure security effectiveness? I like using classic measurements, to focus on risk and how you choose to measure risk. I like to look at the speed at which we are solving problems, not just counting the number of problems. It's one thing to say we have X problems or we solved X problems, but we should also be looking at the mean-time-to-resolution (MTTR). Are we getting better, are we stagnant, or are we getting worse? What is our in-rate vs our out-rate? I also like to stretch metrics out over a longer time horizon to better visualise how we are doing from that perspective. Oftentimes we get very focused on the immediate or near term, which isnt necessarily bad, but in my career stepping back and looking at the forest for the trees has been a strategy that has really worked for me. Is the security skills shortage affecting your organisation? What roles or skills are you finding the most difficult to fill? The skills gap is affecting every organisation. Upskilling and training existing employees is key and where most organisations fail miserably. Too many times they take an experienced person, often a top talent admin, engineer, arch, etc., and then simply call them their cloud